90210: The Bubble

It would be easy to write off the new 90210 as just another depiction of vapid, angst-ridden teens.  We certainly can’t seem to get enough of watching rich people live the good life, from 90210 to The Hills.  Call it low-level escapism.  Despite the trappings of typical teeny-bopper fare, 90210 consistently slips a little substance in with the weekly fluff.  Wednesday’s episode, “The Bubble,” revisited some of the nasty secrets revealed in last week’s show.  As Naomi struggles to cope with her father’s philandering and her mother’s Stepford wife-like acceptance of it, she and Ethan grow closer.  The bubble referenced in the episode’s title is the “impenetrable bubble” that surrounds these two former lovebirds.  Annie learns about the bubble firsthand when she is stood up by Ethan after choosing to go on a date with him rather than Ty.

As previously mentioned, Kelly and Brenda are back for the new 90210 and rekindle their friendship after all these years.  At first all was cool between the two, but in shades of the original series, there seems to be trouble brewing.  Kelly has been contemplating the idea of dating Ryan Matthews, a teacher at West Beverly.  Brenda implied to Ryan that Kelly still has a broken heart, courtesy of her son’s father.  This leads to a confrontation between the BFFs where Kelly basically tells Brenda to mind her own business.  Brenda responds by telling Kelly that she still has feelings for her child’s father, whom she hasn’t seen in years.  And guess what former 90210 bad-boy is responsible for Kelly’s offspring?  That’s right, none other than Dylan McKay.  That name is probably lost on some, but I know viewers of the original 90210 were as shocked as I was.  This little tidbit could produce all kinds of storylines.  I loved it!

Regarding the rest of the show, there were some definite meaningful moments.  One scene that was very well-acted and written was between Dixon and Silver.  Dixon tells Silver that he can relate to being different, as the only Black member of his family.  He knows that his parents love him and vice versa, and none of them ever think of color.  Despite that fact, he says that there are fleeting moments, perhaps when they all share a laugh, where for a split second he feels like he does not belong.  Then the feeling vanishes and it’s like it never happened; everything is normal again.  This was a profound scene that stayed with me, and I’m glad the writers addressed such an obvious element of the storyline in an authentic, realistic manner.  It looks like I might end up liking this show just as much as the original.

Tuesdays, 8/7C, The CW

Photographs courtesy of The CW