(S01E01 / S01E02) Wow. So, within the first five minutes it becomes abundantly clear that this is not your momma's 90210. First of all, there are actual non-whites at West Beverly High! Er, well, at least one. But he's a main character! Secondly, kids at West Beverly don't just hang out at the Peach Pit or whatever before class, they perform sexual acts in their big, shiny SUVs!Other things are the same, however, such as the fact that being a new kid still sucks: even if you're an impossibly skinny girl with perfect teeth and hair like a shiny, pretty labradoodle, like Annie Wilson. People still call you Farm Girl, and Kelly Taylor's sister posts mean blogs about you. Meanwhile, if you're her brother, even being a lacrosse star can end badly, when jealous kids get you kicked off the team.
90210's premiere is a little uneven, but also oddly entertaining. One thing that everyone can agree on though, is that Jessica Walter is still awesome.
Walter, who played the iconic Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development, is back on 90210, basically playing the same inappropriate, booze-soaked character, though this time she's an ex-actress named Tabitha Wilson. Everything that comes out of her mouth in the pilot is a gem, including an anecdote about how Ricardo Montalban once cracked an egg on her ass. She's already my favorite character, but considering that this is ostensibly a teen drama, that may not be a good sign for the fledgling series.
The Wilson family, aka "The New Walsh Family," comes to Beverly Hills from Kansas in order to take care of Tabitha. Harry Wilson is also the new principal at West Beverly, while his Kansas-native wife Debbie, has some sort of job that involves photo shoots, but also cooks tater tots for dinner.
The first episode, "We're Not in Kansas Anymore," basically covers Annie and Dixon's transition into the society of West Beverly High. Annie quickly becomes friends with Queen Bee Naomi, who promptly convinces Annie to "loan" her an old paper on A Tale of Two Cities and disinvites her from her "Not so Sweet 16" party after the deception is uncovered by Annie's principal father.
Dixon gets kicked off of the lacrosse team for starting a fight, even though the other guy checked him first. Naomi's boyfriend Ethan, the recipient of the aforementioned blow job in the SUV, originally lies to cover this up, but then his good guy-ness gets the better of him and he gets Dixon reinstated on the team. In the end, the Wilsons have a pretty painless transition into West Beverly and end the episode in formal wear, frolicking in the ocean in a very O.C.-like fashion.
Other things of note:
- There's a hilarious shout out to Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez in the beginning of the episode. She's original 90210-er Andrea Zuckerman's daughter and the host of West Beverly's news show. Ryan starts off the episode by asking, "what is she, 30?", a reference to Gabrielle Carteris actually being about 30 when she filmed the original show.
- Baby drama! It turns out that Harry Wilson dated Naomi's mom in high school and they have a son together that he never knew about! He was given up for adoption.
- Kelly Taylor also has a son. He's about four years old, and we don't know who the father is yet. He also has trouble sleeping, but my guess is that's probably due to the fact that his mother apparently sends him to bed wearing race car-shaped Crocs.
- Seriously. A blow job. In front of the school. Within the first five minutes; Gossip Girl didn't even do that.
- I have a feeling that the male students of West Beverly High spend a lot of time in the Guidance Counselor's office. After all, the counselor doesn't seem to think it's necessary to button more than three buttons on her shirt. Also, did anyone else notice that she seemed to wear two completely different outfits on the same day?
In the second episode, "Jet Set," the Wilsons continue to acclimate to life on the fast lane. Annie meets Ty, a boy with teeth as big as her own. He's the male lead in the play and asks her out to dinner. Of course, since they're in Beverly Hills, they won't be hitting up the local Ruby Tuesday's. Instead, he drives her to the airport where they board a private plane to San Francisco for dinner.
Her mother finds out about the trip after finding a matchbook from the restaurant in Annie's pocket. First of all, why was she going through her pockets? Second of all, who sees a matchbook from San Francisco and immediately thinks, "dammit! My daughter got on a private jet and went halfway up the state last night!"? Who jumps to that conclusion?
Annie isn't the only Wilson kid who gets in trouble this episode. Dixon is still desperately trying to fit in with his Lacrosse team, so when the rival school pranks them by filling West Beverly's hallway with trash, he comes up with a plan for revenge, despite his father's specific warnings against it. He manages to get three pigs from Navid's porn producer father and sets them loose on the other school's field. After Dixon attempts to take the blame for the prank, Navid and Ethan admit to their part, leading to Dixon being grounded, but an otherwise happy ending.
There's already a love triangle brewing, when Naomi tries to get back at Ethan by cheating on him with a teammate. Instead of making him jealous, however, Ethan just realizes that the reason he cheated was because he wanted out of the relationship -- and maybe into a new one with Annie. Unfortunately for him, Ty and Annie seem to be moving forward. With tongue.
Other things of note:
- Adrianna plays glassy-eyed really well. She's got a serious pill problem and although she's popular, seems to come from the wrong side of the tracks a little bit. I have a feeling this storyline could get pretty interesting later on.
- Jessica Walter continues her reign of awesome.
- The Peach Pit is scary. Nat looks really old and is easily confused by the cappuccino machine and kids go there and fill their iced teas with airplane bottles of booze. I miss the wholesome Formica of the Peach Pit of yesteryear.
- I can see why Uncle Jesse loved Aunt Becky so much: she's really understanding. Harry tells Debbie about his illegitimate son, and she takes it in stride. Apparently it's just another thing to deal with. A man-shaped bump in the road.
Based on all of the insane media surrounding the original cast members coming back to the show, I was beginning to wonder if anyone would care about the actual teenagers at all. Luckily for the young actors, the storyline with Brenda and Kelly is sufficiently boring and pointless, so as not to detract in any way. Granted, seeing Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth squeal and hug was awkwardly hilarious, but Brenda returning and drinking milkshakes isn't exactly earth shattering.
The show overall is a decent mix of Mean Girls, The O.C. and Gossip Girl, but isn't quite as charming as any of them. I'm not blown away, but it wasn't quite the suckfest it had the potential to be. However, I definitely could have done with only one hour of it this week.
What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-03-2008 @ 12:23AM
Stacie23 said...
I want to give the show the benefit of the doubt before I make any real determination about if the show is good or not. Looking at the old 90210 I recall their pilot episode and it definetly wasn't so fantastic, it definetly got better along the way. So I am hoping that this occurs with the new 90210. A couple things need to occur for the show to be succesful, like the original one was. First off they have to make Annie a bit more normal, she is just to perfrect and sweet and there is nothing to her, and to be the lead or at least semi lead character ala Shannen Doherty in the original there has to be more going on with her. Second they have to incorporate Jennie Garth into the show more. Seeing her for a few seconds here and there doesn't do much for anyone. Either have her on the show or don't but seeing her in the background with nothing much occuring doesn't do anything for anyone and it doesn't do much for original 90210 fans looking for some semblence of the old show.
They have to make this show more like 90210 and less like Gossip Girl and the O.C and all those other shows because why would we watch a show that is like Gossip Girl if we can just watch Gossip Girl. They have a couple characters I like, like Silver, Navid and Tabitha(the grandma), so there is something good there. They just need to really work on a few important things and they might surivive the season.
http://www.youtube.com/bsfactor2324
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9-03-2008 @ 12:24AM
Craig said...
Really Really Bad. I have read like 5 reviews on the show tonight and it has all gotten decent reviews. Is everybody getting paid off? The acting was terrible except some of the 90210 alums.
The writing was just terrible -- unauthentic in every way. Not even close. Terrible. Really bad dialogue. Crappy Plots
The cast is horrendous. I want to punch all of them in the face for trying to act. They should just stop and go home. There is no intrigue and nothing to care about in the pilot.
Horrible. Cancel it now. or just let Kelly and Brenda and others have the show to themselves. Maybe the Wilson's grandma can move in with them and we can move on.
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9-03-2008 @ 12:52AM
Jen said...
Have to agree - more like The O.C. than 90210. And they should have saved their money on Kelly & Brenda - mostly Brenda. Although they may get more interesting later - like if Brenda decides she wants the teacher or something. *shrugs*
Pretty predictable, not quite as good as Gossip Girl or The O.C. ...but I'll give it a few episodes before I make up my mind.
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9-03-2008 @ 1:32AM
Brian said...
Agree with most of what you wrote, but I do disagree with the assessment of Annie. I think it's a breath of fresh air to see a main female character on a primetime soap who actually is "good."
It's just too unrealistic and yet oddly too cliched to give the lead female some sort of alcohol, sexual or drug background. Those things will come, but what makes for an effective show is being able to experience the "wrong decisions" with the character as opposed to just hearing about them, yet wondering why they occurred in the first place.
It's honestly one of the main reasons I stopped watching Gossip Girl. The Serena character was just too uneven for me. It didn't make sense that she could be so nice, helpful and deep a year after having all those alcohol problems and acting like a complete, backstabbing moron. It's not like it never happens on TV - but let it happen in front of us.
I know that in my high school and college days, I saw far more Annies than Serenas or Marissa Coopers. The girls who were "perfect" might have had some internal frustration, disappointment or depression, but they certainly weren't booze-guzzling drug addicts. They were "good" all around.
In TV land, the people who are perfect are actually "bad" as a way to make average Americans feel comfortable about their own lives. Don't fool us, though. There are plenty of rich, beautiful girls who are actually nice and problem-free. As long as you can build stories around that type of person, do it, since it makes for a more realistic viewing experience.
For me, the only two character concerns are the logic in making Adrianna and Silver so interchangeable looks wise by the end of the second hour. They looked different (and great; Jessica Stroup is just gorgeous, and Jessica Lowndes is known to Greek fans as Mandi, the pretty girl they throw in without any real purpose) at first, but both started using hoods and stuff by the end and they were hard to tell apart. No real reason for that.
Also, what exactly is Navid's social situation?
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9-03-2008 @ 1:57AM
Ventura Blvd said...
Better than expected, but with flaws. Production was well done, the casting was good and there were some breakout performances...Jessica Walter was hilarious, Jennie Garth a great emotional anchor for the show and the character of Silver is eye catching. The newspaper editor guy has some spunk too. Love the way they are mixing the generations, with parents, kids, teachers - just like the original. A few of the kids are somewhat boring and the various love triangles have no steam yet. The plotlines about the insanely rich kids was also over the top. Also most of the cast looks way too old - are they actually supposed to be 16? Come on, they all look 24...
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9-03-2008 @ 11:01AM
Brian said...
They're actually all relatively young. Shenae Grimes is only 19. AnnaLynne McCord is 21. Jessica Stroup is 22. Jessica Lowndes is 19. Tristan Wilds is 19. Dustin Milligan is 23.
Michael Steger, however, is 28.
9-03-2008 @ 2:06AM
Carissa said...
Yikes. I'm a TVSquad mutant. I was totally sucked in. I've had a girl crush on the girl who plays Naomi since I saw her in some independent movie with Justin Long. I like Kelly's sister, the devil's daughter from The Reaper, and I am a huge Shannen Doherty geek, so that's a plus.
A lot happened very fast. Grandma is a blast. Mom a bit of a bore. Dad - jury is out. The brother sister relationship is very nice, but the show certainly only places them in the storyline as catalysts for other characters. That's ok with me. I noticed on one of the commercial breaks the actress who plays Amy said "hopefully we'll finally fit in." Huh??? I couldn't imagine an easier move. 2nd week, bags wealthiest guy and flies to San Francisco, and her brother is a major lacrosse player. Hello!
There was one more diverse character, Navid. He was obviously supposed to be Arab. But his dad is a big porn king, so they have obviously been living the American Dream absent the Koran!
I didn't notice Nate being old, just non-existent. The Peach Pit changed with the times. Makes perfect sense.
Was the story of Kelly's sister and parents for real? I can't remember the original show enough to put that together.
Anywho - I'm alone, but I can't wait till next week. Total fluff, but absorbing addictive fluff. Yay!
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9-03-2008 @ 10:16PM
Mel said...
Erin Silver's parents are Jackie Taylor (kelly's mom) and Mel Silver (David's Dad) who were married briefly through seasons two and three on original 90210.
It was the birth of "Silver" that kept Kelly in Beverly Hills that summer she hooked up with Dylan when Brenda went to Paris with Donna in her place.
9-03-2008 @ 2:14AM
Adam said...
I'll be watching for Jessica Walter alone. She is funny as hell, and her lines alone give me faith in the writers. I was shocked though that they dismissed her comment about the attack possibly be race related. To me that signaled the show won't be delving into any serious issues, because I can't think of any other reason to attack a new kid.
I read on EW.com that Tristan Wilds was one of the new actors to watch this season and I totally agree. He put almost all the other "actors" to shame. Save for the girl who plays Adriana. She plays that girl extremely creepily. I wonder if she is going method because the drug induced stare in her eyes is just eery.
As for the rest of the characters, this seems like a carbon copy of Degrassi:The Next Generation, except 90210 sticks to bubble gum subject matter. Its the resuscitation of an old namesake with little connection to the original save for older returing characters who serve a very small purpose on the show. Shenae Grimes is basically playing her character Darcy.
All in all, it wasn't a particularly horrible show, its just been seen before with different shows. The only gripping moments were Dixon talking about how he tries to bond with his dad, and the pregnancy revelation, however these moments were glossed over so fast they hardly had any relevance with the plot. I hope the quality improves because the show has a lot of potential, but at least its better than Gossip Girl.
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9-03-2008 @ 2:20AM
Will said...
I agree with Craig. I will preface it by saying that I never watched the original 90210 and that I'm probably way too old for the audience they are trying to get, so take that for what it's worth. But I sat thru the first hour & that was all I could take. There wasn't one character that I could even hope to like or root for. The essay paper story-line was so predictable, were we supposed to be suprised that the airhead blonde (can't even recall her name) copied it word-for-word? Whatever. I won't be wasting any more time with the show. I hope the CW isn't counting on this show to save it, I like Supernatural & want it to continue.
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9-03-2008 @ 2:21AM
Carissa said...
Yikes again! That was not the same girl from the Justin Long movie. I take it back...but I still like Naomi. And Agnes Bruckner could be her SISTER! LOL...
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9-03-2008 @ 5:44AM
Jon said...
I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it.
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9-03-2008 @ 5:51AM
radwimp said...
This wasn't completely awful. Jessica Walters is certainly the highlight of the entire thing. Someone just give her her own show already.
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9-03-2008 @ 7:02AM
Bryan said...
Didn't anyone hear Harry say "Family First" in the opening van sequence on the way to BH?
Obviously an homage to ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT!
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9-03-2008 @ 7:20AM
justelise said...
Please don't let Shenae Grimes dance in any future episodes. She was spastic when she joined the chorus of the school play.
The first episode of any show can be difficult. I hope that the writers step it up. I know it's hard to introduce that many characters in such a large ensemble cast and have the public remember them, but maybe they should've pared down the character introductions and worked on the plot more.
When do we start taking bets on who the father of Kelly's baby is?
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9-03-2008 @ 8:26AM
Anthony said...
Ok I will be the first to say.
Kelly's son's father is STEVE SANDERS.
As soon as I saw the blonde curly hair on the boy I shouted out STEVE!
9-03-2008 @ 8:32AM
Anthony said...
Oh and clue #2:
Kelly's son's name is SAM named after Steve's mom who is SAMANTHA. :-)
9-03-2008 @ 10:45AM
Adam said...
Sorry to ruin the suprise, but the producers let it be known that the kid is Dylan McKay's. They said they'd keep talking about him even if Perry doesn't reprise his role.
9-03-2008 @ 7:40AM
Alicia said...
Uh... I'm going to watch it next week.
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9-03-2008 @ 8:32AM
fowak said...
I actually quite liked it. It's not the best TV show I've ever seen, but certainly not the worst. And Shanae Grimes is BEAUTIFUL, although her arms look like they could easily break in half. Really well cast as Lori Laughlin's daughter because she looks JUST like her. And the guy that plays Ty reminds me so much of James Marsden.
I'll be tuning in next week!
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