BH90210 2.18, A Walsh Family Christmas: Merry Christmas, Saint Nick

November 24, 2011

BH90210 2.18, A Walsh Family Christmas: Merry Christmas, Saint Nick

This is what happens when you wind up on Santa's naughty list

Summary: Steve is in New Mexico after a 16-hour bus ride. Back in Beverly Hills, Brenda has gotten a job at a boutique, making her the first of Kelly’s friends to have a real job. Kelly and Donna are worried about Steve, who’s been gone for four days and hasn’t gotten in touch with anyone back home. Kelly admits to missing him; he always buys her something nice at Christmas even after their breakup. Brenda invites them over to decorate their Christmas tree, which the Walshes always get two days before Christmas.

Brandon and Jim go get a tree but don’t have many good ones to choose from. Cindy’s annoyed to be stuck in 90-degree weather while it’s snowing back in Minnesota. Jim and Brandon come home with a dead tree, leading Cindy to wish they’d gone to visit her mother. Brandon tries to salvage the tree with green spray paint. Brenda’s pleased with the money she’s making at her new job, since she’ll be able to buy some nice presents for her family.

The gang comes over to decorate the tree and Jim suggests to Cindy that they start a new tradition by inviting the kids over for Christmas Eve. She’s on board, telling the kids to bring their families along, but they all have plans already. Brandon tells his parents about Steve’s quest for his birth mother as Steve goes to the hospital where he thinks he was born. He tries to get a copy of his birth certificate, but it can’t be released to him without a parent’s permission since he’s not 18. He’s allowed to look at it and gets his mother’s address.

Brandon asks Nat to give a free meal to a seemingly homeless man at the Peach Pit. Nat reveals that he always serves free meals on Christmas, and Brandon tells him he’ll come help serve. He shows off the Santa suit he wears every year. The man takes an interest in it. Steve goes to the address he got, but the houses that used to be there are now a strip mall. Andrea tells Brandon that her family doesn’t celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, so he invites her over. She tells him she has plans with her grandmother.

Nat realizes his Santa suit is missing – the man from earlier has taken it and is handing out candy canes around town. He winds up near Brenda’s boutique, which bugs her boss, Deidre. Brenda asks her to be nice, but Deidre calls the man crazy and makes him leave. Steve makes a bunch of calls, looking for someone who knows his mother, but doesn’t have any luck. Dylan visits Brenda at work before leaving to see his father; he complains about consumerism, then gives her half of one of those heart pendants that fit together.

Steve finally makes a breakthrough, contacting a man who’s suspicious about his questions about Karen Brown. Kelly helps Jackie cook, but neither is very good at it. Jackie considers cooking more often anyway, since she and Mel are getting more serious. Their relationship is the first healthy one she’s ever been in. Mel shows up and tells Jackie he and David can’t come to dinner – David’s mother, who Mel is in the process of divorcing, wants them at home for Christmas. (Aren’t they Jewish?) Jackie’s upset that she got so invested in something that isn’t going to last.

Steve goes to the diner he made his call to and meets the man he spoke with, who doesn’t want to talk to him. He’s Karen’s father. Steve introduces himself to his grandfather, who finally agrees to talk. Kelly tells Brenda about the Jackie/Mel situation and looks for an extra present to make her mother feel better. She’s worried that Jackie will get depressed and start drinking again if it’s just them on Christmas Eve. Brenda invites her to the Walshes’ celebration. Santa returns to the boutique and Deidre kicks him out again. (Someone’s getting coal in her stocking.)

Brandon goes to visit Emily at the facility where she’s been staying. She’s supposed to be released soon but she’s nervous about going back to school. He’s brought her his favorite shirt and a card signed by all his friends. David goes to the Taylors’ house to bring Kelly a present, but she’s mad about how Mel treated Jackie. David’s not happy either, since he’s caught in the middle. He still wants his parents to get back together, but he doesn’t want Jackie and Kelly to be unhappy. They agree that they’re still friends.

Steve’s grandfather, Al, tells him Karen was still in high school when she got pregnant. She wanted her baby to have a family who could take care of him. After Steve was adopted, Karen went to college and got married. Al says that Karen never discussed Steve with her family. Steve asks for her phone number, but Al tells him the adoption was meant to be final. Also, Karen’s dead. (Maybe you should’ve led with that, Grandpa.)

Brandon and Jim discuss their Christmas plans, hoping they don’t make Cindy feel more homesick. Samantha shows up to see if any of the Walshes have heard from Steve. She’s so worried about his lack of contact that she’s called the police to file a missing-persons report. She feels bad about trying to stop him from looking for Karen. Cindy’s sure that Steve will call on Christmas. Samantha thinks she spoiled him as a child and it’s backfired. Cindy insists that she stay for dinner so she won’t have to be at home alone.

Al takes Steve to Karen’s grave. Steve admits that he thought meeting his birth mother would make everything different. He notes that he never had a grandfather and asks Al to be his. Al agrees, promising to stay in touch. As Brenda leaves the boutique for the night, she spots two cops interrogating Santa. She gets them to back off, then invites Santa to the Walshes’ for Christmas Eve. Jim isn’t too thrilled to have a stranger in the house, not like Cindy doesn’t invite random people to spend the night all the time. Kelly and Jackie show up next.

Steve tries to charter a plane from a guy who’s supposed to be heading off to play Santa. Steve’s so desperate to get home that he gives the guy a bunch of money. The pilot can’t refuse the gift and happily shouts out reindeer names on takeoff. Andrea shows up at the Walshes’ after all and is starstruck to meet Samantha (and apparently Steve’s talked about her to his mother).

Dylan goes to see Jack (who’s magically been transformed into a completely different person) and complains about all the Christmases his father has missed. He thought about getting him back by making him know what it’s like to be lonely on Christmas, but he knew it would be too painful. Jack tells his son that he’s started meditating and often thinks about how strong Dylan is. He tells Dylan he’s already making things better. Dylan wants to share the food he brought for Jack, but Jack encourages him to go see Brenda and make himself happy.

Santa hands out presents at the Walshes’, and they’re definitely pricey. Jim and Cindy worry that he stole them. David and Mel arrive, and David eavesdrops as his father apologizes to Jackie. He thought his ex was in trouble and he owed it to her to be there for her, but now he knows they really need to be apart. He never actually went to her place; he drove around until he realized that Jackie’s who he wants to be with. Kelly joins David, who recaps the situation for her as Donna arrives, having cancelled her ski trip due to lack of snow.

David and Donna smooch under the mistletoe as Samantha decides to go home. Suddenly Cindy calls Jim upstairs to tell him her engagement ring is missing. She starts to call the police on Santa, blasting her and Jim for being too trusting. Jim hangs up and gives her her present – he got her ring reset. Cindy decides to spend the rest of the evening naïve. Samantha comes home to find Steve there waiting for her. He tells her about his mother and how wonderful she is, but he’s talking about Samantha, not Karen.

Donna sits on Santa’s lap and complains that she doesn’t like Christmas because it’s also her birthday, but no one ever remembers. The gang sings her “Happy Birthday.” Dylan shows up as Andrea asks Santa for presents. Everyone wonders who Santa really is; he tells them he wanted to find out if anyone still has Christmas spirit. His elves grew up and had their own families, but Mrs. Claus would still make wonderful dinners. She died last year, and Santa didn’t want to celebrate Christmas anymore. This year, he decided to look for it anyway. Brenda made him believe in the spirit of Christmas again.

Nat shows up with some carolers, who all get invited in for drinks. He meets Santa and tells Brandon that he found his Santa suit. Everyone sings as Jim plays his keyboard, and Cindy looks out the window to see snow (Brandon’s spraying it in the yard). Samantha returns, this time with Steve, who Kelly is very happy to see. Then there’s more singing and only the slightest hint of cheesiness.

Thoughts: Watching a Christmas episode on Thanksgiving was really weird.

At first I thought this episode was only going to feature Steve. Then I saw Christine Elise was a guest star and I got even more worried.

Donna wears the shortest jumper I’ve ever seen during the tree-decorating scene. She looks like a little kid who outgrew her outfit.

Brandon and Andrea are just friends, huh? I don’t kiss my friends on the lips.

There’s a funny moment where Samantha’s walking through the Walshes’ kitchen, sees Santa, is a little surprised, and says, “Oh, hi,” like, “Oh, of course you’re here.”

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