So apparently some folks out there don’t know how to re-interpret past seasons off new information. That while Zoe was written ‘as straight’ until S14 ended, every act she did during that time (and after) has a non-romantic, non-healthy side to it that still plays perfectly with the information at hand. And… okay, walking you through it one Zoe romance at a time from Miles (1301) to Zig (NC108)



For the sake of my sanity I’ll be using Episode numbers to talk episodes, instead of having to bring up episode titles. As this is broad brush strokes over entire story lines. Also while this is about how big a Lesbian Zoe is, any flirting she did with ladies before Don’t Turn Back isn’t really what this is about. This is about her motivations to go after men when the motivation isn’t the D.

(Clare and Maya’s motivations are almost always the D.)

Miles (1301-1308)

This iteration was a power play, absolutely and without question. Dating Miles allowed Zoe three specific powers that only came from dating Miles. It was an instant status move because Miles is locally famous (which would mean he’s top eligible bachelor for the grade), which is dominance at school after the Paris trip.

But it’s also a direct dominance move in her friendship with Tris, and her ‘friendship’ with Maya. Her getting what they want is power, and Zoe wants to be the dominant force in any relationship she has, especially the platonic ones. Like, cut and dry, she wanted power over Tris and his friend Maya. And power over some portion of the school’s social landscape.

Drew (1309-1310, 1318-1320)

Second verse, same as the first. Drew might not have the larger scale clout of Miles outside of the school, but Drew ‘perfect sideburns’ Torres has all the power and status in the school. He’s also dumber than a bag of hammers, emotionally damaged in the first run of this, and generally the easiest mark in the school.

His ability to shut down Miles and Maya’s reactions to Zoe is really all Zoe needs, but his being class president and a hunky mchunkerson is more here.

There’s also an element of getting the high school she only played on West Drive. Dating ‘the guy’ at school is the thing she probably wondered about how it’d be in reality. She pushes herself so hard to make this work probably on this very reason (when we get to the 1318-1320 part of this plot). Wanting to be seen as ‘perfect’ is more fallout from her mother’s twisted vindictive lessons on how to be a good person (Zoe’s mother is not a good person, she cannot teach this).

Zig (1337-1412)

Zig is straight up… comfort. Like, you know that time something is horrible in your life and you just want a warm blanket and a pint of cold tasty ice cream? That’s what Zig was, a blanket and ice cream. This is one of those portions of Degrassi where Zig was just… flat out, a warm hearted good person to someone that needed it.

And gods did Zoe need it. Wanting to be near that feeling isn’t near romantic, it’s just… human. Like, there isn’t much to say about this, not in the ‘she was using him way’ cause… I’ll be talking about that later on!

Miles round 2 (1425-NC101)

This was mostly off screen, so this is the most conjecture-y conjecture of the list. Zoe and Miles dicked around (wording purposeful) all summer after Zoe gained a crush on Grace. This is the first bit of heavy romance writing after we can be sure the writers decided Zoe is gay. So… why, what does it say. First my wording is misleading, this isn’t romance.

It actually says Zoe still needs comfort and finds it where she can. Miles and Zoe are a lot alike, they have the same understanding of being viewed through a fishbowl and controlled by parents. There’s a level of… shields down, you can get with someone who understands your pain more than anyone else. This isn’t a romantic level of letting someone in, but someone whose already in the same boat as you just getting it.

And to Miles casual sex is fun! There’s nothing in how Miles and Zoe act around each other in Don’t Turn Back (or after) to suggest a romance here, especially since Miles is the one to suggest that Grace likes her! This is a strictly ‘using each other’ relationship. Miles wants someone who isn’t his family, Zoe wants someone who isn’t her family. If they spend it lounging on boats, occasionally having sex, usually just making out and talking… who gets hurt?

This item is not proof of romance, it’s proof of no romance at all.

Zig round 2 (NC107) & Winston (NC204-NC210)

Grouping these cause Zig’s is one sentence. She had sex with him to hurt Grace.

Winston is more like our last round of Zig: comfort. And someone liking her for her, not Tris trying to change her, or her mom controlling her, has gotta be one of the tastiest drugs out there. Winston likes her, all of her, even the stuff she did that was horrible didn’t drive him off! How much Zoe has been needing this in her life can’t be understated.

…but she also spent that time self harming. See, S13-S14 Zoe would have loved being idolized, having someone treat her as a queen, or a goddess. But this isn’t that girl, this girl recognizes the feelings of others matter. She learned she can’t just use people unless it’s some unspoken agreement like with Miles.

Winston loves her.

And she doesn’t feel the same way. Lying to herself hurts, like, we can see how much Zoe’s in pain from that before she and Winston connect. But she’s also hurting Winston, and he loves her. That combination is pretty much what ends this storyline. She can’t be the girl who hurts him for her own solace, and she can’t keep hurting herself to hide who she is.

Zoe breaking down and telling Winston, because she can’t be the woman he’s in love with, is one of the most human moments in Zoe’s character arc. And, sure, it sounds like ‘this is about Winston’ but it isn’t. This is the final moment where Zoe rejects who she used to be, chooses who she wishes to be, what she does with other people in her life, and cements her direction for the next two seasons.

Honest and good.

In Conclusion…

Bi Zoe just doesn’t seem worth it when lesbian Zoe is so good like… why would you?

If you wanna look at one of the straight ladies on Degrassi to be bi, Maya, Lola, Jenna, Katie, Jane, and Manny are like… infinitely better choices than Zoe.