Degrassi High : Anyone else feel bad for Shane?

Okay, first off, I'd like to say that even though this is a fictional show, I still am quite pissed off about what ends up happening to Shane after he takes that acid at the concert. If you ask me, they pretty much just threw his character away when they did that. I know that kids need to learn that making risky decisions can lead to grim aftermaths, but I still wish that they would've simply had him fall into a coma with some injuries, and eventually have been fine. It's not like that would've made it seem like he emerged from the incident unscathed. I read once that even the kid who played Shane was unhappy with what the writers chose to do with him.

Aside from the acid incident, I really pitied him over how resentful Spike was towards him. I generally like Spike, but did anyone else feel bothered when she initially didn't even want Shane holding their baby?I understand that he didn't have the amount of responsibility that she had to deal with, but that's not something he could really help. It's not like Shane forced himself on her

Anyway, despite the fact that episodes centering around Shane generally have to do with Spike's pregnancy, I would still consider him to be one of my favorite characters from the show, and like the title of thread asks: Does anyone else feel sorry for him?

*SPOILER ALERT*



Yes, I always felt bad for Shane. I also think it's incredibly weird that they would just have him institutionalized and severely brain-damaged for life, and barely refer to him once this happens and have the show just continue on. Even if his character had died it would have been a less horrible and more realistic outcome.

How often do people experiment with LSD one night and end up imprisoned for the rest of their life unable to speak properly or function in any way? A more realistic warning would have been if it had triggered in him some sort of psychotic breakdown (which can happen with vulnerable people) - and showed him suffering from flashbacks and anxiety. That would have been a more productive warning of how drugs can occasionally go wrong.

This storyline was just horrifying and bizarre and I don't know what anybody was supposed to get out of it. I am interested to hear that the actor who played Shane was upset about this too. I don't blame him! A monstrous turn of events that barely received any mention.

And on a much smaller note, yes I did feel bad for him at how Spike initially didn't want him to hold their baby but this was a fixable situation that would have healed over the years. He was paying child support and took responsibility and obviously should have ended up as a real father in his daughter's life. I wonder what the writers were thinking when it came to Shane. The rest of the show was so conscientiously done.

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How often do people experiment with LSD one night and end up imprisoned for the rest of their life unable to speak properly or function in any way?

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Rarely. I've never done acid, but I've read a lot about it, and what happened to Shane was definitely a severe case. I've read that a lot of the time, teenagers aren't "mature" enough to handle the effects of hallucinogens, so it's more common for them to have a "bad trip". They should've left it at that, in my opinion, but if they insisted that he be injured in some way, I stand by what I said in my first post. Minor injuries, maybe a concussion.

I've seen all five seasons of this show, absolutely love it (especially seasons 3-5. Not to change the subject, but the early episodes were too cheesy at times), but I've always been really unhappy and upset about what they did with Shane. Really stupid, unrealistic, and a waste.

Agreed! What they did with Shane was terrible and stupid. A bad trip would have been the way to handle it. And also, if they wanted to show the irresponsibility of the guy who gave him the acid, they could have had Shane wandering around lost and scared during the night. That would have been enough.

Instead they have the creepiest, most depressing outcome for a teenage character I have seen. Yes, I also realize it is a fictional show but it was wrong to do this.

Maybe they really, really wanted to warn people to never leave their friends unattended while they are on drugs - but they couldn't come right out and say this. During the 80's the campaign was "Just Say NO." It wasn't really possible to say, "Just make sure you have a good person watching you if you decide to drop acid. "

I feel you, I think the show would have been much better off had they simply just had him go on a bad trip and get injured. And you know something else? They could have still made him jump off a bridge, but instead of getting brain damaged for life he would more simply have just become a cripple for life. Because of this we never got to see him develop completely.

YES!
Finally.
I definitely pity Shane! What he did is something that unfortunately kids do all the time and it ended horrifically for him! What he did was 100% wrong but I don't think he deserved to suffer for it the rest of his life.
And even prior to this, the situation with Spike and the baby was sad.. No he wasn't ready to be a dad. But she wasn't ready to be a mom either. Having Emma gave her the ability to become ready and I wish she had let him have a chance to try and be a good dad. He was paying support which, if she had gone through court for this, he would've likely been entitled to visitation but he hardly asked for anything in return. He just asked to hold Emma one time and she didn't want him to.. I don't think he really did anything to deserve not being given at least a chance to be a good father.

totally! spike was such a bitch to him, which made me really dislike her character.

I felt bad for him.

At first, I was thinking in regards to how it was Shane's own fault that this had happened because he chose to take the drugs and this was the outcome of a bad trip. Its fictional, but its highly possible.

But now I feel bad that they wrote such a vital and central character off in this manner. It was bizarre; and I agree that a mental breakdown or even an overdose would've been far more realistic than the jumping off a bridge and becoming brain damaged and paralyzed scenario.

Regardless of how it was written, I think the most important message was that we saw a horrific decline in this character's life regarding the choices he made. It's obvious that he wasn't really a clear thinker; he just acted on spontaneity and impulses. He didn't think about the consequences. The obvious examples? Sex with Spike lead to a pregnancy and a baby and a (single) teen mother was made. Taking drugs? Lead him to brain damage and being paralyzed.

It's almost better to say that death would've benefitted this character more because what a *beep* life he'd lead now

"And I'm wearing a tuxedo for no apparent reason."

I thought it was a little over the top myself. I guess that stuff does happen, but it's rare. Everybody else bought from the same batch he did and nothing happened to them.

Up to that part Shane was barely mentioned or even seen. So how is he considered a major character?????

The new Degrassi show - "Degrassi The Next Generation" had 2 episodes with Shane. Emma went to go find her Dad, who she thought was a doctor at the hospital, but turned out to be where he lived. They showed a flashback of when Emma was around 3 and Spike brought her to visit Shane, and Emma was scared of him or something like that (It's been awhile since I saw the episode) - I remember Shane kept saying that she couldn't be Emma, Emma was a little girl.

I found the episode on YouTube..
https://youtu.be/ThyStnsG2Pk Father Figure, part 2 whole episode, most of the 25 minutes is of Emma, Spike, Snake, and Shane..

I also wish that Shane hadn't had his accident. I liked the way that the show dealt with teen pregnancy but also showed the guy's point of view which isn't often seen. That was lost when Shane got brain damage and left the show.

I understand that they wanted to show an anti-drug message but I wish they had used a different character.

dum jerk you shou be kicked in da head

I'm doing a rewatch right now and just saw his last appearance..

Yeah he got a raw deal, all his episodes pretty much have to do with Spike and he was being good to her too giving her support and they all treated him like *beep*

booo

Could not agree more, OP!