Happy Sunday TV fans! This past summer, I invested quite a bit of time into re-watching all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 series and I have to say it was very entertaining. I forgot how many episodes there were in some seasons especially when they had those special summer airings. I dusted off my old DVD set and watched Brandon and Brenda Walsh tough it out in Beverly Hills, California, leaving their wholesome and normal lives back in Minnesota.
It’s been at least 6 years since I have watched the series, as I used to binge-watch a lot on Soapnet, but everything came flooding back to me from the instrumental theme song to the over-the-top drama between Brenda and Kelly. Talk about paving the way for love triangles to come in later series!
After getting over the initial shock of how young everyone looked and watching them grow up all over again with drama never far behind, I started to think about some of my favorite couples on the series. There are quite a few who had an undeniable connection even though some of them did not even last for the entirety of the series. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet. My top five ships from Beverly Hills, 90210 are:
5
Dylan & Kelly.
During the first watch of the series, I was shocked by the scandalous actions of Dylan and Kelly. Brenda went off to study abroad with Donna in Paris, leaving her best friend and her boyfriend behind for the summer. It seemed like nothing could break the bond between fan-favorites, Dylan and Brenda, but Kelly managed to come between the couple. I shouldn’t blame Kelly entirely, as Dylan was absolutely at fault here too. While the couple shares its ups and downs over time, some of their first moments together in the swimming pool and at the beach bonfire are beyond passionate. However, they lacked the friendship that Brenda and Dylan shared in my opinion.
Either way, their secret relationship caused a major rift between both the relationship of Brenda and Dylan and the friendship between Kelly and Brenda. When they finally come clean and tell Brenda the truth, her reaction is so real and heart-breaking. She trusted her two friends and is shocked at their betrayal.
Over the years, Kelly and Dylan have on and off again relations and never really end up together. However, at the end of the series they are seen gazing at each other during David and Donna’s wedding to imply that their relationship is not over. In the remake of 90210, Kelly reveals that Dylan is the father of her child, but is still not with him in this future.  Guess it wasn’t meant to be after all.
4
Brandon & Kelly.
Yes, Kelly does earn two spots in this ranking and it’s because there is such an undeniable love between Brandon and Kelly. After my re-watch, I much preferred Brandon and Kelly together; as they seemed to balance each other out more and had more of that friendship I was looking for between Kelly and Dylan.
Kelly is familiar with betrayal and now turns the tables on Dylan to reveal her relationship with his best friend, Brandon. While the betrayal does not have the same feeling of twisting the knife like with Brenda, it does hurt Dylan to see them together. That being said, Dylan’s life is falling apart during this time and Kelly felt like she was drowning with him, descending further and further into his mess.
Brandon is very stable and charming, running for class office when they first meet. It seems like Brandon will be the man to turn Kelly’s life around. However, this couple deals with more drama and chaos than any other. It is almost impossible for them to survive a fire, a cult, a drug addiction, a shooting, and a failed attempt to get married.   When you say that all out loud it seems very unlikely, but I promise this all happened to Kelly. While it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Brandon and Kelly either, you can’t deny the love between these two characters.
3
Steve & Janet.
After Steve’s long-term relationship with ended with fan-favorite, Clare, viewers were wondering if he would ever find another love to provide him with the voice of reason he so desperately needed. Steve was always the “class clown” and stayed away from responsibility as if it were the plague. When he started working with Janet, he didn’t initially realize his feelings for her. They started a friendship first and eventually began dating.
Janet was perfect for Steve, almost becoming his moral compass, similar to Brandon. When Janet announced she was pregnant, Steve’s entire life changed for the better. He embraced his responsibility and married Janet to the delight of fans everywhere. This couple probably had the closest thing to a “normal relationship” on the show and continued to prove their love for one another as the series went on.
2
David & Donna.
This list would not be complete without including David Silver and Donna Martin. The couple began dating in high school and had a sweet and innocent quality. One of my favorite scenes is when Donna stops worrying about what others think and announces to her friends at the dance that she is dating David with confidence and love.
Over the years, this couple goes through a lot of ups and downs. Donna feels very strongly about staying a virgin to the disappointment of David. Although he tries to support her as much as possible, an affair takes place that breaks them up for a long period of time.
Even when David and Donna are not together, they keep their friendship alive. When Donna is attacked, David is the one who comes to her rescue and saves her. Toward the end of the series, Donna and David finally accept their destiny to be together and get married at the end of the show. Fans were delighted to see the happy ending between David and Donna. The high-school sweethearts have not had it easy at all, but they reunite and promise to love one another forever.
Some honorable mentions before revealing my number one ship are:
- David & Valerie
- Steve & Clare
- Brandon & Emily Valentine
- Noah & Donna
- Dylan & Toni
1
Dylan & Brenda.
My number one ship has to go to Dylan and Brenda. At the beginning of the series, their blossoming relationship is beautiful and real. Brenda realizes that Dylan has a lot of baggage and a complicated life, but she doesn’t run away from it. Rather, she runs toward him with open arms, revealing her strong feelings for him. Even though they are in high school, Dylan and Brenda have a strong relationship filled with a lot of laughter and romance.
As they begin to get closer and closer, Brenda’s father attempts to intervene, fearing that his daughter is making bad decisions. While this does take a toll on Dylan and Brenda’s relationship, they continue to tough it out together.  R.E.M’s song, “Losing My Religion,” is basically the anthem of Dylan and Brenda’s break-up and attempt to put the pieces back together.
After Kelly and Dylan have an affair, it seems like Brenda and Dylan will not end up together. However, once Brenda leaves the show, the writers add in that Dylan and Brenda are living together in Europe, trying to give fans the happy ending they so desperately wanted between these two.
There was something so believable and undeniable between this ship, still holding the test of time. Even when both characters were off the show, fans were still talking about them and rooting for them.
I hope you enjoyed my list and feel free to post your own thoughts and comments about the ships on Beverly Hills, 90210. Thanks for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
@TV_Fanatic_Girl
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