YMMV / Life with Derek

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • The animosity between Derek and Casey is subject to this. While the writers have sworn up and down that this was not the intention, many viewers couldn't help but read a Belligerent Sexual Tension vibe into their dynamic. A less romantic interpretation of their dynamic could see them simply being two Type-A personalities competing for dominance in the household.
  • Derek: is he simply a rebellious teenager who has no respect for authority or a budding sociopath? He presents almost all the necessary traits: he doesn't care about other people's rights and feelings, hurting them without regretting it at all; he constantly lies and manipulates those around him for his own personal gain; he constantly needs to hurt or insult someone to feel good (usually Casey or Edwin); he considers himself flawless and has an ego the size of a planet; and he usually sees persons of the opposite sex as mere objects.
• Die for Our Ship:
  • There are a handful of Dasey shippers who tend to demonize Emily in fanfics, portraying her as a jealous Stalker with a Crush who would do anything to get Casey out of the way and have Derek for herself.
  • Then there's Sally...
  • Also Truman.
• Draco in Leather Pants: In and out of universe. Derek is an asshole most of the time, but the girls still love him.
• Fan-Preferred Couple:
  • Dasey (Derek/Casey) skyrockets above every pairing each of them ever had in the show, even with Derek's final love interest in the show being his Relationship Upgrade with Emily and Casey being paired off with Truman (they each also had different love interests in The Movie too). While never actually intended to be interpreted as romantic through the writing, they were viewed as having such intense Belligerent Sexual Tension rather than sibling rivalry that they became the very definition of this instead. Even actors Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat strongly support the ship.
  • Lizwin (Lizzie/Edwin) also got a strong following even though Lizwin's support didn't quite compare to the fever pitch of Dasey. It helped that even if they got along more (and maybe felt more like step-siblings at least too), is that they often did act like they'd gotten to know each other so well, often confided in each other (even if they also sometimes bickered too) and still managed to show that romantic chemistry fans were clinging to. Whenever each had a love interest, they didn't stick around for more than a few episodes here and there.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In Season 1 ep 3, Lizzie states that she thinks that kissing with tongue is gross. Cut to Jordan Todosey's time on Degrassi: The Next Generation, her character had multiple make-out sessions with their love interests.
  • Another example from that same episode is when Lizzie is scared about going down to the party because she thinks that the older kids are going to pierce her in weird places. Cut to 15 years later, Jordan Todosey has elaborate piercings.
• Hollywood Genetics:
  • Ashley Leggat (Casey) and Daniel Magder (Edwin) resemble each other more than she and Jordan Todosey (Lizzie) do. Meanwhile, Jordan Todosey and Michael Seater (Derek) resemble each other more than she and Ashley do. This would make sense if Edwin was Casey's brother and Lizzie was Derek's sister, but it's the other way around.
  • And then there's Ariel Waller (Marti), who doesn't really resemble any of the main cast except for Joy Tanner (Nora).
• Memetic Mutation: The thick Canadian accents that some of the actors have, have been a source of comments from viewers.
• Narm: Having the then-20-year-old Ashley Leggat wear pigtails in some episodes to help make her appear younger could be seen as this.
• Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading:
  • Casey and Derek's relationship is one of the most infamous examples of this trope. Their relationship is supposed to be a Sibling Rivalry dynamic, but to the overwhelming majority of viewers, they come across more like a pair of Flirty Stepsiblings in deep denial of their attraction to each other. The chemistry between their actors hasn't helped in the slightest, as Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat did date each other during the first season's production and remain good friends even after breaking up. Even years after the series concluded, they are still huge Derek/Casey shippers.
  • Edwin and Lizzie too, especially when they lock themselves in the closet together. The writers did attempt to avert this somewhat by doing things like having Edwin address Lizzie as "sis", though YMMV on how well it works.
• Portmanteau Couple Name:
  • Dasey is popular with shippers.
  • To name a few others: Geora, Dally, Demily, Sasey, Trashy...
• The Scrappy:
  • Truman is seen by many as an unlikable character who constantly treats Casey horribly and seems to exist for nothing other than the writers to invoke the All Girls Want Bad Boys trope. Those who ship Casey with Derek or Noel generally despise Truman.
  • Emily is seen as this sometimes, due to her obsession with Derek, and sometimes using Casey.
  • Marti can come off as this due to her Spoiled Brat status and constant need to get her way.
  • Depending on the episode (and writer), either Casey or Derek could be seen as this.
• Ship Mates: Derek/Casey and Edwin/Lizzie.
• Strangled by the Red String: This is how many fans felt about Derek and Emily's relationship at the end of the series.
• Suspiciously Similar Song: Of Tone Loc's "Wild Thing" in The Movie.
• Tear Jerker:
  • When Derek says goodbye to Sally.
  • When Casey and Lizzie's dad comes to visit.
  • It's for less than a minute or so, but in The Movie, when Marti vanishes and they find her canoe overturned in the water, Derek's obvious panic definitely qualifies.
  • When Casey says goodbye to Paul.
• What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?:
  • The first season had the characters explicitly talk about breasts; there was an episode focusing on feminism; Casey often accused Derek of being sexist; and Derek made out with his step-cousin, Victoria. Things like this often made the viewers wonder if the show was directed at kids.
  • Then there was the whole older audience of the show who only watched it for the amusement of seeing two step-siblings fighting their sexual attraction to each other (Word of God insists there wasn't any, but it's rather hard to believe), and who were shocked when Derek and Casey didn't end up together at the end.

---