Celebrating 25 years: The best and worst of 'Beverly Hills, 90210' 

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Celebrating 25 years: The best and worst of \'Beverly Hills, 90210\'

On October 4, 1990, the Walsh family made its way from snowy Minnesota to sunny California. Thus began the cultural phenomenon that was

'Beverly Hills, 90210': 25 years, 25 reasons to watch

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In honor of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the show that shaped our youth, Joanna Skrabala and I are teaming up to celebrate. On the fourth of each month between now and October, we’ll share a different

This month, we’re joined by EW Community contributors Maggie Fremont, Sundi Rose Holt, Karen Belgrad, and Wendy Hathaway to duke it out for our favorites (and least favorites) in a variety of categories. What are yours? Be sure to share your picks below!

Tamar’s pick: Brenda & Dylan. Brenda and Dylan—or “Brylan,” as they’d no doubt be called today—represent everything good about the early days of

They may not have ended up together, but their time as a couple was sheer perfection!

Joanna’s pick: Steve & Janet. While this duo didn’t arrive at their couple-hood until the final few seasons, when they

start dating, it was lovely. Friends and coworkers first, then marriage and a baby later. Steve reached maximum maturity—thank you, Janet.

Maggie’s pick: Cindy & Jim. So stable, so loving, so nerdy. Yes, Cindy and Jim were the practical disciplinarians and surrogate parents for the whole gang, but they were also majorly hot for each other. Even that sexy photographer Glen couldn’t lure Cindy away from her suspender-clad man.

Karen’s pick: Steve & Clare. While Tenderheart and Cuddles may have worked in an online chatroom, nothing about Steve and Clare worked when put through the paces of an actual relationship. Steve was well-meaning, but often faltered. Clare was never able to accept Steve as he was; she constantly picked fights and belittled him.

Maggie’s pick: Donna & Ray. Ray Pruit, how dare you make me hate the man who gifted our ears with “How Do You Talk to an Angel”! Alas, Ray pushed Donna down a flight of stairs, and that is unforgivable. Plus, David was always The One, and no other boyfriend ever stood a chance—hit ’90s ballad or not.

Sundi’s pick: Kelly & Matt. Matt was merely a filler for Kelly to pass time with until Dylan could get his act together. Matt served as dramatic conflict in the final season, getting in the way of Kelly and Dylan’s happily ever after. We had to hate him.

Maggie’s pick: Brandon Walsh. “The face that launched a thousand ships”—does this refer to Helen of Troy, or to Brandon Walsh? We’ll never know. But we do know that Brando could use that charming smile to both woo the ladies and get through a crippling gambling addiction. That’s true power.

Wendy’s pick: Nat Bussichio. Boy trouble? SATs have you feeling anxious? Did your classic convertible just crap out? All you have to do is stop by the Peach Pit to see Nat’s warm grin. It’s like comfort food for the soul, and usually served with a side of wisdom.

Tamar’s pick: Dylan McKay. Dylan McKay was a brooding and complicated guy. He was often deep in thought, and it wasn’t always easy to coax a smile out of him. But when it happened,

Best: Steve Sanders. Steve Sanders grew up. He went from “Do you know who my mom is?” to “Have you met the mother of my child?” Along the way he stumbled, misbehaved, and made mistakes, but he (mostly) learned from them.

Worst: Colin Robbins. Colin was a big ol’ mess. He came onto the scene as Kelly’s artist boyfriend, complete with a sugar mama bankrolling his creativity. His favorite hobby: snorting cocaine and sharing it with Kelly. After he tore through Kelly’s life, he moved on to Valerie, leaving her holding the financial bag when he tried to jump bail following Los Angeles’ lamest car chase.

Best: Nat Bussichio. Nat played father and friend to just about everyone who walked through the Peach Pit doors. He was the moral compass everyone needed. I’ll never forgive the

reboot for turning the Peach Pit into a coffee shop—give me a Megaburger with a side of Nat’s sound advice anytime!

Worst: John Sears. John shows up while the gang is in college and manages to steal Kelly away from

! What?! After a short bit of dating, Kelly discovers his goal—he just wanted to sleep with her. Not cool, bro. Plus, you later tried to get Steve kicked out the fraternity

Best: David Silver. He may have started as a nerdy Kelly-stalker, but David quickly evolved into an adorably lovable part of the gang. He’s got sexy dance moves, he sings like an angel, and he waited

Worst: Noah Hunter. What is there to say about Noah? He lied about who he was, he drank too much, he cheated on Donna, and he spent most of his time in the zip code whining. No thank you.

Best: Valerie Malone. Valerie was a badass, independent woman who spent her time in Beverly Hills trying to find out who she was. She made her own money—even if she had to blackmail and extort to do so. She lived exactly the way she wanted to, and she was one of the most beautiful brunettes Dylan ever slept with. She had a lot going for her.

Worst: Sophie Burns. No offense to the actress playing Sophie, Laura Leighton, but this character was gross. And I don’t just mean because she shamelessly threw herself at every man in the zip code. She was a conniving, low-rent gold digger who didn’t have half the hustle that Valerie did—even though she tried.

Best: Kelly Taylor. Kelly went from rich bitch to perfectly developed leading lady—but the road to get there wasn’t so easy. This girl endured

–e.g., alcoholic mother, rape, stalker, drug abuse, etc.—and still came out on top. She’s aces.

Worst: Emily Valentine. Oh, Emily. You’re messed up—and not in an endearing kind of way. You come to town and set a date with

Dylan and Brandon (and forced me to side with Brenda!). You tricked Brandon into taking U4EA (ecstasy) before almost burning down the school float because Brandon rightfully dumped you. Sorry, I don’t care what therapy does; you’re a bad chick.

Best: Janet Sosna. Janet Sosna is the anti-Clare. She’s smart, funny, stylish, and comparatively low-drama. She makes Steve finally grow up, and we’re all better off for it.

Worst: Andrea Zuckerman. Guys, it’s pronounced On-dree-uh. Ms. Zuckerman never

fit in with the gang. Heck, she doesn’t even live in the 90210. She’s a responsive, down-to-earth brainiac, which might not be so bad, except that she’s also boring and uptight—the rain on what is otherwise a delightfully soapy parade.

Sundi’s pick: Brandon & Emily. Brandon and Emily have to go down as the worst breakup ever, only because theirs ended in almost-arson and an actual psych ward. She took it hard.

Tamar’s pick: David & Val. Even if we all knew that Donna and David were endgame, the relationship that developed between David and Val was surprisingly beautiful. David really saw Val; he made her want to be better. Their ex-best-friend-blackmail-fueled breakup was utterly tragic.

Wendy’s pick: Brenda and Dylan & Kelly. Brenda and Dylan had already broken up. But when Brenda finds out Kelly and Dylan shared some summer lovin’ while Brenda was in Paris—and lied about it for months—she’s pissed and ends their friendships, too: “I hate you both! Never talk to me again!”

Joanna’s pick: David & Val. By all means, this was not a healthy relationship. It was an on-again, off-again romantic relationship—but these two found a weird way to be there for each other during the hard stuff: Valerie’s AIDS test and her suicide contemplation.

Karen’s pick: Kelly & Donna. Kelly and Donna may have gone through their fair share of suitors over the show’s 10-year run, but what they rarely let go of was each other. The best friends stood by each other’s side through broken hearts, stalkers, addictions, dubious fashion choices, and Clare’s snoring.

Sundi’s pick: Brandon & Andrea. Even back in the their Blaze days, they had each other’s back. Things got a little awkward in season two when we were wondering will they or won’t they, but their eventual platonic love grew into something pretty cool.

Tamar’s pick: Toni’s death. Dylan’s whirlwind romance with Antonia Marchette was doomed from the start. Dylan let go of his anger and desire for revenge, but his father-in-law couldn’t. The hit he put on Dylan ended up killing his beautiful daughter instead.

Karen’s pick: Jack McKay’s death. While the events of later episodes rewrote history, the death of Jack McKay was one of the most significant moments of Dylan’s high school years. From Dylan’s desperate screaming to everyone trying to comfort him to the broken little boy inside, the first time Dylan experienced grief was certainly resonant.

Wendy’s pick: Goodbye 90210. As the camera pans around old and new friends celebrating David and Donna’s wedding, we say goodbye to characters we loved for nearly 300 episodes. Try not to cry at this farewell, especially when it wraps with the theme song played at half-speed, and slow-motion hugs all around.

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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