Something funny happens after a couple seasons of watching your favorite teen primetime soap. You well up when a longtime couple calls it quits. You pore over the promos, trying to figure out what’s going to happen next. You laugh at the right moments. Face it, you’re emotionally invested in this series—and your guilty pleasure isn’t so guilty anymore.
I’ve been noticing the shift with 90210 all season. This is a show I mostly suffered through when it started: As a fan of the original, I loved seeing familiar faces, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about the new West Beverly crowd. The story lines were sometimes fun but too often trite, and the characters were too flat to be taken seriously. I never would have given Season 2 of 90210 a chance if I hadn’t read about its “new and improved” formula. And I’m glad I did. This season was a blast: big drama, surprise hook-ups, and the much-needed addition of new characters to shake things up.
But I’ve already written about my unironic love for 90210’s sophomore season. So let’s talk about its killer finale. I was hoping to see some resolution of all the dangling plot threads—but I was left with lots of questions. That’s OK, 90210 isn’t Lost, and I don’t mind waiting to see how it all works out. If I’d had any hesitation about watching Season 3 (I didn’t), the abundance of cliffhangers would have made that decision for me.
We saw Annie bonding with a newly single Liam; how many of you were hoping for a Lannie kiss? But no, instead we got her tearful confession about the hit-and-run—manslaughter is such a mood-killer. Is Annie really going to tell her parents? The episode cut away before we heard the conversation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mom and Dad interrupted with, “Wait, no, we’re getting divorced.” Convenient? Sure. But also more than likely.
And what does this mean for Lannie? While it looks like the two may be headed toward coupledom, Liam’s knowledge of Annie’s major indiscretion could become the elephant in the room. By which I mean, can Annie please try dating some guys who don’t know she accidentally killed someone?
Then we have Dixon and Ivy: fake on, then off, then real on, then off, then—OK, I can’t keep up with this pair, but I’m pretty sure they’re actually together now. It looked like Dixon ended up going against his parents’ wishes and sneaking off to Australia. I’m not sure how they’ll handle that: is Dixon in for a year of grounding, or will Mama Wilson be too busy dealing with her husband’s departure to worry about much else? I’m fine either way, as long as Debbie stays away from her lecherous yoga instructor Kai.
Finally, we saw the reunion of Navid and Adrianna, who had to explore her sexuality and her attraction to sub-par pop stars before realizing she was still in love with her ex. I do like these two together, but I think Adrianna’s proven how much more interesting she can be as a free agent. My choice for her: ditch high school and go on tour with Javier, then edge yourself out and become the next Lady Gaga. And this is why people don’t ask for my advice.
And, of course, the episode went beyond couplings. There’s Jen’s pregnancy—so hot on TV right now. Ryan’s substance abuse: how is he still a teacher at this point? Jasper’s crazy. (He burned Liam’s boat! So Emily Valentine.) And then, in the episode’s darkest turn, we saw Mr. Cannon assault Naomi, while reminding her that no one would believe her story. The camera mercifully cut away, but who knew the show would go there?
With so much to tie-up, I’m hoping 90210’s third season doesn’t jump too far ahead and instead picks up with the characters enjoying summer break. I mean, hello, I need to know what’s going on at the Beverly Hills Beach Club.
Source: tv.com