The BEST episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 season 9

Every episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 season 9, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 season 9!

This long-running drama dealt with the experiences of a group of young people in Beverly Hills, CA as they navigated high school, college and ultimately the real world. The series focused on their travails as they tried to maintain their friendship while dealing with romances, family and personal crises, tragedies and countless drug addictions.

Last Updated: 11/7/2024Network: FOXStatus: Ended
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You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello
star
7.98
52 votes

#1 - You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

Season 9 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/18/1998

As Kelly and Valerie pack Brandon's belongings for shipment, Kelly discovers a letter in which Val advised Brandon not to marry her. She turns everyone against Val and gets them to boycott her Thanksgiving gathering. Hoping to help Kelly understand Valerie's behavior, David details her troubled childhood. Although Val is not interested in her pity, Kelly insists on helping with Thanksgiving dinner. Kelly and Valerie establish another truce, but Valerie suddenly announces that she is moving back to Buffalo. She apologizes for all the trouble she caused, and thanks everyone for their friendship before leaving. David has a one-night stand with an apparent groupie, unaware that she is just seventeen years old. He faces statutory rape charges after the girl confesses to her parents. Noah blacks out while driving drunk and crashes his car. He fears that he may have been involved with a hit-and-run, and turns himself in. Donna's cousin Gina comes to town with an ice show. She loses her job an

Directors: Michael Lange
Watch Now:Amazon
Brandon Leaves
star
7.72
58 votes

#2 - Brandon Leaves

Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/4/1998

Brandon announces that he has accepted a job with the Washington bureau of the New York Chronicle. Kelly and Donna prepare to open their store, Now Wear This. Brandon becomes unnerved by the realization that Kelly is getting on with her life, and feels threatened by Matt's presence. Kelly meets with Leah, who explains that she returned to Lenny after learning that she was pregnant, but left again when he threatened her life. Although Kelly insists that she doesn't need his help, Brandon writes a story about the custody case. Brandon decides that he wants to stay in Los Angeles, but Kelly urges him to take the job and pursue his dreams. The gang throws a surprise going-away party for Brandon. Before departing, he convinces his parents to let Steve, Val and Noah stay in the house. Donna turns to Matt for comfort as she and Noah drift further apart. Valerie seeks legal advice from Matt. She explains that the killing was an accident, but Matt warns that a jury may not agree. Abby tells Val

Watch Now:Amazon
Budget Cuts
star
7.59
58 votes

#3 - Budget Cuts

Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1998

After learning that the clinic may lose funding, Kelly asks Brandon to write a story to generate publicity. They try to collaborate on the article, but find that working together is too painful. Kelly organizes an auction to raise money for the clinic. She models her wedding gown in the fashion show portion of the event, and Brandon outbids everyone for a date with her. Brandon and Kelly take a walk on the beach and decide that they are through. The clinic must still cut back its staff (even after the fundraiser), so Kelly resigns. Although David believes that Valerie killed her father in self-defense and should move on, she insists on bringing her mother to town to discuss the situation. When Val tries to confess, she learns that Abby knew of the abuse prior to her husband's death. She did not take any action because she believed that Victor would seek help. Valerie finds a connection with Abby's fiancé, an ex-policeman. He killed an acquaintance in the line of duty, but has come to r

Directors: Chip Chalmers
How to Be the Jerk Women Love
star
7.52
50 votes

#4 - How to Be the Jerk Women Love

Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/1999

Gina finds heroin in Dylan's jacket. He throws out his stash to prove himself, but continues to get high. Dylan tries to visit Toni's grave, only to find that it has been moved. He buys a gun and heads for Marchette's house in the hopes of learning the new location. Kelly balks at sleeping with Matt. She helps out with David's radio show and advises listeners to take relationships slowly. She promptly spends the night with Matt. Steve puts on a seminar offering techniques on how to pick up women. His students express dissatisfaction at their results, but David scores with a line about a dead grandmother. Gina stirs up trouble between Donna and her mother. Music: ""One Week"" by Barenaked Ladies (#1, 1998)

Directors: Harvey Frost
I'm Back Because
star
7.33
55 votes

#5 - I'm Back Because

Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/2/1998

David is arrested for statutory rape and gets suspended from his radio show. Dylan bails him out of jail, then learns from Mrs. Teasley that Denise is a troubled girl who receives little attention from her parents. Dylan confronts Denise's parents and--speaking from his own experience as a neglected teen--explains that their daughter's actions are a cry for help. Denise drops the charges. David thanks Dylan by offering him a place to stay, as Dylan recently sold his house. Steve bristles at the news that his mother is dating her much younger co-star. Steve sees the man kissing another woman at the After Dark and starts a fight. Samantha reveals that she is not seeing the man; she is actually gay. Matt experiences a lull in his business and cannot pay his rent. Steve offers to let him move into the house in exchange for legal services for the Beat. Kelly's grandfather, who suffers from emphysema, refuses to undergo an operation that could prolong his life. After Kelly tells him that Jac

Directors: Artie Mandelberg
Dealer's Choice
star
7.31
54 votes

#6 - Dealer's Choice

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1998

Abby announces that she and Carl are planning to elope in Las Vegas, and asks Val to be her maid of honor. Valerie bonds with Carl during an evening at the casino, and sleeps with him the night before the wedding. A depressed Kelly begs Val to let her tag along on the trip because she believes that Brandon is seeing someone else. She has a good time gambling and hanging out with a stranger, until the sight of a woman in a wedding dress brings her back to reality. Noah develops an obsession with his father's gun after the police return it to him. He drinks heavily and causes an embarrassing scene at the Martins' 25th wedding anniversary party. While working on Mr. Hunter's obituary, Brandon begins to fear that he will never have any meaningful accomplishments. He meets with a reporter from a New York paper, who sets up a job interview. A woman helping Donna pursue an account poses as her business partner, then steals her designs to get an in-house position with the client. Steve catches

Directors: Jeff Melman
The Following Options
star
7.31
55 votes

#7 - The Following Options

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/9/1998

After Kelly's grandfather nearly dies of pneumonia, she reluctantly gives the doctors permission to hook him up to a ventilator. Jackie and Kelly realize that the machines are taking away Ed's dignity without improving his condition. They decide to bring him home to spend his remaining time with his family. Kelly grows angry with Matt when he takes a case defending a tobacco company. He drops the case and quits smoking to impress Kelly, but she kisses Dylan. Donna agrees to let a troubled fifteen-year-old girl buy a dress on layaway. The girl's fellow gang members convince her to slice up the dress and return it as damaged goods. Sonia later apologizes and offers to work off her debt at the store. Dylan takes his bullet-riddled Porsche out of storage. He impresses Gina by coming to her defense when a drunk harasses her at the club. Dylan catches the guy and his friends vandalizing the Porsche; he gets a knife away from one of them and threatens to kill him. Dylan suffers nightmares abo

Confession
star
7.28
53 votes

#8 - Confession

Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/11/1998

Lenny receives joint custody of his daughter. After he explodes in a rage during his first visit, Kelly decides to help Leah and her daughter skip town and assume a new identity. Lenny follows them, realizes what they are planning, and attacks Leah. Matt, bothered by a guilty conscience, helps Leah obtain the necessary identification to start her new life. Valerie elects to throw a massive rave as a farewell party before turning herself in to the police. David calls Abby to inform her of Val's plans, and she intercepts her daughter at the police station. She pleads with Val not to confess and offers forgiveness, insisting that she is to blame for not intervening on Valerie's behalf. Unable to communicate with Noah, Donna begins dating Matt. She hurts Matt's feelings by ignoring him during Val's party to tend to the inebriated Noah. Noah breaks a promise to Donna by skipping a court-mandated AA meeting and continuing to drink. Sophie tries her hand at waitressing after a disastrous phot

Directors: Kevin Inch
Trials and Tribulations
star
7.28
54 votes

#9 - Trials and Tribulations

Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/20/1999

Dylan storms into the Marchette mansion and holds a couple at gunpoint. They tell him that they purchased the house from Marchette's estate; he committed suicide a few weeks after Toni's death. Gina pushes Dylan away when he continues to use heroin. The cops pull him over on suspicion of breaking and entering, and find drugs and a gun on his bike. He calls Gina from jail and begs her to bring him drugs, as he cannot handle withdrawal. Steve's students demand a refund and take him to small-claims court. The case is heard on the television show Judge Mary. Although Steve loses, he believes that the publicity will help his business. David's new girlfriend dumps him after hearing him testify about using a pick-up line to seduce her. Donna and Noah house-sit for the Martins in order to gain some privacy. They invite their friends over for a barbecue. Matt brings Dylan to the party and suggests that he admit his drug problem to everyone. Gina reluctantly gives Dylan heroin, then stalks off w

Writer: Ken Stringer
Agony
star
7.23
26 votes

#10 - Agony

Season 9 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/12/1999

Kelly confides in Dylan about her incident. Matt defends a career criminal on a burglary charge. Donna declines to move in with Noah or travel with Wayne. An art critic lauds Steve's photography. Gina returns to the rink.

Directors: Anson Williams
That's the Guy
star
7.16
25 votes

#11 - That's the Guy

Season 9 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/19/1999

Kelly packs heat. Steve throws a party when the Beat goes into the black. Gina shares her history with David. Noah finds Donna with Wayne. Dylan offers a reward to find Kelly's attacker, who returns - with a new case for Matt.

Directors: Michael Lange
Withdrawal
star
6.91
55 votes

#12 - Withdrawal

Season 9 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/27/1999

Donna is not seriously injured, and forgives Dylan for the accident. Dylan's friends encourage him to check into rehab. Kelly acts very pushy and suggests that Gina and Matt are responsible for Dylan's problems. Dylan sneaks out the bathroom window and attempts to go through withdrawal on his own. Kelly finds him lying on her doorstep and takes him to the hospital. Matt cuts a deal with the district attorney to keep Dylan out of jail, but isn't sure that he deserves another chance. Dylan goes into cardiac arrest and has to be revived through a defibrillator. Kelly realizes that she must back off and learn to respect Gina's relationship with Dylan. Matt receives a surprising call from a woman in New York. Donna designs a gown for a famous singer to wear to a nationally televised awards show. She fears that she is ruined when the woman looks like a wreck (with uncombed hair and garish accessories). However, the teenagers who emulate the singer soon flock to Donna's store. Steve gets into

Directors: Kevin Inch
The Morning After
star
6.84
58 votes

#13 - The Morning After

Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/16/1998

Brandon and Kelly sleep together the night of the aborted wedding. Brandon considers their night together a mistake, while Kelly realizes that she wishes they had married after all. A lonely Brandon goes to Kelly's apartment in search of comfort and ends up staying the night. He then rejects Kelly's suggestion that they go on their honeymoon, and declares that he wants to move on. After her HIV test comes back negative, Valerie annoys everyone with her new policy of brutal honesty. David takes her cue and issues an ultimatum to his boss, who cuts him loose. David suspects that Val is pushing everyone away to punish herself for some reason. Valerie makes a stunning confession about her father's death. He did not commit suicide; she murdered him. Donna goes against Noah's wishes by accepting an invitation to have dinner with his parents on Mr. Hunter's birthday. The evening proves to be a disaster, just as Noah had predicted. His father later visits the club and reveals that his company

Directors: Anson Williams
Fortune Cookie
star
6.82
28 votes

#14 - Fortune Cookie

Season 9 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/7/1999

Dylan's friendly gift to Kelly upsets Gina. David and Claudia lay the groundwork for their faux marriage. A high-school nemesis asks Donna for help. Matt prepares to advertise on TV. Steve is unnerved by a psychic's bitter prediction.

Directors: Luke Perry
Marathon Man
star
6.81
52 votes

#15 - Marathon Man

Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/16/1998

Dylan whisks Kelly away to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for the day. He buys her a hollow statue so that he can smuggle drugs back into the U.S. Kelly rejects Dylan and decides to focus on her relationship with Matt. Dylan promptly takes Gina to Mexico, and again smuggles heroin in a statue. When the statue ends up locked inside the boutique after hours, Dylan seduces Gina to get it back. Sonia and her boyfriend spend the night at Donna's store. One of Sonia's friends pulls a knife on her and warns her to stay away from her man. The store is robbed, and everyone believes that Sonia committed the crime to acquire enough money to escape the gang. She later reveals that she endured a beating to keep her friends from robbing the store, and a security guard actually committed the crime. Sonia thanks Donna for helping her get out of the gang. Steve mistakenly pledges $1000 per hour for an AIDS dance-a-thon at the club; he wanted to donate a total of one thousand dollars. He tries to keep his costs

I Want to Reach Right Out and Grab Ya
star
6.81
26 votes

#16 - I Want to Reach Right Out and Grab Ya

Season 9 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/14/1999

Donna's parents separate. Matt and Dylan team as pool sharks. David befriends a former top DJ. Janet and Steve baby-sit a child prodigy. Gina fibs about her relationship with a celebrity. Kelly reveals a "truth" under hypnosis.

Directors: Jennie Garth
Beheading St. Valentine
star
6.80
25 votes

#17 - Beheading St. Valentine

Season 9 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/10/1999

Although he loves Lauren and feels obligated to help her readjust to society, Matt expresses a desire to stay with Kelly. Kelly tries to maintain her relationship with Matt, but realizes she must bow out following a plea from Lauren. Donna becomes furious upon discovering old photos of Gina kissing Noah at the amusement park. She agrees to pose as David's girlfriend at a business function, where they keep up appearances by kissing for a photograph. They later kiss in David's truck. Donna feels guilty and forgives Noah; Gina drops hints suggesting that she slept with him. Steve discovers an irregular mole and fears that he may have skin cancer. He vows to turn his life around and apologizes for taking Janet for granted. She sleeps with him, but he returns to his old ways after tests come back negative. Dylan tries to keep his mind off drugs by having sex with Gina in public places. Gina lashes out at Dylan, as she feels that he is using her. Music: ""My Own Worst Enemy"" by Lit; ""Declarat

Directors: Frank Thackery
I'm Married
star
6.78
54 votes

#18 - I'm Married

Season 9 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/3/1999

Matt flies to New York to visit Lauren, who has spent the past three years in a mental institution. She returns to Los Angeles with Matt, but he is reluctant to introduce her to Kelly. David and Gina see the couple kissing on the street. Kelly angrily breaks up with Matt, then decides that she will fight for him. Matt informs Kelly that Lauren is his wife. Dylan performs community service on a road crew. He objects to the tyrannical foreman's treatment of one of the other workers, an upstanding family man. Dylan gets into a fight with the foreman; he must smooth things over to spare his friend from an unfair punishment. Dylan angers Gina by confiding in his sponsor while shutting Gina out. David meets a woman who may be his perfect match, but she seems to have stood him up. Steve and Donna engage in a war of practical jokes with Noah after they catch him cheating at strip poker. Music: ""Jumper"" by Third Eye Blind (#5, 1999)

Directors: Anson Williams
Survival Skills
star
6.77
26 votes

#19 - Survival Skills

Season 9 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/17/1999

Lauren suffers a reaction to her medication. She learns that she will die if she continues to take her medication; without the pills, her schizophrenia will resurface. Lauren prepares to return to the institution, but Matt proposes that they illegally obtain more pills and spend their remaining weeks together on a second honeymoon. Kelly stops sulking about Matt long enough to buy Dylan a classic car to lift his spirits. Gina becomes extremely jealous. Donna breaks up with Noah after he confesses to sleeping with Gina. Gina later reveals that they did not have sex. Donna insults her and refuses to forgive Noah. She co-hosts David's radio show for a night and reminisces about the good times. David shows up on Donna's doorstep, and they share a passionate kiss. Steve and Janet take a pair of troubled teens on a camping trip. While trying to counsel the bickering kids, Steve and Janet end up seeking romantic advice. Janet accidentally lets her feelings for Steve slip out. They spend the n

The Leprechaun
star
6.75
24 votes

#20 - The Leprechaun

Season 9 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/17/1999

Over Donna's objection, Kelly hires a publicist to boost business at the boutique; Steve hires a "leprechaun" to promote the paper; Noah gets an offer for the Peach Pit's space; David's new romance appears likely to be short-lived.

Directors: Kevin Inch
Local Hero
star
6.70
27 votes

#21 - Local Hero

Season 9 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/21/1999

A bizarre incident catches Dylan and Kelly together. Steve goes undercover at a support group to get a story. Matt represents Gina in a salary negotiation. Donna meets more of Noah's family.

The End of the World as We Know It
star
6.67
24 votes

#22 - The End of the World as We Know It

Season 9 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/28/1999

Noah's father's company is sued by Matt. Katie moves forward with David. A nannycam catches Matt and Kelly making love. Steve goes Y2Krazy, ignoring - or avoiding - a trip with Janet. A model makes a play for Donna.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell
star
6.66
47 votes

#23 - Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/1998

Carl decides to annul his marriage to Abby because he believes that he has a future with Valerie. Valerie comes clean with her mother about her night with Carl, and confesses to killing her father. Despite Val's claims of self-defense, Abby plans to turn her in. Kelly stops at a newsstand to ogle a handsome man at a nearby table. Kelly notices that a store is for lease and decides that she and Donna should open a boutique. While looking over the space, she meets attorney Matt Durning (the guy she was checking out). Noah cannot bring himself to deliver his father's eulogy. He is arrested for drunk driving that night, and Kelly suggests that Matt represent him. Noah receives a fine and probation and is ordered to attend alcohol counseling. Kelly learns that Matt is building a child custody case for a wife beater whose spouse she once helped at the clinic. Matt insists that everyone has the right to representation, but Kelly blows him off. Steve gives Sophie a column for the Beat. The pap

Directors: Richard Denault
Writer: Ken Stringer
Slipping Away
star
6.58
26 votes

#24 - Slipping Away

Season 9 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/3/1999

Kelly and Dylan agree to go to Mexico and obtain medication for Lauren. Kelly has second thoughts about their mission. She sleeps with Dylan, then decides that she doesn't want to buy the drugs. Dylan confuses Kelly when he starts babbling about their relationship to the customs official. Dylan explains that he got the medicine, and needed to distract the customs official to keep him from searching the car. Lauren elects not to take the pills, as she would rather return to the institution and hope for a cure. She asks Kelly to watch over Matt and help him get on with his life. Donna agrees to a date with the persistent David. She rejects Noah's pleas for a reconciliation and asks for time to make a decision. Gina discovers that her mother spent most of the money she earned skating as a minor. Donna encourages her to sue the trustee who failed to protect her interests, and is stunned to find that it is Felice. Janet hides her relationship with Steve from her father, who only wants her t

Dog's Best Friend
star
6.52
27 votes

#25 - Dog's Best Friend

Season 9 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/5/1999

Donna is warned not to move in with Noah, who gets disturbing news about his late father. David sees Dylan operate in Las Vegas. Gina gets a health warning. Janet experiments with a computerized matchmaker, and is intrigued by the result.