Beverly Hills, 90210 - Season 5, Episode 25

"We would need a special, two-hour episode to fully address all of your neuroses."

"Double Jeopardy"
Original airdate: 3/29/1995

Episode summary: Brandon and Clare try out for College Jeopardy, but step aside when they both realize that Ahn-drea is the best prospective contestant. In the aftermath of their infidelities, Ahn-drea and Jesse fight bitterly for most of the episode...but eventually kiss and make up.

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Recap: The Walshes (and Kelly) are watching Jeopardy, and Brandon is dazzling everyone with his ability to answer trivia questions in the form of a question. Papa Walsh tells Brandon he should try to get on College Jeopardy, and Brandon says he's already on top of it: he mailed a postcard to the show and received an invitation to try out. He then wonders aloud if Ahn-drea heard anything, since she too mailed in a postcard. He heads over to the kitchen to give her a call...and Kelly rushes after him. She puts her hand over the phone and tells him that tonight's maybe not the best night to be calling the Zuckerman-Vasquez residence. He's like, "Why not?" so she spills the beans about Ahn-drea's extra-marital affair, and how the aftermath is just now hitting the fan. Brandon digests the disturbing visual of Ahn-drea and her lover doing the nasty behind her husband's back and correctly assumes that being on a game show probably wouldn't be high on her list of priorities right now.

Ahn-drea's/Jesse's apartment. Ahn-drea and Jesse have just returned home from therapy. Apparently, Jesse wasn't very talkative during the session, so Ahn-drea asks him what he's thinking...and after hesitating for a few seconds, he comes right out and says, "You're just not the girl I fell in love with anymore." Ouch. He says that that girl was confident [pompous], decisive [pushy], driven [obnoxious], and going someplace [damn her to hell for promising to go off to Yale in Season 4 and then reneging]. Ahn-drea gets all defensive and reminds him that after he knocked her up, she had to get married, go to school, and raise a baby. She then glares at him and bitchily snaps, "Unless, of course, you thought that Hannah should have raised herself." Jesse looks weary again and says, "Just forget it", but she refuses to let it drop and reminds him that he was involved in her decision to become a mother and a housewife and says he shouldn't hold her accountable for the decisions they made together. He quietly retorts, "I don't remember being consulted about Peter" and Ahn-drea looks suitably sheepish while Jesse announces that he's off to pick up Hannah at his mother's house. Ahn-drea tells him it's not fair for him to say jarring stuff like that to her and then just walk out on her, and he shrugs and rhetorically asks, "What's fair?"


California University. Steve is helping Brandon train for the Jeopardy tryout, and reminds him how crucial it is to press the buzzer quickly. So true. Donna and Clare amble over, ask whassup, so Steve tells them that Brandon is trying out for College Jeopardy. Clare announces that she's also trying out, and snootily adds that she has total confidence that she'll be chosen as a contestant. After she flounces off, Donna psychs out Brandon further by telling him that Clare spends hours playing Jeopardy on her computer...and for some reason answers all the questions in French.


Jackie's house. Kelly and David stop by to pick up Erin and find Jackie, Mel, and Erin cuddling in bed and looking very happy and cozy. David and Kelly just stand there looking icked out by Mel's and Jackie's glowing expressions...but Kelly later admits to David that it's nice for Erin to have her parents back together. David says he's surprised that Jackie forgave Mel after his many dalliances, then asks Kelly if she could ever forgive someone for that. Kelly mulls it over and just says, "It depends.." and David looks sheepish and moans about how Donna will probably never truly forgive him for doinking Ariel Hunter in a limo.


Beach house. Clare is playing Jeopardy on her computer while Donna tries to reach Ray on the phone...and ends up leaving him a message. She's suddenly worried that Ray is cheating on her (a ship that has already sailed) and Clare says she doubts that that would ever happen, then bitchily adds that she always has David waiting in the wings. Donna insists that they're just good friends, and Clare quickly back pedals and assures her she doesn't blame her for anything and hopes that one day she and David can also be friends. The phone rings and it's Chancellor Arnold, who's chatting with Brandon in his office. He pretends to Brandon that Clare is trash talking his Jeopardy abilities, but Brandon gets that it's just his lame attempt at humor.


The Peach Pit. Jesse trudges into the diner, spots Dylan reading at a table, and walks over. He bellyaches about how married life with Ahn-drea "can really take it out of you" and Dylan disinterestedly mumbles, "I can imagine." Jesse tells him he's not sure if he and Ahn-drea are going to stay married, and that he agreed to move out in order to preserve both their sanity. Unfortunately, however, he doesn't actually have anywhere to go. Dylan starts to make an offer to give him a loan, but Jesse interjects before he can finish his sentence and exclaims how happy he'd be to crash at his house! Dylan's like, "Whoa" and says he doesn't want to give Ahn-drea the impression that he's choosing sides, but Jesse insists that he'd be doing both him and Ahn-drea a favor...so Dylan gives in and agrees to let him move in for a couple of days.


The night before tryouts, Brandon has a dream that he's on College Jeopardy and Alex Trebek is laughing at his "feeble GPA". Alex then recalls a prospective contestant named Clare who everyone liked, and asks why they ended up with this deadbeat. This makes Brandon wake up in a cold sweat.


Dylan's house. Dylan is trying to work on his/Charlie's screenplay while Jesse noisily makes coffee in the kitchen. He annoys Dylan when he chats him up, then annoys him further when he demands to know everything he (Dylan) knows about the night he caught Ahn-drea cheating on him at no tell motel. Dylan tells him it wasn't pretty, and jokes that there were chains, whips, and dwarfs. (I believe the non-offensive term is "little people", Dylan.) He then tells Jesse to stop torturing himself (and him), so Jesse goes back into the kitchen and noisily searches the cupboards for some decaf.


Jeopardy tryouts. Brandon remarks to Clare that the odds of either of them being chosen as contestants are pretty slim, but Clare disagrees and thinks she has an excellent chance, judging from all the "lame-brains" who are trying out. The test officially begins, and Clare admonishes Brandon for trying to sneak a peak at her answer sheet, but he vehemently denies cheating.


California University. Valerie is chatting with Mama Walsh, telling her how well the After Dark runs itself, when Ahn-drea ambles over with Hannah in a stroller. She asks Mama Walsh if she would be able to babysit for a few hours, but she can't 'cause she has a tutorial. Valerie says she's free and offers to babysit...and when Ahn-drea makes a face, Valerie orders Mama Walsh to vouch for how great she is with kids. She does, and Ahn-drea agrees to leave Hannah in Valerie's care.


Jeopardy tryouts. Brandon and Clare emerge from the testing room, bickering like an annoying married couple. She's still bitching at him for cheating off of her paper, and he mocks her for answering the practice questions in French. Brandon then challenges Clare to a Jeopardy duel - meaning, the loser must take him/herself out of consideration for the tournament. Clare haughtily accepts his challenge.


Dylan's house. Valerie drops by with Hannah in tow for a booty call. Yes, really. Jesse enters the living room and immediately gets pissed off that Ahn-drea left Hannah in the care of a sex kitten like Valerie...then makes a giant leap in assuming that Ahn-drea's off having sex with Peter again. He angrily announces to Dylan (and a confused Valerie) that he's taking Hannah over to his mother's house.


After Dark. Steve is facilitating the Jeopardy grudge match between Brandon and Clare. Ahn-drea arrives and sits with Kelly, who's watching, and explains that she's meeting Valerie to pick up Hannah. Kelly suddenly gets an idea and interrupts the match to point out that the game usually has three players, then suggests that Brandon and Clare test their skills against a "quality player". Brandon and Clare agree...but then quickly regret it when Ahn-drea completely takes over the game, answers every question on every subject, and easily wins. Soon after that, Valerie arrives and tells Ahn-drea about the ugly scene with Jesse, and says it sounds a lot like they're in the midst of a custody battle. Ahn-drea instantly panics and rushes out of the club.


Ahn-drea's/Jesse's apartment. During a heated argument, Jesse demands to know where Ahn-drea was all afternoon. She barks back that she refuses to be interrogated, then admits that she went to see a lawyer 'cause she was worried he'd do something sneaky to try to get custody of Hannah. They fight some more, and she kicks him out of the apartment and orders him to bring Hannah back tomorrow.


Beach house. Donna answers the phone hoping it's Ray, but it's the chancellor. Clare desperately motions to her that she doesn't want to talk to her dad, so Donna fibs and tells Arnold that she's out. When she hangs up, Clare complains about how pressured she feels about the whole Jeopardy thing...then daydreams that she's one of the contestants. All of the categories are Brandon centric, and the answer to every question is "Who is Brandon Walsh?" The grand prize is, of course, Brandon Walsh in the flesh...but then the chancellor appears and exchanges Brandon for a scary looking French dude. Weird.


Ahn-drea's/Jesse's apartment. Brandon stops by with bagels and thanks Ahn-drea for saving him and Clare from their crazy, Jeopardyobsessed selves. He tells her she should be the one representing CU on College Jeopardy, but she says her life is just too complicated right now. She tells him about her blechy affair with Peter and how she would have left Jesse if Peter had been up for it. She then asks how she can be so clueless about love, and says that she married Jesse 'cause she believed they had something special (but mostly 'cause he knocked her up)...and here they are a year later, and they've both cheated. Brandon's like, "Wuh?" since he obviously didn't realize that Jesse had his own little side-dish. Ahn-drea now theorizes that there must have been something wrong in their relationship (well d'yuh) and actually utters the words, "I can't help feeling there's something wrong with me." Brandon mulls over that gigantic understatement and delicately retorts that he's noticed she hasn't seemed happy since high school (or, um, ever)...and she starts tearing up and blubbers about the way she's been backing off doing things she wanted to do: attend Yale, write for The Condor, run for student office...and now, try out for Jeopardy. She wails at the mess her life has become and how much of a failure she is, and Brandon tries to cheer her up by calling her "remarkable" and telling her she's a great mom, has a great daughter, and can beat him at Jeopardy. She tells him she needed to hear that, and the two share a friendly kiss and hug.


Beach house. David drops by and has an awkward run-in with Clare. After exchanging stilted hellos, he pretends he came over to see Kelly. He asks Clare how Donna's holding up now that Pumpkin Head is on the road, and Clare snarks back that if he really wants to know, he can wait for Donna to come out of the shower and ask her himself. She bitches at him for pretending to be there to see Kelly, then announces that she's off to see her dad, and storms out. The phone rings, and since Donna's still in the shower, David answers it. It's Ray calling - finally - and Donna emerges from the bathroom at that moment and takes the call, gabbling to Ray about how worried she's been about him. He tells her he's had a string of bad luck: his truck broke down, his gig got postponed, and his amp got stolen. Yeesh. He then asks her if she'd like to meet up with him in Portland over spring break, and she excitedly tells him she's totes into that idea. After the call, she tells David she's so relieved that Ray finally called...and that she was very worried he was cheating on her, which would suck because she loves him oh so much. She then tells David she feels a little bad about his breakup with Clare, but he assures her it was for the best. Donna then tells him about her spring break plans...and suddenly David pretends that he's been planning to visit his mother, who just happens to live in Portland. He suggests they hook up while they're both there, but Donna just scrunches her face and looks uncertain about how good of an idea that is.


Jeopardy tryouts. Brandon and Clare have brought Ahn-drea to the tryouts so she can take the written test. She looks nervous, but also happy and excited to be there.


Dylan's house. Jesse comes over to retrieve Hannah's diaper bag, which he forgot when he stormed out the other day. He tells Dylan he still wants him to tell him whatever he knows about Ahn-drea's affair - gaaa...why is he still beating that dead horse? Dylan tells him he's being ridiculous, and Jesse disagrees and says that since Ahn-drea's already gone and hired herself a lawyer, he (Dylan) could be subpoenaed. Dylan admonishes him for thinking like a lawyer instead of a husband and urges him to work out his problems by talking to his wife...then guilts him further by saying he owes it to Hannah.


Jeopardy tryouts. During the test, Ahn-drea reminisces about how she used to watch Jeopardy with Grandma Rose and knew all of the answers, even as a young child. After the test, she emerges from the room and sees Jesse there with Hannah. He says he came to wish her luck, and she tells him she thinks she aced the test. He then gives her a sheepish look and acknowledges how badly things have snowballed, but insists that he still loves her and their daughter...then adds he really really wants to come home. Ahn-drea softens and agrees to try again, and the two hug.


One month later...


The gang (including Jesse, Ahn-drea, and Hannah) is gathered at the Peach Pit, watching College Jeopardy...and it looks like Ahn-drea got to be one of the contestants. When Alex asks the final question and the Jeopardy timer jingle plays, the gang anxiously wonders if Ahn-drea got the answer right...and Ahn-drea reveals nothing and just smiles to herself, already knowing the outcome. 

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