Tonight's episode was all about family, and if you didn't pick up on it, you might be the thickest person in the world (which also means you might not get my humor, so please go away). The Wilson parents want to have a family night with their kids on a Friday, which everyone in the real world knows NEVER happens, but the kids go along with it to appease their parents. They do, however, invite their friends to join them. Silver is more than happy to oblige because her mother is an ALCOHOLIC (which we should all remember from the original show. Call me crazy, but I think I remember an episode of her falling through a glass table). Apparently Silver has been staying at a women's shelter to avoid going home. When Dixon finds her sleeping in her car, they have a heart to heart about how he comes from a similar background (thanks for the backstory, show) which I'm sure will only lead to kisses and hook ups very soon. To remedy the situation, Dixon tells his dad, who tells Kelly, who confronts Jackie (the mother) and takes Silver home to live with her. Still with me?
In the other main plot tonight, Naomi finds out that her dad is cheating on her mom (thus shattering her image of her FAMILY--see the theme again? Good, go have a cookie.) The kicker is that mom already knows and is ok with it, because she wants to keep her family together. Naomi is shocked and appalled (and a little hypocritical considering that she very publicly made out with another guy to make her boyfriend jealous. I'm just saying.)
Other things I liked:
- Kelly dating the young teacher. I think someone wants to become a cougar.
- Ethan jokingly likening himself to Spencer from The Hills. That was just funny.
- Jessica Stroup, the actress who plays Silver. She makes the best of bad dialogue. Kudos to her.
- The montage to Leona Lewis' "Better in Time" at the end. Way to hammer the message home, show, about how things will get better. I couldn't figure that out for myself. (I love obvious song choices, because they're hilarious).
- The reappearance of the theme song, just because I like it.
- Annie being less annoying. I'm not sure if it's because we saw less of her or because she's not as whiny. This will be something to monitor closely in the coming weeks.
- The show's insistence on pairing Annie with Ethan. Can we break from the formula a little please?
- The predictability. As soon as Naomi said she was bringing her dad food, I knew he was having an affair. Although I really should have known when he bought her the car. I shall do better.
- The complete absence of Grandma. How am I supposed to quote Lucille when you don't even give her screen time, show? Don't let it happen again.
- The Glade commercials. While not a part of the show itself, I cannot understand why they are airing during a teen drama. (Hypothesis: they're targeted at fans of the original who are old enough to ave houses and care about candles).
"Silver, you've got to trust my dad. Or at least trust me." --Dixon (cheesy line of the night).
"My own Dad is blocking me." --Dixon (I believe you left out a word in your sentence, sir.)
"Babe you sound pitchy." "You sound bitchy." --Naomi and Adriana. (This is what passes for bitchy dialogue on this show. S, B, and GG would eat them alive.)
One final thing: WHO IS KELLY'S BABY DADDY? They kept talking about "him" and how she had history with "him" back in high school. Now if I remember correctly, Kelly didn't start dating Brandon until college, which means dear old dad is probably Dylan, right? I get that they're dragging the reveal out to keep old fans engaged, but quite frankly, we all know dude has a name, so why not just reveal it already?
I'm still not sure how I feel about this show, and as Tuesday's continue to get more crowded for me, I'm not sure how much longer I'll go. I will give it another shot though, which means I'll be back next week with more thoughts about these crazy kids.
