Some teen dramas are mysterious, some are hilarious, and others feature witty characters who face a lot of hard things. Beverly Hills 90210 fits into the latter category, as no matter what the friend group is dealing with, they can smile and crack jokes (and go shopping).

90210 has been compared to Melrose Place and both 90’s shows feature a lot of fun, juicy moments. But 90210 also has its fair share of sadness, and the main characters experience grief and tragedy at every turn. There is one main scene in each season that makes fans cry the most.

10 Season 1: Kelly Talks About Her Rape For The First Time

Jennie Garth’s 90210 character, Kelly Taylor, hasn’t completely aged well but she has a very moving scene that goes down in history as one of her most emotional moments.

The saddest moment in the first season of the show happens in “Slumber Party” when Kelly talks about her rape for the first time. She tells her girlfriends that Ross Webber date-raped her, and they’re horrified and devastated for her. This is the first sign that Kelly has had a tough life and it’s hard to watch her talk about this awful event.

9 Season 2: Scott Dies At His Birthday Party

One of the 90210 milestone moments is when Scott Scanlon (Douglas Emerson) dies while the friend group is celebrating his 16th birthday party. It’s a super sad moment for everyone as they are so young and they have to face the fact that sometimes people die accidentally.

In this episode, Scott has a gun that he’s having some so-called “fun” with, and he ends up shooting himself. His best friend David Silver (Brian Austin Green) watches it happen, which is really hard for him.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Season 3: Brenda Is Told Dylan Cheated With Kelly

Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) seems like the best boyfriend a girl could have… until viewers see him cheat on Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) with her best friend Kelly. Then he doesn’t seem like such a flawless partner.

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In the third season, Brenda learns about this (soon to be infamous) affair, and it’s a horrifying moment for her. It’s also the most tragic moment of the entire season as this has such big repercussions. Brenda has to face facts about her romance with Dylan and also wonders about her friendship with Kelly.

7 Season 4: Nat Needs Heart Surgery

Having a regular place to hang out is a teen drama trope but it’s much more positive than some of the other things that fans constantly see in this genre.

In the season four episode “The Labors of Love,” the gang’s beloved Nat (Joe E. Tata), owner of the Peach Pit, has to get heart surgery, and it’s definitely the saddest moment of the season. They have looked up to him like a father figure for so long, and Brandon (Jason Priestley) especially loves him, as he worked there in high school. It’s hard for the gang to face losing him.

6 Season 5: Dylan Goes To Rehab And Then Flees

In the season five episode “Intervention,” everyone gets together to tell Dylan that he has to go to rehab. It’s so sad to see him suffer from addiction issues.

The saddest moment of the fifth season of Beverly Hills 90210 is when Dylan agrees to go to rehab… and then flees. It’s so tough to watch him make that choice, as he doesn’t want to get help. And if someone doesn’t want to get assistance with a problem that they’re having, there is really nothing for their friends and family to do as they have to be ready. This is further proof of how stubborn Dylan is, one of his flaws.

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5 Season 6: Dylan Loses His New Wife Toni

In the sixth season of the show, Dylan marries Toni (Rebecca Gayheart). The problem? She’s the daughter of Anthony Marchette, who tried to kill Dylan’s father in the past.

In the season six episode “One Wedding and a Funeral,” Anthony sets up a hitman to murder Dylan, and Toni is accidentally murdered. This is a tragic moment for Dylan, who was finally seeing a light out at the end of the tunnel, as he imagined a happy future with Toni.

4 Season 7: David Has Manic Depression

Now called bipolar disorder, David receives a diagnosis of manic depression in the season 7 episode “If I Had a Hammer.”

This happens after he hurts his hand and fights with the employees at the hospital. It’s tough for Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) to see him like this and it’s also sad for the show’s fans, who have watched David and the rest of the gang grow up, and who don’t want any of the characters to suffer.

3 Season 8: Kelly Is Shot And Brandon Struggles With It

Kelly and Brandon are so good together and that’s one reason why it’s so hard for Brandon to watch Kelly recover from a gunshot wound in the eighth season of Beverly Hills 90210.

It’s tragic watching Kelly get shot and it’s even worse watching Brandon struggle with her recovery process. Brandon gets really upset whenever the smallest thing happens and he starts spiraling and thinking about all of the bad things that could happen next. Hands down, the saddest moment in this season is in the episode “Pride and Prejudice” when the couple goes to the movies and Brandon hits a man for literally bumping into Kelly by mistake.

2 Season 9: Kelly Is Raped In An Alley By A Stranger

All of the 90210 characters have been through some awful times, but it’s fair to say that Kelly is the one character who got most of the terrible storylines.

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The saddest season 9 moment is in the episode “Dog’s Best Friend” when Kelly is raped in an alley by a stranger. This is the second time that she has been assaulted and such a scary moment.

1 Season 10: Donna’s Dad Passes Away

The saddest moment in the tenth and final season of Beverly Hills 90210 is in the episode “Doc Martin” when Donna’s dad (Michael Durrell) passes away from a stroke. It’s so hard for Donna to say goodbye to her dad, especially as she learns that Gina (Vanessa Marcil) is actually her sibling, not cousin.

Much of Donna’s screentime focuses on her romance with David so this is not only a tragic time for her but a more dramatic storyline than she usually gets.

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About The Author


Aya Tsintziras
(1742 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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