BH90210 S01E05: Picture's Up

© FOX

BH90210 captures angelic nostalgia with Jamie Walters
By Kim Tibbs-Krober

The "hottest reboot in town" just got hotter, from the opening Peach Pit After Dark fantasy sequence with Brian removing his shirt to put out a club fire, to the sex scene with Brian and Tori, to the discovery of who sent the fiery warning message last week. Although if I'm being honest, none of these moments was especially satisfying. As a woman approaching 40, I sympathized with Tori feeling nervous about her big moment on camera. It was interesting to see how various narcissistic actors and actresses on the show have embraced aging, and as odd as it sounds, Tori's response felt the most refreshingly genuine.

Jennie and Ian both seemed to be having a mid-life crisis, dating people half their age and trying to keep up with the hipster world of microbreweries and caramel apple sangria concoctions. When did Gabrielle decide to pursue a sexual relationship with Christine? It happened so gradually I was momentarily at a loss when she asked her to sign the consent form. Meanwhile, Brian was channeling his best "cool dad" impression, skateboarding to work and getting his new-found son hired on as a PA on the reboot set.

The cast was forced to do its best imitation of the Scooby-Doo gang and figure out who set the sets on fire after an HR investigation and studio concern about the show being uninsurable forced the reboot to shut down temporarily. The best moment out of this entire series happened when the gang went to see Jamie Walters play at a dive bar after Tori mistakenly accused him of being their stalker. Sadly, he was not. Even sadder, he's now balding. But he was still up there belting out the chorus of "How Do You Talk to An Angel?" and I was instantly 13 again. When the entire cast joined him in a rendition, it was perfection, especially seeing Ian get so into it. If I got nothing else from the reboot, I at least got to see Ray Pruit again, and this time he wasn't hitting Donna or pushing her down the stairs! He was more like the character I fell in love with at the beginning of season six, minus carrying the pumpkins of course.

© FOX

The 90210 stalker ended up being the obsessive fan who took Tori to court over the theft of the red prom dress at the beginning of the reboot. Yawn. Is that the best you've got? Maybe asking for it to be Valerie was a long shot, but it felt forced and quickly forgotten about as soon as we were given the "big" reveal. It was more entertaining watching the cast brainstorm everyone who might hold a grudge against them. In what seemed like minutes, they had it whittled down to 125 people without thinking very hard, and that didn't count all the celebs, exes, former reality show co-stars, and accidentals they pissed off over the years! Who needs friends when you have that many perceived enemies?

It's hard to believe there's only one episode left of BH90210. The reunion journey has been at times humorous and bizarre, other times nostalgic and bittersweet, as one comes to the realization that nothing can stay as it once was. Did I need this reboot? Probably not. Is it going to provide a sense of closure for the characters? Probably not. Will anything satisfy me more than seeing Jamie Walters sing again? Probably not. But will I regret watching it from start to finish? Probably not.

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