BH90210 S01E02: The Pitch

© FOX

Maybe producing isn't genetic in the Spelling family
by Kim Tibbs-Krober

The second episode of BH90210 brought out the egos of everyone in full force. Tori and Jennie went to FOX to pitch their idea for the Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, where Christine Elise (the original series' favorite recurring psychopath Emily Valentine) was a studio bigwig in a plot twist that didn't make a lot of sense. Jennie and Ian both found themselves in the midst of a divorce, while Jason struggled with the idea of pending fatherhood after learning he had a fertility issue. Gabrielle struggled internally with last week's forbidden kiss, while Brian found himself getting an acting gig because the movie's producers were interested in featuring his wife on the movie's soundtrack.

FOX was only interested in the reboot if Tori could get the entire cast to return, so the rest of the episode centered around her caving in to the demands of the others. Gabrielle wanted her character Andrea to explore her sexuality on the reboot, while Ian wanted product placement for a new line of health and beauty products he wanted to launch. Jason wanted to direct at least the pilot episode, while Jennie wanted them to cast her daughter in the reboot so she could take the aspiring starlet under her protective wings. Brian just wanted the chance to act again without fear of being in his superstar wife's shadow. These motivations seemed plausible, as everyone worked hard to come up with ideas to give 90210 "a facelift."

One of my favorite lines was uttered between Tori and her husband (portrayed by Ivan Sergei). He made a remark something to the effect of "Maybe producing isn't genetic," referring to the fact that Tori's father, 90210 creator Aaron Spelling, had the gift, but maybe the apple really did fall far from the tree this time. Since this episode felt very scattered to me, I'm having trouble finding the fault with that logic. I did enjoy watching Tori place 90210 dolls in a Peach Pit diorama she created, adding a doll every time she got a cast member to sign on for the reboot. It got me thinking about whether they really created a Peach Pit play set in the '90s, so my curiosity took me to eBay. It seemed Mattel did, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as the one Tori created. It seemed to retail for around $300 today (it must be rare to find a set with all the accessories still intact). My husband and I are avid toy collectors, so our thoughts always tend to travel in this direction. I also asked my best friend who was a die-hard fan of 90210 since day one whether or not she had a Peach Pit play set in the '90s. Sadly, she did not.

The next thing that left me feeling curious was the plot twist revealing the 90210 cast has a stalker who may be mentally imbalanced. At the end of the episode, he sent each of them a mutilated version of their character dolls. I think this was supposed to be upsetting, but it felt too cartoonish for me to take it seriously. I again took to the Internet to see if I could find any reports of disturbed 90210 fanatics over the years. As far as I can tell, this was more fictionalized drama created for the reboot. The most upsetting thing about it was how much a person could get selling an entire set of 90210 dolls on eBay today. What a waste of perfectly good figurines. How far will this stalker plot go? The train wreck continues to pique my curiosity with only four remaining episodes. One thing seems certain: Next week, it looks like they finally begin shooting the reboot, and that has me feeling excited!

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BH90210 S01E01: The Reunion

© FOX

The characters we love to loathe are back ... sorta
by Kim Tibbs-Krober

BH90210 premiered Wednesday night on FOX, and an estimated 3.8 million viewers tuned in to find out what had happened to their favorite spoiled teens from the '90s. However, if you were expecting to catch up with your favorite characters to see what their lives had amounted to within the 20 years since the original show went off the air, you may have been sorely disappointed. I know I was. Yeah, it was good to see everybody again (Brandon Walsh, Kelly Taylor, Donna Martin, David Silver, Steve Sanders, Andrea Zuckerman, and even Brenda Walsh), but why did the show's producers decide to go with the format they chose? Your favorites are back, but they're playing washed-up alter-ego versions of the actors who portrayed the characters. It made the reunion feel bizarre and a tad uncomfortable at times. It was also confusing trying to weave fact from fiction. Why would real-life Jason Priestley and Jennie Garth hook up now in their mid-50s? Did Tori Spelling really lose her virginity to Brian Austin Green back in the day? What was that kiss about for Gabrielle Carteris, was that more of a commentary about her character Andrea or herself?

Maybe the show's producers thought it was a clever twist on the traditional reboot to offer us an Inception-like take on the reboot craze currently sweeping Hollywood. Maybe the show's forerunners thought it would be fun to play themselves this time instead of the angst-filled teens and 20-somethings they were forced to portray for a decade. Maybe they all felt like taking a creative risk to see if the gamble paid off. Whatever the reason, I'm not sure how I felt about the first episode of what promises to be a six-episode roller coaster of mixed feelings and waves of nostalgia. It felt like everybody was playing a gross exaggeration of themselves - the version painted by the paparazzi and the prying eyes of the public for the past 30 years. And it rang hollow in several places - hollower than the souls of this spoiled in-crowd once felt.

Since Luke Perry's stroke and subsequent death in March, I have made it my personal mission to binge-watch all 10 seasons of the original series that aired on FOX from 1990-2000. I remember when the show was on in its heyday and even when it lingered on the airwaves long past the time when anybody thought it was the cutting edge of cool. I graduated from high school in 2000, and I can say from personal experience none of my friends were still faithfully watching the series when it went off the air. It had become somewhat of a joke by then, riddled with too many repetitive storylines of date rape, drug addictions, failed engagements, petty lies, and one-night stands. Throughout the course of the show, I think everyone lived in Casa de Walsh at one point or another except for maybe Donna. And don't get me started on how many times it felt like the Peach Pit and After Dark changed hands. By its final season, Beverly Hills, 90210 had become a pale reminder of what it once had been, but it's also something that's hard to walk away from completely. It's been like this train wreck I couldn't stop binging all summer, as I waited to see how it would all end in anticipation of seeing where it would all go when it came back full circle.

I was actually looking forward to seeing if Janet and Steve were still married and how their daughter turned out. I wanted to know how many times David and Donna got divorced and remarried. I was curious if Kelly ever got back with Brandon and what kind of a blaze of glory Dylan McKay went out in since Luke Perry was no longer alive to reprise his breakout role. I wanted to see a cat fight erupt between Brenda Walsh and Valerie Malone (Tiffani Amber-Thiessen). I wanted to see Ray Pruitt (Jamie Walters) carrying pumpkins and humming 'How Do You Talk to An Angel?' again. And now I just feel cheated out of all of this because the show decided to go in a different direction for its reboot. However, it's still a train wreck of sorts that I can't look away from. God help me, but I'm curious to see where it goes. I'm also hoping it all makes sense and provides a sense of closure by the end.

© FOX

There were a few stand-out moments during the premiere. I enjoyed watching the actors occasionally poke fun at themselves, such as their failed marriages, bad career moves, and their tendency to be overshadowed by more successful spouses (looking at you, Brian Austin Green, but I still love you). I loved it when Tori Spelling stole her former Donna Martin prom dress in an insane attempt to recapture something that was lost. And the moments in the end where the ensemble grew somber on the airplane felt eerily compelling. I think it was Tori who remarked something like, 'We're not all going to be around forever, but something we created will be.'

I think that sums up the show pretty well. Luke Perry the actor may be gone, but his rebellious heartthrob Dylan McKay still beats strong in the hearts of the generations who watched this show in the 1990s and the generations who haven't yet discovered the Aaron Spelling melodrama. Time marches on for everyone, even your favorite TV characters. Although Ian Ziering never seems to age at all. I swear he will be 80 and still sporting that mischievous Steve Sanders grin I've come to love. Out of the entire 10-year first run, his character is the only one I didn't grow to hate at one point or another. Who knew an egomaniac could be so likable?

Let's face it: Beverly Hills, 90210 was never the show winning all the accolades for its thought-provoking commentary or Shakespearean levels of acting. It's a fluff piece focused around some of the most selfish characters ever created. But they're the selfish characters we love to loathe or loathe to love, I'm still not quite sure. Ask me in another 20 years. Now cue the catchy theme song I'm going to have stuck in my head all week.

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