BH90210 5.13, Up in Flames: Night of the Dancing Flame

March 5, 2013

BH90210 5.13, Up in Flames: Night of the Dancing Flame

Yeah, I’m sure I won’t have nightmares tonight

Summary: Brandon and Kelly have gathered a bunch of pinecones so Cindy can use them in the fireplace. Then there’s a whole conversation about pinecones. What have I done to deserve this? Cindy congratulates Kelly on her Seventeen cover, which Brandon wasn’t supposed to tell her about. Kelly answers the Walshes’ phone (um, why?) and hears that it’s an international call. She thinks Brenda’s calling, but it’s my nemesis, Emily. She and her horrible hair will be in L.A. the next night on a layover, and she wants to see Brandon.

Steve and Griffin are planning a holiday rave at some mansion and want to advertise it at the Peach Pit. Steve offers to give Nat some of the proceeds, but Nat says he can throw any parties he wants independently. Valerie offers to help with the planning and promoting, and though Steve resists, he eventually allows her to help. Clare and David have the promotion angle covered, as they’re going to post a notice on “some electronic bulletin board.” David does so but accidentally posts in the wrong forum. Donna suggests that Ray perform at the rave.

Kelly and Brandon arrive, and Kelly announces to the others that Brandon isn’t coming to the rave because of Emily. (David calls her “that firestarter girl.”) Kelly isn’t happy about Ms. Valentine’s return and wants to know what happened between her and Brandon in San Francisco. Brandon admits that he “fell for her,” but assures Kelly that he wants to be with her now and has no lingering feelings for Emily.

Steve, Valerie, and Griffin check out the party house with only 24 hours to get everything ready. A fuse keeps blowing, and it leads to Steve and Griffin blowing their own fuses at each other. Valerie makes a list of everything that needs to be accomplished and splits it three ways. Steve wonders why she’s being so helpful. He thinks she wants a cut of the cover charge, but she says she wants a second chance with him.

Brandon has Emily flashbacks in the middle of the night, but tells Kelly he can’t sleep because of the Santa Ana winds. The winds give Kelly flashbacks, too, but hers are of Dylan. Steve hires a Latino caterer for the party and shows his dorky/slightly racist side. Donna says Steve can borrow Ray’s truck if he’ll let Ray play in one of the “mood” (AKA makeout) rooms. Kelly visits Dylan at rehab, holding his hand while they take a walk, which I’m sure she would be okay with Brandon doing with Emily. Dylan isn’t thrilled that Kelly’s with Brandon, but he’s glad she’s happy.

Andrea leaves Hannah with the Walshes so she and Jesse can go out, and takes the opportunity to interrogate Brandon about seeing Emily. He admits that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since she called. But he loves Kelly and doesn’t think anything major will happen during Emily’s four-hour layover. The rave kicks off but isn’t well-attended, at least yet. Muntz complains about the lack of available women. Just then a bunch of them show up, having read David’s Internet notice. Muntz is happy because he doesn’t realize they’re all lesbians.

Thanks to the faulty fuses, the lights and music go out. Meanwhile, Brandon meets up with Emily, who reveals that she’s thinking of transferring to a school in La Jolla. Brandon wants to take her to the rave, but Emily doesn’t want to be seen as a partier like she used to be. He tells her she’s earned some redemption. Emily blurts out that she loves him, and Brandon awkwardly ignores her. Back at the house, Valerie takes Steve upstairs. Donna and Kelly are already there, listening to Ray perform. Griffin’s upset that he’s there.

The lights go out again, so the partygoers helpfully chant, “Power! Power!” until Griffin turns it back on. The caterer warns Griffin that the fuse box is overloaded, but Griffin’s an idiot and won’t listen. Brandon takes Emily to the Peach Pit, where she admits that she’s not in Beverly Hills on a layover – she can stay as long as she wants. Brandon tells her he’s dating Kelly, news Emily doesn’t appreciate hearing. He points out that she never called or wrote after she went to France, so he couldn’t be expected to wait for her.

Muntz thinks the girl he’s been checking out all night is finally going to ask him to dance. Nope, she wants to dance with Clare. The girl she was dancing with before isn’t pleased. Steve notes that he and Valerie are the only opposite-sex couple on the dance floor. Val thinks that if a bunch of gay men had come to the party instead of lesbians, people wouldn’t be nearly as cool with it. Muntz alerts them to some hooligans in a room upstairs, so Valerie and Steve shoo them away and take over the room for their own brand of hooliganism.

Brandon and Emily drive around, talking about their time together in San Francisco. He admits that he would have moved there if she’d asked him to. Kelly’s annoyed that Brandon hasn’t shown up at the rave yet, but Clare tells her she shouldn’t worry about him “straying.” Kelly decides to go home, but first she goes upstairs to use the bathroom. She chats with Muntz’s lesbian crush, Alison, and the two of them go back downstairs to look for another bathroom. Alison’s dance partner thinks they’re looking for privacy.

Kelly and Alison end up in a soundproof screening room, where Kelly stays while Alison continues the bathroom hunt. In the kitchen, the fuse box starts to short out. This time Muntz checks on it and discovers that the room is on fire. There’s a mass exodus as the flames spread. Ray sends Donna out with a bunch of other people while he checks the other rooms to make sure no one else is trapped. He ends up finding Steve and Valerie. In the screening room, Alison and Kelly smell smoke.

Donna asks Steve to go back in to find Ray, who’s also made it out but still wants to rescue others. Firefighters arrive, and Griffin tells Muntz he’s going to talk to them about the legal and monetary aspects of the situation, but instead, he bails. Kelly and Alison have barricaded themselves in the bathroom to wait for help; Kelly’s panicking but Alison is able to stay calm. Meanwhile, Brandon takes Emily to her hotel and they start to say goodbye, but both admit they don’t want to. They make out instead.

Alison’s girlfriend, Dana, informs the gang that Kelly didn’t leave the party like Clare thinks – she was last seen with Alison. Inside, the lights go out, leaving Kelly and Alison in the dark when the fire starts eating through the door. They recite the Lord’s Prayer together. The firefighters finally make it to them, but the fire is moving toward the girls much faster. Their cheers of happiness turn into screams.

Thoughts: Why do they keep bringing Emily back?? Is it just to torture me? Because it’s working.

Also, another rave in an Emily episode? Stop trying to recapture the magic, people. If there are no eggs, it’s not going to happy.

How ironic that I watched this episode in the middle of the SVH arson trilogy.

’90s music alert: Bizarre’s “I’m Gonna Get You.”

Griffin wears a suit and tie to the rave. Loosen up, Griffin. David also wears a suit (no tie, but there’s a vest). Undorkify, David.

Steve: “You’re not wearing any underwear.” Valerie: “You’re kidding!” Heh.

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