BH90210 Season 1 finale: 5 most shocking moments from episode 6
By Reed Gaudens
From the return of the infamous red dress to a paternity shocker, BH90210 bows out with loose ends and a major cliffhanger. Who’s getting cut from the reboot?
If there were any BH90210 fans still on the fence about the meta reboot, they were officially won over by that expert-level season finale. Twists, cliffhangers, references to a non-existent revival of The O.C. with Marissa Cooper back from the dead? Honestly, what’s not to love?
BH90210 ended its first (and as of this writing, only) season with a handful of open-ended storylines, including the identity of the cast’s stalker. (Turns out, the owner of Donna’s dress was responsible for the fire, but not the dolls. Hmm…) Meanwhile, Brian receives a paternity twist, Ian falls into an incestuous love triangle, and the 90210 reboot’s pickup comes with some mighty strings attached. Let’s break it all down with the finale’s five most shocking BH90210 moments. (Warning: Spoilers from the season finale ahead.)
1. The O.C. reboot threatens 90210.
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Now this is the kind of tongue-in-cheek, meta-humor BH90210 serves up on a silver platter. Christine informs the gang that FOX’s (fictional) reboot of The O.C., which boasts a resurrected Marissa Cooper, sits in direct competition to their reboot. There are a few slots left on the network’s fall lineup, and it’s a duel between the two generation-defining teen dramas.
It’s funny, but chatter about The O.C. (a surefire pipe dream for FOX and Warner Bros.) could have very well been something Spelling and Garth heard while pitching BH90210. How incredible would it be if Mischa Barton left the world of The Hills: New Beginnings and actually popped by in Season 2 to further poke fun at FOX’s faux dueling reboots? Maybe she could be the stalker…
2. Brian Austin Green, you are not the father.
BH90210′s finale brought the shockers, and we’re not just talking about that almost-kiss between Jason and Shannen in a nod to the talk about their weird sexual chemistry as on-screen siblings. Shay’s undercover investigation of Zach dug up the truth: Brian is not his father. As a result, Brian feels complicated emotions.
He doesn’t appreciate Shay going behind his back for the truth, but he also still feels like a father to Zach, which Shannen advises to pursue regardless of DNA. Zach insists that his mother, who told him Brian was his father, didn’t lie about his paternity. But there’s another man in the photo of Brian and Zach’s mother: Jason Priestley. Looks like once upon a time, Jason could have children, and he did.
3. Ian’s in an unlikely love triangle with Denise Richards.
As if Ian’s romance with Anna, the head writer of the Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, wasn’t already enough of a walk on eggshells, he’s in for a huge surprise. Denise Richards guest stars in the finale as herself (at least, a fictionalized version of herself) and strikes up a fling with Ian during a party. After sparks fly and the stars sleep together, Ian discovers that Anna is Denise’s daughter. Yikes! And he wonders why the test audience deemed him the poster boy for toxic masculinity.
4. The return of the Red Dress.
We’ve all heard about the Great Red Dress Feud of 1990-something, whether the lore has been rehashed in the media or directly from the pages of Tori Spelling’s memoirs. Well, the women of 90210 finally took back the narrative of their wardrobe dysfunction when Tori, Jennie, and Shannen each show up to the upfront presentation wearing red dresses.
It’s a wonderful moment of nostalgic levity before the cast gets bamboozled by Christine’s announcement. Naturally, none of trio changes out of their red dresses. There’s room for three queens to shine in red.
5. Someone’s getting cut…
After a tedious wait to find out the network’s decision on green-lighting the reboot, the gang’s thrilled when they get the call they’ve been waiting for. But before making an appearance at an upfront presentation, Christine drops the bomb: They’re reshooting the pilot in Canada, and the network can’t afford all seven cast members. Yeah, that puts the red dress redux into perspective.
We have to assume that Shannen would step up to resolve the cliffhanger by taking a pay cut, since she’s making double. Unless the network, which spared no expense for both a Peach Put and Bait Shop (The O.C.’s hangout) pop-up, is in such dire straits that cutting Shannen’s paycheck in half wouldn’t alleviate the financial strain of the reboot. Who will take one for the team?
Next. Will BH90210 be renewed for Season 2 on FOX?. dark
What did you think of the finale? Who do you think the real stalker is? Do you hope to catch up with the gang again in Season 2? Make some noise in the comments and on social about a renewal, and share what (and who!) you hope to see in a potential second season!
BH90210 is available to stream on Hulu.