'90210': The Hunt for Erin Silver

Previously on "90210"... some stuff happened with Ethan and Annie breaking up and I Moan going drag racing with Liam but really the big thing was that Silver went off-the-rails-outhouse-rat-crazy on Dixon and Mr. Matthews.

We pick up right back at Mr. Matthews apartment where he wrestles her to the ground, crying that she expected Dixon to love her movie (really? Peach Pit Porn?) and bolts when Matthews tries to find her a bandage for her cut hand. So Matthews rallies the troops. In a fabulous series of quick cuts the Wilsons, Mr. Matthews, I Moan and Adrianna guess she was on cocaine, meth, PCP, and various other drugs. It's awesome. The troops then pair off to look for Silver.

The Wilsons & Dixon
Dixon spends the entire episode being kind of a punk about Silver's behavior. He hangs up on her when she sounds suicidal and when he is told about Silver's abandoned car he says, "Let me know when they find a body." It's some pretty serious character assassination for Dixon and I didn't like it. I don't buy that he would be THAT callous and unfeeling. By episode's end, it turns out he recognizes Silver's bipolar behavior because his mother was bipolar and that is supposed to explain his cavalier attitude towards Silver but I still don't entirely buy it.

I also don't buy his parents not reaming him out a little for some of his callousness. The most we get is Debbie having a mini-freakout about Dixon's callousness  (we are SO on the same page) but Harry reins her in and she decides she needs to come to grips with the fact that they live in Beverly Hills now.

Silver decides to go "back to the source" for Dixon, so she gets a train ticket for Kansas. It's very Brenda from Adventures in Babysitting. Thank God she doesn't try to buy a hotdog with a check or start petting a rat. Anyway, there's a total creeper at the station who seems to be stalking her and then rifling through her things when she falls asleep, but he turns out to be a good guy who calls Mr. Wilson. I'll admit, that surprised me and I love it when a show can surprise me. I thought he was going to be some rapist/kidnapper/cult leader.

Once Harry gets the call from the non-rapist helper guy, the Wilsons find Silver just as she misses her train to Kansas and Dixon talks her back off the train tracks. He takes her to the hospital with Kelly, after the sisters' tearful reunion. Speaking of Kelly...

Kelly and Mr. Matthews
Kelly and Ryan check-in with Jackie Taylor, who is pretending not to have kids so she can sex up a foreign guy to the strains of "Careless Whisper." Hee! Kelly  has to deal with the fact that she's not doing as well with Silver as she thought and doesn't want to turn into her mother.  She and Ryan also decide to try to be friends. Even money says they're sleeping together by season's end.

Ethan/Annie/I Moan
Our intrepid trio search the school. It's kind of pointless. My favorite part of this storyline is  when Ethan reminds the girls that the school can be spooky at night and my boyfriend says, "It IS on the Hellmouth." +1 to him.

The only interesting thing that happens is when Annie has a nutty in front of Ethan and I Moan, basically begging him to take her back and admitting that she sacrificed some of her self-respect to be with him behind I Moan's back. That's where I lose the last shred of caring I had about Annie because: gross. I Moan gives her a ride home and they start to be buddies again.

Adrianna and Navid
Navid and Adrianna babysit Sammy. It's a Very Special 90210 for them. Navid's talent as the "Baby Whisperer" gets Adrianna all excited and they make-out on the couch while touching her very pregnant stomach. Adrianna then cries about being a terrible mother. Hot. Later, they read Sammy back to sleep and seem to be considering keeping Adrianna's baby and raising it together. This should end well.

Dixon and Annie
They have a nice bonding moment over Dixon's recognizing his birth mom's behavior in Silver and then the Wilsons have a family breakfast. They're not quite the Walshes, but close.

After the episode, Jessica Stroup gives a PSA about bipolar disorder and where you can get help. I have to say, I really liked her acting in this storyline. No matter how I feel about the entire plot,Stroup did a helluva job with it. Also, this is the "90210" I'm used to. More post-episode PSAs please!