Beverly Hills, 90210 - Season 5, Episode 23

"Did you ever know that you're my hero?"

"Love Hurts"
Original airdate: 3/1/1995

Episode summary: The campus rapist targets Donna, but his attack is foiled when David happens to drop by the beach apartment...and he gets beaten senseless by David and Donna. Ahn-drea tells Peter she wants to leave Jesse so they can be together, but Peter's like, "Whoa!" and tells her he has no intention of ever leaving his wife. 

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Recap: Donna's at the Condor's Nest, complaining to Steve and Ahn-drea that Clare and Valerie are auditioning house bands to play at the After Dark. Steve, who clearly doesn't give a shit, shrugs and says he heard it was Ray's decision to leave. Donna can't stop stewing about it, and she gets so mad that she accidentally knocks over her drink on the table...and a busboy with a receding hairline rushes over to wipe up the mess. [Spoiler: this guy ends up being the rapist - eeek!] Brandon arrives at the cafe and joins their table, and Ahn-drea asks him whassup with the search for the rapist. He tells them he has news, but they have to keep it on the down low 'cause it's supposedly confidential: turns out the suspect the police brought in for questioning has been ruled out as the rapist. Ahn-drea and Donna look alarmed and express concern about their safety while on campus, and Steve says that the inter-fraternity council is organizing an escort service so that women won't have to walk alone. Ahn-drea's beeper suddenly goes off and she tells them it's a work related emergency. Um, doesn't she just push a medicine cart around? Donna says it sounds exciting to have a job that requires a beeper, and Ahn-drea gets a funny look on her face and mutters, "It's got its moments."

Palm Wind Motel. Ahn-drea bursts into the motel room that Peter booked for them to secretly carry out their blechy affair. He amorously pulls her toward him, and the two start sucking face really intensely. Ew.


After Dark. A band made up of shrieking men who all have long ratty hair are auditioning to play at the After Dark...but neither Clare nor Valerie looks very impressed. When their ears can take it no more, they yell at them to stop, then discreetly reflect on all the shitty bands they've had to endure during the audition process. And speaking of shitty bands, another one takes the stage...and for some reason, they all have dirt smeared across their faces. Clare and Valerie just stare at them in befuddlement.


David picks up Lenny from the police station after he's cleared as the rape suspect. Lenny thanks him for the lift and tells him he's a good friend...and David just shrugs and says he knew the charges were bogus. Lenny launches into a story about his past: how he was stationed at Fort Bragg after serving in Desert Storm. While he was on leave with a group of other soldiers, they all went out drinking and trolling for hookers...and the next morning Lenny woke up in a jail cell after being arrested for rape. He kind of skipped a giant part of the story there...but OK. The rape charge against him got plea bargained down to sexual assault, and he ended up serving two years in a military prison. Lenny laments how the assault is now a permanent part of his record, and that he's now registered as a sex offender. David tries to buoy his saggy spirits by telling him he's worked hard to make something of his life - case in point: he made the dean's list last semester. Lenny frowns glumly and says that every time a sex crime is committed within his general orbit, he's always hauled in for questioning.


Student senate meeting. Janice is railing to the dean about admitting Lenny, a known sex offender, to the university and says it shows a lack of respect for women. The dean is annoyed that she just publicly identified Lenny as a sex offender, and she retorts that because of an information leak, everyone already knew he was a perv. The police lieutenant, also in attendance at the meeting, tells everyone that Lenny's not a suspect anymore because he had an alibi during the time of the rape, so Brandon deduces that there's still a psycho rapist on the loose. The dean chastises him for making such a reckless statement (exactly how is that reckless?) and insists that the administration is doing all they can to make sure everything gets back to business as usual. Brandon snarks back that "usual" generally means cutbacks and no student involvement in the decision making process, and everyone applauds his chutzpah. Brandon asks the police lieutenant if there are any more suspects or leads in the rape case, and he just stares at Brandon mutely. I'll take that as a no.


Palm Wind Motel. Dylan is hanging with Charlie, who's using an old typewriter to write a screenplay. He tells Dylan it's a detective story in which the lead character has dreams about his various past lives. Dylan seems intrigued by the concept, so Charlie invites him to stick around and help him write it. He remarks on how great the motel is for getting lots of writing done, since the people who check into "no tell motel" are usually up to no good and don't want to be bothered. To illustrate his point, he draws Dylan's attention to a sneaky looking couple who are, no doubt, carrying on a sleazy, adulterous affair. Dylan looks out the window and is shocked to see Ahn-drea exit one of the motel rooms and walk over to her car. Barely a minute later, Peter exits the same room and heads over to his car. Haha - busted!


After Dark. Nat enters the club with a food filled tray in his hands and wryly tells Donna, "The emperor has ordered room service." Heh. Donna tells him she needs to talk to Valerie next...and suddenly the receding hairline busboy from the Condor's Nest enters the club. Eeek! Donna recognizes him and tells him he cleaned up her mess earlier, and he introduces himself as Garrett Slan and tells her he's there to see Clare about getting a job. Donna tells him that Valerie is actually the one in charge, so he asks her if Valerie's nice, and Donna mulls that over and says she doesn't know how to answer that question. Nat reappears after delivering "the emperor's" food and tells Donna she can go in now. Donna heads up the small staircase, leaving behind her purse (a bad idea, just in principle) and Garrett stares down at it - and it looks as though he's contemplating something very, very bad.


Valerie tells Donna she'd like her opinion on a promo she just recorded for the After Dark...and after she plays the lame audio clip, Donna glares at her and accuses her of being an incredibly cruel human being. Valerie looks fake confused and is all, "Wuh?" so Donna grumps that Ray should be playing at the club, and he still would be if she hadn't cut him loose and thrown him to the wolves. Valerie denies doing any such thing and quickly throws David under the bus by explaining that he was the one who insisted the club would die a slow death if it didn't get some new blood, like pronto. Valerie says she likes Ray and his raspy/breathy music, but then wonders aloud if an artist can really grow to his full potential if he keeps playing the same club, week after week. Donna thinks that over and says she's probably right, and then suddenly remembers her encounter with Garrett and tells her that some guy is waiting in the club to talk to her about getting a job. The two go back to the main floor to find him, but he's nowhere in sight. Donna notices that her purse got moved to the floor, and she anxiously searches through it to see if anything was stolen.


California University. Steve is scooting around campus in a golf cart as part of the fraternity's safety escort service for women. He runs into Valerie, and she climbs into the cart and tells him how desperate she is to find a replacement band for Pumpkin Head. She strokes his ego by telling him he has great contacts, and as Steve contemplates that, he nearly runs over someone with his cart, which made me laugh out loud. Meanwhile, Lenny the Sex Offender is surrounded by an angry mob of women as he tries to make his way to the Student Union. He flees into the men's room just as Dylan is leaving, and stares at himself in the mirror, looking very distressed.


Ahn-drea is in the Condor's Nest, studying, when Dylan spots her and slouches over to chat. He comes right out and tells her that he knows she and Peter are getting it on at the "no tell motel" ... and she stares at him, totally mortified, but he assures her that no one else knows. She stammers, "It's not what you think" (even though it's exactly what Dylan or anyone would think), and says she didn't plan for this to happen and that she's in love with Peter. Dylan tells her that sneaking around in motel rooms is prolly not the best way to build a solid relationship, then says he's not judging (even though he sounded totally judgey just then), and that the only reason he's telling her any of this is in case she needs someone to talk to about it. She's like, "Uh, OK."


Dorm. When David returns home, he learns from Amy that Lenny is moving out...so he rushes over to his room to give him some emergency counseling. As Lenny packs his stuff, David urges him to stay and fight for his rights - but Lenny says he just wants to quietly slink away in the night and not be a poster boy for convict's rights. David begs him to at least hold off on his move for one day so he can rustle up some backup in his quest to make Lenny's dismal life slightly less dismal.


After Dark. An excited looking Steve arrives to see Valerie. He heads straight to her office and raps on the door - and she opens it a crack and tells him she hired a fancy PR guy who just booked an awesome band to play at the After Dark tonight. She kisses a deflating Steve, and after she shuts the door on him he mutters, "I hate her."


Beach house. David drops by to tell Clare he wants to do a video profile of Lenny, the Rehabilitated Sex Offender, and needs her/Donna's help. Clare makes a blech face and passes on that opportunity 'cause she's too turned off by Lenny's history of violence against women. Donna enters the living room looking hostile, and immediately blasts David about how Ray got his ass steel-toed out of the After Dark, blah blah, and accuses him of being jealous of Pumpkin Head because he has a band and he (David) doesn't. Well that's just dumb. David gets irked and tells Donna she's a self involved bitch who's "a pale version of what you used to be" [Note to David: Donna's never been any livelier or more interesting than the dullard she currently is] and snaps that he doesn't know what he ever saw in her. Awesome! I love the way Donna stares back at him in stunned silence while he storms out.


Apartment building. The yet unidentified rapist [Garrett Slan] is packing his rape bag, complete with a flashlight, rope, a very big knife, and a letter that's addressed to Donna. I'm guessing he stole that from her purse.


The Peach Pit. Mama Walsh is out for the evening with Jackie, and the two are discussing where and how to find new men for Jackie to date. Mel arrives at the diner with Erin, and for some reason Jackie looks extremely happy to see him and invites him to join them. Mmm hmm...I sense an imminent reconciliation.


Beach house. The rapist smashes the glass window on the patio door, then lets himself inside. He uses his flashlight to navigate his way around the apartment...and when he turns around it's confirmed that the rapist is Garrett Slan. Eeek!!


The Walsh house. Brandon's on the phone with Janice, who thinks he should run for president again next year. Apparently, she was deeply impressed with the way he snarked at the dean during the student senate meeting. He tells Janice he's not interested in running again and cuts the call short when Mama Walsh arrives home. She tells him that she and Jackie ran into Mel at the Peach Pit, and when they started acting all cozy and flirty, she felt like a third wheel and high-tailed it home. She then tells Brandon the latest dish: Mel's girlfriend dumped him for a younger dentist. Heh - that's kind of poetic. The doorbell rings, and it's David who's dropped by to ask Brandon if he'd be willing to convince Lenny not to drop out of CU, and Brandon shrugs and says he's got nuthin' better to do.


Ahn-drea's/Jesse's apartment. Jesse is bitching at Ahn-drea for...oh, who cares. And then Ahn-drea responds by bitching something lame back at Jesse. Why aren't these idiots divorced yet? Jesse reminds her that they're supposed to have dinner at his mother's house later, and she has a freakout and tells him she forgot...so then he says to not bother coming if she's going to cop that shitty an attitude. Ahn-drea gives him a death glare and bitchily snaps, "Why don't you bond with your daughter for a change?!" and storms out.


Dorm. Lenny is about to head out when Brandon comes by to give him a talkin' to. Lenny sarcastically asks him if he's going to try to convince him what a bright future he has, and then mumbles that he was just about to go out and buy some smokes. Brandon offers to walk with him, and jokes that they both have to be careful walking around campus since there's still a rapist on the loose. The two stroll across campus and discuss the investigation. Lenny says the rapist is a psycho 'cause he heard what he did to the girl who got attacked. He's also doubtful that the police are smart enough to catch him...and after some light prodding from Brandon, he declares he knows who the rapist is.


Beach house. Donna arrives home and notices the power's out. She calls out to Kelly, who's not home (nor is she in this episode for some reason). She goes into the kitchen to set down her bag of groceries, then rummages around for a flashlight. She's startled by the creepy sight of Garrett, who shoots her an intense stare and says, "Hello, Donna." She freaks out as he grabs her, and then shrieks and struggles with him, trying to apply the self defense training she learned from that course she once took with Brenda - but Garrett is far too strong. He puts her in a choke hold, places a gloved hand over her mouth, and creepily tells her not to fight it and then starts licking her neck. He warns her not to scream, then removes his hand and slowly steers her toward her bedroom.


After Dark. Brandon tells Clare that the campus rapist may be stalking her, then says a police lieutenant wants to ask her a few questions. Valerie rushes over to find out why the cops are in the club, so Brandon tells her about Clare being stalked (I'm not clear on how or when Clare was actually stalked), and that the rapist has been going by the alias of Garrett Slan. Valerie furrows her brows and says she recognizes the name and thinks he may be a friend of Donna's.


Beach house. Garrett is shaving in the bathroom (OK...weird), then enters the bedroom where Donna's tied up and gagged. He pulls out his knife and cuts the ropes from her hands, then tells her to relax. She whimpers, "Please don't hurt me" and tells him she's never "done this" before. Garrett looks incredulous and snaps, "What?! A little tramp like you is still a virgin?" and says the experience is going to be more memorable than he could have imagined. David suddenly enters the apartment, calling out to Donna to see if she's home. Garrett grabs Donna and pulls her behind the door and orders her to say something to quickly get rid of David. In a quivering, unconvincing voice, Donna tells David she has a migraine and refers to him as "Dave" a couple of times. David scrunches his face and looks contemplative, tells Donna he'll see her tomorrow, and pretends to leave. Garrett shoves Donna onto the bed...and as she screams, David bursts into the room and strikes Garrett with a baseball bat. Donna then picks up something hard and repeatedly beats him with it until he loses consciousness, and David cradles her from behind while she sobs hysterically.


Palm Wind Motel. Dylan is hanging with Charlie as he eats Indian takeout. The two babble about life, the here and now, and karma, blah blah. A car pulls into the motel parking lot, and Dylan is dismayed to see that it's Peter arriving for another blechy rendezvous with Ahn-drea. Inside the motel room, the two make out, and Peter informs her he's just on a break from the hospital. Ahn-drea tells him they have to talk...that they can't continue this way, and Peter says, "But I like this arrangement." Ahn-drea tells him she's leaving Jesse 'cause she can't live a lie anymore, then professes her love for him and says that instead of living unhappily separately, they could live happily together. Peter tells her he really likes their current arrangement and has no intention of ever leaving his wife - and Ahn-drea starts freaking out, accuses him of promising her more than just a sleazy affair, and starts crying. She leaves the room in tears - and from the motel lobby, Dylan immediately springs into action and races over to give her a comforting hug. Ahn-drea wails that she was going to leave Jesse for Peter, but now realizes how stupid she was to believe their love was real...whine whine. She moans about how she doesn't know who she is, and Dylan says that no one really does.


Beach house. As the police examine and photograph the crime scene, Clare discreetly asks David how Donna's holding up, and he says she's fine, considering. Brandon tells David that he told the police what Lenny told him about Garrett, which is that the two spent time in a military prison together. Lenny was too scared to say anything about his suspicions 'cause he thought the police might accuse him of being an accomplice. Brandon then pronounces that Lenny deserves a break in life, and so he's helping him transfer to another college in the CU system.


David joins a shaken Donna on the couch, and says he knew something was wrong when she started calling him Dave. The two discuss the way she beat Garrett with some plastic thing that David bought for her during the CU carnival last season. He says he's surprised she kept it, and Donna tells him it's the last thing he ever bought for her, so of course she kept it. The two hug as the screen fades to black...and I sense a future reconciliation.

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