S09.E08: I'm Back Because

[Primetimer]

Can Gina possibly drive a wedge between Donna and Noah when their relationship has always been so stable and also inspiring?!

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[Primetimer]

While we're looking up the 'statute' for punching this dingleberry to death, check out key snapshots from S09.E08!

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[DylanFanboy]

I don’t plan on being Dylan’s Jacob Wohl so I won’t defend everything.

I agree that Dylan’s insensitivity towards Denise is not fitting with his character.  Although it’s not an analogous situation, when Brenda slut-shamed Kelly for nearly getting date-raped at that Halloween party, Dylan was adamant that Kelly was not to blame.  Even if in this case he was primarily concerned with helping his acquaintance (or soon-to-be and always-has-been best friend), his approach should have been a bit more nuanced and not “my friend is innocent because he’s a nice guy who is also a DJ.”  Also Dylan is supposed to be a bit more cynical and not just believe that David has to be innocent because he knows him. 

At the same time, Dylan, despite being troubled, is often the one who has to help the others with their problems:

• Taking Brandon to AA after he was arrested for drinking and driving
• Saving Steve from a game of chicken at the drag races
• Helping David when he was addicted to meth
• Rescuing Kelly from the cult (as a Dylan fan, I loved that Brandon had to go beg Dylan for his help)
• Being a friend to Andrea during her affair just so she’d have someone to talk to if needed (presumably because he knew she couldn’t tell the others)
• And we shouldn’t forget how the Walsh parents depended on Dylan when he wasn’t actually dating their daughter.  We could probably also include them soliciting his help when they were worried about Val.

Granted a lot of the above storylines require a huge suspension of disbelief but it was another compelling trait to the character of Dylan McKay.  Yet he also wasn’t in denial that Steve was a bonehead with the drag racing or David was a drug addict whereas here his adamant defense of David is rooted in his tribalism of his fellow high school gang member more than anything else.

With all that said, I like the idea of Dylan going overboard to help out his friend and re-establish that although he can be a dick and has a chip on his shoulder, he is the one who is often needed to help the others.  It’s a huge paradox since he’s the troubled one but that makes him even more intriguing.

And while it breaks the boundaries of normalcy, I loved Dylan responding with “but you don’t” after Noah says he feels like he already knows him, calling Mrs. Teasly “Yvonne,” and going to Denise’s parents house.  

Although I don’t like how it was done, I thought it was a nice touch to briefly acknowledge that he’s still traumatized by his wife’s death but to not give us too much information just yet.

[TeeVee329]

On one hand, I feel for the writers a teeny, weeny bit.  I'm sure they assumed Luke Perry would never be lured back for even one episode, let alone as a permanent "Special Guest Star", so it was safe to pair him with Brenda off-screen and use them as off-screen story crutches.  And if their goal was to throw him right into a love triangle with Kelly and Matt, that doesn't really work with him being fresh out of a two-year relationship with Brenda.  But still, it's a blatant, obvious retcon with an execution that makes it even worse.  I mean, the Brenda and Erica stuff aside, Dylan is both sniffing all over Kelly AND is still so hung up on Toni that he thinks about her "every other minute".  Kay?

I was annoyed that Dylan referred to the "After Dark" to our queen Mrs. Teasley (NEVER YVONNE, JONES!) like she was expected to know what it was, like Mrs. T would ever step foot in some groddy club.  So I was extremely dismayed to hear the show in fact made her step foot in said groddy club.

Edited September 17, 2018 by TeeVee329

[ZeroDiscipline]

Perhaps Samantha Sanders is just way ahead of her time, because the scarf placement is exactly like Captain Phasma's in the new Star Wars trilogy.

[TeeVee329]

Queen Mrs. Teasley's eyebrow pop when she sees Steve is amazing. "Up to your usual shenanigans, I see, Mr. Sanders." Indeed!

Edited September 17, 2018 by TeeVee329

[DylanFanboy]

“Yvonne” happening to show up at the moment Steve gets into a fist fight was an underrated funny moment. Yet, they decide to cut relatively soon and not briefly zoom on Mrs. Teasley’s look of incredulity.

[Earmuffs Mom]

How did Matt get so close to Kelly in such a short time to go to the hospital with her?  Also, Steve straight up told Matt that Kelly's been severely hung up on Dylan for years.  RED FLAG!  RED FLAG!

I hate Dylan's retcon of leaving Brenda two years ago.  Just six months ago Kelly and Brandon were blathering on about meeting up with Brenda and Dylan in Corsica during their honeymoon.  I also hate that later Dylan acts like he was at the wedding, sulking in the background, but said nothing.  

[benteen]

I hated the Brenda retcon too.  As I've said many times, the only reason that Kelly was Dylan's "true love" is because Brenda was never going to return to this show.

I would laugh though if Brenda and Dylan got back together just to find a way to screw over Brandon and Kelly during their honeymoon.

[Earmuffs Mom]

Legally the show continues to be a clusterfuck:  Matt admits he has no experience in criminal law yet he admits he took the case out of desperation and blabs with Dylan, Kelly, and Jackie about David's representation, potentially jacking up confidentiality for David.  As Tara and Sarah scream from the rooftops, CONSENT DOES NOT MATTER IN STATUTORY RAPE CASES.  Also, there is no way David's trial would be set in two weeks.  Oh, and David commits witness/victim tampering by having Dylan badger Denise and her parents on David's behalf, not to mention being so flippant about violating the restraining order.  I hate this storyline so much.

[Kerfuffler]

Mrs. Teasley, WTF are you doing talking to random people about your student's family problems?! That is such a privacy violation! It bugs me so much how "professionals" on this show are so quick to break every legal and ethical confidentiality rule. Matt talks to anyone who asks about his clients' business. Saint Kelly spilled every Clinic Clinic patients' private medical and mental health issues in her self-righteous quests. Don't get me started on Brandon's so-called "journalism." And now Mrs. T, who should totally know better. 

[ZeroDiscipline]

So Matt smokes because Kelly's grandfather has emphysema, right? Yet another thing she can be a bitch about, I presume. I am having a hard time suspending disbelief at Noah turning down Gina for Donna. Everything Gina is saying is true, Donna is spoiled and does have incredibly high standards. He has no reason to believe Gina is stirring up trouble, and she's so pretty that Prince cast her in his "Most Beautiful Girl in the World" video. Plus he has proven over and over again that he is not a stand-up guy at all, in the slightest. Seems to me he would just go for Gina and be done with it.

Edited September 17, 2018 by ZeroDiscipline
added thought

[TimeyWimey52]

Dylan's back! And so is his "I'm so cool, everything bores me" face. Who wouldn't look in the direction of a fight happening right in front of your face? Dylan! I mean, what if he needs to dodge a stray punch? Steve almost crashes into Mrs. Teasley in that gif.

I've never seen these eps but these plotlines are hard to follow. They make no sense.

What's the deal with Matt hiding his smoking? Is he not supposed to smoke because he's a "good guy" and only bad guys smoke?

[ZeroDiscipline]

6 minutes ago, TimeyWimey52 said:

What's the deal with Matt hiding his smoking? Is he not supposed to smoke because he's a "good guy" and only bad guys smoke?

I assume the smoking is a contrivance designed to dovetail with the revelation that Kelly's grandpop has emphysema, a swelling of the lungs, caused by years of smoking. Matt is just that insensitive that he would suddenly take on this habit, to defy Kelly and also to give her something more to be bitchy about.

[TeeVee329]

Yeah, IIRC, she Is A Bitch About the smoking, he quits FOR HER, and she's still A Bitch About it and kisses Dylan.  Just the first of many times Kelly and Matt fight about an Issue and Matt bends like a question mark to appease her.

Edited September 17, 2018 by TeeVee329

[profreader]

GOD that first shot of David just says "aggressive farter" to me.

[TimeyWimey52]

1 hour ago, ZeroDiscipline said:

I assume the smoking is a contrivance designed to dovetail with the revelation that Kelly's grandpop has emphysema, a swelling of the lungs, caused by years of smoking. Matt is just that insensitive that he would suddenly take on this habit, to defy Kelly and also to give her something more to be bitchy about.

Of course! How could I have missed that? Maybe because we've never seen him smoke until now, lol. On the bright side, since he jus started smoking this episode, it should be pretty easy for him to quit! 

[meggonzo]

4 hours ago, profreader said:

GOD that first shot of David just says "aggressive farter" to me.

I thought he had a mouth full of bees 

[MCMLXXVII]

Does Gina know that Noah is rich, or is she just trying to break them

up for giggles?

[atlanticslide]

9 hours ago, benteen said:

I hated the Brenda retcon too.  As I've said many times, the only reason that Kelly was Dylan's "true love" is because Brenda was never going to return to this show.

Yep. It's the same reason that Brandon and Kelly were true love back in Season 7, because it was assumed that Dylan was never going to return to the show. 

There's so much NO in this episode. I refuse to accept that Dylan and Brenda broke up TWO YEARS AGO. Just no.

Since when are Dylan and David even friends? They never gave a shit about each other, even when Dylan was helping David flush 18 pounds of drugs down the magic Beach Apartment toilet.

Dylan bullying a teenager and her parents into rescinding a totally valid statutory rape charge is quite possibly the most insane thing that's ever happened on this show. Could the 90210 writers of the past please never, ever write about rape or sexual assault of any kind again (I know we have at least one more rape storyline coming up, ugh). Dylan defending David by talking about what a great guy he is and "you know him" and all of that bullshit is especially gross. 

[KWalkerInc]

6 hours ago, MCMLXXVII said:

Does Gina know that Noah is rich, or is she just trying to break them

up for giggles?

I think in a few episodes she reveals that she has always been jealous of Donna because she had a better childhood or something.  I don't think she actually cares about Noah (nor should anyone).

[TeeVee329]

Yeah, and I'm pretty sure she jumps on Dylan sooner than later.  If not in the next one, maybe the one after that?

[Stowaway]

7 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

I think in a few episodes she reveals that she has always been jealous of Donna because she had a better childhood or something.  I don't think she actually cares about Noah (nor should anyone).

The show thinks she needs to work this hard to mess with Donna's relationship with a rapist with a drinking problem? If she really wanted to ruin Donna's life she'd be encouraging them to get married.

[txhorns79]

Quote

The show thinks she needs to work this hard to mess with Donna's relationship with a rapist with a drinking problem? If she really wanted to ruin Donna's life she'd be encouraging them to get married.

Given Donna's eventual spouse, a rapist with a drinking problem might be a step up. 

Edited September 18, 2018 by txhorns79

[meggonzo]

Steve's looking good in the shot where's he walking up to Matt.  I did not appreciate Ian Ziering enough in my youth.

[meggonzo]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

Yeah, and I'm pretty sure she jumps on Dylan sooner than later.  If not in the next one, maybe the one after that?

Well why go after FakeDylan when you could have Real Dylan.

[Tara Ariano]

8 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

I think in a few episodes she reveals that she has always been jealous of Donna because she had a better childhood or something.  I don't think she actually cares about Noah (nor should anyone).

Also IS Noah still rich, given his father's whole scandal? He can't be supporting himself on the club alone, what with the way he shuts it down for some gang bullshit every other day.

[MCMLXXVII]

On 9/17/2018 at 4:57 PM, TimeyWimey52 said:

Of course! How could I have missed that? Maybe because we've never seen him smoke until now, lol. On the bright side, since he jus started smoking this episode, it should be pretty easy for him to quit! 

Also, I know California was all early with their smoking ban and such, but I find it highly unrealistic that all these people work at or hang out in a NIGHTCLUB like every other night and no one smokes. Noah’s out drinking and driving, but he’s concerned about his lungs? Yeah, ok.?

[brenda dubois]

Just checked Vincent Young's instagram and wow. Thanks for that. There's so much to appreciate but one little detail I love is the way he hashtags posts about his career #characteractor. Bless.

I'm pretty sure Gina and Dylan start up next episode. These writers might be lazy, but they do everything they can to create a couple that's fueled by hatred more than Dylan and Kelly are. It almost works.

[yousetmeupyoucrud]

This episode is infuriating on soooo many levels. I remember watching it when it first aired and when Dylan was like "that was two years ago after I left Brenda" I was like "THAT'S IT!" and I never watched another episode. I'm curious if TV shows back in the day were routinely this bad about retcons/backstories/continuity or if this was a new low.

 

But this stat rape storyline. FUCK THIS. It's fucking disturbing. My only consolation is knowing that in the Me Too era of 2018 this would never ever air on television and that instead we get Josie and the Pussycats beating up a would-be rapist on Riverdale instead. 

 

I want to give a thumbs up to Tara for the "Steve Bennett" reference. I literally said "Steve Bennett like Bart Simpson?" and then Tara said it and I was like "YEEEEEEEESSS!" and did a fist pump. And speaking of the Simpsons and Riverdale, I know people in a previous post were talking about how hot Luke Perry is on Riverdale but to me when I see his wrinkly face it's like staring down my own mortality and I hear Grandpa Simpson yelling "DEAAATH!"

[yousetmeupyoucrud]

Also I know it doesn't work for plot purposes or for this show at all, but think about who you were your senior year of high school up to your junior year of college. And then think about the person you were at 23-24. I think most of us grew a lot in that period of time and met lots of different people that replaced one another in our affections. Dylan still being hung up on Kelly after several years of traveling around the world means he's either totally stubborn or really boring and stupid.

[TeeVee329]

21 hours ago, yousetmeupyoucrud said:

I'm curious if TV shows back in the day were routinely this bad about retcons/backstories/continuity or if this was a new low.

I think they were because, while there were repeats, you couldn't rewatch episodes and scrutinize them the way we do now.

When it comes to continuity issues of this type, I always think back to "The Golden Girls" and how many times they changed the names and/or number of the Girls' children and grandchildren.

[CurlyATX]

I always assumed that Dylan and Kelly just had amazing sex and that's what makes them think they have a deep connection.  I think there is something about "winning Dylan" that appeals to Kelly.

The stat rape- ugh! I just can't.  Why didn't David sue Da Club for allowing an underage girl in there? I hate how when Val screws the photographer to get over David she's given the burden of AIDS exposure and how David slut shames her for "moving fast".  Yet Sophie JUST skipped town and David does this and everyone rallies around. 

[Cekrypton1]

" ... And her parents have agreed to be more involved in her life." Neat! That seems like exactly what every teenager wants.

[meggonzo]

I thought Denise's original complaint was that her parents were too strict and over-involved.

[ZeroDiscipline]

You are right. Seems at this point, writers couldn't even follow their own train of thought for two consecutive episodes. 

[txhorns79]

I am surprised Mrs. Teasley didn't say "Excuse me?  Are we peers now?" and then proceed to slap Dylan upside the head for calling her "Yvonne."  I mean, really.  She isn't even real, but I would never dare call her by her first name. 

[WhosThatGirl]

My favorite thing of this episode was that the meter for a good person is if they have a radio show. What? I... there are low bars for things and then there’s making up your own scale. But whatever.

Also again I never watched 90210 when it actually aired because I was a baby and I know it because of reruns that aired on soapnet in between the Oc and Veronica mars so yeah.. and some of these later episodes I never saw at all so listening to the podcast clips is so fun because I’m curious with how this show even got to this season number. I don’t think this show would have made it this far if it’s was on tv now. But I could be wrong.

[ZeroDiscipline]

On 9/20/2018 at 7:44 PM, WhosThatGirl said:

My favorite thing of this episode was that the meter for a good person is if they have a radio show

Reminds me of another gentleman who had a radio show:

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/01/23/keillor-workplace

[WhosThatGirl]

10 minutes ago, ZeroDiscipline said:

Reminds me of another gentleman who had a radio show:

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/01/23/keillor-workplace

I mean yes. I don’t personally know that story but I’m pretty sure there are plently of other people on the radio who aren’t good but Dylan’s whole thing for how David Silver is a good guy included that he has a radio show! What? Um... 

And yeah also.. Dylan couldn’t have said anything else to up David’s character because David really doesn’t have great guy attributes because David has no even decent attributes and Dylan wouldn’t know him anyway by this point because he literally just got back into town. He honestly has no idea what David’s been up to, so.. this was ridiculous. But no. He has a radio show. And Mrs. Tensley was like “okay, fine”.