Anywhere I Lay My Head

"This is what it cost! Your drinking made me CUT myself!" — Ellie telling her mother the reality of her drinking's effect.

“Anywhere I Lay My Head”
Season 4, Episode 5
Information
Can. Airdate	September 28, 2004
U.S. Airdate	October 22, 2004
Prod. Code	405
Writer(s)	Shelley Scarrow Richard Clark
Director(s)	Philip Earnshaw
Episode Guide
Previous	“Mercy Street”
Next	“Islands in the Stream”

Anywhere I Lay My Head is the fifth episode of Season 4 of the Canadian television series, Degrassi: The Next Generation. It originally aired on September 28, 2004 on CTV Television and on October 22, 2004 on The N. The episode was written by story editors Shelley Scarrow and Richard Clark and directed by Phil Earnshaw. It shares its title with the song by Tom Waits.

Plotline

Primary

Ellie's alcoholic mother takes a turn for the worse and becomes a danger to both of them. Ellie can barely survive at home anymore, but her mother can't survive without her. She has to make a decision whether to move in with Sean or stay with her mother.

Secondary

Manny and Spinner get closer at the school's car wash—much to Craig's dismay and much to the surprise of Paige. Rick comes to the car wash, but is quickly told to get lost.

Overview

Ellie has had to take care of her mother ever since she started drinking again, and she's tired of it. She puts her foot down soon after her mother's drinking starts a fire in their home. Ellie tells her that she's going to stay at Ashley's house while their house is being repaired, but actually decides to stay at Sean's.

Paige is out sick, so Manny is in charge of the power squad car wash, and she begs Spinner to help out by getting Downtown Sasquatch to perform there. The band is hesitant, but ultimately decides that they need some practice gigs to warm up to real ones. Craig and Ashley are not thrilled when they hear the gig involves Manny.

At the car wash, Craig has brought his camera and is taking pictures along with performing. Manny thanks Spinner for his help and smashes a snow cone into his back, leading to a play fight that looks a lot like flirting. Craig snaps a picture of the two snuggled up together.

Ellie's mother gets suspicious and goes to Ashley's house to see if Ellie had really been staying there. Ashley's mother informs her that Ellie hadn't been staying at their house. Ellie's mother suspects her to be at Sean's house and goes there to find Ellie, interrupting their housewarming party. She becomes enraged to the point where she slaps Sean.

After they get home, Ellie and her mom have a talk and Ellie opens up about her cutting, telling her that she is the reason she cuts. Ellie then shows her her arm and tells her mom that she needs to move in with Sean. Her mother reluctantly approves it, saddened and shocked. Ellie moves in with Sean at the end of the episode.

Cast

Regular Cast (Ordered Alphabetically)

• Stefan Brogren as Archie Simpson
• Daniel Clark as Sean Cameron
• Lauren Collins as Paige Michalchuk
• Jake Epstein as Craig Manning
• Stacey Farber as Ellie Nash
• Aubrey Graham as Jimmy Brooks
• Shane Kippel as Spinner Mason
• Andrea Lewis as Hazel Aden
• Miriam McDonald as Emma Nelson
• Melissa McIntyre as Ashley Kerwin
• Adamo Ruggiero as Marco Del Rossi
• Cassie Steele as Manny Santos
• Amanda Stepto as Christine Nelson

Supporting Cast

• Deanna Casaluce as Alex Nuñez
• Ephraim Ellis as Rick Murray
• Andrew Gilles as Robert Kerwin
• Shenae Grimes as Darcy Edwards
• Kirsten Kieferle as Caroline Nash
• Michael Kinney as Darryl Armstrong
• Mike Lobel as Jay Hogart
• David Orth as Christopher

Absences

• Sarah Barrable-Tishauer as Liberty Van Zandt
• Ryan Cooley as J.T. Yorke
• Jake Goldsbie as Toby Isaacs
• Pat Mastroianni as Joey Jeremiah
• Stacie Mistysyn as Caitlin Ryan
• Dan Woods as Daniel Raditch

Music

• "Angus" by Supergarage
• "Jaded" by Melissa McClelland
• "Wake Up" by Billy & The Lost Boys

Quotes

• Jay: "Nice housewarming."
  Sean: "Yeah. But she'll go back home. Maybe next time her mom'll burn down the whole place."
  Alex: "Now that would be a housewarming."
  Jay: "So basically this is a bon voyage, goodbye, thanks for all the sex party."
  Sean: "Let me make it simple. Move in...with someone who loves you."
• Spinner: "We need to play more gigs to get to smokin' hot."
  Ashley: "Spinner has a point."
  Spinner: "Who asked you? I mean - yeah. What she said."
• Craig: "Well, that sucked."
  Ashley: "Just keep smiling; no one noticed."

Trivia

• Ellie moves into Sean's apartment.
• This marks the ferret Bueller Nash-Cameron's first appearance.
• This marks Darcy Edwards' first appearance. She is seen at the car wash when she meets her future boyfriend, Spinner.
• This episode is named after the song "Anywhere I Lay My Head" by Tom Waits.
• This marks Manny's second time that has flirted with someone else's boyfriend. This time it's Paige's.
• This marks the first appearance of Robert Kerwin since Secrets and Lies.
• The scene where Spinner sprays Darcy with water from the hose is used in Shenae Grimes’s montage in the season 6 & 7 opening credits.
• The scene where Ellie confronts her mother, about her cutting and showing her scars is used in Stacey Farber's montage in the season 6 & 7 opening credits.

Gallery

Links

• Watch Anywhere I Lay My Head on YouTube