'Beverly Hills, 90210' 25th anniversary: Our preferito couples 

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\'Beverly Hills, 90210\' 25th anniversary: Our favorite couples

, perhaps the abundance of special couples is the biggest one. From high school through college and even several years after that, this group of friends saw its fair share of relationship drama. Despite fairly regular backstabbing and infidelity,

managed to give us many couples we could solidly get behind.

EW Community 'BH90210' 25th Anniversary tribute - Part 1

EW Community 'BH90210' 25th Anniversary tribute - Part 2

Here, in our third 25th anniversary tribute, Joanna Skrabala and I salute the best twosomes

had to offer. (Note: Tamar will always be #TeamBrenda, and Joanna will always be #TeamKelly, especially when it comes to Dylan. We’ve devoted so much time to them already that we’ve omitted them here.)

At the start of the series, Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) is just one of Kelly’s crew. She’s another blond in a sea of California girls Brenda is trying to befriend. Over the course of the first two seasons, however, Donna begins to emerge as an individual. Her decision to be with David (Brian Austin Green)—a guy labeled as a dork by all of her “cool” friends—marks a big moment in Donna’s transformation. Their unlikely union is a win for them both, and we all rooted for them. Their relationship saw many ups and downs over nine seasons, but ultimately we said farewell to the

gang as Donna and David rightfully said “I do.” —

Toni (Rebecca Gayheart) and Dylan (Luke Perry) shared a

–style love affair … and it was just as tragic. Toni’s dad orchestrated Jack McKay’s death—and Dylan wants revenge. So, while Dylan canoodles with Toni for intel, he falls

for the sweet girl. At the end of the day, Dylan is willing to forget his vendetta if it means being happy with Toni. So he does, and the two get married—only to end in utter heartbreak when her father’s hit man accidentally kills Toni. Dylan is given the ultimate go-ahead to end Toni’s dad’s life, but wants nothing of it. True love changes a man. But it doesn’t mean we’re not still hurting over Dylan’s loss.

Opposites flawlessly attract, when straight-laced Janet (Lindsay Price) and eternal frat boy Steve (Ian Ziering) got together during the show’s twilight seasons. It wasn’t roses and champagne from the start, but more of an often-annoying office friendship. But maybe that was Steve’s problem all along? Before diving into quick courtships, he needed a friend first. So, with Janet, Steve got a co-worker, a friend, and

a lover. But then Janet got pregnant and Steve didn’t, I repeat,

bolt. He committed himself to Janet for all the right reasons. And it wasn’t about responsibility. It was about love and family. Good on you, Steve—you grew up.

Perhaps it is the self-righteous nature of both Kelly (Jennie Garth) and Brandon (Jason Priestley), or maybe it’s just that neither ever seemed to make much sense with anyone else, but Kelly and Brandon were a perfect fit. After Brandon tells Kelly he thinks of her as a sister, it looks as though these two may be destined for the friend zone. But the lens of college provides Brand-O with a new perspective, and by the end of season four, they are shacking up in D.C. That these two didn’t wind up married has more to do with real life than TV life, so we’ll just pretend it all worked out for BranLy(?).

Before Steve meets Janet, the love of his life who helps him grow up (see above), he meets Carly (Hilary Swank), who starts him on his journey. Though she was only on the show for a short while, Carly helped us all see something in Steve we didn’t know was there. Steve meets Carly at the start of season eight, and he’s almost immediately smitten with the overprotective mother. Their relationship evolves, and she eventually lets down her guard and lets him in. Steve falls hard—and is devastated when she and her son suddenly have to move to Montana to be with her sick father.

Donna and David may have been endgame, but each of them had some successful relationships during their time apart. During their junior year of college, Donna begins dating Joe Bradley (Cameron Banfcroft), an adorable quarterback and overall perfect specimen. Joe is everything that Donna’s previous (abusive) boyfriend, Ray, is not. He is kind, he is gentle, and he is also waiting for marriage to have sex! A heart defect leads Joe to give up football and take a coaching position back in Pennsylvania. He asks Donna to go with him, but she declines, paving the way for a reunion with David (the first of several).

Donna and David are unquestionably the more “perfect,” predestined couple. But before David could 100 percent commit to Donna, he had to finish his story with Valerie. So very complicated, Val and David bonded over misfortune and parallel problems. Valerie doesn’t mess with David like she does with (practically) everyone else on the show because there’s a mutual soft spot between the two. While Valerie and David would never work in the long run, they did work when they were needed. Each one’s existence assured the other’s survival during those super-low points when there was no one else. There’s some strength in that love.

The drama didn’t always begin and end with the kids, as we witnessed a fair share of parent problems over the years. And yet, Jim and Cindy survived five years on the show (before moving to Hong Kong), proving you really could withstand the stress and glitzy temptations of Beverly Hills. While Jim is the discipline-steeped breadwinner and Cindy is the good-natured caregiver, both adored their kids wholeheartedly—and often their kids’ friends, and then some. Moral, honest, and fair, this duo embodied normalcy on a show that thrived on crisis. And for that, we thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Walsh. You always brought us home.

Susan Keats (Emma Caulfield) may just be one of Brandon’s many girlfriends—but 30 episodes is nothing to sneeze at. It begins in season six, when Brandon goes to work for the CU newspaper, only to find himself clashing with its strong-willed editor. After a while, the two begin dating. Susan and Brandon are so similar, their dating feels natural. They share misadventures and near-death experiences, and the writers actually give Susan some decent subplots about her past. (Truth be told, I compare them to Anya and Xander all the time.)

Thankfully, Susan isn’t crazy Emily or cougar Lucinda—but she’s no Kelly Taylor either. So when Brandon says no to a summer road trip with Susan, it’s dunzo for this pair. A shame—but it was fun while it lasted.

A social worker, mother, and avid television watcher, Tamar greatly enjoys analyzing and chatting about her favorite TV shows. She loves nothing more than good stories and great chemistry. Currently recapping Shameless, Rookie Blue, Friday Night Lights, and Forever. You can find her blogging about TV over at Tamar's TV Corner.

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