Jaime Bee
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sweetee
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MeNiNaVeNeNo
Suzanne Evans
somewhere87
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unapologetic mocker
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-Alicia-
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Riley*
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_Jmarit_
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Burning Up A Sun

Luke Perry (his idea!)
Jennie Garth
Steve Sanders
Donna Martin
David Silver
Jack McKay
Jackie Taylor
Steve Wasserman, writer
Brenda 2.0
Erin Silver
Lori Loughlin

If you'd like to be added to the fan list, simply let us know on the thread or PM the thread-starter.
There's really no reason to be shy because "the only person you need permission from ... is yourself."

Playgrounds
Intercoms
Nose Wiggles
Hand-Holding
Pep Talks
Old Friends
Meeting Spots
Storage Rooms
Late-night Phone Calls
Starting Over
Memoirs
Volleyball
'Smirkage'
Rehab
Absentee Parents
Reputation
Fear Of Intimacy
Shooting Stars
Strawberries
Casablanca/Old Films
Babysitting
Godparents
Santa Anna Winds
Chinatown
Cold Cream Kisses
Plane Tickets
Rollerblading
Planetariums
Lost Earrings
Summer
Sponge Painting
Joshua Tree
Bewitched
Thanksgiving
Cookies
Sammy
Mineral Water
Tug Of War
Wrenches
Swimming Pools

A passionate, sweet, and weathered soul, Dylan McKay presents the ultimate pallete
of thunderous emotion and paradox. He's a man who's both completely given up and is
astonishingly hopeful at all times. A cynical romantic, if you will. Nothing quite stamps out
his spirit or the tragedy which follows him. What keeps our boy grounded is a wonderfully
wry sense of humor, piercing sentimentality, and a firm belief in visceral, unchecked
self-expression. This can make him a bit of a hedonist at times and/or showcase a
destructive side but, more sensitive and open than most give credit for, he loves easily and
he loves hard. At the forefront is a desire to be part of a family and judged as separate from
his father’s legacy of corruption. Loyal and encouraging to friends, this natural loner is
always there to reiterate the importance of knowing who you are, staying true to it, and going
for what you want. Nothing makes Dylan happier than watching those around him grow, and
Kelly is certainly no exception. Ideally, all he needs is some sand, a good book, and his best girl.
Maybe some peach pie.

Interests include: poetry, environmentalism, classic film, writing, water sports.
Special honor as: The primary teacher and brother figure to the gang.
Famous for: Waiting on Kelly to come back to him.
Lesson he represents: Be true to yourself at all costs.
Main influence with this pairing: [Freedom, identity, courage, self-respect,
vulnerability]. The first man to meaningfully appreciate her beyond sex or status, challenging
the belief that she's unlovable.

Kelly Taylor is the perfect combination of strength, vulnerability, snark, and sweetness.
She breaks your heart and makes you laugh, depending on the season and mood. Her story rests
on the theme of self-awareness, as she’s often thrust into an identity crisis, needing to separate
who she is from what other people want her to be. A troubled past notwithstanding, our girl learns
to love herself, overcome insecurities, and live with less fear. It's okay for her to shine. Kelly
carries an air of flirtatious mischief right from the start, though never with the intent for harm.
She's alternately vivacious, melancholy, sensitive, and harsh. Basically, a tart of a woman. No
stranger to putting up walls, we see that she's also a natural care-taker whenever they are down,
firm about keeping others on the right track. She is, at once, the mother of the group, the mopey/
sarcastic teenager, the ultimate sex siren, and the lost little girl, delivering both extreme angst
and lightheartedness. Much of this angst revolves around romance and the surrender to love,
but what she really wants is a clear sense of peace while so much around her seems to fade.
Fortunately, Dylan needs her as the steady force in his life and shows up to be the same.

Interests include: public relations, female empowerment, child psychology.
Special honor as: Arguably the most developed character of the series.
Famous for: Not admitting how she feels.
Lesson she represents: Never hide your heart.
Main influence with this pairing: [Faith, family, purpose, relatability, pride].
She sustains his belief in people's capacity for positive, unexpected change,
reinforcing his faith in himself and others.

Because …



01. They both struggle with the desire to be free of their reputations and, at other times,live up to them.
02. They’re frequently misjudged and mistreated by others, allowing them to keep an open mind about each other in later episodes.
03. Their secrets reveal a private life of isolation that’s reflective of one another.
04. They share the responsibility of mentoring our twin protagonists.
05. When he laments over the result of Sarah’s low self-worth, he might as well have been talking about Kelly two years ago. We know he’ll be sympathetic and responsive.
06. The first time we hear her speak of Dylan, it’s about how much she’d like to go out with him.
07. He’s a total flirt with her while single.
08. The audience relies on Kelly for the lowdown on Dylan.
09. She was excited about Brenda dating him, in part, due to her own curiousity.
10. She calls him “cute”.
11. They had been socializing in school since at least a year ago and she’s always liked him.
12. She agrees with Donna that he’s a wonderful guy, the type with whom Brenda should have no fears about losing her virginity.
13. She follows his relationship gestures, be it that they’re adorable or disappointing, and reacts to them.
14. There are group scenes where he has to form a positive impression of her (i.e., fun, loving, and generous), like when she dances with Brenda and Donna at the Peach Pit, hugs Brenda after the breast cancer results are in, and offers to take her friend in for the summer.
15. He can crack jokes with her.
16. She’s making jokes about him.
17. Brenda’s dream reveals her anxiety over Kelly’s desire to be with Dylan if given the chance.
18. They exchange small comments and smiles while walking and talking with mutual friends.
19. They are the primary surrogate children of the Walsh family and they know it.

1.06, Higher Education;

K: “What I would do to go out with Dylan McKay ...”
B: “I don’t know. Everyone says he’s trouble.”
K: “Well, he can trouble me all he wants. (they giggle, then approach) ... Hey, Dylan.”
Dy: (smiles) “Hey, Kelly.”
K: “Brenda and I were just talking. Which do you think guys like best on girls, long or short hair?”
Dy: “Hm, that’s a deep question. Personally, I prefer blondes.”
K: (smiles) “Really?”
Dy: “Really. Truly. [...]”

K: (to B, about Dy) “He’s so weird.”

1.10, Isn’t It Romantic;

K: (to B) “Dylan McKay doesn’t waste his time on just anybody. He’s known as a man of ... action.”

1.11, B.Y.O.B.;

K: (about Dy) “Brenda, bring him. There’s always room for one more cute guy.”

K: (sing-song-like, excited, about Dy) “Oh, Brenda. There he iiiis!”

1.13, Slumber Party;

K: “After you started going out with Dylan, I tried to get a date with him.”
B: “What?”
K: “Brenda, I have always like him, and he was flirting with me all last year before you moved here.”

1.15, A Fling In Palm Springs;

K: “Listen, who would you rather be with: Dylan McKay or David Silver?”
D: “Look, Brenda, Dylan’s a wonderful guy and you’re gonna have a great time.”
K: “And you brought protection, right? So there is nothing to be worried about.”

D: (mocking) “’Oh, Dylan, what beautiful eyes you have’...”
K: “Wretch ...”

1.18, It’s Only A Test;

[B’s nightmare]

B: (reading off K’s SAT exam) “The thing I most want Brenda to leave me in her Will is a) her red pumps, b) her porcelain doll collection, c) her torquoise earrings, or d) her boyfriend. (Kel smirks and circles her answer, implying it’s ‘D’) Kelly!”

1.19, April Is The Cruelest Month;

K: “God, I hate essay questions.”
Dy: “Oh, I like ‘em cause there’s really no right answer. Huh?” (she smiles)

Because …



01. She asked if he was alright following his break-up, be it out of real concern or the result of her own romantic feelings.
02. As with Sarah, he understood how Sandy could get herself wrapped up in a life she couldn’t control, which has implications for his ability to understand Kelly.
03. They’re both haunted by a past they’d rather forget, and acting out accordingly.
04. They react off of each other’s comments during the group camping trip, particularly when she claims that life is all about love.
05. She immediately rejects the theory that he went out with Emily because Brenda wouldn’t sleep with him. It didn’t ring true to her.
06. She offers him advice on how to handle his mother.
07. She cares enough to get upset when he shows up to school drunk.
08. She acknowledges that he’s loved by others and is worth loving, just as her mom was when she fell off the wagon.
09. A group game of charades reveals his physical attraction to her, as well as the humor he sometimes finds in her interactions with others.
10. We didn’t hear him question whether she could have genuine feelings for Bobby.
11. He agrees that she doesn’t belong in the category of ‘bimbos’ that Steve’s dated.
12. By witnessing the relationship she has with Steve, he learns that bickering is not a sign that she doesn’t care. In fact, he assumes they could get back together.
13. He found her bonding with Andrea to be very sweet.
14. When she showed up at the Halloween party in a sexy costume, he was noticeably turned on. But, more importantly, he sent Brenda over to warn her of the sleazy guy who was hitting on her.
15. He helped throw her attacker out, expressing disgust for those who try to take advantage of how she’s falsely perceived.
16. When he overheard a shaken-up Kelly blaming herself for the attempted rape, he felt the need to speak up and offer her the reassurance, from a guy, that it was in no way her fault.
17. They interact comfortably in a group context and know that they’re part of a permanent social unit where everyone looks out for each other (and seems to take on a new collective activity in every episode). Thus, they are often in the same company and consider one another to be friends.
18. They value honesty at all costs.
19. He was sensitive to hearing Emily’s ‘****’ reference outside the float and her speech about other people’s judgments which, again, implies an ability to sympathize with Kelly.
20. They playfully tease Donna together about her dating David, a younger man, sharing small laughs and disagreements, a far cry from some of their earlier shyness.
21. He watched her reject the socially elitist Chuck Wilson, stand up for Steve, and get rather emotional over his trip out to New Mexico, all of which displayed a sense of modesty, loyalty, and love.
22. Beginning in 2.19, they have private conversations about others in the group.
23. They have at least one moment of playful physical contact, suggestive of more unseen.
24. She really appreciates her platonic friendship with Kyle, someone who feels she’s trustworthy, sweet, and worth getting to know without sex being a possibility. Kelly can now be confident in her ability to sustain similar relationships with the boys in the group, whom she likely imagines value her the same way.
25. The smirkage starts here, in S2.
26. Each are described as being a “wild child” back in the day.
27. They value privacy at all costs. Neither are one to ‘kiss and tell’.
28. She looks out for Dylan’s interest when Tim flirts with Brenda.
29. She believes that he has a good explanation for why he didn’t reveal Sarah as the friend he’s looking out for.
30. In Jake’s estimation, she wants people to believe she’s a “tough cookie” when, really, she’s a soft and loving girl. Sound familiar?
31. She’s ready for and wants a serious relationship with a guy she can “totally be herself” around.
32. He warns his friend Jake not to hurt Kelly or mislead her in any way. He doesn’t want her feelings to be “messed with”, her sense of trust broken like his has been.

2.01, Beach Blanket Brandon;

Dy: “I don’t get it. What’d I do?”
K: “You’re just being a total guy.”

K: “How did he take it [the break-up]?”
B: “Not so well.”
K: “Well, guys never do. Doesn’t matter how cute they are.”

K: “Did you hear? Brenda broke up with Dylan last night.”
S: “You’re kidding.”
K: “Have you seen him? I mean, is he okay?”

2.05, Play It Again, David;

K: (to B) “They have a surf burger. Wonder who they named that after.”

2.08, Wildfire;

B: “I mean, don’t you guys see? I wouldn’t sleep with him, so he found somebody that would.”
K: “Brenda, calm down. You’re jumping to conclusions.”

2.10, Necessity Is A Mother;

K: “Dylan, honesty is the key. You just have to tell your mom how you feel. I mean, get it out on the table. [...] It’s not like we all come from what you’d call your normal, stable family background. I mean, look what I’ve been through with mine. Booze and – and drugs ...”

K: “Oh, you decided to come to school. To what do we owe the honor?”
[...]
Bn: “You smell like a brewery, pal. I better get you outta here.”
Dy: “Man – hey, I’m fine. Besides, I got a, um, trig test.”
K: “Oh, I’m sure you’ll ace that one.”
Dy: “Oh, shut up, Kelly.”
K: “You know, Dylan, there’s one thing worse than a drunk. That’s a mean drunk.”
Dy: “You know, I suddenly have the urge to just get the hell outta here, so why don’t you give my regards to trig?” (he leaves)
[...]
K: [...] “Dylan is gonna do what he’s gonna do.”
B: “But I can’t stand by and let him do it.”
K: “Bren, he’s an alcoholic.”
B: “I know that, Kelly.”
K: “Do you know what that means?”
B: “Look, I love him so much that I can’t stand to see him get hurt.”
K: “I know. It’s hard. Just trust me. You have to let him hit bottom.”
B: “What does that mean, ‘hit bottom’? I mean, that sounds so final.”
K: “Brenda, you just have to have some faith. It wasn’t easy watching my mom degrade herself night after night. When she was drunk, I wanted to kill her. She was sick. It tore my heart out. And I learned that I just had to let her go through it by herself, because the more I tried to help, the worse it got. You know why? Cause I was there. And as long as I was there, she knew she could keep on drinking and I would be there to pick up the pieces. Bren, you can love him but you can’t save him.”

2.11, Leading From The Heart;

K starts to shoulder-strip during charades to illustrate the movie title, “Naked Gun”.

Dy: (jaw open, gesturing with hands) “I need a better hint! C’mon.”

2.13, Halloween;

B: (to K) “You know, I was just coming over to tell you that Dylan said that guy is the biggest sleazebucket of the the western world, but I guess you’ve already figured that one out.”

Dy: “What?”
B: “He tried to attack Kelly.” (Dy turns to the guy, along with S, angry)
[...]
Dy: “Hey, Steve – it’s alright, man. Let’s just take ‘Dale Evans’, here, and show him the trail.”
Attempted Rapist: (to Dy/S, who took him out back) “Guys, you’ve got this all wrong.”
Dy: “I can live with that.”

[Dy officially present to overhear]
K: (to B/D) “I was trying to act all cool and everything. Talking sexy ... I was leading him on.”
D: “Well then he should go take a cold shower ... or whatever they do.”
Dy: “Can I say something? I mean, I know the last thing you need right now is another guy telling you what to do or what to think ...”
K: “Go ahead. Please.”
Dy: “You’re blaming yourself for leading that guy on. But I want you to know, as a guy, ... it doesn’t matter how much of a magnet a girl turns on. A guy always has a choice of not making her do something she doesn’t want to do.”
K: “I didn’t make that choice very easy, now did I?”
Dy: “Yeah, you did. You said ‘no’.”
B: “And after that, what happened isn’t your fault.”
K: “... I guess you’re right.” (Dy puts his hat on and exits. His job here is done.)

2.18, A Walsh Family Christmas;

Jim: “Well, you guys just couldn’t wait to get those stockings up, huh?”
Dy: (to K) “Busted!”

2.28, Wedding Bell Blues;

Dy: “Got Kelly fooled. Be careful, Jake. She’s a young girl. Emotional. If she feels something, it’s permanent record. Trust me, it doesn’t feel good to have that messed with.”
Jake: “Kelly knows what’s up.”
Dy: “Oh, you told her your life history.”
Jake: “Hey, don’t worry about Kelly. Okay, Dylan?”

Because ...



01. The warning that he not fall in love over the summer is a reference to him and an as-yet-unknown Kelly.
02. It took all of 25 seconds (literally) for them to start flirting in Brenda’s absence.
03. She appreciates him looking out for her.
04. She’s comfortable enough with him to admit throwing herself at a guy with regret.
05. He confided in her about his father.
06. They couldn’t just brush off Steve’s “Lovebirds” remark.
07. He wants to share his interests with her, starting with classic film.
08. He refers to their time together as ‘catching up with an old friend’. And, technically, he’s right, as they’ve known each other in variable degrees since kindergarten.
09. She found his interactions with baby Erin to be endearing ... and his comment about not trusting others to be saddening, particularly in light of their developing friendship.
010. They used a volleyball game to dish out playfully sarcastic remarks to one another.
011. Their physical attraction has its own guitar riff.
012. He thought their first kiss was meaningful and shouldn’t be written off as a mistake.
013. Feeling bad that she might have hurt him, Kelly comes over to admit that she only denied the significance of what’s happening between them to protect her relationship with her friend.
014. By saying that he considers everything, including their affair, as part of his “real life”, Dylan indicates that his intentions were never to discard her as a ‘summer fling’.
015. After confessing to a lifelong crush, she tries to chalk her actions up to a bout of loneliness, but he’ll have none of it. He calls her out on her bluff. And, evidently, that’s exactly what she wants.
016. He kisses her every chance he’s got and she never pulls away, despite the protests that follow.
017. He cares that they have a night alone to talk about their relationship and where it’s going. It deserves that respect.
018. She can fall asleep in his arms.
019. He thought sex was unecessary to make the night special.
020. He got frustrated with her that she’d still hold on to reasons why they could never be together.
021. He’s frustrated that she’d still see herself as a bimbo if they slept together.
022. He doesn’t want to pretend/play it out with her. He offers to tell B about them so they can be together.
023. He’s deeply pained by K’s refusal to allow their romance to continue and her downplaying comments (snidely, “whatever gets you through the night”)
024. She asks Brenda whether being away has changed her relationship with Dylan, in the hopes that it has, so that she might entertain the possibilty of being with him in the future with less guilt.
025. Even though she rejected him, it hurt her to see him kiss his girlfriend.
026. He makes sure to tell Kelly “good night” in a special way that let’s her know he hasn’t forgotten her. She’s still in his heart.
027. Seeing her on the beach again with baby Erin put him in a longing daze.
028. He reminds her that the only reason they’re in the position they’re in (not together) is because she decided it should be that way, implying that he still feels differently.
029. She can’t stop watching him, especially in romantic contexts.
030. Amazed that she insist they move on for good, he cites the relevance of her feelings and is clearly worried over her abillity to discredit the value of her needs.
031. She’s in no mood to debate the likelihood of Dylan marrying someone else, and even her quip about astrology being the cause effectively divorces this notion from its emotional elements.
032. He’s calling her in secret.
033. She was excited, initially, to see him in her Spanish class.
034. David wonders if she might be in love with Dylan after hearing her complain about him and Brenda.
035. Her feelings are so strong that she switches her entire class schedule around just to avoid him.
036. He could have thrown out her lost earring, but instead uses it as an excuse to see her.
037. She’s anticipating the accidental discovery of their romance with shades of dread and hopefulness. A part of her wanted him to say that it leaked out.
038. A sense of loyalty is acknowledged when he remarks that she’d tell him something if others refuse.
039. He flirts with her at the Peach Pit, exclaiming that he can’t really blame David for staring at her during the shower run-in cause, lord knows, he’d do the same.
040. In the time she’s known Kelly, Brenda has never seen her friend so down for so long. The reason: missing Dylan.
041. They stand united in the desire to plan their futures on their own terms, ready to defend each other against critics.
042. That “Highwire” ‘I love you’ was at least partially directed at her.
043. She proposes the question of whether an excuse should be necessary for her to see him as a means of gaining confirmation that it isn’t.
044. He thinks they have a similar line of values where certain issues are concerned, and draws this distinction in front of her, putting them in their own ‘you and I’ category.
045. She lets him know how much she misses their friendship.
046. Him saying that he thinks she’ll get to ride his bike someday suggests a belief that they will be together eventually.
047. He accurately predicted that her father would stand her up, meaning he either knew
of their relationship long beforehand, can identify with her mix of neediness and
expectation, or is just that good at recognizing when she builds up a sense of false hope.
048. When she needs him, there are no defenses; no hiding a sense of foolishness to believe, or her distraught emotional state, or the fact that she knows how self-destructive her previous means of dealing with grief were. She can start mid-story and lay out the whole truth, only for him, without fear.
049. He knows just what to say to make her smile through her tears.
050. He proudly acknowledges her growth from the girl he knew pre-S1, citing her as
someone who upholds his belief that people do have the ability to change.
051. Reiterating Steve’s line about her from earlier proves that he pays attention to her
in group settings even when you least expect it.
052. She’s welcome to invade a slow dance with him and his girlfriend. “Oh, yeah!”
053. They’ll even use his cold as an excuse to lightly express concern for one another.
054. Sad that her and Dylan can never be together, she paints her room black.
055. She makes it clear to her mom that not having a boyfriend isn’t the problem. It’s not being with the one guy she fell for.
056. Once a single man, he’s committed to and kissing her in his very next scene.
057. All he had to do was show up and she’s his.
058. She is suggested to be part of the reason he broke up with his girlfriend.
059. He wants her to stop waiting on other people’s permission to follow her heart, and is excited to follow his own now that they can openly date.
060. Even in junior high, he was watching her interactions with other boys.
061. They can easily slip into role-plays, goofing around like little kids.
062. With her casting her neck back in anticipation of a kiss and him stating that he was just waiting for permission, their first official date is already characterized by signs of safe, sweet vulnerability.
063. They bond over a common understanding for what it’s like to be labeled by others, misjudged, and expected to fail developmentally. And, with that, he finally feels heard regarding the SAT allegations.
064. When they make out, things quickly escalate and he gets lost in his desire for sexual intimacy with her.
065. She cares about taking their relationship slow in order to nurture its stability.
066. If his last glare is any indication, he didn’t appreciate Kelly being insulted during the restaurant run-in with Rick and Brenda.
067. Despite all the drama that ensued as a result of their date being discovered, he’s glad the night happened. It was still worth it.
068. Thinking he’s already lost her to an unmerited fear that he’s on the rebound, Dylan is frustrated enough to take off for a while, as he feels his sobriety is threatened.
069. She was worried about him when he left town.
070. She’s one of the “strings” he’s glad to be tied to when he concludes that life is about embracing relationships with all their complications and having people around you.
071. He’s not afraid to grab her unexpectedly and kiss her.
072. They were too playful and flirtatious to be ‘just friends’ again for long. They tried.
073. He agrees with Wayne/Adam that she’s “a goddess” (or simply, a really awesome girl).
074. He saw her as his most reliable and supportive friend when she showed up for his father’s homecoming party.
075. She’s all about second chances lately, and so is he.
076. It was natural for her to tell him about Mel and Jackie’s divorce, and even moreso for him to take her in his arms.
077. She wants to do whatever’s necessary for them to “make it” long-term, and he consents. The sooner, the better.
078. He’s always wanted her, and says this with a tone that suggests it was silly and futile to think he could ever fight it.
079. She likes that money doesn’t matter to him next to a renewed relationship with his father.
080. She’s hurt by the assumption that they already slept together, seeing as this relationship is about far more than that.
081. She wants to make a good impression on his mother.
082. Iris picks up on his new sense of happiness, more mellow and “centered” than before, and he attributes it partly to his relationship with Kelly falling into place.
083. They know how to make comedic gestures in unison without pre-meditation.
084. His father greatly approves of their union, naming her as part of the family for making his son the happiest he’s ever seen.
085. When Christine accepts Jack’s marriage proposal, Dylan looks straight to Kelly and smiles on as if contemplating their own future.
086. Mocking his reputation is part of their foreplay. It’s like they have their own coded way of expressing things.
087. After considering her in the context of exploitation across S1-S2, it was nice to see Kelly take physical control with a guy while making out, as it illustrates a healthy comfort level.
088. He literally sings/hums to himself in post-coital bliss, and news of the moment serves as a bonding mark between him and his dad.
089. Jack knew she was someone Dylan really cared about, whether he told his dad this much or not.
090. Her phone call saved his life.
091. She wants him to lean on her in his time of grief, and is saddened when he appears unreachable.
092. Fearing emotional estrangement and the dissolution of their relationship, she isolates herself and grows depressed, much like earlier that year when she was full of heartache.
093. Similarly, he withdraws a bit out of fear that she’ll leave him some day just like, in a sense, the father he loved, which suggests his high level of emotional attachment.
094. He unleashes his anger over the obituary on Jack only with her. On some level, he knew she’d understand his need to be authentic and just listen, even if it came with a misguided insult.
095. The fact that she asks him to come with her after suggesting she leave the funeral reception tells us that all she wants is time alone with him to work out their tension and be assured that they’ll survive this turn of events.
096. His hug in the middle of their quarrel is an indication that he still cares about protecting their relationship and, should his meeting with “Uncle Frank” cost him his life, at least she’ll know he loved her.
097. At the end of the day, he’s secure about their bond and calls out for it ... literally.
098. Their relationship is thrown into doubt after his father dies for the purpose of reinforcing it with greater strength by the time their late-S3 arc is complete.
099. She’s a teary-eyed, pale, self-starving, emotional wreck while still convinced that they’ve lost their footing, which shows, for one, that he’s anything but meaningless to her.
100. She offers her body to him in a last-ditch effort to substitute emotional intimacy so that he won’t leave her, but it doesn’t work. He’s with her for other reasons.
101. She’s keenly interested in his writing, as it reflects his private world.
102. He expresses concern over the diet pills she takes.
103. He can weather her extreme mood swings with grace and humor while she feels her life is out of control.
104. He gets along very well with her mom.
105. She fondly remembers anecdotes about him from second grade.
106. He stays overnight with her in the hospital, watching her sleep.
107. The fact that he doesn’t take the Senior Poll seriously shows that when he names her the sexiest, most beautiful girl at West Beverly, it’s just about them. He never saw her as a prize.
108. She’s his “best lover”.
109. When her social position is thrust back into the spotlight to include Dylan, we find that the sincerity of his affection provokes fear and the desire to ask for more in a relationship than she ever had before, making it mandatory that the guy respect and love her instead of just using her for sex.
110. He never wants her to walk away mad and will go to great lengths during a fight to prevent it.
111. He’s willing to represent his social title in all its inauthenticity and sillyness if it’s what she needs.
112. He knew exactly where she ran off to in private, and she chose the playground so that he might follow the right clues to find her.
113. He used to play with her during recess when they were very little and, failing that, observe her interactions from afar. His attention is tuned and memories vivid enough to relate her present psychology to that of her past, effectively understanding her motivation better than she does herself.
114. The first few lines of their dialogue on the playground re-establishes that her accusations towards him have been based on displaced anger, as she’s coming to terms with her past and growing as a person.
115. He knows she sometimes sacrifices dealing with her own pain in order to keep up appearances.
116. She can fall victim to believing the reputation others give her, but he doesn’t see her that way. He sees who she really is, and to him she’s worth knowing.
117. His voice is pained when she talks about her unfulfilling past relations with men.
118. He always knew she was striving to be seen beyond her role at school, and so is he.
119. She thinks he’s “so much more” than what a a senior poll can ever reflect; a more complicated and real mix of lovable qualities.
120. As he sees it, there’s nobody in his life to nurture his growth and sense of value as a person. But, he believes they compliment each other’s lives in that respect and occupy this role for each other. This is what makes them soulmates.
121. She’s part of why he’s still happy to be alive, despite missing his father.
122. He can be honest about not feeling his life was worth it until recent times, and she listens.
123. Her opinion matters to him.
124. She can be in an eating disorder group and it doesn’t affect how he feels about her. His love is unconditional and he wants no secrets between them.
125. He’d still be with her if they never slept together again. He’s not in this relationship for sex.
126. He won’t just give up on her. He believes what they have is worth saving.
127. She gets sudden inclinations to hear his voice, and she tells him this in a moment of remarkable vulnerability.
128. Around every corner of her attempts to break them up, there’s a tearful admission that she still wants to be together.
129. Now that they’ve reached a new place of honesty, she wants to commemorate their relationship in the yearbook – but with a picture that’s reflective of their true selves.
130. He trusted her enough to read the unedited version of his manuscript, and offers so that she’ll know how special she was to him all along.
131. He’s visibly shy while watching her read his words about her.
132. He’s watched her grow and it’s been beautiful.
133. She was the only inspiration left in his life after the death of his father.
134. They’re still making in-jokes about the duality of public reputation vs. private truth.
135. They hold each other’s hands.
136. She comes over to his house every day before school to hang out.
137. Her hang-ups about sex in their relationship are obviously resolved if she’s suggesting days spent in bed together.
138. Jackie predicts her daughter will have a wonderful time in San Fransisco with him.
139. They literally scurry to the dance floor together at Prom and have a blast.
140. They can’t stop kissing long enough to have their picture taken.
141. She tells Steve that her and Dylan are really happy together, and he imagines a hypothetical future in which they have a son between them. Wise man.
142. She’s afraid of how much she’ll miss him if he goes away to college.
143. Sometimes an apology is all that’s necessary for a riff to be dropped.
144. She can tell instictively if he’s holding back on telling her something, even via the phone.
145. When she spots her dad in the crowd at graduation, she remembers Dylan’s insistence that she have faith this moment would come.
146. They can communicate their pride in each other without saying a word.
147. When good things happen to her, she can’t wait to tell him.
148. He wants her to spend the summer with him, traveling around Europe.