‘BH 90210’: S1 E4 “The Table Read”

The fourth episode of the Beverly Hills 90210 quasi-reboot “BH 90210” begins with an exterior shot of the Peach Pit. If you watched the original show, you might recall the Peach Pit was the regular hang out for most of the characters.

Each of the episodes thus far has begun with a dream or a nightmare sequence. Why should this fourth episode be any different? In this case, it is Gabrielle Carteris that’s experiencing the Peach Pit nightmare. She wakes up alone. Judging by the book at her side, she evidently fell asleep reading. Evidently, her husband couldn’t handle her wanting to explore her sexuality.

One of Shay’s (La La Anthony) latest songs was leaked in advance of the release date. Because it wasn’t mixed, fans completely trashed the song as being garbage. Shay correctly observes, because she keeps all her unreleased music on her computer in her home studio, only someone working in the house would have access to the track. Did you see how Zach (Ty Wood) quickly points Shay towards her stylist, Joanna, as being the one that leaked the song?

We already know Zach has an agenda, but we are still in the dark as to what that agenda is and how he plans to move it forward. There is something seriously off about this guy. It wouldn’t surprise me if we learn Zach is Brian Austin Green’s son. It’s very soap opera-like, but it isn’t completely unrealistic. Low and behold, I called it. As I write this line, Zach tells Brian that he’s his son.

Later, Shay calls Brian to tell him that she spoke with Joanna about the leaked track. Joanna is adamant she had nothing to do with the track being leaked. Because Joanna has been with Shay for five years, she believes the stylist over Zach.

Because of all the negative social media messages posted about Jennie Garth’s daughter, Kyler Norris (Karis Cameron), only getting the recurring role on the reboot series, Jennie and Tori Spelling has Kyler over to Fox Studios to read for the part.

Kyler was initially going to play Kelly’s daughter on the reboot, but her reading didn’t go as well as expected, she is therefore consequently playing Donna’s daughter. Kelly and Donna are the characters Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling respectively played on the original Beverly Hills 90210 series. Kyler obviously screwed the audition.

It’s clear from the way Jennie tells Kyler the casting news that she’s deliberately trying to let her down gently, but it seems there is an upside to her not getting the role she was originally cast in. Kyler gets to work closely with Tori rather than her mother.

When we finally get to the table read, the focus of the episode, we see most of the main cast members getting back into the swing of things. No one should be surprised Shannen Doherty is not at the first table read because her deal with the network has yet to close.

Even though Shannen wasn’t at the table for the first read-through, despite much of it being off-camera, what we did see of it didn’t go down well with most of the cast members. The only person that was liking the work Anna (Natalie Sharp) but into the teleplay was Ian Ziering and that was only because he got some seriously good scenes.

As for the rest of the cast, no one likes what they read. Everyone other than Ian has significant issues with the work. Kyle finds that her role is reduced to a featured extra. While there’s nothing wrong with being an extra on any production, if one is only ever cast as an extra, it’s not going to further an acting career by much.

Because of how the cast feels about what the writer has presented to them on paper, Anna tells Ian that the lead actors should write the teleplay themselves. Funnily, Ian confirms that that is exactly what the cast is going to do because most of them feel the work sucks.

Anna considers quitting the show, but Ian talks her into staying on as the lead writer. From Ian’s car, Anna is watching everything the cast is doing because Ian is secretly filming them.

Shannen shows up and is behaving all zen-like. Tori discovers from Christine Elise that Shannen is being paid twice the amount of money the rest of the main cast members are being paid. If Shannen works on the teleplay, she’ll probably get a writing credit too. Shannen only held out for more money because she’s giving it all away to a charitable organisation.

As the cast members head towards the set in the final moments of the episode, they find it on fire. It looks like Zach is not the stalker.