Blind Spot (Beverly Hills, 90210)
Encyclopedia
"Blind Spot" is a 1994 episode of the American television series Beverly Hills 90210. The episode follows two stories. In the first, series regular David Silver finds himself attracted to his blind piano teacher, causing a strain on his relationship with girlfriend Donna Martin. In the second, series regular Steve Sanders discovers that Mike Ryan, the president of his college fraternity, is gay and outs
him to the rest of the fraternity. The 26th episode of season 4, "Blind Spot" originally aired on April 6, 1994.
) is having trouble practicing a Mozart
sonata so he seeks out help from Holly Marlow, a piano teacher who he quickly realizes is blind. He develops feelings for her, slighting his girlfriend Donna Martin (Tori Spelling
) in the process. Holly explains to David that he is confusing feelings of protectiveness because of her disability for romantic feelings.
Steve Sanders (Ian Zeiring) and Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestly) are on their way to Dodger Stadium
for a baseball game when Brandon's car breaks down. They go into a nearby coffee house to call for help and Steve figures out that it's a gay establishment. He spots Mike Ryan, the president of his fraternity, and Mike spots him as well. Back at the fraternity house Mike asks Steve not to mention his sexuality to the fraternity brothers. At a wardrobe fitting for a charity beefcake
calendar, fraternity brother Artie Devers gay-baits Steve, who in response outs Mike. Artie leads an attempt to expel Mike from the fraternity but Steve, extolling the principle of brotherhood, persuades the fraternity to keep Mike.
In partnership with the Los Angeles
chapter of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the producers of Beverly Hills, 90210 sponsored screenings of "Blind Spot" at three gay and lesbian youth centers in the Los Angeles area. Following each screening, executive producer Chuck Rosin and guest star Todd Bryant participated in a question-and-answer session.
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
him to the rest of the fraternity. The 26th episode of season 4, "Blind Spot" originally aired on April 6, 1994.
Plot
David Silver (Brian Austin GreenBrian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring...
) is having trouble practicing a Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
sonata so he seeks out help from Holly Marlow, a piano teacher who he quickly realizes is blind. He develops feelings for her, slighting his girlfriend Donna Martin (Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
) in the process. Holly explains to David that he is confusing feelings of protectiveness because of her disability for romantic feelings.
Steve Sanders (Ian Zeiring) and Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestly) are on their way to Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
for a baseball game when Brandon's car breaks down. They go into a nearby coffee house to call for help and Steve figures out that it's a gay establishment. He spots Mike Ryan, the president of his fraternity, and Mike spots him as well. Back at the fraternity house Mike asks Steve not to mention his sexuality to the fraternity brothers. At a wardrobe fitting for a charity beefcake
Beefcake
Beefcake is a term denoting the use of nude or semi-nude male bodies. It can refer to a genre or a person. It often is used to denote male sexual attractiveness stemming from physical build but the definition has expanded to include anyone interested in physical fitness, bodybuilding and weight...
calendar, fraternity brother Artie Devers gay-baits Steve, who in response outs Mike. Artie leads an attempt to expel Mike from the fraternity but Steve, extolling the principle of brotherhood, persuades the fraternity to keep Mike.
Guest cast
- Jack Armstrong as Mike Ryan
- Cress WilliamsCress WilliamsCress Williams is an American film and television actor, best known for playing the hitman, Wyatt in Prison Break and Detective Ed Williams in Close to Home. He is also known for his role as Inspector Antwon Babcock in the final season of Nash Bridges, and as D’Shawn Hardell in seasons 4 and 5 of...
as D'Shawn Hardell - Todd BryantTodd BryantTodd Bryant is an American actor and stuntman who is perhaps most notable for having appeared in three Star Trek movies. He played one of the engineering cadets in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the part of Klingon Captain Klaa in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and the Klingon courtroom...
as Artie Devers - Sydney Brown as Holly Marlow
Impact
Gender theorist E. Graham McKinley has examined "Blind Spot" for its portrayal of gender relationship dynamics between diverse pairings, specifically David's interaction with the disabled Holly and a date between Donna and recurring African-American character D'Shawn Hardell.In partnership with the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
chapter of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the producers of Beverly Hills, 90210 sponsored screenings of "Blind Spot" at three gay and lesbian youth centers in the Los Angeles area. Following each screening, executive producer Chuck Rosin and guest star Todd Bryant participated in a question-and-answer session.
External links
- "Blind Spot" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...