yulan

http://www.fanforum.com/f265/season-...read-62836044/
http://www.fanforum.com/f265/season-...time-63092099/
http://www.fanforum.com/f265/season-...-3-a-63219578/

HipHopKingMike

Thanks for sorting this out Esma. I didn't realise how quick these discussion threads are moving. I guess fans are getting ready for the show tomorrow

Crystal Clear

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I think what I enjoyed the most about Season 4 is that the characters grew up without going OOC. It genuinely felt like when you move schools and everything's weird at first but then the dynamics are back to how they were.

A prime example: Brenda's season 4 journey. She has to be the most underappreciated person this season by her family and friends. All she's trying to do is find herself and be a normal person. She thinks that going to Minnesota will help her remember who she was without all the Beverly Hills bad influence, until she realizes that the people there have lost track of her and somewhat moved on. It's sad and very reflective of real life.

yulan

It's true. I lived in several countries, from time to time going back to my home country, and sometimes it happened that some of my friends just forgot that I was back for longer, because they signed me off as a resident when I moved away. Now, after all the disappointment at 90210 friends it was understandable Brenda wanted to regain love and stability, and wanted a change of environment, but what she needed was a completely new environment. She did well when she went to London.

When I was her age she really annoyed me with running to Minnesota to regain a sense of identity and then back so quickly, but nowadays I sort of understand both.

Crystal Clear

So sorry you had to go through that

I thought Brenda's decision in S3 to return to Minnesota was very brave. However, I also think deep down she really wanted to get away from the sight of Dylan and Kelly together. It did feel very impulsive, but I think the writers were also trying to build on the idea that going to Paris had opened Brenda's mind to the possibilities that were open to her outside of Beverly Hills

The phrase "home is where the heart is" comes to mind when I think of her attempt to rekindle a life in Minnesota. I commend her for at least trying. (Despite Jim's disappointment that it didn't last long)

The way that Darla treated her was gross, and I hated that she tried to play the victim when Brenda spoke out on her hurt feelings.

jaquen7

Kudos to the 90210 makers for actually making the transition to college a success. As far as I know no other high school show actually covered high school and all four years of college. And I know that wasn’t even always the intention, but it speaks volumes that, warts and all, they made it through.

But as we all know it took a major leap of logic and character continuity to keep the gang together. If things were more realistic here’s what would make sense to me:

Kelly and Donna do end up at CU, as usual.
Steve is accepted to CU, but only because Rush or Samantha use money to get him in.
Andrea goes away to Yale.
Brenda still goes to Minnesota, still drops out, but moves back to LA and pursues acting.
Brandon gets a journalism scholarship at a school out East, DC or Boston maybe.
Dylan doesn’t enroll in college. He bums around, searching for himself.
David continues on with high school, where he belonged.

Crystal Clear

I would have preferred that to the dumb sight of him and John Sears taunting each other.

Actually, I think Dylan should have started writing an autobiography. A way to channel all his thoughts and feelings into something meaningful about losing Jack, Erica (and to some degree, Brenda and Iris). It would have tied in well to Dylan's writing arc in season 3, as well.

jaquen7

I could definitely see Dylan writing a script or a novel. I do appreciate that the writers recalled that part of him in season 5.

Him enrolling in CU (late) didn’t ever make any sense to me. Like, why? College wasn’t on Dylan’s radar.

Also Brenda and Dylan both just easily getting in LATE, and Steve getting in at all, totally destroyed the idea that CU was suppose to be a really good school. It was suppose to be the kind of school that would attract Andrea and Brandon, yet they wrote it like a community college when it came to Brenda, Dylan and Steve.

James26

^ Good points about CU.

I understand the whole "change of environment" thing myself. I'm seriously planning to move back to my home town soon. My concern is that it might be hard to recognize, since I've been away for so long.

I don't remember Brenda running into Valerie or mentioning her this season. Did they ever attempt to explain that in S5 (I know that the writers hadn't created her in S4).

Speaking of continuity, I've heard that the group essentially had two senior years in high school. I never noticed back then, but I remember someone writing in to TV Guide to mention this.

jaquen7

When the show started off they were all in the 11th grade, except Scott and David, who were freshmen.

Then the show became a hit, they needed to extend their time in HS, so season 2 was labeled junior year: part 2. Dumb, of course, since David was bumped up to a sophomore.

There was only one senior year. But Spelling originally did want season 4 to be senior year: part 2. He was afraid that the show’s success might be tied to the high school setting. So much so that they were planning to continue the high school setting with that group of freshman buddies introduced in S3.

A concept that Degrassi would run with a decade later to enormous success.

James26

I see. Thanks. I remember the producers saying on the DVD that David had to complete some sort of extra credit to graduate with everyone else.

jaquen7

They wrote in David taking extra credit to explain him skipping his senior year.

But they never explained how David was moved forward a grade between season 1 and season 2, even though season 1 and 2 are technically suppose to be one long school year.

But the grade thing is really stupid when u look at all the details, so best not think too hard about any of it lol.

yulan

Nah, it's fine, really, or it becomes with time, but it's one of the consequences of moving around and away that you do not see coming

That's how we are supposed to see it? I thought the gang just repeated the junior year without any explanation

But yeah, in S4 Kelly and Brandon talk about making a move on each other at the Spring Dance, a year and a half ago (or maybe they say two?), and I was like, nah, that math makes no sense. At that point, it was 3 years ago.

Well, everyone else (except Andrea and Brandon) getting in has already destroyed the idea. Kelly, Donna and David also were not the greatest students. I guess for Brenda, Dylan and Steve - Rush paid some donation to the uni, that was an explanation for Steve. Not that they bothered to explain about the other two, but Brenda did graduate with honors, along with Andrea and Brandon, so that might have worked in her favour (not realistic, but yeah, ok, it's 90210 ). And as for Dylan, I guess we were supposed to believe it was just his sheer brilliance, a.k.a. maybe fantastic SAT results were supposed to mean something. Blah, I'm thinking about this too much.

James26

If David worked hard enough in high school to skip ahead, or whatever happened, then I suppose I can sort of buy him getting in.

Yeah, they should've just said that the rich group members, namely Dylan and Steve, bribed their way in.

yulan

That happens sometimes, but it's hard to skip grades even for much brighter and hard working kids than David. The thing is, I think the first time we saw him doing this extra learning was relatively late, around Jack's release from jail or so. He was supposed to start earlier!

I think they even mentioned what I said about Steve, it was just some supposedly legal sort of bribery, that is, rich people executing their privileges, a.k.a. "donation". Maybe I am not remembering it well though.