The friendship between Emma Nelson and Liberty Van Zandt is known as Lemma (Liberty/Emma) and Emberty (Emma/Liberty). It began in the first season of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Friendship History
Season 1
In Rumours and Reputations, Emma saw Mr. Armstrong getting put his hand on Liberty's shoulder in an empty classroom and believed that Armstrong was molesting her. When she voiced her concerns to Manny, Terri happened to overhear the conversation. Once Terri told Paige what she heard, the rumor instantly spread all over the school, even though Terri swore Paige (of all people) to secrecy. As it turns out, Liberty had dyscalculia, a learning disability affecting her ability to learn math. Armstrong was only tutoring her. The rumor humiliated Liberty and almost got Mr. Armstrong fired until Emma admitted to Mr. Raditch that she started the rumor. This put a strain on Liberty and Emma's friendship since the latter was the cause of the untrue rumor starting even though she didn't spread it.
Season 2
In Weird Science, Liberty accuses Emma for winning the science fair as nepotism, because Snake was one of the judges, and was dating her mother. Emma becomes confused, and Liberty tells her to turn in the award.
Season 3
In U Got the Look, Emma tells Liberty about Manny and J.T. and Liberty is upset about it since Liberty has a crush on him.
In Accidents Will Happen (2), Emma and Liberty were both present in the cafeteria when Ashley Kerwin announced that Manny was pregnant with Craig Manning's child.
Season 4
In Ghost in the Machine (1), Toby, Liberty, and Emma tell each other about their break ups over the summer.
In King of Pain, Manny realizes that Liberty has a crush on Chris after she spots Liberty doodling hearts with Chris's name in them in class. She snatches Liberty's notebook off of her desk and shows Emma, who shoots Liberty a glare. The next day, Manny reveals to Emma that Liberty and Chris have a date, which leaves Emma unhappy and jealous. Emma convinces Chris to cancel his plans with Liberty. When Manny confronts Emma about it, Emma tells Manny that she is embarrassed over what people will think if Chris goes out with Liberty after her. Manny tells Liberty what Emma said and did, and Liberty chooses to end her friendship with Emma.
In Mercy Street, Liberty calls Emma a backstabber and is still mad from when she was jealous of her and Chris.
In Voices Carry (1), Emma is in J.T. and Liberty's Dracula play in a minor role.
In Voices Carry (2), Emma refuses to do J.T. and Liberty's revised "Degrassi musical" play when J.T. and Liberty show the cast "The Radish Song."
In Secret (1), after rehearsal, Manny invites Emma along to hang out with her and Liberty that night, but Emma turns down the offer, saying that everyone would have more fun without her there. Emma later convinces J.T. to let her have the main role in the Dracula play after he fires Darcy. However, Liberty is against this and doesn't think Emma can do it since she is "messed up" from the shooting and bombed her first audition.
In Secret (2), both girls get ready to perform backstage for the play.
Season 5
In Foolin', Manny, Liberty, Emma, J.T., and Toby all go out to see a movie together. After J.T. makes a joke about his and Liberty's sex life to Toby, Liberty overhears and dumps soda down J.T.'s pants. Emma is in the background laughing at Liberty's actions. Later, Emma, Manny, and Toby are staring at J.T. and Liberty talking to the police officers while in class.
In Turned Out (1), Mr. Simpson plays a tape from J.T.'s after school job as a children's host on television, which Emma, Manny, and Liberty all find adorable.
Season 6
In True Colours, Emma, Liberty, and Toby discuss a theme for the school's dance. Emma rejects Liberty's suggestion, saying they need a better theme. Emma pitches the idea of a masquerade dance, which Liberty approves.
In Rock This Town, Emma and Manny host a birthday party for Liberty after J.T. suggests the idea. After J.T. is stabbed, Emma, Manny, Toby, and Sean are at the hospital when a doctor delivers the news. The whole group hugs each other and cries.
In The Bitterest Pill, Manny and Emma are worried about how Liberty is handling J.T.'s death.
Season 7
In the aftermath of J.T's death, Emma comforts Liberty.
In Hungry Eyes, Purple Dragon takes over Degrassi's athletics, and sells Purple Dragon energy drinks. Damian shows up and says they need models, and says Emma would be a great one. At the student council, Emma tells Liberty to be the face of Purple Dragon to stand up against the company for using women's bodies to sell drinks. They both show up at the model reaping to "face it," but only Emma gets in with three other Degrassi/Lakehurst girls.
In Bust a Move (2), Emma and Liberty both attended the Purple Dragon Mystery Concert at Smithdale University where Craig Manning was the surprise musical guest.
In Don't Stop Believin', Liberty flirts with Damian, even though he is Emma's boyfriend. The next day, Liberty asks Emma if she can talk to Damian, and she and Manny leave the two of them alone. Liberty asks Damian Hayes if she felt a spark between them, and Damian reminds Liberty that Emma is his girlfriend and her friend. Later, when the students are voting between Liberty and Damian for valedictorian, Emma reveals to Liberty that she voted for her over Damian.
In We Built This City, Emma says that every time she looks at Liberty and Damian it looks like they're in on some kind of secret. Liberty then announces that Natasha Bedingfield is playing at prom, which excites Emma, as "Unwritten" is her favorite song. At prom, Liberty arrives, and Emma says that she looks gorgeous. Manny, Liberty, and Emma have a "best girlfriends forever... and Toby" hug before the prom when they realize they're all going their separate ways soon. They decide to ignore that fact and just enjoy prom. However, during the prom, Liberty sneaks away with Damian to hook up in a private room. When Toby reveals that Liberty and Damian hooked up, Emma dumps Damian and is angry with Liberty. Manny, Liberty, and Toby do not forgive Liberty until she breaks down crying in her valedictorian speech about how special friends are for the journey through high school together. They all reconcile, and place a graduation cap by J.T.'s memorial garden at the school. As they stare at the memorial and think of J.T., Liberty turns the tassel.
Season 8
In Uptown Girl (1), Manny, Liberty, and Emma arrive to Smithdale University with each other, excited for the beginning of a new point in their lives. Manny and Emma were supposed to room together, though there was a mix up in the housing arrangement, and Liberty and Manny were assigned rooms on the same floor, while Emma was not. Feeling left out, Emma went back to housing and changed the rooms to a quad along with Kelly, believing that Kelly was a girl. She made the change without asking Manny and Liberty's opinion on the matter, and Manny and Liberty were upset with the change, even more so when they learn that Kelly is a boy, not a girl.
In Uptown Girl (2), Emma begins to feel lonely because Manny and Liberty were off, busy with new activities, while she just hung around their dorm room. Kelly convinced her to put herself out their to new money, and the two squirt Manny and Liberty with water guns when they were on their way to apologize to Emma for making a big deal about the room change.
In Didn't We Almost Have It All, Liberty gets accepted into a sorority, Pi Gamma Pi. However, she must prove that she is that sorority's material. When they have all of these parties, Liberty invites Emma and her roommates to a luau party, and when they arrive she is drunk. She and her new friends decide to go streaking. The next morning, Liberty is at the hospital after getting her stomach pumped. Emma and Manny show her the Smithdale newspaper, showing her and her new friends streaking. Once she goes back to classes and sorority, she finds out that she was only accepted because she was black and they needed one black girl to be more "diverse" by the university's standards. She ultimately decides not to join the sorority because she didn't want to be a token.
In Touch of Grey, Emma and Liberty remain good friends. When Emma passes out weed brownies at the Floor Olympics, Liberty and Manny start to wonder why she is doing this and do not accept the weed brownies. Later, they ask Emma why she did this and Emma replies, "Look, you're just jealous because I made it happen" and Liberty gets upset and walks away. The next day, when they find the weed brownies on Kelly, the Campus Cops start to investigate the scene as to how Becca got to them and forgot her insulin. When Kelly is getting his punishment, Liberty and Manny yell at Emma how they will survive the rest of college and their school life based off what they know happened. Afterwards, Kelly is removed from residence and they continue to stay friends.
Season 9
In Degrassi Takes Manhattan, Liberty attends Emma and Spinner's wedding and everyone is happy to see her.
Season 16
In #ThrowbackThursday, Liberty and Emma joins the protest for Tiny's explosion and Liberty catching up with Emma. Liberty and Emma were standing behind Tiny when the police tries to stops them by making a comment about Lola and Shay demanding and apology.
Rival Interactions
Liberty-Chris Attraction
Quotes
- Emma: "Chris and I broke up in July."
Toby: "Sorry. Kendra and I broke up in August."
Liberty: "Sorry. I believe I was abducted by aliens over Labor Day weekend...And Towerz and I broke up."
Emma and Toby: "Sorry." - Ghost in the Machine (1)
Trivia
- Liberty has had a crush on three of Emma's ex-boyfriends: Sean Cameron, Chris Sharpe and Damian Hayes. Damian was the only one who returned Liberty's feelings, and hooked up with her while he was still in a relationship with Emma.
- Both had shown a minor dislike for Lakerhurst students when they intergrated into Degrassi. Emma with Bruce, Liberty with Holly J. and both with Lucas.
- They both revealed themselves in public.
- Emma took her dress off at a Purple Dragon event in Hungry Eyes.
- Liberty went streaking in Didn't We Almost Have It All.
- They both had younger brothers: Danny Van Zandt and Jack Simpson respectively.
- Toby Isaacs has had a crush on both of them, though neither girls returned his feelings.
- They both had plots dealing with pregnancy, although Emma's was just a scare.
- In Rumours and Reputations, Emma accidentally made up a rumour about Liberty being sexually abused by Coach Armstrong.
- They are good friends with Manny Santos, Toby Isaacs, and J.T. Yorke (before his death).
- They both graduated in the Class of 2007.
- They were seen in the Season 8 opening credits together, along with their mutual friend Manny Santos.
- They both attended J.T.'s funeral and memorial service at Degrassi in The Bitterest Pill.
- They were two of the six characters on Degrassi: The Next Generation to be followed after their graduation.
- They were both members of the Degrassi Drama Department and the Degrassi Hockey Team.
- They both appeared in Kevin Smith's film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!.
