Beverly Hills, 90210
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Season One (1990-91)
Rate:
out of 5
Viewed:
3/26
3/26:
I didn't have to watch Beverly Hills, 90210, an extremely popular show that transformed Fox Channel in
the 90's, to know what it was like to go to a high school with the same atmosphere since I experienced that
for real (yeah...no joke).
Years later after it ended for good, I decided to watch the reruns and got caught up in everything. The show is
a rarity for having the most unlikeable characters ever. Notwithstanding Brandon Walsh's parents, Nat, and maybe
Dylan McKay, Kelly Taylor, and Steve Sanders, I hate everybody, but the quality is still top-notch.
However, make no mistake: Beverly Hills, 90210 would've never survived for so long without Luke Perry.
He's the number one star of the cast with a major, major "it" factor written all over his face. Overall, the
acting is absolutely impressive given what the ensemble had to work with in the face of the slow-developing
chemistry. So popular at their school, Kelly, Donna, and Steve were nearly friendless before the Walshes moved to
Beverly Hills? Ha! I don't think so.
Anyway, Season One has been enjoyable. Many of the episodes are compelling and fun to watch,
sometimes touching on explosive issues such as AIDS, breast cancer, alcoholism, patricide, and homosexuality.
That's why I think this one was much better than every teen show that appeared in the past decade except for
21 Jump Street.
During this season's run, I've been noticing that Brandon Walsh averages a female per episode. That's crazy.
Honestly, I dislike him intensely because he is a cheat, a liar, a racist, and a drunk driver who could've killed
somebody. Prone to be easily pissed off, Brandon will take somebody's head off with the slightest provocation.
Worst of all, he acts like a saint with conscience yet is the biggest hypocrite ever walked on earth.
As a matter of fact, I have a hard time deciding who's worse: Brandon or Brenda. She always has the flair
for the melodrama, no matter how small the situation is, and tries to take advantage of every opportunity
to make her parents feel worse by creating useless spats. Speaking of Jim and Cindy, I actually feel sorry
for them. Because of their ever-flowing leniency, they're so weak in asserting authority.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Class of Beverly Hills: It's difficult to explain to anyone who hadn't seen all of the ten seasons
before going back to this very first episode because I remember every single relationship the principal
characters will have with each other in the long run. How little they knew at the time. Of
River's Edge and Tex fame, Tim Hunter is
the perfect director to start off Beverly Hills, 90210. The first inkling of who Brandon Walsh
really is begins here when he betrayed Marianne's confidence, and that's the hottest girl (the actress is
Leslie Bega) he has ever hooked up with. Ditto for Brenda the hypocite who's 16 stringing a 25-year-old guy
(played by Maxwell Caulfield of The Boys Next Door) along. Djimon
Hounsou plays the bouncer and will famously appear in Amistad seven years
later. A different mother is played for Kelly Taylor.
The Green Room: When Luke Perry made his first appearance, it completely changed the arc of
Beverly Hills, 90210 despite being slated to appear for one or two episodes. If not for him, there's no
way the show would've lasted for ten seasons. Calling Dylan McKay the James Dean of the 90's isn't an
overstatement. Funnily, Luke Perry auditioned for Ian Ziering's role, but it's impossible to see him as Steve
Sanders. Anyway, I was very surprised when he died of a stroke seven years ago at the age of 52, becoming the
first cast member of the high school class to do so. Shannen Doherty would be the second (cancer at 53 in 2024),
but it's no big loss, considering how much everybody hated her.
Every Dream Has Its Price (Tag): *laughing* Noelle Parker is certainly semi-fat. Look at the baggy clothes
and the huge handbag she keeps hauling around to conceal her body. Anyway, she went on to play Amy Fisher in
Lethal Lolita.
The First Time: The first of many temper tantrums for Saint Brandon. Surprised that Dylan stayed friends
with him after the punch.
One on One: Saint Brandon makes the basketball team and yet is never seen playing again in any
subsequent episode. Plus, he shows his true colors after watching some black guys dominate the court without
being reminded that he ain't that good at it. In the meantime, Brenda is so stupid.
Higher Education: My previous comment about Brenda is obviously spot-on. Her hair was fine the entire
time, and she wanted to do something different to it? Ah, Saint Brandon the Hypocrite. Psst, kiddo...I never
cheated in high school. Anyway, I have a bizarre story about a history class I took in 8th grade: my teacher
would read aloud from a paper the questions and answers that would be on the test, which continued throughout the
year, and everything he said was exactly on the test without fail; needless to say, everybody got a 100%,
yet there were a couple who still failed, no matter what (they eventually dropped out of high school).
Season Ten (1999-2000)
Rate:
out of 5
Viewed:
3/26
3/26:
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Most Likeable Characters (In That Order)
1. Jim and Cindy Walsh: Apart from being great parents, they were the reason why
Beverly Hills, 90210 was tolerable enough to watch.
2. Kelly Taylor: At first, I thought she was somewhat stuck-up but grew to be the most likeable and the
most levelheaded character of the high school class. It's too bad about the rape incident. At any rate, she could
do a lot better than either Brandon or Dylan after being acquainted with their worst qualities.
3. Nat Bussichio: He's a superb person. I never thought negatively of him.
4. Steve Sanders: I found him to be an upstanding person despite his privileged lifestyle. Sure, he
could be a meathead with flaws but knew and understood the value of friendship.
5. Donna Martin: She's a good person who didn't deserve bad things that happened to her in many seasons.
It's easy to see why she made for a vulnerable target. My goodness...that horrible mother of hers.
Neutral Characters
1. Dylan McKay: This is a toughie. Dark, brooding, and intelligent, he's a jerk overall. But no mistake:
Dylan was the most compelling and the most handsome character of the series. If not for him, I couldn't be
persuaded enough to watch more episodes early on. I wish he would do better by making good choices, but drugs
and alcohol got the best of him.
Most Hated Characters (In That Order)
1. Brenda Walsh: There were so many candidates for the top spot, but she won this one quite handily.
So...congratulations, Brenda. She's absolutely insufferable: always complaining about this and that, how nothing
was good enough for her, and the numerous fights with her parents who didn't deserve any of it. It was good
riddance when she got the boot after Season Four.
2. Brandon Walsh: If anyone looked up the meaning of "hypocrite" in a dictionary, he would find a
picture of Brandon. I just hate, hate, hate him. Oh, the eyes...so righteous. I was never fooled for a second.
That awful temper of his...I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon became a politician.