Granted,
you can say that about a lot of shows we watched then, that seem
incredibly hammy now, but because a lot of us saw 90210 as a weekly religion, the aide memoire of our pledge stings just that little more. But
OK, yes it was tacky, yes the performances were as wooden as anything
in Noah’s Ark, and yes the storylines were more melodramatic than
topical, but 90210 was
still a pretty well put-together show. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t have
lasted for so long. What worked in its favour was that the show was
based in reality as much as it could’ve been – despite the fact that
nobody in the cast ever seemed to bare a zit, complain of thrash or
have stomachs that hung over their belts – unlike a lot of teenage
dramas. It tackled some pretty heavy subjects – like drugs, teenage
pregnancy, suicide and the importance of an education – with made a lot
of us sit up and take notice. We mightn’t fall for the preaching now,
but then, we did. Call Generation X easier to fleece, if you will. Brandon
and Brenda (Jason Priestley and Shannen ‘Media Darling’ Doherty) move
from Minnesota to Beverly Hills – needless to say, it’s quite a change.
Suddenly, the middle-class twins are going to a high school prosperous
with wealth… and for most of season one, they most definitely didn’t
fit in. But soon, with a little help from Kelly, Steve, Dylan, David,
and Donna Played by Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Luke Perry, Brian Austin
Green, Gabrielle Cateris (and Tori ‘Daddy makes the show, so I’m on it’
Spelling) they were incorporated into the weekly suburban nightmares of
the rich & famous. (Interestingly enough, the show’s most popular
character, Dylan, doesn’t appear in the pilot episode). Though Kevin Williamson’s Dawson’s Creek - a show that owed a lot to 90210, actually - would later steal its crown for ‘dialogue with the most flair’, the series did have its share of golden speak. Brenda Walsh: Dylan, I love you. I've never stopped loving you and I know now I never will.
Dylan McKay: I'll applaud you from afar.
Brenda Walsh: I want more than your applause. I won't be gone forever, Dylan. Give me something to come back to.
Steve Sanders: Girls mature faster than guys.
Brandon Walsh: Not in my house they don't. EXTRAS The newly-released disc set (which like the Melrose Place DVD set
suffers from not having the original music included) features a series
that doesn’t hold up terribly well – it is, after all, a decade and a
half old - but it is a nice trip down memory lane. At the same, it’s
also interesting to note that although we considered the series to be a
fairly brave show at the time – it now seems as tame and unimpeachable
as Seventh Heaven. Conclusion:
Movie 65% Extras: 55%
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