If someone says “90210”, young viewers immediately think of the CW television show. Older audiences, in their late twenties to forty, recognize those numbers for its zip code connotations which appeared in the title of a very popular night-time soap on Fox in the 1990s, Beverly Hills 90210. For almost the entire decade of the ’90s, Beverly Hills 90210 ruled the television world. Now 10 years after it aired, the tenth and final season has finally made its way to DVD. Now the question remains if this groundbreaking teenage drama go out with a whimper or a bang.
In the beginning Beverly Hills 90210 followed the lives of a group of teenagers who went to West Beverly High. The central focus was on twins Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley), who moved to Beverly Hills with their parents, Jim and Cindy (James Eckhouse and Carol Potter) from Minneapolis. Brandon and Brenda soon formed a group of friends including troubled rich girl Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), David Silver (Brian Austin Green), smart outsider Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris), Donna Martin (Tori Spelling), rebel Dylan McKay (Luke Perry), and Kelly’s ex-boyfriend, Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering).
As time went by these kids graduated high school and then college, entering the real world together. Every episode of the series seemed to address a different issue affecting American teenagers today such as relationship drama, drug use, getting involved in gangs, sexual assault, etc. As years went by more mature plot lines came into play like marriage, divorce, children, career problems and dealing with other issues associated with getting older.
At the end of the ninth season, Kelly killed the man who had been raping her. So now at the start of season 10, she is still dealing with the aftermath. Also, during this season Steve finally grows up and focuses on his marriage and new baby. David has his ups and downs in both his career and all of his relationships. He is still waiting for longtime love Donna (Tori Spelling) to be single again. Meanwhile, Donna finds out her cousin Gina (Vanessa Marcil) is really her sister due to an indiscretion of her father, who ends up having a heart attack and dying. In addition, she has issues with drugs this season as well. Dylan is also still around longing to get back with Kelly, even though she is engaged to someone else. Finally, Brandon decides to leave Beverly Hills for good and take a job in Washington.
All of the storylines this season stick firmly on the soap opera side of things, as this more overly melodramatic as opposed to subtle. Most of it you have seen before, but there are some good twists and turns this season that were truly unique since Beverly Hills 90210 was the first program to actually show these things on network television. Even with all of the soap opera drama, the cast still does a great job with their characters. Jennie Garth and Luke Perry are probably as great as they ever have been. Even new additions to the cast, Daniel Cosgrove and Vincent Young, do a decent job in fitting in as well. The biggest missing piece this season is the departure of Jason Priestley, but with the rest of the core cast mainly still in tact, he isn’t as missed as much as you would think.
The final season of Beverly Hills 90210 is definitely not the best season of the series. It’s probably towards the bottom half in terms of quality, but it is the last season. The cast is still great and they make the predictable cliched storylines entertaining to watch. And you can’t deny that Beverly Hills 90210 is the truly originator of the teen soap series that every show since then has tried to copy.
Episodes:
Disc One:
Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
Everyone tries to protect Kelly as she deals with the aftermath of shooting the man who raped her.
Episode 2 – Let’s Eat Cake
The friends plan a surprise party for David’s birthday and Donna sees Noah with another woman, while Kelly takes her first steps on the road to recovery.
Episode 3 – You Better Work
Gina almost ruins Donna’s new men’s designs. Steve struggles with fatherhood. Kelly seeks direction. Dylan applies to college.
Episode 4 – A Fine Mess
David, Noah and Dylan coach Steven in the correct way to propose to Janet, but he dreads the moment as she’s already said no to him before.
Disc Two:
Episode 5 – The Loo-Ouch
Janet’s pregnancy leads to a meeting of her conservative parents and Steve’s unorthodox family. David adopts his abrasive radio persona.
Episode 6 – 80s Night
Kelly and Matt clash. Janet and Steve clash over Halloween plans. Noah and Gina try to change the club.
Episode 7 – Laying Pipe
Donna tries to trace the identity of a homeless man who dies outside her store and David sells his car to a feminist performance artist who plans to destroy it.
Episode 8 – Baby, You Can Drive My Car
Janet begins to panic about wedding preparations, while Steve suggests they organize a scavenger hunt for their friends, with clues providing the location of a party.
Disc Three:
Episode 9 – Family Tree (Part 1)
Janet’s baby is born prematurely.
Episode 10 – What’s in a Name (Part 2)
Donna learns a family secret. David learns Gina is involved in blackmail.
Episode 11 – Sibling Revelry
Steve and Janet finally arrive home with the new baby, but suddenly wonder if they’re ready for such a responsibility.
Episode 12 – Nine Yolks Whipped Lightly
The Martins invite Gina to spend Christmas with them, while Donna questions Noah about the car accident in which his girlfriend was killed.
Episode 13 – Tainted Love
Matt lands himself in hot water when he spends a client’s retainer money on an engagement ring for Kelly only for the man to decide to settle.
Disc Four:
Episode 14 – I’m Using You ‘Cause I Like You
Matt violates his suspension negotiating a settlement for a worker injured on the job and sets up David on a date with an attorney friend on the ethics committee. Kelly announces that she is quitting the store and Donna gets a date with a handsome man who turns out to be married. Gina receives a tempting offer, while Steve and Janet hire a new nanny.
Episode 15 – Fertile Ground
Matt’s brother and his wife ask him to be a surrogate father, angering Kelly in the process. She soon realizes she is being unreasonable. Gina is offered another TV job, while Donna dates the clothing buyer for a chain of stores, but becomes jealous when David gets involved with a fashion magazine editor. Elsewhere, Steve confesses his fling with Darby to Janet, and Josie fears for her life.
Episode 16 – The Final Proof
The brother of a drug-dealing friend kidnaps Noah and sends a ransom note to Dylan.
Episode 17 – Doc Martin
Doc Martin’s death leaves many unanswered questions for Gina about her life. Noah and Dylan recover after their kidnapping. Donna’s friends console her.
Episode 18 – Eddie Waitkus
Dylan becomes convinced that his father is still alive after seeing a lookalike on an airplane and grows even more suspicious after discovering that the storage locker containing Jack’s belongings has been ransacked. Donna gives up a chance of dating a nice guy in order to play nursemaid to Noah and Kelly reluctantly writes a speech in favor of the ballot initiative banning gay clubs.
Disc Five:
Episode 19 – I Will Be Your Father Figure
Kelly and Matt help Dylan track down his father and find him living in Tolleson, Arizona with a wife and son. Noah tries to rekindle his relationship with Donna after she cares for him while he recovers from his injuries, and Steve’s brother Ryan comes to visit for spring break and reveals he has dropped out of college.
Episode 20 – Ever Hear the One About the Exploding Father?
Dylan storms out of another meeting with his father but persuades him not to leave the witness protection program after learning that two of his enemies know he’s alive and are plotting revenge. David turns down a job at a New York radio station, Steve becomes concerned when Noah gives Ryan a job at the After Dark, and Matt represents a comedian who was fired for not being funny.
Episode 21 – Spring Fever
Matt goes dirt biking with Dylan for the weekend and is shocked to find their campsite is the venue for a rave, and things go horribly wrong when he unwittingly drinks juice spiked with drugs. Meanwhile, Donna grows more jealous of David’s relationship with Camille.
Episode 22 – The Easter Bunny
Kelly grows suspicious of Matt’s distant behavior. Camile tries to convince Donna to sell her clothes online and Ellen objects to Noah’s efforts to help her establish a normal life. Steve and Janet fear their parent’s dog might be responsible for killing a neighbor’s pet rabbit.
Episode 23 – And Don’t Forget to Give Me Back My Black T-shirt
Mitch annoys Donna by trying to plan their entire relationship via an electronic organizer, prompting her to suggest that they stop seeing each other outside of a business setting. David finally breaks up with Camille. Noah bails Ellen out of jail after she is found drinking in her car and is shocked to discover she has a six-year-old daughter who lives with her grandmother.
Disc Six:
Episode 24 – Love is Blind
Donna and David finally get back together after being set up on a date by Steve, Janet and Felice, while Kelly and Matt decide on an August wedding before moving away. Noah persuades Ellen’s mother to let her spend time with Caitlin, but his helpfulness backfires when Ellen tells him she no longer has time to see him as she must concentrate on being a good mother.
Episode 25 – I’m Happy For You, Really
David proposes to Donna after a visit from Camille. When Kelly believes Dylan has been involved in a surfing accident makes, she realizes she still loves him. Matt goes to his brother’s funeral. Janet receives an offer to write for a new magazine and Ellen pursues a romance with Noah.
Episode 26 – The Penultimate (Part 1)
David expresses his feelings for Donna by writing her a giant love note in the sand and, after a talk with Janet, she finally accepts his proposal. Matt considers moving to New York to help his sister-in-law but when he decides to stay in Los Angeles for Kelly, she calls off the engagement. Kelly is unable to reconcile her feelings for Dylan, who has just graduated from college. Ellen asks Noah for a commitment to protect her daughter Caitlin from potential heartache, but it’s all too much for him to handle.
Episode 27 – Ode to Joy (Part 2)
The gang help Donna and David plan their wedding, but when they realize Gina can’t attend, they consider postponing the event. Janet wins the editor position at Nouveau but worries the job will force her to spend too much time away from Maddy.
The video is given in fullscreen color with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The transfer is good, and is about as good as you can expect for a show that is this old. No major problems at all.
The audio included is English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese as well. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear. There are no major problems here either.
“The Final Goodbye” Retrospective Episode –
In this full-length episode, cast members reminisce about favorite moments from the show. They share memories of the cast and crew, and discuss their feelings about the end of the series. Clips from past episodes and behind-the-scenes footage are also included here.
You can’t really jump right into this season, since it is the last one. It’s not the best season either, so only hardcore fans that have stuck around this long will be the most entertained. .
Paramount Home Entertainment presents Beverly Hills 90210: The Final Season. Created by Aaron Spelling and Darren Star. Starring Luke Perry, Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, Lindsay Price, Vincent Young, Daniel Cosgrove, and Vanessa Marcil. Running time: 1170 minutes. Rated: NOT RATED. Released on DVD: November 2, 2010.
