Beverly Hills, 90210 - Season 5, Episode 13

A cautionary bad hair tale

"Up in Flames"
Original airdate: 11/30/1994

Episode summary: Steve's holiday rave turns disastrous when the house he and Griffin rent bursts into flames because of an overloaded fuse box...and the ensuing fire traps Kelly and a lesbian partygoer in a downstairs bathroom. Brandon re-connects with Emily Valentine, who's sporting a grisly Moe Howard hairdo.

---

Recap: Brandon and Kelly arrive at the Walsh house with a big bag of pine cones for Mama Walsh to use as firewood. After some pointless banter about pine cones and wood fires, Mama Walsh congratulates Kelly on being the new Seventeen magazine cover girl. Kelly glares over at Brandon, annoyed that he spilled the beans about her faux modelling career after she told him not to tell anyone. She tells Mama Walsh it's not official that she's going to be on the cover, but Mama Walsh doesn't care and thinks the whole thing is exciting anyway. Brandon teases Kelly about becoming a hot new supermodel who Billy Joel will soon be calling...and then suddenly the phone rings! Kelly walks across the kitchen to answer the Walshes phone (which was weird) and the operator tells her that there's an international person-to-person call for Brandon. Kelly chirpily accepts the charges, assuming it's Brenda calling from London...but then Emily Valentine's voice comes on the line and she asks to speak to Brandon. Kelly's all, "Wha-at?" and hands the phone over to Brandon. He looks stunned that his ex is on the other end and asks her where she's calling from - and then the camera pans over to "France" so we can get a gander at Emily and her (OMFG) grisly new Moe Howard hairdo. She tells Brandon she'll be flying to the U.S. tomorrow and that she has a layover in L.A. for four hours. She adds that she hopes he'll be around, and he just looks shell-shocked and mutters, "I'll be here."

The Peach Pit. Steve and Griffin enter the diner carrying a stack of flyers for The Steve Sanders Holiday Rave, which will be held in a Hancock Park mansion the following night. A few minutes later, Valerie enters the diner wearing a crop top, holding up one of the flyers. She tells Steve she found it on Brandon's windshield this morning, and Steve avoids making eye contact and murmurs that he hopes she can come. She asks him if he needs any help, and he says no...but she presses him and insists that there must be a zillion details to take care of. She asks, "What about publicity?" so Steve tells her that David and Clare are posting info about the rave on "some electronic bulletin board". When she refuses to go away, Steve gives in and hands her a stack of flyers to pass out.


Beach house. David and Clare are on the World Wide Web, posting info about the holiday rave. David remarks on the long list of forums to choose from...then goes, "Oops!" and says he accidentally dropped the rave info onto the wrong one. He quickly posts the info onto another forum that focuses on twenty-somethings who are into partying. Yeesh - I forgot how badly the Internet sucked in 1994. Donna and Ray stroll over, and Donna says she wants to talk to Steve about letting Ray perform during the rave. Ray doesn't think he can prep on such short notice, and Donna says of course he can, and adds that he's got plenty of great material. Ray says he doesn't think Griffin would want him to perform at his rave, which is probably a safe bet. Kelly and Brandon arrive at the apartment, and Kelly jokes about entering "couples' zone" ... and speaking of couples, Clare suggests that the six of them triple date to the holiday rave. Kelly makes a face and says they can't, 'cause Brandon will be busy picking up an old friend at the airport. She then snarks, "I'll be in my room" and stomps off. Donna asks Brandon who he's picking up, and he tells her it's Emily Valentine. David asks, "Wasn't that that fire-starter girl?" and Brandon snarks back, "You slay me, Silver" and heads over to Kelly's room.


Brandon tries to convince Kelly that Emily is just a friend - but Kelly says that, according to Brenda, she was a lot more than that last Thanksgiving. Brandon's like, "Well duh, that was last Thanksgiving" and reminds her that it was a year ago, and the two of them have since hooked up. Kelly asks him to describe exactly what happened between him and Emily last year, and he tells her they spent the weekend together before she left for France. She orders him to not whitewash it...so he admits falling for Emily, but that it was BK: Before Kelly. He assures her that all of his feelings for Emily have completely vanished...and when Kelly finally looks reassured, the two start making out.


Hancock Hill mansion. Steve, Griffin, and Valerie arrive to check out the party house. Steve tells Griffin he hired a guy who makes cheap Mexican food, and Griffin scoffs at the added expense and tells him they should just offer their partygoers the usual chips and soda. Steve admonishes him for suggesting they cheap out, then starts talking about the second floor and how each bedroom can be transformed into a "mood room". As the two run down their to-do list, Griffin grumps about how unrealistic Steve's being about all this stuff getting done in time for the rave. Suddenly the power goes out, and Steve remarks that he's noticed the house seems to have electrical problems. Both idiots ignore this gigantic red flag and start bickering about the long to-do list until Valerie shuts them up, and splits up the to-do list three ways. After Griffin sulkily stalks off, Steve eyes Valerie suspiciously and asks her why she's being so helpful...and she tells him she wants another chance with him. Seriously?


Beach house. Brandon leaves Kelly's bed in the middle of the night and goes onto the deck to stare out at the ocean and look contemplative. We get a black and white flashback of the last time he saw Emily - the day she left for France. A minute later, Kelly follows him out to see whassup, and Brandon fibs and tells her he can't sleep because of the Santa Ana winds. Kelly then has a flashback of the episode where Dylan babbled about the Sirocco winds just before they made out. Brandon asks her what she's thinking, and she says, "A lot happens in a year." Brandon's like, "D'yuh" and suggests they go back to bed.


Hancock Hill mansion. The next morning, Steve and his minions carry furniture inside the party house...and the Mexican caterer, Eduardo, has arrived to begin preparing the food. Donna pulls up in Ray's red truck, which pleases Steve 'cause he needs it to pick up some other stuff for the rave. Donna tells him he can borrow it - but only if he lets Ray perform in one of the mood rooms. Steve thinks about it for a second, says he likes Ray, and agrees to let him play.


Rehab. Kelly visits Dylan at the rehab center, and the two hold hands (!) and chat amicably. She tells him he looks great, and he mumbles that he's finally "on the road back". She tells him she's been doing some modelling and that she may be on the cover of Seventeen magazine...then acts all embarrassed and says she was worried he'd think it was silly and shallow. He assures her he has no business judging anyone (no duh), and tells her she's come a long way since high school...when she was voted 'most beautiful' in the Senior Poll episode. He mumbles, "Beautiful or not, I still would have fallen in love with you." Sure, Dylan. After an uncomfortable silence, Dylan asks her how Brandon is, and Kelly says he's good and that they're still a couple. Dylan says that their relationship is still a bitter pill for him to swallow, and that his many problems started just after he lost her. He then tells her he's OK with at least one of them being happy and not miserable...so Kelly asks him if he's miserable, and he says he was, but that now he's merely terrified.


The Walsh house. Ahn-drea comes over to drop off Hannah (Mama and Papa Walsh are babysitting), so she and Jesse can go out and enjoy a night on the town. She finds Brandon upstairs, primping for his airport pick-up with Emily. She remarks on how full of nervous energy he is, so he tells her he thought he was totally over Emily...but ever since they talked on the phone yesterday, he can't stop thinking about her. Ahn-drea tells him she always knew that Emily wasn't just a "flash in the pan", and Brandon says he feels guilty just talking about her...even though they'll probably just chit-chat, get caught up, and she'll catch her connecting flight and exit his life forever. He suddenly looks troubled and says he'd probably be better off going to Steve's rave, and Ahn-drea smarmily says, "Probably."


Rave. Steve is getting stressed that no one's at the rave yet. Kelly assures him that people will come, and says that partygoers tend to show up at the same time. As Valerie gives Kelly and Donna a tour of the house, Muntz comes over and compliments Steve on the great party venue...but says he was hoping for a lot more single women. At that moment, two relatively attractive women arrive and ask if this is the holiday rave. Steve perks up and asks them how they found out about it, and they tell him, "The Internet" so he assures them they're in the right place. The two then summon the rest of their group, and a dozen or so women start streaming inside. Muntz's eyes light up, but a suspicious Steve calls David over and asks him exactly where on the Internet he posted info about the rave. David tells him it was The College Party Forum...but admits to accidentally dropping the info in the wrong forum, which Steve guesses was something along the lines of Women Seeking Women. He's slightly dismayed that his rave is populated with a large contingent of lesbians, but Clare chimes in and says she's totes cool with it. Suddenly, the power goes out, and Steve and Griffin go into the kitchen to check the fuse box. Steve irritably orders Griffin to hurry up and fix it, since he doesn't want any unhappy guests.


LAX. Emily's on the down escalator when she spots Brandon and calls out to him. They hug hello, and he totally pretends to not be repulsed by her horrific 'do. As the two head over to the parking lot, she chats about her studies in marine biology. She tells him she's attending a seminar in La Jolla...so he asks her if she'll be transferring there, and she says she's thinking about it - though it would be hard to leave France. Brandon invites her to Steve's holiday rave, but she isn't into revisiting the old party scene. He assures her that the gang has surely forgiven her for her wild partying ways, and for some reason this makes her blurt out, "I love you." Brandon looks jarred and freaked out, so she immediately apologizes. He stammers, "No...that's fine" and suggests they go get a cup of coffee. Awkward.


Rave. The party is intensifying with loud music and a lot of rhythm-less, white-people-style dancing. Valerie coquettishly invites Steve to go upstairs and check out one of the mood rooms...and soon after that, the power goes out again. The guests start chanting, "Power! Power!" Eduardo warns Griffin that the fuse box is overloaded and that it's "muy peligroso", but Griffin dickishly snaps back that he (Eduardo) should worry about the food and let him worry about the power. After Griffin manages to turn the power back on, the two walk off, but the camera stays ominously fixed on the overloaded fuse box. Duhn...duhn...duhnnnnn...


The Peach Pit. Nat pours coffee for Emily and Brandon and greets Emily in his usual annoying cheeseball fashion. Emily tells Brandon that there's something comfortable about the Peach Pit, and he agrees and says it always reminds him of old, good times. Emily says she has a confession to make, which is that she doesn't actually have a layover...and isn't due in La Jolla until next week. Brandon stares at her blankly and says he thought this was just a four hour layover. She tells him she could always fly on to San Francisco and visit friends, and explains that she didn't want to say anything to him in advance because she was worried it might scare him off (if the hairdo didn't do it first). She wanted to see how things were between them first, then asks, "How are things between us?" Brandon finally admits that he has a girlfriend now...and that it's Kelly. Emily makes a face and cattily remarks, "Kelly's about as Beverly Hills as you can get." She immediately apologizes, and Brandon tells her that Kelly has changed a lot. He then reminds her that she promised to call from France, but never did...and never even sent him a postcard. He asks her whassup with that, and she says she thought it would be easier if she just cut things off, since she couldn't bear hearing about his life if he moved on. She says she doesn't blame him for hooking up with Kelly, she's just disappointed that he's off the market. Brandon says he's sorry - but when he never heard from her, he gave up on the relationship. She mutters, "Well...bummer for me."


Rave. Muntz is hot for one of the lesbians (Alison) and asks her to dance, but Alison points at Clare and tells him she was about to ask that hottie to dance. Clare suggests that they all do a group dance...so she, David, Alison, and whoever else is standing nearby head over to the dance floor and boogie. The woman Alison came to the rave with, Dana, looks pissed off and just stands on the other side of the room, giving Alison and Clare the stink-eye. Meanwhile, Steve and Valerie are dancing together, and he points out that they're the only male/female couple on the dance floor. Valerie says she doesn't hear anyone complaining 'bout that...however, if a group of gay men showed up and started dancing together, it would be a whole different story. Steve agrees, and reminds her that he was at the center of a gay storyline last season when he couldn't keep his big trap shut and outed the KEG president. Muntz comes over to report to Steve that a bunch of yahoos are throwing water balloons out of an upstairs window, so Steve and Valerie rush upstairs to one of the bedrooms, catch the yahoos in the act, and kick them out. With that accomplished, Valerie looks around and remarks that it's a very cozy, private room...then gives Steve a smooch and tells him how much she's missed his arms around her. They kiss some more, and Steve is delighted by her lack of underwear. He says they should stop what they can't finish, but she saucily retorts that she's a strong finisher.


Mustang. Brandon is driving Emily somewhere (the airport, I hope??), and the two talk about their fling last Thanksgiving, blah blah. Go back to France, Moe.


Rave. Kelly's annoyed that Brandon never showed up, and she tells Clare and David that she's calling a cab and going home. She reaches the front door, but decides she has to use the bathroom first. She goes upstairs and stands in a long line behind Alison, and the two chat and introduce themselves to each other. Kelly discreetly tells her she heard about a bathroom on the basement level, so Alison follows her down the stairs. Dana notices and grabs Alison's arm to stop her, but Alison reassuringly tells her, "It's not what you think. I'll be right back."


Kelly and Alison enter a screening room and recline on the movie chairs while they chat some more. Kelly notes that the room is totally soundproof...which, unfortunately, isn't going to be a good thing in about five minutes.


Upstairs, the fuse box explodes and the power goes out. Muntz heads over to the electrical room, and when he sees the fire, he panics and yells, "Fire!!" It's instant pandemonium as everyone scrambles toward the door while the flames quickly spread. Upstairs, Ray orders Donna to follow everyone outside, then stays behind to see if anyone needs help. Steve and Valerie step into the burning hallway, and Ray tosses them a wet blanket so they can protect themselves from the flames...and the two make it outside safely.


Downstairs, Kelly has just finished using the can and tells Alison she smells smoke. When they try to exit the screening room, they notice that the door handle is hot, so the two flee into the bathroom.


Outside, Steve is frantically running around. He asks the gang about Kelly, and David tells him she left the rave a while ago. A hysterical Donna begs Steve to check on Ray, who's still inside the burning house. Ray, meanwhile, is in the process of dragging Dana outside...but she's screaming at him that Alison is still in there. When the fire trucks finally arrive, Griffin walks around cagily and decides it's time for him to slink off into the night.


Kelly is freaking out, while Alison does her best to keep her wits about her. She says they need to find something they can soak with water and block the door with. As Kelly quickly starts to lose her marbles, Alison orders her not to shut down and stay calm. She assures her that her girlfriend Dana knows they're both down there, and that surely she'll tell someone. Kelly unhelpfully moans about how Brandon didn't even show up tonight.


Brandon escorts Emily to her hotel room and says he doesn't want the night to end. She gives him a cheek kiss and tells him she doesn't want to say goodbye...and he says he doesn't either, so she goes, "Then don't" and the two start making out. Blech.


Outside, Dana's huddled with Donna, Clare, and David - and she keeps crying about how worried she is for Alison. When Steve ambles over in a daze, he's horrified to hear Dana say that Alison went downstairs with a blonde girl. Steve correctly assumes it's Kelly, freaks out, and starts crying.


Burning house. Kelly cries and moans, "We're going to die in here" and says she didn't even see her mom or sister today...and Alison wryly tells her that she and Dana were fighting tonight. The two sink to the floor and agree they're glad they don't have to endure this terror alone. Alison says she's not giving up...but when the lights suddenly go out, panic sets in. When the fire reaches the bathroom door, Alison starts reciting The Lord's Prayer and tells Kelly to say it with her. A few seconds later, they hear firemen calling out to them from the screening room, and Alison and Kelly yell back for help...then scream in terror as the flames inch closer. 

Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!

---