Helen Martin (formerly Helen Edwards) is the mother of Darcy and Clare Edwards, and the ex-wife of Randall Edwards. She is a Christian woman, and once fully believed that her older daughter Darcy was perfect (not knowing that Darcy, like all teenagers, has flaws and makes mistakes). She is married to Glen Martin, the father of Jake Martin. She is portrayed by Ruth Marshall.
Character History[]
Season 6[]
In Eyes Without a Face (1), she can be heard calling Clare to come set the table for dinner.
Season 7[]
After Darcy was raped during a ski trip in Standing In The Dark, she becomes a rebellious teen and goes to the lengths of calling her mother a bitch on the front steps of Degrassi.
After some time she realizes Darcy is seriously troubled when she slits her wrist during school and attempts to kill herself. Although she didn't understand why, after dealing with Darcy falsely accusing Mr. Simpson of sexual molestation in Live to Tell and discovering her suicidal behavior.
Helen later learned that Darcy was raped during a ski trip. She and Randall put Darcy in a camp for troubled teens in Bust A Move so that she could become a better person and be able to deal with her issues and try to turn her back into a 'good girl'.
Season 8[]
In Man With Two Hearts, she is seen scolding Clare for getting caught with Spike's unused vibrator. Later, she apologizes, realizing that she is not helping Clare by keeping things from her.
Season 10[]
In Better Off Alone (1), Helen is seen having problems with her husband while being involved in multiple fundraisers for her church.
She is continually reassuring Clare that she and Randall aren't fighting; they're simply disagreeing.
Helen also inadvertently prevents Clare from hanging out with Eli after having an argument with Randall in front of her, leaving Clare feeling guilty enough to go accompany her mother to a church fundraiser in place of her father.
In Love Lockdown (2), she and Mr. Edwards announce they are getting a divorce. Clare is opposed to this and tries everything in her power to stop the divorce.
In Umbrella (1), she and Randall put up the house for auction, which upsets Clare.
In Umbrella (2), she and Randall announce to Clare that they are going to keep the house and that Mr. Edwards is getting a condo.
Season 11[]
In LoveGame, Helen tells Clare that she can't hang out with Alli because they're having company over for the evening.
When Glen Martin and his son, Jake, show up for dinner, Helen explains why Clare isn't acting like herself, saying that she broke up with Eli and claims that it 'happens to the best of us,' giving a bit of a flirty look to Glen.
When Clare and Jake leave for Above the Dot, Glen and Helen exchange flirty smiles.
In Should've Said No (1), Helen comes home at four in the morning after having sex with a stranger that she met at a bar and Clare is shocked.
It is highly likely that it was actually Glen who Helen had been hanging out with.
In Should've Said No (2), Helen tells Clare and Jake that she is in fact in a relationship with Glen.
In Dead and Gone (1), Helen informs Jake and Clare along with Glen that the two of them are getting married.
She also asked Clare to be her maid-of-honor, however, she finds out about Jake and her, so she tells Clare that they need to break-up.
In Nowhere to Run, Helen finally marries Glen Martin and takes the name Helen Martin.
When they go on their honeymoon, Jake throws a party at his cabin. Worried because Clare wasn't answering her phone, Glen and Helen find them at the cabin, go home and go antiquating.
Season 13[]
In Summertime she is seen calling Clare away from her video chat with Eli. She is the one to notify Clare that she has rhabdomyocarcoma.
She is later seen supporting Clare at the hospital. She seems very upset about her daughter's cancer.
In My Own Worst Enemy, she is in the room with Clare and Eli when Clare is worrying over if she has a brain tumor or not. Clare asks Marielle about the MRI results and Helen tells her not to pester the nurse.
Later, Helen tearfully tells Clare and Eli that her MRI results came back clear, and Clare, Eli, and Helen have a group hug.
In Everything You've Done Wrong, she is with Clare for her doctor's appointment.
Helen is relieved that Clare is still cancer-free, but she looks worried when the doctor reveals they are unable to treat chemobrain.
Season 14[]
In Firestarter (1), as Helen does yoga, Clare appeals to Helen about going to school at Ryerson and trying to get childcare because she wants to show her son that she can do it despite the challenges. Helen eventually agrees to look into childcare with Clare.
In Can't Stop This Thing We Started, Helen gets a call from Audra Torres and tells Clare her and Drew are coming over, much to Clare's surprise, though she knew she would have to face the conversation at some point.
Appearances[]
- Eyes Without a Face (1) Voice
- Better Off Alone (1)
- Better Off Alone (2)
- Love Lockdown (1)
- Love Lockdown (2)
- Umbrella (1)
- Umbrella (2)
- Drop the World (1)
Trivia[]
- When first meeting Darcy's boyfriend at the time, Peter, and his mother, she suggests that Peter has issues because Ms. Hatzilakos and Mr. Stone are divorced. Ironically, she and Mr. Edwards later get divorced.
- She sent Darcy to a camp to get rid of her instead of trying to help her.
- Her ex-husband cheated on her numerous times while they were still married.
- She didn't know that Clare and Jake were dating until Dead and Gone (1), and she didn't know know that they continued dating and broke up in Underneath It All.
- She had no idea that Clare ran away from home.
- She shares the same first name as Joey's real-estate agent from Time Stands Still (1).
- Helen is one of the seven wives to be cheated on by her husband. The other six were Mrs. Ryan, Daphne Hatzilakos, Kate Kerwin, Christine Nelson, Mrs. Brooks and Mrs. Hollingsworth.
- She appeared in eight seasons from Season 7 to Season 14. The only other Degrassi: The Next Generation parents to appear in eight or more seasons are Archie Simpson, Christine Nelson and Daphne Hatzilakos. Of the four, Helen is the only one who was never a regular character.
Quotes[]
- Helen: (to Jake) "Take your damn skates off!" - Tonight, Tonight
Relationships[]
- Randall Edwards (Divorced)
- Start Up: Prior to Standing In The Dark (701-702)
- Break Up: Love Lockdown (2) (1027)
- Reason: Randall cheated on her multiple times while they were still married.
- Main article: Glen-Helen Relationship
- Glen Martin (Husband)
- Start Up: Between LoveGame (1103) and Should've Said No (1) (1112)
- Married in Nowhere to Run