What I Learned From Tonight's Episode of 90210

Themes of 90210 "How Much Is That Liam In the Window"

Upon watching tonight's episode, I noticed several themes that I think people relate to.  I wanted to share the plot line and outline their meaning in our daily lives.  This week's episode tackles:

• Dating toxic men
• Extortion
• Being alone and homeless
• Family bonds
• Rape recovery
• Doing the right thing
• Mother-daughter competition
• HIV

Annie is dating a psycho, again.  After getting rid of her suicidal, manipulative ex-boyfriend, she is now currently involved with a "cute film theater student" who just happens to be Liam's estranged brother.  She goes to a reading of a play he wrote, when she finds out that he writes about violence and murder.  This storyline demonstrates how girls tend to fall into traps of dating guys who are wrong for them.  Following your heart instead of your head gets people in to trouble in relationships.  It is obvious that Annie has poor taste in men, and will continue setting herself up for psychos if she doesn't change her behavior.  She is often dismissing dateable men due to minor reasons, then falls for ones who should be throwing red flags.


Adriana is being blackmailed by Javier's uncle into doing things she doesn't want to do like pose topless, mistreat her friends, and be ruthless about money.  Navid tells her that she needs to stand up to him or else it's never going to stop.  I think this is an important topic to address because people are sometimes suckered into doing things they don't want to do.  If you don't stand up for yourself, you can become a victim and allow someone to run your life.  Sometimes, being honest and admitting wrongdoing straight away can save you from a deeper hole of corruption.

Liam is working as a shirtless model and living in his car.  He met a woman who offered to let him live in her pool house.  It turns out that she is the mother of a crazy girl who is obsessed with Liam.  Viewers feel compassion for him, as he has no family or place to call home.  He is struggling to make it on his own, but does things that he'd rather not do.  It makes many us grateful that we don't have to deal with this, and others can relate personally.


Jen and Naomi are communicating again, as Naomi came over to meet her nephew, Jacques.  Jen finds out that Mr. Cannon raped Naomi and she is so angry that she wants to kill him.  Jen immediately reacts in order to protect her sister.  They patch things up, which demonstrates the family dynamic and how family comes together in a time of need, in spite of making terrible mistakes in the past.

Naomi is struggling with whether or not to press charges against Mr. Cannon for raping her.  She previously falsely accused Cannon of sexual harassment before he raped her and now thinks that nobody will believe her.  Most rape victims don't report it to the police, for whatever reason they each have.  It can be hard for a victim to come forward, which many people don't understand.  

Mr. Matthews saw Naomi and Cannon at the school the night he raped her.  He drove his car drunk into the West Bev school sign and never told anyone.  By coming forward to help Naomi, he can lose his job as a teacher.  He tells Naomi that he would rather help her convict Cannon than keep his job.  Mr. Matthews is a great example of a decent, honorable person who is willing to do the right thing, even when it hurts him personally.  The 90210, and the world, need more people like him.

Ivy loses her virginity to Oscar when she was mad at Dixon.  Unbeknownst to her, Oscar had been sleeping with Ivy's mom the entire time.  He has been plotting to ruin Ivy's mother's life and exposes them during the middle of a party.  Oscar tells Ivy that she destroyed his family once his father left his mother and she overdosed.  The storyline portrays the competition that sometimes accompanies a mother-daughter duo.  Women can sympathize with Ivy, as they would never want to be in her position. We also feel bad for her mother because she would never want to hurt her.  It makes people examine their own parental dynamics.

Dixon has a horrific scare when his psychotic ex-girlfriend tells him that she is HIV positive.  Ivy was ready to sleep with him right before he found out.  Viewers can relate to the scare of contracting a serious disease like HIV, and feel that sense of relief for Dixon once he finds out he is clean.

Teddy was not seen in this episode, as he explains he was wearing an invisible suit.  He said he was there the entire time.  We can all relate to feeling someone's presence even if they aren't there.