TV - Movies
The Story Behind
The Time Stands
Still Episode Of
Degrassi: The
Next Generation
By PAULI POISUO
“Degrassi: The Next Generation” had many memorable moments and gave many aspiring actors/artists a platform to launch off of — most notably, Aubrey Graham who played Jimmy Brooks and went on to become the hip-hop icon, Drake. One episode, in particular, is still remembered as the show’s greatest, and it’s sadly still relevant.
Season 4’s two-parter “Time Stands Still” aired during a time when school shootings existed, but weren’t nearly as commonplace as they are today in 2022. The episode depicts one of the characters, Rick (Ephraim Ellis), bringing a gun to school after being bullied and shooting Jimmy Brooks (Drake), paralyzing him from the waist down.
Co-writer and executive producer Aaron Martin mentioned the Columbine shootings as one of the episode’s influences and said, "We wanted to explore why. Why do teenagers do such terrible things? [...] How does no one see the warning signs? [...] How does someone as young and intelligent as Rick sink so deeply into his own anger, and hatred, that he decides to kill?"