'90210's' drama-packed finale shines in its simplest moments

Clearly, "90210" wanted to end the season on a note of high drama Tuesday night, as evidenced by vodka-toting Annie Wilson's crash into what appeared to be a pedestrian, the dragon/Cleopatra dream-sequence, and more. But as is so often the case with this show, it was the subtler, truer moments that shone brightest.

Adrianna's dream sequence, in which Brenda Walsh appeared, outfitted as Cleopatra with her pet dragon in tow, was bizarre to the point of silliness. Watching it made me feel like maybe I had sampled some of Mama and Papa Wilson's magic brownies.

Annie's descent into insanity, complete with jeering classmates and broken glass, felt very Erin Silver. Maniacal. Presumably, this was the erupting-volcano-moment Liam had been telling us so much about. But the scene was so over the top, it felt more funny than dramatic. The vodka bottle and the car crash did little to temper the excess. Do you all recall the original "90210" as being this action-packed? Or was it a simpler show? 

Anyways, the strongest moment of the episode was not one of the fireworks-worthy broken-glass or dream-sequence scenarios but instead the confrontation between Ethan and Dixon, when Dixon finally asked Ethan how he felt about Silver. Could Dixon have been any cooler in that moment? Any more simultaneously calm and authoritative? Emmy, please!

You didn't think "90210" could do subtle, didja? Well, Tuesday night's episode revealed that the attraction between Ethan and Silver, which has been blossoming ever so subtly in the last few weeks, may be about to flower. Also, a hint of a romantic connection between Kelly Taylor and Harry Wilson appeared for the first time. So whereas the previews each week have promised that the inappropriate love connection will be of the Annie-Liam variety, it looks like the real forbidden romance will come from an even more unlikely twosome: Ethan-Silver or Kelly-Harry. (And yeah, that second one sounds a bit far-fetched this early in the game, but that's how the Ethan-Silver thing started too, remember?)

Anyways, no matter who she ends up with, Silver sure isn't likely to keep Dixon at this point. Eternal do-gooder Dixon finally appears to be running out of patience for Silver's antics. Dixon persuaded the entire class to write in Silver's name for prom queen; then, when Silver won, she pulled a Silver and made a speech proclaiming prom lame in about a million ways. She even -- gasp! -- rejected her crown. Though she didn't go as far as Lilo's character in "Mean Girls" and break the thing in half. Dixon was rightfully miffed, and when a giddy Silver announced that she would return to West Beverly after all, Dixon did that sulky thing he does so well and told her to buzz off. Perhaps resident weirdo Silver is just too offbeat to be with clean-cut prom king Dixon. What do you all think? 

Naomi's big sis, Jen, kept up her naughty streak Tuesday night -- and made sure an entire generation of "9-0" viewers will hate her -- by dissing Kelly Taylor. Turns out that when Kel was Jen's high school guidance counselor, she wrote Jen a scathing letter of recommendation, which Jen later read while getting cozy with the admissions officer at Yale. Hey, this is "90210," people; how else could she read the thing? Anyways, after her run-in with Jen, Kelly tried to warn Ryan about the "narcissist with no moral compass," making herself sound like a jealous ex-girlfriend in the process. But Kelly assured Ryan she's not jealous. That she has moved on. Hmmm. ... Any guesses?

And you thought Naomi was a bad girl. Turns out that compared to her big sis, Jen Clark, West Beverly's resident drama queen is a saint. And Sara Foster, the leggy blond who plays Jen, is fine with that. "I think that everybody would love to play the bad girl, 'cause for most of us, it's a stretch" she said in a phone interview last week. "Most of us aren't really built like that."

So, just how naughty is Jen? In her minimal screen time so far, she has already offered to take her underage sister drinking, alluded to an elicit affair with a high school boy and framed a high school girl for shoplifting. And now it looks like she's scamming her baby sister out of her trust fund.

But Foster doesn't think Jen's all bad. "I think Jen is not a horrible person," she said, choosing her words carefully. Foster did acknowledge, however, that "Jen is probably not the best influence on Naomi." So, I had to ask. Does Foster have anything in common with her conniving character?

"Oh gosh, no!" she exclaimed. Thus, taking on the role of Jen required a total transformation for Foster, "from her voice to the way she dresses to her hair." She got together with executive producer Rebecca Rand Kirshner to play dress-up, leafing through fashion magazines and photos from runway shows until the pair achieved the perfect look for Naomi's glamorous and worldly sister.

Most awesome/jarring opener:

Tuesday night's episode began with a playful montage of possible outcomes for Adrianna and Navid's new baby. It was fun. It was funny. But was it even the same show? The opener seemed more "Scrubs" or "Arrested Development" than "90210." We're all for creative new framing devices, but not when they are abandoned minutes into the episode.

Best line:

"90210" was full of fiery one-liners Tuesday, but when Naomi described Liam to Annie as "someone I just have sex with in the woods or in cars or in your bed," she took the cake. 

Most perplexing development:

The fresh-start concept made sense in theory, but in practice, the whole Silver-goes-to-Catholic-school plotline struggled, perhaps because it was too black and white. Silver's Catholic confidante, Angela, was so loathsome that it seemed unlikely Silver would even speak to her, let alone sacrifice her prized privacy for her.

Cutest new plot device:

The scene transitions were more clever than usual tonight. In one, Silver's Catholic school scene was abruptly cut off by Adrianna yelling, "What the hell!"

Worst prop:

Was anybody else wondering why Adrianna brought a vase -- and not a wrapped bouquet -- full of peonies to Navid's family? When Mama Navid dropped the peonies, the reason for the silly prop became clear. Though no less ridiculous.

This ain't your grandma's "90210." On the original "90210," Cindy and Jim Walsh were virtually sexless. Just the frumpy parents of Brenda and Brandon, who seemed content to live as feeders and dolers-out of advice to their two perfect-ish Beverly Hills children.

The grown-ups on this incarnation of "90210," however, are a different breed. They have their very own plotlines, their very own inside jokes, and their very own — get this! — sex lives.

Whether or not you still see her as a teenager, Kelly Taylor is a grown-up by West Beverly standards. She has an adult job, she has a child (or at least she did at the beginning of the season) and she even plays mother hen to high-school-aged Silver. So, for better or for worst, this is an adult. Which is why it was so shocking to see Kelly coming onto bushy-browed teacher Mr. Matthews with such force. Toward the end of Tuesday's episode, Kelly runs into Mr. Matthews at the grocery store, where he's buying beer. He is only drinking three, he says; as for the other three, "no one's called 'em." That's when the Kelly unleashes her inner vamp. "I'm kinda thirsty," she purrs, her statement oozing with innuendo. Moments later, she has ditched her unstable daughter-figure to get frisky with Ryan, the urgency of their initial embrace suggesting that things go very far, very fast. What would Cindy Walsh think!

There seems to be some confusion about how to treat the vintage characters — Kelly, Donna, Brenda — in this regard. They are adults now, chronologically speaking, and yet it's hard to believe Kelly could have changed her wily ways all that much in the few years since we saw her last. And so she is stuck in some sort of limbo between being a perfect (read: dull) grown-up and being the dream girl with a naughty streak we knew on vintage "90210." Hopefully this Ryan/Kelly plot, as it develops, will help strike a realistic balance between Kelly's two personalities.

There is so much I want to say about tonight's episode of "90210." So much that was good, really good! I want to talk about the way I teared up a little, when Dixon Wilson watched his birth mother laugh with Annie Wilson in Arizona. I want to talk about the way the unlikely friendship between Ethan Ward and Liam Court charmed and surprised me, and the way Ethan's faux-peyote realization gave his character -- finally -- a reason to be there on the screen; that was powerful stuff.

But I can't. Because I need to interrupt this edition of "90210"-Showtracker to bring you a special message from our sponsor: Dr. Pepper.

Were they kidding with that tonight?

Tonight's episode of "90210" deserves an award, for the single most egregious example of product placement in the history of television. Once or twice, it felt like a "Saturday Night Live" spoof of a television show doing product placement.

Perhaps the most offensive of the (myriad) Dr. Pepper placements tonight came when Dixon and Annie were in the car on their way to Arizona. Dixon was driving, and he designated Annie as the refreshment manager. She reached into the back seat and cracked open a huge cooler. "No," I thought; "they won't put a Dr. Pepper in the cooler. It's too ridiculous." But not only was there Dr. Pepper in the cooler, there was nothing else in it! Dr. Peppers in a huge pile, with maybe a single Diet Dr. Pepper for variety's sake, crowded the space.

But it got even better (read: more ridiculous). The road-trippers pulled over at a rest stop so Annie could use the bathroom, and an exasperated Dixon sighed, "maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!" Annie didn't miss a beat: "We're on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement." OK, now they're just messing with us, right?

Anyways, in that scene, we discovered that Dixon was really plotting this trip to Arizona not to scope out water parks but to find his birth mother, Dana Bowen. Then eventually, Annie and Dixon found her, at her workplace, but Dixon was too flummoxed to approach. Instead, he watched as his mother unloaded a pile of tupperware from her briefcase. It's a wonder she didn't not pull out a Dr. Pepper.

After Annie's heart-to-heart with Dixon's birth mom, she and Dixon headed home in the car together. One of them changed the radio station, Dr. Pepper in hand. Close-up. Would it be easier if these characters just had Dr. Peppers instead of hands?

Listen. I am really not trying to be negative here. I am rooting for this show to be great, and for the most part, I actually think it was tonight. However, product placement was so ubiquitous and clunky it was almost insulting. And so, this blog was devoted to Dr. Pepper tonight. Mmmmmm ... Tasty.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Wireimage

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210': The season is ending; let's all trade lovers

You didn't think "90210" could do subtle, didja? Well, Tuesday night's episode revealed that the attraction between Ethan and Silver, which has been blossoming ever so subtly in the last few weeks, may be about to flower. Also, a hint of a romantic connection between Kelly Taylor and Harry Wilson appeared for the first time. So whereas the previews each week have promised that the inappropriate love connection will be of the Annie-Liam variety, it looks like the real forbidden romance will come from an even more unlikely twosome: Ethan-Silver or Kelly-Harry. (And yeah, that second one sounds a bit far-fetched this early in the game, but that's how the Ethan-Silver thing started too, remember?)

Anyways, no matter who she ends up with, Silver sure isn't likely to keep Dixon at this point. Eternal do-gooder Dixon finally appears to be running out of patience for Silver's antics. Dixon persuaded the entire class to write in Silver's name for prom queen; then, when Silver won, she pulled a Silver and made a speech proclaiming prom lame in about a million ways. She even -- gasp! -- rejected her crown. Though she didn't go as far as Lilo's character in "Mean Girls" and break the thing in half. Dixon was rightfully miffed, and when a giddy Silver announced that she would return to West Beverly after all, Dixon did that sulky thing he does so well and told her to buzz off. Perhaps resident weirdo Silver is just too offbeat to be with clean-cut prom king Dixon. What do you all think? 

Naomi's big sis, Jen, kept up her naughty streak Tuesday night -- and made sure an entire generation of "9-0" viewers will hate her -- by dissing Kelly Taylor. Turns out that when Kel was Jen's high school guidance counselor, she wrote Jen a scathing letter of recommendation, which Jen later read while getting cozy with the admissions officer at Yale. Hey, this is "90210," people; how else could she read the thing? Anyways, after her run-in with Jen, Kelly tried to warn Ryan about the "narcissist with no moral compass," making herself sound like a jealous ex-girlfriend in the process. But Kelly assured Ryan she's not jealous. That she has moved on. Hmmm. ... Any guesses?

And you thought Naomi was a bad girl. Turns out that compared to her big sis, Jen Clark, West Beverly's resident drama queen is a saint. And Sara Foster, the leggy blond who plays Jen, is fine with that. "I think that everybody would love to play the bad girl, 'cause for most of us, it's a stretch" she said in a phone interview last week. "Most of us aren't really built like that."

So, just how naughty is Jen? In her minimal screen time so far, she has already offered to take her underage sister drinking, alluded to an elicit affair with a high school boy and framed a high school girl for shoplifting. And now it looks like she's scamming her baby sister out of her trust fund.

But Foster doesn't think Jen's all bad. "I think Jen is not a horrible person," she said, choosing her words carefully. Foster did acknowledge, however, that "Jen is probably not the best influence on Naomi." So, I had to ask. Does Foster have anything in common with her conniving character?

"Oh gosh, no!" she exclaimed. Thus, taking on the role of Jen required a total transformation for Foster, "from her voice to the way she dresses to her hair." She got together with executive producer Rebecca Rand Kirshner to play dress-up, leafing through fashion magazines and photos from runway shows until the pair achieved the perfect look for Naomi's glamorous and worldly sister.

Most awesome/jarring opener:

Tuesday night's episode began with a playful montage of possible outcomes for Adrianna and Navid's new baby. It was fun. It was funny. But was it even the same show? The opener seemed more "Scrubs" or "Arrested Development" than "90210." We're all for creative new framing devices, but not when they are abandoned minutes into the episode.

Best line:

"90210" was full of fiery one-liners Tuesday, but when Naomi described Liam to Annie as "someone I just have sex with in the woods or in cars or in your bed," she took the cake. 

Most perplexing development:

The fresh-start concept made sense in theory, but in practice, the whole Silver-goes-to-Catholic-school plotline struggled, perhaps because it was too black and white. Silver's Catholic confidante, Angela, was so loathsome that it seemed unlikely Silver would even speak to her, let alone sacrifice her prized privacy for her.

Cutest new plot device:

The scene transitions were more clever than usual tonight. In one, Silver's Catholic school scene was abruptly cut off by Adrianna yelling, "What the hell!"

Worst prop:

Was anybody else wondering why Adrianna brought a vase -- and not a wrapped bouquet -- full of peonies to Navid's family? When Mama Navid dropped the peonies, the reason for the silly prop became clear. Though no less ridiculous.

This ain't your grandma's "90210." On the original "90210," Cindy and Jim Walsh were virtually sexless. Just the frumpy parents of Brenda and Brandon, who seemed content to live as feeders and dolers-out of advice to their two perfect-ish Beverly Hills children.

The grown-ups on this incarnation of "90210," however, are a different breed. They have their very own plotlines, their very own inside jokes, and their very own — get this! — sex lives.

Whether or not you still see her as a teenager, Kelly Taylor is a grown-up by West Beverly standards. She has an adult job, she has a child (or at least she did at the beginning of the season) and she even plays mother hen to high-school-aged Silver. So, for better or for worst, this is an adult. Which is why it was so shocking to see Kelly coming onto bushy-browed teacher Mr. Matthews with such force. Toward the end of Tuesday's episode, Kelly runs into Mr. Matthews at the grocery store, where he's buying beer. He is only drinking three, he says; as for the other three, "no one's called 'em." That's when the Kelly unleashes her inner vamp. "I'm kinda thirsty," she purrs, her statement oozing with innuendo. Moments later, she has ditched her unstable daughter-figure to get frisky with Ryan, the urgency of their initial embrace suggesting that things go very far, very fast. What would Cindy Walsh think!

There seems to be some confusion about how to treat the vintage characters — Kelly, Donna, Brenda — in this regard. They are adults now, chronologically speaking, and yet it's hard to believe Kelly could have changed her wily ways all that much in the few years since we saw her last. And so she is stuck in some sort of limbo between being a perfect (read: dull) grown-up and being the dream girl with a naughty streak we knew on vintage "90210." Hopefully this Ryan/Kelly plot, as it develops, will help strike a realistic balance between Kelly's two personalities.

There is so much I want to say about tonight's episode of "90210." So much that was good, really good! I want to talk about the way I teared up a little, when Dixon Wilson watched his birth mother laugh with Annie Wilson in Arizona. I want to talk about the way the unlikely friendship between Ethan Ward and Liam Court charmed and surprised me, and the way Ethan's faux-peyote realization gave his character -- finally -- a reason to be there on the screen; that was powerful stuff.

But I can't. Because I need to interrupt this edition of "90210"-Showtracker to bring you a special message from our sponsor: Dr. Pepper.

Were they kidding with that tonight?

Tonight's episode of "90210" deserves an award, for the single most egregious example of product placement in the history of television. Once or twice, it felt like a "Saturday Night Live" spoof of a television show doing product placement.

Perhaps the most offensive of the (myriad) Dr. Pepper placements tonight came when Dixon and Annie were in the car on their way to Arizona. Dixon was driving, and he designated Annie as the refreshment manager. She reached into the back seat and cracked open a huge cooler. "No," I thought; "they won't put a Dr. Pepper in the cooler. It's too ridiculous." But not only was there Dr. Pepper in the cooler, there was nothing else in it! Dr. Peppers in a huge pile, with maybe a single Diet Dr. Pepper for variety's sake, crowded the space.

But it got even better (read: more ridiculous). The road-trippers pulled over at a rest stop so Annie could use the bathroom, and an exasperated Dixon sighed, "maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!" Annie didn't miss a beat: "We're on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement." OK, now they're just messing with us, right?

Anyways, in that scene, we discovered that Dixon was really plotting this trip to Arizona not to scope out water parks but to find his birth mother, Dana Bowen. Then eventually, Annie and Dixon found her, at her workplace, but Dixon was too flummoxed to approach. Instead, he watched as his mother unloaded a pile of tupperware from her briefcase. It's a wonder she didn't not pull out a Dr. Pepper.

After Annie's heart-to-heart with Dixon's birth mom, she and Dixon headed home in the car together. One of them changed the radio station, Dr. Pepper in hand. Close-up. Would it be easier if these characters just had Dr. Peppers instead of hands?

Listen. I am really not trying to be negative here. I am rooting for this show to be great, and for the most part, I actually think it was tonight. However, product placement was so ubiquitous and clunky it was almost insulting. And so, this blog was devoted to Dr. Pepper tonight. Mmmmmm ... Tasty.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Wireimage

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210': Sara Foster on playing Beverly Hills' best new bad girl, Jen Clark

And you thought Naomi was a bad girl. Turns out that compared to her big sis, Jen Clark, West Beverly's resident drama queen is a saint. And Sara Foster, the leggy blond who plays Jen, is fine with that. "I think that everybody would love to play the bad girl, 'cause for most of us, it's a stretch" she said in a phone interview last week. "Most of us aren't really built like that."

So, just how naughty is Jen? In her minimal screen time so far, she has already offered to take her underage sister drinking, alluded to an elicit affair with a high school boy and framed a high school girl for shoplifting. And now it looks like she's scamming her baby sister out of her trust fund.

But Foster doesn't think Jen's all bad. "I think Jen is not a horrible person," she said, choosing her words carefully. Foster did acknowledge, however, that "Jen is probably not the best influence on Naomi." So, I had to ask. Does Foster have anything in common with her conniving character?

"Oh gosh, no!" she exclaimed. Thus, taking on the role of Jen required a total transformation for Foster, "from her voice to the way she dresses to her hair." She got together with executive producer Rebecca Rand Kirshner to play dress-up, leafing through fashion magazines and photos from runway shows until the pair achieved the perfect look for Naomi's glamorous and worldly sister.

Most awesome/jarring opener:

Tuesday night's episode began with a playful montage of possible outcomes for Adrianna and Navid's new baby. It was fun. It was funny. But was it even the same show? The opener seemed more "Scrubs" or "Arrested Development" than "90210." We're all for creative new framing devices, but not when they are abandoned minutes into the episode.

Best line:

"90210" was full of fiery one-liners Tuesday, but when Naomi described Liam to Annie as "someone I just have sex with in the woods or in cars or in your bed," she took the cake. 

Most perplexing development:

The fresh-start concept made sense in theory, but in practice, the whole Silver-goes-to-Catholic-school plotline struggled, perhaps because it was too black and white. Silver's Catholic confidante, Angela, was so loathsome that it seemed unlikely Silver would even speak to her, let alone sacrifice her prized privacy for her.

Cutest new plot device:

The scene transitions were more clever than usual tonight. In one, Silver's Catholic school scene was abruptly cut off by Adrianna yelling, "What the hell!"

Worst prop:

Was anybody else wondering why Adrianna brought a vase -- and not a wrapped bouquet -- full of peonies to Navid's family? When Mama Navid dropped the peonies, the reason for the silly prop became clear. Though no less ridiculous.

This ain't your grandma's "90210." On the original "90210," Cindy and Jim Walsh were virtually sexless. Just the frumpy parents of Brenda and Brandon, who seemed content to live as feeders and dolers-out of advice to their two perfect-ish Beverly Hills children.

The grown-ups on this incarnation of "90210," however, are a different breed. They have their very own plotlines, their very own inside jokes, and their very own — get this! — sex lives.

Whether or not you still see her as a teenager, Kelly Taylor is a grown-up by West Beverly standards. She has an adult job, she has a child (or at least she did at the beginning of the season) and she even plays mother hen to high-school-aged Silver. So, for better or for worst, this is an adult. Which is why it was so shocking to see Kelly coming onto bushy-browed teacher Mr. Matthews with such force. Toward the end of Tuesday's episode, Kelly runs into Mr. Matthews at the grocery store, where he's buying beer. He is only drinking three, he says; as for the other three, "no one's called 'em." That's when the Kelly unleashes her inner vamp. "I'm kinda thirsty," she purrs, her statement oozing with innuendo. Moments later, she has ditched her unstable daughter-figure to get frisky with Ryan, the urgency of their initial embrace suggesting that things go very far, very fast. What would Cindy Walsh think!

There seems to be some confusion about how to treat the vintage characters — Kelly, Donna, Brenda — in this regard. They are adults now, chronologically speaking, and yet it's hard to believe Kelly could have changed her wily ways all that much in the few years since we saw her last. And so she is stuck in some sort of limbo between being a perfect (read: dull) grown-up and being the dream girl with a naughty streak we knew on vintage "90210." Hopefully this Ryan/Kelly plot, as it develops, will help strike a realistic balance between Kelly's two personalities.

There is so much I want to say about tonight's episode of "90210." So much that was good, really good! I want to talk about the way I teared up a little, when Dixon Wilson watched his birth mother laugh with Annie Wilson in Arizona. I want to talk about the way the unlikely friendship between Ethan Ward and Liam Court charmed and surprised me, and the way Ethan's faux-peyote realization gave his character -- finally -- a reason to be there on the screen; that was powerful stuff.

But I can't. Because I need to interrupt this edition of "90210"-Showtracker to bring you a special message from our sponsor: Dr. Pepper.

Were they kidding with that tonight?

Tonight's episode of "90210" deserves an award, for the single most egregious example of product placement in the history of television. Once or twice, it felt like a "Saturday Night Live" spoof of a television show doing product placement.

Perhaps the most offensive of the (myriad) Dr. Pepper placements tonight came when Dixon and Annie were in the car on their way to Arizona. Dixon was driving, and he designated Annie as the refreshment manager. She reached into the back seat and cracked open a huge cooler. "No," I thought; "they won't put a Dr. Pepper in the cooler. It's too ridiculous." But not only was there Dr. Pepper in the cooler, there was nothing else in it! Dr. Peppers in a huge pile, with maybe a single Diet Dr. Pepper for variety's sake, crowded the space.

But it got even better (read: more ridiculous). The road-trippers pulled over at a rest stop so Annie could use the bathroom, and an exasperated Dixon sighed, "maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!" Annie didn't miss a beat: "We're on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement." OK, now they're just messing with us, right?

Anyways, in that scene, we discovered that Dixon was really plotting this trip to Arizona not to scope out water parks but to find his birth mother, Dana Bowen. Then eventually, Annie and Dixon found her, at her workplace, but Dixon was too flummoxed to approach. Instead, he watched as his mother unloaded a pile of tupperware from her briefcase. It's a wonder she didn't not pull out a Dr. Pepper.

After Annie's heart-to-heart with Dixon's birth mom, she and Dixon headed home in the car together. One of them changed the radio station, Dr. Pepper in hand. Close-up. Would it be easier if these characters just had Dr. Peppers instead of hands?

Listen. I am really not trying to be negative here. I am rooting for this show to be great, and for the most part, I actually think it was tonight. However, product placement was so ubiquitous and clunky it was almost insulting. And so, this blog was devoted to Dr. Pepper tonight. Mmmmmm ... Tasty.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Wireimage

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210' awards: the good, the bad and the seriously sexy

Most awesome/jarring opener:

Tuesday night's episode began with a playful montage of possible outcomes for Adrianna and Navid's new baby. It was fun. It was funny. But was it even the same show? The opener seemed more "Scrubs" or "Arrested Development" than "90210." We're all for creative new framing devices, but not when they are abandoned minutes into the episode.

Best line:

"90210" was full of fiery one-liners Tuesday, but when Naomi described Liam to Annie as "someone I just have sex with in the woods or in cars or in your bed," she took the cake. 

Most perplexing development:

The fresh-start concept made sense in theory, but in practice, the whole Silver-goes-to-Catholic-school plotline struggled, perhaps because it was too black and white. Silver's Catholic confidante, Angela, was so loathsome that it seemed unlikely Silver would even speak to her, let alone sacrifice her prized privacy for her.

Cutest new plot device:

The scene transitions were more clever than usual tonight. In one, Silver's Catholic school scene was abruptly cut off by Adrianna yelling, "What the hell!"

Worst prop:

Was anybody else wondering why Adrianna brought a vase -- and not a wrapped bouquet -- full of peonies to Navid's family? When Mama Navid dropped the peonies, the reason for the silly prop became clear. Though no less ridiculous.

This ain't your grandma's "90210." On the original "90210," Cindy and Jim Walsh were virtually sexless. Just the frumpy parents of Brenda and Brandon, who seemed content to live as feeders and dolers-out of advice to their two perfect-ish Beverly Hills children.

The grown-ups on this incarnation of "90210," however, are a different breed. They have their very own plotlines, their very own inside jokes, and their very own — get this! — sex lives.

Whether or not you still see her as a teenager, Kelly Taylor is a grown-up by West Beverly standards. She has an adult job, she has a child (or at least she did at the beginning of the season) and she even plays mother hen to high-school-aged Silver. So, for better or for worst, this is an adult. Which is why it was so shocking to see Kelly coming onto bushy-browed teacher Mr. Matthews with such force. Toward the end of Tuesday's episode, Kelly runs into Mr. Matthews at the grocery store, where he's buying beer. He is only drinking three, he says; as for the other three, "no one's called 'em." That's when the Kelly unleashes her inner vamp. "I'm kinda thirsty," she purrs, her statement oozing with innuendo. Moments later, she has ditched her unstable daughter-figure to get frisky with Ryan, the urgency of their initial embrace suggesting that things go very far, very fast. What would Cindy Walsh think!

There seems to be some confusion about how to treat the vintage characters — Kelly, Donna, Brenda — in this regard. They are adults now, chronologically speaking, and yet it's hard to believe Kelly could have changed her wily ways all that much in the few years since we saw her last. And so she is stuck in some sort of limbo between being a perfect (read: dull) grown-up and being the dream girl with a naughty streak we knew on vintage "90210." Hopefully this Ryan/Kelly plot, as it develops, will help strike a realistic balance between Kelly's two personalities.

There is so much I want to say about tonight's episode of "90210." So much that was good, really good! I want to talk about the way I teared up a little, when Dixon Wilson watched his birth mother laugh with Annie Wilson in Arizona. I want to talk about the way the unlikely friendship between Ethan Ward and Liam Court charmed and surprised me, and the way Ethan's faux-peyote realization gave his character -- finally -- a reason to be there on the screen; that was powerful stuff.

But I can't. Because I need to interrupt this edition of "90210"-Showtracker to bring you a special message from our sponsor: Dr. Pepper.

Were they kidding with that tonight?

Tonight's episode of "90210" deserves an award, for the single most egregious example of product placement in the history of television. Once or twice, it felt like a "Saturday Night Live" spoof of a television show doing product placement.

Perhaps the most offensive of the (myriad) Dr. Pepper placements tonight came when Dixon and Annie were in the car on their way to Arizona. Dixon was driving, and he designated Annie as the refreshment manager. She reached into the back seat and cracked open a huge cooler. "No," I thought; "they won't put a Dr. Pepper in the cooler. It's too ridiculous." But not only was there Dr. Pepper in the cooler, there was nothing else in it! Dr. Peppers in a huge pile, with maybe a single Diet Dr. Pepper for variety's sake, crowded the space.

But it got even better (read: more ridiculous). The road-trippers pulled over at a rest stop so Annie could use the bathroom, and an exasperated Dixon sighed, "maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!" Annie didn't miss a beat: "We're on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement." OK, now they're just messing with us, right?

Anyways, in that scene, we discovered that Dixon was really plotting this trip to Arizona not to scope out water parks but to find his birth mother, Dana Bowen. Then eventually, Annie and Dixon found her, at her workplace, but Dixon was too flummoxed to approach. Instead, he watched as his mother unloaded a pile of tupperware from her briefcase. It's a wonder she didn't not pull out a Dr. Pepper.

After Annie's heart-to-heart with Dixon's birth mom, she and Dixon headed home in the car together. One of them changed the radio station, Dr. Pepper in hand. Close-up. Would it be easier if these characters just had Dr. Peppers instead of hands?

Listen. I am really not trying to be negative here. I am rooting for this show to be great, and for the most part, I actually think it was tonight. However, product placement was so ubiquitous and clunky it was almost insulting. And so, this blog was devoted to Dr. Pepper tonight. Mmmmmm ... Tasty.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Wireimage

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210': The old folks get frisky

This ain't your grandma's "90210." On the original "90210," Cindy and Jim Walsh were virtually sexless. Just the frumpy parents of Brenda and Brandon, who seemed content to live as feeders and dolers-out of advice to their two perfect-ish Beverly Hills children.

The grown-ups on this incarnation of "90210," however, are a different breed. They have their very own plotlines, their very own inside jokes, and their very own — get this! — sex lives.

Whether or not you still see her as a teenager, Kelly Taylor is a grown-up by West Beverly standards. She has an adult job, she has a child (or at least she did at the beginning of the season) and she even plays mother hen to high-school-aged Silver. So, for better or for worst, this is an adult. Which is why it was so shocking to see Kelly coming onto bushy-browed teacher Mr. Matthews with such force. Toward the end of Tuesday's episode, Kelly runs into Mr. Matthews at the grocery store, where he's buying beer. He is only drinking three, he says; as for the other three, "no one's called 'em." That's when the Kelly unleashes her inner vamp. "I'm kinda thirsty," she purrs, her statement oozing with innuendo. Moments later, she has ditched her unstable daughter-figure to get frisky with Ryan, the urgency of their initial embrace suggesting that things go very far, very fast. What would Cindy Walsh think!

There seems to be some confusion about how to treat the vintage characters — Kelly, Donna, Brenda — in this regard. They are adults now, chronologically speaking, and yet it's hard to believe Kelly could have changed her wily ways all that much in the few years since we saw her last. And so she is stuck in some sort of limbo between being a perfect (read: dull) grown-up and being the dream girl with a naughty streak we knew on vintage "90210." Hopefully this Ryan/Kelly plot, as it develops, will help strike a realistic balance between Kelly's two personalities.

There is so much I want to say about tonight's episode of "90210." So much that was good, really good! I want to talk about the way I teared up a little, when Dixon Wilson watched his birth mother laugh with Annie Wilson in Arizona. I want to talk about the way the unlikely friendship between Ethan Ward and Liam Court charmed and surprised me, and the way Ethan's faux-peyote realization gave his character -- finally -- a reason to be there on the screen; that was powerful stuff.

But I can't. Because I need to interrupt this edition of "90210"-Showtracker to bring you a special message from our sponsor: Dr. Pepper.

Were they kidding with that tonight?

Tonight's episode of "90210" deserves an award, for the single most egregious example of product placement in the history of television. Once or twice, it felt like a "Saturday Night Live" spoof of a television show doing product placement.

Perhaps the most offensive of the (myriad) Dr. Pepper placements tonight came when Dixon and Annie were in the car on their way to Arizona. Dixon was driving, and he designated Annie as the refreshment manager. She reached into the back seat and cracked open a huge cooler. "No," I thought; "they won't put a Dr. Pepper in the cooler. It's too ridiculous." But not only was there Dr. Pepper in the cooler, there was nothing else in it! Dr. Peppers in a huge pile, with maybe a single Diet Dr. Pepper for variety's sake, crowded the space.

But it got even better (read: more ridiculous). The road-trippers pulled over at a rest stop so Annie could use the bathroom, and an exasperated Dixon sighed, "maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!" Annie didn't miss a beat: "We're on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement." OK, now they're just messing with us, right?

Anyways, in that scene, we discovered that Dixon was really plotting this trip to Arizona not to scope out water parks but to find his birth mother, Dana Bowen. Then eventually, Annie and Dixon found her, at her workplace, but Dixon was too flummoxed to approach. Instead, he watched as his mother unloaded a pile of tupperware from her briefcase. It's a wonder she didn't not pull out a Dr. Pepper.

After Annie's heart-to-heart with Dixon's birth mom, she and Dixon headed home in the car together. One of them changed the radio station, Dr. Pepper in hand. Close-up. Would it be easier if these characters just had Dr. Peppers instead of hands?

Listen. I am really not trying to be negative here. I am rooting for this show to be great, and for the most part, I actually think it was tonight. However, product placement was so ubiquitous and clunky it was almost insulting. And so, this blog was devoted to Dr. Pepper tonight. Mmmmmm ... Tasty.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Wireimage

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210,' brought to you by Dr. Pepper

There is so much I want to say about tonight's episode of "90210." So much that was good, really good! I want to talk about the way I teared up a little, when Dixon Wilson watched his birth mother laugh with Annie Wilson in Arizona. I want to talk about the way the unlikely friendship between Ethan Ward and Liam Court charmed and surprised me, and the way Ethan's faux-peyote realization gave his character -- finally -- a reason to be there on the screen; that was powerful stuff.

But I can't. Because I need to interrupt this edition of "90210"-Showtracker to bring you a special message from our sponsor: Dr. Pepper.

Were they kidding with that tonight?

Tonight's episode of "90210" deserves an award, for the single most egregious example of product placement in the history of television. Once or twice, it felt like a "Saturday Night Live" spoof of a television show doing product placement.

Perhaps the most offensive of the (myriad) Dr. Pepper placements tonight came when Dixon and Annie were in the car on their way to Arizona. Dixon was driving, and he designated Annie as the refreshment manager. She reached into the back seat and cracked open a huge cooler. "No," I thought; "they won't put a Dr. Pepper in the cooler. It's too ridiculous." But not only was there Dr. Pepper in the cooler, there was nothing else in it! Dr. Peppers in a huge pile, with maybe a single Diet Dr. Pepper for variety's sake, crowded the space.

But it got even better (read: more ridiculous). The road-trippers pulled over at a rest stop so Annie could use the bathroom, and an exasperated Dixon sighed, "maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!" Annie didn't miss a beat: "We're on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement." OK, now they're just messing with us, right?

Anyways, in that scene, we discovered that Dixon was really plotting this trip to Arizona not to scope out water parks but to find his birth mother, Dana Bowen. Then eventually, Annie and Dixon found her, at her workplace, but Dixon was too flummoxed to approach. Instead, he watched as his mother unloaded a pile of tupperware from her briefcase. It's a wonder she didn't not pull out a Dr. Pepper.

After Annie's heart-to-heart with Dixon's birth mom, she and Dixon headed home in the car together. One of them changed the radio station, Dr. Pepper in hand. Close-up. Would it be easier if these characters just had Dr. Peppers instead of hands?

Listen. I am really not trying to be negative here. I am rooting for this show to be great, and for the most part, I actually think it was tonight. However, product placement was so ubiquitous and clunky it was almost insulting. And so, this blog was devoted to Dr. Pepper tonight. Mmmmmm ... Tasty.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Wireimage

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210': Jessica Stroup talks Tori Spelling's return and Dustin Milligan's exit

Just when you thought things were calming down for Silver, think again. When last we saw her, Silver had an emotional, near-fatal episode at Los Angeles’ Union Station -- read: She was almost hit by a train -- and Dixon realized that his crazy-in-love girlfriend was actually manic depressive.

But things are far from settled. In tonight's episode, an embarrassed Silver will ship off to an all-girls school to get away from her problems. (To that we say, simmer down, sister: Adrianna was a druggie who got knocked up by non-boyfriend Ty. And now? It’s all good.) Luckily, Silver’s in line for some TLC from Donna Martin – she’s back and feeling maternal – and a potential love interest from an unexpected (and yet, convenient?) place. Actress Jessica Stroup, 22, spills the beans.

Where is Silver's head at in tonight's episode?
Silver is at her most raw. She's just completely shattered. When she starts her recovery, she’s going to struggle with big time with [big sis] Kelly, who wants her to go to bed at a certain time and take medication and not do too much or be influenced by outside people.

From the preview (above) it looks like Silver may be getting help from the one and only Donna Martin, now world-famous fashion designer.
Yes, Donna is like family!

Tori Spelling's return has been a long time coming. Does she live up to the hype?
Oh, my God, yes. I just remember thinking she’s everything I thought and more. She’s such an incredible woman. When she arrived it was like, "Donna Martin is back on the 90210 set – Aaaaaaaaaa!" The girls on our crew are all really young, and we all knew the importance of having Donna Martin back. I met her in the makeup trailer, and she’s got her reality show filming, and I met her husband and her kid. It was awesome. I so admire her. I mean, she’s really got a million things going on. She’s got the show, a book, a jewelry line … kids! And she still came back! We shot a scene in a car riding around Beverly Hills, and paparazzi was everywhere. That was wild, but she was an old pro handling all that.

How did she and Jennie Garth get along?
I know Jennie and Tori are lifelong friends. They will be forever be bonded. To see them together was like seeing sisters being reconnected, and I was just lucky enough to get sucked up into it.

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210': When love is worth fighting for

Tonight's episode of "90210" was about love. No, not that stuff that froths up during the first few giddy month of courtship, but the stuff that comes after that. When people run out of good behavior and demons come out to play. And people are forced to ask themselves whether they can accept their partner as they are. Or whether the partner's particular brand of crazy is just too much to bear.

The story centered on Dixon and Silver, who hit a rough patch last week, when Silver decided to surreptitiously film their lovemaking and edit it into a film she then screened for their classmates. Um, yeah. Dixon was suitably miffed. But that was only the beginning. After the video incident, Silver cranked up the crazy, setting fire to the remaining copy of the video, breaking her teacher's window with a wine bottle and high-tailing it to a train station to hop a train to Kansas. Oh yeah -- and another may-jah Beverly Hills no-no; gallivanting around town with drippy eye makeup.

At this stage of the episode, Silver's particular brand of crazy -- call it "Drama Queen" -- appeared to be too much for her laid-back lover. Dixon ignored Silver's call and let her writhe in pain for half the eppy. But then, at the end, he came around. Turns out Dixon was only pushing Silver away because her paroxysms of agony and joy reminded him of his own mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. By the end of the show, Silver was as good as diagnosed, courtesy of Dr. Dixon, and he agreed to help her help herself, first by getting her off the train tracks and then by discussing her assumed condition with her in a gentle, soothing voice. Thus, Sixon (Dilver?) survived its first wine-bottle-smashing road bump. And lived to tell the tale.

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210': Who is the craziest of them all?

Well, that's one way to spice up a series. "90210" came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here's the trouble: "90210" can't seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi's storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night's episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let's talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and "a complete enigma," according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam's character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don't get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi's last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an "adios."

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi's system in last night's episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly's new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can't we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of "The Hills" is also a great example of what today's bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam's dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, "Being friends is not what I want." Ethan's goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn't having it. "I guess that we're just not friends," she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda's character seemed to edge into the "huh?" zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda's demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, "This is your new resident crazy girl." But she wasn't. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she's still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW

'90210' casting news: Is Ethan saying goodbye to the Zip Code?

"EW" is reporting that when "90210" returns next fall for its sophomore season, it will be short one West Beverly High School student. According to the report, Ethan Ward, played by Dustin Milligan, will return for a few episodes to wrap up his storyline before riding off into the sunset for good.

This news is not shocking. Milligan, 23, told the Times in January that he's been restless playing the popular boy toy and has been disappointed that his character's back story has not been shared with viewers.

"There’s so many different characters and storylines and everybody’s storyline has to slowly develop and work," he said. "For me, a lot of Ethan’s storylines have been centered around Annie—Naomi for a while—but mainly around Annie. But coming up, we have an episode with Aimee Teegarden from 'Friday Night Lights' and what happens is that she changes his perspective. She opens his eyes. He was living in his own little bubble, especially with Annie. It’s exciting because I think people are going to start to learn more about Ethan and more about what he wants out of life. He’s going to start to pull away from the whole Beverly Hills excess and extravagance."

During the conversation at Kokomo Cafe--a.k.a. the "Peach Pit"--the Canadian native was very candid about his feelings about the ups and downs in production and the change in leadership, even stating that he didn't think "the network knew exactly what they wanted."

Did that get him fired? Probably not. Milligan was starting to accept then that "90210" maybe just wasn't his cup of tea and was taking some valuable lessons from his experience.

"Teen dramas are not my favorite kind of show," he said. "It’s not my genre. The hardest thing is staying really excited about it because I’m not always eager to do some of the cheesier side. It’s my own [stuff] and I know it. I just have learned not to judge the content and judge what I do with it instead. That’s just a lesson.  Working for network television is not always as creatively freeing as you’d want, so it’s a challenge sometimes to stay pumped about it. But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. It’s funny because when I was in high school, I wished that this is what high school was like. I mean, Ethan makes out with everybody!"

Not for much longer, it sounds like.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: CW