Jump the Shark Moments: "Donna Martin Graduates!"

[TheGongOfDoom]

I was a little out of the demo for the show, but not quite and was a regular viewer, through the very early days  including the episode where David's friend shoots and kills himself. Rewatching that wow, could have been an early shark jumping moment, so heavy handed and the acting was B-A-D. But I forgave it because the rant David gave when he didn't think the mic was on felt true. He had semi been goaded into something by someone who really hadn't been that friendly to him before that and he lashed out. It felt true. and the acting I could excuse because the actors hadn't settled into their characters yet.

"Donna Martin graduates!" on the other hand, that was preposterous and kind of foreshadowed the Millienial filth and their helicopter parents and the abdication of personal accountability and accepting the consequences of your actions, be they good or bad.

A quick recap; the gang is gonna go to prom except Brandon because BRANDON WALSH DOES NOT DANCE!!, but of course he ends up going, because the gang has to be together. There had been an announcemtn that anyone caught drunk or with booze at the prom would be punished (this was said by the evil administrator who hasn ever appeared on the show before because the kindly understanding regular admin was at an butthole to mouth and bukkake orgy in Vegas. ALL THE STUDENTS KNEW ABOUT THIS. IIRC there was even a leaflet to bring home to their parents.David's dad throws a pre prom party at which champagne is available and Donna has too much and goes to the prom and makes a fool of herself and gets caught and exposed as being drunk and her punishment is that she won;t be allowed to graduate. Naturally the students led by Brandon think this is some Nazi level bullshit so of course they stage a walkout protest culminating in picket signs and the aforementioned phrase shouting and of course the orgy attending admin comes back JUST in the nick of time and forgives Donna who gets off scot free or maybe she had to bang erasers after school for a week.

When the episode aired my friend and I kept going "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" in regards to the kids protests and threw up our hands at the resolution.

The kids are told beforehand that no booze is allowed at the prom and that if they show up or are found to be drunk there will be serious repercussions/punishments. They know this because they talk about when David's dad brings the champagne out at the party.

Despite this, and because she is SO INNOCENT and NAIVE Donna has champagne and gets tipsy/drunk and gets caught.

Just, augggh.

However did that mean I stopped watching the show? It did not!

As for when I finally bailed on the show it was about halfway through season 8.

 

[SPLAIN]

I laughed at the entire school staging a protest for someone whom they probably didn't two shits about. I sure as hell wouldn't ruin my chance of graduating for some chick who chose to drink.

[TheGongOfDoom]

Oh, and then there's the whole thing about Brandon being one of the most popular kids in his class  or the entire school because he was the co-editor of the school newspaper. Are you fucking kidding me?

MAYBE at some podunk school truly in the middle of nowhere in I don't know Montana or North Dakota, but West Beverly Hills high school where a bunch of kids whose parents are a-list celebrities? FUCK THAT NOISE.

I realize you have to handwave away stuff on a tv show but that was a bit hard to take.

[SPLAIN]

Yeah, I wouldn't expect some kid who was a recent transplant from Minnesota (?) to suddenly be this popular student of WEST BEVERLY HIGH! The popular students tend to become popular from elementary or junior high and by the time they hit high school, everybody knows them. That crown will not be passed to some okie from Muskogee.

Another thing that killed me was how the "gang" was the popular group for every event. They each made the senior poll, and they were each featured in the senior breakfast. From David who organized it, to him and Donna emceeing the occasion, along with the memory video they showed where all the memories featured "the gang". How did the school get footage of the girls parachuting? And who the fuck would care about what they did? As if they were the only students who mattered.

Edited March 29, 2014 by SPLAIN

[desertflower]

I was a senior in high school when the show started so I was pretty much target audience. I followed it up until they killed off Dylan's wife Toni. I remember being so mad they would heap yet another hardship on him, and I hated how he left, hardly saying goodbye to anyone. I didn't watch for a couple of seasons. But I would still see previews for the show and after awhile I started wondering how the characters were doing and eventually came back. The latter seasons were not great but they had a few redeemable moments and I was a sucker for the David/Donna wedding in the finale. In reruns I did eventually watch the seasons I missed.

The show was a mixed bag....at times a great teen drama that really hit the nail on the head as to what it felt like to be a teen. And other times it was so cheesy and ridiculous. But looking back now, the cheesy parts are fun to watch and snark on, and the show wouldn't be quite the same without them.

[TheGongOfDoom]

Yeah, I wouldn't expect some kid who was a recent transplant from Minnesota (?) to suddenly be this popular student of WEST BEVERLY HIGH! The popular students tend to become popular from elementary or junior high and by the time they hit high school, everybody knows them. That crown will not be passed to some okie from Muskogee.

Another thing that killed me was how the "gang" was the popular group for every event. They each made the senior poll, and they were each featured in the senior breakfast. From David who organized it, to him and Donna emceeing the occasion, along with the memory video they showed where all the memories featured "the gang". How did the school get footage of the girls parachuting? And who the fuck would care about what they did? As if they were the only students who mattered.

 

Well Brandon had a type A personality, so he wasn't really shy about putting himself out there and marching up and saying, "Hey we just moved here from Butthole Minnesota and MY GOD  can you believe it's December and it's 78 degrees!!!!" and Brenda was actually as bitchy as girls at Beverly Hills High School are. As far as the gang being the center of everything, that's kind of the way of every tv show, isn't it. The same thing is true of Saved by The Bell, The Brady Bunch, even Big Bang Theory, though that does touch on the gang being excluded from things. It's one of those things you accept/handwave away when it becomes overbearing.

I was a senior in high school when the show started so I was pretty much target audience. I followed it up until they killed off Dylan's wife Toni. I remember being so mad they would heap yet another hardship on him, and I hated how he left, hardly saying goodbye to anyone. I didn't watch for a couple of seasons. But I would still see previews for the show and after awhile I started wondering how the characters were doing and eventually came back. The latter seasons were not great but they had a few redeemable moments and I was a sucker for the David/Donna wedding in the finale. In reruns I did eventually watch the seasons I missed.

The show was a mixed bag....at times a great teen drama that really hit the nail on the head as to what it felt like to be a teen. And other times it was so cheesy and ridiculous. But looking back now, the cheesy parts are fun to watch and snark on, and the show wouldn't be quite the same without them.

Very true. There were some very good moments and some a fair amount of cheese. Funny to look back and realize that Dylan had an earring for a couple of episodes.

[Moo]

I loved this show when it first aired (I was about 8 or 9 when it started). I stopped watching when Brenda left, and only caught a few eps here and there until Dylan skedaddled. But really, my heart isn't in it come S3. Sure, the SOD is fun and all from a bitchy standpoint, but as a Brenda fan the show gets increasingly hard to watch once S3 hits. Behind the scenes drama leaks into the script and it feels a little like a game of Kick the Brenda every week until she leaves. And that's a lot of kicking she takes.

 

I was the biggest BD fan, but time has ruined it for me when I go back to rewatch. S3 and on Dylan just makes me want to stab things. He is the biggest dillweed in the history of teen TV (with the possible exception of Lucas Scott). S1 and S2 I can still enjoy, and I feel like it's got some measure of continuity that makes sense, despite the few leaps around (Donna's a whore -- oh wait, we mean virgin!). In S1/2, Brandon hasn't yet turned into the flatheaded gimp I know and loathe, Kelly's fun and loyal, Donna's thankfully peripheral, Dylan is actually a great boyfriend to my girl Brenda, Andrea's not pregnant, Steve's hilarious and David looks and acts 12. I love the first two seasons. But everything after that's shit.

 

Personally, the most unbelievable thing the writers tried to push was that Brandon was at all popular. Guys like him went to my high school and they didn't win awards - they got jumped after school for being a suck-up. I mean holy fuck, if any pupil in my school had been pals with one of the teachers and called them by their first name, he would've had to have his underwear surgically removed from his arse every.damn.week.

[AndySmith]

"Donna Martin graduates!", while not a JTS moment for me, is interesting in that, watching it as a kid (I would have been a freshmanhigh school), I was totally on the side of the kids, but looking at now as a guy in his mid-30s...Donna should have gotten her barely-covered-in-short-shorts ass suspended. And Brandon too.

For me, there was no actual JTS moment. My favorite era of the show probably remains the summer after season 2 up until the end of season 5. I still watched the last 2 years of college, and then somewhat lost interest during season 8. I'd guess I bailed on the show sometime during that season. I did tune in for the final episode, and didn't watch the rest of the series until years later. The only thing I can say I really missed during that time was Steve and Janet. Much of the rest, like Noah, Gina, and Matt I didn't feel about not seeing during the shows first run.

[Bastet]

I stuck around until Andrea decided to not just parent with but marry some terminally boring guy she barely knew.  I was so bothered with how they wrote Andrea in college, and then I looked around and realized I didn't like ANY of these people anymore.  Dylan, with his faux rebel "I'm too mad, bad and dangerous to know" to stand in line and wait list for classes nonsense, Brandon acting like a junior senator instead of a university student body rep, Kelly and her stupid baby voice, Brenda isolated from the group because no one could maintain enough professionalism to distinguish between actor and character, Steve's repetitive frat shenanigans and the endless David/Donna dance. 

[Lisin]

I sadly never stopped. I still can't believe I did. I rewatched it several times too. It's so funny! I mean it's terrible, but hilarious. Kelly doing coke with her daddy's check is a highlight for me. Shut Up Kelly! 

[SPLAIN]

As far as the gang being the center of everything, that's kind of the way of every tv show, isn't it. The same thing is true of Saved by The Bell, The Brady Bunch, even Big Bang Theory, though that does touch on the gang being excluded from things. It's one of those things you accept/handwave away when it becomes overbearing

Watching tv, yes, you have to pretty much suspend belief in order to be entertained. But this board, like many others, is the place to snark and analyze, give opinions and discuss those scenarios that are portrayed on tv shows. It will be pretty darn boring, in my opinion, if we couldn't dissect the characters of a tv show, the stars, the storylines, the writing, and all the other things connected with tv shows. Again, I maintain the whole idea about this group being the center of the universe at West Beverly High, was laughable, annoying, and unbelievable.

[Shangrilala]

When did the show JTS?  I don't think there's one specific moment, although if I had to choose it would be with the opening of the Peach Pit After Dark in season 5.  The whole concept, from Steve the "rave/party planner" to Val the business owner, to Donna the Ray groupie, to Claire and David the music managers, was absolutely stupid.  I've never understood the need to do that because to be honest, there is plenty of natural drama, tension, and opportunity that exists in college life that they could have used without having the PPAD as a background.  And I really think the opening of this club changed the tone of the show from a group of high school/college friends navigating the perils of high school together and starting college together to this weird, unrealistic view of what life as a 19 year old in college is like.  The characters becamse too old and unrelateable at that point.  And I say that as somebody who was 1 year younger than the gang so I was their exact target demographic. 

Not to mention, it's LA.  You mean to tell me that the PPAD had people banging down the doors waving promotional flyers every night like that?  Not likely. 

But I think there were glimpses along the way of what was to come.  Donna Martin Graduates will go down in TV history as an iconic moment in pop culture.  Whether you watched the show or not, anybody who grew up in the 90s will know that reference.  But it's that episode where we got our first FULL dose of sanctimonious Brandon who was revered by all, including his own parents, even though he was acting like a jacka$$.  You have your first dose of sweet/innocent Donna, I think.   And that stays with her for the rest of the series.  But I don't think that's the point that the show JTS.  But rather a preview of some character development that will stay with us throughout the series. 

Again, I maintain the whole idea about this group being the center of the universe at West Beverly High, was laughable, annoying, and unbelievable.

I don't know that this group was meant to be the center of the universe at WBH, but rather the show was just about their universe.  There were plenty of episodes that indicted the presence of other cliques.  In the high school date rape episodes (A Good LIstener?) Brenda talks about thinking about trying out for cheer but how all the girls are in this "obnoxious little clique."  When Cousin-Bobby-Future-Drug-Dealer comes to town, they take him to a party of some guy who is clearly meant to be right in the middle of the in-crowd. We know that the jocks exist, their presence was known in plenty of episodes.  And in the senior poll episode, Brenda talks about how everybody who won had been around since kindergarten, or some such thing.  I agree that the whole senior breakfast thing was kind of silly that we didn't see anything else, but that's one episode meant to induce nostalgia about the show and our favorite chacters.  Or induce vomit upon hearing how Brandon wants a girl who's creamy.  Your pick. 

[Moo]

Oh God, Brandon wanting a creamy girl. As sung by his sister. What the fuck were the writers smoking that week?

 

Probably the same thing they were smoking in S3 when the show JTS by blowing Jack up. I'm sorry, but that's the moment for me the show never came back from. 90210 had always been soapy, of course, but soapy in a love triangle, bitchy, my whore-bag friend stole my boyfriend kind of way. Jack all blowed up crossed the line into full-on cray-cray that the show never came back from. From here on out, it was a bit of a free-for-all. Wild-west flashbacks, 60s flashbacks, Brandon meeting the bloody President, sting operations in Mexico, car-jackings and gun obsessions - and it all kicked off because they had to blow up Jack. It was the first OTT moment. Sure, it had been shit before that (angels at Christmas anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) but it was still within the original mission statement of the show i.e. whiny teens and how the world revolves around them and whatever their genitals are pointing at that week. But Jack's exploding corpse just had to ruin it.

[GoRunner]

Good points, Moo, but I will always love the Mexico Sting episodes because I  love Jonsey. He was a great character. Go, Wings Hauser!!

Edited April 3, 2014 by GoRunner

[AndySmith]

 

it was still within the original mission statement of the show i.e. whiny teens and how the world revolves around them and whatever their genitals are pointing at that week.

Wasn't the original mission statement "Family from Minnesota moves to Beverly Hills and is shocked - shocked! - by the inevitable culture clash and difference in morals?"

[Shangrilala]

Good points, Moo, but I will always love the Mexico Sting episodes because I  love Jonsey.

Oh, me too.  Jonesy may actually be my favorite secondary character of the entire series, and I wish they had him in some kind of recurring role, if only for a brief time.  I would have much preferred to watch him and Val conquer crime together than watch business-suit Kelly saving the world at the Wyatt Clinic.  The Mexico episode is so unrealistic but it just works so well because of him. 

The only non-main character who I love just as much is Felice.  I don't know why, but I've always been absolutely fascinated by the character of Felice Martin.  Maybe because as I get older and have become a mother myself I find legitimate truth in some of what she says (although not all) as opposed to back in the day when I thought she was a bitchy society mom who just "didn't get it" and was out of touch with what really mattered. 

[MrsEVH]

I stuck around until Andrea decided to not just parent with but marry some terminally boring guy she barely knew.  I was so bothered with how they wrote Andrea in college, and then I looked around and realized I didn't like ANY of these people anymore.  

I was always surprised they made Jesse the father (whom she probably only slept with maybe once) opposed to Dan ( I think that's his name) who she slept with multiple times. I know Gabrielle was pg in real life so they had to write it in or hide her body (like they did it with Jennie when she was pg). What was odd was Gabrielle was already showing before they even made the Andrea character pregnant. 

Edited April 3, 2014 by MrsEVH

[Bastet]

I was always surprised that they made Jesse the father (whom she probably only slept with 1x) opposed to Dan ( I think that's his name) who she slept with multiple times.

I've read it was because they didn't want to go down the trite path of having a character get pregnant upon losing her virginity.  But that's about the last cliché they avoided in Andrea's pregnancy storyline.

[smiley13]

I watched the show that whole way through.  Bringing in Gina was a JTS moment because it meant that nice guy Dr Martin had slept with his SIL.   They they had to go and kill Dr Martin.  Gina was a poorly conceived character all around.  

And bring back Dylan as a drinker and drug user was far fetched as well.

Of the late characters, the only one I really liked was Matt.  Oh, and Janet and Steve were a good match,

[coxtradamus]

Claire was my boo!!!!!!!!

[WhitneyWhit]

It wasn't a full jts moment, but it was a moment that told me that the writers were no longer interested in upholding the integrity and history of the show, and that was the ridiculous story Brandon told about his first day at West Beverly. Everyone knows what happened on Brandon's first day, there was no reason to fabricate anything, they could have simply shown a flashback.

[FozzyBear]

My JTS moment was when the Walshes moved to Hong Kong and decided to entrust their 20 year old son and his college pals with their million dollar Beverly Hills home instead of selling it or renting it for several thousand dollars a month.

[the living statue]

My JTS moment was when the Walshes moved to Hong Kong and decided to entrust their 20 year old son and his college pals with their million dollar Beverly Hills home instead of selling it or renting it for several thousand dollars a month.

Indeed. And, they bought him that flashy sports car to dull the pain, as well. RIP Mondale, and yellow classic car. JTS moment for me was when Kelly, the studious student, also became "a model", and then was tragically disfigured thanks to a fire at a house party/rave.

[desertflower]

Yeah, it was bad enough the parents were written out of the show, but the yellow Mustang too?? Boo, writers, boo! 

[Sun-Bun]

I'll never forget the episode where Donna Martin was cheesing out chasing Color Me Badd around a hotel like a creepy groupie---it was so awesomely 90's trashtastic!!! I didn't mind the episode at the time because I was a taste devoid pre-teen with an equally obnoxious Color Me Badd fetish, but looking back now, I can't believe how dated it made the series look.

Maybe Tori Spelling was a real-life fan and begged Daddy Spelling to put them on the show??

[Maherjunkie]

I think they were just popular at the time.

 

I felt sorry for Donna; it was one lousy toast of champagne at a milestone moment.  The poor thing just happens to have a reaction to it.

[larapu2000]

Oh, and then there's the whole thing about Brandon being one of the most popular kids in his class  or the entire school because he was the co-editor of the school newspaper. Are you fucking kidding me?

MAYBE at some podunk school truly in the middle of nowhere in I don't know Montana or North Dakota, but West Beverly Hills high school where a bunch of kids whose parents are a-list celebrities? FUCK THAT NOISE.

I realize you have to handwave away stuff on a tv show but that was a bit hard to take.

Uh, excuuuuuse me, but small towns and schools can sniff out douches, too. Brandon Walsh would not have been popular at any school in any city except on television.

For me, the JTS moment was when Nat got storylines. Doesn't he have friends?

[Maherjunkie]

Brandon was not a bad person he just had that John-Boy Walton judgment thing going.  He might have been very popular on Walton's Mtn, or Casper, Wyoming, where Dick Cheney counts as a success.

[JennDear77]

A JTS moment for me is Donna and Brenda spending the summer in Paris. Brenda had moved in with Dylan after being forbidden to see him by Jim...but somehow they decide sending her to Paris is a great idea. And they have the money for that kind of thing even though they're not supposed to be super rich.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the Paris epispdes when they first aired (I was 13 when the show began so I was hooked from the start) but looking back now it just seems like such bullcrap.

I also had a crush on Dean Cain/Rick so that was nice.

[Petunia13]

Kelly being on the cover of Seventeen magazine.

[smiley13]

For me it was the changing of Donna between seasons four and five when Tori got inflated,  All of a sudden, Donna the Virgin looked like a street walker with her terrible clothes and her clown looking make-up.

[Jax7917]

Brandon was quite annoying throughout the series, him and his judgemental about anything and everything attitude... but i can see him being popular. IMO he was really hot (the first few seasons), smart and when he wasn't being judgmental for 2 minutes a day he had an outgoing personality. I can see all the girls wanting him. What I don't understand is Dylan being the guy that everybody wanted. His personality was terrible and he looked like he was in his 50's when he was in high school. I thought brandon and later david grew up to be much better looking than he was.

[bethster2000]

I was never able to get past the scene where Dylan and Kelly 'fess up to Brenda in the park.

Really well done scene, but it cemented my hatred of Kelly forever.  The scene should have ended with ShanDo kicking the living tar out of Jennie Garth.

[Jax7917]

On 1/14/2017 at 6:24 PM, bethster2000 said:

I was never able to get past the scene where Dylan and Kelly 'fess up to Brenda in the park.

Really well done scene, but it cemented my hatred of Kelly forever.  The scene should have ended with ShanDo kicking the living tar out of Jennie Garth.

This . And Dylan was all " oh stop getting mad about this it just happened ". No dylan and Kelly it didn't JUST happen .. you guys chose to start hooking up behind Brenda's back and start flirting with each other. I mean i know Dylan and Kelly played tug of war over the summer but they never fell on to each other's tongues . 

I could have eventually forgiven Kelly for what she did IF she was actually sorry about it , but for some reason she always had such a chip on her shoulder toward Brenda as if Brenda was in the wrong 

[Ions Earring]

I can think of a couple people who were visibly wasted at my prom. If my peers left a FINAL! to protest their suspension, I would've stayed and used one of their desks as an ottoman. 

[MCMLXXVII]

On 1/13/2017 at 1:33 PM, Jaclyn88 said:

Brandon was quite annoying throughout the series, him and his judgemental about anything and everything attitude... but i can see him being popular. IMO he was really hot (the first few seasons), smart and when he wasn't being judgmental for 2 minutes a day he had an outgoing personality. I can see all the girls wanting him. What I don't understand is Dylan being the guy that everybody wanted. His personality was terrible and he looked like he was in his 50's when he was in high school. I thought brandon and later david grew up to be much better looking than he was.

I just think high school Dylan wouldn't have been part of "the gang" and best friends with a goody two shoes preppy jock like Brandon. At the beginning of the series when he's friends with those surfers and alcoholic surf Betty, I thought that was more his speed. Like he'd already have his own group of artsy alternative stoner types. He's rich, attractive, and kind of seductive/worldly in a way the other guys weren't, so I can see the appeal.

I guess he wanted to clean up his life and hang around better people, but it just seemed an odd choice of friends.

[AndySmith]

Yeah but part of Dylan's character was his longing for a more "normal" family, which the Walsh family provided, via his friendship with Brandon, and via his relationship with Brenda. Despite all his clashing with Jim, I think Dylan found the Walsh family appealing, given his own personal history.

[CurlyATX]

I'd say that the Walsh parents have been a draw to several of the kids.  Both Dylan and Kelly see the Walsh parents as part of the package of dating the respective Walsh. 

[Jax7917]

He was a pretty big asshole to Jim .. never really understood why after everything dylan did , Jim and cindy were always taking him in like family. The guy cheated on their daughter with her best friend, pretty much cursed jim out a million times, etc. Speaking of, how was kelly not embarrassed to go back into the walsh house after what she did to brenda anddd then brandon. Those parents were way too accepting of everyone

[CurlyATX]

As a parent now, I don't know how I'd be so open to any kid who crossed my child.   It's not like as a parent you have an actual relationship with your kids' friends.  I only tolerate them as long as they are relevant to my family. 

[benteen]

Quote

I just think high school Dylan wouldn't have been part of "the gang" and best friends with a goody two shoes preppy jock like Brandon.

Sorry, just laughing at the idea of Brandon being a jock...

Dylan fell in pretty quickly with Brandon and Steve as friends.  I get the impression they retconned those friendships with Steve and Kelly.  Dylan and Kelly talk about going on a class field trip in elementary school and during Dylan's bachelor party, Steve says him and Dylan have been friends since kindergarten. 

[CurlyATX]

I'll give this retcon a bit of a pass.  My son is in middle school and went to a medium sized elementary school- about 120 kids/grade. I could see the kids that tracked into West Beverly  may have "known of" each other and grown apart-maybe having even been in an early grade class together.  Early on, Kelly even talks about dating several boys at Beverly HS. 

At the end of the run, the real uniting force of The Gang is actually Casa Walsh- as it houses various members of The Gang, including Non Walshes and offspring.  Seriously... if I owned that I'd have sold it in a second vs letting these goofy rich kids stay in it for free!

[FozzyBear]

On 1/30/2017 at 8:19 AM, CurlyATX said:

I'll give this retcon a bit of a pass.  My son is in middle school and went to a medium sized elementary school- about 120 kids/grade. I could see the kids that tracked into West Beverly  may have "known of" each other and grown apart-maybe having even been in an early grade class together.  Early on, Kelly even talks about dating several boys at Beverly HS. 

At the end of the run, the real uniting force of The Gang is actually Casa Walsh- as it houses various members of The Gang, including Non Walshes and offspring.  Seriously... if I owned that I'd have sold it in a second vs letting these goofy rich kids stay in it for free!

Yeah, in certain ways the retcon that the kids who were born and raised in 90210 have known each other for so long that they’re “friends” regardless of whether they like each other makes more sense then treating the BHSD like it’s some huge district where you wouldn’t know someone you’ve been going to school with since kindergarten. BH isn’t a big city (I think in reality it only has 1 High School). Take away all the kids who go to private school and you’re not talking about a huge student body. It makes some sense to assume that Dylan, Kelly, Donna, and Steve have been going to each others birthday parties forever. In fact it makes more sense then actually thinking about why these kids are even in public school. Dylan isn’t in boarding school because? Donna doesn’t attend Catholic school because? Kelly and Steve maybe.

[CurlyATX]

21 hours ago, FozzyBear said:

In fact it makes more sense then actually thinking about why these kids are even in public school. Dylan isn’t in boarding school because? Donna doesn’t attend Catholic school because? Kelly and Steve maybe.

I think it would have been WAY better to have West Beverly actually be a prep school like Gossip Girl.  Ondrea could have been the charity case, um, I mean scholarship recipient like Dan.  Then, The Gang would have made sense because a graduating class would have been like 35 people or something.  I didn't think of it until now, but you're right... public school would be way beneath these people, especially someone like The Martins. 

[Erratic Behavior]

As a kid, I watched the show from the beginning and liked the first 2 seasons.  Then the summer before senior year it started declining, and the Xmas one when the Angels save them from a fatal bus crash was when I thought it "jumped the shark".  I never had heard the phrase, but I remember thinking "this has sunk really low".

Afterwards I watched it more as a guilty pleasure.

[TigerLynx]

On 12/5/2017 at 3:51 PM, Erratic Behavior said:

As a kid, I watched the show from the beginning and liked the first 2 seasons.  Then the summer before senior year it started declining, and the Xmas one when the Angels save them from a fatal bus crash was when I thought it "jumped the shark".  I never had heard the phrase, but I remember thinking "this has sunk really low".

Afterwards I watched it more as a guilty pleasure.

I continued watching up to Brenda leaving, but the Dylan/Brenda/Kelly triangle ruined the show for me.  The SL was actually good, but the fall out sucked.  Brenda should have burned Dylan and Kelly to the ground.  It also lead to the boring pairing of Dylan/Kelly followed by the boring triangle of Dylan/Kelly/Brandon, the boring pairing of Brandon/Kelly, and everyone else swapping partners which seems to be a regular trend on shows now.  Go after my best friend's boy or girl friend, no problem, a month from now they'll stab me in the back, we'll call it even, and we'll be BFFs again. {face palm}

[Jax7917]

I like the triangle story-lines, but I didn't like how Kelly didn't come out as the bad guy in the situation. The gang kept telling Brenda to just let it go and especially Donna kept yelling at both her and Kelly to get over their drama because they're best friends, as if no one was right or wrong in the situation. KELLY WAS WRONG, SHOW. Dylan was terrible too, but we all knew that already. He was especially bad when Kelly did bring up the one time how what they're doing was wrong and he was all "so we're supposed to hide the way we feel about each other just because of how Brenda will feel?" no jackass. You're not supposed to have a relationship with your girlfriends best friend to begin with. 

And how about when the gang asked Brenda to throw a surprise party for Kelly at the Walsh house after Kel just stole her boyfriend of a couple years . Okay show.. 

[TigerLynx]

4 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I like the triangle story-lines, but I didn't like how Kelly didn't come out as the bad guy in the situation. The gang kept telling Brenda to just let it go and especially Donna kept yelling at both her and Kelly to get over their drama because they're best friends, as if no one was right or wrong in the situation. KELLY WAS WRONG, SHOW. Dylan was terrible too, but we all knew that already. He was especially bad when Kelly did bring up the one time how what they're doing was wrong and he was all "so we're supposed to hide the way we feel about each other just because of how Brenda will feel?" no jackass. You're not supposed to have a relationship with your girlfriends best friend to begin with. 

And how about when the gang asked Brenda to throw a surprise party for Kelly at the Walsh house after Kel just stole her boyfriend of a couple years . Okay show.. 

I despised both Dylan and Kelly.  Dylan had the perfect opportunity to break things off with Brenda when she came back from Paris, and told him about Rick, but he didn't do it.  When Brenda/Rick ran into Dylan/Kelly, that's when the truth should have come out, and Brenda should have stayed dating Rick.  The idiotic SL of Brenda just can't get over Dylan NEVER should have happened.

[SoupThrower]

On 03/01/2018 at 7:02 AM, Jaclyn88 said:

I like the triangle story-lines, but I didn't like how Kelly didn't come out as the bad guy in the situation.

And when she cheated on Brandon for Dylan. Everyone gave her pass even Brandon!

Seriously the one time you had the right to bray till the cows come home...and you don't even do it. 

[stan4]

Kelly Taylor is one of those ubiquitous people who is self-righteous and holier-than-thou but actually a truly horrible person.

Horrible.

 

I was the exact grade as these people, so it was kind of like we grew up together (same with Saved By the Bell - go, class of '93!).

I also attended a high school and lived in a town with an inordinate amount of wealth (Ferrari in the student parking lot at a public school, anyone?).

The choices they made were ridiculous and no one I knew was nearly that stupid.  Even the stupid people.  

 

Donna drank; Donna should have paid for it.  Also, there is no way that it wouldn't have just come down to parents whining at administration.  Students gathering to actually do something?  HA!

Edited January 8, 2018 by stan4