Beverly Hills 90210: The Second Season

Starring: Jennie Garth, Luke Perry, Tori Spelling, Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty Directed by: Various Runtime: 1305 min. Rated: Not Rated DVD Release date: May 1, 2007 - More Info
READER RATINGS:
6 OVERALL	Smart . . . . . . . . 5 Sexy . . . . . . . . . 5 Funny . . . . . . . . 8

The Nerve Review

Rumor has it that Fox didn't make much money on the first-season DVD collection of Beverly Hills, 90210 — and that release of later seasons will depend on the success of The Second Season, released this month. Oddly enough, this is exactly the situation Fox was in back in 1991. The first season had been unpopular, but the fledgling network had little else to go with and ran the first eight episodes of season two over the summer. With nothing else on but reruns, teenagers flipped to 90210 and got hooked.

For helpless nostalgia junkies, the second season offers many classic moments. Dylan saves Brandon from falling off a cliff. Steve seeks out his real parents. Wild child Emily Valentine (who surely belongs in the minor character hall of fame) spikes Brandon's drink with "U4EA." Valuable lessons are learned, though not quite at the one-per-episode clip of season one. Actually, the season is less episodic on the whole, anticipating the Melrose Place-esque direction of later years. (I'm loyally committed to reviewing these sets for you, reader, but when Kelly joins that cult, I'm out of here).

Bev-Niner (and The Simpsons) saved Fox's hide, so I'm again disappointed to find them skimping on the DVD front. They may not be raking in a fortune, but I'm guessing they're not losing money, and there's really no excuse for altered music in period pieces like these. In the first season, you could only spot the alterations with a general sense of what the early '90s sounded like; here, the changes are more egregious. If David puts on a song and Brandon remarks on its relevance to the story, it shouldn't be "Emo-Punk Fill #406-B" by Penny-Saver Music Licensing Co. You can't have Tori Spelling look at the radio and mutter "I wish I were addicted to love," and not have "Addicted to Love" playing. It's a miracle they've preserved the jaw-dropping guest spot from Color Me Badd. Let's hope the next season gets treated better.

That is, assuming there is a release of the next season. Come on, people! Brenda goes to Paris! Dylan's father kerplodes! "Donna Martin Graduates!" — Peter Smith

DVD Extras: Featurettes about James Eckhouse and Carol Potter (Jim and Cindy Walsh) and Christine Elise (Emily Valentine). The three actors are smart and endearing, if you can get over the obvious (yet painful) fact that they're not actually their characters.

Your Reviews

I had Season One on my Netflix queue for like over a YEAR so I definitely feel you. We need to start a letter-writing campaign or something. I'd ask Donna to help, but we all know she's illiterate...

posted by mandrellsister on 5/31/2007 11:33:53 PM
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