Aug 27 2008
Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 3 DVD Review: Thanks To Brandon Walsh, Donna Martin Graduates
This review was originally written on Epinions.com.
Season 3 of Beverly Hills, 90210 was probably the most important season of the show’s run. By the third season, they had quite the fan following. This wasn’t a top ten rated show by any means, but for the demographic they were targeting, it was an immense success. There were many reasons that this was such a monumental season for the show, including one entire season long storyline love triangle. Not only that, but the teenagers from West Beverly High were seniors and the entire season was focused on them graduating and moving on.
But the season began in the summer and Dylan (Luke Perry) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty) were still in the midst of their rocky relationship. Kelly (Jennie Garth) and Donna (Tori Spelling) were supposed to go to Paris for the summer, but Kelly opted out. This lead to Brenda’s parents, the great Jim and Cindy Walsh, to send Brenda to Paris to get her away from Dylan. This is what happens in Beverly Hills. You irritate your parents because you miss curfew and instead of being grounded, you get sent to Paris.
Dean Cain in pre-Superman fashion is featured in the Paris episodes as a man Brenda meets and undresses with her eyes. But she pretends to be French so that he doesn’t know the true her. David Arquette also shows up in Season 3 as Diesel, a wannabe rocker who is the ex-boyfriend of Brandon’s young sophomore squeeze Niki. Seth Green plays a nerdy high schooler who gets set up on a double date with Brenda and Kelly. Burt Reynolds also shows up in a cameo on an episode in which a con woman uses Brandon and Steve to steal money from people who expected her to give them a Hollywood Tour.
The season long love triangle was expertly done. With Brenda in Paris, Kelly and Dylan get to spend time together and fall in love. But they try to honor their friendship with Brenda and you know how that works. Since Brenda also has something going on in Paris with Superman, the viewer feels the issue is fair and there is really no bad guy. Except, Shannen Doherty is so much of a better actor than both Luke Perry and Jennie Garth, she steals every scene and you start to feel sorry for her even though it’s almost a fair situation. Well, I guess if Dean Cain was Dylan’s best friend.


