Every Beverly Hills, 90210 Episode With A Major Event (& Their IMDb Score)

Everyone grows up loving at least one TV show, and it’s comforting to even just think about re-watching it. For many people, Beverly Hills, 90210 is that kind of show. The teen drama gave viewers a lot of characters to love, from twins Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) relocating to Beverly Hills, to the well-off kids who they start becoming friends with.

90210 might have some competition for the greatest teen series ever, but it’s still a solid entry in the genre, and many of the episodes featured some truly huge moments for the teenagers. From school dances to affairs, discovering a character’s big secret to high school graduation, there are some classic episodes of 90210 that stand out.

10 “Down And Out (Of District) In Beverly Hills” (6.3)

Andrea Zuckerman is one of the show’s brightest characters and played by Gabrielle Carteris, she’s got a level of maturity that the others can only dream of.

In this season 2 episode, it’s revealed that Andrea doesn’t live in the school district of West Beverly, and this is a big scandal. Everyone discovers that she has been hiding this secret, but it makes sense as she didn’t want to sacrifice her education just because of her zip code.

Even though fans love Andrea, they didn’t love this Andrea-centric episode, giving it a fairly low IMDb rating.

9 “Dog’s Best Friend” (6.4)

In the ninth season episode, “Dog’s Best Friend,” Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) is raped. This is one of the biggest and most tragic moments for the beloved character. She goes through a lot after this moment and spends the rest of this season and part of the tenth dealing with the aftermath. It’s a tough episode, and was given a tough IMDb score.

8 “Too Little, Too Late/Paris 75001” (6.5)

Many teen shows have the same kinds of storylines, and a love triangle between friends and living abroad for the summer are two things that often come up.

In the season 3 episode “Too Little, Too Late/Paris 75001,” Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) and Kelly’s affair starts. This is a huge milestone on the show as the Dylan/Kelly/Brenda love triangle lasts for quite a while and fans definitely took sides, as reflected in the split IMDb rating.

7 “Ode To Joy” (6.7)

In the series finale, “Ode To Joy,” Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) and David Silver (Brian Austin Green) get married. This is a massive milestone for the couple as they have been on-again, off-again for almost all 10 seasons of the show. The question of whether they would sleep together, let alone end up together, was always on viewers’ minds.

Series finales are notoriously hard to pull off, and while 90210‘s was hardly the worst, audiences weren’t enamored with it.

6 “Perfectly Perfect” (6.8)

Kelly has a lot of problems and in the season 3 episode “Perfectly Perfect,” the others learn that because she doesn’t feel loved at home, she sometimes starves herself. She gets into diet pills and it’s a pretty dark episode, likely alienating viewers and prompting them to give the episode a so-so IMDb rating.

5 “Something In The Air” (6.8)

The third season episode “Something In The Air” is one that fans definitely recall easily. Despite its low rating on IMDb, most viewers enjoy this episode as it’s all about Donna not being allowed to graduate from high school.

Her classmates don’t want to see that happen and for them, this is a cause that they’re willing to fight for. It’s surprising fans didn’t rate this episode higher, as everyone remembers the “Donna Martin graduates” chant.

4 “The Next 50 Years” (6.8)

Everyone can remember the first time that they lost someone close to them. Losing a friend is terrible and tragic, and for the gang of Beverly Hills, 90210, they never expected Scott Scanlon (Douglas Emerson) to pass away at his 16th birthday party. It was a sobering moment for the gang, and for the audience, as reflected in the episode’s IMDb score.

3 “Intervention” (6.9)

One of the worst things about Dylan is his insecurity and this leads him to drugs, particularly in the fifth season of the show. This episode “Intervention” is all about his friends trying to get him to see how bad his addiction has become. Sadly, he gets deeper into trouble as he discovers heroin. As serious as this episode took drug addiction, its serious subject matter likely divided viewers, leading to its 6.9 IMDb rating.

2 “Isn’t It Romantic” (7.3)

Of the big things that took place in the first season is the romance between Dylan and Brenda. The beginning of their relationship is a big milestone, and so is the fact that he wants them to start sleeping together. This is tough for Brenda, who is less sure of herself and less experienced than him. Thinking about losing one’s virginity is a big moment in many teenagers’ lives, and the relatability of this episode likely bolstered its IMDb score.

1 “Spring Dance” (7.4)

Brenda isn’t always a sweetheart but Beverly Hills, 90210 fans have always enjoyed watching her blossoming romance with Dylan. It’s relatable as everyone has a first love and the experience is filled with all of the ups and downs of this love story.

This episode features a huge milestone for Brenda as she sleeps with Dylan for the first time, losing her virginity.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1757 Articles Published)

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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