TV Hot Spot: Episode Info

Beverly Hills 90201: Episode Info!

Post by: Sal


Source: The CW & SpoilerTV

Episode Info (Pilot Details):


BEVERLY HILLS 90210, TV Pilot - 1 Hour for CW.
EXEC PROD, Rob Thomas, Danielle Stokdyk, Jennifer Gwartz, Dan Ethridge;
DIR, Mark Piznarski;
WRTR, Rob Thomas.

Harrison "Harry" Mills

Late 30s-Early 40s. He's a graduate of Beverly Hills High. He went "back East" for college and has never looked back. He was proud to escape what he perceived as the shallow culture of his upbringing. His viewed his mother's wealth and fame as obstacles to be overcome rather than qualities to be embraced. He has a real do-gooder gene. He met his wife in Africa during his stint in the Peace Corp. He began his career in education in the Teach For America program. (College grads can teach without a certificate in poor/needy school districts.) He has become a rising star in educational circles, managing to turn around a notorious East St. Louis high school into a model school of high achievement. Returning to Beverly Hills was not his ambition; it's simply the hand he's been dealt. He's a loving dad, though his children often find they have to share him with his thousand other "kids." Sometimes his children wish he'd be less of a pal and more of normal dad. Still, they recognize they're in the "lucky" category;


Celia Mills

Late 30s-Early 40s. The jock of the family, Celia won the Bronze Medal in cycling (Individual Pursuit) at the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul. Though she doesn't come right out and say it to her husband, Celia is looking forward to the move from dilapidated East St. Louis to Beverly Hills even though her relationship with her famous mother-in-law is always difficult. Celia's lost a degree of the humanitarian zeal that Harry has managed to maintain. Early in the series, Celia will begin to find work as a personal trainer to various peers/fellow BHHS SPTV050769 parents allowing us another device by which we can insert our regulars into the lives of various guest stars. Celia is the parent who ends up cracking the whip. She loves her husband, but often thinks it must be nice to get to be "the cool one" rather than the one who makes them complete their chores, make it in by curfew, etc. Like her husband, Celia fears what might happen when their kids become "Beverly Hills" kids;


Annie Mills

Legal 18 to play 16. A theater kid...and all that entails. Annie is sensitive. She writes poetry in a journal. She's up on all the obscure emo bands. She's desperate to fit in with the kids who desperately try to appear as though they don't fit in. What's more - she's a very good actress. She seems to have inherited her grandmother's talent. Though she's not outrageous, herself, she's drawn to big personalities. Though she cast the lone vote against his adoption, Annie has become very close with her brother, Dixon. Their interests are completely dissimilar and at their old high school they didn't really run in the same crowd, but here, at Beverly Hills High, they're going to lean on each other more than ever;


Dixon Mills

Legal 18 to play 16, any ethnicity. Harry Mills took a shine to Dixon Cook long before he adopted him. Harry couldn't believe this foster kid was one of the smartest, most determined fifth-graders he'd ever seen. Sure, he had some behavioral problems. He'd get in fights weekly. He'd rarely speak unless asked a direct question. Then, when Dixon got busted for trying to steal a case of milk cartons to take home to his little foster siblings, there was some talk of sending him to an "alternative school" - a notorious place run more like a prison than school. Harry held a family meeting and made the decision to adopt Dixon. He's been a member of the family for six years. Though Dixon can still have a chip on his shoulder, his fighting/bad-boyisms seems to be a thing of the past, and the way he's opened up is nothing short of miraculous. Though he's scary-smart, he possesses no nerd trappings. He can both intimidate Annie's dates and correct their homework;


Tabitha Mills

60-something, though she has claimed "59" for several years. Think Blythe Danner playing a version of Julie Christie. Tabitha Mills was a big star in the 70s. She's been romantically linked with all the usual suspects - Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Governor Jerry Brown. She's been married a handful of times, though she is currently single. She insists in living on her own in her estate in the Beverly Hills flats. She is the reason her son is moving back home. While Tabitha is fun, vivacious, wicked, acid-tongued, politically incorrect, she's also a lush. Alcohol has always been a problem, and after Tabitha's latest stay at Betty Ford, the facility's administrators called Harry and insisted she needed in-home care and better supervision. Tabitha adores Annie. It's quite possible she sees herself in her granddaughter. In comparison, she tends to count the silverware after her adopted grandson visits. (Or mention how much she loved working with Billy Dee Williams.) Tabitha doesn't understand why Harry (or that wife of his) insists on making their children hold down jobs and earn their own money. ("This isn't Bangkok, Harry");


Silver

Legal 18 to play 16. Born Daphne Silver, this true product of the 21st century has dropped the "Daphne," and - like Madonna, Cher or Paris - opts for a uni-name. Silver, like many of her peers, believes in fame for fame's sake. Her primary talent is her ability to self-promote, shock, provoke, incite. Her self-produced YouTube video series, "Answers to life's inane questions answered by a 15 years old in a bikini" garnered upwards of a half-million hits each. Her ability to pull-off such stunts owes greatly to the lack of a parental figure in the picture. Her mom and stepfather, owners of the Silver Screens movie theater chain, have been "on a cruise" for as long as anyone can remember. Silver shares a swank "above Sunset" mansion with her 24 years old brother, Max. As the friendship between Silver and Annie grows, it will become apparent that Silver is the id and Annie is the ego. Oh, and Dixon makes Silver weak in the knees. It's her Holy Grail to become the only Jewish girl at Beverly Hills High with a black boyfriend;


Max Silver

24ish. Currently, Max is the man of the house, though his control over his wild-child younger sister is suspect. Max is a nose-to-the-grindstone working man who manages the Silver Screens theater at the Century City mall. (This will be one of our go-to locations as Annie will get a job as a concessionaire and the lobby will be a hangout for Beverly Hills kids and parents.) Between "parenting" his sister and running the family business, Max doesn't sleep much. He continually appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In working in close quarters with her boss, Annie will stumble on clues that, chillingly, make her suspicious that Max may have done away with his own parents. Max is, indeed, hiding a secret regarding the whereabouts of his parents, though we'll be relieved to learn he is not a murderer;


Navid Shirazi

Legal 18 to play 17. Navid is of Middle Eastern descent. He holds one of the most coveted positions of power at Beverly Hills High. He's the executive producer of the journalism department's daily ten minute closedcircuit television newscast. (Half the students who work on the show are in it for the popularity boost; half are there for the serious journalism.) Navid is certainly bright, though his unique talent is his ability to make almost anything happen at Beverly Hills High. He's a consummate politician. In his three years at the school, he has charmed the faculty sponsors of nearly every organization, negotiated quid-pro-quo relationships with the major cliques and cultivated a reputation as an insider. Though Navid is friendly with scores of classmates, he learns he hasn't had a true friend until Dixon enrolls in the television class;


Ethan Ward

Legal 18 to play 16. Though no one will confuse Ethan with a brainiac. He possesses other qualities highly valued in the 90210. Namely, he's beautiful. He's also likable, genuine, a star athlete. (Think Chris Klein circa "Election"). Not surprisingly, Ethan is extraordinarily popular. Or at least he's popular until minute 15 of the pilot when his girlfriend absolutely destroys him at her decadent Sweet 16 party. (She includes a bound tome of puppy-doggish emails sent from Ethan to the teacher he loves in each of the 500 gift bags she hands out at her party). It's in the aftermath of this bloodletting Ethan falls in with a new crowd - our crowd;


Naomi Bennett

Legal 18 to play 16. Naomi is the super-hot, super-rich, high-maintenance girlfriend of Ethan Ward. At least she's his girlfriend until she exacts her painfully public revenge. In early episodes, Naomi will seem to function as a stock, spoiled bitch from hell, but over time, she'll reveal herself as a more textured character. Her impossible parents will routinely be in Principal Ward's office demanding more and better for their daughter. By the time she's gotten over her Ethan heartbreak and is ready to take him back, she'll discover that his attention has turned to Annie Mills. (Posted: March 24, 2008)



Take care,

Sal