‘90210’: Who is the craziest of them all?

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Well, that’s one way to spice up a series. ‘90210’ came back with a double-dose of crazy Tuesday night, with Liam, Silver and even Mama Wilson, in her way, channeling their certifiably unstable sides. And that makes sense. After all, every good drama requires a dangerous character or two. But here’s the trouble: ‘90210’ can’t seem to decide who that person should be.

When the series began, it looked like Naomi was the designated wack-job. She was mean, she was ruthless, and she had the perfect screwed-up family to inspire bursts of madness. But then Naomi’s storyline receded without warning, and it looked like druggie/wannabe actress Adrianna was replacing her blond bestie as the local loon. Then Adrianna got sober, and with her sobriety, turned into a West Bev success story. She is so tame these days, that in last night’s episode, she was relegated to the role of accidental bearer of bad news to Annie.

So, let’s talk about Liam, the newest psycho on the block and ‘a complete enigma,’ according to Naomi. The audience will agree. Liam’s character is well-written, and the actor who plays him -- Matt Lanter -- has an easy charm about him. Just don’t get too attached! Remember what happened to Naomi’s last rebellious lover, Ozzie? He gave the stagnant halls of Beverly Hills a burst of fresh air, and then he was gone, without so much as an ‘adios.’

But back to Liam, who provided a fun jolt to Naomi’s system in last night’s episode. He can drag-race and tell you the angles of an isosceles triangle? Woo, mama! At this stage of the game, there is only one thing preventing Liam from becoming West Beverly’s new Dylan McKay: eyebrows. Right now, the designated bad boy is so manicured that he most closely resembles one of the shirtless welcome-men at the Abercrombie & Fitch at The Grove. Can’t we muss him up a bit? For costume examples, see Robert Pattinson (left) in daily life. Notice the lack of spray-tan, the omnipresent slouchy hat, the dirty-looking hair and of course, the stubble. Justin Bobby (right) of ‘The Hills’ is also a great example of what today’s bad boy looks like.

Despite Silver and Liam’s dominant storylines on Tuesday, Rhonda, as always, was the star of the show. While talking to Ethan in the halls, the self-confident nerd announced, ‘Being friends is not what I want.’ Ethan’s goal, it seemed, was to have his cake and eat it too, maintaining a romantic relationship with Annie, while also embarking on some emotional quasi-affair with his trauma partner, Rhonda. She wasn’t having it. ‘I guess that we’re just not friends,’ she announced simply. Rhonda has stayed remarkably consistent during her time on the series. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants: Ethan. Phew, what a relief!

The only time Rhonda’s character seemed to edge into the ‘huh?’ zone was during that hospital scene when she tricked Ethan into believing she was still injured. Remember Rhonda’s demonic smile as she reached for the remote after fooling her jockish crush? Everything about that scene said, ‘This is your new resident crazy girl.’ But she wasn’t. It was just a phase. Her lapse into dishonesty in the name of love would have been believable enough, were it not for the sociopathic moment of pride as she reached for the remote.

Which brings us to the latest cuckoo on the block: Erin Silver. Her turn this week was both surprising and believable, the crucial combo for drastic week-to-week character development. Her final scene with Mr. Matthews, especially, felt suspenseful and genuine. Both actors brought their A-game, and the writing provided each a high-stakes goal to play. The horror-movie music was a bit much, but not totally unforgivable.

The Silver-goes-nuts plot will definitely give viewers something to tune in for next week. I just hope she’s still crazy by then.

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photos, from top: AnnaLynne McCord and Matt Lanter (The CW); Matt Lanter (The CW); Robert Pattinson (Wireimage); Justin Bobby (MTV)