Beverly Hills, 90210 Re-Watch: Up In Flames (Season 5 Episode 13)
We’re going to start this re-watch of Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 5 Episodes 13, “Up In Flames,” at the very end, because I chose to include it for a very specific reason.
The cliffhanger, though very extreme and definitely done for a little bit of shock value, is very good.
Vintage TV outshines its modern competition often when it comes to subtlety.
The episode’s biggest cliff involves one main character in a life-threatening situation. We see the flames encroaching on Kelly and Allison in the last scene. Plus there is the fact that Kelly’s boyfriend cheats on her the night she might lose her life.
Kelly is totally thinking about Dylan on the episode, too. But that might just be because Brandon is preoccupied with Emily Valentine.
She visits Dylan in rehab, and they have more chemistry in that platonic conversation than Kelly and Brandon do their whole relationship. Dylan definitely should’ve come out the victor in that particular love triangle.
So, it seems like a typical arc done for ratings and maybe it is.
The reason why the whole set up is good TV is that when I imagine something like this done in a 2019 version of Beverly Hills, 90210, Dylan is the person who is stuck in the fire with Kelly because he’s yet another regular character that fans care about.
It also wouldn’t be surprising if every other series regular who is at the party is stuck in a different room with their lives on the line. “The more extreme the better” is often the 2019 motto.
The episode in question is from 1994, though so let’s go back there.
Of course, fans know the outcome of the episode. Kelly survives the fire pretty much intact.
Forgetting that for a second, the end really does work as a way to get viewers to tune in to the episode next week. Will Kelly survive? Not only that — but will her beautiful face survive the fire? She’s on the verge of getting not just any modeling job, but the cover of Seventeen magazine.
Perhaps some people find the latter question shallow. They have a point. On a TV show, it’s also an intriguing one to ask.
Most of us don’t have jobs comparable to any character on TV who lives in 90210. Plus, she’s in L.A. and she’s wealthy. It would be surprising if she weren’t on the verge of a modeling career.
It would’ve been an intriguing journey to watch if Kelly had survived the fire with her face burned and scarred.
Imagine a TV show focusing on a heroine with a physical imperfection working to recover, regain confidence, and date again?
If we’re honest, not even 2019 is ready for that but it would’ve been amazing to watch.
Kelly’s recovery journey is nowhere close on “Up In Flames” but let’s talk about the best parts of the final scene of the episode.
Allison and Kelly say The Lord’s Prayer as they are about to be surrounded by flames.
No matter what you believe in, even if it’s nothing at all, it’s intense to watch two women who think they’re going to die soon turn to the last bit of hope they have.
It’s a notable few seconds because I can’t help but wonder the type of response the scene would get today.
Would someone go as far as to write a traditional prayer in a script? God hears people’s prayers that their friends stay alive while in surgery on TV these days, sure. But a well-known prayer? I’m not so sure, even if they only get through about two lines.
Not that Beverly Hills, 90210 properly explores the topic of religion at all through the series. This is just another example of how far TV has to go. There are so many topics shows have yet to explore properly.
Sometimes, 1990s TV understands that better than modern shows, and makes a stronger effort to get there. The prayer is an example of that.
We don’t know for sure if Kelly and Allison are going to live by the end of the episode, but we do know that help is at least trying to get to them.
It’s such a tiny detail, but again, it’s one that shows today might leave out to intensify the drama of the episode cliff.
Either choice is a sacrifice because the beginning of the next episode is perhaps less intense since we get a hint that everyone is going to get out of this fire.
Hints are generally more compelling than tricks because tricks often leave fans feeling betrayed.
So, 90s subtlety over today’s tricks wins every time for me.
The rest of the episode is very weird, which is why this rating isn’t higher.
It’s unclear whether dropping the party invite into the lesbian forum is meant as a joke. That just makes the tone of the party awkward.
It’s not as awkward as Steve and Valerie hooking up, though.
Strangely, Brandon’s night with Emily assists in making the whole episode good drama. Slightly contrived, yes. But a decent way to pass an hour on a rainy day.
What did you think of this episode of Beverly Hills, 90210? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.