Expert: Mel - 4/24/2008

Question
hey, mel, i was wondering...in the first season, are brenda, brandon, dylan, andrea, steve, and donna juniors?(11th grade)? are scott and david freshman?? one expert said they were sophmores, which would make sense since they're the class of '93. but, another one said that they were juniors because the writers started them as juniors, but when the show became more popular, they wanted them in high school longer, so they were juniors twice. if this is true, then david moved through the grades like normal since he was a freshman. didn't he double up on classes so he could graduate early?? the reason why I think everyone except scott and david are juniors in the first season is because in the firdt episode, when srenda finally admits to that lawyer guy she's not in college, she says she's a junior at west beverly. and, in "man and a baby," brandon meets a senior single mother, and he tells her he's a junior. also, could you tell which years of the series (i.e., 1990-1993) are high school, then college, then out in the world? and what seasons? also, i read somewhere that season 3 is the "summer spectacular" season or something, but it's in the summer. why would that be speial when season 2 stars in the summer? cause in the first episode of S2, they're like, :yay! it's summer!" oh, and what season and what episode do kelly and dylan brenda about their summer together? in the small video about it, it says something about dylan and brenda breaking up because of a fling dylan had. did he confess that he diid have a fling, but not tell her that it was kaelly, and they they told her?? also, brenda, at the end of the video says, "look, i hate you both. never talk to me again," then walks away. i haven't seen what happens next. does brenda ignore them at school? do kelly/dylan try talking to her?? in your honest opinion, who do you like better--kelly and dylan, or brenda and dylan? i like brenda/dylan.i guess i'll write back if i have any more ?s

Answer
Hi Kayla,

Please limit your number of questions per email next time, as this deals with at least 3 separate subjects.  

Yes, in S1, everyone in the gang were Juniors, except David and Scott, who were Freshman.  Then, in S2, they were Juniors again, while David and Scott were Sophomores.  David caught up with his academics enough to graduate with his friends by going to Summer School just prior to S3 and (unrealistically) taking 3 science courses at once in his Senior year.

Here is how the years breakdown.

High School:
S1 (1990-91)
S2 (1991-92)
S3 (1992-93)

College:
S4 (1993-94)
S5 (1994-95)
S6 (1995-96)
S7 (1996-97)

Post-College:
S8 (1997-98)
S9 (1998-99)
S10 (1999-00)

You're correct in that the Summer of S2 episodes helped put the show on the map in a major way.  S3 might have been termed the "summer spectacular" season because it, too, had Summer episodes that drew in a huge audience and created buzz.  By that point, the show was already established as a hit, and it just grew in popularity even more.  For some, the Summer of S3 episodes are regarded as more well-known because its storylines affected the course of the show so dramatically.  Dylan and Kelly have an affair, and so does Brenda (in Paris, another attraction) and David.  As Fall approached, viewers were left on the edge of their seat as to whether the main couples at the time (Brenda/Dylan and Donna/David) would survive these plot twists.  Also, Jackie has a baby, and Brandon expresses a romantic inclination towards Andrea.  In short, a lot more happened than in the Summer of S2, which focused mainly on Brenda and Dylan's on-again-off-again relationship, Jackie meeting Mel, and Brandon's desire to buy a car.  In many ways, the Brenda-Dylan-Kelly triangle fueled further interest in the show, as well as the mere fact that it was their last year of high school and people were now longtime fans of the series.  

At the end of "Castles In the Sand", Brenda tells Dylan about her Summer fling with Rick.  He almost confesses his own, but doesn't.  For one thing, Kelly wished to keep it a secret and move on.  Then, six weeks later, he does tell Brenda that he saw someone else over the Summer ("Destiny Rides Again"), but doesn't name Kelly directly.  Brenda was complimenting him on how he's always been so honest with her and he couldn't take the hypocrisy.  This is the same episode in which Rick shows up in L.A. and runs into Brenda.  She then decides that their affairs "do mean something", and breaks up with Dylan.  There is much debate as to the true reasons why they broke up, since  a lot was going on and supporters of each couple tend to see things differently.  But Brenda finds Dylan with Kelly in the next episode, her being on a date with Rick, and this prompts the girls to ask him to choose between them once they patch up their relationship. Because Brenda doesn't know that Kelly is the girl Dylan had an affair with over the Summer, they make up after only one episode of iciness and insults, in "Wild Horses".  Dylan takes a short road trip as a relief from the drama.  In "Back In the High Life", several weeks later, Dylan chooses to see Kelly, who will only agree to follow her heart if there are no longer any secrets about their relationship.  So Dylan agrees to tell Brenda that Kelly was the girl he had an affair with over the Summer, and not just someone he decided to go out with after they broke up.  Brenda feels betrayed and lied to, ending with the statement above: "I hate you both.  Never talk to me again!"  

Well, they do talk again, all three of them, but it takes some time.  Brenda insults and freezes Kelly out in the next episode.  Then, at the urging of Iris, Dylan's mother, she finds the strength to resume a cordial relationship with her.  Brenda and Dylan don't bond again until his father dies ("The Child Is the Father to The Man") and the reception is held at the Walsh house.  Brenda and Kelly find their footing after Kelly overdoses on diet pills and Brenda suggests it was partly self-punishment.  That episode is "Perfectly Perfect", and I'd say all three of them are close once again from that point on.  Yes, Kelly did try talking to Brenda beforehand, but she needed some time.  Dylan, I think, was just giving her that time.  This is all S3.  And to answer your question, my preference is Dylan and Kelly.  

Thanks for the question!

All the best,

Mel