'90s Flashback

Where teen loves meet adult cynicism


BH90210 2.7, Camping Trip: I’m Okay, You’re McKay

"Let's go out there and make the lamest episode ever! Yeah!"

Summary: Brandon, Brenda, Kelly, Steve, Donna, David, and Andrea are packing for a camping trip (hence the episode title), and Kelly’s not thrilled that her mom is making her take David along. Steve nitpicks Donna’s packing choices. Dylan stops by, unable to go on the trip even though his mother will be out of town and there’s really no good reason for him not to. (This part is stupid.) Brandon convinces him to join them, and though Brenda’s surprised, she’s not disappointed.

The kids head to Yosemite but don’t make it before a huge thunderstorm strands them at another campsite. Kelly blasts Steve for not checking the weather report. He says he did check it, he just didn’t believe it. The campsite only has one vacant cabin, and it’s leaky and has no hot water. Brandon tries to be optimistic, then realizes that Brenda accidentally left his hiking boots at home. (Why was she packing his stuff anyway?)

Steve decides to go on a beer run, since there’s nothing else to do, and asks Dylan if he wants to come along. Brenda blasts him for tempting Dylan, but Dylan takes offense to her answering for him. David offers to go with Steve, telling Kelly he doesn’t care what his father would think. Donna decides to go, too, since there’s something she needs to get at the store. Brandon snipes at Brenda again for forgetting his things; she points out that she was making room in the bag for things for Dylan. Dylan’s all mopey that it’s apparently his fault.

Brenda tries to talk to Dylan, asking why he told Steve he wouldn’t drink “this time.” They run into Allison and Neil, a honeymooning couple who aren’t annoyed at all that they’re stuck in such a run-down place. Steve can’t buy beer at a nearby general store, so he gets an older couple to do it for him.

Back at the cabin, Brenda and Kelly play Go Fish while Andrea reads and nitpicks Brandon’s fire-building skills. Dylan suggests that he go get some dry wood from Neil and Allison, so he and Andrea head over. Allison is very welcoming, much to Neil’s disappointment, and offers Andrea and Brandon hot chocolate. Meanwhile, the couple Steve paid to get beer leaves the store with his $50.

Allison tells Brandon and Andrea how she and Neil met, and the couple gets the two of them to leave by making out. Everyone meets up back in the cabin and complains about how they’re not old enough to do anything fun. Then for some reason they all start talking about the meaning of life, which Kelly and Andrea agree is love. Dylan says love just gets in the way. Brenda notes that Neil and Allison don’t seem to feel that way. Well, at least until Allison comes over crying and asks to spend the night in their cabin.

Dylan thinks Allison’s sadness backs up his theory. Allison tells the kids that Neil got her pregnant, but now she’s found out that he doesn’t want children. Neil comes over, having no idea what Allison’s upset about. Steve and Brandon tell him not to beg for forgiveness. David films as the couple fights in front of all the kids and Allison storms out. Andrea advises Neil to give Allison some space, but he objects to getting marital advice from teenagers.

Kelly complains that they’re being treated like children again, telling Neil that while none of the kids has been married, some of them have dealt with divorce. She and Steve are sad about their parents’ splits but Dylan claims his isn’t a big deal. David says he wasn’t surprised by his parents’ divorce because his father became a jerk. Neil points out that he and Allison don’t have kids and don’t plan to have any. Allison returns and says that’s what her problem is. She finally tells Neil she’s pregnant, and he doesn’t react favorably.

Dylan doesn’t want to hang around for another counseling session, so he heads over to Allison and Neil’s cabin. Brenda follows and asks why he’s being so mopey. She notes that his parents’ divorce doesn’t mean every couple will eventually break up. Dylan replies that her family’s intact and she can’t imagine how he feels. He’s allowed to have a negative attitude. Brenda encourages him to see the good parts of his life, like his friends. Dylan obviously won’t be happy until they get back together.

Allison and Neil are now totally fine, at least until Dylan says that Neil can’t be sure he’ll really want the baby until it’s born. The two guys argue, and Dylan says that if Neil isn’t ready to love the baby, Allison might as well have an abortion. While the other kids get ready for bed, Dylan goes off to mope alone…and drink from a teeny bottle of booze.

The next morning, Brandon goes to wake Dylan up, thinking he spent the night in the van, but he’s not there. Dylan spent the night outside and shows Brandon his now-empty little bottles, which he took from Allison and Neil’s cabin. Brandon’s proud that Dylan battled his demons, which is not at all what happened, you moron. He knows that Dylan’s upset that his mother let him down; Dylan doesn’t see the point in telling her how he feels. Brandon notes that the McKays should be supporting their son. The two guys head off for a hike.

When the other kids wake up, they see that the van is gone. Brandon slips and almost falls off a cliff, but Dylan saves him. When the guys return with the van, they decide not to tell the others what happened. Dylan starts to apologize to Brenda for what happened the night before, but she’s over it. He then apologizes to Neil and Allison, suggesting that they name their baby Dylan. Brandon assures Andrea that he’s okay and gives her a big hug. I ask for the last hour of my life back.

Thoughts: LAME. Lame, lame, lame. I feel cheated that no one died.

Would you let your teenager go on an unchaperoned camping trip with members of the opposite gender? I wouldn’t.

Trivia: Andrea’s afraid of spiders.

Dylan’s stunt double looks nothing like Luke Perry. Nice job, casting department.

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