Expert: Mel - 4/20/2011

Question
Did anyone ever find out that Val gave Kenny back the $100,000 that she extorted from him?

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Tiffani,

Yes, they did.  She confesses to Brandon at the end of "Loser Takes All" (7x09) that she returned the money as he demanded, and was in fact never pregnant (thus allowing her to continue living there).  It's a regular Walsh pow-wow moment that, as Brandon reminds her, cost a whole lot.  Kelly, Steve, and Tracy were the other characters involved in this plotline and we see him thanking Tracy for talking with Valerie, saying only that "things worked out for the best".  This was early on in their relationship, so she probably wasn't filled in on the full details until later, if at all, but did know about the pregnancy, abortion, and the possibility of it all being a lie.  It stands to reason that we're to assume Brandon updates Steve and Kelly regarding their open suspicions of Valerie and the outcome, even though there's no such scene of this in Season 7, nor a definitive indication that anyone but Brandon knew about the financial blackmail aspect.  

In the episodes that immediately follow, no one makes any mention of her affair with Kenny.  Valerie does tell David in "Loser Takes All" that she had the money to re-invest in the Peach Pit AfterDark but not anymore.  When he asks why, she replies that she "had an attack of conscience", and he doesn't pry further.

However, by the middle of Season 8, it's clear that everyone knows.  The faked pregnancy/extortion plot plays heavily in "The Girl Who Cried Wolf" (8x21) and "Law and Disorder" (8x22), as Valerie's date-rape trial against Noah is underway.  Steve immediately thinks she's lying and doing it all for the money, and tries to convince Brandon of this based on her past.  Kelly and Donna believe the same, particularly once Valerie proposes a civil lawsuit for $10 million.  Even with that and a possible $200,000 settlement, David stays by Val's side, but does seem to either be amazed to hear the details of the Kenny incident for the first time in court (Noah's lawyer somehow got the story!) or he's just reacting to how deplorable he thinks it is that they'd defame her character like that to disprove a rape.  Earlier in 8x21, Steve tries to convince David that this is a repeat of what happened in Season 7 and they end up in a physical brawl.   Overall, it looked more like everyone had known what happened with Valerie/Kenny all along but had no reason to bring it up again until now.  


Thanks for the question!

All the best,

Mel