Comments on: "Beverly Hills, 90210" Flashback: "The First Time"

By: Pigmeat

Pigmeat — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:32:34 +0000

To Terry:
I love that song, too. It took me a long time to track it down, but the song is "Clear To You" by the Innocence Mission.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:55:44 +0000

Does anyone know who sings or what the name of the song is that is playing in the pilot episode where Brandon is on the motorcycle with the girl that throws a party?

By: Byron

Byron — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:24:28 +0000

"Yes, just checked. They substituted other music."

Awww man, that is just weak sauce by the 90210 DVD people. Terrible.

BTW, please continue to do these recaps, they're pretty awesome.

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:38:29 +0000

I enjoy these recaps very much. I was a little older than the characters, so I didn't really get into watching them right away & I missed a lot of the early episodes. It's fun to hear how it started.

By: Annie

Annie — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:00:29 +0000

I'm interested in continuing to read these recaps if you want to keep doing them.

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:02:09 +0000

And all this has caused confusion. The authoritative "Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows," also known as "Brooks & Marsh," says Brandon and Brenda were sophomores when the show began, even though Brendan tells hottie lawyer Jason in the first episode that she's a junior at West Beverly — "a 16-year-old junior," she emphasizes.

By: Alan Sepinwall

Alan Sepinwall — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:54:57 +0000

Yeah, Brandon and the others are all juniors in the first season, then they're still juniors in season two (with a bunch of summer break episodes in between), while David gets to advance a grade. It's never commented on.

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:02:00 +0000

They also moved Silver up to a sophomore while keeping the other characters juniors before that. Then, at least, he only had to jump a year.
Episode 5 discussion coming up.

By: Count Floyd

Count Floyd — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:43:05 +0000

I remember they got Silver into college with the rest of the gang by having him take double classes his junior year to catch up. Which was pretty silly given no high schooler has ever done that in order to graduate with his friends and of course David wasn't that smart.

I vote for more classic recaps. I just can't see the new version being any good.

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:47:17 +0000

I have not checked the SoapNet replays but will try at some point. The show did play with the characters' grade level to get David into the same class as everyone else, but I have not gotten to those episodes yet.
By the way, the new "90210" starts on Sept. 1, by which time I will still have a lot of classic "90210" yet to cover. Is there any interest in my continuing the classic recaps?

By: Count Floyd

Count Floyd — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:16:05 +0000

Man am I loving these recaps. I was a freshman in high school when 90210 started. I'd watch reruns on WGN everyday when I was in college. Dylan McKay was, and still is, my hero.

When the shows rerun on SoapNet (I wish I had it) do they have the original music or is some of it subbed like on the DVD's?

I haven't seen Season 1 in a while. Are they supposed to be juniors in high school? I believe the show cheated at some point and had them all repeat a year at some point. 'Cause David Silver and Scott Scanlon (R.I.P.) sort catch up age wise right?

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Yes, just checked. They substituted other music.

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:04:52 +0000

As I think I mentioned in the post about the pilot, you can also find episodes streaming online in the TV classics section of CBS.com. Not sure how many seasons are there — it may just be those that are on DVD — but you can start from the beginning.

And I'm going to have to double-check, but I think the big band music in that scene is now generic instead of being "In the Mood."

By: Kristin

Kristin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:20:18 +0000

No need to buy the DVDs, every day on Soapnet at 5 and 6 they show episodes of 90210 in order. Last year, I started with the first and DVRd them every day until I watched the entire series in order. I was a big fan of the show the first time around, but lost interest in the latter seasons, after the characters were in college. As an adult, I actually ended up enjoying them. Despite the bad acting, I think it's a great show. Not sure how I feel about the idea of a remake though.

By: Byron

Byron — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:06:09 +0000

I really dig the recaps, but to not include Brandon blasting Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" the following morning is a cardinal sin. That part always cracks me because even in these older episodes Brandon is just so damn subtle.

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:33:13 +0000

I understand. I can't help thinking at times about where characters are headed. And when chatting with some classic "90210" viewers today, the conversation drifted back and forth between those first four episodes and later seasons. But as much as possible, I am trying to keep the comments focused on the individual episodes — and am happy that I barely remember what I watched of the show 18 years ago. But I will make one small leap ahead here: In the fifth episode, when Jim and Brandon play basketball, Jim has ditched the tank top for a T-shirt…

By: Annie

Annie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:26:24 +0000

Sorry! I have a hard time not thinking of the entire show as a single unit! It's been ages since I've seen this episode, so I didn't remember that Brenda and Cindy discussed that. But does it really count as freaking out if you have to tell someone you're freaking out? Because there wasn't any doubt when it was Brenda's turn.

I just know I'm going to break down and buy the DVDs with the crappy replacement music now.

By: rheldenfels

rheldenfels — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:25:36 +0000

You're getting ahead of me! But, while I didn't mention it in the synopsis, Brenda also called Cindy out on a double standard in "The First Time" — saying that "if this was me, you'd be freaking out." "Sweetheart," Cindy replies, "I am freaking out." But they are rather calm, and Jim lets Brandon pass on The Talk that night.

By: Annie

Annie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:06:32 +0000

I just assume that what Sheryl really meant was, "That 90 seconds was somewhat less awkward than expected, so thanks, I guess." At least Brandon seems like the kind of guy who would have been reading up on anatomy and technique ever since he hit puberty; it wouldn't be like him not study for the big test, you know?

I always liked that when Jim and Cindy react very poorly to learning that Brenda and Dylan had sex, Brenda calls them out on their double standard for thinking it was no big deal when Brandon did it as long as he was careful. And the Walshes actually agree with that, and feel like jerks about it.