Season 1, Episode 10: The Gentle Art Of Listening

This week, we are watching season one, episode 10: The Gentle Art of Listening. Trigger Warning: This post will talk about dramatized versions of rape. Please be warned.

This episode begins at West Beverly Hills High, where everyone is gathered in the quad watching the cheerleaders perform. I am very concerned, because they are doing basket tosses and a lot of other aerial stunts, and they’ve only got grass underneath them. I don’t believe that’s regulation, West Beverly. Brandon is taking in the “scenery“ while wearing a blue beret, and it really should be recognized because it is horrendous. Is he French? Did he take up art? Why is he all of a sudden into hats, and this one in particular? He and his beret spot a brunette cheerleader who is dancing off to the side, and it’s Wanda from Doogie Howser. She spots him staring, and smiles, and then claps off beat.

Brandon’s beret has attracted the attention of another young lady, And he seems extremely unhappy about her prying eyes. Doesn’t feel good to be ogled, does it Brandon? Maybe that’s the real reason that he is wearing the beret; to detract young women. Meanwhile, David has been appointed the new voice of West Beverly and place is a call to the superintendent of schools over the loudspeaker. He wants to remind him that it is the beginning of grudge week against Beverly high. Scott, RIP, picks up the telephone while speaking into the Microphone, causing feedback, because of course he does. Brenda walks through the quad, smiling at the cheerleaders, and I’m happy to report that her bangs are finally grown in. She is soon joined by Kelly, who is also wearing a questionable hat. Has she joined a scat band? Donna is also there, showing off some pretty toned abs. They tell Brenda that it’s time to leave and she wants to know where their school spirit is. Kelly retorts that she lost it in the seventh grade and Donna says, “That’s not all she lost in the seventh grade.” Like we said earlier, Donna has got some really good one-liners this season.

Brandan meets up with Steve and Dylan in the quad and they are both participating in garage week events. Brandan tells Dylan that he didn’t think this would be his kind of thing. Dylan says that the freshman girls tend to get into the “spirit“ and try to Pick up the older classmates. Then they both mock Brandon, not because of his hat, but because of a the young girl still staring uncomfortably at him.

Back at home, Brandan is getting no sympathy from Cindy. She thinks it’s adorable that this young girl has a crush on him. Brenda enter the house, sounding like Ross saying hi in the first season of friends. Jim is out of town again, so Brandan says he will go upstairs and check in on Brenda. Brenda, it turns out, is upset because she’s tired of shopping every day. She says that when they moved her there, she thought maybe she would try out for cheerleader. But the cheerleaders are in an obnoxious little clique. I don’t know Brenda, a girl who gets so tired of shopping that she comes home and goes straight to bed seems like just the personality type they want on the cheerleading squad. Brandan suggest that if she wants to do something meaningful, she can help Andrea on the “rap line,” where they field anonymous calls seeking advice. Brenda, of course, turns up her nose at Andrea, even though 2 weeks ago, they were all best friends after the fashion show. 

Brenda approaches Andrea at school, wearing what I can only referred to as questionable choices in pants, and asked about the rap line. Andrea seems surprised that it something Brenda would be interested in, and focuses on the commitment it takes to dissuade her from moving forward. Maybe she figured anyone who chose those pants has no right to give advice to other people. But Brenda will not be dissuaded and shows up that night to start her training. Andrea field a phone call from Kelly asking to speak with Brenda and already questions her dedication.

Brandon is working his shift at the peach pit, apparently alone, when some questionable noises filter out of the back room. Let’s just say they sounded similar to what I would hear coming from the adult movie room at the video store I worked at in high school. NAT is in back receiving acupressure from some woman with a surprisingly thick bowl cut. Brandon is, of course, instantly attracted to the flirty blonde who offers him a private session.

10 o’clock rolls around, and the wrap line closes for the night. Andrea, yet again, makes a comment to Brenda about the commitment the rap line requires. Brenda tells her that she thinks that she can meet that commitment. To be honest, Andrea is being a royal bitch about the whole thing, but I’m with her on this. Andrea boards the shuttle bus, and I’m wondering, is she going to a hotel? What company offers “shuttle” buses at 10pm on a school night to the valley? Kelly, of course, is late, and everyone thought it was suitable to leave a 16 year old in a dark parking lot in LA at 10pm alone. Brenda bangs on the door, and a janitor lets her in. She calls Kelly from one of the rap line phones and Kelly picks up, “I’m leaving right now.” She is on the phone with Donna because Felice is “freaking out” because Donna says she wants a nose job….be careful what you wish for Donna. Kelly tells her she will call her right back, so when the phone rings, Brenda answers. The voice on the other line is not Kelly’s, and she asks if there is anyone there she can talk to. Brenda, breaking protocol, says she can talk to her. Brenda introduces herself, and the girl on the other line says she would prefer not to give her name and Brenda agrees. She says she will just listen. The girl starts by saying that she is actually ok. The girl continues that she likes a boy and she thinks he likes her, but she asks Brenda, “When you’re really making it, and you tell him to stop and he doesn’t. Does that mean it’s my fault?” Brenda immediately says, “No.” That is the right answer Brenda. But then she back tracks and says, “At least I don’t think so.” The girl then asks, “I guess what I need to know is, how do you know when you’ve been raped?”  At this point, the original airing cut to a commercial, so we don’t know how Brenda answered the question, but the answer should have gone something like this, “If you didn’t give consent, or weren’t in the position to give consent, it’s rape. And it doesn’t matter if you like him, or if you were kissing him, or you’ve slept with him before. It doesn’t matter what you were wearing, or how much you had to drink. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a virgin, or what your religion or political beliefs are.  It doesn’t matter if he spent money on you, or even if you said ok to begin with, the minute you withdraw your consent, the minute you tell him no, it is rape.”

Wow, sorry to let it get dark. When the original airing came back from commercial, it shows Kelly rushing in, asking Brenda to forgive her for being late. Brenda is seated at the rap table in the dark. She tells Kelly about what happened, and explains that she shouldn’t have agreed to talk to the girl once she realized that it wasn’t Kelly calling back. Brenda then says she felt like she recognized the girl’s voice, but she didn’t know from where.

Back at Casa Walsh, Brenda encounters Cindy, who is sorting their garbage. She tells Brenda that she was inspired by her altruism and is going to start volunteering at the recycling center 2 days a week. Thank God. Now maybe she can stop whining about everything or making poor Anna play the role of therapist.

The next day at school, David is announcing the football team on the quad. Is this supposed to be a pep assembly? Why are they not in the gym? Why are there no faculty present? Why are there only 30 people at this school? If this isn’t a pep assembly, why are all these people listening to David talk about anything? A football player then announces that although they lost the spirit week even to Beverly High the night before, they would win the rest of the week. The crowd hollered, except for one guy, who looked trepadacious. Brandon and Steve are in the middle of the crowd discussing Brandon’s massage with Nina. Steve tells Brandon that Nina was hitting on him, and he missed out on the opportunity by allowing her to leave after the massage. Oh God, Steve. If only you could hear yourself in context of the rest of the episode…..Brandon tells Steve that Nina is well traveled, and she’s OLD. She’s like, 23, or something. Thanks for that Brandon, right to my old heart. Steve walks away, and Brandon notices the girl staring at him again.

Brenda seeks out Andrea to talk to her about the phone call, but Andrea is too involved in her own self- righteousness, that she won’t let Brenda talk. She instead tells her that she shouldn’t feel bad about quitting, so Brenda leaves. At this very moment, I’m not sure which one of the two of them I like the least. Very close.

Brandon is visited by Nina at work, who tells him that she has just been in a sensory deprivation tank. She uses words like naked, and private and primal, all while pulling on her necklace that touches the top of her cleavage. I remember most of the 90’s, but was a bowl cut in fashion then? I know she is supposed to be a sensual being, but I can’t get past that hair. Brandon asks Nat about Nina, and Nat says that while she worked at The Peach Pit, she was a wild child. Brandon says, “When she looks at me, she gets this twinkle in her eye.” Nat tells her she does that with everyone. Yeah, Brandon, keep it in your pants.

The rap line is open for the night, and Andrea is shocked when Brenda comes back. Where’s all that self-righteousness now, Chief? Brenda asks how you get a caller to trust you when they won’t give you their name and the advisor says that you’ve got to keep prodding and listening until they come around. Um, I’m no rap line advisor, but is prodding really what you should be doing when you’re trying to get someone to trust you?

Back at the Peach Pit, Nina is talking to Brandon about an herbal wrap, and all I hear is every pitch every MLM mom has thrown my direction, but Brandon is enthralled. When she tells him it’s hard for her to find subjects willing to let her practice her “technique,” he jumps. Hey Brandon, it’s a fantastic opportunity. It only takes a one time investment of $100,000 to get started….

The rap line has closed for the night, and everyone is headed out of the center when the phone rings. Andrea agrees to answer it. It is the caller from the previous night, and she asks to talk to Brenda. The advisor agrees to let her on the phone, and agrees to sit with her and help her if she gets in trouble. The girl tells Brenda that she was raped again. She says that everyone was partying because they won a school event. Brenda asks if she’s talking about grudge week, and then wants to know if she goes to Beverly or West Beverly. The girl says that she can’t talk anymore and hangs up. Way to go Brenda, you nosy bitch.

The next morning, Andrea stops to ask Brenda how she is doing. She tells Brenda that she handled herself like a pro on the call. Oh really? Normally, you barrage the caller with questions about what school they go to? Brenda tells her that she has been listening to people all day, seeing if she hears the voice anywhere. She talks to Andrea about grudge week, which Andrea has no regard for. Brenda makes a comment about her having such contempt for school events when she is the editor of the school newspaper. For once Brenda, I must agree. She can totally hate what is going on, but she should at least know about it.

The girl with the staring problem’s name is Lucy apparently, and Scott has a crush on her, but she runs as soon as he approaches. Maybe he should have done that in his imagination too.

Dylan is walking down the hall, being all handsome, and Brandon chases him down to “pick his brain.” Dylan asks if he’s going to join him in surfing again, and Brandon says he can’t because he’s on the verge of making it with an older lady. Hey Brandon, you know what assuming does, right? Brandon asks the well seasoned Dylan if, because she’s older, she’s going to expect Brandon to stay the night after they do it. Is that just an “older” woman thing, or maybe just an emotional connection thing? I don’t know. I never needed an emotional connection after, and I liked my bed better.

Brandon has plans to try the herbal wrap with Nina, so he lies to Cindy, yet again, so that he can presumably stay the night. Again, he’s the protagonist? Brenda is in a hurry to get to the rap line, so she tells Brandon that she doesn’t really care about his sexual conquests….and because she is his sister and that’s weird. He inquires to how its going and Brenda tells him that she’s got a really intense case she’s working on, but can’t tell him any more than that. He tells her multiple times that he won’t tell anyone, so she should tell him. Does no one in Beverly Hills believe in privacy?

Brenda waits anxiously at the rap line, but doesn’t get a call before the lines shut down. After the advisor leaves, Brenda raps on the door to be let back in and pleads with Andrea, explaining it was always after 10 when she called. Andrea decides to help.

Nina meets Brandon at the Peach Pit, in a shirt that seems to be missing a whole piece from the front. Oh wait, there it is. On her head. They head to her place, where, of course, she’s got beads in her doorway. And then Richard is in her doorway. And they are kissing. Richard is pursuing his PhD in holistic medicine and she was the best student he ever had. Sorry Brandon, no making it for you.

Back at the rap line, it’s 10:45 and they haven’t received a phone call, so they decide to leave. Just as they are heading out the door, the phone rings. It’s the caller from the previous nights. She’s angry at Brenda, asking if she’s judging her or getting turned on. Brenda says, “I think he found you again.” And the caller replies, “And this time he brought a friend.” Brenda insists on knowing the caller’s name and she refuses. Brenda tells her not to be afraid, and to stand up to them. Andrea, rightfully, tells her she should not be telling the caller those things and Brenda yells at her. The caller hears her address Andrea and says, “Are you talking about me?” She becomes angry, and wants to know her name. Brenda reveals that it is Andrea, and the caller hangs up. Brenda says, “I know who it is. At least I think I do.”

The next day, Brenda taps on the shoulder of Doogie Howser’s girlfriend, and asks her if she’s Bonnie. Bonnie says yes and asks if she knows Brenda. Brenda introduces herself and Bonnie’s face falls. Bonnie tries to back track and tells Brenda that she may have made it sound worse than it really was. Brenda asks “Which part? The part where he hurt you, or where he brought a friend?” Bonnie, obviously, is very  upset that Brenda has confronted her and made her calls not anonymous.

It’s night, and the doors to the school gym open and everyone files out. West Beverly has won the grudge week event. Steve is with David and Scott. See. Confused. We see two dudes in letterman’s jacket (you know our theory on guys in letterman’s jackets) tell Steve that they aren’t going to be doing anything special and then look at each other knowingly. Our theory is correct.

Bonnie is waiting for a friend in the hall, who then deserts her for some rando guys. Bonnie is visibly anxious about walking to her car alone. As she is putting the keys in the door, a flashlight shines on her. “Hey Bonnie, you need a ride?” It’s the letterman from earlier. They tell her they won, and they’ve got to celebrate. They tell her they like her and want her, and she cries “Please.” Just as he puts his hand over her mouth and pushes her against the car, the police come out, guns drawn and tell them to freeze.

Brenda, Andrea, and Brandon are across the parking lot, watching the events transpire. Brenda says she wants to be alone. Brandon asks Andrea how Brenda knew it would happen. Bonnie was getting raped after each grudge night event, and Brenda had informed the advisor.

The next day, Lucy is caught staring at Brandon again, so he walks up to her and introduces himself. This makes Lucy so happy that she says hi to Scott. RIP Scott.

Every 92 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Every 9 minutes, that victim is a child. Meanwhile, only 5 out of every 1000 perpetrators will end up in prison. If you have been assaulted, please know it is not your fault.