S02.E05: Play It Again, David

[Primetimer]

Why is Brandon's new 'little brother' Felix so jumpy? Well, his mother smokes. You can probably fill in the blanks.

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[Primetimer]

We've got all the visual aids from a Very Special Episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, 'Play It Again, David'!

Read the story

[AndySmith]

I can understand Kelly's reaction. The idea of 1) having Mel as a potential stepdad and 2) having David (at this point in the show) as a potential stepbrother would give anyone a serious case of Bitch Face. I have to say, I do love her reaction in the second purple tank top gif.

 

Little Ian is a centimeter away from poking his head out

 

Its like they want Steve/Ian to be wearing a speedo but don't at the same time...

 

For a character who's supposed to be in recent and successful recovery, this is the worst possible blocking.

 

Recovering or not, wouldn't you need a few hits of coke to get through a date with Mel?

 

No better, faster shorthand for "trashy and evil" than a smoker who, it is strongly implied, is rocking the menthol 120s.

 

A distant relative of LuAnn Pruit's?

 

Brandon disapproves!

 

Shocking!

[allicatexp]

This is killing me.  The homeless kid from the Peach Pit is named Curtis not Craig :)

[StatMom]

On this TV show we're creating with all the wayward children of the Niner, part of their troupe is the intrepid doog companion named Gordon. Gordon always seems to run off randomly, and the kids calls after him fruitlessly, but it turns out that Gordon always saves them from unseen danger! But the kids never know it, and affectionately pat his head when he comes back, telling him he should listen better. Then we zoom in on Gordon's knowing expression. He just loves those kids so much!

[gesundheit]

I rarely get to listen to these (can't listen at work though I always look at the screencaps! and my fantasy is a transcript... but I know that's my fantasy and a ridiculous amount of work so I promise I don't actually think you should do it), but I just saw this episode the other day and SO looked forward to the podcast solely because of that completely absurd, endless walk up the sidewalk that you guys gif'ed above. And you did not disappoint. WHY WAS IT SO LONG? WHY?

Brandon. The worst.

[sinkwriter]

Hearing David cackle all the way out of the room and down the hall or wherever he was made me laugh and laugh and laugh until I was almost crying. That was too much. LOL.

[WhosThatGirl]

The Brandon "hey Felix, hows it going?"- "IT SUCKS!" will never not be funny. Which tells me I will watch a show where everybody yells at Brandon when he greets them. Oh every time this show tries to make Brandon a hero.. they fail miserably. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Wow.  I forgot this episode (so much badness).

I wonder if Luke Perry was off shooting a movie or something, given how infrequently he seems to be in this episode.

For those who live in Hawaii (ahem ahem), is it as gorgeous as Dylan's lounging in a tropical pool in a storm?  That chill and worry free and bad phone service?

Jennie did do a good job in this episode.  When my parents started dating other people, I was eyeing everyone with lots of suspicions and judgement (you think you're good enough to date my mother or father?).  Also, liked the last scene between David and Kelly; they actually bond.

Felix is being smacked around by his Mom and one good talking to from Brandon and  she gets help?  And Felix disappears into the vortex of one episode wonders?  Storytelling wise, this (pretty much ) sucks.

Dave having a hysterical laugh is beyond funny.  Made my Monday.

[gesundheit]

Well, all any abusive mother (and SERIOUSLY abusive -- I mean this was not one slapping incident, she'd beaten the shit out of his back) really needs is a nosy teenage boy stopping by to give her a piece of his mind. Brandon (who was 16 for the second time here, yes?) solved a lot of years-festering familial/race problems with such behavior!

[WhosThatGirl]

I do love when Brandon was like, "my parents told me to not ever come here.." like, the hell? Then don't. I mean, I know it's stupid of me to think Brandon would listen to his parents because does he ever? but I also think Jim or Cindy should have I don't know, known instinctively who their son is and that he was probably going to go to talk Mrs. Abusive mom and demanded to go with him. Also yeah, I have no idea if the show wants us to be very face value that the mom clearly has hit her son more than once or if they want us to believe it was a one time thing. Who knows. It doesn't really matter I'm guessing there's no follow up with this, right?

 

I hope Dylan's "I still.." was something silly too. "I still..hope you like video tape Brenda! There's a few video tapes we can catch when I return!"

[marceline]

Brandon's walk is like braying made manifest. Every douchey, entitled step makes me want to punch him in the throat and the dick at the same time.

I didn't really start watching this show until the summer of deception so I'm experiencing these first two seasons for the first time through this podcast. These episodes feel so different from my memory of the show. I don't remember it being so Brandon focused. I remember it as all Dylan, all the time.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

 

I wonder if Luke Perry was off shooting a movie or something

...Buffy, perhaps.

 

("it SUCKS")

[MuuMuuChainsmoker]

It probably doesn't say much for my competence as a mother that my favorite part of the pod was Sarah's urging that Carol and Jim "Get to beatin'!" 

[Dave in Chicago]

How, how, how did they keep writing situations where Brandon got indignant about tertiary characters? I mean, I get how TV works - Jessica Fletcher had to find a new murder every week; but Social Justice Brandon wasn't really baked into the premise here.

[Picture It. Sicily]

Shut up Brandon. Even when it's a situation that anyone would be outraged over, like child abuse, the way he acts almost makes me root for child abuse. Don't make me root for child abuse.

[bilgistic]

I remember thinking David's dad was really creepy looking. Confronted with his image again some 25 years later, I feel the same way. He looks like an amateur porn producer from 1983.

[AndySmith]

Brandon (who was 16 for the second time here, yes?) solved a lot of years-festering familial/race problems

 

Between him and Brenda, they should have opened up a teen detective agency.

[Kerfuffler]

Why is it when they have these VERY SPECIAL EPISODES that they deal with the very special problem in exactly the wrong way? E.g. the hotline episode, Brenda does every single thing you shouldn't do (Oh, you called an anonymous hotline? Let me spend all my effort trying to identify you!) and is somehow presented as a hero. Here, Brandon confronts Felix's mom with no backup, no plan to keep Felix safe, and no social services lined up. You know what happens when abusive parents find out that their kid told on them? There's a better than good chance that they get angry and beat the shit out of the kid again. Obviously. If they wanted to actually do any good with these episodes, maybe they could at least have done a modicum of research.

And who the hell (besides Brandon) would take on a "little brother" and think everything was going to be wonderfully smooth sailing? The kids are not in the program because of their perfect lives. Don't get all bent out of shape because they have anger issues or aren't the easiest people to connect with.

tl;dr SHUT UP, BRANDON!

[finnle]

Brandon attempts to mollify the abused child with abandonment issues, whom he previously decided needed some space after being yanked from his home and put into foster care, by inviting him to a King's game next week. The issue: the King's don't play in the summer. I can understand that maybe the writers not knowing when hockey is played (although common sense = NOT SUMMER), but Mr. Hockey Jason Priestly should have at least had the knowledge that he cannot simultaneously work a summer job and attend NHL games. So maybe he was just doing it to further mess with an abused child? His vast experience in child psychology, specifically in dealing with physically (and perhaps mentally) abused children led him to the logical conclusion that this was proper treatment? Or maybe it was just revenge for Felix blowing him off earlier?

Brandon: Maybe we could go to a King's game next week?

Felix: That would be great! I really need to trust a role model right now, as I'm coping with being removed from my home where my mother was beating me, and I've been completely neglected by my father!

Brandon: Stupid Felix! Hockey isn't played during the summer!

J. Walter Weatherman: And that's why you don't say you'll meet a teenage narcissist on his day off and then not show up because you were beaten by your mother.

Felix: It sucks!

[Sarah D. Bunting]

A-plus-plus-plus-plus ^

[KateeBar]

The "grill marks" comment was hysterical. Child abuse is, of course, not a joking matter.

 

I'm going to pitch "The Lost Boys of Beverly Hills" as the show for our three sad youngsters. I mean, I know they aren't all in BH, but geography really doesn't matter in LA anyway, as far as I can tell from this show. They meet in some kind of summer camp run by the Beverly Hills Beach Club, which welcomes disadvantaged children as scholarship participants along with the silver spoon set.

 

Way back in my youth, I was generally wavering between Dylan and Brandon as my crush. Now I can see I should have just picked Steve Sanders all along. He at least seems to be of moderately normal weight and height.

[scarynikki12]

Steve is also far more amusing, though not always on purpose.

[StatMom]

"I still... need to gain 40 pounds."

[StatMom]

That horse-riding walk he's got going on -- is that a Brandon character beat, or is it JP's actual walk? In the immortal words of Joey Tribbiani: "I think [he] need a new walk."

The director/editor really likes it, though, to give it the bulk of a scene. Awk.

[profreader]

"The Beverly Hills Gang" -- Bad News Bears meets Troop Beverly Hills. The scamps, tykes and waifs of Beverly Hills team up for hi-larious weekly shenanigans. Brandon Walsh makes an appearance (vocal cameo on an answering machine) in the pilot.

[WhosThatGirl]

"I still... need to gain 40 pounds."

"I still.. have that awful outgoing answering message. Can you please delete it for me.  I have a street cred to protect you know"

[Racj82]

Brenda I still...love cumen. Could you send some from that restaurant?

 

I was going to say Luke couldn't have been filming Buffy but the movie came out in 92 which means he was filming in 91. He could have had scheduling conflicts.

 

You guys might not have seen any of the Twilight crap. But I quipped in my head in the :mad, bad and dangerous to know" segment is that Dylan is clearly a vampire. He left Brenda and Brenda started having visions of him just like Edward/Bella in the second movie.

 

Put me in the club that laughed until they cried during Dave's laughing fit.

 

I look forward to the camping episode. I'm always a sucker for episodes of shows where the entire cast has to interact with each other at the same time (David is really punchable in that episode though).

[WhosThatGirl]

You guys might not have seen any of the Twilight crap. But I quipped in my head in the :mad, bad and dangerous to know" segment is that Dylan is clearly a vampire. He left Brenda and Brenda started having visions of him just like Edward/Bella in the second movie.

 

You and me both! That's what it reminded me of. Well, surprisingly Brenda didn't go as dramatic as Bella did about the whole thing. It's sort of sad that from this episode all I really care about are thinking of fun things Dylan meant to say when he said, "I still.." and then Kelly/Jackie David/Mel plot. I could care less about the A Plot probably because it's Brandon being St. Brandon and helping out a character we never ever see again. WHERE THE HELL IS EMILY VALENTINE?

Edited September 16, 2015 by WhosThatGirl

[allicatexp]

Is there any way the sound bite of "IT SUCKS" can be posted?  I seriously need that at my disposal for daily life.

[lottiedottie]

Ok, I think I need someone to explain the mechanics of Steve's shorts. How does li'l Steve stay put? Do those shorts have built in underwear? Are they trustworthy? It seems like (especially moving at a pace faster than a walk) his junk could get tossed around willy nilly and possibly jump ship. It makes me nervous. And he was playing beach volleyball! The horror!

 

Most importantly, why did anyone ever think those shorts were A) a good idea and B) attractive?

[lottiedottie]

I guess it didn't occur to either Brenda or Dylan to maybe call back? I know it was Ye Olden Days and it was Long Distance but surely Brenda could have paid for the call with the earnings from her job...oh wait, never mind. Also, just out of curiosity...was that kind of interference possible with a phone? I always thought land lines were pretty reliable.

[Qoass]

Perhaps a guy can confirm, but I believe that a jock strap would be the preferred underwear for this particular outfit.

[AndySmith]

As a guy who has never worn a pair of shorts like that, I would guess briefs would work. Definitely not boxer shorts.

[Halo]

That (horrific) style of running shorts--split-leg or flyaway-- do indeed have built-in briefs. I dated a runner in my teens and I thought they were super embarrassing. 

[lottiedottie]

That (horrific) style of running shorts--split-leg or flyaway-- do indeed have built-in briefs. I dated a runner in my teens and I thought they were super embarrassing. 

Thank you! I didn't know they had an actual name. 

[Stephsco]

I love the utter disgust at the beginning. I listened to this one twice b/c it came up again in my itunes when I went back to listen to something else. I was still laughing about lame Brandon Braying his Brayness at this parent who, abusive or not, was totally in the right to tell him he's no social worker and to get the hell out. But one fair point--at least he asked if the kid could come stay with the Walsh family. Chunk didn't ask if Sloth could come live with him, he just declared it! Silly Goonies.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

"Flyaway" is right. Shud and der.

[STOPSHOUTING]

Though this podcast is entertaining, it has killed any remaining nostalgic fondness I once had for this awful, crapfest of a show. I hate the Walshes. I despise Brandon. I've seen better, more nuanced writing on cereal boxes and the production and sound design seems to have been done by zoo animals for all the finesse applied. Guys, this show ran for 10 YEARS. A decade. This big giant hole of suckage was aired for more years than Veronica Mars, Firefly and Terriers combined. Lack of god? Proven. Thank you very much.

Oh and, if you go to Jason Priestly's Wikipedia page, to see if he stayed with the show till the bitter end, you'll discover that he self-reports his height as 5-8. BWHAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA. Good one, Brandon. Good one.

I also nominate "It's suck," with appropriate sound clip, as a new feature on every Again with This to highlight the very worst of each episode.

[WhosThatGirl]

hate the Walshes. I despise Brandon.

 

The thing is, I really dislike Brandon and yes Brenda grates too but the rewatching I have been doing really to me explains why she is the way she is. Jim and Cindy treat Brandon like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread on mulplite events.  I think Jim does it a lot more Cindy but Cindy suffers from it as well and Brenda is kind of just there. She is sort of the problem child even though for the most part she doesn't do really anything that bad. But the way they treat Brandon explains why Brenda is who she is. So I don't know. I still don't like her but not as much as Brandon.