#clew

It's been almost 12 years since Degrassi Takes Manhattan. Over time, some of the backlash has died down but not all of it. If you ask general Degrassi fans, many if not most will tell you that the worst thing the writers ever did was pair Emma with Spinner. It's understandable why it was an unpopular choice. Spinner and Emma were regulars for nine seasons and rarely ever shared a scene prior to the special where they hooked up. Not only that, but both characters had been in far more popular ships with other characters. It's generally agreed that Spinner's relationship with Jane was trashed for the sake of putting him with Emma. I can't speak for the writers of the special or for Stefan Brogren (who up until super recently was the most vocal and defensive over Spemma), but I would imagine the reasoning for pairing the characters was that Emma and Spinner were part of the original cast and it was known that season 9 would be the last to feature the TNG characters. I highly doubt anyone associated with Degrassi expected such an intense backlash.

Season 10 premiered almost directly after DTM aired. If there's one thing that can be said about season 10 other than that it rejuvenated the franchise and was by far one of its strongest seasons, it's that it was the beginning of Eclare being the main topic of discussion in the Degrassi fandom. I was never a shipper, so I can't say why they resonated so strongly with viewers. But what's undeniable is that Eclare's relationship took off to such a degree that everyone, particularly the cast and crew, took notice. When their characters broke up at the end of season 10, to say the fandom had a negative reaction to it would be an understatement. It quickly becomes clear that in season 11, especially on rewatch, that their paths were always meant to lead back to each other. Both were given new love interests. As tough as it is to admit as a Cake shipper, both Imogen and Jake were intended to fill a role and to cause drama rather than form deep, lasting relationships with Eli and Clare. The ship names were Eclare and Cake. They knew exactly what they were doing. Eclare got back together at the start of season 12 and enjoyed a long period of relative harmony and countless swoonworthy moments. Even after a brief split late in the season, they shared a "fairy tale" first time. The show had invested so much time in their relationship that it seemed unfathomable that Eclare wouldn't be endgame or seriously consider the thought of being with anyone else. Enter Drew Torres.

I can't remember if the possibility of Clew was a serious fear for the fandom back in season 12, but I remember calling it in Zombie. It was established Drew would be repeating senior year for a reason, and it was clear both Bianca and Eli would be graduating on time. For the most part, Degrassi doesn't devote much time to friendships between male and female characters if both are attracted to the opposite gender unless there are plans to eventually hook them up. The fact both were on student council together called back to when Sav and Holly J were once in a similar position and their friendship also became romantic.

Once season 13 got past its awkward summer block, the work started being done to push Clare and Drew together. We saw throughout 13B that though Clare and Drew were different, they had the potential to balance each other out. There were subtle signs of attraction and tension during their scenes. But it was nothing serious until they experienced heartbreak at the same time. Once they were able to see each other for the first time without their commitments to Bianca and Eli preventing it, their mutual feelings came to the surface and deepened. After spending the better part of 13C denying it and trying to remain friends without their feelings getting in the way, it culminated in them having sex at the Wild West dance thing. As always, I can't speak for every Degrassi fan, but Clare and Drew finding new love with each other made perfect sense to me. No, early Drew and Clare would have never slept together. No, the timing wasn't perfect with Eli very recently being in the picture. But Clare and Drew had developed both separately and together to the point where this could happen. So now they could finally be together and the audience could watch them navigate a relationship that had been built up over the better part of the season, right? Wrong.

To explain how the story line spun out of control, I have to go backwards. Once it became apparent that Clew was actually happening, the fandom was outraged. Some fans argued that Clare and Drew having a relationship would be as random as Emma marrying Spinner. Others were more concerned about Clare's relationship with Eli and Drew's relationship with Bianca. It was heavily debated whether or not Eli's cheating and Bianca's decision to break up with Drew to live life on her own were even in character. I'm not 100% certain of the exact timeline, but I do remember filming still being in progress when the season premiered. While it's not impossible that the writers simply changed their minds about Clare and Drew becoming a couple or inexplicably always planned for things to end like this, it's hard not to look towards fan reaction. Drew's relationship with Bianca was popular, but never to the extent of Eclare. Eclare quickly became the new era's power couple and helped the show remain popular throughout seasons 10-14. To reiterate something I said earlier, season 10 premiered only days after Degrassi Takes Manhattan. So almost immediately after Degrassi pissed off the majority of their fanbase, a new popular ship was introduced. Not only that, but this ship was bigger than any past couple. It's possible this is all perception and the reason why Eclare felt bigger was that social media was taking off circa 2010. Whatever the reason, Eclare was the fandom's #1 ship and everyone knew it, especially the cast and crew.

To bring this back to season 13 and the direction of Clew, 13C ended on a sad note, yet nothing indicated the situation was bleak and that Clew was over permanently. 13D even left the door open after Drew's apology to Clare. However, season 13 ended with Drew getting together with Becky and Eli back in Clare's orbit. These choices wouldn't feel so abrupt if not for the fact the entire season had been building up Clare and Drew's relationship. Following Clare discovering that Eli cheated, it's clear things are no longer the same in their relationship. When confronted by Eli about Drew, she defends what happened, saying Drew has become her rock and that her story with Eli had ended months before. So what with the abrupt conclusion and all this context, it's pretty easy to understand how the impression could be given it was fanservice. But that wasn't all. Oh, no.

One of the main arcs in season 14A was Clare's pregnancy. We (and Clare) are initially led to believe Drew is the father of her baby and we see that this experience brings them closer again if only in a platonic way. But since Eli was still in the picture and Eclare still had a vocal fanbase, it's unsurprising yet exasperating that Eli turned out to be the father after all. In the end, Clare miscarried, making the story line itself pointless in the eyes of most fans. In the meantime, Drew broke up with Becky after being clearly set up to be the loser in a triangle with Jonah. While not everything has to be connected, it leads me to believe his relationship with Becky wasn't part of the original plan. Once Drew discovers he isn't the father, he and Clare have barely any interaction for the rest of their time on the show. Ultimately, Clare lives "happily ever after" with Eli and Drew gets to graduate, I guess.

None of this is meant to convince anyone that Clare and Drew were ever supposed to end up together. Nothing gives me that impression, but I don't think it matters. What matters is that Clew had real potential to be more than what they were. It was Clare's long overdue relationship after 4 straight seasons of Eclare doing the same song and dance and Eli repeatedly treating Clare like shit. It's harder to say what the relationship was for Drew because he's known for his many relationships, but I think what stands out is this was one of the only times Drew was friends with a girl before anything romantic or physical happened. In a way, Clare was a rock for Drew in the same way he was hers.