For people who have always endured snowy winters, growing up by the beach always seems like a dream. For the young adults on Beverly Hills 90210, the warm weather and proximity to the water doesn't do much to stop the angst that they experience on a regular basis. Fans of the '90s drama loved watching Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Brandon (Jason Priestley) Walsh move to California and deal with the wild and fast-paced lifestyle of their new peers.
From the many dramatic scenes in season one to the series finale that aired in 2000, the main characters went through many changes. Some people were happier by the end of the show and others went down some strange and confusing paths.
Better: Kelly Healed A Lot
Jennie Garth became famous for playing Kelly Taylor, the rich teen with an interesting personality. She was a total mess when the show started as she was hiding a lot of secret suffering from the people close to her.
By the time that the show ended, Kelly had healed a lot, and she was able to embark on a P.R. career and try again with Dylan, who some fans think is her soulmate. She could have let everything that she had been through get her down, but she didn't.
Worse: Brandon Left Everything And Everyone Behind
Brandon is problematic in 2020 and he also made some confusing choices throughout the series.
In the season nine episode "Brandon Leaves," he told everyone that he was moving to write for The New York Chronicle. While this was something that he was ionate about, it was a strange decision. First of all, it felt like a quick way to get the character off the series since the actor wanted to quit. And secondly, would Brandon really leave his friends and family? He even said himself that Beverly Hills was "home" for him. He was such a family-oriented character who would do anything for his pals, so it didn't make sense for the character. He could have found a journalism job there, couldn't he?
Better: Andrea Got Into Yale Medical School
Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris) and Jesse Vasquez (Mark Damon Espinoza) got married and had a baby girl, Hannah, and they struggled with their marriage quite a bit.
But thankfully, Andrea was able to figure it all out, and when she left the show, she went off to Yale with her husband and daughter. She got into Yale Medical School and fans knew that she had been wanting to get an Ivy League education since forever so this was a big deal for her. It was very moving seeing her in a loving relationship after she was in love with Brandon and he didn't feel the same way.
Worse: Donna And Gina Acted Immaturely With Each Other
Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) always had a pretty happy family life, and things changed when Gina Kincaid (Vanessa Marcil) came on the scene. Donna found that Gina was her sister, not her cousin, and she definitely freaked out.
Donna may be a sweetheart but she was never very nice to Gina. These two characters were very immature when dealing with each other, and it wasn't fun watching Donna act like such a baby.
Better: Steve Finally Committed To Someone
For a while, it didn't seem like Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) would really amount to anything. Not because he wasn't nice or smart, but because he just didn't seem to care.
Fans saw a lot of growth in Steve as he fell in love with Janet Sosna (Lindsay Price) and they got married. They also had a baby, and Steve had the love, comion, and acceptance that was missing in his life as he grew up with a famous actress mom who didn't act like she cared about him.
Worse: Matt Gave Up On Kelly
Matt Durning (Daniel Crosgrove) became a main character in the ninth and tenth seasons, and Matt and Kelly are a great couple on 90210, if an underrated one.
Matt changed for the worse as he decided to give up on his romance with Kelly and he moved away to NYC. He could have tried harder to make things work, but he freaked out that she was still talking to Dylan, and he decided that he should remove himself from the situation.
Better: Brenda Left Beverly Hills And Found Herself
The Kelly/Dylan/Brenda love triangle might never have a definitive answer. Fans of Brenda's might have been sad to see her go after the fourth season, but she did have a really great reason for leaving Beverly Hills: she moved to London to become an actress.
Brenda found herself, and while it was sad that she couldn't be with her family and friend group anymore, it was a move that she had to make.
Worse: Did Valerie Really Magically Become A Good Person?
Valerie Malone (Tiffani Thiessen) caused a lot of trouble during her time on the show, lying and scheming and hurting other people.
It felt very fake and forced when fans learned that she supposedly had a happy ending. The character left the show after it was clear that she was living a great life in Buffalo. She and her mother were getting along and she said she was in a relationship. But how could the character's story get wrapped up so easily, especially when she was so cruel? She couldn't magically become a good person. It would have taken more time than that.
Better: Donna And David Finally Got Married
Donna and David Silver (David Austin Green) are one of the main couples on Beverly Hills 90210 and their romance is pretty on-again/off-again.
They finally tie the knot in the finale episode, "Ode to Joy," and it feels like the right move for these characters. They both had to grow up a ton and get over some of their own problems with commitment and being in a mature, respectful relationship.
Worse: Dylan Dove Deeper Into Self-Destructive Behavior
Dylan has countless issues and the iconic 90210 character, played by the late Luke Perry, just kept going down a worse and worse path.
He continued self-destructive behavior up until the very end. Sure, he and Kelly appeared to get back together, but was that really enough? It was definitely disappointing not to see Dylan succeed more in life. It would have been great to see him start his own business or go to college or do something with his intellect.