Like most good stories do, it all started with a girl. I was thirteen, in junior high and obsessed with a girl named Alison. Unfortunately, Alison was in love with some guy named Dylan.
It was the very early 90’s and it seemed like all my entire grade seven class could talk about was a group of kids I had never even heard of. Walking through the halls I’d constantly hear friends mention Dylan and Brenda’s streamy relationship, how hot Kelly was and the dreaminess that was Brandon Walsh. What the frak was going on?
After a little investigation, I quickly discovered that I wasn’t living in an alternate universe. Rather my entire school was obsessed with a little show called BEVERLY HILLS 90210. Not wanting to be left off the bandwagon, I decided I’d better start watching — and thus my obsessions with the gang from West Beverly began.
Today marks a special day in the world of Television and DVD. The first seasons of BEVERLY HILLS 90210 and MELROSE PLACE are available on DVD. And with it a flood of teenage memories. Brenda and Dylan ‘going all the way’ at the Spring Dance, Brandon getting into a drunk driving accident, Kelly admitting to having been date-raped at the classic ‘Skeletons in the Closet’ sleep-over, Andrea secretly living out of district and of course, Donna and her (gasp!) learning disability (Outside of being Kelly sidekick, Donna really didn’t do anything in that first season).
While not the best year, season one laid the groundwork for what would become the show that defined a network (FOX), made Shannon Doherty the most hated girl on television and gave us the deliciously wicked spin-off MELROSE PLACE.
MELROSE PLACE started off dreadfully. Creator Darren Starr tried to take a ‘serious’ look at twenty-something ‘issues’. For almost an entire season we had to suffer through incredibly lame stories such as: Jake studying for his SAT’s, Billy realizing that there is racism in Los Angeles, Matt being gay (most of his scenes were cut), and Michael and Jane dealing with a crumbling marriage.
It wasn’t until Aaron Spelling’s ‘good luck charm’, better known as Heather Locklear came on the scene that thing started to get interesting. Locklear’s Amanda was the jolt of energy that took a dying show and transformed it into the most talked about show on TV.
Both seasons are available today, click below to save some serious money at Amazon.com.
