REACTION: 9021OMG Episode 28

“Summer Storm” was the subject of Monday’s “9021OMG” podcast.

In this episode, the third of season 2, Dylan (Luke Perry) has a surfing accident that lands him at the Walshes. Kelly (Jennie Garth) takes an interest in a new character named Kyle (David Lascher). And Donna (Tori Spelling) and David (Brian Austin Green) are paired up for a project in their summer acting class.

This was the second installment written by Jessica Klein and Steve Wasserman, who would eventually become the show’s executive producers seasons later. The hour was directed by Charles Braverman, who also helmed the season premiere.

After strongly disliking last week’s episode, did Jennie and Tori enjoy this one more? Well…

9021OMG Episode 28, “Aprils Fools Day and a Hunky Guy”

• They started off totally on topic and by “totally on topic,” I mean “totally off topic” by discussing Derek Hough recently saying his most embarrassing moment on “Dancing with the Stars” was dropping Jennie. This tangent went on for several minutes.

  • As I’ve pointed out, Jennie is one of several TD stars who have competed on “DWTS.”

• Jennie’s husband told her she was “very white” in this beach-set episode. That came at 5 minutes in and eventually led to them diving into the episode somewhat. They all agreed it was a “much better episode” than last week. They couldn’t even get through the synopsis, though, without being distracted by an apparent typo in the description they were given. And they didn’t name the writers or director. The streak is over.

• Tori was shocked that there were three different actors who played Dylan’s dad over the course of the series. Jennie was disturbed by Brandon saying, “Girl in a guy’s shirt, there’s nothing like it,” since he was talking about Brenda. She also wondered why Steve only wears “half a tank top.” Tori would’ve preferred him shirtless. Jennie called Steve “not nice” and a “jerk” in the episode. Tori argued he “goes back and forth” at this point in the series. Sisanie said he “completely changes” later on. Tori said Ian himself has “two distinct personalities” and can have a “short fuse.” They then discussed whether his personality fits his astrology sign.

  • Pro tip: Someone with a short fuse probably doesn’t like hearing on a podcast that they have a short fuse.

• Tori: “You know what my favorite thing is? When we make up backstories and things… who needs truth? We’ve got our version.” Jennie: “There’s the truth and then there’s our version. You pick which is more interesting.”

  • There are SO MANY things I could say...

• Jennie was “so happy” to see Jackie in the episode and said she has the “fondest memories” working with Ann. Tori wondered how old Ann was at the time. Jennie likened her to a “big sister.” Tori said “none of the parents parented us on the set.”

• Jennie liked when Kelly and Jackie were checking out guys together and said she does that with her daughters too. Tori was intrigued and made Jennie explain. Tori wondered why her oldest daughter isn’t “boy crazy.” Jennie: “Well, there could be several reasons.” This was another tangent, of course, though Jennie tied it back to the show by saying Kelly, especially in this episode, taught her how to be “assertive.”

  • I’m sure Tori’s daughter will be thrilled to know her mom dissected her love life, or lack thereof, like this.

  • Also, they repeatedly called the Harry Potter character “Drake” instead of “Draco.”

  • Tori also lamented the cost of Cameo videos, which is pretty rich considering she herself is on Cameo — and her price has gone up since I last checked it.

• Tori said she was “stressed” having to do Shakespeare for the drama storyline. Jennie said she did a “great job” and “made an adorable Romeo.” Tori said she “went on many times to play a boy on ‘90210.’” (Many? I can think of possibly two more times.) She also praised Brian for being a good scene partner.

• Jennie “got the sense that Brenda did not care for Andrea one bit” and wondered if it was “art imitating life.” Tori said it was “all downhill from here” and speculated the writers were trying to make the characters friends and then decided to “abort mission” when they saw how it was going.

• Jennie said she saw the boom mic three times in this episode. She said she understood now why their sound guy was always yelling at the boom guy. Tori said she never sees the boom and that Jennie has a “boom fetish.” Jennie acknowledged it “takes the fun out of watching something” when she’s fixated on the production values.

• Sisanie brought up Dylan and Brenda, prompting Jennie to tease her for her fandom. Jennie noted that Dylan was shirtless a lot in the episode and said Cindy seemed “smitten,” which Tori said was also “art imitating life” because of Carol’s crush on him. 

• Jennie then said there’s a “surprise guest in the waiting room for you, Tori.” Tori: “For me? I hate surprises.” It was Deborah Goodrich, who played Sandy in last week’s episode that they hated. They went to break before bringing her on. When they came back, Tori professed her love for Deborah and gushed about her horror film April Fool’s Day (NOT “Aprils Fools Day” as they have it in the podcast title). 

• Tori: “Okay, we’ll go back to ‘90210’ now.” Deborah said her “strongest memory” was the car Sandy had in the episode, which actually belonged to a real-life friend of hers. Tori told Deborah how Jennie called Sandy a “sex slave” last week. Deborah said she listened and “lost the thread” because she didn’t realize they were talking about her character. Tori asked if Deborah had to bring her own wardrobe like other guest stars have mentioned and she said she thought one piece was hers. Jennie: “Why the big headbands? We couldn’t figure it out.” 

• Jennie brought up Deborah being on “All My Children” and claimed “the fans loved it.” Jennie then said that she was “reading up” on her and was fascinated to learn Deborah went on to become a story editor. So Deborah recounted how her career unfolded and how she ended up working for Harvey Weinstein: “You want to ask anything about that?” Jennie said now Deborah’s a “big writer.” She writes books, apparently. Deborah then said, unprompted, “In terms of Harvey, I had a great experience in my years at Miramax… I had no experience of that aspect of him. I don’t doubt the women. I don’t condone his behavior. But I think people can exist in compartmentalized ways.”

  • Who had “9021OMG” talking about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct on their BINGO card?!

• Deborah went on to detail how she got into writing and Jennie plugged her latest book, Ruby Falls. And then they went to break again. When they came back, Jennie said to Tori: “Are you happy now?” Tori: “Like a pig in poop. I love her so much… I wish we had more time with her.”

• Jennie: “Well, if you think that was exciting, get a load of who’s next!” Tori squealed. They then introduced David. Jennie: “Long time no see.” David: “Decades, right?” Tori: “Oh my god. I just felt like we were in the ‘90s again.” They discussed his whereabouts and his kids. Jennie: “Do they know their dad was a teen idol?” He said they’re “aware,” but haven’t seen “Beverly Hills, 90210.” They have seen “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” though.

• David said he’s “never experienced anything like that summer” when they filmed this episode. Jennie didn’t know what other episodes he appeared in, so Superfan Sisanie had to tell her (she was clearly reading from something). Jennie: “But you were still Kyle.” Yes, Jennie. He was still Kyle.

• David recounted doing another show for Aaron and they surmised Aaron was trying to set him up with Tori. Tori said they were “homies.” David said the fashion from the episode “doesn’t hold up.” Tori: “Wait, whatever, why didn’t you go out with me?” David said she might’ve had a boyfriend and then brought up Jennie’s “boyfriend Dan,” who became her first husband. That led Tori to conclude she was with Nick then and David said “there was someone in my way.” Jennie: “Think of what could’ve been.” 

• David shared how “gracious” everyone was to him and how much “fun” he had filming. They wanted to know if he recalled being cold like they were on the beach. Jennie: “We’re always happy to hear people have fond memories of being on the show.” Tori: “Do you know Jessica Alba? No, I’m just kidding.” That seemed to go right over David’s head.

• They discussed how the show “blew up” during the time David was around. He brought up how they were on the cover of Rolling Stone and Tori pointed out that it was Jason, Shannen, and Luke who were featured, not them. Jennie touted other shows David did and how he’s now writing and directing on projects for streaming platforms, specifically, the show “Cruisers & Shakers.” Jennie: “Do you like that more than being a heartthrob?” He answered yes, of course, and explained how he stopped waiting for auditions to come his way and instead decided to do his own projects. Jennie called him an “inspiration.”

• Tori pointed out David was in the “Clueless” series and he revealed he was almost cast in the movie first. He mentioned Elisa Donovan and Tori surprised me by actually noting she was on “Beverly Hills, 90210” too. (No one made the “Blossom” / Michael Stoyanov connection, though.) Tori wanted to know which of David’s ‘90s projects he’s most recognized for. He said it “depends on the age,” but there’s a “‘90210’ contingency.” He said “Hey Dude” has “the most loyal fanbase.” Jennie didn’t seem to know it. She and David realized they were born in the same year but they didn’t want to talk about next year being a “big” birthday.

• They brought back their “rapid-fire” game. For favorite character, David said Dylan. For favorite cast member, he said Luke because they were friends before the show and he “just had such open arms for me.” For favorite memory, he said he remembered doing the night scenes on the beach “and all of us just hanging out… we smoked a lot of cigarettes back then.” Jennie: “Sshh, don’t tell my kids.” Superfan Sisanie was surprised. Tori: “It was like the thing to do.” Jennie: “That’s why they made Binaca.” 

• For kiss, marry, kick to the curb with the characters, Jennie said, “Since you were Kyle, you can go either gender, really.” This made Sisanie or someone laugh. David: “That was a role… God, do you ask everyone these questions?” He ultimately said kiss Kelly or Donna before settling on kissing Donna and marrying Andrea, though he struggled with the character names. Jennie said he could kick Kelly to the curb, even though she was a good friend to him. David turned the tables and asked who they would kick. Jennie said for this episode, she’d kick Steve, and Tori agreed, noting that they kicked him to the curb the first time they played too. In real life, though, David said Ian is “the nicest, nicest guy.”

• They ended the segment with another plug for David’s show. Jennie: “How is it that he just stays so good-looking?” Tori said “men get better looking with age if they’re already cute.” Sisanie cracked that she would keep her eyes peeled for him around town.

• Jennie asked if they wanted to talk fashion or go right to questions “because we might be running a little long.” Sisanie wanted to talk about Kelly’s halter and whether it was a shirt or a bathing suit. Jennie said of her body back then, “Those were the days.” They alluded to insecurities and said that looking at their bodies from today’s vantage point, they see how great they looked back then. Tori said she wants Ian to come on to defend his tank tops.

  • Yeah, we’re all still waiting for Ian to come on. I’m sure he’s just dying to do the podcast at this point.

• Jennie liked Brenda saying, “To be a bitch or not to be a bitch, that is the question.” Tori: “Do you think that started the ‘I Hate Brenda’ fan club right there?” Jennie laughed. Jennie also liked Kelly saying to Kyle, “Want to have some fun of the not-so-serious kind?” Sisanie liked Brenda saying, “You know, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is try to stay away from you.” Jennie: “And then she didn’t stay away from him.”

• The first “short and sweet” fan question was what Jennie thought of Tori’s honesty in her books. Jennie admitted she hasn’t read them, saying she’s “not an avid reader.” Jennie: “I’ve seen all of them. I love the cover[s].”

• The second fan question was whether anyone in the cast dated each other “seriously.” Tori: “Read my books!” Jennie said Tiffani and Brian did, as did Brian and Vanessa. They also named Jason and Christine. Tori said it was a “hard situation” for Tiffani and Brian. Jennie noted Tori dated Vincent. Tori: “She’d like to forget that.” Sisanie to Jennie: “None for you?” Jennie: “I was always married or having a baby.”

• Jennie said the next episode is “Anaconda” and told listeners, “Be sure to watch it before next week.” Tori closed by rapping, “Anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hun.”

I’ve been disappointed David hasn’t been on the “Beverly Hills 90210 Show” podcast, so kudos to “9021OMG” for having him on. But of course, they barely got into it with him. Rather than having a serious discussion about the way the show handled Kyle being gay, they made a passing, mocking reference to it. In fact, they didn’t really discuss his storylines at all. And with Deborah, I would’ve loved to hear a lot more about her time on the show versus the rest of her career. I didn’t need a “Where Are They Now?”-type discussion.

Unsurprisingly, they also barely scratched the surface of the episode in general. This is such a great one, from the Kelly-Kyle to stuff to the emotional highs and lows of the Brenda-Dylan aspects, but you wouldn’t know that from this supposed “rewatch podcast.” It’s such a disappointment, even after all this time, every time, when they fail to do the episode justice, when they don’t even come close. And the nerve of saying they’re “running long” when so much time is wasted with tangents!

Also, I can’t end this post without acknowledging what Jennie and Tori didn’t: The “Beverly Hills, 90210” series finale aired 21 years ago today.

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