The relationship between Manny Santos and Mick, known as Minny (Mick/Manny), developed in the eighth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation while Manny was studying at Smithdale University.
Relationship History[]
Overview[]
Mick was Manny's Drama Arts professor, and the two developed a private relationship, which they kept hidden from other students in Mick's class, although not from Manny's best friend, Emma Nelson and Emma's boyfriend, Kelly Ashoona. Mick was verbally abusive towards Manny, causing her self-esteem to deteriorate. When Manny decided to head to Hollywood to compete for the lead role of Jason Mewes's movie, Mick ended their relationship, and told her not to come crawling back to him after she failed.
Season 8[]
In Degrassi Goes Hollywood, Mick criticizes Manny's acting performance and will to succeed in front of the class. He is harsh with her, which makes her cry, but her performance is visibly better. He compliments her second performance, and asks to see Manny after class. The two kiss behind a curtain, and he tells her that he is crazy about her. Mick asks her out on a date, but Manny declines because she previously agreed to go to a Kevin Smith lecture. Mick is upset with her, and snarkily tells her to go and that he is now too busy to go on their date.
At the Kevin Smith lecture, Emma tells Manny that Mick is controlling, and Manny tells her she doesn't understand. Manny explains that she feels like she can do anything when she listens to him, and looks surprised when Mick shows up to the lecture. During the lecture, Mick is not impressed and whispers comments about it to Manny. While they are laughing over his remarks, Kevin Smith calls them out and recognizes Manny from his previous movie. After the lecture, Kevin Smith wants Manny to audition for the movie, but she reveals Mick won't let her audition while in the Drama Arts program.
When Manny goes to the audition for the movie, Mick angrily calls her, and tells her that he has no doubt in his mind that she will fail, before hanging up on her. Manny's confidence is shattered and she bombs the audition. Back at Emma's house, Manny admits that Mick was right and that she wasn't ready for the audition. Later, when Emma tries to convince Jay to let Manny go on the bus to Hollywood with the Studz, Emma calls Manny's relationship with Mick "horrible." Kelly also calls Mick a "psycho professor" and "a creep."
Mick later shows up at Emma's house while Manny is packing, and asks if they can go somewhere to talk. They go to the The Dot, and Mick tells Manny that he knew she would mess up the audition, saying she isn't ready for professional work and that "anyone can see that". Mick tries to get them to leave, but Manny is close to tears and still talks about her last chance to get the part. Mick calls her "the untalented girl that crawled out of my bed yesterday morning," and tells her not to come crawling back to him when she fails, essentially breaking up with her.
While Manny is crying over Mick's hurtful words and Paige landing the part she wanted, she says that she should have listened to Mick all along. However, Kevin Smith renews her spirits, and Manny decides to travel with Jay and the boys, using the time along the way to practice for her audition. Not having any faith in her acting abilities, she says that she isn't good enough to figure everything out on her own and that she needs Mick. She tries to call him, but Jay takes her phone, saying "No more Professor Sociopath on my watch," as he didn't want her talking to him anymore. Mick's constant verbal abuse to Manny has caused her self-esteem to deteriorate, and Jay points this out to Manny.
Timeline[]
- Start Up: Sometime before Paradise City (1) (819)
- Broke Up: Paradise City (2) (820)
- Reason: Mick was verbally abusive, and constantly put Manny down.
Rival Relationship[]
Trivia[]
- This is the second instance of a student-teacher relationship on Degrassi. The first one was between Paige and Matt, the third was between Sav and Winnie, and the fourth was between Tristan and Grant.
- They are both interested in acting.
- Mick was verbally abusive towards Manny.
- They are the first abusive relationship to involve verbal abuse, as opposed to physical abuse.
- This is the first student-teacher relationship to have become sexual. The second was that between Tristan Milligan and Grant Yates.
