Bueller Nash-Cameron was the pet ferret of Ellie Nash when she moved in with Sean Cameron in his apartment. He was named after the titular character of the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
After Sean moved back to Wasaga Beach in November 2004, Ellie was left alone and had to pay her own rent. When she was close to eviction, Bueller chewed on the electric cords of a lamp and was given a severe electric shock. Bueller only appeared in two episodes, both in Season 4. He was introduced in Anywhere I Lay My Head and died of electrocution in Queen of Hearts.
Character History[]
Season 4[]
In Anywhere I Lay My Head, after Ellie moved away from home due to her mother Caroline Nash's alcohol addiction, she brought Bueller to Sean's apartment in a cage. At first, Sean though it was a weasel, until Ellie corrected him and said it's a ferret. Sean looked at it in an unsure way and said that he would've liked to talk about having a new pet before she brought it in the house. However, Ellie said that she saw Bueller at the pet store and couldn't resist adopting him. She then stated that a home isn't a home without a pet, while holding Bueller in her hands.
Ellie showing Bueller affection.
In Queen of Hearts, after the school shooting, Sean moved back to Wasaga Beach to cope with what he had been through, leaving Ellie and Bueller alone at the apartment.
Since Ellie had moved in, Bueller had gotten used to the apartment and she even gave him the nickname, "Little B." Soon after Sean's departure, however, Ellie was told by the landlord that she was getting evicted because she had not been paying off her rent. Bueller had also been chewing on electrical cords and then eventually died after chewing one wire that electrocuted him. Ellie was heartbroken when she realised that he was dead.
At Degrassi, while playing cards with Craig, Alex, Marco and Jimmy, Ellie told them that Bueller had died and said that he was her and Sean's baby and since Sean had been gone things hadn't been fun around the apartment. Marco promised he would come over to help Ellie feel better.
Ellie organized a funeral and burial for Bueller in the yard of her apartment building. Marco came to the funeral and comforted Ellie through her grief. The grave consisted of dirt, leaves and stones.
Bueller's grave.
During the burial, Ellie said, "Here lies Bueller Nash. I'm sorry I couldn't take care of you better – or longer. I'm just really sorry you're gone."
Marco stayed with Ellie for the night since she was officially alone now and taught her how to play Euchre. However, Ellie eventually wrote a two month notice letter to the landlord and moved back home with her mother after making her promise that she would no longer drink. Her mom said that she would at least try her best, day by day.
Friendships[]
Alex Nuñez[]
Alex Nuñez was aware of Ellie's friendship with Bueller, but the two were never seen interacting on–screen. In the episode, Queen of Hearts, Alex laughed when she discovered that Ellie called her ferret "Bueller." Noticing her depressed state after his death, Jimmy Brooks told Alex to have a heart and not make a joke about Bueller.
Jimmy Brooks[]
Jimmy Brooks was also aware of Ellie's friendship with Bueller, but never seen interacting with him on–screen. In Queen of Hearts, Jimmy told Alex to be supportive of a depressed Ellie, upon hearing and subsequently laughing about the ferret's name.
Marco Del Rossi[]
Marco Del Rossi and Bueller were never seen interacting on–screen, but Marco was the only one who attended the funeral that Ellie organized after Bueller's death. He was also very supportive of Ellie upon her loss of Bueller.
Sean Cameron[]
Similar to Marco and the others, Sean and Bueller had little to no interaction, or at least not on–screen. The only time that Sean and Bueller are shown on camera together was when Ellie first brought him to Sean's house in Anywhere I Lay My Head. At first, Sean clearly looked uncomfortable with Bueller around, but in Queen of Hearts, Ellie mentioned that Bueller was Sean's baby, so it can be assumed that Sean eventually took a liking to him.
Craig Manning[]
Craig Manning was likewise never seen interacting with Bueller but he sympathised with Ellie when she told him that he had died in Queen of Hearts. He referred to it as a "death in the family."
Ellie Nash[]
Ellie was the one who interacted with Bueller the most. The two seemed to have a very close relationship. For example, in Queen of Hearts, he crawled onto Ellie's shoulder in the morning, waking her up for school and before leaving Ellie called back, "See you tonight, Little B." Ellie was also clearly heartbroken when Bueller died of electrocution and organized a caring funeral for him.
It is assumed that Ellie still has a special place for Bueller in her heart. However, he was never mentioned after Queen of Hearts.
Bonus Features[]
In the Degrassi Season 4 DVD Bloopers, there is a great deal of footage with Bueller. In fact, there is much more than actually appeared in any of the episodes.
What was funny was that the ferret was either jumpy and excited or exhausted and tired out in all the shots the crew took. Stacey Farber and Daniel Clark took at least 10-15 shots before getting the scene correct. Farber stated that the ferret's nails were really sharp and that he kept latching himself on her arm, which was one of the many reasons why they had to keep re-shooting the scenes. If you watch the scenes carefully, you can see which scene was used in the finished episode.
Trivia[]
- He is the first animal to die on the show. The second was Imogen Moreno's pet Bloodhound Volta.
- Bueller was the only pet that Ellie ever owned.
- He was named after the titular character of the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.