This episode deals with teenagers going to extremes to solve problems caused by the economy. And it’s written by a writer for another CTV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation. Hit the jump to read our summary!We begin outside a store. We see a boy’s mother saying this is all a misunderstanding, and another boy’s mother saying that he has had the year from hell. Wordy is crawling in through a ventilation staff, and Ed is ready and waiting for Scorpio. We see a teenager being held at gunpoint, and Greg gives Ed the order. As he’s about to fire, rewind! 5 hours earlier, we see two African-American parents arguing about moving to Lethbridge (really not as boring a town as it sounds, I’ve been through it many times). They are moving there because their restaurant business has fallen short and they can’t afford it anymore. At SRU headquarters, Jules makes a surprise appearance to talk to Greg about coming back. Sam wants to talk to Jules about why she has been ignoring him, but she says to wait until tonight over coffee and goes to find Greg. We’re now taken to the African-American teenage boy’s room (Adam), where he is talking to his best friend Donny through a webcam, and listening to rap music. He tells him to meet him at a store in ten minutes. His dad comes in and says that he’s sorry he had to see them argue and learn about the move this way. Adam gets offended when his dad seems to think that his world revolves around his best friend. He leaves in a huff giving his father’s words back to him, saying his horizons need expanding. At SRU headquarters, Spike is trying to tell Donna a story, but Ed keeps Spike in check by saying that a knife wasn’t as big as he thinks. Sam comes in late, and Ed reminds him that, but he shrugs it off and says sorry. At the store, Donny watches Adam play an arcade game as he learns the news that they can’t afford rent anymore. Donny can’t believe this, and Adam takes him out of the store needing to “chill”. At the SRU, Ed talks to Sam alone, sensing something is wrong but Sam won’t admit it. He just says that he is fine. And in the SRU, if a member isn’t there 100%, bad things can happen. Donny and Adam bike up to a fine grocery store. This is where Donny used to work before he fired, but he likes their expensive cookies. They go in the store, just as it’s closing up. Donny thinks he deserves a parting gift for his years of service at this store. He picks up a knife and some stockings, and heads to the restroom, in employees only quarters at the back of the store. Or so, that’s where Adam thinks they are going. Donny leads him into refrigerated room, and says he wants to steal the money since he knows their routine pretty well. They rush into the store, stockings over their head, Donny threatening with a knife, and everything goes according to plan until they make it to the loading dock, and they are caught by security. As they head back, Adam isn’t fast enough and is ambushed by the cops. He asks Donny for help, and he stabs the cop. Adam is in disbelief, as the cop is lying on the floor. Donny takes the gun, and stuffs it and the money bag in his jacket. But as they are leaving, they are caught by other employees and customers of the store, as the police arrive. Donny pulls the gun, telling Adam it’s not over...Roll Opening! The SRU arrives on the scene, and Sam and Donna are told to recon the building. Wordy goes to check on the security guard that has fallen to make sure they don’t have his gun. Inside the store, Adam tries to ask Donny to quit it again, but Donny thinks that it’s cool. Another employee reminds Donny was fired because he was napping in the storeroom, and isn’t scared of him thinking he won’t use his gun. Donny holds the employee at gunpoint as Greg makes his first call over the bullhorn, asking them to pick up the phone. Adam wants him to pick up the phone , say he’s sorry and go home. Donny doesn’t want to do that, and moves closer to the employee with his gun. He doesn’t want to go to jail. Adam walks away. Wordy talks to a witness and spots the bikes the two came from. Lou begins typing up the log. Greg and Spike are in the truck too, monitoring the situation. Donny now has the employee sitting in a chair, and has duct taped his hands and face. The store phone rings. Donny picks up, and Greg makes a lame attempt to speak to “D-Rock” in teen speak, but Donny doesn’t fall for it. He hangs up. Spike pulls up the security camera feeds and sees what is going on. Greg gets on the phone again asking about who is friend is, and he is given the code name Backslash. The SRU determines that he is scared, and they look up these aliases on the internet. Wordy reads bike serial numbers to match up the names over. They find out that Adam is 17 years old and call up his parents. Sam comes up with a plan to get into the store. Sam is a little hurt he isn’t on the Sierra position this time around, but Ed says it’s his team and his call. Adam’s mom arrives on the scene. Greg talks to her about what has happened. She insists that there is nothing wrong with him and he would not do this. He gives them Donny’s name and street name he lives on. As Adam is taping up one of the customers, he realizes she is pregnant and wants to let her go. Donny wants a chopper and isn’t thinking straight, but thinks no one else is thinking straight. A guard rushes in to try to apprehend Donny, but Donny shoots the guard down. Officer down! To Commercial! Adam can’t believe Donny just shot him and that they are now both headed to jail. Donny starts tearing store displays apart in a fit of rage. Greg calls the store again and Adam picks up, and as he tries to apologize, Donny tears the phone from him. The SRU is now in the back of the building. Donny tells Greg that he did it to protect his friend because he came towards his best friend with a knife. Greg asks how the guard is doing. Wordy climbs up large racks to get to the ventilation staff. Adam asks the customer who is a dental hygienist to do anything she can to help the fallen officer. Adam tries to tell Donny it’s too late now to walk away, and Donny doesn’t want Adam to help out the customers. Donny’s mom arrives, and Greg talks to her. She breaks down in front of him. His older brother died, his father walked out on him, and Donny just slipped. He became troubled in life and in school. Greg smiles to reassure her he will do everything he can to get Donny out safely. Wordy and Donna come out of the shaft. Greg calls Donny by name, and says he is working on the chopper, but Donny screams he wants it now. Greg decides to try Adam’s cell phone number. Donna freezes open a lock. Greg and Adam chat by texting to each other. Donny catches on, and Adam is petrified initially. Commercial! Adam tries to play cool and say he’s texting his mom. Donny is mad, but lets him go back to working with the dental hygienist. Wordy ends up in another shaft to end up overtop of them, and he drops an earpiece down on a line. Ed and Sam are perched on the roof and remove a window. Greg calls Adam while sending him a text to go to the cleaners aisle to the earpiece so he will be safe. Ed is in position to shoot. Adam wears the earpiece, and he’s told to look up. Spike is ready to blow open the window and enter. Under Greg’s guidance he attempts to negotiate with Donny. The earpiece cuts out, and Adam can’t hear. Donny notices it, and after a heated argument, now the gun is pointed at Adam. Greg calls Scorpio as the situation is escalating. Commercial! Adam and Donny get into a fight as Adam tries to wrestle the gun from him. Donny runs away and Ed can’t shoot. The SRU enters the store from the front and from the top. Some go towards the hostages, and Ed, Sam, Wordy and Spike, surround Donny asking him to put the gun down. Greg suggests to let Adam talk to him one last time, but Donny points the gun to himself. Adam tells Donny that they are brothers and they will be there for each other, always. Donny puts the gun down, breaks down in tears, and he is apprehended. Greg is relieved that no one died! The montage begins. Adam’s mother and father hug him as he is held in cuffs. Greg shakes his father’s hand. Donny is taken in a police car after he hugs his mom. Adam and Donny take one last look at each other. Back at the SRU, Ed apologizes to Sam over how he treated him earlier. Sam tells Ed that his girlfriend is going to break up with him, and Ed insists on grabbing a beer with him tomorrow. Greg and Ed then talk about how they figured it out, and how they didn’t think it was going to work anyway. Jules and Sam are out for coffee, and Jules explains that they can’t be together because she worked hard to be on the team. At least Sam got to hear from her that she loved him. Jules says if they want to be together, one of them has to leave the team. Adam’s parents sit on his bed, and hold hands and think. The episode ends with their two bikes, still on the stands outside the store. The song that played this week was “Help Me” by Daniel Cage.
When I first watched this episode, I didn’t like it, and watching it again, I still only liked the behind the scenes stories with the SRU. I wasn’t entirely convinced by Donny’s performance, and this was sadly one of the worst episodes that I’ve seen of the show.
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