S02.E19: Fire And Ice

[Primetimer]

When Brandon meets a figure skater, an icepick may have to 'meet' your eyeballs in the Visual Aids for Beverly Hills, 90210 S02E19.

Read the story

[Primetimer]

Brandon's brief career as a hockey player has him crossing paths with a figure skating Olympic hopeful. And yes, he can even patronize world-class athletes.

Read the story

[dusang]

Aww, it's so hard to remember Dylan and Brenda just being cute and together.

[lovinbob]

Brandon never had a shortage of one-off girlfriends. The single mom was my favorite. "Joey ... baby ... "

[Moxielilly]

The podcast link isn't working.

[itainttippithebird]

When he told her that she was the only one to ever get him to "dance," I lost it. They like to play it real fast and loose with the plot continuity, EXCEPT when it comes to Brandon's dance antipathy.

Did they wait to do that final kiss scene until Brandon's cold sore was cleared up?! I certainly hope so, for Burn Notice's sake.

[messyone15]

Hmmm, I can't get any of the links (from this page, from the home page, etc) to the podcast to work.

[Tooch]

Oh god, I remember LOVING this one because of Cindy's hilarious "rich Beverly Hills lady" act. Is this basically the one and only time she ever showed up for Brenda? Shit, she and Jim never even told Kelly and Dylan to pound sand after they cheated on and betrayed their only daughter. Poor Brenda.

As much as I enjoyed her two-episode work ethic, I also feel like Brenda never would have gotten this job. Working on commission at a high-end shop where you can make $500 (!!!) in just an hour's work is something that requires, oh, sales experience. And they probably don't hire many part timers, it's not like my after school job at Sears.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Tooch

[radishcake]

Ah! The CuriousParker challenge!! Love it! Also tiny Burn Notice was kind of adorable in an "I can kill you with my little finger" way.

[Tooch]

One thing I never understood was why they pushed the whole "Steve is an incompetent athlete" thing so hard. There’s this, the track episode with the steroids (which is next, yay!), the ill-fated basketball tryouts, etc etc. The character of Steve doesn’t even necessarily seem like he’d be into being a “jock”, anyway. And as barf-worthy as all his half-shirt nipple-exposing workout shirts are, they do reveal that he’s got an athletic body. I don’t see how he’d have such a hard time being a jock if it was what he really wanted? Stupid show.

[Princess Sparkle]

I don't know what it is about these specific visual aids - maybe because it's Monday, maybe it's a lack of sleep - but they are making me laugh even more than normal.  Specifically, the gum chewing gif and Steve in the "Co-stars liking each other!" gif are making me laugh so hard that tears are coming out.  The cold sore is terrifying me though - I cannot fathom that they didn't bother to try and cover it up, considering how big it was.

 

I will say, Shannen Dorherty looked really pretty in this episode.  This is when I always start contemplating getting bangs, and then remember WAY too late that they are a bad idea on me.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[AndreaK1041]

After Dave's taco joke I think someone claps, but it my mind it was a congratulatory high five. If not, virtual high five.

[Kimmykun]

I guess some people can see the post, but it's 404 land for me. 

[DonitsYum]

Brandon's crappy burrito offering: "You haven't lived until you've spent 3 days on the crapper"

I'm surprised Dylan didn't reach into his pocket and pull out a jar of cumin and a spoon.

[Halo]

Turban legend is my new band name. Snaps.

I had forgotten completely about the Bray plot in this episode, which my brain suppressed in favor of Brinda and Cindy's revenge on whatserface, who we never see again. How did I forget about the doomed romance of Burn Notice and Brandon? And that GIANT COLD SORE!

[Halo]

Michelle Kwan is just one elite figure skater who was based out of California, and where she trained, Lake Arrowhead, is a big deal in skating. Her coach worked with other top skaters, including Evan Lysacek and Gracie Gold. When a coach is working with skaters who will place at nationals, they can get parents to send kids to them. That part of Burn Notice's back story made total sense to me. 

[TaibasJones]

Somehow in the caps hockey Brandon looks like one those lawn decorations, like a satiny snowman or Santa you stuff with fallen leaves from your yard. And I hate to bag on Jason Priestley since cold sores happen, but I'm surprised that the makeup department didn't go after that.

[Picture It. Sicily]

Didn't Karla get him to dance?

[Tara Ariano]

Can people who aren't seeing the post or the podcast link elaborate on exactly what they're experiencing? Both are working for me and have been since I got to my desk (about a half-hour after it went live).

[Tara Ariano]

I posted this in the podcast thread as well: can the people who can't get links to work please give us some details on what they're experiencing? Everything is working for me so I can't reproduce the error, whatever it is.

[WhosThatGirl]

For me Tara,it would just go back to the previously tv homepage. I then went to the previouslytv.com/feed me page and listened to it through there. That was earlier today though, about five or six hours ago.

 

Anyways, this episode. I bet the writers had to check their checklist for "Brendons girlfriends" and were like, "well, we let him have an actual girlfriend for five episodes and then made her crazy so, we did teen mom way back in season one, we also did poor little rich girl, let's do an athlete" but then they had to do something that would require Brandon to meet such a girl, so hockey and then he will meet  an ice-skater!

 

This episode was kind of a wash. Its like the writers were kind of stalled on where to go next after the whole Emily thing. The past couple of episodes since have pretty boring. 

[MissEwa]

I will forgive this episode most of it's many flaws because Gabrielle Anwar (Mrs Burn Notice) was also in Press Gang - a late super low-budget late-80s-early-90s UK teen drama set in a newspaper office which my friends and I were obsessed with and I love to this day. I don't think ever gained any sort of traction in the US but it had a cult following in Australia. It was one of the first things Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) ever did and it was so so great and I give anyone who was in it a pass on most things they did later - including making out with a cold-sorey Brandon Walsh. 

Also we do see Trisha again - at the Senior Breakfast when they screen that terrible show-footage video of the many loves of Brandon's life, I think she's the one he flashes back to when someone asks who he remembers most? 

[C. Toastncrunch]

Did EVERYONE have that alarm clock?!

[bilgistic]

The only thing I remember about this episode is Cindy's "rich lady" getup. The Turban: Because you are a Rich Lady and don't feel like having your hair done today.

[SoupThrower]

To be fair on Brandon. I don't know about hockey or skating but football teams (soccer) recruit kids ages like 5-9 to contracts for academy leagues and stuff, so that they can have them for the future. Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari do the same thing in motorsport. But not sure on other sports but you have to start early otherwise a very little chance of being a professional athlete.

 

Dylan getting off on Dim Sum was awesome. Though Kelly's salt and vinegar chips...gross.

 

Also really Donna? Gum? Really? Then again she does say something about how she doesn't know who kills the Mockingbird....

[SoupThrower]

I'm okay with the gum thing only for this episode because when I play sport I chew the hell out of gum. So I'm cool with it.

 

Also that janitor dude was freaky icky and we see like Kelly acting like a sibling kind of to David. Telling off Brenda about how she forced or let David buy something so expensive. 

[helent]

I will forgive this episode most of it's many flaws because Gabrielle Anwar (Mrs Burn Notice) was also in Press Gang - a late super low-budget late-80s-early-90s UK teen drama set in a newspaper office which my friends and I were obsessed with and I love to this day. I don't think ever gained any sort of traction in the US but it had a cult following in Australia. It was one of the first things Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) ever did and it was so so great and I give anyone who was in it a pass on most things they did later - including making out with a cold-sorey Brandon Walsh. 

 

Yay for Press Gang! Also had Dexter Fletcher in it with a terrible American accent as bad boy Spike.

 

I actually bought the DVDs a few years ago. It holds up reasonably. You have to look past the student newspaper that is taken seriously thing, which doesn't play once you're over the age of 17, but it's very cohesive and has great continuity - I think Moffat wrote the whole thing, and you can tell, because it all makes sense.

Though Kelly's salt and vinegar chips...gross..

Salt and vinegar chips are divine, you shut your whore mouth.

Edited November 3, 2015 by helent

[Pogojoco]

Brandon, you are 4 foot nothing. You aren't going to be an athlete- unless he's a jockey. Or a gymnast. Also, nice fist pump, Dylan.

And yeah, Brenda is gorgeous in this ep. She's nearly at peak gorgeous.

[Lindsey]

Michelle Kwan is just one elite figure skater who was based out of California, and where she trained, Lake Arrowhead, is a big deal in skating. Her coach worked with other top skaters, including Evan Lysacek and Gracie Gold. When a coach is working with skaters who will place at nationals, they can get parents to send kids to them. That part of Burn Notice's back story made total sense to me. 

 

Kristi Yamaguchi also originally trained in California, and this episode would have aired right around the time of the 1992 Olympics where she won gold.  Plus, she moved to Canada to train not long before the Olympics which backs up the story about a skater going to the coach rather than the other way around.

 

If Brandon weren't already The Worst before this episode, he would be dead to me now for his "hockey players are the 'real' athletes" bit. When I took figure skating as a kid, the hockey team that practiced after us would try to scare the girls in my class by charging at us if we didn't get off the ice fast enough. I may or may not still hold a grudge.

[Pogojoco]

Yeah....I'm pretty sure figure skaters will go to major coaches instead of the coach going to them. Coaches will sometimes have a couple of skaters. 

 

Brandon should've gotten Pepe and Manuel to make him a burrito. 

[MuuMuuChainsmoker]

After Dave's taco joke I think someone claps, but it my mind it was a congratulatory high five. If not, virtual high five.

 

Yeah, Dave for MVP of the episode for that one.  

[helent]

If Brandon weren't already The Worst before this episode, he would be dead to me now for his "hockey players are the 'real' athletes" bit. When I took figure skating as a kid, the hockey team that practiced after us would try to scare the girls in my class by charging at us if we didn't get off the ice fast enough. I may or may not still hold a grudge.

I hate this trope so much. 'Hey you! Professional athlete! Don't you know you're a girl and you play a girly sport? How dare you imagine that your hours of weekly training make you a challenge to my innate masculine ability.' 

[AndySmith]

At least they're not about to start making out. Probably.

 

Well, at least, not while the cameras are rolling...

 

Co-stars liking each other!

 

Give it another year or so...

 

I have to admit, I think Brenda/Shannon looked much better in that second gif. Even if the side part does have some of that early 90s poufiness, she looks so much better without the bangs. Then again, I do think most women look better without bangs. I guess thats why I think SD looked really good in season 4.

[Halo]

I hate this trope so much. 'Hey you! Professional athlete! Don't you know you're a girl and you play a girly sport? How dare you imagine that your hours of weekly training make you a challenge to my innate masculine ability.' 

Especially coming from some tiny high school puke. 

[Tooch]

Brandon, you are 4 foot nothing. You aren't going to be an athlete unless he's a jockey. Or a gymnast. Also, nice fist pump, Dylan.

 

At the very least, I do give this episode credit for having him say "maybe I could have been a speed skater" rather than "pro hockey player". Because he's approximately half as tall as the shortest pro hockey player, and that would be RIDICULOUS.

[sinkwriter]

I would have given Cindy an honorary MVP for that speech, defending her daughter against the snobby commission thief. Yay, Cindy! (Heee.)

[MostlyC]

I'll never understand why she was Brandon's true love.  I mean, he didn't give her minnesota twins shirt, did he?

 

Also,  "I've......had.....the time of my LiIFE, and I owe it all to youuuuuuu."

[SoupThrower]

And she'll always remember him as Burrito Boy. Also lol Andrea, she was happy that Emily was out of the picture and then BAM here comes the figure skater. But don't worry Zuckerman, you still have Fluffhead. 

[MostlyC]

....I shazam-ed the knock off song they used when Brandon and Ms. Burn Notice went skating.

 

Guess what?  Shazam has never heard of it.   The replacement music for this series is hilariously bad.

[KateeBar]

I can't believe that it's taken a rewatch for me to realize that Brandon is a spoiled, entitled little turd. Man. I know Dylan is about to go bad, but right now he and Steve are actually pretty fun to watch.

Burn Notice's accent was so bad, and then they made her from Ft. Worth? At least pick some place where you could kind of write off her accent.

[gesundheit]

Also we do see Trisha again - at the Senior Breakfast when they screen that terrible show-footage video of the many loves of Brandon's life, I think she's the one he flashes back to when someone asks who he remembers most? 

Which is pretty harsh considering he dated her for about 3 days! Poor Nikki, the actual longest relationship he had at WBH. And of course Emily, who comes up often as the series continues as somehow the "one that got away" (I know that was just because of the real-life relationship, but still...)

[Tooch]

Important question: of The Many High School Loves of Brandon Walsh, does he ever actually have sex again before he goes to college? I wonder if it bummed him out that his sister (who he is constantly condescending to) was having consistent sex for like 2 years before Dylan dumps her, and he can't get a piece to save his life. I think they make it a point to show he doesn't have sex with Emily and I'm pretty certain he never does it with Nikki either (ech, Nikki, I wish we skip all her gross episodes). Does he do it with the Mom Hair Racist from the beach club?

[SoupThrower]

I'm guessing Nikki and thank god only Nikki cause I do recall a certain moment in the Prom episode that should never exist and be bleached from my mind forever. 

[goldengirl]

Can we talk about Trisha's pants when Brandon first meets her? The crazy seam/camel toe thing going on that draws the eye RIGHT to her crotch? Where did they find these pants? And who thought they were a good idea?

And, as a former ice skater, no one wears those (or would wear them).

[Maherjunkie]

Set the scene Soup.  Was there drinking?

[gesundheit]

I'm pretty sure the show implies that he has sex with both Nikki and Mom Hair Racist.

[Tooch]

I can't believe I remember this, but I remember Rosie Odonnell does a cameo at some safe sex event, and Brandon and Nikki are there and she gets them to admit (on TV!!) that they've had sex...but not with each other. Rosie, you're creepy. Nikki was supposed to be like 15 years old right, a sophomore? Bleh!

So that really only leaves Racist Mom Hair. Poor Brandon.

[SoupThrower]

I can't believe I remember this, but I remember Rosie Odonnell does a cameo at some safe sex event, and Brandon and Nikki are there and she gets them to admit (on TV!!) that they've had sex...but not with each other. Rosie, you're creepy. Nikki was supposed to be like 15 years old right, a sophomore? Bleh!

So that really only leaves Racist Mom Hair. Poor Brandon.

I swear him and Nikki do the deed like after that episode.

 

Wait Rosie O'Donnell was in an episode? !!!

[Tooch]

Wait Rosie O'Donnell was in an episode? !!!

 

She was! This was aftter the Summer of Betrayal, but it also included one of the last moments of Dylan being correct/funny, when he says to Brenda "I can't believe they're talking abou their sex lives on television!" Like, seriously, Dylan. Word.

 

On topic: I can kind of see Brandon having such fond memories of Tricia. They had a nice ending and as much as a 18 year old would think such things, I can see him thinking of her as "the one that got away". Heck, I'm old and married now, but I still sometimes think fondly about this guy that I met on vacation when I was 24, had a 3-day fling with and then didn't see again, despite emailing for a few months. We had a connection, but he lived 3,000 miles away so it wasn't going to work. It's easy to idealize something like that.

[Maherjunkie]

 

So that really only leaves Racist Mom Hair. Poor Brandon.

The last time those last 2 words were ever said.