TeenDramaWhore

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

1. Kelly and Dylan (Beverly Hills, 90210)

This couple probably sparks the most debate among fans because there is a whole slew of people that believe Kelly belongs with Brandon and Dylan belongs with Brenda.  I am NOT one of those people.  In fact, I believe Kelly and Dylan are…dare I say it…SOULMATES (Dylan even said that himself!). While the way their relationship started was less than ideal, in some ways it had a solid foundation: childhood experiences, growing friendship, common family problems, etc.  Kelly and Dylan understood each other in a way that no other person was able to for either of them.  And while I obviously enjoyed Kelly’s season 5 relationship with Brandon, I was overjoyed when Dylan had visions of he and Kelly together in an earlier life.  After a multi-year break, it was hard not getting sucked back in during season 9 when Dylan returned to town and longed to be with Kelly, just as she had longed to be with him in season 3.  The end of season 10, when they finally re-committed to each other in the series finale, was a logical progression and the best ending I could have asked for.  (The new 90210 technically ruined that but I like to pretend that that doesn’t exist!)  Major Kelly-Dylan moments mark some of my favorite episodes, the ones I consistently TiVo and rewatch.  There’s no couple that’s ever meant more to me and I doubt there ever will be.

Kelly and Dylan Trailer

A Tribute to Kelly and Dylan (Seasons 9 & 10)

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In my first post in this series, I hinted that there’s a pattern among all my all-time favorite couples.  It’s hard to sum it up in just one word without an explanation so I will try to give both themes and reasons.  First, the common words and phrases: unrequited love, the underdog, star-crossed lovers, destiny, etc.  All these couples had something stopping them from being together at first, namely one-half of them was in another relationship.  This new love, then, was forbidden-like.  We all know what it’s like to want someone you can’t have and so it’s hard not to be drawn to stories like that.  In the case of 90210 and Dawson’s Creek, I have to admit that I didn’t initially watch those series from the beginning so I didn’t have the chance to fall directly in love with Brenda/Dylan and Dawson/Joey as original viewers did.  I think if Kelly/Dylan and Pacey/Joey was the first relationship they saw, they’d be a lot more accepting.

What’s also is interesting is the order I put these favorite couples in.  While Kelly and Dylan ALWAYS top my list as my all-time favorite couple, pairs 2, 3 and 4 (Brelly, Joey and Pacey, Leyton) are very interchangeable depending on my mood, what episodes I’ve recently watched, etc.  As I did the video researche for Joey and Pacey, I sat for a while thinking if they should really go in the number 2 spot.  And I wondered if I was shortchanging Leyton by putting them at number 3.  Or was I just feeling especially connected to them right now because they’re still on the air in new episodes and they were the “last” (aka, most recent) couple I fell in love with? It sounds kind of lame to say those couples all tie for my number two position so I had to number it somehow.  But in reality they are all my favorite, standing out above and beyond the dozens of other couples on these shows.

I’ve thought about doing a favorite quotes series but then I realized most of them–if not all–have been included in the clips used in this series.  My favorite quotes, of course, often come from my favorite couples and their “best” moments.  But if you want to know more about these couples and need specifics, check out my love triangles series, which gives a lot of the key episodes and key scenes for these couples.

Okay, enough with all this gooey love stuff.  Next week, expect some tragedy!