S02.E01: Beach Blanket Brandon

[Primetimer]

...Our eyeballs, that is. The best set design, wardrobe, and silent-movie direction have to offer in the visual aids for Beverly Hills, 90210 S02E01!

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[Primetimer]

Brenda deals with the downside of sex, while Brandon makes sure everyone knows how honourable he is.

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[Narla]

I may be wrong about this, but I remember the use to the slow, emotive BH90210 theme song being a hallmark of the show. Particularly, I remember watching a senior year episode where Donna and... someone (Andrea?) have a conversation and she has the line "Love..." cue the first note of the theme "is like a rollercoaster." It was the perfect encapsulation of how cheesy this show could be.

(I mean, assuming I'm remembering it right. I was wrong about the song in the car being Elvis Costello's Other Side of Summer, but apparently that's the next episode. Losing my Religion sounds about right.)

[Flamingo]

I totally would have worn that polka dot jumper/stirrup combo monstrosity. I think I actually did. Except mine was Bermuda short length and I wore it with a silk white top and black stockings with black flats. I'm not proud.

[Tooch]

Being a TV nerd and a 90210-aholic, I'm not sure how I never knew that Brenda's big pregnancy scare and Dylan breakup was a result of people complaining about her totally normal sex experience. This pisses me off big time now. I also couldn't even begin to watch this episode without Losing My Religion. It's been 24 (gulp) years, and I still remember sitting at my BFF Laura's house watching this episode. If you think the tweens today are melodramatic about One Direction's possible breakup, you did not witness 11 year old Tooch going apeshit about Brenda and Dylan. I was beside myself.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Lisin
fixed strange formatting issue

[Tooch]

Is that a jar of pickled eggs on the counter next to Brandon at the Pit? I didn't think those actually existed outside of Moe's Tavern.

Also, thank you for reminding me of my deep love for Henry, and his love for Y&R, which was a character note that always made me laugh. I'm also highly disappointed about how long we have to wait to get to Brandon's Racist Mom-Hair Girlfriend. Who was not only racist, but also an asshole in a hundred different ways. She also complained to Brandon when he didn't seem interested in her that "normally I have to pry guys away from me with a crowbar!" Ew. And also got all "Ew, totally clean, totally white homeless people are watching me roller blade, let's get out of here!" I thought that was THIS summer. Sigh.

[chickflick]

Thank you for noticing that Beverly Hills is nowhere near the beach, and that therefore, the Beverly Hills Beach Club, where they hung out every summer, makes no sense!  I just noticed not too long ago that Henry went on to be Chief Webber on Grey's. Mind blown!

[vendredi3]

 I just noticed not too long ago that Henry went on to be Chief Webber on Grey's. Mind blown!

 

He was also Keith's abusive, homophobic father on Six Feet Under!

[JennB]

@Narla, you're remembering correctly. To make things even worse, they were at an amusement park when they had the conversation.

[fireice13]

I grew up in a landlocked state so I was surprised to learn when I briefly lived in LA that there weren't these beach clubs. I know the Beverly Hills one couldn't exist because Beverly Hills isn't by the beach, but I thought maybe there was something like Malibu Sands (Saved by the Bell). 

 

I started watching 90210 when it was in syndication on FX and they definitely had the original music at that point. Watching the episodes now on DVD or Hulu, it's obvious the music has been changed. The worst is when David plays the song for Emily Valentine over the school radio. That's one of the more egregious changes in music.

[StatMom]

I remembered Losing My Religion as being played in the Summer of Deception fallout, but then again I hardly remembered this mini-almost-breakup. Oh, the DRAHMS!

[Narla]

@JennB -- YES! It was senior ditch day or something. I remember nothing else, but that Donna had that line, that was the music cue -- coming in on her pause like it was planned -- and they were literally at an amusement park.

And all of this is before "the show got bad" in my teenaged estimation.

[swimmyfish]

(I mean, assuming I'm remembering it right. I was wrong about the song in the car being Elvis Costello's Other Side of Summer, but apparently that's the next episode. Losing my Religion sounds about right.)

 

Narla - if I'm remembering correctly, they used Other Side of Summer at the end of the 'grunyon are runnin' episode, when everyone is at the beach and they finally see the fish. That's the only musical cue from the entire series that I remember (other, of course, than Steve jamming out to David Silver), so I really hope I'm right!

 

Also, wow - this episode was SUPER boring! Although I did like meeting Brandon's boss at the Beach Club - I liked in the beginning when the show wasn't afraid to have a sense of humor here and there.

And, fwiw, I had an opportunity to visit the club that was likely the inspiration for the Beverly Beach Club this past summer, and it was very nice. Very nice indeed.

[AndySmith]

Damn, that is a lot of camel toe on Brenda and Kelly. Also, why was Dylan wearing pajamas in that scene?

Looking back at all these earlier episodes...are all of the looks we've seen so far what the costuming people thought the rich and elite teens of Beverly Hills were wearing? Really?

 

And not just the horrible looks themselves, but what they are actually wearing. Why is Brenda wearing a turtleneck sweater in LA in the summer?

Edited August 31, 2015 by AndySmith

[AndySmith]

I'll always remember the break up scene for two reasons. One, for Losing My Religion. The scene just doesn't feel right without it. Two, because on some 90210 special show, Luke Perry mentioned Shannon had a kitten in her lap the whole time.

 

Its too bad the show let outside forces dictate the storyline for a while. I wonder what would have happened with Brenda and Dylan if they ignored the idiots of the PTC.

 

Funny enough, I went to the University of Virginia, and some of us would gather in one of the suites in our dorm and would watch the show when it was on repeats (this was fall 1996) on whatever channel it was on. When we saw the drama teacher, we all noticed his tie, since UVa's colors are orange and blue. We all joked that the character was a UVa graduate or something in our made-up backstory for him, due to the tie. It was either that or a weird coincidence. Then he later mentioned his parents met at UVa, so we knew the tie was no fluke lol

Edited August 31, 2015 by AndySmith

[WhosThatGirl]

I was too young to be a 90210 who was upset by Dylan and Brenda breaking up and watching it today yes its ridiculous but I had my teen dramas too (paceyandjoeyforever!). And they are kind of ridiculous now when I rewatch too. But I sort of get it, everything is dramatic when you're 16. <br /><br />The actual reasoning of this episode makes me mad though. Brenda can't sleep with Dylan and enjoy it without having a consequence is REALLY messed up. The double standard in that Brandon was able to have no consequences is gross.

[Stephsco]

The early 90210 seems to be constrained by a budget. None of these clothes are cool, though maybe Kelly might have the closest to what I'd think was cool back in the early 90s. I feel bad for Ohhndrea because her fashion, hair and all is just so sad. I know she's supposed to be a dork--right? It's just so heavy handed. That polka dot outfit is honestly one of her better choices. I had polka dot leggings and a sweet polka dot ruffled fancy dress in that era. And let's face it, some of us were wearing stirrups .They sold them at Express! The mall doesn't lie about fashion :)

[AndySmith]

Andrea looking bad makes sense. She's a dork, but she's also a poor dork. Plus, I imagine in her free time, given how much of an overachiever she is, she'd focus all that free time on activities that would buff up her college resume. Scouring clothing outlets and vintage shops for cheaper but still fashionable clothing items wasn't at the top of her list of priorities.

 

But Kelly and Donna? Oy, no excuses for them.

Edited August 31, 2015 by AndySmith

[Edna Crandall]

Tara is right that in general California beaches are all public property. Even private beach clubs can only claim as far out as the mean high tide. But rich people in SoCal are always trying to restrict access and claim beaches are private when they aren't. 

 

I thought Dylan's suggestion at the Dr's office that Brenda get on the pill was fine. I was offered the pill the first time I went to the gyno as a teen without even asking for it. Stupid sexist letter writing campaign. 

[Lisin]

We can thank my dear Mya Stone for sending me this clip earlier when we were talking about the music being wrong... it also confirms that Soapnet had the original music which is what I remembered too. Aaaand now thanks to that tidbit from AndySmith I'm going to rewatch the scene again and see if I can notice a kitty! HA!

 

[Mya Stone]

So true story. I just watched this episode a few days ago and messaged Lisin on Facebook IMMEDIATELY because it took me this rewatch to realize that Henry was Chief Weber. I'm so glad to know I'm not totally alone in this realization.

I also flat out snorted in laughter at the heavy handedness of Brenda and Dylan having a discussion in front of a teen pregnancy poster. That was heavy handed even for this show, and that's saying a LOT.

And the breakup scene will always be what Lis linked to. REM forever, dammit. These 90s Buffy soundtrack castoffs are not cutting it for me.

[FozzyBear]

Tara is right that in general California beaches are all public property. Even private beach clubs can only claim as far out as the mean high tide. But rich people in SoCal are always trying to restrict access and claim beaches are private when they aren't.

Ha! This came up on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills regarding why Malibu is so desirable because while you can't make a beach in CA private, you can make accessing them a pain in the ass. Hence Malibu.

As a CA native (central, not coast) I was so confused by the entire beach club concept. I remeber watching the summer episodes as a teenager and having a "What the Hell is that?" moment. I didn't grow up near the beach, but we used to go to Santa Cruz in the summer and I had enough relatives up and down the coast that I spent plenty of my childhood on the beach and I had never seen a beach club in my life (I still haven't. At least not liked depicted in the show). I didn't even know places had private beaches until I was in my 20s and moved to NYC for a bit. It was such a completly alien concept for me that I think I though 90210 just made Beach Clubs up for storytelling purposes.

[Qoass]

As I recall, this was the first episode of BH 90210 I ever saw and what hooked me was Dylan being panicked then relieved over Brenda's pregnancy scare immediately followed by a heavy handed suggestion that she go on the pill.  Typical guy.

[LucyHoneychrrch]

Speaking as someone who graduated the same year as the 90210 crew, the truly horrifying part of rewatching this series is that... we actually kind of dressed like this. I'm not saying I had polka-dot overalls, but I DEFINITELY had super-high-waisted jeans that ended two full inches above my ankles (KELLY); and as a teenager I would have coveted the hell out of Brenda's white sweater.

So truly, the real tragedy is not how awful these kids look. It's how perilously and humiliatingly close they come to mirroring my own early-90s wardrobe.

[LucyHoneychrrch]

Okay, so this is a little odd, but I DO think this kind of breakup has happened before. Not necessarily in the "OMG I'M SO SCARED OF MY FEELINGS FOR YOU" kind of way, but because sex is such a big deal when you're first into it. There was a line that Sharon Cherski had in My So-Called Life that speaks to this a little when she's talking about sex, where it's hard because you can't take it back or go backwards, and it becomes something expected of you. Granted, any guy who expects it of you is a doucheface anyway; but regardless, I remember holding out on my boyfriend for a long time because of something similar like not being able to undo it. As it were.

[kfree9]

This episode played in the summer between 8th and 9th grade for me and I remember my friend and I thinking Dylan was so funny in it. Hiding behind a kid magazine in the gyno office, "Why are you holding that box?" etc. Wow, we had low standards for humor.

And we thought, "Why is Brenda SO dumb dumping him?" I totally agree with the podcast that no teenage girl in her right mind would use Brenda's reasons for dumping a hot guy in high school.

[Cekrypton1]

What I've always appreciated about the breakup, was that it showed Dylan was as devastated by it as Brenda. Often the teen couple breaks up and they show the girl being upset, but the guy is fine. I always liked that the show/Perry were not afraid to show Dylan being upset.

[Edna Crandall]

Ha! This came up on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills regarding why Malibu is so desirable because while you can't make a beach in CA private, you can make accessing them a pain in the ass. Hence Malibu.

As a CA native (central, not coast) I was so confused by the entire beach club concept. I remeber watching the summer episodes as a teenager and having a "What the Hell is that?" moment. I didn't grow up near the beach, but we used to go to Santa Cruz in the summer and I had enough relatives up and down the coast that I spent plenty of my childhood on the beach and I had never seen a beach club in my life (I still haven't. At least not liked depicted in the show). I didn't even know places had private beaches until I was in my 20s and moved to NYC for a bit. It was such a completly alien concept for me that I think I though 90210 just made Beach Clubs up for storytelling purposes.

Also from Central CA, and went to Santa Cruz in the summer. I'm in San Diego now, and familiar with the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (both as a college student being told to GTFO their beach and as a guest of one of my bosses). It claims to be "one of California's only private beaches" but they only own out to the mean high tide. 

 

It would make more sense for the West Beverly kids to belong (or have their parents belong) to one or two of the Country Clubs in Beverly Hills. Brandon could have been a pool life guard at a country club. Plenty of class issues for him to bray about. 

[FozzyBear]

Also from Central CA, and went to Santa Cruz in the summer. I'm in San Diego now, and familiar with the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (both as a college student being told to GTFO their beach and as a guest of one of my bosses). It claims to be "one of California's only private beaches" but they only own out to the mean high tide.

It would make more sense for the West Beverly kids to belong (or have their parents belong) to one or two of the Country Clubs in Beverly Hills. Brandon could have been a pool life guard at a country club. Plenty of class issues for him to bray about.

Yeah, for a show set in LA, sometimes 90210 could be oddly off about CA. Most stuff I'm sure was just for expediency (like pretending BH is on the water or that LA is near the Mexican border). I noticed it a little as a kid, but as an adult who is more familiar with LA, it's just odd how vauge the show is about CA stuff. It's gets to a "generic rich ocean town" place sometimes.

[John Ramos]

I'd bet they couldn't afford to shoot all summer at an actual pool and tennis club (which do exist out here) so they pretended beach clubs are a thing so they could shoot on public property. This poor show (except for the million things it willfully gets wrong).

[STOPSHOUTING]

Speaking as someone who graduated the same year as the 90210 crew, the truly horrifying part of rewatching this series is that... we actually kind of dressed like this. I'm not saying I had polka-dot overalls, but I DEFINITELY had super-high-waisted jeans that ended two full inches above my ankles (KELLY); and as a teenager I would have coveted the hell out of Brenda's white sweater.

So truly, the real tragedy is not how awful these kids look. It's how perilously and humiliatingly close they come to mirroring my own early-90s wardrobe.

Preach, sister. I admit it, I owned stirrup pants. Multiple pairs even. And they were frequently worn with the attractive options of either A) A man's XL polo shirt, B) a man's XXL sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up so many times it's like you had giant, fluffy doughnuts on your wrists or C) a gigantic sweater that Bill Cosby previously owned. I'm not sure why we felt we had to be a size 2 (ah, the glory days before zeros existed!) and yet the goal was to wear a tent around your upper body -- and, honestly, down to about your knees given the sizes -- but it was the look. The same reason we pegged our jeans perhaps? Because who doesn't look amazing with denim bagging around their thighs while cutting the circulation off at your ankles? The same applies to jeans so tight they had to have ankle zippers to get them over your feet. Guys, those are back. I've seen them. And, why? FOR THE SWEET LOVE OF GOD, WHY?!?!

Looking back, all of the '90s clothes were very infantilizing. Crushed velvet bodysuits anyone? What ever made me think that having footed pants or a top that snaps around my crotch was a good idea? And, yo, I freaking LOVED my emerald green scoop-neck, crushed velvet bodysuit tucked into high waisted, likely crotch-eating, mom jeans. (Mostly because I thought it made my waist look really flat and my boobs look really huge; neither of which was particularly true.) The shame. The terrible, burning shame.

In other news, this is one of those early 90210 episodes I really distinctly remember, unlike the season finale from last week which I have ZERO recall on. That scene where Cindy finds Brenda's pregnancy test and confronts her and then Dylan shows up for their date and she's still holding it, is legit, great and super funny. Luke Perry really sells it. Also, the bit about Brandon's Littlest Lifeguard training %u2122 is comedy gold. As brayful as Brandon still is, this is still a really good ep, but, yeah, even at 14 I was hella' confused why Brenda would leave her boyfriend for "loving him too much," though I admit it did make me question having sex. Ever. So, kudos to the PTC, mission accomplished ... At least with this one teen, who had zero possibility of having sex anyway. Come to the think of it, maybe that was also what the bodysuits were for. Kind of hard to fool around when your shirt is snapped around your ladybits.

[STOPSHOUTING]

We can thank my dear Mya Stone for sending me this clip earlier when we were talking about the music being wrong... it also confirms that Soapnet had the original music which is what I remembered too.

Yes, that brings back memories. As an adult, I look at it and think, 'Wow, how did he get such a great parking spot at the beach?' Or, 'Making out in a convertible with people all around is super creepy and gross.'

As a teen I thought he was soooo hot and Brenda was soooo stupid.

Still a really cool car, though.

[FozzyBear]

Preach, sister. I admit it, I owned stirrup pants. Multiple pairs even. And they were frequently worn with the attractive options of either A) A man's XL polo shirt, B) a man's XXL sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up so many times it's like you had giant, fluffy doughnuts on your wrists or C) a gigantic sweater that Bill Cosby previously owned. I'm not sure why we felt we had to be a size 2 (ah, the glory days before zeros existed!) and yet the goal was to wear a tent around your upper body -- and, honestly, down to about your knees given the sizes -- but it was the look. The same reason we pegged our jeans perhaps? Because who doesn't look amazing with denim bagging around their thighs while cutting the circulation off at your ankles? The same applies to jeans so tight they had to have ankle zippers to get them over your feet. Guys, those are back. I've seen them. And, why? FOR THE SWEET LOVE OF GOD, WHY?!?!

Looking back, all of the '90s clothes were very infantilizing. Crushed velvet bodysuits anyone? What ever made me think that having footed pants or a top that snaps around my crotch was a good idea? And, yo, I freaking LOVED my emerald green scoop-neck, crushed velvet bodysuit tucked into high waisted, likely crotch-eating, mom jeans. (Mostly because I thought it made my waist look really flat and my boobs look really huge; neither of which was particularly true.) The shame. The terrible, burning shame.

In other news, this is one of those early 90210 episodes I really distinctly remember, unlike the season finale from last week which I have ZERO recall on. That scene where Cindy finds Brenda's pregnancy test and confronts her and then Dylan shows up for their date and she's still holding it, is legit, great and super funny. Luke Perry really sells it. Also, the bit about Brandon's Littlest Lifeguard training %u2122 is comedy gold. As brayful as Brandon still is, this is still a really good ep, but, yeah, even at 14 I was hella' confused why Brenda would leave her boyfriend for "loving him too much," though I admit it did make me question having sex. Ever. So, kudos to the PTC, mission accomplished ... At least with this one teen, who had zero possibility of having sex anyway. Come to the think of it, maybe that was also what the bodysuits were for. Kind of hard to fool around when your shirt is snapped around your ladybits.

Lord yes. I'm a child of the 1990s and even then I thought the little girl aspect of 90s fashion was super creepy. Although I didn't start to get truly grossed out until everybody lost their minds over Marc Jacobs baby doll collection (1994? 1995?). OH MY GOD that was all kinds of wrong. Hated dressing like a 6 year old stripper then, hate it now. I actually like the big sweater and tight pants/leggings/tights looks, but I'm a sucker for ballet street wear. Every time it comes back into fashion I have to remind myself that it actually looks pretty bad on me. It's one of those looks I love, but don't have the body for. *sigh* it's the closest I'll come to being a prima ballerina.

Can we get a thread just for the fashions of 90210?

[Lisin]

Can we get a thread just for the fashions of 90210?

 

Ask and you shall receive... or rather, that thread exists! It was just on page 2. I will bump it now though.

[STOPSHOUTING]

Although I didn't start to get truly grossed out until everybody lost their minds over Marc Jacobs baby doll collection (1994? 1995?). OH MY GOD that was all kinds of wrong. Hated dressing like a 6 year old stripper then, hate it now.

I admit, I actually miss the baby doll dresses. I have nice(ish) legs and used to have larger breasts (goodbye to those, thanks breastfeeding!), but also wider hips and a fairly undefined waist, so the tight bodice, flow-y shirt thing worked for me. Also, comfortable, and we could even wear really chunky shoes. Ah, the mid-90s in my early 20s. Sigh.

[penguinnj]

OK- I am so ashamed I remember this- but when I heard the podcast remarks about Dylan nuzzling Donna's hair- there is only one hint at this that I remember. Not sure the number of the season, but during I Choose Me mess Donna tells Claire that she had a thing for Dylan when she was young "everybody did." blah- I hate myself a little for knowing that

[SnideAsides]

That's some really odd typecasting - Michael St. Gerard also played Elvis (or at least the mirror-double of Count Bakula playing Elvis) in the second-last episode of Quantum Leap. (Plus apparently he was Link in the original version of Hairspray?)

[Qoass]

Re: Dylan nuzzling Donna.  (Is that what the kids call it now?)

 

Several seasons hence, the two get a chance to roll around a little thanks to Dylan's hallucinations during his withdrawal coma.

[glowbug]

I always thought the Dylan nuzzling Donna was weird. I think it's in there because Luke Perry was flirty/friendly with Tori Spelling. Tori Spelling wrote about their relationship in her book, Stori Telling.

 

And as for Luke Perry (Dylan), when I first started, he was just the cool, inaccessible older guy. He was always flirtatious.

 

I don't know how scripted the intro was. It kind of looks like the cast was given some direction but also told to just have fun together while they filmed them. As for why they decided to use the hair sniff, it's probably because Dylan was the most popular guy, if not character, on the show and he was giving attention to the boss's daughter. 

[MuuMuuChainsmoker]

I genuinely love that we are Zaprudering this 3 second shot of weird hair nuzzling. PTV people are my people.

[objectiveCyd]

No mention of Jim's suspenders?

[SnideAsides]

I hope we also get to Zapruder that clip from the credits in season four (?) where BAG is dancing while standing next to a record player with the biggest 90s headphones they could find in LA.

[MostlyC]

If I recall correctly, i one of her books (shut up) Luke Perry said she had eyelashes so long they were like camel eyelashes.  So I've decided they were pretty good friends, hence the Zapruder Nuzzle.

 

I think Shannon herself thought that her character had sex too soon, and was part of the whole "she needs to learn that sex can have Repercussions."

 

In the hazy 90210 past, Dylan got a girl pregnant?  Or have I been drinking the U4EA?

[Lisin]

In the hazy 90210 past, Dylan got a girl pregnant?  Or have I been drinking the U4EA?

 

I think early on Season 1 there is talk of how there are rumors he got a French girl pregnant? 

[Tara Ariano]

Correct -- never substantiated.

[Bastet]

I think Shannon herself thought that her character had sex too soon,

 

All I can remember Shannen Doherty saying about it (and I am truly frightened I remember this much) is that she was apprehensive it would seem - to young girls watching the show - not just one character's decision and reaction but a more general message that "if you have a nice boyfriend, you should sleep with him."  If I recall, the interviewer posited the notion of a teenage girl deciding to have sex with her boyfriend because Brenda had sex with hers, and SD was troubled by that possibility.

[RedDelicious]

Tonight I noticed a wardrobe goof. When Kelly, Brenda and Donna are walking down the school hallway after getting out of class, Kelly is wearing her chunky white aerobics sneakers with her red outfit. Cut to the drugstore where they are purchasing a pregnancy test for Brenda, and Kelly is wearing flat bronze colored sandals.

[Hiyo]

Maybe she had them in her car and switched once they left school?