Wedding Bell Blues

Mark here... we are finally at the season finale of season 2 of 90210! Thank god! I want to say this season was better than season one, but really its about the same.  You remember the show as being so entertaining, and while it has it's moments, there's so much filler!

In any case, this episode deals with the fallout from last episode with Dylan and Brenda going to Mexico.  Jim Walsh has to pick up Brenda from Mexico and is understandably furious.  He reads Brenda and Dylan the riot act. Dylan is surprisingly such a jerk this episode.  Granted he is supposed to be a poor little rich boy, but he sure does act like it this episode.  He never fails to make everything all about him and has no perception of why Jim and Cindy would feel betrayed by him.  After a serious of talks with Jim Walsh he ends up exploding at the end of the episode at Jim, going so far as telling Jim to punch him.  Jeez, chill out Dylan!  On the one hand it's believable for a spoiled teenage rich kid.  On the other, it's annoying, as he seems more concerned with looking cool.  Not sure if this is the actor or the writing....but the cliffhanger of the season/episode is Brenda crying after her dad and Dylan's big blowout.

One fun part about this is at one point Cindy writes a heartfelt note to Dylan about making up with Jim and we get to see her note on her "stationary"...which is so clearly printed out on someone's home printer with just "Cindy Walsh" on the top...not even "From the desk of Cindy Walsh"!

CINDY WALSH!!

The other plot line is Kelly's mom, Jackie, marrying David Silver's dad, Mel.  This proves to be a comedy of errors as flooding prevents them from having their wedding at their house.  Brandon accidentally tells Kelly they should have their wedding at the Walsh house...on thing leads to another and soon Cindy and Jim are begrudgingly offering their house.  Jim and Cindy do provide a bit of "wacky" comic relief here.  Of course, Jackie has no friends, so Kelly, Brenda and Donna serve as bridesmaids.

Laurel here...First of all, I think it's totally hilarious/wrong/the best that Brenda and Donna are Jackie's bridesmaids.  My mom Barb sometimes crosses the line with my friends, but really, this takes the cake!!!

Also this episode Dylan is so annoying!  He whisks Jim's TEENAGE daughter to MEXICO, and then is bent out of shape because Jim is upset.  At one point at the wedding he throws his glass beer bottle at the wall, breaking it, because he is so upset with Jim for "breaking his trust"  Really?  Jim broke your trust?  At which point he also tells Jim, "get your hands off my money!"  Like there's anyone more trustworthy in Los Angeles to handle your money than Jim Walsh.  Please.  Jim is like an investment unicorn...someone this trustworthy doesn't even exist in real life.

Also this episode Brenda is super annoying (surprise!).  Dylan says he may not go to Jackie's wedding because of the tension with Jim.  Brenda says she's not going if he doesn't go.  Really?  You aren't going to go to your best friends mom's wedding?  At which you are supposed to be a bridesmaid?  Because your "teenage" boyfriend is mad at your dad?

So style award this episode goes to...Jackie!  For her actually awesome maternity dress.  This is our very first non-ironic style award guys.  Enjoy it while it lasts because there won't be many more.

Our cocktail moment would be any time Jake from Melrose hits on Kelly...umm, statutory rape!

We are so excited to be done with nine-0 for now!  On to Buffy!  The theme is going to be "bloodless"  we are challenging ourselves to an entirely vegetarian season.  stay tuned!

Mexican Standoff

Amalia here, Guest Blogger Extraordinaire...Laurel prepared an amazing breakfast burger on a tater tot waffle with a side of arugula salad along with homemade fresh tomato bloody mary's (really the best I've ever had!).

Bloody Marys and Breakfast Burgers on Tater tot waffles

The egg is a little prettier here

Today's episode focused on Brenda's angsty relationship with her parents, Jim and Cindy, who are frustrated with her constant curfew lapses due to some hot make out scenes with Dylan (who has always been my favorite of the 90210 boys).

Brenda plots a sneaky plan to join Dylan on a surfing trip to Baja when her parents refuse to let her go. And in true 90's soap style, the trip turns out to be a disaster! Brenda and Dylan get in a fight because Dylan is a slutty, teenage boy and Brenda's not the first girl he's brought to Baja. Oh Dylan, those sideburns are too hard to resist!

And meanwhile, back in B.H., Kelly is hitting on the sexy Jake from Melrose Place...wait, how old is this dude?? Uh oh, I smell trouble...

Mark here...Amalia did a great job of summing things up! Basically, Brenda and Dylan plot this Mexican getaway, and because we must have a lesson for the teenagers, things go amuck!  Of course, they do end up having fun but at first Brenda pouts after finding out Dylan brought another girl to Baja while she and Dylan were "on a break"!  Sigh...   Eventually they make up and end up dancing at a restaurant, succeeding in being the whitest people in Mexico.

Blending right in

Meanwhile, Brandon and Kelly provide cover for Brenda with the Walshes and seem to be a little annoyed with it.  Kelly though is distracted with sexy Jake from Melrose Place. Where does he live? Oh "this little place off Melrose, nothing special".  He's doing construction at Kelly's house and is clearly double Kelly's age! Scandal!  We also get another reference to Steve's ongoing crush on Kelly, which is the most boring subplot.

One funny part is when Andrea gets wind of Brenda and Dylan's trip and promptly tries to plan a group trip to hone in on their romantic getaway. Oh Andrea.

In the end, Dylan and Brenda get stopped at the border coming back to the US and Brenda has forgotten her I.D.  Cliffhanger! Really, this is pre-9/11, I doubt the border guards would care too much about 2 obviously american teenagers, but we need to have a lesson about lying to your parents!

Hey Laurel here...I can't wait to find out what happens?!?  Are Jim and Cindy really going to find out?!?

Style award this episode goes to....Dylan!   For his sleeveless wetsuit/mom jeans combo.  Way to go Dylan!  Also the reception desk at Dylan and Brenda's baja hotel, which was wearing a mexiacn blanket.  Arriba!

(Style Honorable mention also goes to Dylan for making a Hawaiian shirt look surprisingly hip - it must be those damn sideburns!)

Cocktail moment is when Jake asks Kelly, "Are you going to be around?"  to which she replies "Why, do you need someone to hold your level?"  Dirty girl.  Dirty dirty teenage girl.

Breakfast/brunch pizza

Mark here...I was inspired to try this recipe after reading this blog post:

http://garlicgirl.com/2011/09/05/breakfast-pizza/

I'm generally not a fan of anything that looks remotely like baking, but this seemed pretty easy...although I still managed to get flour everywhere in my kitchen...

I used the dough recipe from http://chefchuckscucina.blogspot.com 

Ingredients

Dough:

4 1/2 cups of flour

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon of yeast

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

Topping:

Fresh Mozzarella

2 eggs

2 heirloom tomatoes

prosciutto

fresh baby arugula

I made the dough and put it in the fridge overnight.  Begin by adding the yeast to the water and let it dissolve about 15-20 minutes.  Then add the sugar, olive oil and vinegar to it. Mix the flour and salt in a food processor and then slowly add the water mixture to this.  Eventually a ball will form.  Tip the ball onto a floured board and knead until it gets less sticky.  Add more flour if necessary.  Oil a bowl and put the ball into it, cover with a towel and let it rest/expand.  It needs 2 hours, but mine was in the fridge overnight.

When ready, preheat the oven to 500F and lay out the flour into the shape you want your pizza.  You will need a bit more flour and then transfer to a cookie sheet or pizza stone.  One mistake I made was letting the pizza get too thick.  There's a reason they do all that flipping and tossing in a pizzeria!  I plan on trying pizza again to get it right but basically the center should be thin.

After laying it out I sliced and layed out mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes and then prosciutto bits.  I originally put some baby arugula but this is best added when the pizza comes out of the oven so it can slightly wilt.  Put the pizza in the oven for about 5-7 minutes.  In the meantime crack the eggs into separate bowls.  Remove the pizza and add the eggs on top.  Cook another 5-7 minutes or until the eggs are done.  I like mine white but the yolks runny.  Remove the pizza and sprinkle with arugula and serve...

Things to do on a Rainy Day

Ok guys.  Laurel here.  Apparently things to do on a rainy day include cheating on your husband...because that's what Donna's mom does in this episode!

The gang heads down to the four seasons or shutters or the Beverly Wilshire or whatever to try and meet the band Color me Badd (I know) because they are playing a sold out show at the Whiskey but of course the gang thinks hey can score a way in to the show somehow.

Wouldn't you know it?  Donna's mom is having an affair at that very hotel.  and wouldn't you know it?  Donna happens to be on her floor looking for Color me Badd when she instead finds her mom making out with some dude at his room, but IN THE HALLWAY.  How about a little discretion Donna's mom?

Mark here.... Laurel did a great job of recapping the episode.  All in all it was a "funner" episode than the last 3! One thing that was sort of creepy is when Kelly goes back to the hotel room with Color Me Badd! Um ! Date Rape!  It's so weird?!

There's a subplot with the boys attempting to get a stripper to come to the house (Because Jim and Cindy just had to step out?).  Unfortunately Andrea shows up and reminds the boys that the stripper is a human being by talking to her about her life. Wah Wah Andrea. So when Andrea finally leaves its much less sexy to watch the girl try and strip. Thanks, Andrea.  This is what she looks like when she comes to the door.  Do you think she brought a bag of Carp?

There's not too much else to say about the episode.  It was entertaining because of Color Me Badd, and slightly awful. No quotes...

Cocktail moment is clearly any reference to Color Me Badd, who really define douchebag....

Style award goes to Donna for her matching red and black diamonds outfit including red and black diamond hot pants, and a red leather jacket...

Meeting Mr Pony

Mark here...god damn it this was another stinker! this episode, called "Meeting Mr Pony" was awful. Basically, Brenda is hanging out at the Peach Pitt after dark (sorry not the Peach Pitt After Dark, that comes later), and while Brandon and Dylan are fooling around out back...not literally sadly...Brenda gets held up by some thug.  The whole rest of the episode is Brenda dealing with some PTSD.  Really?!? Who the F cares?! The only funny moment comes as Brenda, who is clearly dealing with issues, is in class with a super chatty annoying Andrea.  She basically tells her to shut up, which is always fun.

Otherwise this episode sucked.  Even Jim and Cindy, normally the voices of reason, are late to catch on to Brenda's trauma.  I mean really, your daughter has been held up and you're fine with it? Sure they came around, but I don't really believe it would've taken them that long to figure it out.  Basically a blah episode...

Laurel here..I agree with Mark, what a snoozer!

Here's another Andrea moment worth mentioning...When the gang gets back to the Walsh house from somewhere, Andrea is just casually reading in the Walsh's living room.  What is she reading?  The Bible?  A dictionary?  Ulysses?  The Torah?  We may never know.

Style award this episode goes to...Cindy yet again!  For her little house on the prairie ensemble.  Way to go Cindy!

The Pit and the Pendulum

Hi guys Laurel here...So this episode was even more of a snoozer than the last.  Mainly Mark and me talked about our plans for after we win powerball tonight but we also watched the episode.  We are good at multi tasking.

So this episode, one of Jim's clients, an investor, wants to build a huge shopping mall where the Peach Pit is so they are offering to buy Nat out.  The Pit has fallen on hard times, Nat can barely afford to stay open so it looks like he will have to take the offer.  Oh no!  No Peach Pit!  What is everyone going to do?  Brandon will have to find a new job!  Brenda will have to find a new venue to hone her acting chops!  Andrea will have to find somewhere besides school to be annoying!

So of course Brandon wants to save the Peach Pit.  Which puts him at odds with a hot college girl he has a crush on who is the daughter of the main investor, and also Jim who obviously wants to close this deal for his client, Peach Pit be damned.  So drama ensues then in the end the deal falls through and the Peach Pit is saved!  Yay!

Mark here...so Laurel did a great job of summing up the calamity that would ensue should the Peach Pitt close.  All I can add is, once the deal falls through everyone is so psyched! Nat is thrilled to go back to 60 hour weeks at an old diner in Beverly Hills!  That expensive check means nothing after teenage Brandon's heartfelt talk about the "history" of the Peach Pitt! The staff is ecstatic to go back to their minimum wage jobs slinging burgers! Yay!!

Our quote of note this episode goes to Brenda, mustering all her sympathy at the closing of the Peach Pitt..."I like Nat too Brandon, I mean he even named a milkshake after me!"  I imagine that milkshake involves cayenne pepper and garlic...

Style award goes to the always reliable Cindy Walsh for her color-blocked shirt at the beginning of the episode....

Every time anyone mentions the cook Willie needing to keep his job is a definite cocktail moment.  I'm just guessing here but I think we'll never hear about Willie again!

Cardio-Funk

Mark here...Laurel and I are on to the next episode of 90210, "Cardio-Funk".  I've made my first attempt at pizza.  This is a breakfast/brunch version.  it turned out ok, although in the future I will know to thin the crust a bit more.

Anyway, on to the episode...this one was a bit of a snore.  The title refers to the pseudo-aerobics class that Kelly and Brenda have joined.  Of course, Brenda scandalously meets some buff dude who is clearly interested in her.  Meanwhile, said buff dude looks 37 and gay.  But regardless, Kelly teases Brenda and Brenda acts "confused" by the attention. She is after all, dating Dylan...

Dylan has his own distraction.  I forget the girls name but it doesn't matter...he meets a needy girl in AA.  This girl says train wreck from a mile away!  Every scene she is in screams "wah wah..."  Also, the show manages to make entering AA seem like the most life-sucking experience ever!  Like, goodbye life, from now on I'll just wear black and reminisce about when I used to be fun.  Really encouraging!!

There's a subplot about the Peach Pitt getting a karaoke machine...wackiness ensues, but I'll let Laurel divulge that....

Hi Laurel here...Yeah Jim gets a karaoke machine from some client for the peach pit but Jim is the only one who is into it, it didn't create any new business like Nat was hoping.  OMG Jim Walsh is totally obsessed with karaoke.  He only sings songs from before 1965.  That's probably because of licensing the music for the show but it also makes sense that Jim would only croon the oldies.  If he wasn't so terrible it might be funny.

The girl Dylan is trying to rescue is super boring, and of course she is back on the sauce by the end of the episode so his attempts at rescue were futile.

Cocktail moment is anytime somebody goes to an AA meeting, which happens a lot this episode because of that dumb girl.

Our favorite quote this episode...It turns out Brandon and Brenda know the super boring girl from AA because she was surfing drunk one time and almost drowned, but Brandon and Brandon rescue her (the twins nail it again!).   When Dylan tells Brandon that he saw her at he meeting and that she remembers him Brandon replies "That's because I give great mouth to mouth"  Way to be super cheesy and an asshole at the same time Brandon!

Style award this episode goes to...Brenda!  For her sweat pants camel toe.  Way to hike up those cut off sweats Brenda!

Duck Confit Hash

I got the inspiration for this recipe from this blog post, though I changed some details (and made Laurel's with sausage instead of duck):

http://eatlikeagirl.com/2013/12/08/duck-confit-hash-for-sunday-breakfast-recipe/

Ingredients:

Duck Leg Confit (I bought mine from McCall's Meat and Fish already prepared) or breakfast sausage
Duck Fat (The duck leg I bought was great, but did not include enough fat for the potatoes)
Potatoes, cubed for hash
Red Onion, sliced in half moons
eggs
white wine vinegar
salt
pepper
parsley

Begin by boiling the potatoes until tender and then drain.  While they are boiling fry the onions on a medium low heat in duck fat (about 2 tablespoons) until they brown and carmelize. Be careful not to get too hot or they will blacken not brown.

Heat the duck leg in about a 350 degree oven until warm.  The confit doesn't really need to cook so just make sure its warm and the skin is crisp then remove from the oven.  Alternatively, if you are using sausage, heat a tablespoon or so of the duck fat and remove the sausage from its casing and break up in the pan.  Allow it to brown...

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add salt and a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar.

In another pan, add 2 tablespoons of duck fat and brown the drained potatoes until they start to crisp.  Then add the onions and, if using, sausage.  If using duck confit, break up the leg meat and skin with a fork and add.

Drop 2 eggs in the boiling water and poach for about 2 and a half minutes.  Serve hash on a plate and top with poached egg and chopped parsley. Salt and pepper to taste and serve...

And Baby Makes Five

Hey Nine-0 fans!  Laurel here.  We just watched kind of a 3 stooges episode.  See, Kelly found out that Jackie was pregnant.  Meanwhile, Mel is planning on proposing to Jackie.  Donna finds out from David that Mel is planning to propose.  Donna finds out from Kelly that Jackie is pregnant.  then because Donna is involved, slapstick hilarity ensues.

Donna tells David that Jackie is pregnant before Mel knows that Jackie is pregnant.  Donna tells Kelly that Mel is planning to propose after Jackie finds out she is pregnant but before she tells Mel...I know this is confusing, but basically because of Donna's big mouth Jackie thinks that Mel is proposing only because she is pregnant.  Meanwhile Mel has no idea.

It's a total who's on first situation but basically Mel and Jackie love each other but can't seem to talk like grown ups so the kid ruin/save the day.  In the end Jackie and Mel are going to get married and have a baby together.  Yay!

Mark here... Laurel did a great job of describing the episode. It was actually fairly entertaining.  The last few episodes have been entertaining and we're hoping it represents a change of direction for the series! Seriously, finally we're in a territory we remember for the show.

There's a side plot with Andrea picking winning horses at the track with Nat, Brandon and Steve, but really who the fuck cares? And it's not written in any way to make us care anyway...

But the style award goes to Andrea in her Downton Abbey (don't worry we'll get there!) ensemble at
the race track.

I would say the cocktail moment is any reference to Jackie's bun in the oven.

Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout It

Mark here...this episode is called "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout It", the it in question is sex. And yes, this is another "issues" episode, but given the subject, it's actually kind of funny. It's all a bit of a blur, but there's an initiative for condoms in school and then a survey and then an article in the blaze...all about sex and condoms.  We do get our first appearance of Donna's mom at a parents meeting on the subject of handing out condoms and she proves to be a great future nemesis.  We also see Donna defending handing out condoms, which gives David Silver hope for doing it. Poor David. We later find out Donna is saving herself for marriage.  I remember this being a big deal at the time as Donna is a symbol for kids who want to wait.  Blah Blah.  She's as symbol of a patriarchal society because her dad runs the show and doesn't want his daughter having sex (even though in real life Tori Spelling is!).

In any case, the spearhead of this safe sex movement is Andrea?!  Granted, she's never met a cause she didn't like...but really, maybe you should sit this one out Andrea? Brandon says as much to her.

Hey Laurel here...it's all true.  Andrea, the most awkward 30 year old that goes to west beverly is spearheading the movement for condoms in school?!?  Also there's a new kid at the blaze who's totally nerd cute and clearly has a crush on her, and she totally ignores him and/or is actually rude to him.  I kept telling Mark "Andrea!  Open your eyes!!"  Finally at the end she asks him to go to the movies after they finish passing out sex ed materials in west hollywood.  Ah, nerd dates.  I'm curious if we ever see him again.

Cocktail moments this episode...whenever anyone says "condom" (usually awkwardly), whenever Andrea sighs because she's in a huff about condoms, and...when David Silver tries to do it with Donna and she has to explain to him that she's saving herself for marriage.  Ouch.

Quotes of note this episode...When Dylan tells David "What do I look like?  Ann Landers?"  When David asks his advice about "waiting for the right time"  to reserve a hotel room for him and Donna.   SPOILER ALERT...Um, David, it's never gonna happen buddy, at least not until college.

The second, and this might be my favorite of this show so far... Brandon tells Andrea "Maybe you should get a life of your own before it's too late."  Ok, I know this is super mean, but as you know if you have ever read one other tvdinnernight post about Nine-0, I fucking hate her.

A Competitive Edge

Mark here...this episode is called "A Competitive Edge" and it's another zinger...and by zinger I mean another issues-based bore.  Basically, Brandon quits the Beverly Blaze for a hot minute to join the track team, only to find out the track team is using steroids. So of course, Brandon must rejoin the Blaze to get the story, but now he can be "undercover" since he's left the paper.  Yes, no one would suspect a thing.  It's all very "All the President's Men" with clandestine meetings in parking lots at night to discuss steroid use.  Oh, and Kelly's gay friend Kyle is back.  He's on the track team and becomes Brandons source.  Also, Steve is on the team.  We never see him using, but it's implied.

There's a subplot with Brenda in a car accident getting scammed by a woman who wants money.  It's pretty boring.

Laurel here...I can't believe Kelly's gay friend Kyle came back!  The special friends never come back, I'm glad they decided to make an exception.  Except this time he's the special friend because he's doing steroids.   The Brenda side note to this episode is she gets into a fender bender with a lady who pretends to be injured, but then Brenda catches her doing aerobics in her living room so all's well that ends well.

There's no specific style award this episode, except for that Mark and I have noticed over the past few episodes that "athletes" always wear their sweatpants hitched up and rolled over at the waist so everyone has camel toe, even the dudes.

The cocktail moment is when Brandon gets a wedgie in the locker room at the beginning of the episode.  Because he's just a dumb reporter and not a jock.

Fire and Ice

Hi Laurel here...Mark and I just sat down to another full day of 90210, beginning with "Fire and Ice".  I made us creamy papperdelle pasta with bacon and leeks that is pretty heavy hitting in the calorie department but worth it.  Mark made us a lemon rosemary syrup that you are supposed to drink with vodka, but we found we both prefer it with cava.

So this episode Brandon meets a real nice girl at the ice rink (he is playing hockey and she is a figure skater) but even though she really likes him it turns out she is too busy to have a boyfriend, and ends up going back to Texas (???) to pursue her skating career.

I'll let Mark tell you about Brenda...

Mark here...first I'll give a shout out to Laurel for a delicious meal.  When she first said she was making pasta, I wasn't 100% sold, but the combo of bacon, leeks and cream sauce was amazing! So well done Laurel!!

On to the episode...basically this was a boring but inoffensive episode.  Boring, because who really cares about Brandon dating a figure skater?  Inoffensive because there's no Andrea!!  Anyway, there's also a subplot about Brenda getting a job as a sales girl with a bitchy boss who steals her commission. But once Brenda tells Cindy, they devise the most ridiculous comeuppance scheme.  It involves Cindy dressing as a "rich woman" and letting the boss think she's going to get a huge commission and then not buying anything.  Hilarity ensues, but Cindy's outfit makes it worth it...let's just say it involves a head wrap.

The quote of note this episode has to be when said figure skater breaks up with Brandon and says, "I'll always remember you as the guy who gave me my first burrito"  Really, watching the episode was worth it for this line alone!

The style award goes to...Brenda's bed, although it was a tough call,  what with Cindy's ensemble and a scene with Brandon and Steve's shirts, but really, this bed is hideous!!

Creamy Pappardelle with Bacon and Leeks

Hey guys!  This recipe is originally from Bon Appetite but I found it here at Epicurious.  We are still slogging through season 2 of 90210.  I am serving it with an arugula salad to make us feel better about eating a pasta with sauce made of cream and bacon fat.

It turned out really good!  I did it pretty much according to the directions but I left out the oil and butter in the beginning, which seemed like bringing sand to the beach.  I had been planning to serve it with a poached egg on top to make it more brunchy but I forgot.  It was great on its own.  I will definitely make this again!

Also I wanted to let you guys know at Trader Joes they have this amazing applewood smoked bacon that is around $10 a pound, but they also have "ends and pieces" of the same stuff for $3 a pound which was perfect for this recipe.  I bought a condo so I am frugal now.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pound pappardelle or fettuccine
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano

Preparation:

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 5-8 minutes. Add leeks and season with salt. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until leeks begin to brown, 5-8 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta, Parmesan, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta.

A Walsh Family Christmas

Mark here... we're on to the next episode of 90210...this one is the christmas episode, titled "A Walsh Family Christmas".  And ugggh!! Apparently the writers decided they needed something christmas themed and yet "whimsical"...there aren't enough quotes to put around the term whimsical.

Anyway, the Walshes aren't going back to Minnesota this year and are feeling down. Their tree is dead and when Cindy tries to invite the gang for christmas, everyone has plans. Of course she invites her kids friends because she has none of her own. Well, through a series of wacky events, everyone does ending up showing up at the Walshes' for Christmas eve. Also, there's a side plot of Brenda inviting a weird guy dressed as Santa Claus to dinner.  Really, it's not worth going into.

Steve also tries to find his biological mother...BORING! Really the "wackiness" of christmas is more interesting.

Hey Laurel here.  Not much to add except for my usual Andrea rant.  I'm Jewish, I'm Jewish!  Yeah we get it.

Also Steve's bio mom is dead.  He finds his grandfather though, and they make plans to stay in touch, visit each other, etc.   Funny, I don't think Steve ever mentions him again.  Ever.  Maybe him, Brandon's "little brother" and the gang's black friend are all hanging out together somewhere.

Style award this episode goes to...Cindy!  For her Christmas eve ensemble, crazy neck scarf worn under even crazier apron.  You go Cindy!

The cocktail moment is every time the homeless Santa says "MERRY CHRISTMAS"  Until he gives his little speech at the end I thought that was all he could say.

Chuckie's Back

Mark here... this episode of Beverly Hills 90210 is called, "Chuckie's Back".  It's basically a Steve-centric episode.  While not annoying, it's sort of a forgettable episode.  We do get to meet Steve's mom, Samantha, who used to star on a sitcom called, "The Hartley House".  The Chuckie from the episode's title is her co-star, a former child actor who was jealous of Steve for being Samantha's son.  We learn that Steve was adopted and that Chuckie was told by the show's people before Steve knew, in an attempt to coddle him.  Anyway, Steve spends the episode at first vying for his mom's attention and then telling everyone how he needs to find his birth mom.  Somehow this quest needs to involve a bus to Albuquerque? I know.  Because planes don't fly there.  So by the end of the episode Steve is boarding said bus.  But prior to that there's the school holiday dance, which is of note because Donna and David Silver finally get together.  Donna had been avoiding it because her friends made fun of him, but when David shows up everyone on the dance floor Donna rewards him with a long deep throat kiss...  WooHoo!!! Umm...too bad Donna's a committed virgin...

Anyway, the only other point was how the show danced around Steve's adoption.  Like his mom comes across as feeling shame for it?!  Sure she didn't tell him until he was older, but really...  It's such dated writing and thinking...

Laurel here...Not much to add expect that man that Chuckie is a real asshole.  Also, guys, get over the Beverly Blaze already.  Brandon and whoever this annoying new guy at the paper is get into a fight over whether or not to write a story about Chuckie, Brandon thinks it's going to be too much of a puff piece for the hard hitting Beverly Blaze.  Get over yourself!  It's a school paper!

Amalia here...Way too much Steve Sanders in this episode. I really need some more Dylan if I'm going to commit to these screenings. When do we get to see the Dylan-Brenda-Kelly love triangle? I actually miss Emily Valentine at this point. My favorite part of this episode was watching David Silver's dance moves, though it's still really hard to look at Donna Martin's face. Poor girl. I also enjoyed Andrea's "cupcake" style formal wear at the school dance. Did you know she was 30 years old while playing a sophomore in high school? I keep getting her mixed up with Brandon's mom.

Mark here...The style award this episode is a tie for Steve and Steve!  First his Golden Girls shirts.  We got a picture of one, but each one was a treasure.  We couldn't tell if there were shoulder pads, but I'm guessing yes, given that I think my mom owned the same shirts in the early 90s.  Steve #2 had is sweat shirt and sweat pants ensemble.  This one was a half sweat top and rolled up sweat pants. Truly something to behold.

Our quote of note is Chuckie responding to Samantha Sanders, who is finally sticking up for her son, "Hey Lady! I kept this show on the air!"

Cocktail moment is any reference to "The Hartley House"...

My Desperate Valentine

Mark here...we are on to our next episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 season 2.  This episode is called "My Desperate Valentine".  We are doing take out this week because it's too hot to cook in LA and the AC is out!  We are joined this week by a guest blogger! Our friend Amalia is joining is to offer her insights on Emily Valentine!

On to the episode....  Basically, Emily we hardly knew ye...  Emily Valentine goes from zero to crazy. Seriously, last episode she slipped Brandon some U4EA (which he enjoyed until he sobered up!) and he said he needed some space. Sure, she messed up and came off as a bit of a bad girl wise ass but whatever.  Now this episode starts out with Brandon avoiding her and her trying to talk to him.  Suddenly, the friends are all pointing her out as crazy...before she really does anything crazy!  But then sure enough she is stalking Brandon and calling and hanging up multiple times (because no SANE teenager ever did that!).  She concocts a scheme to end up staying over at the Walshes and tries to slip into bed with Brandon, which goes badly.  A series of stalkery events leads to Emily tearing apart the school float the gang has built.  Brenda and Dylan arrive home to find Emily sitting on top of the float with a lighter...oh she's doused the whole thing with gas! Brenda, showing her trademark sensitivity, talks Emily down from the cliff.  It goes something like, "I DO NOT HATE YOU EMILY!!" Seriously, Brenda pretty much scares Emily into giving up.  So, exit Emily Valentine to the psych ward as she admits to needing "help".

Laurel here...not much to add except it sure is fun to see emily go nuts.  She's pretty good at it.  She even slashes her own tires to manipulate her way into spending the night over at the Walsh's.  She also sends a bunch of crazy threatening letters to the school paper.   I don't really understand what that gets her, except to make it clear to us that she is super crazy.

Amalia here...Let me just first say a big thanks to Laurel for the dumplings and a high-five to Mark for letting me borrow his "I Slept with Dylan First" t-shirt (which I may have to steal). After watching this episode, I am now officially obsessed with Emily Valentine (aka: Actress Christine Elise). Did you know that she was engaged to Jason Priestley in real-life??  Today's episode was the first time I had seen 90210 in over a decade so I'm still adjusting to the shockingly bad/awesome 90's outfits. I was a bit disappointed that Emily did not end up burning down the homecoming float after the build-up of crazy-girl tension, but perhaps she's not done being crazy yet this season (let's hope!). I'm hoping I get asked back to another screening...I'm really good at watching TV while talking smack and pigging out. Till next time...

Our quote of the episode is when Brenda is scolding Brandon about how crazy Emily is and they don't really know much about her, she's going on and on about it.  Then when they walk outside they find a cake and a note from her.  When Brandon tries to lick some of the frosting Brenda is all like "I REPEAT...you do not know anything about this girl."

Style award this episode goes to...Brenda!  For her silky shirt and terrible men's tie ensemble.  Way to go Brenda!

And our cocktail moment would of course be anytime Emily goes Fatal Attraction on Brandon, drink twice if there is an actual reference to Fatal Attraction!

U4EA

Mark here...this episode of 90210 is called "U4EA"...which is an oh so clever way of referencing ecstasy.  The gang gets the word of an underground party over the weekend from Emily Valentine.  Hijinks ensue as the gang makes there way to this underground rave all the way on Alvarado Street.  Anywho, everyone deceives their parents, except for Kelly, whose mom doesn't let her go.  Of course, resourceful Kelly decides to fool her mom and go anyway.

At this radical underground party, crazy lights are going on and absolutely no one is drinking. No one except David Silver who was able to score some whiskey.  Everyone is disgusted with him for drinking.  Meanwhile, Emily secretly slips Brandon some U4EA, which is code for ecstasy. Everything in the episode is fun until we get the "drugs are bad" pay off. Brandon has a great time but of course his car gets trashed by leaving it in the ghetto of Echo Park. I'll let Laurel describe who vandalizes his car... So, we discover that Emily is bad news. It's weird how Laurel and I were talking about Emily Valentine.  She obviously made an impression on viewers, but really she showed up once, then was in the background and then she's slipping Brandon drugs. She really wasn't around long as a character.

Basically, the episode was pretty fun to watch, up until the moralizing at the end.  There's also a bit of a side plot with Andrea hating Emily, and Brandon being clueless as to why. Subtle, Andrea is not. Also Steve and Andrea are late to meet the gang and spend the night trying to find the crazy party, because of course Andrea has to get the story on underground parties. When they finally find the party and the cops are showing up, everyone is leaving, but Andrea has to run in to get the story!! Uggg!!!

Hey Laurel here.  Andrea is the worst.  The next morning she goes to the Peach Pit to visit Brandon (how he shows up to work is beyond me) and literally does the "This is your brain on drugs" thing with the egg in the frying pan.  UUHHHGG!

Also did you guys know my mom was at the rave last night?  I know, not all that surprising.  Anyway she's totally the one who trashed Brandon's car!  Her and her friend "rude rose".  See pic.

We don't really have a style award this episode, but the quote honors go to Kelly.  David scores a bottle of whisky at the liquor store and offers the gang a drink at the rave.  They all refuse, and Kelly tells him "David you're such a geek, I don't want you barfing all over my beemer, ok?"  Which is exactly what ends up happening.  Oh, David.

The Next 50 Years

Hey loyal readers Laurel here...OMG I had no idea this was THAT episode.  Spoiler alert...SCOTT DIES!

In my mind somehow I thought that he had committed suicide but watching it again Scott in fact shoots himself by accident, playing with his dad's gun.  On his birthday.  Poor Scott.

Scott's mom shows up at school (wha?) to talk David into throwing a birthday party for Scott.  What she doesn't realize is that Scott doesn't have any friends really, he's not cool like the other kids.  In the end the gang shows up for his birthday party that night so they save the day, and they get to feel good about themselves and not guilty forever like his 5th grade girlfriend who couldn't be bothered.  Initially David (who witnesses the shooting) is all like "I'm fine, I'm fine" but eventually has a meltdown in the radio booth and loses his shit with the mic on so the whole school can hear.  He feels super guilty because he hadn't been as close to Scott lately, preferring to hang with his new cool friends instead.  Poor David.  I guess we should talk about our real feelings guys.  See what happens when you keep them bottled up inside?

Side note...Scott's mom is crazy!  She's totally future Andrea.  Bossy, annoying, emotionally inappropriate, and constantly disappointed.  Speaking of Andrea, she of course uses Scott's death as a platform to write a hard hitting editorial about gun safety.  Once again, she wins at being the worst.

Mark here... I agree with Laurel, leave it to Andrea to find a way to be annoying even at a funeral! This episode is THAT episode. One of those episodes everyone remembers from the first run.  The irony is I remember the network building it up as "a main character dies!!" and then it being like "oh him? no one cared about him?" which is a bit of the point of the episode.

They do do a good job of showing the awkwardness of becoming a teenager. Scott's birthday party is a mix of the "cool kids" who David gets to come and Scott's parents and about 100 kids running around. Obviously the teenagers are bored and the adults oblivious.  Anyway, Donna actually shows some character by supporting David and proving to be pretty nice in general.

I would say the Cocktail Moment is any time Scott's mom is on the scene.  Really we're supposed to be grieving for this woman but the actress is chewing scenery like nobody's business.  It's impossible to not see the camp!

The quote of note is definitely Dylan.."..Not to be a jerk, but who was Scott again?"

Halloween

Mark here...Laurel and I are on to the next episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 season 2.  This one is called "Halloween" and you guessed it the theme is Halloween!  This is the first "theme" episode and it ends up being ok.  Not bad , but not amazing either.  Basically the gang has to find costumes to go to the big party.  Which happens to be in one of the old victorians that are just a hop, skip and a jump from Beverly Hills, but I digress...

Anyway, the party is a bit of a bore aside from Donna who begins her annual ritual of wearing a ridiculous Halloween costume.  It's a subplot but every time we come back to Donna, she is struggling to walk in a mermaid costume. The real joke however is Tori Spelling's acting!  For some reason her "struggle" with her costume makes her look like she is picking a wedgie! Her hands and face are just so off the mark!

The real plot lines involve Emily Valentine showing up at the Walshes with her niece and nephew to trick or treat and then ending up on a date with Brandon.  Also, Kelly shows up at the party in a revealing outfit and ends up almost getting date raped.  It's an odd "lesson"storyline as the writers begin by having Brenda and everyone notice how slutty Kelly is dressed when she first shows up to the party.  Later a guy tries to take advantage of her and the gang fortunately busts in.  We get a bunch of "no means no" talk as Kelly feels guilty for dressing the way she did.  It's still odd writing as the writers seemed to blame her in the beginning as well...

Hey Laurel here...not much to add except for I agree with Mark about the Kelly thing.  On the one hand the show totally admonishes kelly for dressing slutty, and the lesson seems to be that if you dress slutty you are inviting guys to mistreat you, but in the end it's all "no means no".  Totally a mixed message, especially for teens!  Anyway obviously everyone should wear what they want without worrying about being sexually assaulted, especially on Halloween!  I always use Halloween as an excuse to dress extra slutty, and I dress pretty slutty already anyway.  On a lighter note, I'm sure glad Andrea wasn't in this episode because I can only imagine what her slutty witch costume would look like!?  Actually she would probably be something boring like Susan B Anthony.

Also just thought I should mention that for trick or treaters Cindy decides to give out Raisins.  Really Cindy?  Raisins?

The style award this episode goes to...Donna!  For her ridiculous and wacky mermaid outfit.  Honorable mention goes Emily Valentine for her extra 90s outfit (not a costume).

Cocktail moment for me is tied between when Brenda pulls a gun out of her garter belt, and when the would be rapist gets thrown out of the party be Dillon and Steve.  They are so tough!  

Quote for this episode is from David Silver...he asks a real bitchy Cleopatra to dance and she flatly says no and walks away.  David calls after her "So I guess a night of hot monkey love is out of the question?"  You got that right David.

Down and Out (of district) in Beverly Hills

Hey Laurel here...Me and Mark just sat down to another nine-o brunch, Mark made a duck confit breakfast hash with a poached egg on top.  He made a special one for me with sausage instead because I'm not so into the duck.  Potatoes, caramelized onions, it's delicious!  I brought stuff for Aperol Mist...a beer, aperol, and lemon cocktail but I forgot the lemons.  I think we might be onto something, I would totally make it again with the lemon but mark thought the Aperol made the beer too bitter.

So this episode is about Andrea possibly getting kicked out of school because she lives out of district (the valley!).  She uses her grandmother's address and takes a bunch of buses to get to school every day.

Brandon enters Andrea into a journalism contest which she wins, so someone from the school wants to write a profile on her, which somehow means coming to her house to interview her parents?  When the guy shows up at Andrea's grandmother's house its obvious that she doesn't actually live there so the school launches an investigation, but in the end Andrea decides to actually move in with her Grandmother so then everything's fine.

We both thought this episode was going to be insufferable because it's Andrea centric, but her grandmother saved the day!  She was awesome.  Funny and no nonsense. Andrea gave a few lectures that were annoying but besides that it was totally fine.  Also Steve gets a girlfriend this episode but it turns out she only likes him because he's rich.  Poor Steve.

Mark here...  Well FINALLY we get a little background on Andrea! I can't tell you how many times Laurel and I have looked at each other and said "What's Andrea's story?" or "I wish we knew more about Andrea!"  Well, this episode we finally get some background, and surprise surprise, Andrea's a bore.  Laurel is right though, the episode really wasn't as bad as it could have been.  Saved mainly by Andrea's grandmother being entertaining.

Otherwise, there's not too much to add about the episode.  Steve gets his heart broken by a rich girl who is only interested in him because his mom is a famous actress.  Kelly is onto the girl from the beginning but Steve dismisses her.

The drinking moments are anytime Andrea launches into a speech or monologue...

The quote of note is after after one of these monologues where Andrea goes on a tirade about her life, Brenda says, "Andrea, why are you so upset?"  like she heard none of it.

No style award this episode, it was pretty much just your usual 90s garb.