Switched at Birth: Is the Drama Getting Out of Hand?

It's been tough on me to write about this show lately. I am still absolutely addicted to the characters and their relationships, but I can't say that I've been loving the directions each is taking right now. From Kathryn and John's blow-up to Emmett being strung along by an evil bully to Daphne choosing between Jorge and Campbell, I've just not been agreeing with a lot of the decisions that are happening on the show. I actually feel like the level of drama is getting up there in the Beverly Hills, 90210 range, and that's really saying something, as a teen series where almost every character deals with some sort of addiction, and serious subjects like drive-by shootings, date rape, and stalkers. While I also loved that show, I kinda hope that Switched at Birth remains slightly more wholesome!

Switched at Birth "Memory is Your Image of Perfection" (S03E07): It's the day after Kathryn and John's big fight, and Bay tells Emmett, who shares that the beginning of his parents' divorce came from his dad kissing a coworker. This pushes Bay to bring her parents back together, so she conspires with Toby to get the four of them together for a family night. Bay pushes things too far, though, and John and Kathryn start picking at old faults. [that's always rough.] However, when Bay stops being able to move her fingers (her hand-wrap was recently removed), the Kennishes come together to explore the situation, which means surgery to repair the tendons. [yikes!] Recovery will take a while, but Kathryn still doesn't want John at the house, and Daphne learns about the situation as well.

Emmett and Travis interview for Gallaudet, but Travis doesn't take it seriously, despite Melody's repeated efforts. Marybeth theorizes that Travis doesn't want to leave the first real "home" he has ever had. [ouch, that's rough!]

Gabe shows up at Carlton for career week, promoting audiological sciences. [I would have liked to see more about the career week at Carlton!] Turns out, he had texted Melody for a date, but she didn't respond. She makes up some excuses, but later decides to give a date a try.

Sharee missed school because CPS visited, and more "surprise visits" are in her future. She yells at Daphne for interfering, even after Daphne shares that Regina is an alcoholic. Sharee's mom then shows up at school when the athlete doesn't make her bed, and Sharee must leave school against her wishes. [oh, crazy moms!]

Wes shows his designs for the East Riverside project, and Adriana surprises the crowd by speaking up about rents raising and inching out the folks who have been there for generations. [good point, though!] Wes tells Regina to get her mother under control, but she's torn, as Adriana thinks Regina is more focused on business than friends and family.  [haha, "you got everything, or you need some help carrying in your soapbox?"] Regina thinks that making East Riverside a better place is good, but Adriana points out that Wes may be using Regina for the color of her skin, prompting Regina to quit, even if it'll be a breach of contract. [interesting use of "entiendes" without the translation!]

Daphne is told to stop flirting at work, but her bigger issue is talking to her boss about Sharee's mother's issues. He offers to get a psychologist to come to the clinic after-hours to diagnose the woman, and Sharee pretends she needs a flu shot to get her there. However, the guy is late and Sharee's mom catches on, stabbing the doctor with a pair of scissors. [omg!] Daphne texts 911, then tries to help the doctor. [I didn't realize you could text 911!] But, she struggles to bring herself to insert a needle into his lung to keep him breathing. She manages, and he is alive and breathing when the paramedics arrive. Sharee's mother is arrested, leaving a lot of unknowns.

Switched at Birth "Dance Me to the End of Love" (S03E08): John buys Kathryn a 14kt gold diamond bracelet, but he's actually given her that exact gift before, plus she wants space to figure out what she needs to be happy. She wants adventure, not repetition, but John blames Renzo for Kathryn's changes. [eh, something has to be the spark!] He then sees ballroom dancing on television and decides to have a family meal, but has everyone doing percussion at the table and go into a dance with signing and memories. [this is Huxtable stuff right here!]

Daphne and Regina talk to Melody about Daphne's future, and she's considering applying to pre-med programs, in which Gallaudet does not specialize. Daphne decides to see if there is more she can learn at the clinic, and Jorge offers her regular work. [Daphne has more makeup on than usual. you can hardly see her freckles!] But, her interest is shaken when she doesn't hear a patient go into a seizure, and the kid's mother freaks out. Dr. J reassures her, though, as when he started medical school, there were nine black students in a class of 140, and only two finished.

Travis wants to beat up the guy who tried to humiliate MaryBeth, but she stops him. They then decide to go to the campus formal together, so Travis turns to Toby for help dancing, as he's beginning to panic that Marybeth will leave him for someone with whom she can do more things. [awww!] Toby gets Angelo to teach the waltz, and with Melody doing it too, Travis believes he can learn to do it. But, he's not good, and confesses to MaryBeth. [random storyline with Tank also trying to learn dancing, albeit line-dance for a pledge task.]

Bay doesn't do well on an art assignment, and the teacher tells her to think more outside the box, so Emmett takes her to see a miniature Vegas Strip that a guy built for his wife with dementia. [that was crazy cool!] She decides to create a zoeatrope to show that powerful memories aren't linear, but she feels bad over how much Emmett helped.

Switched at Birth "The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed)" (S03E09): Dr. J. encourages Daphne to pursue a summer pre-pre-med program, but at a clinic fundraiser where Daphne could network about the opportunity, she's stuck helping Angelo, who decided to use the crowd to test potential menus for his restaurant. [I can't believe he brought Abby! also, Jorge and Campbell vying for Daphne is kinda strange. they're not 15 years old!]

Marybeth is upset that Bay is still seeing Tank, so Bay tries to get them to relax around each other more. [Bay needs to work on her fake-outs.] Angry, MaryBeth tells Bay that Ty lied about cheating on her so she wouldn't be upset if something happened to him overseas. Bay goes to Emmett with the situation, then tells Tank, who doesn't buy it. [Bay turns to those two guys way too often, IMO.] Then, in front of a fraternity brother, Bay lets it slip that she knows about the dog party. This will force him to go before the board and might be black-balled.[haha, again, thank you, Beverly Hills, 90210 for explaining that to me!]

There's only one more game left in the field hockey season, and Sharee needs a 90% on a physics test to stay eligible to play, so Toby tutors her up to an 84%, but with a seven-point curve, it works out! [as much as everyone is rooting for a Sharee-Toby relationship, I kinda don't want that.] Toby also Skypes with Nikki, who wishes he was there ministering with her. [kinda random.]

John makes dinner for Kathryn, and she asks him for more book ideas. [really? that's not awkward?] There's one team player still in town, so she wants to have him over for dinner. Unfortunately, he's gone new-age with yoga and is sober, though he has also become a swinger. [haha! surprise!] John and Kathryn work hard to kill the mood, but wind up coming clean about not being interested in such things. Then, it's revealed that John "pulled a triple" in Cleveland during his first year, but all Kathryn cares about it getting the story for her book. [oh! that's awkward!] He doesn't want to hear about her past encounters, though. [loved Kathryn's dress.]

Switched at Birth "The Ambush" (S03E10): Carlton gets vandalized over the field hockey rivalry, and Toby promises the school won't retaliate, while also learning that there are scholarships in field hockey. [he didn't think all sports get those?] Toby bluffs left and right to get a scout to come see Sharee play, which might brighten her future after all. [Sharee is doing a little signing!] Bay and Tank proceed to really mess up a statue over at Buckner, though, and Bay has to leave behind some paints when they're nearly caught. [but the issue doesn't come up again?] Tank makes a move on her, but she stops him without giving a reason, though later she tells Regina that she wants to wait until she learns what it means to her. Tank tells Bay she can call the shots on "moving to the next level."

Meanwhile, Jorge invites Daphne rock-climbing, but Kathryn helps her realize that she prefers Campbell. However, when she's out with him, she sees the obstacles that wheelchair-bound people face. [ugly outfit on Daphne with the yellow flowery belt!]

facebook.com/SwitchedatBirth

Nikki visits Toby, but she has the angle of inviting him to go to Africa with her on another project. [what is with this girl?!?] She tells him that she wants to be out helping people, but he says that he can't see himself going with her. They question if they should stay married, crushing Toby. [:(] 

Matthew's suspension is over, and he tells Emmett that there are no hard feelings. Emmet, however, is more focused on a birthday present for Mandy, and Bay winds up helping get a photograph printed and framed. But, it turns out that the picture is copyrighted - it's not the girl's.

Wes gives Regina a new car, and then sends her on errands to try getting businesses to sell their properties for the project. While he's happy that she was able to do so, he also blows up at her for not having some mock-ups done yet and keeps her from going to the field hockey game. [he's pretty unstable, huh?] Regina then asks John about the buy-outs and learns that Wes has been lying about the appraised value to the shop owners. [eep!]

Switched at Birth "Love Seduces Innocence, Pleasure Entraps, and Remorse Follows" (S03E10): Bay is concerned that Mandy may be lying about more than just her photo, so she and Tank do a reverse-image search on her profile photo, and find a girl who goes to a nearby high school. She stalks the cheerleader and learns that she is a cousin of Matthew, so Bay worries that Emmett is being pranked. [shoot!] She tries to call him, but Melody took away his phone and keys for repeatedly skipping classes, and he had hot-wired his bike to go meet "Mandy" at a park. Fortunately, he told Travis of the plans, so Bay is able to find Emmett, but not before Matthew beats him up on camera and humiliates him through the "catfish" scheme. [awww. poor Emmet. :(]  Meanwhile, Tank doesn't get black-balled from his fraternity, but he does de-pledge. [Bay is about to be in a love triangle!] 

Toby is too depressed to go to work and intends to go after Nikki in Peru. John asks Toby to move home, as they "will get [him] out of this lease," but Kathryn tells her son that he shouldn't go after Nikki for the rest of his life because he might wind up resenting her. [money talks - average people can't just go around breaking leases left and right...] Though Toby already booked his trip on a non-refundable fare, he is able to change the location, and promptly takes off solo for Iceland. [that'll be interesting!]

Kathryn's first draft of her book has been leaked, and she worries that it was Renzo who did it. It turns out, Lydia leaked it for publicity. [kinda weird that she didn't tell Kathryn, no?]

Regina's window gets smashed with a brick featuring the message "stay out of East Riverside." [wow!] She begins to stand up for herself and goes back to design work, but also casually tells people (like a manicurist) in East Riverside to get second opinions on the appraised values of their businesses and properties. [interesting to play that card.] This makes Wes decide to fire and sue her. [uh oh!]

The guy who robbed Daphne's food truck goes to the clinic for care, and she freaks out, especially after Jorge tells her that they have to treat everyone and cannot refuse to help him. Her probation officer insists that she finish out her hours, but she decides that the medical profession might not be for her after all, and she asks Angelo for a job when his restaurant opens. [I can see that as being a viable reason not to choose that occupation.] When the creep returns to the clinic, withdrawing from heroin, she winds up helping him.

Goldbergs: The Ring

I know that many writers pull from their personal experiences to write their stories, but this show certainly does that to the extreme. The photo at the end of Beverly still wearing a "used" engagement ring years later was a little too "real" for me. I continue to be on the edge when it comes to enjoying this comedy, though I did really enjoy the conversation between Pops and Adam where Barry keeps popping up all around them! I also would want more Erica coverage, maybe with Beverly... regardless, I'm still tuning in, but only as a half-hearted fan.

The Goldbergs "The Ring" (S01E05): It's October 4th. [this sets the episode before #3 and #4.] Beverly wants Murray to clean out the garage as a belated birthday gift to her, and Barry and Erica find a box of love letters that Murray wrote to a previous fiance, Anita.

ABC/Colleen Hayes

Beverly knows about her and isn't that bothered, but she and Erica wind up going to the library to find a picture of Anita on microfiche. [this takes me back to grad school! I spent hours scrolling through newspaper reels for my thesis!] When they locate a photograph, they realize that Beverly's engagement ring was re-used. [omg!] Beverly demands a new ring, and winds up with a $5,000 piece... for a short period of time. Adam helps out his father by giving him some footage of his parents showing they love one another, which makes Beverly happy again, and she returns the ring. [so many returned engagement rings on television... though I think Brandon returning Kelly's on Beverly Hills, 90210 was my favorite.] 

Adam crushes on a neighborhood girl, Dana, whose bike breaks down outside his house. [yeah. uh huh. convenient.] He makes a fool of himself trying to help her, so he turns to Pops for advice. Well, Adam decides to go all Say Anything and holds up a boombox outside Dana's house, only for her brother and father to hear the music instead. [oh, 80s!] In the end, though, Dana shows genuine interest... at least for a pre-teen.

Michael J. Fox Show: Art & Sports

In case you were curious, there is another movie with a pottery scene: TITANIC! There's a pottery scene at the very beginning, as OldRose is working the wheel when she hears the news talk about the Titanic exploration. Anyway, pottery is an interesting hobby, but I found it incredibly frustrating when I took it for a semester in college, so I imagine that it would be difficult for a grade schooler to enjoy. Hockey, on the other hand, is interesting for kids, at least on Roseanne and Beverly Hills, 90210. and The Simpsons and South Park, for that matter. And, as the other Henry children don't seem to be sports-oriented, it could be a great way for Mike to bond with his youngest. The fact that he chooses another activity entirely doesn't bother me, but where in Manhattan is there an outdoor go-kart track??

The Michael J. Fox Show "Hobbies" (S01E04): Annie and Mike struggle with the new breakdown of household chores. [the multiple dinners was pretty funny and original.] However, Annie is having a touch time with Graham bothering her all afternoon, so she wants to get him into a new afterschool activity. She thinks pottery would be a good choice, but Mike believes hockey would be a better fit. Both parents sign him up for their preferred activities, and both demonstrate their own strengths as Graham just keeps playing video games. [hahaha!] The Henrys put him in a go-kart activity, as he likes to play driving games.

Photo by: Eric Liebowitz/NBC

Eve gets a bully tweet, and Leigh decides to help fight back. It backfires, and Eve works on trying to figure out a new way of running, as she's getting teased. [Phoebe Buffay from Friends, anyone?] Leigh keeps trying to make a difference, but winds up making things worse and worse, and soon winds up in the principal's office for writing those tweets. On the bright side, she might have finally found a voice that will do better for her Cosmo-like articles. [side-boob as a topic? no comment.] 

At work, Mike is reunited with Susie Jones, with whom he worked years ago in Florida. He's not happy about it, but she spins it so that he's the only reason she has a career. [oh I HATE her!] Then, she threatens him in private, and he can't wait to prove her wrong. Harris knows that Mike is right when he witnesses Susie in pain after she claimed that she could no longer feel. [haha - Mike gifts her a broken vase just to cause her pain and annoyance!]

The Middle: Smiling, an iPad, and a College Acceptance Email

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Not my favorite episode, but not bad. Frankie and Mike's lackadaisical attitude toward parenting is pretty annoying sometimes... especially when they are really involved with one kid (Axl, in this case) but not with another (Brick). Surely the iPad will quickly be destroyed in the Heck house, so that should lead to some interesting episode... perhaps a whodunit? Meanwhile, this was another episode where I really felt bad for Sue. The girl tries and hopes for the best but the world just won't throw her a bone. This time, all she wanted was for a few people to reciprocate a smile. She's no Cindy Crawford, but her enthusiasm is so bright, why does this face keep getting ignored?

ABC/MICHAEL ANSELL

The Middle "The Smile" (S04E14): To back up, Sue's science teacher scolds her for using multiple ink colors and putting hearts over every "i" in her papers. [I think I stopped that in eighth or ninth grade, too.] For her science project, Sue decides to investigate whether smiling is contagious, a hypothesis at which her instructor laughs. The first person she tests is Brad, who can't stop smiling anyway. She moves on to strangers, but most everyone ignores her as usual. [awww that even the waitress didn't smile back at Sue! and her crying smile is horrendous.] However, when the teacher reads her final paper, where Sue writes about how she won't give up, the teacher smiles at her and she smiles back. [it kinda sounds sweeter than it was, though.]

Axl begins to get nervous when his friends seem to have been accepted to various colleges and trade schools. Frankie and Mike also begin to panic that Axl hasn't heard anything yet, but he winds up receiving an acceptance email to East Indiana State. [why didn't Mike stop Frankie from harassing the mail carrier?] Axl wants to tell the family over dinner at Red Lobster, but all of the surrounding tables have bigger news so he waits until they get home. [poor kid just kept getting interrupted when it was SO CLEAR that he wanted the family to share his happiness!] The next day he starts working on the senior prank, but his friend forgets the paint they were going to use to change the ORSON water tower to SNORSON. [is it a prank if it's not at the school? then it's just a statement, like the Beverly Hills, 90210 kids pulled with the Hollywood sign.] The guys realize that their time together is limited and relive some old memories. 

Brick bugs his parents for an iPad for a month, playing them against one another. [Brick is up at 10:30pm??] Frankie and Mike discuss how the whole family could use it and how it would stop them from having to drive Brick to the library all the time, plus a refurbished one is under $100. [hope the local library there has a good digital lending program! the waiting lists in my area are TERRIBLE. I'm still waiting on a virtual guidebook of Austria. My trip was last August!] They get him one, even though they know it's not good parenting. Before a month is over, it appears to be lost.

Fun Friday: Beverly Hills, 90210 in GIFs

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Today, we're going to highlight a little something FABULOUS that popped across my Facebook newsfeed this week.

I don't know how the current trend of using GIFs came back into play... I mean, back in 1998, I was just as excited about them as the next person. But, by the time 2002 rolled around, they were pretty much dead. Now, for whatever reason, they're popping up all over again - I even follow someone on Twitter who tweets out GIFs to brighten your day on a semi-regular basis. Well, someone from Australia is all about creating GIFs, and will be using them to go through the episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210!

fox.com/25th-anniversary

Longtime readers know that we're a big fan of the series, and I loved the commentary that Petra put into looking at the camerawork from the pilot of the iconic show. I had never really thought about how much time the show actually spends looking at the signs of the times (though I've commented about the long lead-ins here and there). While I really enjoyed the pilot (don't forget, I'm a sucker for exposition!), this GIF guide offers a more direct look at what it contained - not all that much, in some respects. And, while never a big fan of Scott, I'm kinda surprised that he apparently isn't even given a name in the premiere episode!

Anyway, go take a look, have a good time laughing and reminiscing, and hopefully we'll see new installments over there on Wednesdays!

FOX 25th Anniversary Special

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Up until earlier this year, I didn't know that I was older than FOX. I knew it was younger than ABC, CBS, and NBC, but I didn't realize just how new the network is! So, imagine my amazement when I thought about the fact that The Simpsons is almost as old as the network! I was even more intrigued when I heard a couple of weeks ago that they'd be re-airing the pilot from Married with Children, their first primetime series. I never liked that show (nothing changed this time around, either), but a whole new dimension is added when you think about it being such an early program for FOX. Actually, the special got me thinking about all sorts of things that set apart FOX from the other networks - some of which are rather remarkable, really. So, I'll use those to direct the bullet points of this article. Agree, disagree, think completely different things stood out? Let us know in the comments!

CR: Sony Pictures Television

- Using animated characters to fill the tables at an awards dinner. It was kinda funny overall, but there were little things that made this a success. The kids table, the blurred-out faces of criminals on COPS, Stewie's questioning of how you can be a fan of an entire corporation... great lines. Of course, the dropping of names got a little old, and the whole "if they wanted us to be nicer, they probably shouldn't have canceled us twice," was expected, but it made for a nice intro and cut-ins throughout.

- Spending a chunk of time looking at FOX's primetime animated series was good, as I've often argued that it's weird for a major network to devote so much time to the Animation Domination, but this gave some background on the risks that FOX took in starting that trend, and building upon it over the years. And, Primetime Comedy Series Emmy nomination or not, why would you review politically incorrect Family Guy before flagship The Simpsons? A quick compilation of some of the celebrity voices was fun, though including Kelsey Grammer to talk about his recurring role of Sideshow Bob was a bit odd.

- In the past, I've thought about COPS being such an early reality show, but hadn't considered the implications it really created in that field. When you consider some of the other reality junk that FOX has done (Shocking Behavior Caught on Tape, Celebrity Boxing, and When Animals Attack,for instance), it really just makes you think about how they paved the way for people to post that stuff on the internet!

- I also appreciated how they made fund of themselves multiple times. Not just the standard "we're FOX, not FOX News" line, but listing off some of their unsuccessful series and even showing a few screenshots from them (I had only learned that Top of the Heap existed a couple days earlier, so that split-second with Matthew LeBlanc caught my eye!) was fun. And, let's not forget the animated versions of the former network presidents! Why don't more networks try this? It certainly works for FOX... they've been doing it since Married with Children, and have included it in everything from Family Guy and The Simpsons to X-Files.

- Hello, Sci-Fi! I remember how big The X-Files was when I was younger, and knew that it was a big step in launching science fiction television series, but hadn't thought about how hard FOX pushed for that to work. Too bad they didn't say more about Firefly, eh? I think the stand-out moment in this area was when David Duchovny said, "when I catch the show on TV now it's like watching home movies."

- Another area where FOX apparently tried really hard? Matchmaking. I hadn't realized that Who wants to Marry a Millionaire?, Married by America, Mr. Personality, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, AND Joe Millionaire were all FOX shows! Yikes!

- Reuniting the cast of Married with Children for the first time in fifteen years was a really important thing to do - yes, it gives off the impression that you're good to work for, as people who were there in the beginning still help you out, but it also gave a little sense of family, and I was sad that they weren't able to bring back more casts in this way. Why couldn't we have had more Beverly Hills, 90210 folks? We all know that Shannen Doherty takes whatever she can get on TV anymore, nobody's thought about Gabrielle Carteris in years, and nobody wants Ian Ziering, but what was with Jason Priestly being the only hottie to appear? And, speaking of which, why did we completely ignore the second HALF of that series? The only clip I saw in there that was post-Andrea's baby was the one with Val contemplating suicide. It also seemed that maybe too much time went into earlier parts of the special, as the partial cast of That 70s Show only had a minute or two.

CR: Beth Dubber / FOX

- I was a little disappointed with the lack of attention paid to the currently-running programs on the network. A little Bones here, a mention of Fringe there... we got a little background on House (Hugh Laurie's right - that program probably wouldn't have lasted so long with another network) and more than one shameless plug for New Girl, but that was pretty much it. And, I gotta say, the junk about "New Girl - she's not moving. That's right, she'll be Tuesday nights at 9 for a long time," was a bit eerie, don't you think?

- While I don't mind Ryan Seacrest being the host of the special, I thought that there was entirely too much time spent on American Idol. I don't care that it's been such a break-out and inspired so many other reality competition series (from So You Think You Can Dance to Hell's Kitchen), we didn't need to see clips from EVERY season, re-announce EVERY winner, catch a bunch of auditions, and hear the harsh criticism of Simon Cowell yet again. I'll admit, though, it was a throwback to see William Hung again!

- I think the biggest surprise of the night (for me) was learning that FOX introduced putting a score box on the screen during sports! I never understood the phrase "what's the score?" when you enter a room - why wouldn't you just look at the screen? Well, now I understand that this didn't exist pre-1994. Nice advancement!

- Given the previews and clips we kept seeing about In Living Color, I was expecting to see more about the "edgy, raw" show that began in 1990. And, I don't know that the point about it getting away with more then than they could now fits, exactly. No, the nation was not as stringent on political correctness twenty years ago, but there are other areas where they could do so much more now than they could have then, so it's really more of a toss-up.

- Regular readers know that I watch mainly comedies, but I've been attached to many a drama in the past (hence how I've seen every episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 at least twice, and the bulk of the series three times). The bits of Party of Five and The O.C. that were shown made me seriously consider going back to them - I was late learning about the former and gave up on the latter in the first season - they could be well worth the time. Luckily, I was also reminded of shows that I don't care about, like Melrose Place and The Simple Life.

CR: Sam Jones / FOX

Theme Song Trivia

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Another short, internet-inspired post today. It's Easter Weekend and all, so between traveling and cooking (and dyeing eggs), I figured you'd enjoy something short and sweet. Tomorrow, we'll post a new giveaway, so look forward to that as well.

This video came my way in mid-January, about two weeks after it was posted. I thought that it was pretty cute, especially the split-screen video throughout and the reenactments.You may have come across it before, but it only has 232K views, so the chances aren't that high. Enjoy!

Now, the trick is to name each of the television theme songs that are heard in this two-minute compilation.If you clicked over to YouTube to watch it there, someone has provided a list of sixteen songs in there, which is probably correct because the title claims "more than 15." Personally, I can identify 14, and that's after listening to it five times, so give it a try and see what you come up with. Answers after the jump.

Throwback: David Silver's Bachelor Party

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I've written about Beverly Hills, 90210 quite a few times in the past several months. However, since I'm currently at the Beverly Hilton for an event (and I routed myself to the address that does indeed include the famed zip!), plus SOAPnet's daytime run of the show recently finished a run and is back at the early years of the show, I wanted to look at one more thing from it.

The final few episodes (um, yes, there will be spoilers if you haven't seen the show) deal with David and Donna's wedding. I was shocked the first time I saw this episode, as the lead-up was pretty short, though I guess they were just running out of time after ten years. I mean, wouldn't you think that Donna would want more time to plan a wedding?!? The respective bachelor parties were funny, with Mrs. Teasley making an appearance and Donna's, and the randomly-seen Muntz showing up at David's. But what i wanted to share today was the poem that Steve wrote for David's party, detailing the girls that he had been with throughout the show. I was thrown back by how many girls are mentioned, as I always thought of Brandon and Steve being the ones who had the many girlfriends on the show!

In fair Beverly Hills, a boy did reign,
Davey Silver was his name. 
From far and wide, the girls did speed
For they'd heard of Davey's bedroom deeds.
Donna Martin of the golden hair
Was the first into our David's lair.
Virgins we, the couple swore,
Till a girl named Ariel came through David's door.
Clare was next, then some fox named Malone,
Sophie and David took it all the way home.
Denise was fun, and Carole too.
Claudia couldn't get her green card,
That made poor Dave blue.
Don't forget Katie, the sex addict! She,
And Robyn who hated his radio personality.
Marta the artist, wasn't she fun?
And Gina Kincaid...number one!
One stop was left, her name was Camille...
We thought it might last.
But come on, guys: get real!
There was only one dame
Her name's Donna, she's fine.
My God, Silver: it's about time!

Now, the internet nitpickers have seemed to agree that there's a girl missing from this list. From an early episode that I can only barely remember (where Donna, David, Kelly, and Steve go to Palm Springs to see David's grandparents), there was a girl named Tuesday. But otherwise, it seems that David's conquests all made it into Steve's poem... all fourteen of them! That seems like a lot to me, especially when I think about how long some of these characters were around, LoL. Do you remember all of these (de)lovely ladies?

Throwback: The Siblings on 90210

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I have two siblings - a younger brother and a younger sister. Theoretically I could have some half-siblings or step-siblings floating around, as my dad left when I was twelve, and I haven't spoken to him since before I graduated from high school. This is not an entirely uncommon situation, but I generally like to believe that, at least in the United States, people tend to know who their siblings are.

On Beverly Hills, 90210 ALL of the main younger characters (so not Jim, Cindy, Nat, etc.) who stay more than five seasons - aka half the lifetime of the show - experience a change or potential change in their sibling status. The first time I watched all of the episodes, the only real shockers to me were Dylan's and Donna's surprise sibling moments. Now, as I just finished my third run-through of the nearly-300-episode series, I find it astonishing how often this issue comes up on the show! Did you realize this?

Brandon:  (& Brenda, though she only lasted four seasons): Parents briefly decide to have another child. It only lasts a few episodes, but potentially was going to have a sibling.

Steve: He finds out that he's adopted in season 1, changing his perception of his brothers completely. Years later, when he finds out that his adoptive father IS his biological father, he's thrown for another loop. Ryan & Austin went from his full-brothers to his adopted brothers to his half-brothers.

Dylan: In season 4 he meets Erica, his half-sister that his father had with another woman. Later, in season 10, he finds out that his father is still alive (though it appeared he had died in season 3), and has had another son, Dylan's half-brother. Unfortunately, Jack McKay has to go on the run again (as Eddie Waitkus), and they're not really reunited.

David: This is the weakest of the sibling storylines. When his dad (Mel) married Jackie, Kelly (a big crush of his in the first season) becomes his step-sister. Mel and Jackie have a child, resulting in Erin being David's half-sister.

Kelly: Again, David becomes her step-brother and Erin becomes her half-sister. BUT, in season 7, Kelly learns that her father has an entire other family, including a sister around her age named Joy. There's also a short period of time when Kelly's dad might marry Valerie's mom, which would have resulted in the two enemies becoming stepsisters. 

Donna: Growing up an only child, Donna finds out in season 6 that her mother had a miscarriage before she was born. But, more interestingly, in season 10 she finds out that the girl she knew her whole life as a cousin was actually her half-sister. Gina was the result of Donna's dad messing around with her mom's sister.

This covers the long-profiled characters from the show. But, this syndrome isn't limited to them, either! Noah, who appeared in seasons 8-10, finds out that he has a half-sister named Cindy late in the series.

Makes you wonder, huh?

Throwback: Recycled Footage

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

It should come as no surprise to anyone that television shows and movies alike tend to recycle some clips in order to save money. Nothing major, but bits and pieces appear again. You've probably heard of the youtube clip that shows a bunch of Disney films with the same dance moves in multiple movies. But today, I want to direct your attention to some Beverly Hills, 90210 recycling.

Now, I'll admit... I love Beverly Hills, 90210... and I've seen every episode, as I've mentioned here before. But, every day they show two episodes on SOAPnet, and I DVR them. Currently, I started doing this just after season 4 started, and we're currently in season 8. I first thought about the idea for this post at the end of season 6, when I saw a few seconds of footage that looked strikingly familiar. I thought about it for a moment and remembered where I saw it... and that's what I'm addressing today.

One of my favorite episodes in the series is Season 4, Episode 3's "The Little Fish," which opens with Brenda coming home from Minnesota, having dropped out of college. Immediately afterward, the gang registers for their classes, and we see bunches of students on campus. Memorably, there's a girl on rollerblades wearing clothes that resemble an American flag. It was a very strange thing to see (since I didn't watch it in its original 1993 setting... more like 2008), and stands out in my memory. Therefore, when Season 6, Episode 27's "Strike the Match" shows the same girl on campus, I knew I had seen it before! I mean, it's pretty hard to believe that they filmed the same girl on rollerblades and the same outfit more than once. I can't necessarily pick out any other random kids that are the same in both scenes, but I'm fairly positive that they shot all sorts of footage for the opening scenes when the kids go to California University, then just use some more of it later. And, in first run, I bet it would have been very hard for someone to remember that one girl, who only appears in a grand total of several seconds. But, in reruns, the episodes are shown only a couple months apart, making it easier to recognize the recycled filming.

If you want to see the actual clips, you can look at this video, starting at 4:40, and then this video, starting at 3:28. Below, I screen-captured the girl side-by-side, with her first appearance on the left and her second on the right.

So, I leave you wondering... what recycled footage can you think of in television shows?

My List of the Top 10 Spin-Offs

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

First, an apology to those who got this post early. I upgraded some things last night and wasn't used to some new shortcuts when I began this post this morning. 

This is an area where I have a lot of interest. I'm not really sure where it started, but I've always been curious about spin-offs. The idea that certain characters from a main show become popular enough that they get their own storylines without a crutch is just cool. And, over the years, there have been tons and tons of spin-offs. And, as per my usual, I'm pretty sure that some of my selections will shock readers. I tend to like things that are a bit off, and tend to loathe things that others adore (you will notice that Animaniacs did not make my list, for instance).

10. A Different World, from The Cosby Show. I actually like this show quite a bit, and it did great. But it was created to be a vehicle for Denise Huxtable, who only lasted a single season on the show, which is why I gave it the #10 spot. In case you've never seen it, it's about college kids at (mostly black) fictional school Hillman, and the troubles they deal with.

9. The Simpsons, from The Tracy Ullman Show. This one fell low on the list because a lot of people don't know that The Simpsons is a spin-off. And, I must add that I've never seen The Tracy Ullman Show, aside from the clips of the original Simpsons family that have come up over the past twenty years. Still, the show about an overweight guy and his somewhat average family is certainly a household name! 

8. Quack Pack, from DuckTales. As a child who was in her early elementary years during the height of The Disney Afternoon, I loved DuckTales as much as anyone. And, while I was partial to Webby storylines, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were great characters. So, when I found Quack Pack in middle school, I was delighted to see the threesome appear as teenagers. Only 39 episodes exist, but I think that the essence of the characters continued from childhood into adolescence, making for a very believable show.    

7. Melrose Place, from Beverly Hills, 90210. I didn't know that Melrose Place was a spin-off when I began watching in 1996. It was one of the only shows that my mom ever watched in original run, so that was my draw to it. In fact, I didn't know it was a spin-off until I was in graduate school and working my way through 90210 for the first time. The connection took place in the second season, as Kelly was interested in a guy named Jake, who lived in the eponymous apartment complex. On the whole, Melrose Place was way too mature for a young teenager, but I watched the final few seasons anyway... though it didn't entice me enough to ever go back and catch up on the entire series!    

6. Joey, from Friends. Yes, it failed miserably. People couldn't stand it, and nobody understood why Joey didn't talk about his friends... plus, no guest appearances in 46 episodes! Now, if you're a long-time reader, you may remember that I had a love-hate relationship with Friends until I was almost done with college. I ended up seeing the entire series and enjoying it, and worked my way through Joey in less than a week. I found the show to be amusing, though it was full of issues as the writers struggled to find an audience.

5. All Grown Up, from Rugrats. Rugrats was such a captivating show, as I believe that I have mentioned a few times. It's one show that I can say both of my siblings and I enjoyed together (which was a problem when we got the Playstation game - it was only 1 player!). All Grown Up ran for 55 episodes, and featured the kids aged ten years from the original show. This is another case where I think that the characters were very believable - the traits and personalities really matched what you might think the kids would grow up into. The show didn't really end with any closure, but was a good addition to the Rugrats franchise.

4. The Jeffersons, from All in the Family. A true classic spun from another well-loved show. The Jeffersons is downright hilarious, and my brother and I have many great memories of watching it together on Nick at Nite. Although George wasn't on All in the Family until it had been on a while (Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway at the time), his family was an interesting dynamic on the show, which took place in working-class Queens. The family later moved to a luxury high-rise in Manhattan, during one of the greatest lead-ins in television history - one week you move from the characters on one show, the next you move into a new place on a new show!

3. Daria, from Beavis & Butthead. I LOVED Daria. I thought that it was such a good, funny, clever show. Daria was a recurring character on Beavis & Butthead, a show which I am proud to say I've never seen. But, for a recurring character to go on to have a five-season success and two tv-movies says something. Daria's witty and pessimistic outlook on life amused me to no end, and I just thought that Quinn was the cutest thing ever. I've been waiting for the complete series to go on sale again, because I really must have it!

2. Family Matters, from Perfect Strangers. I loved Perfect Strangers when it ran originally.  I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of night-time television, but I vaguely remember catching it my grandparents' house or something a few times. I can't say that I remembered Harriet Winslow from that show, and therefore wasn't aware that Family Matters was a spin-off when it began (which I did watch by the third season or so). One might argue that Family Matters was far more popular (and much longer-running) than Perfect Strangers, though they were both very different shows. Harriet's character was clearly the same as it was in Perfect Strangers, and Family Matters became a memorable sitcom across the country.

1. Frasier, from Cheers. One of my favorite shows since I began watching it, Frasier is a very long-running show spun from a long-running show. I've seen several dozen episodes of Cheers, and the overall feel of the show is vastly different from that of Frasier. And, although some people gripe about how different Frasier's character is between the two shows, I think that it was addressed throughout Frasier, and the Cheers characters still got along with Frasier for the most part. The storylines in Frasier were also very different (and many ran much longer) from those in Cheers, but both shows' successes certainly define the greatness that Kelsey Grammer embodied.

To end this post, I though I might point out to one of the craziest chains of spin-offs that I've ever come across... Sabrina's Secret Life was a spin-off of Sabrina, the Animated Series, which was a spin-off of the 1996 version of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch which was a spin-off of Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies which was a spin-off of The Archie Comedy Hour which was a sequel to The Archie Show. ...yeah.

Top 10 TV Character Adoption Stories

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Quite some time ago I was flipping through the channels late at night and caught the episode of The Flintstones where Fred and Wilma have Pebbles. It really is hilarious if you haven't seen it. I saved it to my DVR and later showed a friend. He asked if the same thing happens when Bamm-Bamm is born, and I pointed out that Bamm-Bamm was adopted. He didn't know that, and I think that many people probably don't. So, I wanted to take some time to draw attention to some of the great adopted characters on television. I'm specifically looking at adopted characters whose stories are told or addressed in the show.  

10. George Camden from 7th Heaven. Although not a major character, George is adopted by Eric's parents, the Colonel and Ruth. In the same episode, Eric and Annie also consider adopting the child, which would have been interesting since the Camden kids did not particularly take to him. His real father shows up later in the series, and after some strife, gets along with everyone.

 

9. Arnold Jackson (and Willis) from Diff'rent Strokes. Mr. Drummond's housekeeper was the boys' mother, and after she died, he took them in. It's a real rags-to-riches story, and while the fact that the boys weren't Drummond's biological children popped up from time to time, it wasn't a big issue for arcs at a time.

8. Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls. I didn't know that Rose was adopted until I had seen thirty or forty episodes of the show. Turns out, her mother died in childbirth and her father was a monk who chose to return to the monastery (weird, huh?). She lived in an orphanage until she was 8, then was adopted by St. Olaf's favorite dairy-farming couple, the Lindstroms. There's an amusing storyline about Rose thinking that Bob Hope was her biological father, too. 

7. Natalie Green, from The Facts of Life. She grew up knowing that she was adopted, and while she was at the boarding school she decided that she wanted to meet her birthmother. Blair (who had the money and the connections) tracked down the woman, but Natalie ended up not showing to meet her, deciding that she was grateful for the parents who raised her. Later in the series she does meet her birthmom, but ultimately decides that she's very thankful for her adoptive parents. 

6. Skippy Handleman from Family Ties. Skippy accidentally found out he was adopted when he saw the papers in his mother's drawer. Skippy is determined to meet his birthmother, and brings Alex to see her. Skippy and his mother have a lot in common, and Skippy is excited to being a long-lasting relationship... only to have his mother tell him that she doesn't think that they should see one another again, and that he reminds her of a painful past. Skippy returns home to his loving parents, who have been heartbroken about the whole matter at the Keatons' home.

5. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville; Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor Miller from Alvin & the Chipmunks. Going off of the cartoon stories of the chipmunks' & chipettes' origin, the guys were placed in a basket and their mother left them on Dave's doorstop. Dave struggled with them at first, but as soon as they got him a job with their recording of "Witch Doctor," all was well. The Chipettes, on the other hand, came from an orphanage in Australia, where they were a pet of a girl named Olivia. When Olivia was adopted, the chipettes were about to be exploited by the woman running the orphanage, but they ran away in a kangaroo's pouch, then stowed away on a ship to America. They lived in the park and worked in a restaurant, then rode a bus to California and got a singing job. They moved into a treehouse, but when they went to school, the school was upset that they had no guardian... so Dave's neighbor, Mrs. Miller, adopts the girls.

4. Steve Sanders from Beverly Hills, 90210. So this is a tricky one. He doesn't know he's adopted until the end of the first season. He went crazy trying to find his "real" parents, only to find just his mother's father, as his birthmother had died. Later we find out that his adoptive dad is his real dad as well, and only his mother, actress Samantha Sanders, was not actually a blood relative.

3. Punky Brewster from Punky Brewster. Her father abandons the family, then her mom leaves Punky and her dog (Brandon) at a shopping mall, never to return. Punky takes shelter in an empty apartment, but is found by the building's manager, who ends up jumping through a lot of hoops to adopt her. He fosters her for a while, she gets sent to an orphanage, but eventually the two live happily, and his curmudgeon ways disappear.

2. Bamm Bamm Rubble, from The Flintstones was the very first adopted child on television. He was left in a basket (as an orphan) at the Rubble's house, with a note revealing his unique name. Betty and Barney Rubble want to adopt him,and head to the Child Welfare office to make it official... only to discover they have to wait a week while their application is processed. They end up being denied, since someone was ahead of them on the waiting list. Betty and Barney take the other couple (rich folks) to court. Turns out, the woman from the other couple is pregnant, so they let the Rubbles have Bamm-Bamm.  In case you've never seen this one, I've added a couple clips:

cropped with SnipSnip

1. Albert Ingalls, from Little House on the Prairie. Charles wanted a son so badly, but a biological one just wasn't in the works (the only son Caroline birthed, died). They find Albert living on the streets when they live in Dakota Territory, and he comes back to Walnut Grove in the end. His biological father does come back into the picture for a short time, but it is ultimately the Ingalls who love the boy despite his faults... like burning down the school for the blind with his niece inside, getting addicted to morphine, having the town believe that he was an illegitimate father, and ultimately dying of cancer before he could achieve his dream of becoming a doctor.

I know I'm missing another dozen or so adopted characters, but I really enjoy these stories (I mean, wasn't Webster just a copy of Diff'rent Strokes, LoL?). What adoption stories come to your mind? 

Teen Wolf Coming; Grey's Anatomy App

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, at this point it's not a spoiler that Dana from Delaware won Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker, but it is news that the show was renewed, and will do another season! I'm excited.

I have not seen MTV's Skins, but enough people have that at least NINE advertisers have pulled their support for the show, including Subway, Orbit, Extra, Foot Locker, and L'oreal.

I find it amusing that, apparently, rich people (defined as household making more than $100,000/year) are more likely to watch major sporting events.

In case you missed it being all over every media outlet, Oprah has been reunited with her long-lost sister, that was born 9 years after Oprah.

It's possible that FOX's Lie to Me was not properly credited... aka the idea was stolen. I wonder if this story will continue to make headlines... since that show isn't doing too well...

Another bit that was all over the media... NBC is doing a pilot in the fall backed by Steven Spielberg. The big deal is that it is to be a competitor for Glee. The story revolves around the mounting of a Broadway musical, and will be titled, Smash.

Lifetime has been jumping on getting the ball rolling on their movie about William & Kate's courtship and royal wedding. The role of Kate has already been cast!

Jennifer Aniston has stated that she hated "The Rachel" haircut that was so famous, and Luke Perry admitted that he loved Dylan's pompadour-of-sorts on Beverly Hills, 90210.

The Kennedys may finally have found a place... Tribune Broadcasting might pick up the eight-part miniseries.

New to Netflix Steaming for February: all of The Cosby Show, Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and That '70s Show.

The Burn Notice prequel tv-movie has now been cast, and will air on USA this Spring.

Starting with tonight's Grey's Anatomy, there will be opportunities to interact with the show through the iPhone/iPad app.

Sal Picinich, of Cake Boss, passed away from cancer on January 30th. TLC added a small note to the new episode that aired on the 31st. Sad.

Charlie Sheen has been all over the news lately, from asking a porn star to babysit his kids to being rushed to the hospital. Last week, rumors went wild over whether or not he entered rehab, and CBS has had its hands full dealing with the change in production schedule for Sheen's hit show, Two and a Half Men. Well, the latest is that he's having rehab come to his house, LoL.

Beavis & Butthead will return to MTV. Not sure when, but apparently the tv series of Teen Wolf will premiere on June 5th.

Steve Sanders Sells Cosmetics; Teen Moms Profit

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, folks. I wanted to let you guys know that I'm now living in the Pacific Time Zone, so stuff may get posted at times more aligned with my new awake/asleep times, LoL. Now, I did collect some great bits of info over the weekend and I wanted to share those with you. :)

ABC's The Whole Truth was canceled, and most of the world probably heard it first from Twitter.

The DIY Network (yeah, I've never seen it, either) has given The Vanilla Ice Project a second season. This is really only interesting to me because the guy is in Port St. Lucie every now and then (the show focuses on his just-outside-Palm Beach estate)... my brother has seen him at Duffy's at least three times, LoL.

Ian Ziering (aka Steve from the original 90210) is now selling cosmetics. AND he hopes to start a reality show where he helps people come up with good marriage proposals, LoL.

Apparently Joan Rivers wanted that Snickers commercial that Betty White did for last year's SuperBowl. In fact, Joan called Betty a b!tch who is stealing work from her.

The folks over on Teen Mom make between $60,000 and $65,000 per season. Not a ton of money, and nowhere near the amount the Jersey Shore fools make, but they are pulling in some real dough. My question is, how much of Amber's portion actually goes to Gary, or how does that work, LoL??

Not that I've ever seen it, but HBO's Big Love will be starting its final season on January 16th.

CBS is starting another reality show, this time it's Live to Dance, and will feature Paula Abdul. Starts Tuesday, January 4th.

For some reason, TLC's Sister Wives got renewed for a second season. How have they not been arrested yet? Is polygamy no big deal anymore?

Whoa, whoa, whoa... Susan Boyle can now be called SuBo??!? Regardless, the woman is getting a guest spot on Glee's holiday episode.

Kung Fu Panda is going to be a balloon in this year's Macy*s!!

Who knows who is going to be receiving OWN, Oprah's new channel? But, for those who might be curious to learn more about it, there is now information available about the early programming plan. Don't forget, it goes live at noon on January 1st, 2011.

Three holiday episodes are coming for Minute to Win It. They're going to air on December 7th, 14th, and 21st. 8pm all three nights.

Cake Boss's mini-spin-off, Cake Boss: Next Great Baker, is going full force now. They've got 10 contestants to play the 8-week series of challenges, trying to win $50,000 and the chance to work with Buddy. It starts December 6th at 9pm.

Silly ABCFamily and their constant updates on ideas for television series. This time around it's developing something based on the 1998 film, Practical Magic. Apparently, this is not the first time somebody has tried to make a show out of this film-based-on-a-novel, but the last attempt never got off the ground.

10 Best TV Weddings

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last week I posted about my thoughts on Little Family, Big Values, but the week before that I did my 10 favorite television weddings that DIDN'T happen... now it's time to look at those who took the plunge and went through with it. My main rule here was that I would only pick one wedding per show (because otherwise FOUR slots would have gone to Friends, LoL).

10. Luka & Abby on ER. I was one of the seemingly few who didn't really care if these two ever got together in the end. But, they did. Abby seemed so afraid of commitment for so long, and Luka arranged the wedding as a surprise, with the help of Hope (who disappeared not too long after the wedding). I think that, besides the surprise, the most memorable things about their wedding are Archie and Hope using the suite at the hotel, and Ray ending up a paraplegic after he leaves the reception.


9. Robert & Amy on Everybody Loves Raymond. Of course there's family drama... it would be a completely different show if there wasn't. It's really a bad day, starting when Ray can't get himself dressed, but finally turns around with Raymond's Best Man speech, and, of course, Amy and Robert doing a choreographed dance to "A Little Less Conversation."

8. Darlene & David on Roseanne. I always liked David, and Darlene was a lot more fun that Becky (to me), so their union was exciting to me. I still laugh at the comment that Roseanne makes to Dan about how their daughter is marrying someone who they consider to be their son, making them officially white trash. The wedding itself was very "them" being in the woods and all, and when Dan has the heart attack moments before the ceremony begins, it made for an unforgettable wedding episode in television history.

7. Whitley & Dwayne on A Different World. They were engaged by the fourth season, and married at the end of the fifth. HOWEVER, it was at Whitley & Byron's wedding where Dwayne comes down the aisle, begging her to marry him. This is probably the least well-known of my selections here, so if you haven't seen it, check it below. The good stuff happens starting around 4:00, and by 5:10 it's crazy.
6. Matt & Sarah on 7th Heaven. Their first date was amazing... they were enthralled by one another's backgrounds, and ended up getting married that very evening. While each of the Camdens tries to figure out what Matt's up to, it's Ruthie who manages to not only uncover where he is, but what he's been up to. She is the only one to know this little secret for quite a few years, until she's forced to blurt it out to throw the family off the track on another secret. Matt and Sarah go through a lot of problems as their "wedding day" approaches, and nobody is ever the wiser, probably because of how difficult things keep getting for their respective families.

5. Jesse & Rebecca on Full House. I was young when I watched this show, so I think that the courtship of Becky & Jesse had a big effect on how I looked at courtships and weddings. Buying a ring for Becky was amusing. Jesse trying to make a good impression with Rebecca's father was funny. I particularly love the "cake tasting" by Michelle. The wedding itself is a great two-parter in the series, the highlights include Michelle being friends with Howie, Jesse deciding to go skydiving but ends up in jail, and Becky driving a bus to bring Jesse back to the church while Joey and Danny hold a sing-along with the guests.

4. Niles & Daphne on Frasier. Forget that Niles and Daphne got together by breaking up Daphne's first wedding ceremony. Any marriage that starts off with three ceremonies in order to appease everyone is hilarious in my book! It was particularly hilarious that they just kept hiding the fact that they were already married, time and time again.





3. Steve & Janet on Beverly Hills, 90210. Um, how can a surprise scavenger hunt wedding NOT be awesome?? It gets rid of the hectic preparations, and the teamwork mends the gang to a certain degree. And I can't remember when I've ever seen Steve act so sincere. (S10E08 on youtube if you want to watch the whole thing.)





2. Phoebe & Mike on Friends. The engagement was awesome, with Mike stealing David's spotlight thanks to Monica & Chandler. And then there's the whole "let's donate the money we'd spend on a wedding to charity!" and then change your mind several times. And at the rehearsal dinner, where Monica won't let them speak. The cake, however, is taken when Phoebe fires Monica as her wedding coordinator, and a blizzard pops up. Roles are thrown out the window, all hell breaks loose, but it all manages to come together for a beautiful ceremony.


1. Cory & Topanga on Boy Meets World. I couldn't not put them first. From the shocking moment when she proposed marriage during high school graduation to the frustrations of them dealing with all of the wedding planning, it's great. I love how Eric manages to connive their way into an exclusive reception hall, how Feeny wants to do the music, and best of all, how Cory has to tell Shawn that he's gotta talk to Topanga now.

Who didn't make my list but might have made yours? I'm thinking someone would want Sully & Michaela from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Or perhaps the famous David & Donna wedding on Beverly Hills, 90210. Oh, and I know somebody wants to argue for Zack & Kelly on Saved by the Bell (I couldn't include them because I don't count the Vegas movie as part of the official show). Who else? :-)