Thursday, October 28, 2010

90210 has performed a miracle!


And what are the miracles I am talking about here? There were a few surprises in this week's episode of 90210, but I will admit, really only one miracle. Okay here goes. This is tough for me to believe, but here it is: I didn't hate Jen. I kind of even liked her. I mean Sara Foster is still just awful, (see Nathan Rabin of the AV Club's review of The Big Bounce for an incredibly satisfying takedown of her skills as an actress) but Jen's anger after finding out that Naomi (AnnaLynn McCord) had been raped made her sympathetic while still being in character. I have been wondering how they were going to humanize the monster and figured that giving her a baby was supposed to do it, so I'm glad she found out and was able to let her sisterly instincts shine through. Also, if Deb (Lori Loughlin) continues to put her in her place with a smile, ("Jen, don't be a bitch. Follow me girls!") she might become one of my favorite characters on the show! So there it is. I liked both Jen and Deb in this week's episode. If that is not a miracle, then I don't know what one is. (Note: It is entirely possible that I don't know what one is.)

Other pleasant surprises in the ep?

-Maybe Jen is gonna take down Mr. McRapey?!! That has the makings of awesomeness.

-Ryan (Ryan Eggold) didn't even hesitate to risk his job for Naomi and the rest of the girls at West Bev's safety. I was afraid he was going to have some kind of moral dilemma that we were supposed to sympathize with, which would have been ridiculous, because it is incredibly clear what the right thing to do there would be.

-Dixon (Tristan Wilds) actually just told Ivy (Gillian Zinser) the truth! A little late maybe, but it was still refreshing to see him just spill his guts totally.

-Oscar finally went through with his plan to destroy Laurel! This story has just been plugging along in the background for me, and in a weird way, I kind of found myself sympathizing with Oscar. I mean this woman helped destroy his family and began a chain of events that would eventually lead to his mother's death, not to mention the fact that she was sleeping with him, a kid she had known since he was a child, AFTER having already slept with his father. That is some gross stuff Laurel. Seriously. So I was kind of rooting for him. I do feel bad that poor Ivy was caught up in the whole thing though. She did not take it well, let me say that. Hopefully this will lead her to forgiving Dixon, and then they can finally sleep together and she can the best night of her life!

Things I did not like:

-Despite some arresting visuals, the Liam (Matt Lanter) story is not working for me,
I don't really get where he is coming from re: Annie, and the whole "living the pool house of a crazy girl who likes him obsessively" thing just isn't as funny to me as it is to the writers of this show. I am not even remotely interested in these two having wacky hijinks.

-Adrianna Jessica Lowndes). Ugh ugh ugh. Ugh. When Navid (Michael Steger) told her "You're not a bad person." I was yelling "Yes she is! She really really is!" at the screen. Then, just a few scenes later, she proves it by deciding to stick with Uncle Creepy. I am really disappointed that they have taken a character with a lot of layers (addiction, pregnancy, troubled relationship with mom, acting ambition vs. wanting to just be a kid, etc.) and reduced her to an idiot whose only personality trait is a desire for fame. Yuck.

-No Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and Ian! I want my Teddy and Ian!!! Just give me an episode that features Teddy and Navid and I will be a happy camper. I am always missing one of them.

Assorted weirdness:

-The Annie (Shenae Grimes) and Charlie story. I never before got a feeling that maybe Charlie was a psycho, and I am not even sure if we are supposed to think that is a possibility or if we are just supposed to think that Annie is insane and paranoid. Given those two choices, I will always assume that the girl making seizure faces is crazy. Charlie and Liam having matching scars did intrigue me though.

-Are there really stores where muscular men help you whilst not wearing a shirt? This seems creepy to me. All I could think about was the fact that they could be sweating on the merchandise or something.

-Jack vs. Jacques = who cares?

Next week: Damn it! I cannot remember the preview at all. Here are some assumptions: Dixon and Ivy get back together, Jen does something awful to Mr. Cannon, Silver and Navid get to use their judgeyness for good instead of annoyingness by totally judging Adrianna, and Teddy is back, looking all hot and stuff. Let's see what pans out!!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

90210- Better Late than Never?

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Oh they are going to make the cutest couple!

Well I'm a little late here, but here I am, ready to talk about "Catch Me if You Cannon", which involved no actual catching of Mr. Cannon, but some catching of Ian. So there was catching. I gotta tell you, whoever names these episodes does a terrible job.

Even though the setup was beyond cliche, I am still liking Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and Ian's (Kyle Riabko) scenes together. Though at this point if Ian ever wants to date Teddy he might end up in an abusive relationship. Teddy was so aggressive with him that I really wasn't sure if he was going to catch him when he was falling off the roof! I guess the aggression makes sense because Teddy is definitely struggling with his sexuality. I like that the show seems to be taking the slow burn approach with this, because it makes it a bit more realistic. I am really liking the Ian character too! The show is definitely not shying away from any aspect of this story, including Teddy's 'performance problems' with the ladies...I wonder if Silver ever experienced that?

And speaking of Silver...well Silver's plan to catch Mr. Cannon (or as you may know him "Mr. Rapes-a-lot") was as stupid and ill-conceived as I thought it would be. Also, dangerous! Oh Silver. The one thing I loved about this entire storyline was that they put Silver (Jessica Stroup) in like 8-inch heels for that last scene where she is trying to intimidate him. She was towering over him! That's probably why he looked nervous, because I don't really know why he would be shaking in his boots over Silver's next 'great plan'. I would love to see him get his comeuppance though, so prove me wrong Silver and Naomi (AnnaLynn McCord)! (I won't even mention Adrianna's contributions to this 'plan', mostly because they consisted of her standing around and mumbling. They are really killing this character for me this season. And where was Navid?!!)

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I chose this one because Jen looks stupid in it.

Jen (Sara Foster) and Ryan (Ryan Eggold) had their baby. I think it looked like Ryan somehow, even though it was a little baby that just kind of looked like a baby. Other people thought I was insane, but I really thought the kid looked like him. The baby was cute, Jen was awful, and I can't wait until she dies and Ryan has to raise little Jack/Jacques on his own or something. That sounds like it has the makings for adorableness! Paging 90210 writers! Make this happen!

Hmm what else happened on this episode? Kind of a lot actually!

-Dixon (Tristan Wilds) does not have HIV (big surprise there.), but he did dump Ivy (Gillian Zinser) because he thought he did (this was one of those JUST TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH moments) and then she banged Oscar, who is just sleeping with her to somehow ruin her mother's life. I assume he is going to ruin her mother's life by grossing her out to death, because at this point the mom has slept with him and his dad and Oscar has slept with both Ivy and her mom. That is yucky.

-Annie got back together with Charlie (even though he is still has some kind of secret regarding screwing Liam over) and decided not to donate her eggs. Because she held the spawn of the devil and Ryan.

-Why did Annie hold Jack/Jacques you might ask? Because Deb now works for Jen as some kind of assistant/Nanny person. Therefore integrating Jen and Ryan with th rest of the cast, because let's be honest, I haven't seen Mr. Matthews in school much lately.

-Liam (Matt Lanter) is living in his car. His brother offered him a hotel room to live in (I was like YES!!! Just like Dylan McKay!!!) but he just trashed it instead so as to really let his brother know that he hates him. What a badass. He's still mad at Annie for reasons I do not understand, so she's getting back with the brother. Probably a good plan, Annie, except for his evil secret or whatever. Eh, I'd chance it.


Next week:
All I really remember from the preview is a lot of shots of Liam without his shirt on, so I am assuming it's gonna be a good episode.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

90210- The good, the bad, THE CRAZY

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The Good:

-The whole Liam (Matt Lanter) trying to seduce Annie (Shenae Grimes) storyline. It was fun, it brought me back to a Dylan/Brenda type thing and it had some shirtless Liam. A lot of win going on there. Also, Shenae Grimes had a good episode where she didn't annoy the crap out of me and acted kind of normal and cute.

-Silver (Jessica Stroup) going all mama-bear and wanting to protect Naomi (Annalynn McCord)! Even though I am sure this will lead so some kind of ill thought out and dangerous plan, still, I like it. And, let's be real, her hair looks better now that it's growing out. (I didn't think it was that bad short though...)

-Silver dumping Teddy (Trevor Donovan) for being a 'homophobic jerk'! Yes! Good for her! Lots of teenage girls would try to make excuses for him, but she was like "NEXT!" (She is definitely in for a surprise on that front though...)

-Teddy and Ian's (Kyle Riabko) palpable sexual chemistry! I think Trevor Donovan is doing a pretty admirable job of portraying someone confused and afraid of his own feelings. When I heard about this storyline I felt like it was kind of out of the blue, but I think with good performances from both guys AND the great chemistry between them, it's actually really working.
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-Ivy (Gillian Zinser) decided she wants to sleep with Dixon (Tristan Wilds)! Cause she lurves him! So cute. And, judging by the way his former ladyfriends have acted, get ready for the best night of your life Ivy!!! Oh, wait, maybe not...

-Deb didn't totally annoy or bore me, so I'm putting her in the good column. Remember this at Emmy time Lori Loughlin!

The Bad:

-The entire Adrianna storyline, including Jessica Lowndes' horrendous acting. She did a lot of good work in the first couple of seasons, but she has been just awful this season!
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-Lack of Navid! Come on, now Navid is just a nerd joke punchline or a concerned boyfriend? I demand MORE NAVID!

-If people on TV would just tell other people the truth, like once in awhile, there lives would be so much easier! I'm looking at you, Adrianna Tate-Duncan!

-The entire concept of charity bachelor auction of high school boys is, in a word, BAD. Also, the dance routine made me feel embarrassed.

-Liam being super mad at Annie for dating his estranged half brother. Because she clearly did not know.

THE CRAZY-

-Um, showing up at a charity bachelor auction of high school boys to tell your ex (who is a kid and you are an adult, just btw) who hates you with a passion because of a faked pregnancy, that you are HIV POSITIVE. I mean she BID ON HIM! That is totally crazytown. Sasha, you have not changed a bit.

-Sasha's reveal that Dixon might be HIV positive made me gasp! Whoa!!!

-Javier's uncle is really crappy at blackmailing. You can't just keep pushing and pushing when you are blackmailing someone! You gotta make them feel comfortable for awhile like things are gonna be okay and then BAM you hit them with your next demand. Doing it all at once is recipe for, at best, the truth to come out, and at worst, for you to get murdered. Hey, Uncle Creepy, why don't you watch a few episodes of Law & Order and get back to me. Your blackmailing methods are kind of insane.

-Annie's gonna donate her eggs! There's gonna be a little baby Annie running around! I can't wait to see the crazy baby faces he or she makes!

Next week:
The previews showed me something dumb and almost totally unrelated to any of the stories I cared about this week. Oh, right. Deb is gonna work for Jen. Wow! My two least favorite characters together at last! A real dream come true here.