S03.E10: Home And Away

[Primetimer]

Since no one else is going to do it, apparently, Brandon has to solve racism again.

Read the story

[Primetimer]

But Jordan Bonner's got his number -- and it's 1-800-STFU-ASS -- in the Beverly Hills, 90210 Visual Aids for 'Home And Away.'

Read the story

[AndySmith]

You guys. You guys! If you haven't seen this episode in a while, here is the Electric Slide to Cure Racism in all of it's awesome, awesome, glory.

 

 

I mean...wow. David rapping. Donna's very inappropriate dress for a high school party. Brenda too, though not as bad as Donna's. Andrea and her mom outfit. Kelly actually looking like she's having fun. Black people giving Steve and David the Nods of Musical Approval. The ENTIRE SCENE IN GENERAL.

 

Switch. It. UP!

Edited January 28, 2016 by AndySmith

[StatMom]

Here's what we need: Extry! Extry! Dave & Sarah's Old Timey Goodtimes Podcast.

[Qoass]

Of all the 90s fashion hashed out here, the frothy party dress paired with Doc Martens boots is the look that puzzles me most.

[Tara Ariano]

Of all the 90s fashion hashed out here, the frothy party dress paired with Doc Martens boots is the look that puzzles me most.

 

It was SO MUCH a thing! We all did it. I remember in about '93 my grandma came to visit and we were all going to a play, including my friend who was living with us at the time. My friend wore a crinkly floral dress and eight-hole Docs -- and a choker, OBVIOUSLY -- and my grandma COULD NOT with the boots.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Jordan Bonner may have been my favorite peripheral character on this show, and nothing was cooler than the dashiki he sported in a later episode.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

"Obsoletely Fabulous With Dave And Sarah"

[Racj82]

Andrea is the most out of place she has ever looked trying to do the electric slide with a bunch of "teenagers".

 

David and his arm extending when he raps has go to stop. Yes, he should stop rapping in general but arm movements are killing. Busta Rhymes was less animated.

 

Tori's cleavage is always hella distracting to me. Just so much space!

 

Kelly reminds of the jokes about there always being someone to messed up the electric slide for everybody.

 

I hate, hate, hate the way 90210 treats race related issues. Forever, All the time. It never gets better. It never seems natural. There's always a message! Even in college.

 

Brandon cares so much about equality but it still can't be involved in the electric slide that cured racism. Fuck you Brandon.

 

I actually have my own segment going on in my head when I watch these episodes now. I call it the Man, Fuck You segment. Of course, it doesn't have to be a man. Although Brandon and Dylan take up most of the five times I've said it. But, I do this every week.

 

I think every slot this week was either because of Brandon or was Brandon and his all so important voice over. Man, fuck you Brandon. This is a school fucking newspaper. Stop acting like these fuckers are cracking the watergate scandal all the time.

[cassandle]

Considering I just had to explain to a twelve-year-old how back in my day I could only talk on the phone in the kitchen because it was attached to the wall with a cord, I would totally enjoy that podcast.

[STOPSHOUTING]

You guys. You guys! If you haven't seen this episode in a while, here is the Electric Slide to Cure Racism in all of it's awesome, awesome, glory.

 

 

I mean...wow. David rapping. Donna's very inappropriate dress for a high school party. Brenda too, though not as bad as Donna's. Andrea and her mom outfit. Kelly actually looking like she's having fun. Black people giving Steve and David the Nods of Musical Approval. The ENTIRE SCENE IN GENERAL.

 

Switch. It. UP!

 

Thanks (??) for that. I mean, as a teen of that era myself, if there's anything that said cool and hip teens in 1992 it was a lame group dance pioneered, and quickly discarded as lame even then, in the '70s, by that generations parents. And, oh, Ohhhnnnrea. The horror of Grandma dancing is actually, if theoretically possible, worse than the horror of David's rapping. It's close, but Andrea's Grananimals for Chico's ensemble puts her over the top.

[gesundheit]

And once again, the award for "least embarrassing" goes to Nikki. Why again did they kick a character who actually resembled a cool human being off this show?

[AndySmith]

Because Nikki, Sue, and Herbert were supposed to be part of a spin-off show, sort of a "New Class of Beverly Hills" show (not the actual title), continuing life at West Bev while Brandon and the others went off to college. However, the idea gets dropped and the 3 of them disappear one by one as the season goes on. Conventional wisdom says the execs were gun shy since Melrose Place, the first spin-off, wasn't doing so well in the ratings during it's first season (which was airing concurrently with this season of 90210). However, by the time Melrose Place began picking up in the ratings, the producers seemed to have lost interest in the idea.

 

In any case, as much as I liked Nikki, she and the others had a short shelf life anyway, since even if they didn't get rid of them throughout the season, they'd only be on for this season and wouldn't have had a place on the show in season 4, AKA, Off to College!

Edited January 28, 2016 by AndySmith

[Kerfuffler]

Apropos of nothing, I was the fucking QUEEN of line tape. I miss my special blue pens. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Dave and Sarah!

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Many many years ago I dressed as Blue Pencil for a superhero-themed Halloween party. Literally not one person got it.

 

NNNNNNNNERRRRRRDDD

[marny]

You would think with all the braying Brandon does at people, there would be way more street violence in Beverly Hills. Specifically violence against Brandon.

[Tooch]

In a showdown of "Teen Douchebag Lead Characters," does Brandon beat out Dawson Leery? It's a really tough call for me. At least Dawson never tried to solve racism.

And when you finish 90210 can Again With This please do Dawson's Creek? Would Sarah need to start blood pressure medicine?

[Racj82]

Another thing that bugs with this show is that when they bring in people of color, they are in many ways, far more interesting than the majority of our main characters.

That's always my personal objection with shows such as these where people of color are scarce. I think shows should be able to cast who they like but cast good actors. Interesting actors. Like Sam Worthington getting cast over anyone bugs the shit out of me because he's often a black hole of charisma.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Racj82

[txhorns79]

Because Nikki, Sue, and Herbert were supposed to be part of a spin-off show, sort of a "New Class of Beverly Hills" show (not the actual title), continuing life at West Bev while Brandon and the others went off to college. However, the idea gets dropped and the 3 of them disappear one by one as the season goes on.

 

I have heard that before, but I wonder how much truth there is to it.  If I remember right, Sue and Herbert only ever appear in maybe 3 or 4 episodes, and are barely developed.  I'm just thinking that if they really originally intended those characters for a spin off, they would have had to almost immediately drop that idea to make sense in terms of the characters' actual appearances on the show. 

Edited January 28, 2016 by txhorns79

[desertflower]

When you just listen to David's rapping and don't watch him up there in his dress pants, he isn't terrible. Better than singing Be My Love and dancing behind his keyboard, anyway.

Sue watching him at the mic check and her lonely "Woo!" with n o one else around never fails to crack me up.

[desertflower]

I just can't get over Donna's dress in this. It looks like a freaking Spanx undergarment.

Jordan was great, and i like how he had a relationship with Andrea later, even though it was short lived.

[Carmen MacCodykins]

Jordan Bonner 2016!!

[verysimple]

Of all the 90s fashion hashed out here, the frothy party dress paired with Doc Martens boots is the look that puzzles me most.

I wasn't so much with the bodycon clothing, but doc martens and a-line dresses were pretty much half my wardrobe in college, in Buffalo, in the early 90s. The other half was over-sized mens carpenter pants and...doc martens. I also went through a courtney love phase, where I wore a lot of slip-dresses as clothes. usually with a sweater on top because...Buffalo.

I had a fabulous pair of burgundy (not oxblood, these were a darker, more purplier color) 10 hole docs that I wore to death that I bought at Trash and Vaudeville in NYC before they sold docs everywhere. God I miss those boots.

[txhorns79]

I wasn't so much with the bodycon clothing, but doc martens and a-line dresses were pretty much half my wardrobe in college, in Buffalo, in the early 90s. The other half was over-sized mens carpenter pants and...doc martens. I also went through a courtney love phase, where I wore a lot of slip-dresses as clothes. usually with a sweater on top because...Buffalo.

 

Are you Valerie Malone?  No fair in posting two seasons before you appear! 

[Sarah D. Bunting]

 

that I bought at Trash and Vaudeville in NYC before they sold docs everywhere

 

HA HA HA that's where we went too! I had a pair of oxfords and a pair of ten-holes I laced with rawhide, and I wore one or the other every.single.day. With pajamas, to church, out drinking, you name it. And when my brother Dave B. turned...15? 16? I don't remember which, but he and I went into the city and met up with John Ramos, and I bought Dave B. the ceremonial First Pair Of Docs ("today you are a man"), and we all got a sixer and drank it on a stoop and stepped all over the Docs to break 'em in faster. I think by that time you COULD buy them, like, at Hot Topic, but my brother's gunboats were a non-mall-standard size 13, so we had to go to 8th Street. 

 

I love buying shit online at all hours and I wouldn't change a thing, but there were certain consumer rites of passage involving The City that have gone the way of the dodo that I'm glad I got to do before things changed.

 

Edited to clarify that Dave Cole and I are not siblings.

[AndySmith]

I'm just thinking that if they really originally intended those characters for a spin off, they would have had to almost immediately drop that idea to make sense in terms of the characters' actual appearances on the show.

 

It could have been done as a slow build. Given that they imagined they had a whole season to flesh the characters out, there was no need to really rush things.

[verysimple]

@sarah d. bunting - I will admit to actually crying when I read this: http://ny.racked.com/2015/7/28/9055841/trash-and-vaudeville-closed. I remember thinking St. Marks was just the coolest when I was in HS/college. One time I was actually down there with my dad of all people, and he looks around and goes "wait a minute, I used to hang out at the Electric Circus down here". And then he went exploring and discovered that where the EC used to be had turned into a drug rehab center. That was (a) the first time I realized that my dad was actually much cooler than my giant nerd-self when he was young and (b) a really depressing sign of the times.

and @txhorns79 - hah! but I mis-spent my college years in buffalo, and have actually never been to the 90210 zip code.

[txhorns79]

It could have been done as a slow build. Given that they imagined they had a whole season to flesh the characters out, there was no need to really rush things.

 

That's possible, but I took a look at imdb, and both Herbert and Sue are gone after only appearing four episodes.  Sue first appears in September 92, and her character is gone by October.  Herbert appears in one episode in September 92, then three in November and is gone.  I'm not saying you are wrong, only that it seems like the idea of spinning off those characters would have had to have been almost immediately abandoned after the characters first appeared for it to make sense, given they are written out so quickly after first appearing.   

[MissEwa]

doc martens and a-line dresses were pretty much half my wardrobe in college, in Buffalo, in the early 90s. The other half was over-sized mens carpenter pants and...doc martens. I also went through a courtney love phase, where I wore a lot of slip-dresses as clothes. usually with a sweater on top because...Buffalo.

Same but in Australia (so minus the sweater) in the mid-late 90s (we were probably a bit slow down here), and baggy grandpa pants from charity shops (with singlets/tight t's and... docs). My docs were purple 8-holes and I wore through two pairs in about six years. 

 

I actually preferred Tori's dress to Brenda's, for once. The short pouffy skirt below the sheer bit always looked kind of like a daiper to me, and the white with black docs is a bit too harsh. Tori's dress looked terrible on Tori, thanks to whatever was going on with her chest at this point, but as a dress... eh, a bit short and booby both otherwise inoffensive. 

 

That shot of Andrea doing the electric slide in the clip above? She's totally a parent supervisor trying to be Down With The Kids.

And try as I might I can't hate Switch It Up. It's awful but it's SO much less awful than Be-be-be My Love or Precious. Less of BAG's breathy "singing". 

This whole storyline was so... bleh. Whenever Brandon "writes" and we're supposed to believe he's some sort of prodigy I want to die, and the whole handling of the race thing? Yeah, not good. 

[Racj82]

That's possible, but I took a look at imdb, and both Herbert and Sue are gone after only appearing four episodes. Sue first appears in September 92, and her character is gone by October. Herbert appears in one episode in September 92, then three in November and is gone. I'm not saying you are wrong, only that it seems like the idea of spinning off those characters would have had to have been almost immediately abandoned after the characters first appeared for it to make sense, given they are written out so quickly after first appearing.

They could have simply signed those actors on to a certain contract for a certain number of episodes with a option for more and then decided not to exercise that option some time during the writing process.

[Racj82]

Anyone who calls Brandon on his shit should be allowed to be at least a recurring character for half a season. I would let them be a regular myself.

[Corey Ann]

Um... is that person behind David in the pen flipping DJ booth GIF pantsless or is it Donna showing off her dance outfit to David? 

[penguinnj]

I loved this episode back in the day- ok right now (but I've had a few cocktails so let that be my defense). This was the first time I noticed a very disturbing trend on this show which is completely on display during prom. The "gang" look fantastic in clothes, I for one, never saw in my high school- except maybe the Doc Martens. Meanwhile all the extras are wearing the EXACT clothes I saw in my high school. Check this out by prom time- chiffon and sequins as far as the eye can see, but the gang look totally couture- even if you don't like the style you can tell that the quality is head and shoulders above the background "students."

[itainttippithebird]

Thank Donna Martin's Slut Shaming JESUS for you, Tara and Sarah! As I mentioned here a few weeks ago, I watched ahead and went apoplectic with debilitating RAAAAAGE (Bray-ge?) at this episode, but the corresponding podcast was a soothing balm to the soul. I still don't know how listening to someone else be angry about something you're also angry about can be so palliative, but this is better than therapy.

[Nannchez]

I work at a university, and the floral/feminine dresses with stompy boots thing has definitely made a comeback in recent years. I see girls all the time who look like they got dressed in Brenda's closet.

[jenrising]

I think I'm having some kind of delayed mortification after watching that video. So many school dances ended with the electric slide in the gym. 

 

But good memories of going up to NYC to buy my first (and only, it turned out) pair of docs. God, they smelled so bad, I wore them pretty much year round. My poor mother. 

[SoupThrower]

Gotta love Jordan. 

 

Oh Sue will be seeing a lot of you....sadly.

[SoupThrower]

David Silver, the all time hero. Whether it be crooning, rapping, dancing, solving racism better than Walsh, jumping a grade, being the DJ that soothes the soul, getting crabs (Season 5), internet in a box, dating Clare and Valerie, doing drugs and stuff, no chill in dumping someone on Christmas. He will be a hero, a hero of all time. God bless you, Silverado. 

 

The rest of the episode is a blur because the episode really sucks. 

[kite-wombat]

It was SO MUCH a thing! We all did it. I remember in about '93 my grandma came to visit and we were all going to a play, including my friend who was living with us at the time. My friend wore a crinkly floral dress and eight-hole Docs -- and a choker, OBVIOUSLY -- and my grandma COULD NOT with the boots.

 

Oh yeah... So much a thing during exactly the right time in my life that I still have great affection for it. AND I can't throw out my cherry eight-ups because.... just because. In case someone has a 1993-themed fancy dress party? WAIT! I SHOULD HAVE THAT PARTY!

[kite-wombat]

Jordan Bonner may have been my favorite peripheral character on this show, and nothing was cooler than the dashiki he sported in a later episode.

 

My favourite is Nikki, but Jordan is probably a close second. Nikki was cool enough that she actually managed to rise above the fact that she was dating Brandon. Because... she's adorable. But Jordan is aces, and should have been in the whole season following Brandon around telling him when he was being a jackass. Or, you know Brandon Bray followed by cut to Jordan, eyes narrowed, I ain't got time for this shit look on face.

[bilgistic]

In the 1980s, everyone's great-aunt had a couch with the same pattern as Brandon's shirt in the top photo.

Steve, it's called a mock turtleneck because people mock you when you wear it.

The only thing worse than the Electric Slide to End Racism is people still dancing the electric slide at wedding receptions today, at every reception. Just stop it!

Edited January 29, 2016 by bilgistic

[AndySmith]

That's possible, but I took a look at imdb, and both Herbert and Sue are gone after only appearing four episodes. Sue first appears in September 92, and her character is gone by October. Herbert appears in one episode in September 92, then three in November and is gone. I'm not saying you are wrong, only that it seems like the idea of spinning off those characters would have had to have been almost immediately abandoned after the characters first appeared for it to make sense, given they are written out so quickly after first appearing.

 

They could have simply signed those actors on to a certain contract for a certain number of episodes with a option for more and then decided not to exercise that option some time during the writing process.

 

The characters were meant to be recurring anyway; there was no guarantee that they had to appear in every episode. And since the spin off, had they gone through with it, would have debuted after season 3 was done, meant that they didn't need to focus non-stop on the new characters like they would have had it been a backdoor pilot episode or two. There really was nor rush to have them used as much. Plus, unlike Nikki, I don't think Herbert and Sue* were written off the show, they just stopped using them. Its possible that once the decision was made to not do the spin-off, they just didn't bother with giving them a resolution and hoped we would forget about them. Since Nikki was being featured more and was in a relationship with a major character, they couldn't do that though, so she was actually written off. Melrose Place's did debut strong but ratings became anemic rather quickly, so it's possible that affected their decision for a spin-off.

 

*I don't remember if they mentioned Sue transferred to another school or not...I guess we'll find out soon enough!

 

I do remember in the early 90s lots of girls wearing Doc Martins with EVERYTHING.

[helent]

We never did the the Electric Slide, but the Time Warp was big at my school discos.

[txhorns79]

I do remember in the early 90s lots of girls wearing Doc Martins with EVERYTHING.

 

The funniest thing I remember is the girls at my school wearing Docs with their uniforms, so you end up having girls in nice button down, oxford shirts, plaid skirts and Doc Martens.  

 

 

And since the spin off, had they gone through with it, would have debuted after season 3 was done, meant that they didn't need to focus non-stop on the new characters like they would have had it been a backdoor pilot episode or two.

 

I think my main point was only that it wasn't clear to me that a spin off was actually intended for those characters based on what we actually saw.  Were their news articles at the time which said those characters were being added for a potential spin off?

[SoylentGreen]

"Of all the 90s fashion hashed out here, the frothy party dress paired with Doc Martens boots is the look that puzzles me most."

I'm not sure I am ready to let it go, 20 years later.

[AndySmith]

As per tv.com:

 

"According to TV Guide, Cory Tyler's character was meant to be a semi-regular role for the series. It was planned for 90210 to feature Herbert, Nikki and Sue Scanlon more and spin off the main cast into another series, as Saved by the Bell later did with Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class. The reason this never happened is not known, although it most likely was due to Melrose Place's low ratings at the time. A similar idea was briefly considered around the time of 90210's cancellation in 2000, when a script was developed for a spinoff titled West Beverly. However, the pilot was never produced."

[lottiedottie]

In the 1980s, everyone's great-aunt had a couch with the same pattern as Brandon's shirt in the top photo.

Steve, it's called a mock turtleneck because people mock you when you wear it.

The only thing worse than the Electric Slide to End Racism is people still dancing the electric slide at wedding receptions today, at every reception. Just stop it!

Before I even looked at the visual aids, the moment I saw the word "mock turtleneck" my immediate thought was "boner killer" (lady or male!) And then I saw the visual aids and there was confirmation. 

 

Let's talk about the electric slide...through the 90s, (the entire decade) I worked at a banquet hall where every Friday and Saturday night for ten years I witnessed the electric slide being performed at weddings. Torture. Burned in my brain. At weddings where the guests were mostly white, this was The Song that brought everyone out onto the dance floor and was often played right after dinner. It didn't take long for that to be my cue to go outside for a smoke.

 

And in case you are wondering what the 'end of the night' song usually was...You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

[txhorns79]

"According to TV Guide, Cory Tyler's character was meant to be a semi-regular role for the series...

 

With due respect, that's a commenter on tv.com saying an article allegedly appeared in TV Guide, mixed with their own speculation as to what may or may not have happened.  I was asking about actual news sources from 1992.  For example, the TV Guide article the commenter says exists, or something similar.  I'm not saying you are wrong, just that I had heard what you are saying before, and I didn't know the actual source of that information was.  Sometimes things simply get repeated to the point where people believe they are true, regardless of whether that was the case.

 

And it's kind of weird to think of them building a spin off around the sister of a character whose most interesting moment during the series was accidentally killing himself.   

[STOPSHOUTING]

As per tv.com:

 

"According to TV Guide, Cory Tyler's character was meant to be a semi-regular role for the series. It was planned for 90210 to feature Herbert, Nikki and Sue Scanlon more and spin off the main cast into another series, as Saved by the Bell later did with Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class. The reason this never happened is not known, although it most likely was due to Melrose Place's low ratings at the time. A similar idea was briefly considered around the time of 90210's cancellation in 2000, when a script was developed for a spinoff titled West Beverly. However, the pilot was never produced."

 

 

The fact that this show ran from when I was 14 to the year I got married is just insane to me. I distinctly remember driving to some pre-wedding event and hearing an advertisement for 90210's "series finale" on the car radio (kids, ask your parents) and having a genuine freak out like, '90210 is still on? WTF?' I seriously had no clue. Lost track sometime in college. 

 

BTW, as a pure product of my times, I still think Docs, which I was never lucky enough to own, and a floral dress is a cute look ... For 1993. I recently saw acid-washed jeans with ankle zippers in a store. I took a picture of them and texted my friend one word: "NO."

Edited January 29, 2016 by STOPSHOUTING

[AndySmith]

With due respect, that's a commenter on tv.com

 

With due respect, you usually have to source your article with a legitimate link to post something on tv.com, and I'm speaking from experience.

 

I'm not saying you are wrong

 

You kind of are, if you're protesting what I am saying this much. You can choose to believe it or not. I do.

 

And it's kind of weird to think of them building a spin off around the sister of a character whose most interesting moment during the series was accidentally killing himself.

 

Except they weren't building it around her, she would have been one of an ensemble of many. I doubt the final product would have just been her, Herbert, and Nikki.

Edited January 29, 2016 by AndySmith