'90210': The next episode and beyond ... Kelly's baby daddy revealed! And is Shannen Doherty extending her guest spot?

Like any good West Beverly High student, your new "90210" Show Tracker did her homework and dug up some details about the drama awaiting the denizens of that infamous zip code. So order up a cappuccino from The Pit and ponder the following:

1. The CW previews for tonight's episode have teased an explosive confrontation between newly minted guidance counselor Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) and her back off-the-wagon mama (Ann Gillespie) over the well-being of Kelly's half-sis Silver (Jessica Stroup). The dialogue goes something like this:

Kelly: I'm not gonna sit by and watch you do to her what you did to me!

Mama Taylor: Because your life was so awful.

Me: Stuff like this is exactly what this spin-off needs!!

But mama drama isn't the only appointment Kelly's keeping this week. She'll also go on date No. 2 with the scruffalicious English teacher (Ryan Eggold who, based on the pilot, seems to be the show's best bet for Breakout Male).

As for the paternity of Kelly's 4-year-old son Sammy, executive producer Gabe Sachs claims he and fellow show runner Jeff Judah "decided who the dad was a long time ago" and that the burning question will be answered within the next handful of episodes. My heart's set on Dylan, as he and Kelly rightfully reconnected at Donna's and David's wedding at the close of the original "Beverly Hills, 90210" in 2000. But considering Luke Perry has said he has no interest in appearing on "90210" 2.0, the safe money would seem to be on Brandon. Jason Priestley's already copped to wanting to direct an episode and really, how hard would it be for him to step around to the other side of the camera?

2. Tonight's episode is titled "Lucky Strike" and, sure enough, bowling's on the agenda when the wholesome Wilson clan — who uprooted from Kansas to Cali after dad Harry (Rob Estes) accepted the West Beverly principal gig — decides to do Family Night. Daughter Annie (Shenae Grimes) is in the midst of a burgeoning love triangle with supposedly dreamy lacrosse stud Ethan (Dustin Milligan) and the sensitive Private Jet Dude (Adam Gregory) so her attentions will likely be elsewhere. Ditto those of Annie's adopted brother, Dixon (Tristan Wilds), who is about to get his very own love interest. "You might be surprised when you see who it is," says Sachs, "but it is so the right person."

3. The bad news first: Shannen Doherty does not appear in a single scene of tonight's episode. Now, the good news: While the reformed bad girl initially agreed to reprise Brenda for four episodes, "it is definitely a possibility she will do more," Sachs says. "We love Shannen." Agreed. Which is why, ahem, she deserves more to do than baby-sitting Kelly's kid and directing the high school production of "Spring Awakening."

Which makes you wonder: What would you like to see Brenda do? Assuming Dixon's love interest is someone we met in last week's premiere, who do you think it is? And if good ol' reliable Brandon Walsh is, in fact, Kelly's baby daddy, why hasn't he stepped up to take care of his son? Weigh in below.

— Shawna Malcom

(Photo: Ann Gillespie, Jennie Garth and Jessica Stroup courtesy Justin Lubin /AP / The CW)

Comments

[Cat]

I think the daddy is Steve. She said she had a history with the father, he is included in that description. The boy has blond, curly hair, and his name is Sam. Steve's mom was named Samantha. Hmmmmm....

[Crystal]

I too think that the daddy is Steve Sanders...She said that they hooked up one night 4 years ago and didn't they do that a lot, however didn't Steve get married close to the end of the series?...maybe he got divorced and Kelly was there to console him and bam here comes Sammy...It's obvious that it is Steve...Curly blond hair, Kelly's history with the father & Sammy is short for Samual which is the male version of Sammantha - Steve's mom!!!!

[Katherine]

Right now all signs point to Brandon, what with Brenda not having seen Sammy since he was born (why else would she have been there in the first place?), to her and Kelly's falling out afterwards (presumably after Kelly and Brandon didn't end up together despite sharing a child) and now with the whole "history in high school" and "not seeing each other for a long time".

But it's too soon and too obvious to be Brandon, so I'm expecting a twist. Besides, DYLAN is the one Kelly has history with in high school as they were high school sweethearts. Brandon didn't become her boyfriend until college. And "not seeing each other for awhile" could be a reference to when Dylan left town after Toni's death.

It's more typical of Dylan than Brandon to breeze in and out of Kelly's life and totally expect that she'd be waiting for her with open arms so it's not totally out of character for him to have bailed on her, come back and gotten her pregnant, then freaked out again only to now suddenly want to be part of Sammy's and her life.

Brandon would never walk out on Kelly if she were pregnant. Jim and Cindy didn't raise no cad!! And if he didn't find out until later on, he wouldn't have left her alone for four years to raise him on her own. He would have hopped on the first plane out of Belize, not wanting to miss a single moment of his son's life.

I think that Brandon and Kelly are still very good friends, thus the reference to the 3am phone calls. They will always have a special place in each other's hearts no matter what. But Dylan is most likely -- and most logically -- the father. He just has that hold over Kelly, and he's selfish enough to think about himself (rather than Kelly or the baby) when things get uncomfortable for him. Kelly had already said in the old 90210 (when she had to choose between Brandon and Dylan) that even though she loved Brandon with all her heart, it's like Dylan always had a piece of her soul.

[holly]

Yeah its steve!! Brandon would of soo taken care of his kid. He was too responsable not too..

[jenn]

I think it's Steve too!!!

[jocelyn]

I dunno if it could be either Brandon or Dylan. dylan knows what it's like to have an absentee parent and Brandon is way too responsible to leave his baby. Dylan did kinda freak out after high school thoug, perhaps a psychotic break leaving him unable to accept responsibility for his own child. The history remark leads me to think of Dylan as the most likely candidate. Don't tell me though, I haven't seen this episode yet.

[Steph]

I think it's Steve. Steve was her HIGH SCHOOL sweetheart, not Dylan. Besides it looks like Steve and like someone said, Sam, his mom's name was Samantha. Makes sense to me, but to twist things up they would make it Dylan. No way it's Brandon she actually said she had seen him more recently than Brenda - which could or could not make him the Dad. Brandon is too much of a good boy to leave a kid behind. Has to be a bad boy like Dylan or Steve.

[amy]

I'm kinda bummed that Sammy probably isn't Brandon's kid. But on the other hand, it's cool that Steve could be the dad.. (the blonde curly hair is a dead giveaway!)I haven't heard if he's coming back to the show or not but I'm sure fans would love it if he did! Woohoo - my guilty pleasure is back!

[Shannon]

For those of you saying it's Steve because he has blond hair well Kelly also has blond hair. A lot of babies and little kids have blond hair even when their parents hair is brown. I think it's Dylan's kid. Too bad LP won't come back to the show so they can have Kelly and him together they way it was supposed to be when the series ended.

[Kelli]

I think it is Brandon because in the first episode she told the person on the phone (who we find out later was Brandon) that "he has been asking about him". Meaning, Sammy was asking about him. Then in this weeks episode she tells Ryan that the only guy that Sammy has met is his father...soooooo it HAS to be Brandon!!!!

[Julie]

Have you all lost your minds? Steve cannot be the Father of Kelly's baby. Kelly has blonde hair, hello, duh! Second, Steve was very in love with his wife at the end of the series and had a baby girl with her. Why on Earth would he hook up with Kelly. Do you guys not remember the show and how it ended??? Dylan and Kelly were together and Dylan promised it would be for good this time. Dylan is 90 percent likely the Father and by the way if we are discussing genes and hair color, Dylan had dark hair but his Dad's on the show was not really dark. Also, Steve loved his family at the end of the show, he fought hard to marry whatserface, and he was insanely proud of his little girl Maddy. Why on God's Green Earth would he move to Belize? Why would Steve sleep with Kelly even if it was a one night stand. Also, who's to say that Kelly's old boyfriend Matt isn't the Dad, he took off to go be a Dad to his brother's child (which he was the sperm donor). Also, has anyone seen recent pictures of Jason Priestly with his scary mountain man beard, I know shaving doesn't take long, but why would he come on the show when he said he wouldn't and was dead set against it. The only way it could be Dylan or Brandon is if all the press is lying and the set was closed off because the information would get leaked so easily, you know how word travels. If, either Jason Priestly or Luke Perry stepped foot on the lot to shoot the show SOMEONE would have seen it and know about it. You guys are insane thinking it's Steve. How in the heck are the writers going to explain. It's like a whole episode to explain why Steve would leave his wife and Maddy and then randomly have sex with Kelly, who by the way was NEVER that attracted to Steve except for the implied relationship in the FIRST SEASON. Why on Earth would she sleep with Steve after nine years of seeing him as more of a brother. I agree with you about the Brandon being too responsible thing, but you have to think about the fact that Brandon was not in the picture in the last season and had already moved. He may have come back to visit for a weekend and hooked up with Kelly who was still hot for him, and then went off to his blossoming career as a journalist. Also, Kelly never said anything about the Father never seeing Sammy, just that he misses him. Isn't it possible that Brandon is on assignment in Belize and that he sends Kelly money and sees Sammy as much as possible. Kelly was growing into a fiercely independent woman toward the end and that is what she has become. She may have insisted that Brandon not stay, with her and Sammy, that he go live his life because she didn't want to marry him, and there are other ways to be in a kids life and still travel. Luke Perry is dead set against coming back on the show and talks all the time about Dylan McKay haunting him and never being able to fully shake that character from his life. He wanted to be taken seriously as an actor, hello, anyone seen 8 seconds??? He didn't succeed because, like Matthew Broaderick, who found success on the stage, but not in film or television because he was Ferris Beuller(spelling?). Jennifer Gray never got a substantial part after playing Baby in Dirty Dancing and although Patrick Swayze had one or two hits (Ghost) after DD he didn't make it big like he thought and in past interviews he talked about always being his DD character and how it followed him. Luke Perry feels the same about Dylan, but wave enough money, who knows, everyone has a price and Luke hasn't been doing much lately, so we will all see, but to all of you who think Steve is the Dad, get real, it would be too complicated and Steve was a good Dad in the end of the show, there is no way he would just abandon a love child he had with Kelly, and there is no way he would cheat on the wife he fought so long and so hard to marry. Go back and review the last season, it is not Steve, and if it is, dude, that would be so complicated and frankly stupid.

[n/a]

It cannot be Steve. In the original series, he cleaned up his "frat boy act" with the birth of his baby girl Madelyn. He also married his baby's mother Lindsey Price's character, whose name I cannot remember. I also do not remember an episode that showed problems between their marriage. As a matter of fact, I remember there was an episode where he helped reconciled his wife's relationship with her parents out of his love for her and his new little family.

[na]

To Julie....it's a show, calm down!!!!!!!!

[Jenny]

i hope itz dylan. And i hope luke perry decides to come back.

[Garnet]

I agree with julie, How in the world could it be steve.......GO BACK AND WATCH SEASONS 9 ANd 10. Steve absolutely loved his family and his friends.