Beverly Hills 90210: The Third Season

Written by Senora Bicho

In the third season of Beverly Hills 90210 the whole gang are now seniors at West Beverly Hills High School and there is a lot of fun and drama to experience throughout the year.

The series was created by Darren Star, produced by Aaron Spelling, and originally aired from 1990 to 2000. It started out as the story of Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty), twins who moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills. They experienced quite a culture shock as they tried to adjust to the California high school scene. The show quickly gained popularity and soon became more of a soap opera that dealt with many serious teenage issues.

I was a junior in high school when the show started. I had just moved to another state and could relate to the Walsh twins. As the show continued this group of friends became my friends; I cared about them and tuned in every week to see what would happen next. Even though it is overly dramatic, there is a down-to-earth quality about the show and its characters.

The third season was one of my favorite seasons. Best friends Brenda and Kelly (Jennie Garth) have their friendship tested when Kelly and Dylan (Luke Perry) have an affair. The relationship between Donna (Tori Spelling) and David (Brian Austin Green) continues to flourish while Donna tries to hold on to her virginity. Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris) is still the straight-A student who dreams of a romance with Brandon. Steve (Ian Ziering) continues to be the troublemaker and even gets suspended for hacking into the school’s computer system. Brandon gets a gambling addiction, Kelly gets an eating disorder, and Dylan gets closer to his dad but it is too little too late. That night sound like enough drama, but there was plenty more where that came from.

Along with the 29 episodes there are some special features included. “7 Minutes in Heaven” is a montage of clips from the entire season. Funny enough the Melrose Place: The Third Season offers up “7 Minutes in Hell,” which illustrates perfectly the contrast between these two shows. “The World According to Nat” provides insights from Joe E. Tata who plays Nat, the owner of the Peach Pit, the main hangout of the group. “Everything You Need to Know About Beverly Hills 90210 Season 3” is another carbon copy of a feature on the Melrose Place DVD. Comedians Michael Colton and John Aboud, who star in several shows on VH1, put a playful spin on the storylines from the season. There is also a commentary track on the season finale by executive producer/writer Charles Rosin and writer Karen Rosin.

Beverly Hills 90210: The Third Season offers a great cast of young stars, well-written storylines with relevant issues, and entertaining drama. If you were an avid fan of the show then, you will still enjoy it now. It is being released just in time for the holidays and is a great gift for those who you know that loved it as much as you did.