90210 Episode Recap: “Help Me Rhonda”

by Gina DiNunno, TV Guide

In this episode, Ethan has an eye-opening experience after his car crash, Ty’s parents try to take control of Adrianna’s pregnancy, and Silver finally manages to express her love for Dixon in her own way.

Things pick up right where we left off after Ethan’s car accident. He comes out unscathed, but the other driver, Rhonda, punctures a lung and has to stay in the hospital. Ethan’s guilt gets the best of him, and he goes to apologize to Rhonda. She accepts, but when Ethan asks her what school she goes to, her face drops. Not only does she go to West Beverly, but she’s in Ethan’s French class. She calls him out for living in a bubble where he only associates with the popular kids, and Ethan feels horrible.

Adrianna breaks the news to Ty that he’s the father of her unborn baby, but she is unable to tell her mom. Ty later apologizes for his negative reaction to the news and says he’s ready to take responsibility. He even told his parents, who are more than eager to help Adrianna through this. Mrs. Collins takes Adrianna to the gyno for her first ultrasound and an amnio (which Mrs. Collins insists she gets to make sure the baby is healthy). Afterwards, she gives Ade a boatload of paperwork that details how she’ll pay for Ade to go to a place called Peaceful Vistas in New Mexico to have her baby once she starts to show — as long as she follows the contract she drafted up, that is. One of the stipulations: putting the baby up for adoption.

Meanwhile, Dixon and Navid decide the only way to get over their exes is to get new girls. Navid is reluctant that he’ll be able to get another one, even though he has his trusty book, The Credo, for reference. Christina tells them to stop by her friend’s party to meet some ladies.

Annie’s obsessing over why she didn’t get the role, and Ethan is more preoccupied with Rhonda and what she said to him. He shows up with a backpack full of DVDs and snacks and blows off rehearsal to stay and watch a movie with her. Ethan continues to keep spending time with Rhonda and things start to get a touch weird between Ethan and Annie. But lo and behold, we come to learn Rhonda, who’s been gimping around the hospital when Ethan’s there, can walk perfectly fine.

While Ade is busy being wooed by seaweed masks and hot stone massages at the New Mexico baby-birthing resort, Naomi warns her friend the contract is like a gag order with serious consequences. Ade calls Ty to clear up the legal jargon, and next thing you know, Mrs. Collins shows up at her door to talk to Ade’s mom. Things get slightly awkward, considering Ade’s mom doesn’t know her daughter is pregnant, but she pretends she knows. Mrs. Collins tries to tell them Ade isn’t responsible enough to have the child, and that it’s something she never should speak of after the adoption is over. Ade’s mom doesn’t stand for this woman trash-talking her daughter and basically tells Mrs. Collins to get out and take her contracts with her. Later that evening, she apologizes to her daughter for being a crappy mom and tells Ade she’ll stand by her through this.

Silver finally turns up towards the end of the episode looking for Dixon at the Peach Pit. He’s at Christina’s friend’s house party, where Navid hits it off with a girl after telling her how totally “uncool” he is. Silver later finds Dixon talking to Christina at the party and has a jealous outburst. Dixon chases her down and tells him she loves him in her own convoluted way — but it’s good enough for Dixon, and the two make up.

Ty pulls Ade aside the next day at school, and he isn’t being prince charming anymore. He doesn’t want Ade to tell anyone he’s the dad and admits the only reason his mom made her get the amnio was to make sure he was indeed the father. He finds the whole thing humiliating. Adrianna leaves and goes straight to Navid (who’s with his new girl) to get his help. Seconds later, her face is on every television at West Bev, and she is announcing her pregnancy so she won’t have to deal with the whispering and rumors. And being the bigger person that she is, she lets Ty off the hook by making light of the baby-daddy issue, saying it was an “immaculate conception.” Girl’s got balls, I give her that.

I definitely enjoyed Adrianna’s storyline in this episode. It was so good to see her mother, who has always been a notorious biatch, stand up for her daughter for once. Annie, yet again, annoyed me to no end, and it’s fairly obvious something is going to happen between Ethan and Rhonda. That should be interesting.