On 3/29/2022 at 9:33 PM, All My Shadows said:

After all these years, I'm glad to finally see that I'm not alone in thinking that Ray could have been a good long-term character and that the abuse story was unnecessary. I'm not sure if Caroline McWilliams had staying power as his boozy ma, but they at least brought something different to the 90210 circle.

You're not.

 

6 minutes ago, Chris B said:

I just finished season 7, which was a struggle and unfortunately I hear season 8 isn;t much better. When I originally watched the show it was when season 9 and 10 were airing originally, so that is the first version of the show I know. Then through reruns I've seen the first 6 seasons many times, but never watched 7 or 8 and haven't seen the last two seasons since they originally aired. I regret being so hard on season 6 because in retrospect it wasn't bad. All of the new characters worked and the storylines were over the top, but at least kept you interested. In season 7 there is a lack of energy and direction and it seems like the show doesn't know what it wants to be. I wonder if this is when Jason Priestley took over as EP.

The biggest problem with the season is that none of the new characters work. Brandon is given another season long love interest who is another play on the Andrea/Susan type, but this one has no personality and they don't really develop a purpose for her beyond Brandon having someone on his arm. Donna and Kelly similarly had dead end love interests that went nowhere. There are hints of interesting story for Val involving her past and her parents, but it doesn't really go anywhere. Clare and Steve are the C-tier comedic relief, only used for support to the main characters. Their biggest story was their parents becoming a couple, but that also went nowhere. 

I notice this season tried to scale back the Melrose Place soapiness, but it just became dreary and dull. It feels like they were beyond the college days and any scenes involving that felt tired. There was an influx of self contained episodes, which felt weird considering the show had become a full on soap. The only things that showed potential were Kelly's new sister Joy, who of course was never seen after season 7. She would've been a good replacement for Clare. I also liked that we got some focus on Donna and Kelly's parents, but again, it's not enough to truly get invested in.

I know Hilary Swank was not well liked on the show, but I'm hopeful that season 8 is an improvement over this. I hope that there are more long term stories and maybe being out of college will inspire them to do something fresh with these characters. 

First of all, I hope you got to see those first 4 seasons with the original music.  

 

I haven't seen Season 8 since it first aired, but as they were one of the first teen shows to show High School AND college to its completion (no time jumping), I remember Fox doing good promotion for that season and it did feel like it was the end of the room. You also felt like Kelly and Val were doing final battle and I thought they FINALLY had them deal with each other after all that Season 5 and especially Season 6 mess. 

 

Hilary Swank, I remember her. I am not sure Steve was ready to 'grow up' by that point and the show definitely didn't need a moppet, but I don't remember disliking her myself. I would be really curious to see if I felt the same way on a rewatch though. 

 

Well if you keep going, do tell what you thought.  

@TaoboiI got to enjoy the early years with original music on SOAPnet, but the dvds aren’t horrible. They keep most of the music performances on in at least. Btw, I just realized season 7 is one of the Jason Priestley EP seasons because that’s when he turned down Spice Girls for The Cardigans because he didn’t think people would remember the Spice Girls lol. 
 

Im going to post season 8 thoughts. I feel it can’t be any worse and I’m at least ready for something different with them being out of college. I’m also glad my girl Donna got out of that short blonde hair phase. That look did not suit her at all. 

On 7/26/2022 at 2:07 AM, Chris B said:

@TaoboiI got to enjoy the early years with original music on SOAPnet, but the dvds aren’t horrible. They keep most of the music performances on in at least. Btw, I just realized season 7 is one of the Jason Priestley EP seasons because that’s when he turned down Spice Girls for The Cardigans because he didn’t think people would remember the Spice Girls lol. 
 

Im going to post season 8 thoughts. I feel it can’t be any worse and I’m at least ready for something different with them being out of college. I’m also glad my girl Donna got out of that short blonde hair phase. That look did not suit her at all. 

Yaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As for the dvds...meh. lol. There are just some scenes (and I can say that for DAWSON'S CREEK as well though I like that in recent years, some streaming has attempted to restore some of the music) that I remember watching live or VHS and I have that music in my head and those memories so nothing else will do. Music resonates. lol. I am happy they were able to keep their music acts though.

 

Yes! Please do keep posting. 

 

lol at Donna's hair. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, te. said:

The college years had her out here BAD! Just one nightmare of a hairstyle after another. I'm happy to report she looks absolutely beautiful with the longer red hair in season 8. In fact, season 8 is a drastic improvement over the previous season. It helps that there was really no storyline in season 7, so they could easily start fresh. I'm three episodes in and Noah is a great new addition and Hilary Swank's Carly isn't bad. I appreciate that they didn't try and do Clare Jr. like they did with the Andrea clones for Brandon. She has decent chemistry with Steve so I can't complain. 

Getting out of college really has helped the characters. They had just outgrown those type of storylines, so it's nice to see them working and trying to figure out the next step of their life. The group also seems more connected this season and not separated off into their own stories. You have Noah interacting with Valerie, then he switches over to Kelly and Brandon. Then you have Valerie all over the canvas with Steve, then Noah, Kelly and even Donna who she rarely interacted with. Brandon is also more likable with everything not going perfectly for him out of the gate. 

I hope they can keep it up as we lead into season 9. So far it's seeming like a successful soft reboot.

Reddit isn't all trash:

 

 

https://old.reddit.com/r/BeverlyHills90210/comments/wbhbpd/jim_walshmuntz_erotic_fanfiction_part_2_he_came/ii6qajm/

If I was on Reddit, I'd report that sh!t for the Brandon slander more than anything else.

22 hours ago, te. said:

Reddit isn't all trash:

 

 

https://old.reddit.com/r/BeverlyHills90210/comments/wbhbpd/jim_walshmuntz_erotic_fanfiction_part_2_he_came/ii6qajm/

Oh Lord! 👀

Ewww on so many levels...

Rest in peace, Denise Dowse. 

https://tvline.com/2022/08/13/denise-dowse-dead-beverly-hills-90210-insecure-meningitis-obituary/

On 7/26/2022 at 2:07 AM, Chris B said:

@TaoboiI got to enjoy the early years with original music on SOAPnet, but the dvds aren’t horrible. They keep most of the music performances on in at least. Btw, I just realized season 7 is one of the Jason Priestley EP seasons because that’s when he turned down Spice Girls for The Cardigans because he didn’t think people would remember the Spice Girls lol. 

The Spice Girls/Cardigans thing was him, but Jason Priestley began to EP in Season 8, I believe. He brought in Michael Braverman to try to make the show a more grounded drama. It didn't work, Braverman was tossed and JP fled the show in a very strange way at the beginning of Season 9 after an equally strange Season 8 finale. To each their own taste of course, but I remember Season 8 being dismally boring, and the longtime creative personnel were not happy with it either and have sounded off about it.

Season 7 is a huge dud on many levels and completely forgettable despite the sad exit of Clare (Kathleen Robertson was focused on her movie work with Gregg Araki). But Season 8 just never worked for me on any level either. The only thing that did was Hilary Swank, and they dumped her halfway through the year very unceremoniously while trying to retool the show. She then went on to become a movie star in record time. Vincent Young was hired just because he was a very buzzy hunk in a big Coke commercial or something at the time, I can't remember exactly what, but they tried to push him as the new heartthrob and pair him with Donna to push her as the sexy lead, and they were both just dismal together. And once that ended and Dylan came back he had no purpose but hung around for another year or two with third-tier story. It was all just wretched to me. YMMV. The last year I bothered with in full was Season 6 - like Season 4 of Melrose it got campy and OTT, but unlike Melrose its characters weren't as adaptable for the changes. But it still had some good stories and great new characters like Emma Caulfield's Susan Keats. After Season 6 the show is a wash to me.

Edited August 14, 20223 yr by Vee

@VeeThank you for that backstory on season 8! I don't think it's good after about 10 episodes, but it's certainly better than season 7. I feel like I'm enjoying how they set up the post college life. I like the variety of the types of jobs everybody got and that they didn't act like these were all broke kids, considering it is Beverly Hills. I still think the show is boring, but it's watchable. I do think they could've benefitted from bringing Andrea back who could've filled a similar role to Carly, but with more connections to the cast. But I do enjoy Carly. I also like Noah, although he is a complete Dylan copy as the season has progressed. I can't wait to see him once Dylan returns. 

The biggest problems for me right now are Donna and Kelly. Kelly has kinda been going through the motions for a couple years and they don't seem to know what to do with her. She's stuck with Brandon, but they're boring together. Then with Donna, I just don't know that she is believable as the heroine everybody wants. She worked better as the good girl and comic relief who is the moral compass of the group. Making her the lead heroine/damsel in distress is out of Tori Spelling's range.

On 8/14/2022 at 2:27 AM, Chris B said:

I do think they could've benefitted from bringing Andrea back who could've filled a similar role to Carly, but with more connections to the cast.

Bringing Andrea back, divorced and a single parent to her child (a la Carly/Swank), as a romantic challenge to Brandon and Kelly and co-worker for Brandon at the paper would've worked. (This is a role Lindsay Price ended up filling for Steve as Janet at the paper, and I think she may have just started as a recurring bit player who moved up when they dumped Swank and liked the chemistry with Ziering; I never really cared for Janet.) But the show was allergic to going there with Brandon and Andrea despite the very, very long tease. It simply was not set up to disrupt its own paradigms.

5 hours ago, Vee said:

But the show was allergic to going there with Brandon and Andrea despite the very, very long tease. It simply was not set up to disrupt its own paradigms.

To be fair, I think a lot of it had to do with that the age difference between Jason and Gabrielle became very obvious, especially as the show progressed. I assume that's why they finally did go there with Susan, who was basically an Auh-ndrea stand-in. I think the age thing also might have hindered some other pairing - ie how Ian Ziering mysteriously never hooked up with any of the OG main cast, not even having a rebound fling with Kelly (which seems like an obvious plot line).

They probably should've gone ahead with an Auh-ndrea and Steve pairing at one point, but maybe it was for the best - look at what happened on Melrose Place when they finally did pair Alison and Jake together after teasing it in season one!