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S03.E19: Back In The High Life Again

Primetimer

By Primetimer
in Beverly Hills, 90210

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AndySmith

AndySmith

Get it, Christine.

 

Is it just me...or does Christine look like she has a doll dressed as a waiter sitting in her lap in that pic?

 

You're at a hotel; maybe get a room instead of bonering up the pool for the other guests?

 

Maybe that pool gets quite a bit of just-the-tip style action?

 

The fashions in this episode mostly sucked, but such awesome teen drama. That whole final scene is a classic. Definitely one of the iconic moments of this show for sure.

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benteen

benteen

(edited)

 

Never take a shortcut through The Prisoner set on your way to the Pit, bro.

 

That line is gold!  This whole review is one of the very best.

 

I'm never one for fashion but Steve's buttoning his shirt up to his neck always annoyed me.  It looks ridiculous and uncomfortable and whenever I see anyone do it, I call it The Steve Sanders look.  Beckett had that look on an episode of Castle once.

 

This was also the episode where Brandon gives a defense of his gambling obsession to Brenda.  After he tells her she doesn't drink or smoke, I always thought those lines worked better this way.  "I don't drink.  I don't smoke.  I'm a ****ing tool!"

 

This episode is definitely teen angst greatness!

Edited by benteen
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KateeBar

KateeBar

My flat-hair vote goes to general lack of product usage. Ran out of her Aussie volumizing mousse and hair spray.

 

The last scene is one of my favorite scenes ever. Team Brenda! Also, I appreciate that Brenda looks relatively cool, outfit-wise, whereas Kelly's outfit is terrible. Those floofy pants, the totally wrong-length and width jacket, those shoes. Ugh.

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Lisin

Lisin

My flat-hair vote goes to general lack of product usage. Ran out of her Aussie volumizing mousse and hair spray.

 

The last scene is one of my favorite scenes ever. Team Brenda! Also, I appreciate that Brenda looks relatively cool, outfit-wise, whereas Kelly's outfit is terrible. Those floofy pants, the totally wrong-length and width jacket, those shoes. Ugh.

 

I was coming to say something similar! I also think her hair looks better in THE scene than it did during the school hallway scene earlier so maybe she was late to set that day or something and they didn't get her hair finished before shooting? Who knows. Even when it's flat it still looks great to me. Because I'm obsessed with Brenda's hair. I swear one of these days I'm taking a picture of her to the salon to get mine cut like that. I'm not even kidding. I mean... I'm totally kidding it's 2016 that would be insane? 

 

I also love love love that Brenda looks HAWT in a leather vest with nothing under and a leather jacket (that I'm pretty sure I had) while Kelly looks frumpy in a weird patterned (leather?) coat thing? I don't know. I hate Kelly's outfit. Team Brinda 4EVA!

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Lisin

Lisin

It's HAPPENING!!!

 

Oh god. This episode! THE scene is etched in my brain and I love it. So great. I'm happy others agree that everything Brenda says is perfect. I really like that she's not just mad at Dylan or Kelly, she's pissed as hell at them both. A lot of shows have the cheatee being mad only at the other woman or whatever. Brenda's rage is real and I love it. I'm legit almost more mad at Kelly than at Dylan, not that I don't hate Dylan because I do. Lots. But That's the thing. He's a worthless douche canoe and Kelly is supposed to be Brenda's best friend. I honestly think Kelly's betrayal of Brenda is worse than Dylan's. 

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marny

marny

I'll never understand the acting choice for Dylan to always yell at Brenda when he's the one who's in the wrong. Dude, you effed up. She's allowed to be upset. Drop the bray.

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filmgirl

filmgirl

BEST END SCENE EVER. 

 

The amount of times I have quoted, "I hate you both, never talk to me again" in my actual life is insane. And it's especially insane because I was 10 years old when this aired. 

 

#TeamBrenda4Ever

 

It's the rejoinder to end all rejoinders and sadly, I also think this is where we hit peak Brenda Walsh. Because for SD's remaining time on the show, Brenda was mostly mopey (though we can ALL relate to that Losing My Religion scene. Because who amongst us didn't listen to Vertical Horizon [insert whatever awful band was popular the year of your first terrible breakup here] while wallowing on your bedroom floor. Come to think of it, did I wallow because I saw Brenda wallow that way all those years earlier? 

 

Anyway -- all we got after this moment was mopey Brenda, Brenda who helps Kelly with her eating disorder (I still don't understand why she would even go to that bitch's birthday party, but whatever show), Brenda being mopey at the prom, Brenda going the University of Minnesota for A DAY, Brenda and Stewart (eww), Brenda maybe fucking her play director and Brenda saving animals by breaking into a lab. Lame. This was peak Brenda. It's all downhill from here.

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filmgirl

filmgirl

It's HAPPENING!!!

 

Oh god. This episode! THE scene is etched in my brain and I love it. So great. I'm happy others agree that everything Brenda says is perfect. I really like that she's not just mad at Dylan or Kelly, she's pissed as hell at them both. A lot of shows have the cheatee being mad only at the other woman or whatever. Brenda's rage is real and I love it. I'm legit almost more mad at Kelly than at Dylan, not that I don't hate Dylan because I do. Lots. But That's the thing. He's a worthless douche canoe and Kelly is supposed to be Brenda's best friend. I honestly think Kelly's betrayal of Brenda is worse than Dylan's. 

 

I'm 1000% with you on Kelly being worse. Dylan is a total asshole. He's gross and deserves to be annexed. But Kelly was her BEST FRIEND. And that's the sort of betrayal that will fuck you up more than a dude cheating on you. Because you confide in your friends in a way totally different than the way you confide in your boyfriend/girlfriend. Like, it's just such a betrayal. And then to like lie to her after they did the whole "let's start dating thing" -- so she thinks the "competition" was actually something different than it was. When in actuality it was a rigged game the whole time.

 

Which is why Brenda's rage read so real. SD's performance totally nailed that realization that hits you that people have been lying to you for a long time and you don't even get to the cry stage, you're just straight up angry. 

 

I just don't get how the show ever thought that Brenda, Kelly and Dylan could ever be in the same room together as "friends" ever again. Because that's just not happening. Like Kelly and Brenda are never going to be OK again. Ever. 

 

Such great television. Truly.

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benteen

benteen

What I'm dreading about the next episode is that they likely didn't get the rights to use Losing My Religion.

 

I was just about to mention this.  I think this scene might have been cut out of the DVD version but I'm not sure.

 

Absolutely correct that this was Brenda's highpoint and it all went downhill from here.  It seemed we got different versions of her telling her friends that she hated them and never to talk to her again.  Was losing the Dylan relationship what effected her as a character?  Was it SD or just shitty storylines for her?  You do start getting some distance between her and the rest of the gang after this.

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Nanna

Nanna

Oh boy. Team Brenda forever. I even like her hair, that's how much I'm on her team. It does make it slightly better that she broke up with Dylan, but the way he acts here is just ... I think I might have Sarah D Bunting-like rage stroke if I try to express it in words.

Also, on a different note: Steve's multicolour shirt might be the biggest fashion crime on the show yet - closely followed by whatever it is Cindy is wearing in the kitchen scene.

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Tooch

Tooch

I'm curious about the next episode regarding Losing My religion as well. The song plays throughout the whole episode as she has various awesome revenge fantasies, including hacking Kelly's hair off with comically large scissors. She even name drops the song to Brandon when he asks her why she keeps playing it! It's going to suck if they cheap out.

 

Also dreading the downfall of Brenda from here on out. She also immediately starts half-heartedly talking to Kelly again in the next episode, at the encouragement of Iris. Look, if the scenario was just that they broke up and he moved on to Kelly, I can see not staying angry forever. But she knows now how they betrayed her, and she just immediately tries to get over it? No 17 year old would ever have that level of chill.

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lottiedottie

lottiedottie

I'm going with a one-two punch of low flow shower head + faulty styling products.

 

Good thing Kel can take a relaxing break from that and all the other stress in her life under her BangSetter retractable hair awning.

 

 

I nearly died reading this!

 

And then this:

Is it just me...or does Christine look like she has a doll dressed as a waiter sitting in her lap in that pic?

 

 

 

I read that comment before I clicked to see the visual aids and I could not imagine what you were referring to until I scrolled down and saw what you were talking about. Nearly choked on my ginger ale, but yes, I agree, that's exactly what it looked like!

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benteen

benteen

I'm curious about the next episode regarding Losing My religion as well. The song plays throughout the whole episode as she has various awesome revenge fantasies, including hacking Kelly's hair off with comically large scissors. She even name drops the song to Brandon when he asks her why she keeps playing it! It's going to suck if they cheap out.

 

Also dreading the downfall of Brenda from here on out. She also immediately starts half-heartedly talking to Kelly again in the next episode, at the encouragement of Iris. Look, if the scenario was just that they broke up and he moved on to Kelly, I can see not staying angry forever. But she knows now how they betrayed her, and she just immediately tries to get over it? No 17 year old would ever have that level of chill.

 

Agreed.  Having her begin to bury the hatchet with Kelly an episode later was ridiculous.  It needed to be really spread out for a few episodes.

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TeeVee329

TeeVee329

(edited)

Yeah, Dylan's tone of voice during that entire final scene - especially when he says that line about them all starting again from someplace a little more honest, during which he also has the ass-iest expression on his face - is sooo shitty.

And Kelly's empathetic assertion that she and Dylan didn't sleep together? Girl, you just admitted you spent the whole summer fooling around with your best friend's boyfriend, you do not have a leg to stand on.

Edited by TeeVee329
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gesundheit

gesundheit

And Kelly's empathetic assertion that she and Dylan didn't sleep together? Girl, you just admitted you spent the whole summer fooling around with your best friend's boyfriend, you do not have a leg to stand on.

This was one of the magical touches that made it such a great scene. We know they never had sex. We can also assume Kelly's probably consoled herself with that in her guiltiest moments ("well, at least I didn't sleep with him, it could've been worse?"). But we also know that not only doesn't it matter, Brenda has absolutely no reason to believe her. 

 

(And I will tell you as a person who's been cheated on more than once: it actually does make a difference if it's "all the way" or not, but it's nothing to hang one's hat on -- the damage has been done. But it's not the point here. Kelly could deny being a serial killer and in this moment Brenda would not be hearing it. So great.)

 

The slow walk is hilarious, though. If I were Brenda I'd be cutting so fast across that park and out of their lines of vision before they could blink.

 

I've always been so torn about it. I get why Kelly thought this was the right thing to do. She was a teenager and teenagers are not great at things like this. But she probably shouldn't have told her. And she really should not have brought Dylan along, knowing already that he was just an ass about it and never thought they did anything wrong in the first place. The "we have something to tell you" unity of them being an official couple was too cruel even in and of itself, but damn. She knew she was being walked to the gallows but it was so much worse than she even thought.

 

It's so weird to me that the show nailed this so well. They had the ability all along, and yet most of the big heavy-hitting scenes are so bland. 

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MissEwa

MissEwa

I ranted about it a few weeks ago when this scene came up on KODTTM but UGH Dylan is so awful. It's less awful when it's just audio but his sneering 'We owe it to you Bren' is the worst worst worst. It's a leaf right out of Brandon's self-serving braybook. He's so put-upon because he cheated on his girlfriend with her best friend but look at him here being the big man and giving her what he OWES her. How dare she not just take it with a smile? Fuck off Dylan. And to think at this point all the tween girls (myself included) thought he was so wonderful. He's just... UGH!

 

I think Brenda's hair looks flat at school but great on their walk. Maybe whatever was wrong with it mellowed out. And she looks so, so much better than Kelly, which I love. I wore those exact boxy mens black jeans for years but they do no-one any favours. 

 

Once you see the waitress doll, you can never unsee it. Hee. 

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lottiedottie

lottiedottie

I'm pretty sure that Losing My Religion is not in the next episode. When I watched it a few months ago, it was so annoying that they obviously put a filler song in that I started to google looking for a list of songs by episode to figure out what song they had replaced. That's when I came across the link that lists all the songs (the link can be found in the music thread or the seasons 1-3 thread).

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Jmallory

Jmallory

This is one of the best episodes ever! I totally felt bad for Brenda. It was so out of character for Dylan to be such a dick to her. His behavior was so cold. She was someone he loved for two years...her family became his family. I guess since Jack's back Dylan didn't need the Walsh family anymore and not to mention Kelly's mom wouldn't care about her being around Jack which makes an easier relationship. 

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SoupThrower

SoupThrower

Still can't get over Dylan telling Brandon first or the whole Andrea color thing or the fact that Dylan cared more about Zuckerman not coming than mentioning Donna.

 

Also a few things

 

- Did Brandon know about the Summer of Deception? I think he never found out at all. I think the only people that knew were David, Valerie, Clare and Donna (The whole car ride)

- Not gonna hate on Brandon gambling. Only because I know this is against the grain but if I lived with Brenda and this whole shitty triangle/ultimatum was happening. I would be over it. Plus it's OT. 

- Great responsibility Nat....let's enabled Brandon. Nice...

- I swear they just made Andrea older with that whole hair story. 

 

Kelly has no right. I mean she's your best friend and you hooked up with her boyfriend. What does she expect to happen?

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SoupThrower

SoupThrower

Yeah I think the moment which made Dylan decide was Kelly telling Dylan that Brenda wasn't allowed to come because of her father. That sealed it. With Brenda came Jim watching over and stuff. 

 

Kind of wished they at least gave Brenda more to do instead of moping over Dylan. She could have done so much but nope the writers are like "BRENDA NEEDS DYLAN TO FUNCTION!!!"

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CubePoo

CubePoo

Only because you asked... that actually is the correct way to feed a baby a bottle. I'd explain but do you really care? It's the first time I've ever seen it done right on a tv show/movie/etc. Although I'm 13928098471% sure that was purely an accident.

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sinnerforhire

sinnerforhire

You know, they could have made Jim's hatred of Jack so much more reasonable if they'd just had him say that one of his clients lost a lot of money to Jack. Then he'd have a personal connection and it would make so much more sense than the way they actually did it, which seemed really contrived.

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LucyHoneychrrch

LucyHoneychrrch

Whenever I listen to these, it's through the filter of my 17-year-old self who watched them for the first time, and I remember this episode SO CLEARLY. I had the Walshes for parents, and it chafed when I was that age; and I remember feeling super jealous of my friends who could go places my parents wouldn't allow. I felt hard for Brenda in this episode, not only because she was incredibly betrayed by such jackasses, but also because I got the distinct impression that Brenda was intensely jealous of Kelly. And I would have been too, because 17-year-olds do not know how to be grateful for decent parents and/or for infantile, sucky boyfriends who break up with you.

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FozzyBear

FozzyBear

You know, they could have made Jim's hatred of Jack so much more reasonable if they'd just had him say that one of his clients lost a lot of money to Jack. Then he'd have a personal connection and it would make so much more sense than the way they actually did it, which seemed really contrived.

I think that we're supposed to believe that Jack is some cross between a Madoff scandal and mafia financier. I think it's supposed to be implied that he lost people's life savings and did it knowingly through a scam/money laundering as opposed to just general incompetence. If that were the case and Jack was some guy that was lying to people so he could hand their retirement accounts over to the mob to fund whatever, I sort of get Jim's general sense of not wanting his teenagers anywhere near the mess that was sure to explode once Jack was done banging Christine and starts getting the urge to find some action. Of course this being 90210, we never get any consistent background story and Jack's character changes (sometimes in mid-sentience) to suite the ever changing plot points.

OH MY GOD DYLAN IS AN ASSHOLE! How the fuck did he get out of that conversation with Brenda smacking him and Kelly telling him to find someone else to put up with his displaced rage. This scene infuriated me even as a teenager. He's so, so awful. Although my favorite Dylan jackass moment is actually earlier when he tells Steve he always come through for his friends. Since when? Really, when the fuck has Dylan gone anywhere he didn't want to? He's the king of bailing on shit he thinks is meaningless. So fuck you. He's the worst and Kelly is about to become Mrs The Worst. I'm in the college years and let me tell you those asshats deserve each other. Brenda, dodge the fuck out of that bullet and get your ass to London.

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penguinnj

penguinnj

(edited)

Loved this episode. Tara and Sarah, you noticed that Kelly and Dylan sounded breathless in the pool. I remember seeing an interview that might explain. I vaguely remember a feature I saw with Luke and Jennie- I think it was during the last few episodes of the show's run leading up to the series finale. Anyway they showed the pool scene as one of the "classic, remember when moments" and they were asked about it- I remember them saying that it was freezing in the pool when they shot that- their lips were turning blue, and if you watch it again, their lips DO kind of look blue. Anyway they were shivering the whole time and I think it led to the breathy voices- which is excusable. Baby voice is not.

Edited by penguinnj
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penguinnj

penguinnj

AndySmith- I remember that too :)  Garth gave an interview when she talked about how cold they were during that scene.  I think she said she bi tLP's lip by accident and it would't stop bleeding.  Her nose and cheeks also looks kinda red so I assumed it was, in fact, cold.  Which actually makes the whole thing kind of funny if you watch that scene with that in mind :)

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STOPSHOUTING

STOPSHOUTING

(edited)

I always thought the breathy voices had to do with them being trying to control themselves after the makeout session. I vividly remember watching this pool scene when I was a teen and finding it "sooo romantic" ... Blurgghh! Judgement like that is why 14-year-olds (rightly) can't vote or enter into binding contracts.

 

Oh and, Kelly and Dylan showing up together to tag team dump Brenda is THE WORST. Here we are, a couple, come to stomp on your heart as a team and then we can make out afterwards while we pity poor you. Oh and, in case you didn't feel bad enough having lost this terrible "choice" game, let us throw some salt in that fresh wound? Still not painful enough, let's grind it in real good. Why Brenda didn't jump into Dylan's penis-mobile car and run them both over is beyond me.

 

Listening to you discuss them as an adult I agree 100 percent that Dylan is a Douchebag Extraordinare, but to not just tell Brenda privately is a new level of fuckwadery, even for him.

 

Of course, the real best ending, and best message, of this "love triangle" would have been for both girls to tell him to pound sand. Gotta wonder if Shonda Rhimes is a closet 90210 fan/anti-fan, and if this messed up shit sparked her "I choose me" moment for Olivia Pope on Scandal. Because how this whole thing went down -- clearly written by 30 and 40-something men -- is all kinds of wrong.

Edited by STOPSHOUTING
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