Beverly Hills, 90210 - Season 3, Episode 19

"And the prize for showing up
to my dad's lame party is...
a relationship with me!"

"Back in the High Life Again"
Original airdate: 1/27/1993

Episode summary: Dylan's father is released earlier than expected from prison and throws himself a party that hardly anyone wants to attend. Dylan officially chooses Kelly as his new girlfriend and gives Brenda the heave-ho and ends their noxious relationship for good.

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Recap: Dylan and his father are in a swanky black limousine, heading toward the swanky Bel Age Hotel. Jack is on the phone with Christine, talking about the Welcome Home From Prison party they're throwing at the hotel that evening. When he finishes the call, Dylan remarks how much he likes Christine and then asks his father how he managed to get released from prison after serving only two years. Jack tells him he has no idea, just that his lawyers worked something out...and he just packed his bags and ran toward freedom. Sounds pretty damn fishy if you ask me. Dylan asks him about his future plans, but Jack has none - other than his party. And speaking of which, Jack tells Dylan to invite all of his friends to join in the celebration of his shortened prison sentence. The limousine pulls up in front of the Bel Age Hotel, and there's a crowd of reporters and paparazzi who have all been awaiting Jack McKay's arrival. Must be a slow news day in Beverly Hills. Jack bounds out of the limo and jovially tells the media horde that they'll have to contact his lawyer if they want any kind of a statement. He then wraps a protective arm around Dylan's shoulders and shoves his way through the crowd toward the hotel's entrance.

Taylor/Silver house. Jackie is yelling at Mel for being a philandering douchebag. He tries to explain that he cheated on her not because he doesn't love her, but because his penis has an uncontrollably horny desire to sample as many women as humanly possible. Jackie snarks back that a nineteen year old dental hygienist is hardly a woman - gross - and Mel assures her that the relationship(s) with his mistress(es) is/are over. (It's somewhat unclear if he's confessing to sleeping with both Mandy and Sheila, as was claimed in the Midlife...Now What? episode.) Jackie snidely retorts that he only ended his dalliance with the hygienist because he got bored, and Mel admits he's a bastard and asks Jackie what she wants from him. [Hint: it's expensive and starts with a D]


David and Kelly are upstairs, eavesdropping on their parents' fight. David looks distressed and apologizes to Kelly for his dad's womanizing, but she assures him it's not his fault. She says she's always liked Mel, but his "tacky" cheating really grosses her out. David tells her that Mel did the very same thing to his mother, just with a different hygienist. Ew. He laments how awful this must be for Erin, but Kelly points out that Erin is too young to know what's going on. David's pretty bummed about the whole thing, but he's mostly bummed because he's going to have to move out of the lavish Taylor house and into a swinging bachelor's pad with Mel, along with Mel's rotating cupcakes of the month. The phone then rings, and it's Dylan calling to invite Kelly to Jack's Welcome Home From Prison party. She tells him that she and David are in the middle of some pretty heavy family stuff, so Dylan tells her that David's also invited. David says he already has plans to go over to Donna's house to study for his chemistry midterm, but he encourages Kelly to get out of the house for awhile and celebrate the felon's early release. Kelly mulls it over for a few seconds and agrees that it's a good idea, and she tells Dylan she'll definitely be there.


The Walsh house. As Papa Walsh watches the news footage of Jack McKay arriving at the Bel Age Hotel, he starts railing about how the man weaseled his way out of serving his full prison sentence. He calls him a liar, a crook, and "who knows what else". When Brenda points out that he barely knows Jack McKay, he snaps at her for defending a known criminal. The phone rings and it's Dylan, calling to invite Brenda to the Welcome Home From Prison party. She tells him she'll call him back, then hangs up and makes a weak attempt to sneak out of the house. When Mama and Papa Walsh ask her where she's going, she tells them she's off to a party in honor of Jack McKay getting released early from prison. They both stare at her incredulously, and Papa Walsh sternly forbids her to go anywhere near that criminal. He starts railing again about how the man was charged with insider trading, but was also into money laundering, bribery, and has mob connections, blah blah. He tries to appeal to Brenda's non-existent empathetic side and says he doesn't ask her for much, but that she has to trust him about this. She just stares back at him sulkily.


The Peach Pit. Steve tells Brandon he won't be able to make it to Jack McKay's party because he's got primo tickets to the Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game. He tries to entice Brandon to come along, and brags that the tickets are for seats at center court, floor level. Sweet. Brandon tells him he'd love to go but can't get away from work, and then asks Steve if he's interested in betting on the game - in favor of Cleveland. Steve is aghast at the idea of betting against the Lakers and reminds Brandon that basketball games are a sucker's bet. He said that during the previous episode too. I'm no expert on sports betting, but is it any more of a sucker's bet to bet on a basketball game than it is to, say, bet on baseball or hockey games? Please enlighten me. As Steve heads out, Brandon asks Nat to place another bet for him...but Nat disapproves and thinks that Brandon's bets are starting to get too steep. Brandon breezily tells him that it's just easy money, but Nat solemnly reminds him there's no such thing.


As Steve heads toward the door, he notices Ahn-drea sitting at a table, studying various hairstyle magazines. She tells him she's thinking of changing her hair color and asks him what he thinks about redheads...and then blondes. Steve doesn't really provide anything in the way of helpful advice; he just tells her she should make a radical change. Ahn-drea disagrees, but then looks thoughtful as she contemplates the possibilities.


Bel Age Hotel. Jack's Welcome Home From Prison party is in full swing, and despite the lack of guests, it's a fancy schmancy catered affair. Kelly arrives wearing a pretty red evening dress, and Dylan immediately rushes over to greet her. He bitterly complains about how the rest of his so-called friends were too busy to come to the party...but then adds that most of his father's so-called friends didn't show up either. Apparently, it's no longer an honor to spend an evening mingling with Jack McKay. Dylan says he thinks Brenda might come, but Kelly informs him that Papa Walsh forbade her 'cause he doesn't want his precious cherub in the company of a convicted felon. Dylan shrugs it off and tells Kelly he's just happy she's there. Kelly tells him she'd really like to meet his father, so he steers her across the room to make the introduction.


The Walsh house. Brandon is nervously watching the Lakers-Cavaliers game, which has gone into overtime. Brenda enters the room and starts yapping at him about how Kelly is attending Jack's party...and that she's worried it'll give her an edge in the quest to win Slouchy's heart. Brandon is too focused on the game to give much of a shit, so Brenda gets frustrated and grabs the remote to shut off the TV. Brandon gives her a dirty look then instantly grabs it back and turns the game back on. He promises to discuss her Dylan/Kelly quandary for as long as she wants to...but only when the game is over. Brenda snarkily asks him why he's been betting on so many basketball games lately, and he tells her that having money riding on games is fun and makes watching them interesting. He then launches a semi-tirade about how he has no vices (e.g. drugs, alcohol, hookers) and that he's snoozing his way through his senior year, bored out of his gourd. Betting on basketball games helps fill the void of his joyless existence and makes him a little extra money now and then. Brenda grumbles, "Excuse me - sorry I asked." She stomps out of the room, and a relieved Brandon resumes watching his game.


Bel Age Hotel. Dylan offers Kelly some party food, but she tells him she's not hungry. She's still too preoccupied with the marital discord going on between Jackie and Mel and wryly tells Dylan she should be used to it by now. At this point, though, she just wishes they'd stop fighting and move toward the inevitable divorce. Dylan clucks sympathetically and gives her a hug. To lift her spirits, he suggests that the two of them go for a night swim in the hotel pool. Kelly argues that it's too cold and she doesn't have a swimsuit, so Dylan counters that the pool is heated, he'll keep her warm, and she can buy a swimsuit in the gift shop downstairs. She easily caves.


The rooftop pool of the Bel Age Hotel looks gorgeous and inviting, and there are lighted trees everywhere. Kelly concedes that this was a really good idea, and she and Dylan start frolicking in the water, splashing at one another until they get amorous. After an intensely passionate kiss, Kelly asks Dylan what would have happened if Brenda had come to the party, and Dylan just shrugs and says, "She didn't." Kelly remarks that her mother's marriage is breaking apart because her husband was fooling around...so she can't feel good about being the "other woman". Dylan reminds her that she and Brenda were the ones who gave him an ultimatum and forced him to choose between them - so now he's choosing her. With that established, Kelly says they have to tell Brenda the entire truth, including the part about their dalliance last summer. Dylan thinks that's a bad idea and predicts it will only make a bad situation worse [it is, and it does], but Kelly insists and says they owe it to Brenda to be completely truthful about every detail of their hook-up. The two kiss once more and then engage in some more underwater canoodling.


Wilshire Beauty Supply. Ahn-drea has asked Donna to come along to the beauty supply store to decide which hair dye to apply to her unsightly rat's nest. She rambles endlessly in her usual stupid manner about how important it is to select the right color...and she thanks Donna for lending her hair-dying expertise. She tells Donna she'd like to have "streaky things" in her hair, which Donna informs her are highlights. Ahn-drea is thinking about maybe going blonde, but Donna advises against that and insists that red would look much better with her grisly skin tone. Ahn-drea seems paralyzed by the decision at hand, so Donna reminds her that it's just hair color - and if she doesn't like it, she can simply change it back. It's a sad day in Beverly Hills when Donna is the level-headed, calming voice of reason.


Bel Age Hotel. The following morning, Dylan and Jack dig into a scrumptious looking breakfast. Dylan asks his father who's footing the bill for all of this room service along with the opulent hotel suite, so Jack comes clean and admits that after paying his pricey lawyers, he's nearly wiped out financially. He did manage to stash some money where no one can find it, but it's not a whole lot. He vows to make more and, not coincidentally, brings up the topic of Dylan's multimillion dollar trust. He asks him if Papa Walsh is doing a good job investing his money, but Dylan has absolutely no idea and mumbles that he's just happy to get an allowance check once a month.


The Walsh house. Papa Walsh is reading the paper over breakfast, telling Mama Walsh about all the civil lawsuits that are currently pending against Jack McKay. He wonders aloud how much dough the guy has stashed away somewhere. A grim looking Brenda enters the kitchen and seats herself at the table. Papa Walsh tells her that Brandon has already left for school and offers to give her a ride, but she snarks that she'd rather walk. She informs her parents that Kelly was given permission to go to evil Jack McKay's party, so Mama Walsh points out that Kelly's mom currently has her hands full with her philandering husband and their looming divorce. The phone rings, and to Papa Walsh's surprise it's Jack McKay. He wants to set up a meeting, so Papa Walsh brusquely tells him to call his office and have his secretary set up a day and time. When he hangs up, Brenda curiously asks her father what's going on. Papa Walsh tells her he doesn't know exactly, just that Jack wants to meet with him...but whatever they talk about is strictly confidential anyway. When he leaves the room, Brenda tells her mom she's worried that Jack is going to try to get his hands on Dylan's millions. Well, d'yuh.


Taylor/Silver house. David rebukes his sleazy father for cheating and messing up his marriage, and Mel sheepishly admits that he blew it. He knows there's nothing more to say and tells David that he's going apartment hunting later. He confesses to having a problem with monogamy and that he knows what a big mistake he made doinking Mandy (and then Sheila), and now has to pay the consequences for his unfaithful douchebaggery. He also says he feels sorta bad that David has to go through all of this upheaval, but he promises he'll find a two bedroom apartment in Beverly Hills for the two of them. David expresses his anger at possibly losing a sister, but Mel insists that he'll always be Erin's brother, and that he will always be Erin's father. David sarcastically wishes him a great apartment hunt and storms off.


West Beverly High. Dylan is walking down the hall with Kelly, his arm draped across her shoulders. He gushes about how beautiful she is and tells her how much Jack enjoyed meeting her. Apparently Jack wants to have dinner with the the two of them and Christine - but Kelly's mind is on Brenda. She asks him how they're going to break the news to her...and they both suddenly flinch when they notice that Brenda is in the hall, ambling toward them. Brenda asks them how the party went and tells Dylan she couldn't make it 'cause she had to study, and he mutters, "Right" and beats a hasty retreat. Brenda asks Kelly if she told Dylan about what Papa Walsh had said about Jack, and Kelly fibs and says she didn't. Brenda then declares that Dylan is going to need the support of his friends to help him through these troubled times with his newly released from prison father, and invokes the nasty fight they had during the Isn't It Romantic episode. Kelly informs her that Jack McKay has mellowed a lot since then - in fact, he's an entirely different man from Season 1 Jack McKay! Heh. Kelly tells Brenda that Jack was quite entertaining during his party and told a lot of funny stories. She adds that Dylan wants to give his dad a chance, and that she thinks that's great. Brenda just glares at her condescendingly and unconvincingly mutters, "Yeah, I guess."


In another hall, Steve is telling Brandon what an amazing time he had at the Lakers game last night. He sat behind Jack Nicholson! Suddenly, Dylan interrupts their conversation to sarcastically thank them for coming to his father's Welcome Home From Prison party and snappishly asks them to remind him to return the favor sometime. Brandon explains that he had an evening shift at the Peach Pit, and Dylan snarks back that Nat probably could have done without him for one night. He adds that he knows Papa Walsh doesn't want him or Brenda anywhere near his felonious father, then slouches off.


Donna's house. Donna is applying red highlights to Ahn-drea's hair. David is also there, and starts whining to the two of them about the impending divorce of Mel and Jackie and how he's going to have to move out of the Taylor house soon. Ahn-drea asks him why he can't just continue to live there, and David tells her he doubts that Jackie would want him around, since he'd be a constant reminder of his philandering father. Donna disagrees and tells him that Jackie likes him a lot, and that she knows that Mel's two-timing has nothing to do with him. Donna and Ahn-drea encourage him to talk to Jackie about continuing to live at the Taylor house.


The Peach Pit. Brandon asks Nat if Duke stopped by yet to pay him the $100 he owes him for the bet on the Lakers-Cavaliers game. Nat suddenly looks sheepish and is forced to confess that he totally forgot to place the bet. Brandon is visibly annoyed, and Nat looks distressed and apologizes. He leaves the room for a minute and returns with $100 of his own money, but Brandon tells him he can't accept it. Nat insists he wants to make it up to him, so Brandon asks him for Duke's number so he can place his own bets and not rely on Nat to always do it. Nat looks troubled by this request and explains that if he does that, he won't be able to keep an eye on Brandon...and this makes him nervous. Brandon assures him that he's very responsible, but Nat continues to scrunch his face concernedly.


Papa Walsh's office. Jack and Dylan arrive for their meeting with Papa Walsh. Dylan announces that he now wants his dad to handle his money, so Papa Walsh informs him that it's not actually possible for Jack to serve as a trustee, because he was convicted on federal racketeering charges. Bwahaha! Jack interjects and clarifies that he wants to completely dissolve the trust. Papa Walsh tells him that Dylan's mom (Iris) would have a huge problem with that, since she was the one who established the trust and insisted that it be irrevocable until Dylan's twenty-first birthday. Jack asks Dylan to leave the room so he and Papa Walsh can have a few minutes alone, and Dylan complies like the obedient lapdog he's suddenly turned into and gets up and leaves. Jack smarmily tells Papa Walsh how thankful he is to him for looking out for Dylan when he wasn't around...but now that he's back, his services are longer required. Papa Walsh warily tells him he doesn't have the authority to fire him - and Jack says he's aware of that, but is also aware of the fact that it only takes three signatures to dissolve the trust and release the money from Dylan's trust: Dylan's, Iris's, and Papa Walsh's. Papa Walsh firmly declares he won't support this, and highly doubts that Iris would ever agree to it either. But Jack begs to differ and challenges Papa Walsh to call her up and ask. For dramatic effect, he picks up the telephone receiver and waves it at Papa Walsh, daring him to dial Iris's number. What a tool.


The Walsh house. Brandon enters Brenda's room to ask her if she's seen his calculator, and she snarls back that she hasn't. Brandon rolls his eyes and apologizes for ignoring her in favor of his basketball game when she wanted to talk about Dylan and Kelly. He then invokes how Papa Walsh forbade her to go to Jack McKay's Welcome Home From Prison party and tells her not to take it out on him. Brenda claims she didn't actually want to go, and wonders if their father is right about Jack McKay being a "major bad guy." She recalls that there was always a part of Dylan she could never understand, but now that Jack's back in the picture he seems even more distant. It's sort of cringe-worthy that Brenda hasn't twigged onto the realization that Dylan is acting so distant toward her because of his burning desire to dump her ass so he can openly start dating Kelly.


Bel Age Hotel. Dylan and Kelly are having dinner with Jack and Christine. Jack makes a smarmy toast to the combination of his brains and Dylan's money then declares, "The sky's the limit." Dylan reminds his father that it's all still premature, since Iris hasn't actually signed the papers needed to dissolve the trust. Christine excuses herself to go fix her hair, which really doesn't need fixing because it already looks perfectly coiffed. The phone then rings, and Jack picks it up and tells Dylan and Kelly he needs to take the call in the other room. Kelly tells Dylan that it sounds like the meeting with Papa Walsh went well, and Dylan says it's all in Iris's hands now. He says he cares a lot more about Jack than his money...and that he'll "go along for the ride" if it's what Jack wants. I find it weird and completely implausible that Dylan is suddenly so compliant and amenable to his father's every wish, and also that Jack's brashness in trying to dissolve the multimillion dollar trust is raising no red flags of alarm inside Dylan's head. In the other room, Jack is getting testy with whoever he's talking to on the phone. He snaps that he's doing his best, and that "these things take time". He promises to get the money out of the trust, and warns the person on the phone to back off until he hears from him. He's definitely up to no good.


As Dylan walks Kelly toward the hotel exit, she tells him she had a very good time at dinner. Dylan did as well, but he wants to spend an evening with just her - without his dad and Christine around. They kiss, and he invites her to stay the night with him...but she doesn't want them to doink until after they break the news to Brenda. Kelly looks worried and asks him what will happen if Brenda stops talking to her again. I'll assume that was a rhetorical question, since there can be no doubt that Brenda will shun Kelly in the bitchiest way possible once she learns the whole truth. Dylan promises her that Brenda will get the dumperoo tomorrow, and he kisses Kelly once more.


Taylor house. When Kelly arrives home at 2:00am, Jackie emerges from her bedroom and demands to know where she's been all night. Kelly reminds her that she was having dinner with Dylan and his father...and then chuckles about how unusual it is for Jackie to wait up. The remark instantly mellows Jackie, and she tells Kelly she couldn't sleep and informs her that Mel is now staying in a hotel until he can find an apartment. Kelly suddenly looks regretful and says she shouldn't have gone out cavorting with Dylan in the midst of all this family turmoil, but Jackie insists that she shouldn't have to put her life on hold because of her marital problems. She asks Kelly if she had fun at dinner, and Kelly tells her she did, and that she can't believe she and Dylan are finally together. Suddenly, they hear a cry coming from Erin's room, and the two rush toward the nursery. When they burst inside, they're surprised to see that David is already there, tending to his baby sister. How the hell did he get to the nursery so fast?! Jackie is clearly impressed with David's super-human response time to the baby's crying, and tells him what a great job he's doing caring for Erin. David grumbles about how much he's going to miss Erin when he moves out...and this prompts Kelly to ask her mom why David has to move out at all. Jackie contemplates the question for a few seconds and declares that he doesn't have to move out, actually. After all, Erin is his sister, which means that her home is also his home. Jackie promises David that she'll talk to Mel about his living arrangements, and David looks pleased and relieved. She's a nice egg, that Jackie.


West Beverly High. Brenda runs into Dylan in the hall and asks him out to a movie that evening. He looks really uncomfortable and evasively tells her he can't because he has plans with his father. She suggests going on another night and says they can't allow their fathers to come between their relationship. She really is about to have a painfully rude awakening. Dylan crisply replies, "It's just business" so Brenda wisely gives up on the conversation and heads off to class while Dylan stares after her with a sheepish look on his face.


DJ booth. An excited Ahn-drea barges into the booth to show off her newly highlighted hair to Donna and David. Donna assures her it looks great and David bullshits her about how stunning she looks. After Ahn-drea leaves, David remarks to Donna that her hair looks exactly the same as it always did. Donna disagrees and insists that it looks "highlighty". Sort of.


The Blaze newsroom. Brandon boasts to Steve about how he made another $100 on basketball game bets, and Steve once again declares that betting on basketball games is for suckers. He's starting to sound like a broken record. Ahn-drea, who's still on a high because of her imperceptible red highlights, enters the room and stares at Brandon and Steve expectantly. Brandon and Steve say hello to her, and neither notices her hair. She presses the issue and comes right out and asks them if they notice anything different about her, and Steve asks, "New glasses?" No. Brandon asks, "A new vest?" Strike two. Steve then finally remembers their conversation from a couple of days ago and fake exclaims, "You did it, huh?" He remarks that it's not a radical change, which he knows is something she wanted to avoid. Brandon still has no idea what they're talking about, and no one bothers filling him in, and it totally doesn't matter.


Brandon breezes into class and takes his seat beside Dylan, who apologizes for acting like a little bitch when he busted Brandon's chops about not attending his father's party. Brandon admits he probably could have gotten out of work in order to go, but Dylan assures him he doesn't have to prove he's a good friend...he already knows he is. He then breaks the news that he probably won't be spending any more time around the Walsh house, and accurately predicts that Brenda won't want to see him or even hear his name being uttered for awhile. Brandon seems pretty indifferent when he asks if their toxic cesspool of a relationship is really, definitely, absolutely over this time, and Dylan confirms that, yep, his two year nightmare of dating Brenda has finally come to a merciful end.


The Walsh house. The doorbell rings, and Brenda answers the door to find Dylan and Kelly on her doorstep. They both look sheepish as they tell her they need to talk to her and suggest taking a walk. Brenda looks like she knows she's about to hear bad news, and goes to get her jacket for the sad walk.


In the next scene, Brenda is crying while Kelly tries to convince her how much her friendship still means to them. Brenda violently wrenches her arm away from Kelly when she tries to touch her, and sobs that she just wants to go home and wallow by herself. Kelly tells her she can't do that quite yet, since she and Dylan have some additional humiliating news they want to share with her...but Brenda doesn't want to hear it. Dylan insists that she has to hear it because he and Kelly can't stand to lie to her anymore. He confesses that the "random" girl he dallied with last summer was, in fact, Kelly. Brenda looks at the two of them, incredulous, then croaks that she thought they were her friends, and that they've been lying to her for months. Kelly tries to explain that they kept it from her because they didn't want to hurt her, but Brenda isn't really listening anymore and demands to know if they've doinked...and while she's asking that, she's staring at Dylan with a crazed, wild-eyed expression. Kelly insists that she and Dylan haven't hit the sheets yet; however, they expect to very soon. Brenda looks doubtful that they've been abstaining, so Dylan corroborates Kelly's story. Brenda then starts wailing why they're doing this to her, and Dylan says they just wanted to be honest with her. She scoffs at him and shrieks, "I hate you both! Never talk to me again!" and storms away with a tearful Kelly stares after her. Dylan softly assures her that Brenda will be all right, and Kelly says she hopes so. She then asks him if the two of them will be all right, but Dylan doesn't answer. It's entirely possible he didn't understand the question.

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