S03.E29: Commencement Part 1 / S03.E30: Commencement Part 2

[Primetimer]

When the class of '93 finally makes it to commencement, it's clippy! It's clippy clippy clippy!

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[Primetimer]

It's high school's last hurrah for the gang, and the best episode ever for fans of royal blue gowns.

Read the story

[SoupThrower]

When I see Andrea, I think Nana. Yay?

 

Never to see Bonner again. He does get one mention but never to see him again. 

[SoupThrower]

Gotta give props for David for skipping that grade. Yes, plotlines and all that but gotta give props.

 

Dylan saying he isn't going to waste all his money until Erica. 

 

This episode sucked. 

[Tooch]

Dylan is LVP for life, as much as it pains me to put him over Bray-don. When they almost kiss and are only interrupted by the doorbell (Brenda even admits it out loud, "oooh, saved by the bell!") I was like "BARRRRRF YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND". He is such an asshole.

 

Even if I hate her, and even if it would be delicious for her to get a taste of how it feels, it's still shady as hell that Dylan almost cheats on Kelly with Brenda twice in like three episodes. This incident is closely followed by the fishing incident, which is even more egregious because he even tries to talk her into it ("we can't do this..." "why not?" EWWWWW).

 

I just hate him so much, and could so relate to Tara's lament about how cute he was in season 2. Oh well. Looking forward to season 4 when he shows flashes of likability for telling Kelly what a drag she is over and over as their crappy relationship takes a year to die. 

[benteen]

The Senior Breakfast...the ultimate celebration of narcissism for the gang.  Seriously, this is how the rest of the West Beverly seniors wanted to celebrate their graduation?  By celebrating eight douchebags?

[SoupThrower]

 

 

I just hate him so much, and could so relate to Tara's lament about how cute he was in season 2. Oh well. Looking forward to season 4 when he shows flashes of likability for telling Kelly what a drag she is over and over as their crappy relationship takes a year to die. 

 

Until the whole past life crap. 

[Dave in Chicago]

If only they had scored the ending with the LEAD single from "Streets of Fire".

[maxineofarc]

The song is actually the theme to the c.1960 TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," with Brandon's name clumsily swapped in. Regrettably, "creamy" is part of the original lyrics. Gross.

Edited April 18, 2016 by maxineofarc

[gpgurl50]

I watched the DVD of this episode and the original music was there. Also, in the commentary they mentioned that Kelly's dad was an extra they picked out. They also mentioned at the end they wanted the sign to morph into Beverly Hills 90210 but Aaron Spelling vetoed. Good note.

As for Gil, at my high school graduation they had us vote for a teacher to talk at the ceremony so that could be what happened here. We chose the one most likely to pull a Sarah D. Bunting and go off book. He did.

I have to say as a season finale, this sucked. However, it would've been a good series finale. It had nostalgia, everyone was getting along and looking forward to their futures both separate and together.

[Tooch]

The song is actually the theme to the c.1960 TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," with Brandon's name clumsily swapped in. Regrettably, "creamy" is part of the original lyrics. Gross.

 

Crazy! I fancy myself the 90210-addict to end all 90210-addicts with my knowledge of trivia and I never knew that. I've spent 23 years being grossed out by that "creamy" line and thinking Brenda wrote it. Ha!

[Dave in Chicago]

Also, I'm confused - I thought "AWT" was going to switch formats and take on a different series for a while following the high school years. Am I mis-remembering and you said after season 4, instead? Or are you sticking with it due to popular demand?

[AndySmith]

I have to say as a season finale, this sucked. However, it would've been a good series finale. It had nostalgia, everyone was getting along and looking forward to their futures both separate and together.

 

See, that is why I liked it as both a season finale and a potential series finale (or at least, one of 2 good jumping off points for the show). I guess I'm in the minority, but I did like the episode. And any episode with Iris in it always gets bonus points from me as well.

[Tara Ariano]

Also, I'm confused - I thought "AWT" was going to switch formats and take on a different series for a while following the high school years. Am I mis-remembering and you said after season 4, instead? Or are you sticking with it due to popular demand?

 

 

I don't recall ever saying that, but in any case: no, we're committed to this.

 

Edited to add: maybe we said we might bail after the BRENDA years? But Sarah's not going to let me do that.

[AndySmith]

I hope you guys stay till at least the end of season 5. Yeah, the hypno-therapy soul mate stuff is tedious (and I say this as a fan of Dylan and Kelly), and you can FF through most of Andrea's scenes.

 

But! You also have Kelly and wacky cult of crazy, Dylan and Val and Jonesy's Mexican adventure, Kelly's kind of sort of flirtation with lesbianism, I Choose Me!, Ray "My Momma Could Only Afford One T" Pruit (the snarking on that alone would be worth it), plus Val in general shaking things up.

 

Granted, I might be biased, since for me, seasons 3 to 5 are the best this show has to offer.

Edited April 18, 2016 by AndySmith

[Dave in Chicago]

I don't recall ever saying that, but in any case: no, we're committed to this.

 

Edited to add: maybe we said we might bail after the BRENDA years? But Sarah's not going to let me do that.

It must have been the Brenda Years note, the idea that AWT itself was somewhat distinct from "90210 Edition" as though spin-offs were imminent, and my own assumption that 10 seasons would be a LOT to deal with.  Glad to hear it, though.  Sorry for the false alarm.

[Bob Lassiter]

Why did they do this to Ohhndrea? The writers felt compelled to turn her into an anxiety head-case who delivers the most cliched graduation speech ever. WHY? Season 1 Nana was at least confident and acted like she had two brain cells to rub together (overlooking the "I'm giving you the person on my horse" disaster of course). Next season it gets even worse...

The song is actually the theme to the c.1960 TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," with Brandon's name clumsily swapped in. Regrettably, "creamy" is part of the original lyrics. Gross.

Damn, I thought I was just hearing it wrong!

[lefawn]

Yay! I'm so glad you're going to continue past the Brenda years. I stopped watching regularly after Luke Perry left in season six because I totally loved Dylan back then (I was young and, obviously, very stupid). Later when episodes were airing on Soap Net I'd always watch the first four seasons but I could never really get into the later seasons although I would occasionally watch an episode or two. I'm looking forward to finding out what was going on without having to actually watch the episodes. From the forums here I know there are some storylines I'll be interested in. Just not enough to actually watch! ;-)

[Dave in Chicago]

Why did they do this to Ohhndrea? The writers felt compelled to turn her into an anxiety head-case who delivers the most cliched graduation speech ever. WHY?

 

They sort of had to, right?  If the plot called for her to write a stunningly brilliant grad speech, then the writers would need to actually come up with one.  It's like the "Studio 60" problem where they talked all the time about how great their show is and then we only ever saw glimpses of terrible sketch comedy and Holly Hunter impressions.

[Earmuffs Mom]

The only part of the senior breakfast that felt real to me was when Brandon and Brenda are talking about whether she's going to Minnesota and she looks over at Dylan and Kelly snuggling with this hurt look on her face. While Brenda shouldn't have moped so long for someone who clearly screwed her over, I felt for her.

I've watched all ten season of the show more than I care to admit, but the ones I watched most religiously were seasons 2-6. Val brought a lot to season 5 and Dylan's ill-fated marriage tugged at the heartstrings, but after Dylan leaves and Kelly gets out of rehab, I'm pretty much done.

[Pdxblonde]

Seasons 5 and 6 are my favorites- Love me some evil Val!

[TeeVee329]

I don't recall ever saying that, but in any case: no, we're committed to this.

 

Edited to add: maybe we said we might bail after the BRENDA years? But Sarah's not going to let me do that.

 

I actually kinda can't wait to hear your thoughts, and Sarah's too, on Valerie, particularly the bitchery between her and Kelly.

Edited April 18, 2016 by TeeVee329

[Onfire444]

I have to say, I remember loving the Senior Breakfast part when I watched it as a tween. Especially the song about Brandon. I didn't rewatch, just listened to the podcast, but I think I would still like it. Who doesn't love highlight reels?

[Kristen]

I had an ankh necklace in the early 90's, too. We all had a time back then, didn't we?

[Tooch]

I have to say, I remember loving the Senior Breakfast part when I watched it as a tween. Especially the song about Brandon. I didn't rewatch, just listened to the podcast, but I think I would still like it. Who doesn't love highlight reels?

 

I loved it too, especially back in the day since I was in 8th grade and graduating high . Though I call major BS that Kelly claims she has no idea who Brenda means when she leaves her "the double date from hell" for her Senior Will gift! 

[kfree9]

I would like to vote to see the video of Sarah's commencement speech! Sounds WAY more interesting than this episode.

[kfree9]

The way the girls were wearing their graduation caps reminded me of a couple episodes of The Golden Girls where Blanche wore a baseball cap. Always pinned to the back of the head instead of the top so the bangs and such were still visible. Even as a large foreheaded, always have had bangs gal, I knew to push my bangs under the cap and just make sure my cap came down enough on my forehead to camouflage it.

[marny]

Please upload Sarah's commencement to the site! It can be a "Let's Go to the Videotape" entry.

 

What I seem to remember being so weird about this episode back in the day is that the "video yearbook" contained clips that would not have been possible to have footage of. Like Brenda and Kelly skydiving or Brenda and Donna eating dinner in Paris.  Am I misremembering?  Were those just flashbacks and not yearbook clips?

[CicelyAlaska]

Gonna be that guy- but WHY in the hell are they still getting college acceptances in June? We all know that shit happens in April. And Dylan hasn't gotten his scores back? At least TRY to mimic real high school life.

[TimeyWimey52]

Dylan has half Tintin hair or perhaps a combo of Archie and Jughead. But definitely comic-booky.

Also, Sars and Tara: ONE EPISODE A WEEK IS NOT ENOUGH. I'm having withdrawals here! I know, I know. Other stuff (or STUFF) going on in your lives, I'm just selfish.

[Halo]

The styling is very period-appropriate, for sure. At my 1992 high school graduation, so many girls had their caps on the back of their heads to show off their bangs. It looked ridiculous and I made fun of them, even at the time (as a teen, I wasn't very nice or tolerant of my peers, I'm afraid). I wore my hair long with no bangs, and my cap was perched on the top of my head, as intended. 

[profreader]

Okay, SHOW. I usually don't get all logic-y about things but ... but ... but... the Hollywood sign is 45 feet tall and THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FEET LONG.

Where did they get all that canvas? How could they possibly have painted it? Where did they lay it out? HOW MUCH DOES THAT MANY SQUARE FEET OF CANVAS WEIGH??? DID THEY USE A HELICOPTER TO HANG IT?????

Oh god. Nana needs to lie down.

[TeeVee329]

So when does Kelly's dad morph into Sean Donely? When his latest rejection sends Kelly face planting into cocaine in S6 or does he pop up again before that?

Edited April 19, 2016 by TeeVee329

[bilgistic]

I graduated high school in 1993, so I felt like the cast of the show and I were kindred spirits. (I was young and dumb.)

The big ribbon around a ponytail (or half-up hair) was a thing; we did that in my North Carolina school. I don't remember if we got it from TV or if it was a random trend.

Regarding the mortarboard ("cap") placement: I distinctly recall there being A Serious Discussion at our senior assembly about how we were to wear our mortarboards flat atop our heads, and those who did not comply would be corrected. Fast-forward to graduation night when fully half the girls had the Carolina Claw hairdo (a.k.a., the poufy bangs) and their caps seemingly glued flat against the back of their heads, and the administration just collectively sighed and went on with the ceremony.

Edited April 19, 2016 by bilgistic

[Tara Ariano]

Also, Sars and Tara: ONE EPISODE A WEEK IS NOT ENOUGH. I'm having withdrawals here! I know, I know. Other stuff (or STUFF) going on in your lives, I'm just selfish.

 

Last week we put up two? We're back on our normal schedule so there will be two this week too.

[FozzyBear]

Brandon wants a girl who's creamy. Excuse me while I go do a full Silkwood.

Ok that's better. Oh my god these last two episodes are boring! Thank good things pick up a little when college starts. And I don't think our intrepid podcasters are wrong, I think SD, LP, and GC were all maybe leaving the show. SD because she was about to get fired. LP I thought wanted to transition into movies, but his cowboy film with the girl from Northern Exposure flopped. And I have been called crazy before, but I could have sworn that there was talk of an Andrea at Yale spin off. I think it was supposed to be darker and more dramatic like Party of Five or Felicity. But I think that's why there would be these weird mentions of Jordon Bonner senior year. I think he was supposed to be a character on the spin off.

Edited April 19, 2016 by FozzyBear

[AndySmith]

And the Pleated Avenger gets one last chance to pleat in front of his classmates.

 

Instead of the giant key, they should have given a miniature pair of pleated pants to wear around his neck.

[Halo]

Back when this was on, I kept my tiny crush on Steve a secret. Looking back, he's (or rather, Ziering is) so charming and cute, pleats be damned!

[maxineofarc]

For proof that TV has always been gross and weird:

 

Also, a spinoff of Nana at Yale? I don't remember that but it's possible. Still, if I were a TV exec trying to pick a character to spin off from this show, that would in no way have been my first choice. Who ever watched this show for Ohhndrea?

Edited April 19, 2016 by maxineofarc

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Team Valerie, always and forever. I mean, except for when she's blackmailing How Do You Talk To A Pruit into throwing her the D, but even that's more pitiable than evil.

[FozzyBear]

For proof that TV has always been gross and weird:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsfFf8KFELo

Also, a spinoff of Nana at Yale? I don't remember that but it's possible. Still, if I were a TV exec trying to pick a character to spin off from this show, that would in no way have been my first choice. Who ever watched this show for Ohhndrea?

I wish I could remember why I think this. It was so long ago and obviously the concept never even went to the stage of shooting a pilot. Maybe I got it from a Sassy interview? Most of the stuff I knew from the 1990s came from Sassy interviews. In any case I think the concept was 3 fold: 1. Fox was still struggling to parlay the success of 90210 into a programming lineup. Melrose Place struggled its first year and they hadn't yet hit on how to become a big league player of a network so they were sort of throwing spin off ideas against the wall to see what stuck. 2. There was an idea that while Andrea wasn't the most popular character, she had her own distinct fan base that would follow her to a new show without caring that much if any of the other characters came along. They could build something a little different without having to worry so much about fans that were attached to the way 90210 was as a show. 3. While GC isn't really the best or most charismatic actress on the earth, the PTB felt she had the maturity to do the grind involved with leading a show so they wouldn't get into a SD situation where they had built a show around an immature actor with a lot of personal problems. Plus I think GC kind of wanted to leave and do more mature story lines. It's possible I made this all up in my head, but I thought it was a thing.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Waaaah, Sarah thinks I'm an asshole!

[txhorns79]

It's possible I made this all up in my head, but I thought it was a thing.

 

I'd have trouble believing Andrea has her own fan base, but perhaps it was made up of all those parents who read the Blaze. 

[maxineofarc]

I'd have trouble believing Andrea has her own fan base, but perhaps it was made up of all those parents who read the Blaze.

I recall relating to her better than the other kids because I was an uptight nerd myself, but I started college in 1991 and so missed out on the 90210 zeitgeist a bit. I still wouldn't have gone out of my way to watch a show about her, but maybe if they were thinking of something like Different World which turned into an ensemble piece pretty quickly?

[sinnerforhire]

If I'd have been allowed to watch the show when it first aired, I'd have been an Andrea fan. I basically was Andrea, except I did band instead of journalism, and my valedictorian speech was way better than hers. But I would have watched an Andrea/Jordan spinoff. That sounds a whole lot better than the storyline she actually got.

It seems like writing pregnancies into the storyline rarely works--Nashville's attempt at writing in Hayden Panettiere's pregnancy was as bad, if not worse, than 90210's handling of GC's. I also think Tara is right about Brandon/Andrea being the intended endgame until GC's pregnancy forced them to go another way. I also think it's interesting that Andrea hooked up with two-thirds of the minority recurring characters. Supposedly Aaron Spelling regretted having so few PoCs on the show, but I don't know if I buy that.

[AndySmith]

I do wonder how much the whole "Brenda/Dylan/Andrea might be going college out of town" was a contingency plot by the show or just a red herring. I guess a bit of both. This way they'd be covered no matter what happened.

 

Melrose Place was doing better as a show, in terms of ratings and buzz by the time the graduation episode aired, no?

[TeeVee329]

Melrose Place was doing better as a show, in terms of ratings and buzz by the time the graduation episode aired, no?

 

Heather Locklear would have already shown up by then, but I don't think its ratings and buzz really skyrocketed until the second season started airing.

[txhorns79]

I do wonder how much the whole "Brenda/Dylan/Andrea might be going college out of town" was a contingency plot by the show or just a red herring.

 

I don't really buy that a spin off would have seriously been considered for any of the characters.  Fox already had Class of '96 airing in the spring of '93, and even though that show was cancelled by the end of the season, they wouldn't have known that at the time and I can't imagine Fox would really have wanted to have three hour long dramas simultaneously airing about first and second year college students.     

[AndySmith]

Oh I wasn't referring to a spin-off, but to whether the actors/characters were leaving. SD def wouldn't have gotten a spin-off, and LP would have kept trying his hand at movies. As for GC, this is the first I've ever heard that there was ever an idea of a spin-off for Andrea.

 

The show does play around with the whole "Is SD/Brenda leaving or not?" idea (and us) at the end of next season as well, but we'll get to that later.

Edited April 19, 2016 by AndySmith

[bilgistic]

Oh! I forgot to add that our gowns were burnt orange! That was (is) our high school color, and we voted to wear the orange gowns, instead of white, the other color and choice. The graduating females had to wear white shoes. Nothing says 1993 like white shoes.