let's do the time warp again

Well, I've managed to watch the pilot episode of 90210. Oh my god. The clothes (Kelly wore long, patterned spandex shorts over stretchie pants; the color palette). And the hair! Brandon has a full-on mullet. Funny, I remember Steve growing one, but I wouldn't even call his a pseudo-mullet in this episode.

The ridiculousness of Brenda pretending to be in college to impress 25-year-old Jason (Maxwell Caulfield) and thinking she's in love with him after two dates. And why the hell would he make their second date a double date with his friends?! (And I guess they have to get guys to play several years younger than they actually are when the high schoolers are in their twenties.)

The most absurd thing is the West Beverly Hills Transit bus that shuttles Andrea from home in Van Nuys to school at West Beverly (which, of course, doesn't even exist; Beverly Hills only has one high school and it's called Beverly Hills High). As if Beverly Hills would have a transit system! Let alone the western part of the city. I don't actually get why they gave it a directional name or why they chose West (though almost universally, western parts of American cities are more affluent than their eastern counterparts). And it doesn't even look like a transit bus, it's a coach sort of thing. And then we see that Andrea lives in an old craftsman bungalow off Gramercy Place. Hmmm...sure this isn't West Adams? (I need to consult my Thomas Guide, and I'll get back to you.)

Yeah, I don't think I've seen this episode since it aired 17 years ago. No wonder I was infatuated with this when I was seven.

Though remember, this was a seriously groundbreaking TV show in its day. It helped make Fox a serious network and ushered in an era of entertainment catering to teens. It's the first teen soap, but my whole family watched this show. Even Dad.