Beverly Hills, 90210
The Penultimate
TV Flash files “The Penultimate” as hour 292 of 293 in the TV Flash guide — Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000) on Fox, season 10, episode 26, aired 2000-05-17, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S10E26: listed hour 292 of 293 in the Beverly Hills, 90210 guide, hour 26 of 27 in season 10. It aired 2000-05-17 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “I'm Happy for You...Really” (S10E25). Next is “Ode to Joy” (S10E27).

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
David expresses his feelings for Donna by writing her a giant love note in the sand. He is understanding about her reluctance to accept his proposal. He believes that she is having trouble reconciling her dreams of the perfect marriage with reality. A talk with Janet prompts Donna to realize that her expectations have been unreasonable. She tells David that she loves him and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. Dylan graduates from California University. Matt considers moving to New York to help her sister-in-law raise his child (for whom he was the surrogate father). He declares that he will stay in Los Angeles for Kelly. Kelly, unable to fight her feelings for Dylan, calls off the engagement. Matt assumes that Dylan told her about his indiscretion in the desert. Kelly lashes out at Dylan for failing to disclose this information. Janet is distressed to learn that she must compete for the editorship of Nouveau, which Yoffe had led her to believe was already hers. She feels left out as Steve strengthens his bond with Maddy. Ellen asks Noah for a commitment in order to protect Caitlin from potential heartache. He declines because the relationship is moving too quickly for him.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Penultimate sit in the Beverly Hills, 90210 guide?
S10E26 is listed hour 292 of 293 — hour 26 of 27 in season 10, season 10 episode 26.
When did Beverly Hills, 90210 S10E26 air?
The Penultimate aired 2000-05-17 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
The original 1990–2000 run, from high school into adult career and family arcs — later 90210 reboot attempts are a separate brand lap.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Minnesota twins drop into Beverly Hills High and teach Fox that teens will show up weekly. Darren Star and Aaron Spelling built zip-code soap from peach-pit romance, Luke Perry heartthrob mythology, and Very Special Topics — then aged the courtyard into adulthood without ever leaving the brand. The teen-drama industrial complex starts here, spinoffs included.
So about the ZIP code. Minnesota twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh land at Beverly Hills High and Fox learns, in public, that teens will show up every week for peach-pit romance, pool-party lighting, and a curriculum of Very Special Topics. Darren Star created it; Aaron Spelling produced it (1990–2000). Luke Perry's Dylan, Shannen Doherty's Brenda, Jason Priestley's Brandon, Jennie Garth's Kelly, Tori Spelling's Donna — the original ensemble that made appointment TV out of adolescent melodrama. (I said spoiler-free.…
Filed against
- Jason Priestley as Brandon Walsh
Jason Priestley’s Brandon Walsh dropped Minnesota morals into Beverly Hills, 90210 and taught Fox that teens would show up weekly — peach-pit romance, zip-code soap, Very Special Topics, a courtyard that aged into adulthood without…
- Shannen Doherty as Brenda Walsh
Shannen Doherty’s Brenda Walsh dropped Minnesota twins into Beverly Hills, 90210 and taught Fox that teens would show up weekly — peach-pit romance, Luke Perry mythology, Very Special Topics — then spelled sisterhood as Prue on Charmed.…
- Luke Perry as Dylan McKay
Luke Perry taught Fox a zip code as Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 — peach-pit romance, Minnesota twins in a courtyard, heartthrob mythology with Very Special Topics, then adulthood without ever leaving the brand. Darren Star and…
- Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor
Jennie Garth’s Kelly Taylor made Beverly Hills, 90210 a blonde weather system — Minnesota twins in the zip code, peach-pit romance, Luke Perry mythology, Very Special Topics aging a courtyard into adulthood. Fox teen soap as a weekly…
- Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders
Ian Ziering's Steve Sanders taught Beverly Hills, 90210 that the rich kid could be the plot — Minnesota twins dropping into a zip-code soap, Darren Star and Aaron Spelling, peach-pit romance, Luke Perry mythology, Very Special Topics.…
- Tori Spelling as Donna Martin
Tori Spelling’s Donna Martin made Beverly Hills, 90210 feel like a courtyard you could actually live in — peach-pit romance, zip-code soap, Minnesota twins dropping into a high school Fox taught teens to visit weekly. Darren Star and…