Episode
Beverly Hills, 90210: The Kindness of Strangers
Overview
Brandon finds Jack Canner (the homeless vet he met at the beach club) rummaging through the dumpster behind the Peach Pit. He takes him home for Thanksgiving dinner, but Canner runs afoul of Jim, who accuses him of shirking his family responsibilities and hiding behind the flag. Brandon explains to Canner that Jim's father was a Marine; the two never spoke again after Jim refused to go to Vietnam. Canner helps repair a leaky roof, and Jim apologizes and urges him to reach out to his son. Jack McKay gets a furlough and spends Thanksgiving with Dylan. Jack insists on spending time with his girlfriend and gets on Dylan's case about dropping out. Jack's girlfriend, Christine, convinces Dylan to give his father another chance. Dylan returns to West Beverly and greets a surprised Brenda and Kelly with kisses. Steve and Samantha appear on a television show about celebrities, and Steve tells her on-camera that he has been expelled. Samantha stands up for Steve and gets his punishment reduced t
Details
- Series
- Beverly Hills, 90210
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 15
- Air date
- 1992-11-25
- Runtime
- 47 min
Episode context
The Kindness of Strangers is Episode 15 in Season 3 of Beverly Hills, 90210. It aired on 1992-11-25. The runtime is 47 min.
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Episode 14: Wild Horses
Dylan's Porsche breaks down near a secluded ranch. The wealthy owner takes him in and wants him to stay permanently (as her boy toy). Dylan is disappointed when she sells her favorite horse, and decides not to live in an environment where everything is for sale. Brenda and Kelly make up. David fires Steve as manager after he is humiliated at a showcase because he had to go on without a sound check. Nikki is stunned when her ex-boyfriend Diesel's band performs a song he had written for her. Brandon cannot understand why Nikki is so taken with an abusive, boozing jerk. Nikki tries to leave when Diesel brings home another woman, so he hits her. Brandon punches out Diesel and takes Nikki home. The janitor warns Steve that he may have to turn him in to save himself.
Music: ""Switch It Up,"" performed by Brian Austin Gr
Episode 16: It's a Totally Happening Life
Two talking stars narrate an account of the gang's events during the week before Christmas. Brenda, Kelly and Dylan decide to be friends, but the arrangement falls apart after both girls make out with Dylan. Andrea is accepted to Yale, but gets dumped by her boyfriend. Nikki tells Brandon that she is moving back to San Francisco. Brandon and Andrea share a kiss while watching ""It's a Wonderful Life,"" but accuse each other of thinking about their exes. David is depressed about his mother's move to Portland and the fact that he will be left behind when everyone graduates. Everyone tries to back out of a trip to distribute gifts at an elementary school, but Donna and Mrs. Teasley force them to attend. Steve, who is forbidden from extracurricular activities as part of his probation, drives to the school on his own.
Music: ""Joy to the World""; ""Ti
More episodes from this season
Episode 13: Rebel With a Cause
Kelly and Dylan go on a date, as Brenda insists that Dylan is free to see whomever he wishes. Brenda explodes when she and Rick run into Kelly and Dylan at a restaurant. Kelly denies that she is a bimbo and Brenda responds, "I was always told that if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck..." Kelly believes that Dylan is on the rebound, so she pushes him away. Brenda breaks up with Rick because they have little in common beyond their initial attraction. After the SAT board denies his appeal, a frustrated Dylan decides to leave town. Steve provides assistance to the wheelchair-bound Andrea in the hopes of curtailing her investigation of the computer break-in. Cindy suspects that Jim's beautiful new secretary is attracted to him, and Jim finds himself fantasizing about the woman.
Music: "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" by Betty Everett (#6, 1964); "Great Balls of Fire" (Jerry Lee Lewis - #2, 1958), performed by James Eckhouse and Dean Cain
Episode 17: The Game Is Chicken
Steve becomes friends with a guy in detention through their interest in cars. Steve and Brandon win a lot of money betting on Joe in a car race, but Dylan warns that the whole thing may be a scam. Steve and Brandon agree to bankroll Joe in a high-stakes race against drug dealer Frank Padilla. Brandon realizes that their opponent may be the guy who ran over Andrea. While Brandon contacts the police, Steve tries to stall by insisting that he be allowed to race Padilla. The two get into an argument and agree to a deadly game of ""chicken,"" but Dylan comes between them. Andrea identifies Padilla as the hit-and-run driver. Brenda and Kelly agree to a double-date with two guys from Princeton, only to find that they are geeks from the Princeton School in Encino. Donna takes over David's radio show while he tries to catch up on his studies in the hopes of graduating early.
Episode 12: Destiny Rides Again
Brenda runs into Rick at a video store, as he has transferred to UCLA. She goes out with him and continues to pretend that she is French. He is understanding when she finally reveals the truth. The SAT review board accuses Dylan of paying someone to take his test. He annoys Brenda by refusing to re-take the test. After Dylan confesses that he had a summer fling, Brenda suggests that they take a break from their relationship. He immediately visits Kelly to ask her out, and they kiss passionately. Steve learns that he tanked his SAT, and convinces computer expert Herbert to help him access the school's grade bank. They use the legacy key to break in, but have to flee when the security breach is detected. Brandon, Nikki, Donna and David are interviewed by Rosie O'Donnell at a televised AIDS benefit. Donna seeks her priest's advice about pre-marital sex. She tells David that she wants to wait at least another year. Andrea suffers two broken legs when she is struck by a hit-and-run driver.
Episode 18: Midlife...Now What?
Cindy, Jackie and the girls spend the weekend at a health spa. Kelly is wary because Babette, a friend of Jackie's from her drug-using days, works at the facility. Brenda overhears a gossipy masseuse discussing a friend's affair with Mel. Kelly calls home and learns from David that Mel has been gone for several days. Babette tries to comfort Jackie by offering her drugs, but she resists temptation and vows to face her problems head-on. Cindy fears that Jim may get involved with his secretary. Jim continues to fantasize about the woman, but she quits her job to get married. Brandon bets heavily on sporting events. Dylan agonizes over his decision of whether to date Brenda or Kelly. Jack is granted parole after serving just two years of a ten-year sentence.
Music: ""Have You Ever Had to Make Up Your Mind?"" by The Lovin' Spoonful (#2, 1966); ""Rhythm Is a Dancer"" by Snap (#5, 1993)
Episode 11: A Presumption of Innocence
Gil is relieved of his duties after Sue charges him with sexual harassment. Andrea offers her friendship to Sue, while Brandon stands behind Gil. Gil quits without fighting the charges; he confesses to Andrea that a former student committed suicide when he rejected her advances, and he does not want to drive Sue over the edge. During a dinner with Andrea, Sue's uncle Henry badgers her into admitting that the allegations are fake; she had tried to kiss Gil. David and Donna visit Sue and find the eerily cheerful family holding a barbecue, with plans to move to Oklahoma. Fearing that Henry is becoming too close to her little sister, Sue reveals that her uncle molested her. Dylan picks up a bacterial infection from surfing in polluted waters. He wishes to support a clean water initiative, but can't vote because he failed to register before the deadline. Brandon seeks David's help in learning to dance, but cancels the lesson. He refuses to dance with Nikki at a club, then gets jealous when
Episode 19: Back in the High Life Again
Jack is released from prison. He encourages Dylan to invite all his friends to a party, but only Kelly shows up. Dylan tells Kelly that he has chosen her over Brenda, and they kiss in the hotel pool. Dylan and Kelly take Brenda for a walk to inform her of Dylan's decision, and reveal their summer fling. She screams that she will never speak to them again. The financially destitute Jack wants to dissolve Dylan's trust so that he can have access to the money. Dylan goes along with it to show faith in his father. Jim fears that Jack is taking advantage of Dylan. Mel moves out of the Taylor house. David fears that he will no longer be a part of Erin's life, but Jackie invites him to stay with Kelly and her. Nat forgets to place a winning bet for Brandon; in lieu of cash, Brandon asks for his bookie's phone number.
Music: ""Come Go With Me"" by the Dell-Vikings (#4, 1957); ""The Right
Episode 10: Home and Away
West Beverly's undefeated football team prepares for a showdown with powerhouse Shaw High. The school decides to forfeit after two Shaw students are shot to death by gang members during a game. Brandon is furious because the West Beverly student body cares more about the homecoming dance (coordinated by Brenda) than the shootings. He and Jordan Bonner, editor of the Shaw paper, run each other's editorials in their papers without school permission. Brandon invites the Shaw students to the dance, drawing the wrath of his friends and the administration. A fight nearly breaks out--partially due to the overzealous security guards--but Nikki and Donna defuse the situation by asking the Shaw guys to dance.
Music: ""Switch It Up,"" performed by Brian Austin Green; ""Let Me Be Yo
Episode 20: Parental Guidance Recommended
Iris flies in from Hawaii, and Dylan and Jack try to soften her up to convince her to approve the dissolution of the trust. She is leery of Jack's motives, but elects not to stand in their way. Jack makes a clandestine phone call and promises someone that he will get the money. Brenda mopes around in her room and discards all mementos of Dylan. A visit from Iris convinces her to get past her pain, and she talks to Kelly at school. Steve helps David get a meeting with a record company. The record company executive threatens to call off the deal unless David fires Steve, and he agrees. Andrea is hesitant to attend a tea for future Yale students.
Music: ""Losing My Religion"" by R.E.M.; ""Kansas City"" by Wilbert Harrison (#1, 1959); ""Action Speaks Louder Than Words"" by Tara Kemp (from the 90210 soundtrack); ""So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star"" by
Episode 9: Highwire
Brandon and Brenda are at each other's throats after their parents reveal that they can only send one child to an out-of-state college. Jim and Cindy decide to take a second mortgage so that they won't have to play favorites, but Brandon and Brenda each decide to apply to local California University. Brenda fears that she and Dylan are growing apart, while he and Kelly bond over their mutual ambivalence toward college. Andrea believes that Gil is discouraging her from applying to his alma mater (and her dream school), Yale. She has nightmares about Gil trying to knock her off a tightrope.
Music: ""Venus"" by Shocking Blu
Episode 21: Dead End
Jack and Dylan begin living on a yacht, where they are constantly kept under surveillance. Jim does not want to dissolve the trust, but finally gives his approval so that Dylan can have a new life with his father. Christine accepts Jack's marriage proposal. Dylan and Kelly sleep together. Jack tries to confess something to Dylan, but a man interrupts them and warns Jack that he is breaking their deal. A bomb is attached to Jack's car during the night. Dylan receives a phone call from Kelly just as he is about to move the car, so Jack agrees to do it. As Dylan hangs up, he turns to see the car explode. Jackie tells Kelly and David that she has to sell the house. She receives an offer, but decides to hold out for a while.
Music: ""All the Way to Heaven"" by Jody Watley; ""Tutti Frutti"" by Little Richard (#17, 1956); ""Take Me Out to the Ballg