Hi Shari! I've been lurking on your Substack for a few months but it's my first time commenting :) I found out about your blog (the old version) at the beginning of COVID in 2020. I think we are about the same age, but I had never watched the original 90210... you needed a special channel to watch it the part of Canada I'm from, and my parents only had the basic cable. I watched all of the other teen dramas you covered, I was able to watch Dawson's Creek on TV and watched OTH, GG and nu90210 on streaming and/or DVDs. And for some reason, I had never really cared/knew anything about The OC, but I randomly decided to stream it on 2013 and was hooked, I watched it all in a few weeks :). After starting watching the original 90210 in 2020, I went on a deep dive online to find interviews with the writers, producers, etc., and that's how I found your blog! (I'm only on S5 of the OG 90210, I'm taking my time and trying to enjoy the show at a slow pace :)
First, I absolutely love these 90210MG recaps, they are hilarious and this one was also useful, I didn't attend their live event so it's great to catch up and read about what they talked about. Second, regarding the Jennie Garth quarantining in Toronto thingy, I have to add my 2 cents as a Canadian. I saw a post on her IG a few days ago in which she is spinning on a spin bike and mentioning how surprised she is that she have to quarantine for 14 days in Toronto... I was like what?! I feel like everyone knows or should know that you need to quarantine for 14 days when you travel to a different country, whether it is Canada or another country. Also, she is very lucky to be able to quarantine in what appears to be a nice hotel room or condo - as of right now, if a Canadian comes back from abroad, the moment your plane lands, the government forces you to go to an hotel they have selected (it's usually one of the super basic airport hotels) for the duration of the quarantine (14 days), and they charge you $2000 for it. But they only do that for Canadians coming back from abroad, not for foreigners coming in (I'm not sure what the rationale is - if you don't trust Canadians to do their quarantine, you shouldn't trust the foreigners either...). Anyways, long rant, but it really annoyed me, as a Canadian, to see her complaining that she has to quarantine for 14 days. It won't cost her a dime and it's in a nice place. Also, lastly, I'm a bit amazed that she publicly mentioned that she flouted the rules to take her dog out - I doubt that the Canadian government will go after her, but in theory, she could get a fine of 450,000$ for not respecting her quarantine... I'm sure she's not the first person to not respect it, but she's definitely the first that I hear mentioning it on a public forum O_O. Especially since it was just to walk her dog... erm, you can also hire someone for like 12$ on Rover to take your dog for a walk... o_0. Anyways, sorry for the long rant, it had to come out haha.
Keep up with these posts :) they're a ray of sunshine during these dark times!
Myriam, thank you for such an unbelievably meaningful message! It is feedback like yours that really keeps me going.
It is always such a thrill when I hear someone is watching "Beverly Hills, 90210" (or any of the shows) for the first time. I admire you for taking it nice and slow -- you'll have to tell me your thoughts when you're all done!
I'm so glad you like these reaction posts! It's really reassuring when I find out there are other fans feeling the same way about the podcast. I know my voice, opinions, etc., aren't for everyone, but even knowing just one person appreciates my perspective means so much. That is, after all, why I started TDW in the first place -- to share thoughts with fellow fans.
As for Jennie and quarantine, it is definitely in poor taste to complain about it when you are essentially getting paid to take a staycation in fancy digs. Most people are confined to a single room and dealing with awful circumstances. I'm sure they would gladly trade places with her. In regard to breaking the quarantine with her dog, she played it off as her stepping out of the room for two seconds because her dog really need to go (whether the dog has a walker for the rest of the time or is expected to go on wee wee pads, she did not say). Regardless of the circumstances, though, I certainly wouldn't be talking about it during a public event like that. Just not a good look, nor was her Instagram post.
No sorry necessary -- you can rant anytime! Clearly I do, ha. So feel free to comment as much as you want :-)
It's so nice read your reply! I'll def tell you when I'm done with the OG 90210. I don't know much about what happens in seasons 5-10 so that's super exciting! The only thing I know is that there a gap of a few seasons without Luke Perry so I'm curious to what they came up with for Dylan's storyline explaining his absence/return.
I def. agree 100% with you on the podcast - it's been a wiiild ride so far with all the random guest stars showing up out of the blues, missing scheduled guest stars (did we ever find out what happened with Ian Ziering for the live episode?! Lmao), absolute lack of episode structure, etc. Like you, I was originally thinking we'd get a more structured podcast with more meaningful discussions about the storylines, what has aged well/what hasn't aged well, etc. I was a bit disappointed, but I've learned to love this podcast in the current iteration. Since I live on the West Coast, the episodes usually drop at 9am on Sunday night for me, while I'm walking my dog on a long walk, so I can listen to them while focusing 75% on the dog and 25% on the podcast and still follow perfectly to what they are talking about hahaha.
For the JG and the Toronto hotel quarantine, ok fair, it's definitely not bad if it was just a few steps/seconds rather than a full walk. I still feel the whole thing is in poor taste, especially given the whole "Canadians are forced to quarantine in government hotels" has been a whole fiasco ever since it was implemented. I just saw an article that was explaining that you absolutely need to book your hotel stay through the phone, and that people have to wait for hours before speaking to a government employee to do the booking. So it was a Canadian in JG's situation (i.e. going to the US temporarily to to shoot a movie), coming back to Canada right now would be a nightmare/pretty expensive. Not a huge deal but just a bit tone-deaf. But she probably didn't know that, sooo I won't hold it against her.
Oh also, I forgot to mention in my original message, but my two favourite shows when I was a teen were not actually "real" teen dramas - they were Roswell (the 1999 OG) and Buffy! Back then they wasn't that many "supernatural" teen shows, it was pretty much just Charmed/Roswell/Buffy on the WB, and I was obsessed with these two. I feel like today there are so many vampire (I haven't watched any those but True Blood and the likes) and alien/supernatural shows (literally 70% of the CW shows nowadays are about superheroes!), it's not really special anymore, but I was so amazed by the universes Joss Whedon and Jason Katims had created for Buffy and Roswell. Now, I can't help but wish we'd get a similar podcast (either two actors chatting about each episode in dept, or an actor + one of the main writers/producers/directors) for one of these two shows. Probably not Buffy due to all the recent Joss Whedon issues, and I don't think the cast members are closed friends in real life anymore, but Jason Behr + Shiri Appeby doing a "serious" Roswell rewatch podcast would be awesome!
I hope none of my posts spoil you too much! I write with the assumption that everyone has seen everything when that isn't always the case. But I am so excited for the journey you're on and can't wait for you to experience what each of the following seasons has to offer.
Nope, still no explanation about Ian being MIA from the live podcast! I'll be really curious to see what they do or don't say this Monday -- and what happens going forward.
Unfortunately, she's still complaining about how much quarantine sucks without recognizing her immense privilege. Now THAT sucks.
"Buffy" and "Roswell" both have really strong fan bases still, with some of the key players working together on various things (like Brendan Fehr and Majandra Delfino). Unfortunately, I imagine a podcast like what we have for "Beverly Hills, 90210" is unlikely. And the recent Joss stuff is just awful.
Hi Shari! I've been lurking on your Substack for a few months but it's my first time commenting :) I found out about your blog (the old version) at the beginning of COVID in 2020. I think we are about the same age, but I had never watched the original 90210... you needed a special channel to watch it the part of Canada I'm from, and my parents only had the basic cable. I watched all of the other teen dramas you covered, I was able to watch Dawson's Creek on TV and watched OTH, GG and nu90210 on streaming and/or DVDs. And for some reason, I had never really cared/knew anything about The OC, but I randomly decided to stream it on 2013 and was hooked, I watched it all in a few weeks :). After starting watching the original 90210 in 2020, I went on a deep dive online to find interviews with the writers, producers, etc., and that's how I found your blog! (I'm only on S5 of the OG 90210, I'm taking my time and trying to enjoy the show at a slow pace :)
First, I absolutely love these 90210MG recaps, they are hilarious and this one was also useful, I didn't attend their live event so it's great to catch up and read about what they talked about. Second, regarding the Jennie Garth quarantining in Toronto thingy, I have to add my 2 cents as a Canadian. I saw a post on her IG a few days ago in which she is spinning on a spin bike and mentioning how surprised she is that she have to quarantine for 14 days in Toronto... I was like what?! I feel like everyone knows or should know that you need to quarantine for 14 days when you travel to a different country, whether it is Canada or another country. Also, she is very lucky to be able to quarantine in what appears to be a nice hotel room or condo - as of right now, if a Canadian comes back from abroad, the moment your plane lands, the government forces you to go to an hotel they have selected (it's usually one of the super basic airport hotels) for the duration of the quarantine (14 days), and they charge you $2000 for it. But they only do that for Canadians coming back from abroad, not for foreigners coming in (I'm not sure what the rationale is - if you don't trust Canadians to do their quarantine, you shouldn't trust the foreigners either...). Anyways, long rant, but it really annoyed me, as a Canadian, to see her complaining that she has to quarantine for 14 days. It won't cost her a dime and it's in a nice place. Also, lastly, I'm a bit amazed that she publicly mentioned that she flouted the rules to take her dog out - I doubt that the Canadian government will go after her, but in theory, she could get a fine of 450,000$ for not respecting her quarantine... I'm sure she's not the first person to not respect it, but she's definitely the first that I hear mentioning it on a public forum O_O. Especially since it was just to walk her dog... erm, you can also hire someone for like 12$ on Rover to take your dog for a walk... o_0. Anyways, sorry for the long rant, it had to come out haha.
Keep up with these posts :) they're a ray of sunshine during these dark times!
Myriam
Myriam, thank you for such an unbelievably meaningful message! It is feedback like yours that really keeps me going.
It is always such a thrill when I hear someone is watching "Beverly Hills, 90210" (or any of the shows) for the first time. I admire you for taking it nice and slow -- you'll have to tell me your thoughts when you're all done!
I'm so glad you like these reaction posts! It's really reassuring when I find out there are other fans feeling the same way about the podcast. I know my voice, opinions, etc., aren't for everyone, but even knowing just one person appreciates my perspective means so much. That is, after all, why I started TDW in the first place -- to share thoughts with fellow fans.
As for Jennie and quarantine, it is definitely in poor taste to complain about it when you are essentially getting paid to take a staycation in fancy digs. Most people are confined to a single room and dealing with awful circumstances. I'm sure they would gladly trade places with her. In regard to breaking the quarantine with her dog, she played it off as her stepping out of the room for two seconds because her dog really need to go (whether the dog has a walker for the rest of the time or is expected to go on wee wee pads, she did not say). Regardless of the circumstances, though, I certainly wouldn't be talking about it during a public event like that. Just not a good look, nor was her Instagram post.
No sorry necessary -- you can rant anytime! Clearly I do, ha. So feel free to comment as much as you want :-)
Hi Shari! :)
It's so nice read your reply! I'll def tell you when I'm done with the OG 90210. I don't know much about what happens in seasons 5-10 so that's super exciting! The only thing I know is that there a gap of a few seasons without Luke Perry so I'm curious to what they came up with for Dylan's storyline explaining his absence/return.
I def. agree 100% with you on the podcast - it's been a wiiild ride so far with all the random guest stars showing up out of the blues, missing scheduled guest stars (did we ever find out what happened with Ian Ziering for the live episode?! Lmao), absolute lack of episode structure, etc. Like you, I was originally thinking we'd get a more structured podcast with more meaningful discussions about the storylines, what has aged well/what hasn't aged well, etc. I was a bit disappointed, but I've learned to love this podcast in the current iteration. Since I live on the West Coast, the episodes usually drop at 9am on Sunday night for me, while I'm walking my dog on a long walk, so I can listen to them while focusing 75% on the dog and 25% on the podcast and still follow perfectly to what they are talking about hahaha.
For the JG and the Toronto hotel quarantine, ok fair, it's definitely not bad if it was just a few steps/seconds rather than a full walk. I still feel the whole thing is in poor taste, especially given the whole "Canadians are forced to quarantine in government hotels" has been a whole fiasco ever since it was implemented. I just saw an article that was explaining that you absolutely need to book your hotel stay through the phone, and that people have to wait for hours before speaking to a government employee to do the booking. So it was a Canadian in JG's situation (i.e. going to the US temporarily to to shoot a movie), coming back to Canada right now would be a nightmare/pretty expensive. Not a huge deal but just a bit tone-deaf. But she probably didn't know that, sooo I won't hold it against her.
Oh also, I forgot to mention in my original message, but my two favourite shows when I was a teen were not actually "real" teen dramas - they were Roswell (the 1999 OG) and Buffy! Back then they wasn't that many "supernatural" teen shows, it was pretty much just Charmed/Roswell/Buffy on the WB, and I was obsessed with these two. I feel like today there are so many vampire (I haven't watched any those but True Blood and the likes) and alien/supernatural shows (literally 70% of the CW shows nowadays are about superheroes!), it's not really special anymore, but I was so amazed by the universes Joss Whedon and Jason Katims had created for Buffy and Roswell. Now, I can't help but wish we'd get a similar podcast (either two actors chatting about each episode in dept, or an actor + one of the main writers/producers/directors) for one of these two shows. Probably not Buffy due to all the recent Joss Whedon issues, and I don't think the cast members are closed friends in real life anymore, but Jason Behr + Shiri Appeby doing a "serious" Roswell rewatch podcast would be awesome!
Keep up the good work :)
I hope none of my posts spoil you too much! I write with the assumption that everyone has seen everything when that isn't always the case. But I am so excited for the journey you're on and can't wait for you to experience what each of the following seasons has to offer.
Nope, still no explanation about Ian being MIA from the live podcast! I'll be really curious to see what they do or don't say this Monday -- and what happens going forward.
Unfortunately, she's still complaining about how much quarantine sucks without recognizing her immense privilege. Now THAT sucks.
"Buffy" and "Roswell" both have really strong fan bases still, with some of the key players working together on various things (like Brendan Fehr and Majandra Delfino). Unfortunately, I imagine a podcast like what we have for "Beverly Hills, 90210" is unlikely. And the recent Joss stuff is just awful.
Thank you <3