Let's Compare Scenes: Sweat Lodge Experiences

We all know the common teen drama tropes, with love triangles first and foremost one of the key ingredients. After all, relationship messiness is par for the course in real, non-TV life too.

But sweat lodges?

I can’t say I’ve been to one (not counting a sauna!), yet two of our teen dramas produced episodes where sweat lodges played pivotal roles in the storylines.

Beverly Hills, 90210

Episode 5.17, “Sweating It Out”

Brandon and Dylan embark on a road trip. Amidst their motorcycle riding, they pull over to the side of the road to, uh, go to the bathroom, only to discover they’ve urinated on tribal land. A local police offer tasks with them doing manual labor as penance and later invites them to a spiritual ceremony inside a sweat lodge.

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The O.C.

Episode 4.11, “The Dream Lover”

Seth and Che embark on a journey. Amidst their hike through the woods, they set up camp and spend the night. The next day, Che enlists Seth’s help in building a sweat lodge and leads him through a spiritual ceremony inside it.

In both episodes, there’s underlying tension. Brandon and Dylan bicker throughout their trip and Seth is grouchy toward Che. But otherwise, the sweat lodge scenes are pretty different. “Beverly Hills, 90210” gives us the serious version, while “The O.C.” delivers the comedic version. Still, both pairs of pals feel changed by their experiences and walk away from the events with new insights and outlooks.

That’s true of both series as a whole, too. “Beverly Hills, 90210” is far more serious than “The O.C.,” which is far more comedic than its predecessor. Yet both leave viewers feeling profoundly changed. Ah, the power of teen soap operas!

Looking for more teen drama comparisons? See which shows had baby sisters named Lily, earthquake and hurricane episodes, throwback episodes, and “Breakfast Club”-inspired episodes.