Official 90210 Thread

[foxfire]

Last night was probably the best episode of the season. I think having gotten rid of the old 90210 characters have cleared some space for more interesting storylines.

Officially Naomi is the best character of the show. I have decided. Also, here's an interesting point... up here (in Toronto) Annalynne McCord's (Naomi) pictures have been used for promotional posters instead of the other two twigs.

I'm guessing Adrianna's dead and now we don't ever have to revisit that. And Naomi's innocence would be proven because Annie witnessed what went down and it's a little bit too coincidental considering Adrianna OD'ed.

As for the B/D/K thing... didn't Brenda win? Dylan's the one guy you don't want to date. He's had alcohol issues, he's gotten his own wife killed by accident and knocked up Kelly. I'd rather not touch that thank you very much. Besides, when Brenda's with Dylan she's Brenda AND Dylan. She has no identity of her own. When a girl is defined by the man she's with she has officially failed at life.... or at least the 21st century life.

[Assassin Witch]

Now you're making me sad that I missed it.

I love Kelly, so I want her around. But do something. I love her and Silver's scenes together. And as a guidance counselor, she could have good potential. it's just the Dylan thing that's annoying.

And I hear what you're saying about Brenda winning, FoxFire. I never liked Dylan, so I don't really care. My care if for KB, that's really why I'm anti-KD. And I don't like the BDK triangle.

[Primrose_Empath]

It's alright. I missed it too -- and as much as I swore I wouldn't watch again, I went ahead and set up the VCR to tape it last night. When I've got a free moment or two, I'll try and watch.

---

As for the B/D/K thing... didn't Brenda win? Dylan's the one guy you don't want to date. He's had alcohol issues, he's gotten his own wife killed by accident and knocked up Kelly. I'd rather not touch that thank you very much. Besides, when Brenda's with Dylan she's Brenda AND Dylan. She has no identity of her own. When a girl is defined by the man she's with she has officially failed at life.... or at least the 21st century life.

And I hear what you're saying about Brenda winning, FoxFire. I never liked Dylan, so I don't really care. My care if for KB, that's really why I'm anti-KD. And I don't like the BDK triangle.

*thumbs up* Gotcha. I'll admit that all this just might very well be me reading into things with my B/D blinders on. You don't like that particular relationship and think she came out on the winning end, whereas I do like the relationship and think she came out on the losing end. That's the fun of these discussion boards, hearing / reading all the different opinions -- and I totally respect yours and see where you're coming from.

Since it's highly unlikely that either of us will fully win the other over to our respective side, I'll just "agree to disagree" with ya. Ok? Cool.

*hops onto nearby soapbox*

Because of my tremendous dislike for D/K, the betrayal against Brenda, and my full love for B/D...I don't think there could ever be enough "foundation" laid down for me to accept Brenda embracing/supporting D/K or becoming as involved in their lives as what we saw in the spinoff.

Forgiving, talking on occasion, and being friendly/polite is one thing. But it's the past history/foundation that makes it difficult for me to believe it in this scenario. Especially considering that I didn't perceive Brenda/Kelly to be that close after the original ended. I picture Brenda moving on solo if Dylan is out of her life and firmly implanted in Kelly's. However, that's just me.

The way I'm perceiving this whole shebang is that they (the writers / producers) did make a conscious choice about what coupling to go with. They may not have been thinking about "specific shipper fanbases" as in B/D, B/K, D/K etc...but the couplings were something that was thought about for the purposes of writing direction.

Also, they didn't know they'd have Shannen back right away but they knew they were getting Jennie. Plus, as I remember reading somewhere along the line, it was Jennie's idea to incorporate the child plot-line for Kelly.

Besides, if the new producers are admitting that they were aware of "dedicated fans", common sense lends credence to doing "background research." Research on the story itself, on the original characters they were planning to incorporate, and the fanbases that make up those "dedicated fans". Therefore, I'm left with the presumption that they didn't do that good of research because: A) they were too lazy to do it or B) it didn't matter 'cause they already picked which direction they wanted to focus on.

However, even after they got Shannen onboard, they still went full force with a D/K-centered plot. Now, despite what Shannen may or may not have been open to romantic/relationship wise for the character, there was still another option they completely avoided/ignored -- a neutral focus which kept the original male characters totally out of the storyline.

And as much as I like Dylan, I don't necessarily think that HE's the most interesting character to work with just because of the paternity storyline. There are fathers who still take care of their kids even though they aren't with the mothers. They have visitation rights, they pay child support, etc. Personally, I think too much emphasis was placed on a stupid paternity story when the child could have just had off-screen visitation with whoever his father was. It didn't have to be Dylan to make it seem "realistic."

I'm not one of the fans in line with the thinking that Dylan is the best choice for abandoning a child. I have trouble with the concept from the canon storyline. Dylan may have exhibited "womanizing tendencies" but he never struck me as the type to abandon a child, especially his own. My guess would be that that's why LP isn't too happy about Dylan being the choice either. I don't think he perceived his character that way.

Brenda, Kelly, and Dylan aren't main characters in this spin-off so there was no need to explore a full-blown paternity story reveal. Especially if the initial concept, as suggested by Shannen, was to avoid the triangle.

Besides, that type of drama is usually saved and explored inside of a main cast. And even if their intention was to draw/keep the interest of Brenda/BD fans once they realized the popularity aspect (and I'm not saying that it was), it was developed rather poorly. Especially with no "definite" word of either actress returning any time soon and about 100% certainty that LP/Dylan will never be making an appearance for the sake of the triangle.

Therefore, my conclusion is that they don't know all of the dedicated fans or the original characters as well as they say or think they do. I think certain options were ignored intentionally even after they got Shannen to appear. To me, D/K looks like it was a deliberate choice -- and a bad one at that. But what's done is done and I'll see what they have in store now for the new cast.

*hops off of soapbox*

[foxfire]

I'm still puzzled why they chose Dylan... after all... Brandon was Kelly's more prominent relationship. But Dylan's more or less the type of guy who would knock a girl up and skip town. Brandon wouldn't. I'm guessing Jennie Garth insisted on being a mom given that she is one now... maybe not.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next dramatic episode. I'm glad to see they're undoing all the craptastic things they've been doing (eliminating the Val wannabe, getting Annie/Ethan together, creating Naomi into the single greatest creation of the show, giving us more of the sexy teacher, and making Silver a little less snobby).

[Assassin Witch]

I saw the ep.

I.do.not.want.AE. PLEASE GOD NO! MAKE IT STOP! It's more boring than Serena/Dan, and anyone who knows me and GG should know what that means!

SD(Silver/Dixon, yeah, it freaks me out that I do like SD) is incredibly amazing.

And grandma? MORE MORE MORE! WIN WIN WIN.

Ethan/Dixon scenes were good though. Just, AE isn't.

Navid! Ah, he has priceless lines, but alas, they give him like five lines totally. MORE MORE MORE!

It was nice to see NA friends again. Because they haven't had a scene since the pilot. But, Noami was stupid. She RAN AWAY IN FRONT OF THE COPS. She deserved to get caught. Idiot!

But, she is one of the best charries on the show. *nods*

I really think Adrianna WAS going to tell her mom about the drugs, then Mommy went all happy and on about they almost lost the house, but they're okay because of Adrianna, and she couldn't hurt her mom. She was scared and so much pressure. And that ending about killed me. NO! I like you Adrianna! NO! *cries*

OMG! Kim. Thank god she's a narc. Because I like KR (eck, confusing! Crap). Kim/Ryan had amazing chemistry and every scene they had was my favorites of the episode. I want them together. And I so didn't see her being a cop until the Kim/Harry convo. So awesome.


Wait..crap..how many times did I use a great adjective to describe something? *SCREAMS*

But! I still caught GG rips. I just forgot about it. There were some in the beginning that really bothered me. Oh well.

[foxfire]

GG rips? Explain.

I'm glad that people enjoyed this episode though because I think it's finally finding its place. I also really liked the whole Kim thing... I thought it would have been too bad if they couldn't get together because she was a student.

[Assassin Witch]

I need to rewatch it. I'll get back to you when I get the chance.

Though I really really really hate Naomi calling Ethan 'E'. I hope she NEVER does that again.

[Primrose_Empath]

I'm still puzzled why they chose Dylan...

One word -- Although, lack of creativity on the part of the writers could also be a reason why.

I'm guessing Jennie Garth insisted on being a mom given that she is one now... maybe not.

Actually, your guess is right on the money. Somewhere along the lines I read that Kelly being a mom was done at Jennie's insistence. It's what she wanted for her character. However, I would've been fine with never knowing who Sammie's dad was. That was a plot line that A) wasn't really needed, and B) ended up ticking a whole lot of the older fans off.

I swear that either Kern's crack monkeys found a new home writing that plot line or the writers were "writing under the influence" of whatever they found that was left over of his "secret stash". But that's just my thoughts on the matter.

---

Now onto the latest episode, which I taped and finally got a chance to watch yesterday...

I've gotta say that I was actually semi-impressed. It wasn't a half-bad epi.

• Annie / Ethan? I'd rather do this repeatedly than see those two paired up or have more scenes together.
  
  
• Navid is a total trip. He needs to have more of part in this show. There's so much they could do with him besides keeping him as a background character.
  
  
• Naomi has definitely grown on me since the premiere. There's a whole lot more to her than meets the eye and I love how she took the fall for her friend. However, running away in front of the cops?? *shakes head* That's a bone-headed move if I ever saw one.
  
  
• I hope they didn't actually kill Adrianna as I find her to be fairly intriguing too.
  
  
• Like you Assassin, I didn't see Kim being a narc until her scene with Harry in the cemetery. That came totally out of left field, but it's a great twist. Wait. Did I actually compliment the writers with that last sentence? What is this world coming to??
  
  
• Silver / Dixon? That's a great pairing and one I can actually get behind and enjoy. They might be one of the main reasons that I'll continue watching.

Okay show, you've earned yourself a temporary reprieve even though I will never forgive you for what you did to the original characters (and my favorite). Let's see if you can keep this old-school BH 90210 fan tuned in or not.

[foxfire]

Was there a new episode this week? The channel 90210 airs on in Canada had stupid "Decision Canada 2008" on from 9 until 12 so it never aired. I'd be relieved to find out they never aired a new episode... I'd hate to be a week behind.

[Assassin Witch]

No new episode. You're good.

[Primrose_Empath]

I do believe next week's episode is going to be a repeat too. From what I've heard, they're holding off on airing a new one until 10/28 -- I guess because November sweeps are coming up.

Here's some interesting news for ya regarding our beloved originals:

It's official: Shannen Doherty re-ups with '90210'

03:08 PM PT, Oct 13 2008

Shannen Doherty/Brenda Walsh fans can rejoice anew.

The deal is finally done to keep Brenda in the "90210" ZIP Code -- as of today, Doherty has agreed to do two additional episodes of the CW's rebooted teen soap, with the possibility for more.

At first, it appeared that the four episodes Doherty initially had signed up for would be the fans' only chance to reunite with Brenda. From what she was saying, it didn't seem that the actress was interested in committing to an extension.

Doherty has changed her mind, or the CW and CBS Paramount (the studio that produces the show) changed it for her. Her next two appearances will be next month, in "90210's" 11th and 12th episodes of the season.

"90210" has been a ratings success for the CW, but it hasn't been without struggles. Its early episodes have been met with lukewarm to scornful critical reception, and a new executive producer, Rebecca Kirshner, has been brought in to stabilize the show from the creative end.

The series' young female stars have also gotten unwanted attention for being "too thin for TV."

Amid those problems, Doherty's Brenda scenes -- particularly her on-screen reunion with fellow "Beverly Hills, 90210" graduate Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor -- have been among the show's bright spots.

Garth, whose Kelly character is a guidance counselor at West Beverly High, has already agreed to stick around. Kelly will come back to Beverly Hills soon -- both Kelly and Brenda headed out of town, separately and somewhat inexplicably, in a recent episode. And the two actresses/characters will cross paths when Doherty returns.

Even before today's re-upping, Doherty -- former hellion, more recently, homebody -- had been relaunched by the "90210" stint back into the pop culture zeitgeist. Perez Hilton has been one of her biggest champions, for example, and she graces the cover of this month's Radar.

Or, as the Dlisted blogger Michael K concluded recently, after posting a gallery of paparazzi shots of Doherty: "I just realized that the paps are actually following Brenda Walsh around. Hooray! It's like 1992 again!"

Source

I hope Kirshner sets things right for Brenda and that they'll do her character the RIGHT way now. It would be fantastic to see some of the old-school Bren that I remembered and loved -- the one whose heart was in the right place even if her actions were somewhat suspect / the one with the fire in her eyes who wasn't afraid to tell Kelly how it was on occasion back in the day -- gracing my screen once more.

That being said, I'm just super happy to be seeing her again and hopefully getting those loose ends that we were left with at the end of episode six tied up.

[The Original P3]

Oct 17, 2008 14:18:45 GMT -5 Nicholas Halliwell said:

I hope ifthe show makes it to season 2, Shannen & Jennie get full spots. And thank god Adrianna died, or else the producers probably would have made her a main character. That would've been a bad idea

Actually, she has now been signed on as a main cast member while Jessica Walter (the awesome Grandma) has been bumped to recurring.

These people are idiots.

[Assassin Witch]

It's called a CLIFF HANGER for a reason. We don't know.

I'm glad to see Adrianna a main! I actually like her.

GRANDMA! But Grandma is one of the BEST charries on the show. *snifs*


Great news for Shannen! I'm glad she'll stay around. I hope they don't ruin her character.

[The Original P3]

Oct 17, 2008 16:55:11 GMT -5 Nicholas Halliwell said:

Wait. Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) has become a main cast member? I thought she died...

She was flatlining and the paramedics were working on reviving her. I know it's shocking but they have brought people back from OD's and no heartbeat. We didn't hear them call time of death..we didn't see a funeral. For all intents and purposes, her fate was up in the air (until they announced she'd be signed on as a main that is).

[Primrose_Empath]

Assassin, I guess I'll join you in the minority here as I actually like Adrianna too. There's just something intriguing about her character, although I do think the whole drug-storyline came about awfully fast and with little to no explanation. I'd like to know what all happened (aside from the stress that her mother was putting on her) to drive her to that state. With her not only coming back, but also being made a main character, maybe we'll get that back story.

I hope beyond all hope that they don't ruin Brenda for the two eps that Shannen's so far committed to. If they do, well, they can take their choice of or I'll be happy to oblige. *evil grin*

My biggest problem with Bren's character in the four eps that she was in orginally (aside from the fact that she felt like a totally different character than the one I had grown to love from the original show and seemed to be written not for her fans, but for the people who didn't like her originally) was how the writers used her...or failed to use her in this case. She had no independent storyline and was apparently only there to further the Dylan/Kelly/Sammy saga. *rolls eyes* That wasn't putting her to good use, in my opinion.

That being said, this old-school fan is keeping her fingers crossed that the new (and hopefully improved) writers will be able to use our beloved originals in a much better way than how they were used in the first six epis. I'm expecting the show to have a new vibe come episode ten and I'll keep my hopes up that, if Jennie and Shannen are going to be there, they will be used wisely.

Speaking of BH 90210 alums returning, check this out:

PRIESTLEY CONFIRMS 90210 RETURN

LATEST: Actor JASON PRIESTLEY has confirmed he'll return to his former TV zip code to direct a post-Christmas (08) episode of BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 spin-off series, 90210.

The actor, who directed 18 episodes of the beloved teen soap he starred in, will take charge of a 90210 show in January (09) - but he insists he won't be joining former castmates Shannen Doherty, Joe E Tata and Jennie Garth in front of the camera.

He says, "I'm coming back as a director thus far... They hired me to direct an episode in January, right after the Christmas break. I'm really looking forward to it.

"This is nothing new. I directed more episodes (of Beverly Hills, 90210) than anybody else." Priestley hopes Doherty will return to the show for his episode, and he's looking forward to working with Garth: "I just hope that Jennie's in the episode that I do, or that Shannen's there - that'll be fun for me.

"I talk to Jennie all the time - we're actually neighbors - and she's having a great time over there (on the show)."

Source: Entertainment Tonight News 10/08/2008

[Assassin Witch]

*CRIES* AH! Jennie and Jason are friends! NEIGHBORS! *cries* KB! WHY?!??!

I'd love for Shannen to direct, too. Her directed eps on Charmed were AMAZING.

Hopefully one day Jason decides to return to BH and win back his girl.

[Assassin Witch]

I 'ship Adrianna/Navid so bad right now. I loved all their scenes. And the scene with him pulling her out of the car and that conversation just killed me! *SQUEAL*

And thank god Naomi went bad to Adrianna because she would have been a really bad friend. If you can't try to take care of her, who else will? Then she'll have no one and more reason to continue down that path.

SILVER! OMG, happy gas/drugs..so awesome. And Dixon taking care of her! awww! I love them.

SD, AN, & Naomi...can that be our show? Plus the parents.

And, omg, Kim/Ryan! YES! "How old are you?" "25." *KISS* *SQUEAL* WIN!

Blah, Annie, Ethan, & AE annoy the living daylights out of me. GO AWAY. They're so *gag* MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! And the whole 'you go, I go, we bump into each other thing'? *throws up* I'm sorry. I really don't like them.

Oh! Ozzie! I totally 'ship N/O already. I hope he stays around. Naomi needs a new boy. And Ozzie would be great for us. And her, too, of course. *nods*

[foxfire]

I'm finally back on here after... what was it... a two week hiatus of no 90210?! Lol. I have beome addicted... the same goes for the Hills but whatever.

Last night was even better than the previous episode. I loved pretty much everything about it and I'm loving that Naomi is officially the greatest character on the show. Um... the whole Debbie thing against Tracy... that made my life. I was half expecting her to say something like "If you don't back off my husband, I will rip out your throat and feed it to you." I guess I've seen too much Alias.

I'm glad they've "fixed" Adrianna's character into one that isn't some vengeful drug addict and FINALLY given Navid something to do besides comedic relief. They're continuing perfectly with Naomi too (personality-wise).

My biggest problem? Why is everyone coupled? I'm sorry but high school isn't all about relationships... it always irks me when EVERYONE is in relationships *sigh* At least in the original I had Andrea to go "Okay, at least she's single" (albeit she gets knocked up but whatever). It's the same issue I had with Charmed. Why is it that "happy ending" has to mean "boyfriend+girlfriend". Clearly they're going to hook Naomi up with detention dude and then Adrianna with Navid, then obvi Annie and Ethan have their affair and I continually roll my eyes at Dixon and Silver who have the worst relationship.

I'm sorry but Silver and Dixon both make me gag. Dixon is afraid to be himself around Silver and she certainly doesn't help anything with her "I'm too cool for everything" routine which is so lame because she's soooo much faker than plastic and just about as thin and transparent as a sheet of glass. Sorry, I have issues with her and people who try to not "fit in" but what they're really doing is in essence "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I'm not popular WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

[Assassin Witch]

Well, I hope they develop AN's relationship first and he helps her get better and THEN get into a romantic relationship. And ANN is my official OT3 on the show. I hope we get scenes of them. They're friends! And, Tracy wasn't too surprised when Navid came around, right? Because they all used to be friends? Before Naomi got Adrianna hooked on drugs??!?!?! RIGHT?!?!!?!?!!? *SQUEAL*

I'm okay.

Yeah, I agree with you on the relationships. Everyone was paired, pretty much.

AE bore the hell out of me and I hate their scenes together.

Naomi is definitely a great character. I love her, Silver, and Adrianna...and Navid. And Dixon's cool, too. Can't they just throw out Annie and Ethan? PLEASE!

I like that Lori FINALLY is getting screen time. You tell her, Deb! And the Deb/Grandma scene was one of the best in the eppie. (And Grandma won't remember in the morning. LOL!) And her bitching out Tracy? GO DEB!

I liked the N/O scenes. Speaking spanish! But it was too fast for me to catch. I think it's totally awesome that we got some spanish going on...It's BH. Awesome.

[Primrose_Empath]

Was it just me, or did that two-week hiatus seem like an enternity?

Anywho, here are my on last night's epi -- which once again, I was fairly impressed with. It looks like they're finally taking the time to develop the characters a bit more than in the first couple of eps. New writers and a new executive producer can make a world of difference.

• This how I feel about Annie, Ethan, their pairing *gags*, and any scenes they have together -- of which even one is one too many:
  
  
• More Navid! Yay! And I totally love him with Adrianna. That could prove to be an intriguing matchup if the powers that be choose to take it further.
  
  
• Naomi's character development is spot-on at this moment and she's fast becoming a favorite of mine to watch. Her scenes with Ozzie were very well done. Thank goodness for subtitles, since my Spanish comprehension has gone from rusty to completely corroded. And her scene where she makes up with Adrianna? Aww.
  
  
• Speaking of Adrianna, I'm thrilled they're making her a regular cast member. There's a ton of potential with her character. I've got a feeling that what we saw with the rehab / counseling scenes is only scratching the surface.
  
  
• The Deb / Tracy showdown at the dance? *grins* Easily one of best scenes from last night.
  
  
• Last but not least, S/D continue to steal whatever scenes they are given.

Conclusion? As much as I was writing this show off at first, it may very well end up being one of my "guilty pleasure" shows.

---

Doing a little surfing during (shh...don't say anything!) classes and between classes today and dug up these spoilers regarding the originals -- well, mostly Shannen / Brenda. Now, I don't tend to trust these (or any spoiler for that matter) any further than I can throw 'em, but here we go anyway...

From Ask Ausiello:

Question: Any idea what Shannen Doherty's going to be doing on 90210 when she returns? -- Kelly

Ausiello: Probably hating Jennie Garth for looking scarcely a day older than she did when the original series went off the air. Brenda, on the other hand, is going to be getting some very bad news from the doctor, I hear.

From Korbi TV/Zap2it.com:

When's Shannen Doherty going to be back on 90210? -Contessa

November sweeps, of course. So hang tight, we should see her again before the end of next month. Word is, Brenda and Kelly team up to help Adrianna through her recovery process. Seems A will make great progress just as Bren is given some seriously bad news.

Kristen from E! reports:

Looks like real life is bleeding into the script! Sources tell me that Brenda and Kelly's relationship is going to get very difficult, to the point where they discuss just ending their friendship and all the drama. I'm also told the producers are not opposed to a few verbal (or otherwise) jabs being thrown in before the season is over, which clearly would not hurt the ratings. Girlfight!

---

After reading the first two (and rolling my eyes at the first line of the first comment), I'm wondering a couple of things:

1) They'd better not be screwing up my favorite character again.

2) What is this "bad news"?

and

3) Why would they choose to do a storyline like that with Bren if Shannen's only gonna be around for two eps that we know of? Unless, of course, this is their way of getting her to commit to more.

Now for the third one:

Don't get me wrong, I would like some drama to go down between Bren and Kelly -- it's been a long time in coming (just as long as it's not completely contrived / horribly out of character and doesn't take away from what the newbies have got going). Even though these two were supposed to be past all that past drama, and I think Bren more or less is, Kelly showed that she obviously wasn't -- as evidenced by her behavior towards Bren in episode 6.

Looks like I'll have to keep setting my VCR to tape Tuesday nights, hmm?