(S01E03)I was pretty unsure of the new 90210 last week. My initial impression was that it wasn't bad, but it could use some work. Now, however, it is week two and I'm pretty sure I was just blinded by all of the curly hair and porcelain veneers--because this was not good.Now I'm not trying to say that everyone who lives in Beverly Hills is stuck up and/or unfriendly, but come on. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that Annie and Dixon are having the easiest transition into a new school in the history of the world. I moved around a lot when I was a kid, and while I was lucky enough to stop moving before I got to high school, I still went to nine elementary schools. Nine different elementary schools and not a single guy flew me to San Francisco.
My main problem with this show is that for a drama, the conflict is nearly nonexistent. The big story this week? Annie and Dixon's parents want to have family night! ZOMFG! Annie has already made plans with Ty for Friday night and Dixon made plans with a bunch of other people to go to Navid's house to screen the new Bond movie, anzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
So instead of saying, "hey mom and dad; I think family bowling night is a great idea, but we already have plans for Friday. Our Saturday seems to be wide open, however, so can we reschedule?", they make a huge deal about how nobody in Beverly Hills spends time with their family and then proceed to invite everyone they know to "accidentally" show up at Lucky Strike.
Dixon ends up inviting Silver,since he sees her hanging around the school parking lot on Friday afternoon because she's avoiding her house. Now, everybody avoids home every now and then, but Silver has taken it to the next level: she's been staying at the local woman's shelter. THE LOCAL WOMEN'S SHELTER. She did some community service there over the summer, so when her mom drinks too much and she gets scared, she'll stay there. Now I understand that even though Silver is wealthy, she can still have problems and that having an alcoholic parent is a bad situation to be in. However, I would wager that the other women in the shelter have problems that are slightly more ... intense.
Silver also doesn't seem to think she can talk to her guidance counselor sister either, so while Silver is sleeping in shelters and her car, Kelly decides to accept Ryan's invitation to dinner. I like Ryan, but this whole date doesn't seem to have much more of a point than to allude to the identity of Kelly's son's father in the most unsubtle ways possible. They had a lot of HISTORY in HIGH SCHOOL, don't you know.
The other "big" "conflict" in this episode revolves around Naomi, aka "Jacked Up Jesse Spano" as my sister calls her. It's the most sadly predictable storyline ever -- to the point where after watching the first scene, you could call every subsequent scene like Babe Ruth. Hey, Naomi's dad bought a new car on the same day he's supposed to take her someplace; I bet the car is for her! He has to work late so Naomi goes to give him food; I bet he's making out with someone inappropriate! Naomi is shocked and heartbroken that her dad is cheating on her mom; I bet her mom already knows and accepts it so she can maintain her comfortable lifestyle! It's a retread of every "poor little rich girl" storyline ever, and it just makes me tired.
There was a nice scene at the end where Silver tells Dixon her secret and we learn a little bit more about him from before he was a member "of the Cosby family." In the end, Silver leaves home and goes to live with Kelly and her son of questionable paternity.
Other items of note:
- I had read on the 90210 Wikipedia page that Navid is supposed to be Persian, which would have at least been a nice nod to the fact that Beverly Hills has a huge Persian population. However, he made a comment that he received his bowling ball as a bar mitzvah gift.
- Is Shenae Grimes' idea of acting always finding a new way to scrunch up her face? Are there any Degrassi viewers out there who could help me out with this?
- I'm not really digging Ty. He kind of randomly left Annie at the bowling alley, plus he looks like an exceedingly tall elf.
I don't find this show painful to watch; I found myself entertained throughout most of it. However, there's just not a lot to hold on to here. What worries me even more, is that the third episode really didn't build from the first two. It didn't come out of the gate particularly strong, so it really needs to pick up the pace -- and it kind of doesn't.
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
Ask TV Squad: Ghost Whisperer and more!
The TV Squad Podcast: Bill Scheft of The Late Show, Cake Boss, Mad Men and more
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-10-2008 @ 8:06AM
justelise said...
Yes. Shenae is a face scruncher. Her acting was weak on Degrassi, and it hasn't changed for the better on 90210. My interest in the show is already waning and it's only on its 2nd episode.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 8:22AM
Thom said...
"Is Shenae Grimes' idea of acting always finding a new way to scrunch up her face? Are there any Degrassi viewers out there who could help me out with this?"
Yes. Degrassi is built upon all of its characters making totally awesome face scrunching expressions. I wonder how Degrassi will handle her character now, since she is a lead on another show.
I also think Degrassi is much better than 90210. I'm a 28 year old man and I have no qualms about making such an assertion or admitting I watch Degrassi.
Reply
9-18-2008 @ 9:30AM
justelise said...
I second that. The original Degrassi covered controversial issues (teen pregnancy, abortion, AIDS, interracial relationships) several years (early to mid 80s) before the original 90210 came out, yet 90210 got all the press for being so "groundbreaking."
Degrassi The Next Generation, in the tradition of the original show, is much more realistic than 90210, and easier for the average person (regardless of age) to relate to.
I've been watching Degrassi since I was just a kid and I'm in my 30's now. It's just a great show.
9-10-2008 @ 8:57AM
zane said...
Navid is prolly meant to be a jewish persian. many jews in iran and many that left years ago and settled in BH and the OC
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 8:48AM
nick said...
This show gets increasingly boring minute by minute. Can't the show just be Jessica Walter getting into a bunch of drunken shenanigans, please? That would be SOOO much better.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 9:06AM
SadOldMan said...
I'll keep watching this if only for Jennie Garth! That scene at the end where Silver told Dixon what really was going on, and him insisting she let his dad help was very moving.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 8:56AM
charlie said...
like someone said during the episode :
"way too much drama"
actors can't act
it's episode 3 and you already know that it's gonna be the same bullshit over and over ...
full of clichés :
my mum is an alcoholic (even though Silver's storyline could be the best one)
my dad cheats on my mum
a love triangle (like we don't get enough of those)
I have to say that the pilot left me wondering how it'll be, but now I know that it's bad and I'll stick with Gossip Girl for my weekly dose of teen drama.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 10:03AM
Hassanchop said...
The majority of Persian at beverly Hills High are Persian (Iranian) Jews. There are a LARGE number of Iranian Jews living in Southern California.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 10:03AM
Diane said...
I know I'm in the minority here, but I kind of like this show.....for what it is. Great television it's not, but neither was the original 90210. That being said, an hour of mindless fluff is not altogether a bad thing. Plus, as a fan of a classic piece of TV fluff, "Silk Stalkings," Rob Estes is STILL wonderful eye candy!!
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 10:13AM
eric f. said...
This show is 1 ep away from being deleted from my season pass.
I fear the only thing that can redeem it is some nudity, and I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. It's not funny like the OC, and everything else is really tame.
The scenes with Naomi are excruciatingly bad, and doesn't anyone else hate the hair on this Ty dude? He is so bad, and no fan of this show could possibly be looking forward to those two getting together. B_O_R_I_N_G..
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 12:30PM
charlie said...
yeah all of naomi storylines are flat, boring and already seen a thousand times... and she is bad which is weird cause I remember her being pretty good on nip/tuck
9-10-2008 @ 10:37AM
Stacie23 said...
I'll continue to watch only because there are more characters that I do like then I don't like. I really like Silver and her storyline is interesting. All I kept saying while watching this show was if she didn't want anyone to find out that she was sleeping in her car, how come she decided to park her car right in front of the Wilson house. She even heard the mother saying to Dixon and Annie that they need to throw out the garbage.
Other than the obvious setup for Dixon to find her and to have a heart to heart, the scene between them was solid and both of their acting talent shows clearly.
The 2 characters/actresses I am not sold on yet is Annie and Naomi. There acting is far from flawless. On a TV Show you are not supposed to feel like you are watching someone acting, you are supposed to just go with it, but with those 2 actresses and the way they perform they take me right out of whatever storyline they are in and all I am thinking is who is their acting coach because they need to fire them.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 10:51AM
Hill said...
I can't believe they ripped off South of Nowhere and its a mediocre teen drama on The N?!?
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 10:58AM
cdawg said...
was going to say the same thing - Persian and Jew are not mutually exclusive
While totally predictable and a little downright silly, its still good fun and I enjoyed watching. I actually really liked Privileged which was on afterwards, and I hate to admit that I've become a girly girl.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 12:17PM
mknj said...
I have to admit that I'm sticking around to see who the father is.
My guess is that it's Steve Sanders! I know, shocking, but, check out the kid's hair.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 12:59PM
Danielle said...
Steve married Janet(Lindsey Price) in the finale and seemed very commented to her...but a lot can happen in those 8 years since the finale has ended. Only time will tell!
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 1:57PM
jennifer said...
if you dont like the show, find someone else to review it..your reviews are downers for us who like the show!
i also think steve or brandon or dylan!
my $$ is on steve
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 5:21PM
Anita said...
OK, I find that the kids aren't having sex (outside the BJ) and actually interact with their parents refreshing. My biggest problem is the acting. While Lori Laughlin always gives off a 'mom' aura, she doesn't have a strong presence. Plus, Annie keeps giving those 'I'm the cutest girl in the world' faces. I was glad when they hired Jennie Garth because I liked her in 'What I like About You'. Altho' not the best show, she had a great on-screen presence and in dancing with the stars, she had great facial expressions. Plus, she stepped up in the old 90210. But in new 90210 her forehead doesn't move and it's slightly distracting - I think the show could be good, they just need to give some of the actors more coaching -
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 9:10PM
twofifty9 said...
I've never seen the original BH 90210, but was it ever really that good or was there never really anything to compare it to, except for maybe My So Called Life, which I didn't watch either? I think the early season of the OC and GG set the bar really high for teen dramas, especially with the writing.
My problem is the predictability and some of the acting; and some storylines felt rushed or just boring, they could have dragged the Silver plot a little longer and I hated Naomi's plot.
I think Sammy's dad is whoever they can get on the show, which looks like Brandon.
Reply
9-10-2008 @ 9:48PM
Anita said...
I won't pretend the original BH90210 was Shakesperean. In fact, I hated that, too, but watched it because nothing else was teen-oriented at the time. However, despite my alleged hatred, I watched every single episode until college. Altho' I had issues with the writing and while Jason Priestly or Ian Ziering probably won't ever win an Oscar (let alone an Emmy), I never felt the urge to shove needles into my ears into what I might call horrifically bad acting. I'm fine with the new 90210's writing, but the actors of old 90210 (possibly b/c they were a bit older) did a better job of portraying their characters -