Episode
Beverly Hills, 90210: Unnecessary Roughness
Overview
Donna believes she has solved the mystery of her stalker's identity when she sees Garrett Slan, the man who tried to rape her, at the university. Donna's friends insist that she is mistaken, as Slan is in prison. Donna is cheered by a ""girls' night out"" with Kelly and Clare, until someone tries to run over her outside the After Dark. While sorting through her parents' unopened mail, Donna finds a notice that Slan has been released from prison. Brandon and Tracy spend the weekend at her family's ranch. Tracy is distracted by her horse, which has taken ill; and the presence of Sam, an ex-boyfriend who once asked her to marry him. Tracy rejects Sam's advances and has sex with Brandon in the barn. Steve and Dick team up to market T-shirts for sale at the After Dark's Super Bowl party. Music: ""Knock on Wood"" by Eddie Floyd (#28, 1966); ""The Authority Song"" by John Cougar Mellencamp
Details
- Series
- Beverly Hills, 90210
- Season
- Season 7
- Episode
- Episode 16
- Air date
- 1997-01-22
- Runtime
- 45 min
Episode context
Unnecessary Roughness is Episode 16 in Season 7 of Beverly Hills, 90210. It aired on 1997-01-22. The runtime is 45 min.
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Episode 15: Phantom of C.U.
Donna joins the C.U. News as a weather forecaster, incorporating fashion tips into her reports. She begins receiving anonymous, menacing phone calls. Clare sets up Kelly on a blind date with a guy who turns out to be a pompous windbag. Donna then tries to convince Kelly to go out with Evan Potter, a nice guy who operates the camera for the C.U. News. Kelly reluctantly agrees to a double date. Evan comforts Donna when her stalker leaves a threatening message on a videotape. While working late-night security detail as part of his probation, Steve has a run-in with the ""Phantom of C.U.,"" a homeless man who lives on campus and plays pranks on security guards. Steve catches the guy in the act and learns that he is C.U. senior Larry Lincoln. Larry lives in the basement of a school building and eats from the garbage because he cannot afford food or housing. Steve doesn't turn him in, and gives him money to get an apartment for the rest of the year.
Episode 17: Face-Off
Donna's request for a permanent restraining order against Slan is denied. He shows up in a classroom and tries to tell her something, but she runs out. David and Tom confront Slan, who claims that he was trying to warn Donna about her stalker. Donna discovers that someone has left a dead rat in her bedroom. Slan finally picks a fight with David at the Peach Pit After Dark so that the restraining order will be granted. He leaves town, but Donna receives more threatening phone calls. Kelly sets her sights on Tom. Valerie believes that Kelly is dating Tom to hurt her. Tracy accidentally tells Brandon that she loves him; he does not reciprocate. Brandon and Tom participate in a charity hockey game with NHL players. Brandon takes a cheap shot at Tom after watching Kelly kiss him before the game. Steve and Clare consider living together as they spend a weekend housesitting. David takes an interest in a young singer.
Music: ""Please Don't Go"" by KC and the Sunshine Band (#1, 1980)
More episodes from this season
Episode 14: Jobbed
Brandon and Mark vie for the prestigious Dryer scholarship. Mark appeases Kelly by providing Brandon with tips, although he believes that he is a shoo-in because of his wealth and connections. Brandon wins one of the two scholarships, while Mark gets nothing. Mark does not handle the news well. He skips a party for Brandon, then confronts Kelly in the Peach Pit parking lot. He orders her to stay away until she is willing to sleep with him, so she dumps him. Clare gets Steve an interview at the C.U. job fair, but his interviewer propositions him. Clare suspects that Steve invented the story to hide the fact that he blew the interview. The woman again comes on to Steve, unaware that her boss and Clare are listening nearby. Donna fills in for her father's ailing receptionist. Dr. Martin criticizes Donna for humoring talkative patients, but her listening skills later head off a potential disaster. Tom Miller, Valerie's old boyfriend from Buffalo, comes to town. Valerie offers him a job man
Episode 18: We Interrupt This Program
Rusty, a technician at the TV station, quits in anger after the police question him about Donna. Evan admits his feelings for Donna and confesses that he is the stalker. When she tells Brandon and Tracy, he pulls a gun and holds the entire staff hostage. He holds Donna at gunpoint and forces Brandon and Tracy to put him on the air. He eventually lets the others leave, but Brandon refuses to leave Donna. Donna tricks Evan into putting his gun down by feigning an interest in him. She kisses him, then kicks the gun away as the SWAT team moves in to arrest him. Val threatens to fire Tom unless he stops seeing Kelly. She apologizes, but he quits anyway. Kelly claims that she is not acting out of spite. Steve and Clare try to keep their parents from dating, as they are afraid of being left behind. They finally apologize after realizing how selfishly they have acted.
Episode 13: Gift Wrapped
David seeks his father's help in winning over Felice. Mel and Jackie invite David, Donna and her parents over for dinner. Felice makes snide remarks about the pre-prom incident from four years earlier, the fact that Jackie and Mel are not married, and David's mental problems. A furious Donna refuses to come to her parents' house for Christmas. Felice apologizes to David and asks him to arrange a truce. Kelly's father fails to show for dinner, but a young woman arrives in his place. She stuns Kelly by revealing that she is her half-sister, Joy Taylor. Kelly is angry to learn that her mother hid the truth, and she and Joy become friends as they compare notes about their absentee father. Chancellor Arnold immediately hits it off with Samantha at his Christmas party, making Steve and Clare uncomfortable. The gang picks names from a hat to decide who will exchange gifts. Brandon and Tracy struggle with their gift selections, as neither wants to send the wrong message. While shopping for Kel
Episode 19: My Funny Valentine
Donna is still shaken after being held hostage, and Clare and David struggle to bring her out of her funk. She instantly perks up when Cliff makes a surprise visit. She tells him that she has a boyfriend, but David still feels betrayed. Luther Vandross performs at the After Dark for Valentine's Day. David reacts angrily when Donna decides to leave after the concert instead of going out with Luther, Chloe and him. Donna runs into Cliff at the Peach Pit and agrees to a date. Valerie's mother comes to town and asks her to approve a second mortgage for the family home, as Val is part-owner. Valerie wants nothing to do with the house and orders her mother to sell it, leaving Abby confused. Val is hurt to see Tom with Kelly. Kelly finds her crying in the bathroom. Val admits that she needs Tom and pleads for Kelly to set him free if she doesn't really care for him. The guilt-ridden Kelly breaks up with Tom, who later shares a romantic slow dance with Valerie. Tracy finds the engagement ring
Episode 12: Judgment Day
Steve elects to plead guilty, leaving his punishment to the lenient Chancellor Arnold. Brandon refuses to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit, and faces a hearing and possible expulsion. Randall tries to prove that Brandon knew the contents of Steve's paper by pointing out that he handed it to Muntz for delivery. He also claims that Brandon let Steve cheat off his quizzes in freshman sociology. Steve digs through the fraternity files and proves that he flunked every sociology quiz. Brandon is cleared, and Professor Randall faces charges for forging his grade ledger and lying at the hearing. Kelly throws a surprise birthday party for Mark, although he would rather be left alone. He hates the party even more when everyone ignores him and flocks to Brandon. Felice objects to Donna's renewed relationship with David, which she considers unhealthy. Dr. Martin advises Donna to follow her heart. Music: ""What You Won't D
Episode 20: With This Ring
Tracy is in a snit over the fact that Brandon kept the engagement ring. She breaks up with him. Brandon and Kelly each confess their feelings to friends, but expect the other person to make a move. Tracy confronts Kelly, who admits that she still loves Brandon. Kelly tries to stop Brandon from returning the ring. He cannot bring himself to sell it, and runs into Kelly in the street. She believes that he has already sold it and pretends to support this decision. Brandon exchanges the ring to get a bracelet for Tracy, and Kelly buys the ring and sulks. Valerie tells her mother that her father repeatedly molested her. Abby refuses to accept this and slaps Val. Abby comes to grips with the truth and apologizes for not protecting Valerie. Val asks Tom to leave town, as his presence is a painful reminder of the abuse. Donna is torn between David and Cliff. Chloe makes a pass at David and annoys him with her rude remarks about Donna. Donna tries to reconcile with David, but storms out when Ch
Episode 11: If I Had a Hammer
During an argument with Donna in the student union, David throws a tantrum and cuts his hand on a glass. He must see a psychiatrist after displaying hostile behavior toward the ER staff. Mel agrees with the doctor's recommendation that David be held 72 hours for observation. David is diagnosed with a mild form of manic depression. His mother comes to see him and advises him to moderate his behavior; he will not require medication if he seeks therapy and stops drinking. David thanks Donna for her support, and they decide to get back together. Steve faces plagiarism charges; Professor Randall, who assumed control of the independent study course after returning to C.U., recognized Brandon's writing. Randall still holds a vendetta against Brandon, and brings collusion charges against him. Kelly and Mark's plans for a romantic weekend getaway are foiled by a lost reservation. They finally secure a motel room, only to come down with food poisoning. The gang helps Willie build a house, which
Episode 21: Straight Shooter
Brandon, Steve and Dick play in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Dick's pot smoking concerns Brandon. A wasted Dick buys some heroin at the After Dark, and Steve decides to join him. Steve finds Dick collapsed in the bathroom; he dies of an overdose. Steve makes an angry anti-drug speech after someone leaves a bong at a shrine to Dick. A pretentious magazine editor profiles Valerie, but the article is ruined when the police take David and Val in for questioning. David pressures Donna to end things with Cliff, while her mother invites Cliff to a family brunch. Donna decides to stay with David, and encourages Cliff to take a job as head of security at Disneyworld. Kelly and Clare pose as Ukrainian folk dancers during a weekend getaway.
Music: ""Since I Don't Have You"" by the Skyliners (#12, 1959)
Episode 10: Lost in Las Vegas
David takes Valerie, Steve and Clare to Las Vegas for the weekend. He frightens them with his reckless driving. They see Ray perform in concert, and he comments on David's frenzied behavior. David gets drunk and suffers heavy gambling losses. He invites some girls on the street to join him at another casino. The women take David to their motel, where they drug him and steal his money, credit cards, jewelry and clothes. Ray calls Donna and advises her to fly in from Los Angeles. She yells at her friends for not babysitting David, then comforts him. Brandon meets a troubled woman at the Peach Pit; she was robbed just after arriving in town, and cannot get in touch with her fiancé. Brandon provides her with refuge, and helps her pick up the pieces when she learns that her fiancé has met someone else. Steve steals a term paper from Brandon and turns it in as an independent study project. Music: ""The Great
Episode 22: A Ripe Young Age
Donna and David visit her grandmother in San Luis Obispo. Noting a striking resemblance between David and her late husband, Mrs. Martin tells the couple about her romance with Donna's grandfather, whom she knew for just a few months before he was killed in World War II. Donna and David are touched as they look through Capt. and Mrs. Martin's old pictures and letters. They decide to have faith in their relationship in spite of obstacles such as Felice's opposition. Kelly finds a young boy sleeping on her porch. She reluctantly breaks a promise to the runaway by turning him in to social services, and is wracked with guilt when he vanishes from the shelter. Valerie begins a romance with a hot new movie star, who looks to her for support because he is uncomfortable with the industry. Steve enlists the help of Clare, Brandon and Tracy to film an infomercial for his marketing class.
Music: ""Sing, Sing, Sing"" by Benny Goodman