Ep 20. Between a Sign and a Hard Place

As the name suggests, the 20th episode of 90210 season 1, "Between a Sign and a Hard Place," begins with most of its characters finding themselves in difficult situations they need to navigate out of.

Naomi is struggling to deal with the aftermath of the sexually explicit photos of her that have been circulating at school. While her teacher and school principal try their best to contain the damage, her reputation is quickly spiraling out of control. To top it off, she finds out that someone has hacked into her e-mail account and sent out an embarrassing message to all of her contacts. Naomi is beside herself and feeling hopeless, especially since the perpetrator is still unknown.

Meanwhile, Dixon and Annie have to deal with their own sibling conflict. Annie's recent fling with Ethan has left Dixon feeling betrayed and angry. He tries to talk to Ethan about it, but his coach interrupts their conversation, telling them that their school's archrivals have been drawing offensive graffiti on their school's track field. Dixon sees an opportunity to repair his relationship with his sister and suggests that they work together to paint over the graffiti before their big track meet later that day.

As for Silver, she's dealing with the guilt of having inadvertently caused harm to Adrianna during her anti-drug campaign. She's also confused about her feelings for Dixon and doesn't know how to confess them to him. When Adrianna confronts her about encouraging her to take drugs again, Silver is forced to come clean about what really happened. Despite her apology, Adrianna is still hurt and decides to go on a drug-fueled bender.

Elsewhere, Navid is having his own troubles at the Blaze News Studio where he works. His boss is pressuring him to use the photos of Naomi in his news broadcast, but Navid is conflicted about betraying his friend's trust. He's also feeling the weight of his family's financial situation and knows that he can't afford to lose his job.

With all these challenges facing the main characters, the episode builds up to a climax at the track meet where tensions run high. Naomi finally discovers who has been behind her distress and exacts revenge. Dixon and Annie race against their rival school's star athlete, putting their differences aside and coming together as a team. Silver tries to make amends with Adrianna, but ends up in over her head when Adrianna overdoses. Meanwhile, Navid has to make a choice between his loyalty to Naomi and his job at the news studio.

Overall, "Between a Sign and a Hard Place" is a high-stakes episode that sees all its characters facing various personal crises and having to make tough decisions. The show expertly weaves together multiple plotlines and leaves viewers on the edge of their seats as the characters clash, reconcile, and face the consequences of their actions.