S01.E01: The Reunion

[Surrealist]

1 hour ago, jmonique said:

I'm not for body shaming, but I am for honest feedback, and I'm having a really hard time getting through this episode because I can't get over how Tori's face looks like she's made out of putty.

It's hard to watch too. 

I didn't see anyone in this thread bodyshaming, FWIW, but Tori's plastic surgery is overkill. Part of me feels kind of sorry for her on this end. 

I think she's funny and self-deprecating, but I can see how she might annoy others. YMMV. 

[ButIAm]

I was surprised at how NOT awkward this was. For a show that’s been off the air for nearly 20 years I was taken back at how potent the chem still was. And they’re all better actors too, so this just popped for me.

I love shows like The Comeback and Curb Your Enthusiasm. I think this concept is much better than a straight up 90210 season 11. It feels fresher, more now, and allows for more humor, and frankly more depth. I can only imagine the straight ridicule a literal reboot would generate.

I love me some 90210 but I think this was better written than most of that show. And they found a really clever, creative way to essentially give us all the old character, just wearing the names of their actors.

And I think they all look great! Wardrobe/hair/makeup is killin it.

I am so on board for this!

Edited August 8, 2019 by ButIAm

[deefizzle]

I actually really liked it, more than I thought I would. I had previously read about the premise so I knew going in that it wasn't a true "reboot". I was worried about how it would be executed but I think they did it well. It was funny and nostalgic and meta -- all great things IMO. I think an actual reboot of the show with them playing the characters 30 years later would fizzle out fast. The show went on too long as it was - its hard to believe there were 10 seasons and Brenda was only in 4. I don't think it ever bounced back once she left. And event though she signed on for this round, I still don't know it would keep my interest for that long with the original storyline. 

[memememe76]

Ian's incredulity at Tori not being able to achieve any semblance of financial stability was a punch in the gut. I always did enjoy Ian in the more serious scenes of 90210. 

The 90210 Originals are quite a lot (and there are other favourites from that show too), you add in their spouses, their kids, the producers of the new show, the likely young people who will play the kids of their characters on the new show...this is going to be a humungous cast. 

[sadie]

Really didn’t like it. Tori’s face is painful to look at and she’s just as bad an actress as she was then and I think my personal distaste for how her and Dean have misused money, basically ripping creditors off just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This is definitely my generation but it just didn’t make me want to watch more.

Luke Perry is the only true class act in this bunch, and sadly he is gone so I’m out.

[geauxaway]

1 hour ago, ButIAm said:

I was surprised at how NOT awkward this was. For a show that’s been off the air for nearly 20 years I was taken back at how potent the chem still was. And they’re all better actors too, so this just popped for me.

I love shows like The Comeback and Curb Your Enthusiasm. I think this concept is much better than a straight up 90210 season 11. It feels fresher, more now, and allows for more humor, and frankly more depth. I can only imagine the straight ridicule a literal reboot would generate.

I love me some 90210 but I think this was better written than most of that show. And they found a really clever, creative way to essentially give us all the old character, just wearing the names of their actors.

And I think they all look great! Wardrobe/hair/makeup is killin it.

I am so on board for this!

Loved it too!

I’m probably one of the few that also watched and enjoyed Hollywood Darlings and Return of the Mac on Pop!  So, I can get down with this format.

[methodwriter85]

5 hours ago, mtlchick said:

And a Hilary Swank cameo where she rolls in with her two Oscars saying “I lasted half a season. Look where it got me!”  

I could actually see that happening on the show and Swank being down for it. Like Jennie and Tori run into her at pilates (is that still cool?) or something.

5 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

That monstrosity never happened. So NONE of the bullshit that was shown in that "reboot" is going to be a part of this...whatever.

I mean, if you think about it, if they referenced anything that happened on the CW reboot, they'd have to get rights. Paying for the rights to a show that they were barely involved with (Jennie was the most involved and even she stopped appearing after season 2) doesn't make much sense.

Edited August 8, 2019 by methodwriter85

[heatherchandler]

15 hours ago, SevenStars said:

No, the intro made it clear it was going be done alphabetical. I guess to make sure there wasn't a fight about that.

I think that is how they did it for the original, right?

8 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

So are they ignoring that some of them were already in the other 90210 reboot?

I HATED that reboot.  It was such BS - they did Shannon a disservice... I could go on and on, it was so awful.  I don't think any true original show fans liked it.

I remember hearing the beginning guitar notes when they were promoting that awful reboot, and I was so excited - I wanted it to be good.  I was so disappointed. 

When I heard the guitar riffs THIS time, I got excited again and it actually lived up to what I had hoped for!  

7 hours ago, alexa said:

Jennie had some work done recently.  One day a picture was posted of her and she looked drastically different than she did just a few weeks before.

She looks like Mandy Moore!

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, heatherchandler said:

I think that is how they did it for the original, right?

Nope. The original had Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, LUKE PERRY, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Carol Potter, and James Eckhouse. 

5 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

I HATED that reboot.  It was such BS - they did Shannon a disservice... I could go on and on, it was so awful.  I don't think any true original show fans liked it.

It was a FUCKING INSULT and I stopped watching after the REVISIONIST history of the Brenda/Dylan/Twatness Triangle, and how Twat was the one who birthed Dylan's child and that he was a deadbeat dad.

[msrachelj]

23 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It’s also interesting that Jason got bumped from top billing to Gabrielle being the first in the opening credits.

Why? I find her the least likable.

 

I may be the only one who didn't watch the original. I was already older than the typical viewer. But I LOVED this! Thrilled with how they are doing it. I love Tori Spelling and sort of feel sorry for her, since her parents are the one's who taught her not one wit how to be a "normal" person. Gave her everything and then the father decides in his will, it's time for her to grow up so no money. How is that working out? Her life is a mess. So funny that she is making fun of her real life dead beat husband. Wonder how he feels about it? I also don't like how they are playing themselves but their significant others are not portrayed as such. Why the heck not? Did they not want anything to do with this project? It's disconcerting. 

[Writing Wrongs]

I kinda wish Tiffani Thiessen could make an appearance, even though I couldn't stand Valerie.

[Chaos Theory]

It couldn’t have been easy to be Tori Spelling.  To have Aaron Spelling as a father.  To have such a talented father and be around such talented people and to be only moderately talented yourself.   I have never been a fan of pointing out plastic surgery especially among women in Hollywood.   I don’t care but I know a lot of people do.   I actually found Tori funny on this.  Maybe that reality tv show of hers did her some good.   I think she had some funny lines.  I laughed out loud at the one about her having six kids and not enough money to bribe their way into college.  

[desertflower]

2 hours ago, outofbounds said:

I haven’t laughed out loud at a show in a long time and Brian whining about how he couldn’t find his wallet while JP looked legit scared and Tori and JG are losing it about her dress in the glass case made me die. So funny.

The scene on the plane afterwards was also funny.

I’m totally in.

I laughed at that too. So silly and ridiculous but hilarious how they were all interacting in such a crazy scene. Did you hear Brian say as they were leaving “I don’t think it’s a wise choice to leave your wallet at the scene of a crime!” Haha. I always thought Brian did solid work in the original and I enjoyed him in this.

I thought the dialogue was pretty snappy and well written. 

I think it’s probably funnier if you follow the cast and know some things about their real lives. I hadn’t kept up with Ian much (except knowing he did Sharknado) until a few months ago when Luke died; he was sharing lots of pic of Luke on Instagram so I started following him. He really does try to sell stuff and start new ventures all the time, so I thought that was pretty funny that they had him pushing his book during the reunion panel.

I also agree Jennie looked better in action than in some of the pictures I had seen of her recently. I don’t like to criticize their appearance, but I do feel a little sad for Tori that she felt she had to change her face so much at such a young age. (She started years ago!) 

I don’t think Luke will be an afterthought in the coming eps but I also think they don’t want to overdo it. The cast has said they don’t want it to be exploitative. I think they struck a nice balance in the first episode.

[ButIAm]

The meta concept aside, I honestly wonder how many fans are just not use to seeing 90210 with clever, mostly intelligent writing. Hate to say it but this is probably some of the best writing these actors have ever gotten from anything with the 90210 label.

I’m surprised to see the dress run getting flack. I thought that was hilarious, a classics 90210 gang moment. And it’s had an actual point beyond just antics.

I’m use to Tori’s face. She looks better in motion. But let’s be honest here, 90210 viewers were taking pot shots at her face long before it was touched with any fillers or Botox. The woman can’t win with some folks regardless. 

Gabrielle’s story was a real surprise. Yet somehow SO Andrea. She has some real chem with the bartender and Gabby played all that material beautifully. Also I think, contrary to real life, “Gabrielle” might have had her son earlier than Gabrielle. The actor playing her son is obviously older than her real life older daughter. Hence Tori talking about her having a family young.

I’m wondering if they’re gonna go for a Gabrielle/Christine Elise pairing.

Anyone else thinking that the “stalker” is a son Brian didn’t know about it? In real life he has a teen son with Vanessa Marcil, so it would be art imitating life.

It’s fun to discuss this but I think some folks are going WAY overboard trying to find the reality in every scrap of fiction.

Edited August 8, 2019 by ButIAm

[memememe76]

ETA: Double post. It should be noted that the pilot for the original series wasn't great either. So, I hope viewers can be more patient. Are the actors who play Mr. and Mrs. Walsh still alive?

Edited August 8, 2019 by memememe76

[Jack Terrier]

I loved it!  I still DVR the reruns that show on Pop and watched every week when it originally aired.  I don't get a chance to watch all of the reruns but they're like a warm blanket when there is nothing else on.  Can't wait to see where they go with this.  It has promise.

2 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

ETA: Double post. It should be noted that the pilot for the original series wasn't great either. So, I hope viewers can be more patient. Are the actors who play Mr. and Mrs. Walsh still alive?

I believe  Mrs Walsh was in the preview for next week.  Mr Walsh?  I'm sure he's still kicking.  He wasn't much older than "the kids" when it originally aired.

[methodwriter85]

3 minutes ago, ButIAm said:

Anyone else thinking that the “stalker” is a son Brian didn’t know about it? In real life he has a teen son with Vanessa Marcil, so it would be art imitating life.

I think the stalker believes he's Brian's son, but I think it's going to turn out to be Jason's son. That is pure Jason Priestley hair:

Quote

Gabrielle’s story was a real surprise. Yet somehow SO Andrea. She has some real chem with the bartender and Gabby played all that material beautifully. Also I think, contrary to real life, “Gabrielle” might have had her son earlier than Gabrielle. The actor playing her son is obviously older than her real life older daughter. Hence Tori talking about her having a family young.

It really did feel like something I could have seen adult Andrea doing after getting divorced from Jesse. In Gabrielle's case, she did attend a woman's college so she probably had no shortage of openly lesbian friends even in the early 80's. She's probably been versed women's studies discourse and sapphic symbolism. It'd be funny if it were true that Gab's gotten approached by lesbians who told her that she was their first crush, which I know that Nancy McKeon from the Facts of Life talked about. That might have given her the idea.

I thought the son could have been reasonably 25 which is what Gab's real life older daughter is- some people just look older, especially if a guy is wearing facial hair. Anyway, I was just ragging on the fact that Andrea was a pregnant 19-year old while Gabi was 33 years old when she had her first - not a young mom by any stretch. I mean, I'M 33 right now and if I suddenly had a kid I wouldn't consider myself a young dad by any stretch. You're right though that she could've been a mom earlier in life on this show, or they might have shaved off Gabi's age a little bit.

[spacefly]

25 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

Are the actors who play Mr. and Mrs. Walsh still alive?

I believe Mr Walsh is only 5-6 years older than Andrea Z.

[ButIAm]

1 hour ago, msrachelj said:

Why? I find her the least likable.

So she shouldn’t lead the credits because you don’t find her likable? 

She’s there because her last name begins with C. 

[methodwriter85]

Just now, spacefly said:

I believe Mr Walsh is only 5-6 years older than Andrea Z.

That is hysterical, and I believe it was referenced in the 90210 satire Grosse Pointe, where the Jim Walsh character is obsessed with the Brandon Walsh satire and buys him a tight-fitting surf suit so he can watch him change into it. Not Brandon Walsh tells him that he wishes he were his real father, and Not Jim Walsh tells him, "Oh, I'm much too young to be your real dad!"

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, msrachelj said:

Why? I find her the least likable.

I didn't say anything about Gabrielle's likeability. I just thought that's the only deviation, if you will, from the original opening credits. But then again, when the original aired, the premise was about two teens fresh out of water, so Jason and Shannen were the first two shown. I didn't know that they'd decided to do it alphabetically for this show.

[alexa]

1 hour ago, ButIAm said:

The meta concept aside, I honestly wonder how many fans are just not use to seeing 90210 with clever, mostly intelligent writing. Hate to say it but this is probably some of the best writing these actors have ever gotten from anything with the 90210 label.

I’m surprised to see the dress run getting flack. I thought that was hilarious, a classics 90210 gang moment. And it’s had an actual point beyond just antics.

I’m use to Tori’s face. She looks better in motion. But let’s be honest here, 90210 viewers were taking pot shots at her face long before it was touched with any fillers or Botox. The woman can’t win with some folks regardless. 

Gabrielle’s story was a real surprise. Yet somehow SO Andrea. She has some real chem with the bartender and Gabby played all that material beautifully. Also I think, contrary to real life, “Gabrielle” might have had her son earlier than Gabrielle. The actor playing her son is obviously older than her real life older daughter. Hence Tori talking about her having a family young.

I’m wondering if they’re gonna go for a Gabrielle/Christine Elise pairing.

Anyone else thinking that the “stalker” is a son Brian didn’t know about it? In real life he has a teen son with Vanessa Marcil, so it would be art imitating life.

It’s fun to discuss this but I think some folks are going WAY overboard trying to find the reality in every scrap of fiction.

I didn’t consider the writing clever at all really.  In fact I found it very sub par.  Just saying this to remind you it is an opinion, and for those not loving it doesn’t mean we have a lack of understanding of clever writing—not everyone considers it to be so.

As for the looking for reality, it is because there is some reality, esp if you consider Tori.  She is my biggest issue on this show because she has serious issues, is using this show to joke about them, but does nothing in real life to acknowledge or fix them.  

[Writing Wrongs]

I loved when they showed Shannen's giant close-up and she has that tear going down her face from talking about animal rescue and the audience is "awwing".

The dress stealing and plane scenes were the funniest to me. I rewound them a couple of times. When Tori comes out wearing the dress:

Tori: Jennie!

Jennie: Oh Lord, she put it on.

LOL.

[MeLikesTV]

Was that Brenda and Brandon's mom playing a therapist-like character in the trailer? Hope we see more cameos from supporting actors since this isn’t going to be played out as a true reboot. 

[theredhead77]

 

 

 

 

18 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I'd also like to know what Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green do to stay so young looking.  I mean, Ian is 55!

Shut your face! I believe you, but there is no need for that sort of nonsense around these parts.

I can't edit my above post for some reason but I do want to make it clear I'm joking around.

I don't know what's going on but my posts are merging. Still can't edit. 

[desertflower]

7 minutes ago, MeLikesTV said:

Was that Brenda and Brandon's mom playing a therapist-like character in the trailer? Hope we see more cameos from supporting actors since this isn’t going to be played out as a true reboot. 

Yes, that was Carol Potter and she is a therapist in real life so I love that they cast her that way. 

[methodwriter85]

8 minutes ago, desertflower said:

Yes, that was Carol Potter and she is a therapist in real life so I love that they cast her that way. 

I really hope that if this run gets additional episodes, they'll find Jackie Taylor giving a sermon at a church in Virginia.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The best parts, unsurprisingly to me, were the flashback behind-the-scenes bits.  I had seen most all of them, but they were still nice, and fun, to see.

Jennie the angry slut?  Who the hell approved this portrayal?  Coming on to the pig farmer (smoking hot as he was)?!!!!!  What is his zip code?  E I E I O?

I could not get past how they were all in that lobby, of the freaking 90201 convention, and nobody bothered them as they had that initial encounter with each other.  The clueless greeter was beyond anything, as well.

I did not hear even a mention of TAT.  Not cool.  No Sharknado references to/about Ian?  A good laugh eschewed.

If anything, this reboot proved that Luke was the real spark.   

[methodwriter85]

I thought the pig farmer was Marcus Rosner, who appeared on Lifetime's UnReal and does a bunch of Hallmark movies, but it was actually an actor named Christopher Russell, who also appeared on UnReal and in Hallmark movies. Hallmark really does have a type.

[Mu Shu]

19 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

Jennie is my fave so far. She's hilarious and she looks great.

I think Tori is funny also. This style is similar to her, So NoTORIous show and she was very funny in that.

Can't wait for Shannen to get into it.

Ah poop, I forgot to watch this!

Tori was funny on some show where I think she was a dog walker, and on saved by the bell. She’s got some chops.

[ButIAm]

1 hour ago, alexa said:

I didn’t consider the writing clever at all really.  In fact I found it very sub par.

Oof. What do you think of the writing on the original show?

I’m curious, how do you know what Tori Spelling is doing in real life to acknowledge and fix whatever her problems are? Your post also seems to be taking her life choices awfully personal...

Edited August 8, 2019 by ButIAm

[ParadoxLost]

2 hours ago, ButIAm said:

Anyone else thinking that the “stalker” is a son Brian didn’t know about it? In real life he has a teen son with Vanessa Marcil, so it would be art imitating life.

If this "stalker" is Brian Austin Green's son on the show, he is going to Tori Spelling levels of willingness to air his dirty laundry as it relates to his and Marcil's son and her allegations.

2 hours ago, desertflower said:

I don’t think Luke will be an afterthought in the coming eps but I also think they don’t want to overdo it. The cast has said they don’t want it to be exploitative. I think they struck a nice balance in the first episode.

This is not really a show where they can do a whole serious tribute.  If they were to do it, they just need to do some kind of companion interview/clip episode.  I agree they are striking the right balance with unspoken acknowledgement and quiet / sad/ reflective moments.

The tribute I am looking forward to is the one Riverdale is doing.  I was happy to find out that they wrote a guest part for Shannen Doherty.

[ButIAm]

I thought they did a perfect job with the Luke touches.

If they actually get the reboot off the ground I wonder if the characters in the show-within-a-show will acknowledge the passing of Dylan McKay. 

[outofbounds]

3 hours ago, desertflower said:

I laughed at that too. So silly and ridiculous but hilarious how they were all interacting in such a crazy scene. Did you hear Brian say as they were leaving “I don’t think it’s a wise choice to leave your wallet at the scene of a crime!” Haha. I always thought Brian did solid work in the original and I enjoyed him in this.

Hahahahhaha I didn't hear that but the way he delivered the line about not being able to find his wallet had me rolling.  

A friend of mine hated it and I was discussing it with her.  She was a diehard original recipe 90210 fan and for her, the fact that it was funny just wasn't her thing.  90210 was dramatic and while some moments were funny, most of the cast spent a lot of their scenes crying, emoting or being super angsty.  She wasn't vibing with the fact that suddenly it was a comedy.  I get that.  When you grew up with a show as important as this one was, to have it totally do a 180 and become completely different can be rough.  I asked her if she was going to give it a try past the first episode and she said no, though I suspect she will.  I don't think anyone who's as diehard as she is would pass up watching her faves on TV again every week...even if she did hate it.

And whoever said the first episode of original recipe 90210 wasn't that great was SPOT ON.  It was bad.  Hilariously so.  JP and Shannen were laughable.  The way he used to end every single sentence during a conversation with Jim with a sneering "DAD" was irritating as hell.  In fact, I don't think JP really hit his stride with the show until early in the second season.  None of them did, really.  Luke was nothing to write home about either in his first few appearances.  I watched up until season 4 over this summer and I laughed to myself when I thought about how Dylan was the epitome of a bad boy for me growing up.  Uh...not so much.  

I think the real spark of the show was when they put Brenda and Dylan together and suddenly decided to approach the "teen sex" storylines that were so taboo.  I mean, Brenda and Dylan sleeping together at prom was a HUGE deal when it aired.  I remember the uproar afterwards as well.  That was when the show really started to get buzz about how it was pushing the envelope.

JG does very well with comedy.  I watched What I Like About You and after that I always thought she did better with comedy then she did with drama.  

Either way...like it or not...I give everyone credit for trying to do something so completely different from what the show was before.  That takes guts.  And hey...these people haven't really led me astray with anything they've done before, I can't imagine this will be any different.

[TeeVee329]

I have a possibly unpopular opinion.  I've seen a bunch of reactions online today that are basically, "Why wasn't it just a straight-up reboot!  If it was a straight-up reboot, it'd be a smash!".  And I certainly get that desire, that impulse.

But I think that it would have also not worked, and maybe not worked even more than this take (which - I thought that was, you know, not Good TV, but was an entertaining way to spend an hour with a glass of wine.  And six episodes of broadcast TV is a light commitment to make).  I just keep thinking about the dream sequence that started this episode.  "OMG, Donna and David are still being schmoopy at the Peach Pit!  OMG, Brandon owns it now and he and Kelly are together!  OMG, Andrea with the egg!".  I feel like the characters would have been locked in time for 20 years, and we've seen how that dooms other revivals ("Gilmore Girls" is what came to mind for me).  I just feel like getting bits and pieces of that in dream sequences and, presumably eventually, show-within-the-show clips is gonna work better than an hour of it every week for multiple weeks.

And it feels like this has more freedom.  "Gabrielle" can kiss a girl and "Jason" can cheat on his wife and "Brian" can maybe have a secret kid in a way that Andrea and Brandon and David can't, you know?

Am I making any sense lol?

Edited August 8, 2019 by TeeVee329

[seaELare]

I’m easy to please, I loved original recipe 90210, I’ve loved BAG since he was a wee laddie on Knot’s Landing. I knew the setup of this “reboot” for a while and the concept seriously piqued my interest. It did not let me down. I knew Luke Perry was never going to be involved in this reboot but gotdamn their acknowledgement of his loss early on and then at the end killed me. 

[outofbounds]

27 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

Am I making any sense lol?

You are to me.

Anyone who watched the last season of this show knows that it was seriously done when it ended.  The storylines were...meh.  The actors they brought in to - hopefully - replace JP never really panned out and even Dylan returning for his happily ever after with Kelly was....um ok.

They had come to the point where they weren't kids anymore and the storylines were starting to get redundant.  It was definitely time to move on.

I don't think the show would've been popular if they had rebooted it to be "where are they now?" about the characters.  When the earlier reboot was on, Kelly, Brenda and Donna were on and they were quickly written off because no one was interested.

[mtlchick]

25 minutes ago, outofbounds said:

And whoever said the first episode of original recipe 90210 wasn't that great was SPOT ON.  It was bad.  Hilariously so

YES. However, I don't think the script was the worst part.  I understand the change of the  home from the pilot to the actual series when they're strictly on location and no sets were built yet, but considering James Eckhouse was a recast after the pilot was shot, every scene with him was shot on the new set and not in the home that they used! Especially the scene where they had their family dinner and you can tell the settings did not match the rest of the house.  That drove me nuts for YEARS. 

6 hours ago, memememe76 said:

I always did enjoy Ian in the more serious scenes of 90210. 

The episode of Milton Berle doesn't get enough credit.  Definitely his best work.

Random thought; they will very likely mention Tori on the Masked Singer (corporate synergy at work!) but not mention that Ian, Jennie and Shannen all appeared on Dancing With the Stars, where I thought Shannen was booted way too early. 

23 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

But I think that it would have also not worked, and maybe not worked even more than this take (which - I thought that was, you know, not Good TV, but was an entertaining way to spend an hour with a glass of wine.  And six episodes of broadcast TV is a light commitment to make). 

I agree with all of this, and part of the problem is, I don't think people really knew what it was supposed to be if they didn't see or read the interviews and press releases.  I feel that people are using the word reboot too liberally.  To me, reboot is Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0 and MacGyver; same character names and traits for a new audience.  The CW 90210 is a mix of a reboot with Jennie, Tori and Shannen appearing and a reimaging with new people.  

What people wanted is a continuation like we have with Will and Grace currently.  I was excited to hear about Will and Grace returning but now I feel "well, they could have capped this as one season to retcon some things that didn't end properly.  Not drag it out for 3 seasons."  I don't remember much of the final 2 years of 90210, but I know most people got their happy ending.  It didn't really need a revisit of what happened, and the choices made for some of those characters in the CW version were simply bad.  I guess people hoped this version would fix those choices.  But that would mean explaining things like why Brenda decides to come back after 25 years, what happened to Dylan, etc.  And if the actors didn't want to that but still wanted to work together, I think this is the right compromise. 

[ButIAm]

This pilot has two legs up on the OG pilot:

It’s a ratings success.

It’s a critical success.

I mean the AV Club gave it a good view. Color me shocked.

[Jillybean]

Welp, someone registered the domain name pawsitivelyshannen.org today and is "selling the website" for $90,210. Good luck.

[alexa]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

I have a possibly unpopular opinion.  I've seen a bunch of reactions online today that are basically, "Why wasn't it just a straight-up reboot!  If it was a straight-up reboot, it'd be a smash!".  And I certainly get that desire, that impulse.

But I think that it would have also not worked, and maybe not worked even more than this take (which - I thought that was, you know, not Good TV, but was an entertaining way to spend an hour with a glass of wine.  And six episodes of broadcast TV is a light commitment to make).  I just keep thinking about the dream sequence that started this episode.  "OMG, Donna and David are still being schmoopy at the Peach Pit!  OMG, Brandon owns it now and he and Kelly are together!  OMG, Andrea with the egg!".  I feel like the characters would have been locked in time for 20 years, and we've seen how that dooms other revivals ("Gilmore Girls" is what came to mind for me).  I just feel like getting bits and pieces of that in dream sequences and, presumably eventually, show-within-the-show clips is gonna work better than an hour of it every week for multiple weeks.

And it feels like this has more freedom.  "Gabrielle" can kiss a girl and "Jason" can cheat on his wife and "Brian" can maybe have a secret kid in a way that Andrea and Brandon and David can't, you know?

Am I making any sense lol?

You make sense, but I don’t think many of the comments were saying it should be a reboot.  I think more of them were overall opinions about how they did with the format in general.  Some liked it, some didn’t.  

25 minutes ago, ButIAm said:

This pilot has two legs up on the OG pilot:

It’s a ratings success.

It’s a critical success.

I mean the AV Club gave it a good view. Color me shocked.

I saw mixed reviews, and the ratings were okay and what FOX hoped for but not super high.  But hey, it probably did better than some other new shows.  It will be more interesting to see if they keep or lose viewers. 

[Samwise979]

Idk if it was the nostalgia or what but I freakin LOVED it!!!

And my 90's teenage heart broke over and over whenever they brought up Luke and the end made me tear up. 😭

I for one will be turning in for all the episodes and hoping it's not just one season. 

[Samwise979]

Just because their characters names are the same as their own doesn't mean they're playing themselves. It's a fictional show pretending to be a reality show not an actual reality show. They're playing fictional versions of themselves (with some truth thrown in there to make it seem more like a reality show). 

[Moxie Cat]

4 hours ago, memememe76 said:

Are the actors who play Mr. and Mrs. Walsh still alive?

If you check out the other "90210 reboot" thread, there is a recent pic of them with "Reek." 

On a related note, is Joe E. Tata still alive? He was in the CW 90210 reboot. I can't imagine they wouldn't try to get Nat into this show somehow if he were still around.

[Ohmo]

1 hour ago, ParadoxLost said:

This is not really a show where they can do a whole serious tribute. 

I'm not talking about a series of tributes.  You can overdo those, and then it becomes inappropriate or exploitative.  I'm talking about how several people commented about seeing Dylan in his Porsche and experiencing a nostalgic reaction.  That car and Luke in that car was significant imagery to the original series.  I hope we get to see more things like that---so that we have references to Dylan that also honor and respect Luke.  I hope this series has found a way to do that so that there continue to be references to Dylan.

[configdotsys]

I had no expectations for this show and only found out about this reboot on the front page of Primetimer this week. I was thrilled and happily set the DVR.

I’m not sure what to think. I was so confused and could not figure out what was going on between the real and fiction things that were happening. I tried to articulate in a post what confused me but I erased it all because I couldn’t say it in a way that made any sense. 

I’ll continue to record and watch though. I was so happy to see them again, even if Tori looks grotesque. My head is still spinning.

I did tear up when they showed Dylan. His death was just so very sad. He died while I was going through aggressive chemo and was my age so it made me so fearful that something could happen to us “young” people. 

[dirtydi]

15 hours ago, eXiled said:

Jason: Jason, like Jenny, came off a little volatile with the whole decking that actor thing. His TV wife appears to be his manager or, at the very least, highly ambitious. Jenny wanted it known that Jason is not the boy next door. That beef seems out of nowhere, but as I said, I don't know much about their lives/

I know for the Jason volatile angle, he has been known to punch people who deserve it (Harvey Weinstein and, if I remember correctly, Nick Savalas, Tori's jerk ex-boyfriend) and they are making fun of that.

[Chaos Theory]

I really hope they make Andrea gay. 

[fountain]

I didn’t even know about this show until I saw a commercial about it. Anyway in the first few minutes with the peach pit stuff I was “ugh it is going to be this?” When it switched to the plane and Tori and Jennie as “themselves” it got interesting. I loved it! I know a lot of about some of their lives so the not exactly real life stuff I found interesting. As I watched a lot of Tori and Dean stuff I maybe found her more endearing than others did as IDK why there is just something about Tori I like.

Edited August 9, 2019 by fountain

[mamadrama]

I actually liked the format. It's very similar to the very enjoyable "Hollywood Darlings" (3 actresses from Full House, Step By Step, and 7th Heaven play dramatized versions of themselves). I know the most about Brian, Tori, and Jennie though. so I probably didn't get the inside jokes about Ian and Brandon. I didn't care for the stealing of the dress, either, but I wondered if it wasn't a spoof on OJ Simpson in Vegas. He was arrested for stealing his own memorabilia.