Expert: Catherine - 8/23/2011

Question
So, in your opinion, why do you think the producers choose to have Dylan pick Kelly over Brenda? It just broke my heart and many others too. Just wanted your thoughts on this.

Answer
Hi Laurie,

Well.. here is my theory... (of course, this is complete speculation, but it's what I've gathered over the years)...

When the show first started, Shannen was basically the star (along with Jason).  Jennie had never really been in anything before, and Shannen had already been on two series (Our House and Little House on the Prairie).  She was also in Heathers and Girls Just Want to Have Fun, so she was the most known, and the character of Brenda was designed to be the most relatable to the audience and the female protagonist.  If you recall too, in the beginning, the character of Kelly was incredibly superficial and somewhat mean-spirited although we eventually get glimpses of her vulnerability in episodes like Perfect Mom and Slumber Party.

Somewhere though, the audience started to shift, and Kelly became a favorite character among fans.  Therefore, I believe that the producers sought to give her a bigger part with increased character depth.  By the time season 3 came around, Jennie was arguably the most popular girl on the show, and this shift in dynamics by most accounts seems to parallel the shift of Shannen's behavior on set.  Of course, Shannen's poor behavior could have likely been triggered by Jennie's increased popularity.  (Chicken & egg..)  People have cited Shannen as delaying shoots by showing up late to the set and have said that she chain-smoked on set which irritated others.  It has also been documented that she got in huge fights with Jennie and caused general tension on the set.  

I personally feel that because of all of this, the producers attempted to drive a wedge between the audience and the Brenda character.  Up until Kelly and Dylan start dating, Brenda is fun-loving and the voice of reason, but around the time that Dylan chooses Kelly over her, Brenda becomes depressed, moody, and mean-spirited.  This change in character persists throughout season four as Brenda leaves for Minnesota, breaks into the animal lab, almost marries Stuart etc. In addition, Kelly and Donna are living together, making Brenda an outsider amongst them. Further to this, Shannen's make-up in season four has been likened to an "Elvira look," and it is by this point obvious that Brenda is becoming isolated from the group, making her departure at the end of the season that much less upsetting to the audience who has already changed its general perception of the character.

I don't think that the initial decision to pair Dylan and Kelly in season three was made to drive Brenda away from the show two years later, but I do think that this storyline served as the catalyst to give Jennie more to work with and to boost the focus of Kelly on the show in an effort to elevate Jennie's position within the cast.  Charles Rosin, the showrunner through season five, has said that he wanted Brenda and Dylan to end up together, and I think that the surge towards Brenda and Dylan's reconciliation towards the end of season four is a testament to that.  As I recall (I didn't double check this) either Charles or Karen Rosen wrote the season four finale, Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington, which makes sense as Brenda has some of her finest moments in this episode (comforting Donna etc.)... the character went out on a high note.

I know that this is long-winded, but I hope that it makes some sense to you (whether or not you agree).  I think that they just needed to mix things up, create more drama on the show, and basically throw Jennie a bone. The other thing is that had Dylan cheated on Brenda with Kelly but then realized that his fling with Kelly was a mistake and gone back to Brenda, there would have been zero validation in Kelly's betrayal of her best friend.  I don't think that the Kelly character could have absorbed that, and I think that the producers were starting to realize that Jennie would be the future of the show. Since Dylan ultimately selects Kelly over Brenda, it gives further credibility to the fact that she screwed Brenda over for good reason.

What do you think?  I hope that helps!