The Fundamental Things Apply

The Fundamental Things Apply is the 30th episode of Season 8 of Beverly Hills, 90210.

Synopsis
Brandon and Kelly try to help a Bosnian refugee find his wife; Donna puts on a fashion show; Gwyneth takes a page from Valerie's book after admitting feelings for Noah; Steve learns Sarah is married; David is stiffed by a jingle client, and breaks up with Valerie, who rebounds with a dangerous one-night stand.

Recap
 Brandon and Kelly, whose own relationship is slowly improving after the ups and downs during "Ricochet", get a lesson after Kelly has a patient brought into the clinic by a taxi driver who is helping a passenger who's gone into premature labor. He successfully delivers her baby on the spot, then disappears. Some research reveals the man is a Bosnian refugee who fled his homeland and physician job during the brutal Balkans conflict, and that he is bereft due to the apparent death of his wife. He has contacted all the relief/goverment agencies without any luck, but Brandon puts his journalist cap on and, with help from Kelly, is able to find that the man's wife is alive and actually escaped from the horrors of war and reached L.A. The couple are ecstatic to reunite and Brandon and Kelly begin looking forward to their own wedding. Alas, David and Valerie are NOT headed to the altar or anywhere else. David can't really get over Valerie's refusal to donate marrow and save a child molester's life, and Valerie can't connect with David on any level, so he reacts to her suggestion that they move in together (as Valerie knows and is OK with having to move out of Casa Walsh after Brandon and Kelly get hitched) by declining, then saying they're done as a couple. David halfheartedly tries to be nice to Valerie, who isn't interested in his discount pity or offer to stay on as a boarder in his apartment.

Valerie instead goes into her old, bad habits: first by giving Noah's platonic pal Gwyneth advice on how to ruin Donna's fashion show (a little wine spilled on an important dress) and then by having a one-night stand with a photographer. The former ends with her smiling nastily at Donna, telling David to take his judgment and shove it, and listening to Gwyneth blame her for the fashion show debacle by saying Gwyneth blew it and should sort of deal with her own stupidity. Noah hears some of this talk and firmly tells Gwyneth he and Donna are a couple, leading Gwyneth to declare it's time to leave town and Noah to concur. But the latter leads to horror for Valerie when she's OK with her fling being brief, but not OK at learning the guy is an IV drug user. David at least wins out on some other fronts. He gets off with a light penalty for accidentally shooting and injuring Gwyneth a week earlier, and when he learns a men's clothing store gave him a check that bounced like Flubber for doing a $2,000 jingle score for them, he heads to the store and picks up suits and shirts worth that much. The arrogant salesman offers to throw him out; David offers to call the police and show them the bounced check. He leaves with all of his new formal ware and a big smile. Oh, and Steve is dating a woman he really likes, only she's separated from her husband and tenative about starting a serious relationship with him.

Starring

 * Jason Priestley as Brandon Walsh
 * Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor
 * Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders
 * Brian Austin Green as David Silver
 * Tori Spelling as Donna Martin
 * Tiffani Thiessen as Valerie Malone
 * Joe E. Tata as Nat Bussichio
 * Vincent Young as Noah Hunter

Special Guest Star
 * Lindsay Price as Janet Sosna

Guest starring
 * Sarah Aldrich as Gwyneth Adair
 * Brandi Andres as Sarah Edmunds
 * Spencer Rochfort as Johnny
 * Jeff Griggs as Gil Gessner
 * Kristof Konrad as Alex Veselic

Trivia

 * David and Valerie break up

Music

 * sugar in your gas tank | LESS THAN JAKE