Rewatching Season 1

[u/popteachingculture]

I’m rewatching season one with the original soundtrack (thank you to this Reddit!) for the first time since in 2013. I know everyone including the cast and crew is pretty much in agreement that season 2 is better than 1, but I don’t really see what makes season 1 so bad? Yes, the characters are jumping from relationship to relationship, but that’s honestly an issue the show suffered from its entire run. And I know that season 2’s aesthetic is different from the flashy/trendy style of season 1, but that’s more subjective. I wonder if the cast/crew were calling season 2 an improvement because of the work conditions and less about the writing itself. I recall Shenae and Annalynne talked at length about the long hours and the constant script rewrites which seemed like more of a critique of the showrunners. What do we think?

[u/fvckuufvckingfvck]

I love Season 1! It’s so comforting

[u/kooalapple]

Season 1 is the perfect start for the show, comforting, fun and just a great watch. But season 2 is where the show gets perfected.

[u/elitelucrecia]

i loved season 1 too. but annie did annoy me in the first season

[u/-Jackie-Blue-]

I really like season 1. It’s a good season and not bad at all. But season 2 and 3 are far superior.

[u/Ok-Teaching2848]

Season 1 was the best season imo, i loved ethan 😭😭😭

[u/sweetboy1999]

I love S1 but there’s just like an obvious shift in S2. A new showrunner was brought on to breathe new life into the show and it’s palpable. New opening credits, new relationship dynamics post-prom night and summer. Visually even the way it’s shot looks different, tonally it’s more grown & sexy, very LA Gossip Girl coded. The og show cast is phased out as well. I feel like 90210 has 3 eras: S1 the intro, S2-3 the rebrand, and S4-5 the post-hs years. The 2nd era just felt the most culturally impactful! Especially considering the fall off in writing quality post-hs when the showrunner left. My personal ranking would be: S3, S2, S1, S4, S5.

[u/popteachingculture → u/sweetboy1999]

Right now, I think I’m leaning towards S2, S1, S3, S4, S5. I love how nostalgic and 2008 season 1 feels! The tone is less serious and very teen (which makes storylines like Adrianna’s drug addiction a bit jarring in contrast to Annie’s problems, for instance). And while season 2 captures the sunny California vibe better, I do think season 1 highlights the wealth and glamor of LA in a way that reinforces the show’s point that it’s all corrupting. The mature storylines are overall more interesting, but I wish they kept the thread about the Wilson’s trying to remain level-headed and grounded amidst all of the chaos around them.

For me, the biggest improvement from season 2 (besides the fashion and cinematography) is the character-building they did for Annie and Naomi. Annie becomes a dramatically more interesting character to the point that pretty much everyone is on her side by the end of the season. Meanwhile, putting Annalynne front and center really showcased Naomi’s humor and charisma. Other than that, I can’t really argue that the writing in season 1 was so horrible — just rushed.

[u/sweetboy1999 → u/popteachingculture]

I love your POV on this! Such a great point about how in S1 their classmates drama was so jarring in contrast to the main character, that’s why S1 feels the most like the og series where the Wilsons & Walshes both feel like a wholesome foil to every other family in Beverly Hills. I think in S2 is when the show turns into a more realistic version of the og series where the morally superior family does get corrupted. For ex: Annies’s isolation from the friends is more overt with extreme bullying, not just the boyfriend stealing & rumor spreading Brenda faced. Also, Debby actually stands up to Harry leading to divorce like everyone else’s parents.

[u/bbluefrenchhorn]

how can i find the original soundtrack ?

[u/fvckuufvckingfvck → u/bbluefrenchhorn]

I can send it to you, check your DMs

[u/ClearWalk2093]

I loveeeeee season 1 it’s so nostalgic it’s like a mild calm before the storm