About Last Night: No Fire Yet, but Maybe a Spark on 90210

(A little housekeeping note: This is the first of a couple of regular features I'll be implementing on the site over the coming days in an effort to increase the frequency of my posts. "About Last Night"—in which I'll briefly address the six or seven hours of TV I watched the previous evening—will appear a few times a week, barring any unforeseen circumstances, like a natural disaster or a shoe sale at Nine West or, more likely, a sudden, debilitating bout of laziness.)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
90210, "Meet the Parent"

I was a big fan of the original Beverly Hills, 90210—I've seen every episode of every season multiple times—so I had high hopes for this reboot when it premiered back in 2008. The show had a rocky first year trying to find its footing, but it came back last fall younger, hotter, and just a little trashier—exactly the way a teen soap should be. Last night's episode wasn't especially scandalous, but it did set the scene for some potentially awesome trouble down the line. You can find detailed recaps elsewhere, so I'm just going to post a few thoughts I had while watching. (Consider this your spoiler alert.)

1) Is anyone else bored by Teddy and Silver together? I like them both as individuals, but they're far too stable as a couple. There was maybe a minute and a half last night in which Teddy considered taking his father's advice and giving up his relationship with Silver to focus on his burgeoning tennis career—also, what?—but then Jessica Stroup rode up on her little Vespa, and he couldn't wait 30 seconds to tell her he was in love with her. Yawn. Where's the drama, writers? I like my teen romance with a healthy dose of angst and inner conflict.

2) I think Adrianna might be my favorite character on the show, though I honestly couldn't tell you why. Maybe it's because Jessica Lowndes is just so ridiculously pretty? Or because she sings, and I...like music? I don't know. In any case, I'm excited to see where this whole Latin pop-star flirtation is going. Her duet with Javier last night didn't knock my socks off—it sounded vaguely like something you'd hear in a made-for-TV Disney movie—but that doesn't mean they don't have potential as a pair outside the studio. (As an aside, how great was Adrianna's rendition of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" a few weeks ago? I love Dolly's twangy original as much as the next girl, but Jessica Lowndes' melancholic acapella rendering made me listen to the song in a completely different way.)

3) Can someone—maybe a guy—tell me what Liam sees in Naomi? She's snobby, shallow, and beyond oblivious to anything that doesn't directly concern her. I don't necessarily want to see him with Annie in the long run, but anyone would be better than Naomi at this point. She's, like, not even a real person right now. I do love AnnaLynne McCord's camptastic theatrics, though. So appropriate.

4) The Powers That Be really need to put Rob Estes and Aunt Becky out of their misery. That failed-marriage subplot is a waste of screen time and talent. No one watches the CW for the grown-ups.

5) Jen is totally crazy. It's amazing. I can't wait to see what she does next. I hope—for the sake of the show, mostly, but also because Naomi is really getting on my nerves—that's it's something truly outrageous. There are only two episodes left this season—you better bring it, writers.