The conflict between Eli Goldsworthy and Mark "Fitz" Fitzgerald began in Season 10.
Conflict history[]
Overview[]
What began as a petty squabble over a parking spot turned into a dangerous rivalry between Eli and Fitz during Degrassi's 10th season. Although initially strictly personal, their conflict became especially intense when Eli learned that his archenemy harbored a secret crush on his girlfriend Clare Edwards.
Season 10[]
Fitz kicking Eli in the crotch.
Eli first meets Fitz in Try Honesty (1). Eli is looking for a parking spot at Degrassi, and sees Fitz and his friends standing and talking in an empty one. Eli asks them to get out of the way and allow him to park, but Fitz responds by ripping the hood ornament off of Eli's car. Eli angrily gets out of his car and asks Fitz to return it. Fitz then throws it behind Eli. After Adam Torres shows up and exchanges a few unkind words with Fitz, Fitz and his friends leave.
Eli later breaks up a fight between Adam and Fitz in the hallway, only to initiate a fight with Fitz himself. Their fight is quickly broken up. Eli later tells Adam and Clare that he refuses to be a victim of Fitz's bullying, despite Clare's insistence that Eli should ignore him.
The next day, Eli tells Clare that simply ignoring Fitz would be unsatisfying. Clare says that there's no need for Eli to get violent with Fitz. Eli says that's a matter of opinion, but agrees to try and talk things out peacefully with Fitz. The two of them playfully flirt, when Fitz interrupts them. Eli tells Fitz that he will call a truce with him if he apologizes for damaging his car. Fitz begins to apologize, but then knees Eli in the groin.
In Try Honesty (2), Eli consults Adam's help in taking Fitz down, and the two begin their revenge. Eli shows Fitz a fake I.D., and promises to give Fitz one if he never harms or pesters him or Adam again. Fitz agrees, but only after he gets proof that the I.D. will work. While making the I.D., Eli and Adam give him the name and identification of a dangerous and known arsonist.
Later, while Fitz uses the I.D. to buy some cigarettes and liquor, Eli calls the police and tells them that there is a huge fight going on outside the store. Once Fitz steps out of the store, Eli shoves him and the two begin a vicious fight. When the police show up, Eli grabs Fitz's leg to keep him from escaping. The police check their identification cards and arrest Fitz for arson, while Eli gives him a sadistic grin of satisfaction.
Later at school, Eli finds that Fitz has already been let free from jail, and he promises Eli that he will not let this go.
In Purple Pills (1), Fitz and Adam become friends after Eli and Clare begin to ignore him, turning him into a third wheel. After Adam catches the two hanging out when they previously said they didn't have plans, Adam scolds them both. Surprisingly, Fitz asks him to sit with .
At The Dot after school, Eli confronts Adam about him hanging out with the bully, Fitz. Adam tells him he's tired of being pitied and being the third wheel. Adam ignores Eli and Clare and continues to hang with Fitz.
Later in Purple Pills (2), confrontations between Adam and Fitz leaves the two to once again become enemies. Eli approaches with a snarky comment about how wrong Adam is to befriend Fitz. Adam agrees with Eli and tells him he's going to fight Fitz. He approaches Fitz and punches him in the stomach and throws him to the ground. Eli tells Adam to stop and Adam replies with "I can fight my own battles."
Fitz challenges Adam to a real fight outside in the parking lot. Later on, when Adam is practicing boxing in the fitness room, Eli and Clare confront Adam telling him to back out. Adam just walks away bumping into Eli on the way out. Clare asks Eli what he's going to do and Eli remains silent and exits the room, leaving Clare worried. Outside, Adam is pacing near a school bus. Eli comes up and tells him he still has time to back out but Adam is determined. Adam asks why he isn't with Clare. Eli replies that Clare doesn't understand boys, they have to stand by their buddies. Fitz comes into the parking lot. Adam walks over and starts pushing Fitz. Eli tries to break up the fight but Fitz hits Eli in the mouth causing him, again to bleed in the lip. Meanwhile as students are writing their exams in the gym, Clare lights a stink bomb on fire and rolls it into the gym causing the smoke alarm to go off and the school to be evacuated which causes Eli and Adam to run and the fight to stop, though technically Adam won the fight when he kicked Fitz in the groin, resembling Fitz's attack on Eli.
In All Falls Down (1), Clare is incredibly distressed about getting caught for setting of the stink bomb, so Eli lies to Principal Simpson for her (much to her shock), saying Fitz set it off. After Eli's exam, he attempts to kiss Clare in the hallway but she stops him and asks if they are in a relationship. Before he can answer, Fitz confronts Eli about Simpson questioning him about the stink bomb. Fitz puts him in a headlock, only letting go when he notices a teacher watching them. Eli contemplates getting back at him, but Clare, worried, distracts him. After Clare tells Eli that she's going to the dance with Fitz so that he would leave Eli alone, Eli is upset, but seems to go along with the idea after she persuades him not to fight it. After she leaves, Eli confronts Fitz and tries to threaten him if he hurts her. Fitz makes a joke about sleeping with her, enraging him. Later, while Clare, Alli, and Jenna are getting ready at her house, Eli arrives and tries to convince Clare to put ipecac in Fitz's drink during the dance, which would induce vomiting and make him sick. She refuses, saying it wouldn't stop the violence, which upsets him.
In All Falls Down (2), Clare finds Fitz with a corsage near his locker. She asks him if he had brought it for her, and he replies that it was his mother who suggested he bring one. Their conversation quickly moves to the on-going feud that is happening between Fitz and Eli, and she asks him if he would be willing to end the feud should Eli apologize. Fitz decides he would, but only if that condition is met. At the dance, Clare gets them to talk to each other and, much to her relief, succeeds in convincing Eli to apologize. Eli then proposes a toast, but Clare gets suspicious and asks Eli and Fitz to switch cups. Fitz takes a drink and starts vomiting violently. Eli finds this extremely funny, but Clare is furious with him and tells him that whatever happens next, he deserves it. After Clare finds Fitz and attempts to apologize for Eli's actions, she realizes Fitz has a knife in his possession. She runs to Adam, informing him of the situation and telling him to tell Principal Simpson and find Eli. The school is put on lockdown and Mr. Simpson calls the police, who are on their way. Clare finally finds Eli in the hallway and warns him that Fitz has a knife, but Eli refuses to leave, saying he won't allow Fitz to scare him. Fitz appears, holding the knife, and Eli pushes Clare to the side telling her to stay away from him. Fitz then backs Eli up into a corner and Eli begs him not to do it, but Fitz replies, "Someone has to shut you up." He jerks the knife forward, making Clare cry out in terror, but has actually stabbed the wall next to Eli. Clare runs to Eli who had sunk to his knees, paralyzed with fear. The cops arrive and arrest Fitz.
In Jesus, Etc. (1), Clare and Eli run into Fitz. Then later Fitz approaches Clare while she is on her laptop outside on the picnic benches. Fitz said to Clare that he's sorry and when he was in jail god found him. He quickly runs when Eli's hearse drives up. She then tells him that she talked to Fitz. Eli shouts that Clare should stay away from Fitz because it is dangerous. Then at The Dot Clare and Adam are talking and they notice Fitz is working at The Dot. Then later Adam is seen leaving The Dot when Clare walks up to FItz and asks why he needed to talk to her and that he should keep a distance from her and Eli. Then Fitz says that he said he was messed up before he went to jail. That God showed him the way. Eli then drives up to The Dot to see them talking. He angrily walks up breaks the conversation and shoves Fitz and says to back off. Fitz apologizes to Eli for everything, including the knife. Eli then hesitates and says whatever. Eli then says "Let's go Clare. Are you coming?" She hesitates and says yes and they leave.
In Jesus, Etc. (2), Clare receives several emails, consisting of Bible verses, prayers, and concern over Eli, that were sent early in the morning, leaving Clare troubled. She confronts Fitz at The Dot, and he asks about the emails and her relationship with Eli. She snaps they are doing fine, and that it isn't any of his business. Fitz explains that he was just looking out for a friend and sent the emails while he was bored at an Internet cafe, saying he couldn't sleep. Clare continues to question him, but he doesn't answer, as they are not "friends". Later, during a thunderstorm, Fitz shows up injured on Clare's doorstep, pitifully saying he has nowhere else to go. After being let in, he tells her he fell off his bike, showing huge bruises across his torso when taking off his hoodie for her to dry. Merely saying he got the bruises falling off his bike, Fitz asks if he can stay still the storm is over. Once the storm ends, Clare confronts him about what really happened, and Fitz reveals that his stepbrother, Steve, hates him, and the hatred has only got worse since he has been out of juvie. He is determined to save Steve, but he refuses to listen and eventually broke and beat Fitz up. Before he leaves with his now-dry hoodie, Fitz tells Clare that in juvie, he always relied on a part of his mind to make it through - Clare. Clare asks if his change is fake and he retorts that none of this is an act - it's all real. He admits he has feelings for her. She rejects his feelings, saying she loves Eli, and Eli loves her. Fitz snarls that Eli doesn't love anything, and he is messed up. Clare defends Eli, but Fitz claims that the two of them have a spiritual connection. Before he is about to leave, Eli appears at the door, and Fitz tries to make peace with Eli. However, Eli has nothing to say to him, and runs out, leaving a furious Clare, who hands him the phone and says to call Father Greg to pick him up. He is last seen leaving Clare's house with Father Greg.
Season 11[]
Season 12[]
In Scream (1), Eli tells Clare about giving Fitz the fake IDs, Love Roulette, and Vegas Night. All of them involve Fitz.
Trivia[]
- Both were romantically interested in Clare Edwards though only Eli has a relationship with her.
- Fitz was also enemies with Eli's girlfriend Clare and his best friend Adam.
- Fitz reminds Eli of his former bully, Mike.
- Fitz's last line was said to Eli ("Clare & I have a special connection!").
- Clare (Eli's girlfriend at the time) was forced to go to Homecoming with Fitz.
- Both have worked at The Dot. Fitz in Season 10 and Eli in Season 14.
- Eli made Fitz a fake ID.
