Letter from Boston

'Beverly Hills 90210'

By MASAKO YAMADA

A reader recently wrote me that "Beverly Hills 90210" is currently popular in Japan and that she has many questions regarding the American culture represented in the show. I was very surprised that she even mentioned this show, since it has been on for about 10 years in the States and is nowhere near as popular now as it was during its peak.

When I was in my first year of college, a bunch of my dorm friends and I would get together in the common TV room every week to watch "Beverly Hills 90210." We'd watch the show as if it were a staged wrestling match. That is, we would yell at the screen at every twist and turn of the plot, but all in good humor and jest.

It was a great study break. I took part in this weekly ritual until I became preoccupied with my real life and I didn't feel like wasting my time over such a silly program.

This reader had two basic questions: 1) whether American high school students are really as well-heeled and well-coifed as they are on the show and 2) whether they are as blas about romantic relationships.

My answer to the first question is that the scriptwriters of "Beverly Hills 90210" seem to go out of their way to avoid depicting the average American. Although Beverly Hills is a real city, it's considered to be something of a fantasy land to most Americans. I think the creators of the show really push this glamorous stereotype by making all of the characters beautiful. I don't see anything wrong with a TV show being unrealistic, but I should point out that this show is deliberately set in what is considered to be one of the most affluent cities in the country.

My answer to the second question, again, is that "Beverly Hills 90210" is a TV show in which realism plays second fiddle to shock value. Although the combinations of couples seem to vary every week on the TV show, that is not the case among my less-glamorous friends.

That said, I suppose that in such a popular show, there must be certain elements that viewers can identify with personally. I read a review of the show many years ago that said that in spite of how unrealistic the characters seem, many teenagers do relate to them.

The show certainly does depict peer pressure and the complex web of relationships among characters well. Even issues like fashion matter to many teenagers. A friend of mine who went to an exclusive Chicago prep school told me that many of her classmates in high school shopped at expensive boutiques. She related to the scenes as depicted in "90210." She, however, did not pretend that her real life resembled that of most Americans, and she was disgusted by the materialism on the show.

One particular theme in American TV that seems to confuse many Japanese involves a scene like this: Boyfriend A and girlfriend B break up, then A immediately starts dating B's best friend, C.

In the States, this is thought to be inconsiderate or in bad taste, but I have seen it happen, even among my friends. In Japan, I think it's considered romantic to wallow in misery for years while pining for someone who's inaccessible (or while enduring a relationship that's less than ideal), but that doesn't seem so noble in the States.

Practically speaking, "getting the girl" (or, if you're in a bad relationship, getting out) is more effective than running around in emotional circles, and I think that pragmatism is valued here. This might seem immoral or selfish, but it does follow a certain logic.

Interestingly, the reader brought up the infamous Monica Lewinsky case as an example of a real-life romantic plot that seems to come straight out of a scene in "90210." I wonder if she is aware that Monica Lewinsky actually grew up in Beverly Hills.

Shukan ST: Oct. 23, 1998

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