Minneapolis transplants, twins Brandon and Brenda begin their sophomore year at West Beverly High. Brandon looks to join the school newspaper, where he has an intense introduction to the brainy editor, fellow sophomore Andrea Zuckerman. Brenda makes friends with popular blonde, Kelly, and tries to fit in with Kelly's rich party girl lifestyle. They go to a party hosted by popular senior, Marianne Moore, with whom Brandon connects and hooks up. Steve gets drunk at the party after exchanging harsh words with ex, Kelly, and ends up being driven home by freshman, David, who crashes the car. Steve tries to find the culprit. Kelly invites Brenda with her to try and get into a club with fake IDs, but while Brenda gets in, Kelly and the others are found out and can't get Brenda. Inside, Brenda meets a lawyer in his 20s, Jason, who flirts with her. They start dating and Brenda neglects school work as a result of the ruse. She considers sleeping with Jason and decides to tell him her age and is crushed at his angry and cold reaction, prompting her to break down and tell her mother everything. Meanwhile, Brandon dates Marianne, but she rejects him after he doesn't dissuade people's impression that they had sex. Andrea lashes out at Brandon for not being who she thought, prompting Brandon to announce on the school radio that nothing happened between him and Marianne. Marianne accepts his apology, but there is no romantic future for them after what he did and she decides to spend more time on herself than her image. Brandon also discovers that Andrea lives out of district and promises to keep her secret, which forms a bond between them.
Tropes
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Steve and Kelly, despite being exes, have a lot of this as they bicker/flirt interchangeably.
- Carload of Cool Kids: When Kelly and her posse pick up Brenda for the party.
- Cram School: West Beverly is made out to be this kind of school, which is why Andrea wanted to attend as it's a pipeline to good colleges.
- Eating Lunch Alone: Brandon, which is pointed out to Brenda by Kelly as a social faux pas, not knowing that Brandon is Brenda’s brother (and Brenda does not tell her).
- Education Through Pyrotechnics: While giving a quiz, the chemistry teacher makes sputtering chemical reactions set to classical music.
- First Day of School Episode: Brenda and Brandon's first day at West Beverly, and of their junior year of high school (later retconned to sophomore year). Same for Andrea, Steve, and Kelly. First day of Freshman year for David and Scott.Brandon: First day of school. Strange city, new house, no friends. I'm psyched.
- Fish out of Water: The Walshes as they have to adjust to life in sunny California while originally hailing from the midwest.
- Girl Posse: Kelly's three 'friends' who are in the car with her as she picks up Brenda, complete with giggles when Cindy introduces herself to them and gives Brenda a curfew.
- Minor with Fake I.D.: Kelly. She also makes one for Brenda.
- Naïve Newcomer: Brenda is excited about Beverly Hills and all the glamour, seeing it as a chance to reinvent herself. She is very earnest unexperienced, ultimately feeling overwhelmed when she ends up alone at a club and meets a 25-year-old she starts dating, despite only being 16.
- New Transfer Student: Brandon and Brenda have their first day of school at West Beverly, after previously having lived in Minneapolis.
- School Clubs Are Serious Business: The award-winning, highly competitive Blaze, which Andrea oversees and puts Brandon through tests as auditions for. Justified, as it's later revealed that Andrea lives in a poorer neighbourhood out of district and attends West Beverly by using a fake address. She aims at being successful in life by getting into a good college, which extra curriculars at a fancy high school will help with.
- Wild Teen Party: Most popular girl at school, senior Marianne Moore, hosts a back-to-school blowout at her parents' huge Beverly Hills mansion.
