There are plenty of worthy things to blog about right now (like how scary Sarah Palin is), but I can't even think about politics right now without getting pretty darn upset and scared (I really really hope no one buys the typical Republican rhetoric that has been repackaged in this attractive woman with an annoying yet strangely persuasive voice). So I'm instead going to focus on something that has brought me countless hours of enjoyment and entertainment for the past 18 years which has been repackaged in an attractive and updated way. That's right, 90210 is back, and I have to admit that even though I'm probably out of their target demographic, I'm hooked! Is it wrong that a 32 year old (or nearly 32, my birthday is tomorrow) is geeking out on a teen soap opera?
Brandon and Brenda Walsh were introduced to the world about a month after I started high school, and I was a loyal viewer from that first episode. It totally fed not only my appetite for teen drama but also my obsession with California (which, at that time, I'd never been to). I watched all through high school, college, and beyond. It was like I grew up with the kids from West Beverly. Once Soap Net started showing reruns everyday, I even started DVRing those, and as a result, I've seen the entire series more times than I can remember.
Being such a fan of the original series, I was both excited and a little wary about the new series that debuted this week. The idea of picking up 8 years later seemed really exciting, but I was pretty sure I'd be disappointed b/c the old series was so familiar and was like an "old friend" -- would the new series really be able to live up to all this? I can't say for sure after having seen only the premier, but so far so good! I absolutely love the fact that they brought back Hannah (Andrea's daughter) and Erin (Kelly and David's half sister who is known on the new show as "Silver"). Though I do question the age thing -- I'm not obsessed or anything, so I'm not sure about the exact dates, but I feel like in the original show, Hannah was born long enough after Erin that they would never be in HS at the same time, and certainly not when Erin is supposed to only be a sophomore or junior. But, maybe I'm wrong, or maybe there'll be a storyline there along the lines of Hannah being super smart and having skipped a grade or two. Not out of the question given that Andrea, her mom, was the "brain" on the original series. The other rather inconsistent thing is that "Silver", who was a total platinum blond like Kelly in the original series, now has really dark hair (and the eyebrows to match). Not sure how a platinum blond turns into a dark dark brunette, but maybe it's supposed to be a dye-job that looks really natural. Because she lives in BH, so of course a 16 year old platinum blond could go brunette and look really natural, right?
Jenny Garth is back as Kelly, and the kicker with her is that she has a 4.5 year old son (who is adorable!). The show didn't address this in the opener, but word is that he's Dylan's which leaves it open for Luke Perry to return. Which would be awesome!!! Shannen Doherty is also back as Brenda. She's supposedly in town only temporarily while she performs in a play, but it looks like they're setting it up for her to decided to move back permanently. She looks really different, almost Asian; I barely recognized her. Brandon is supposedly in Belize or Brazil or something, but no mention is made of any of the other original characters in this episode. It's really disappointing to me that Tori's not back as Donna. While she was probably my least favorite in the original show, I've since come to like her more through her reality show, and really, it'd just be great if they could've included the Donna character for old time's sake.
When I heard that Rob Estes was playing the dad who moves his kids from Kansas to BH to become the principal of West Beverly, I was really excited. I loved him in Silk Stalkings. Apparently he was also in Melrose Place, but I never watched that show. Sadly, he looks so so old in this show. He's not nearly as hot as he was back in the day. But I guess that was over 10 years ago! I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see Lori Loughlin of "Full House" fame playing his wife; she, of course, still looks great. I'm also loving Jessica Walter as the stereotypical Beverly Hills grandma. She was great as the alcohol-drenched Lucille Bluth in "Arrested Development", and her character on this show is very similar.
The new show is decidedly edgier than the original, though most of the dialogue is pretty banal. And the Wilsons are definitely not the Walshes. It's certainly not amazing or even quality, TV. But for this original 90210 fan, it is definitely worthwhile TV just for the nostalgia element. Now if they could just get Tori and Luke on board!
Recent Comments