There are many female teenage characters we've grown to love over the decades. From Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek to Marissa Cooper on The O.C. to Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, they're the girl next door, the troubled teen, or the ambitious bookworm, and they offer up different perspectives on high school life. Another iconic character we can add to that list is Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210.
90210 might be famous because Shannen Doherty left the series pretty early on, but her character deserves a lot of attention, too. From the moment she and her family move to Beverly Hills, she makes a huge impact, and her life is changed forever.
Like most teen girls in real life and on TV, though, Brenda isn't perfect. Keep reading to find out some parts of Brenda's personality and some things she does on the show that are pretty confusing.
15 After Her Pregnancy Scare, Brenda Dumps Dylan Even Though She Still Loves Him
Many teen dramas feature pregnancy scares, and 90210 was no different.
When Brenda thinks that she might be pregnant in season two, she dumps Dylan. This isn't something that we understand, because she loves him and it seems like she can work it out with him. No relationship is perfect and without conflict.
14 She's Super Critical Of The Teens In Beverly Hills When She's New And Should Make Friends
Many of us have been the new kid at school at some point, and we want to make friends ASAP.
Brenda is super critical of the teens in Beverly Hills and this is confusing, because she's new and should make friends. She doesn't like that they shop a lot and finds that dull, which is understandable, but she should try a least a little.
13 Brenda Hates That Dylan Cheated On Her With Kelly, Yet She Kissed Rick In Paris
Brenda makes a lot of confusing decisions on Beverly Hills, 90210. It's strange that she hates that Dylan cheated on her with Kelly... and yet she kissed Rick during her time in Paris the very same summer.
They were both unfaithful, so this is something that she really should keep in mind.
12 Why Does Free Spirit Brenda Get Engaged To Stuart So Fast? She Wouldn't Want To Settle Down So Young
In season four, Brenda gets engaged to Stuart, who her parents set her up with. We don't get this.
Why would Brenda, who is such a free spirit, get engaged to him so fast? She wouldn't want to settle down at such a young age, and she would be content to simply be in a relationship with him.
11 Brenda Blames Dylan More Than Kelly When They Get Together, But The BFF Betrayal Is Worse
Sure, Brenda is going to be upset that her boyfriend cheated on her. That's totally a given.
The confusing part is that Brenda seems to blame Dylan much more than Kelly. Since she was literally betrayed by her BFF, we would think that would be a much harder thing to go through.
10 Brenda Has Zero Right To Get Mad That Dylan Dates Emily Valentine When They're Not Even Together Anymore
Emily Valentine first appears on the show in the second season, where she and Dylan date.
Brenda gets mad, but she has zero right to feel that way because they're not even together anymore. If she really wanted to be with Dylan, then she should have stayed with him. It just makes no sense.
9 Brenda Always Acts Impulsively Then Gets Mad When There Are Consequences, Which Makes No Sense
Something else that doesn't add up about Brenda, is that she acts impulsively, then gets mad when there are consequences to her actions.
One example is the season one episode "Stand (Up) And Deliver" when Brenda wants to leave her home and house sit for an older friend. This isn't the best idea when you're in high school. She's shocked when it works out terribly, but why didn't she realize that?
8 It Takes Her Forever To Be Nice To Donna And Andrea, But They're The Nicest Ones At The School
It doesn't make any sense that it takes forever for Brenda to be nice to Donna and Andrea.
She goes to Paris with Donna and that's when they're close friends, and she's nice to Andrea once they work on the teen helpline together. But they're the sweetest people at the high school, and instead of becoming so obsessed with Kelly, she should broaden her friendship horizons more at first.
7 She Freaks Out That Dylan Is Too Intense For Her, Yet Keeps Wanting To Date Older Guys
A big season one storyline is whether Brenda will take the next intimate step in her relationship with Dylan. She freaks out that he's too intense for her and it's hard for her to see a future with him.
So it makes no sense that Brenda keeps wanting to date older guys, from Jason in season one to Stuart in season four.
6 Brenda Should Understand Why Her Family Is Nervous About Dylan, But She Rebels Instead
Brenda should definitely understand why her family (her parents in particular) is nervous about her being with Dylan. She rebels instead, moving in with him in season three and continuing to date him even though they don't want her to.
She's close with her parents and is family-oriented, so this makes no sense.
5 She Can't Make Up Her Mind About Living In Minnesota Or Beverly Hills
Another thing that we just don't get about Brenda is that she can't make up her mind about living in Minnesota or Beverly Hills.
She's upset when her dad could move the family back in the season one finale... yet later on, she moves back for college, then it doesn't work out so she comes back to California. She seems to do much better in Beverly Hills since she's popular, has friends, and has experienced love.
4 Brenda Knows Her Dad Is Super Traditional, Yet Makes Awkward Comments To Him About Boys
In one scene, Brenda says to her dad, Jim Walsh, "Those nice boys may be mild-mannered on the outside, but mostly all they think about is..."
Brenda knows that her dad is super traditional and on the conservative side, so why does she make such awkward comments to him about boys?
3 If Dylan And Brenda's Romance Is So Rocky, Why Even Go To Paris?
It doesn't make any sense that Brenda would go to Paris when her relationship with Dylan is so rocky.
Why wouldn't she stay home and try to repair the relationship? It just doesn't seem like the right time to take such a big trip, and it's something that we're curious about.
2 She's Mad When Her Friends Don't Support Her Season Four Activism, But They're Just Worried About Her
In the fourth season of 90210, Brenda becomes an activist. She gets mad when her friends don't support this side of her.
However, they're definitely just worried about her, so we don't know why she doesn't see that. They care about her and have never done anything to suggest otherwise.
1 Since They're Both New In An Overwhelming Town, Brenda And Brandon Should Lean On Each Other More In Season One
Finally, we don't get why Brenda doesn't lean on Brandon more, especially in the first season of the show.
They're both new in town (and it's a super overwhelming, wealthy area at that), so shouldn't they become even closer? It's just one of many things that don't make a lot of sense about Brenda Walsh.
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