Beverly Hills, 90210

After the summer break, everyone prepares for university life. After working all summer at the Beverly Hills Beach Club, Brenda leaves Beverly Hills to go to college in Minnesota and finds that her old friends now see her differently. Meanwhile, David and Donna seek out some affordable housing on the beach. As college approaches, Steve and Brandon rent a beach front house in Malibu for the final two weeks of the summer, and they get a surprise visit from Steve's former girlfriend Jill Fleming, which makes Celeste jealous. Kelly returns from a two-month trip to Europe, without Dylan, who has been rejected acceptance into Berkeley. Also, Andrea frets with Gil Meyers over her deciding to stay in California to go to college.

Donna is afraid to tell her mother about David living with her and Kelly at their new beach front house. Kelly tells Donna about her troubles with Dylan during their stay in France. Dylan returns from Europe to reconcile with Kelly who admits he was faithful to her. Meanwhile, Steve and Brandon's competition for Jill's affection reaches a new level as Brandon learns some long kept secret about her. In Minnesota, Brenda becomes miserable with college life as well as deals with her brash roommate Darla Hanson.

Brenda's return to Beverly Hills both startles her parents and upsets Brandon's plans for her bedroom. Brenda and Dylan spend a relaxing day together far away from the pressure of school and Kelly. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang begins their week at California University. Steve decides to rush a fraternity, Andrea meets her cute resident adviser Dan Rubin, Dylan chooses to forgo college, David and Donna try to audition for the DJ's on the California University's radio show, and Brandon becomes involved with college politics when he attempts to join the school paper the Condor and meets the student editor Josh Richland.

It's Rush Week at California University and the group decides whether or not to pledge a Greek house. Andrea is dismayed when the sorority Alpha Omega's look down on her for her Jewish background, and Steve badgers Brandon to pledge Kappa Epsilon Gamma fraternity, otherwise known as KEG House. Brandon also gets involved with the school's progressive party, becoming the Freshman Representative to the Student Senate. Meanwhile, Kelly runs into John Sears, a past love whom she'd rather forget.

To kick off the start of classes, the university throws a pool party for the incoming freshman. The whole gang attends and has a blast, but Steve's incessant flirting infuriates Celeste. Brenda gets a job in her father's office, Andrea and Dan plan a date, and Dylan clashes with John Sears over Kelly.

David's late night radio show leads him to start taking caffeine pills, and the mess he makes around the apartment upsets Kelly and Donna. Brenda goes on a blind date with Stuart Carson, the son of one of her father's clients and it turns out to be an unexpected success. Meanwhile, Kelly cools her relationship with Dylan, and Andrea's relationship with Dan takes a surprising turn.

After his brush with violent crime, Dylan becomes obsessed with self-defense. He purchases an illegal gun and makes several trips to the shooting range. Meanwhile, Brenda and Stuart introduce their parents to each other over lunch in Bel-Air. Brandon is recruited by his sociology professor, Corey Randall, to tutor the university's basketball star, D'Shawn Hardell. Andrea and Dan mull over going public with their affair.

The Walshes are celebrating their 20th anniversary, and before the evening is over one Walsh twin's life will change forever. Stuart has a surprising suggestion for Brenda, and Brandon startles a gun-wielding Dylan. Meanwhile, Andrea meets a young bartender, named Jesse Vasquez, at the anniversary party. Brandon falls for an anthropologist grad student named Lucinda Nicholson whom he meets at a local gym. David's father, Mel, asks David to look after baby Erin while he takes off somewhere which angers Jackie when she finds out.

Brenda is furious when she finds a prenuptial agreement in Stuart's briefcase, but she grows even angrier when she discovers a plot by her own parents to break up her engagement to Stuart. Brandon continues seeing Lucinda and is shocked to discover that she's married... to Professor Randall. Steve goes on a double date with one of his frat brothers... but the date doesn't include Celeste. Meanwhile, Jackie sues Mel for full custody of Erin which causes tension in the beach apartment between David and Kelly.

Brenda and Stuart tire of listening to their parents squabble over wedding preparations so they head to Las Vegas for an old-fashioned elopement. In a show of supposed solidarity their friends follow, but they may have more up their sleeve than a celebratory bottle of champagne. Steve's jilted date, Laura, won't stop calling him. Meanwhile, Professor Randall invites Brandon to dinner, hosted by his wife... Lucinda Nicholson who continues to flirt with Brandon every chance she gets.

The campus is caught up in a "Take Back the Night" movement, and Steve finds himself fingered as a rapist by the jealous Laura. Steve must find a way to prove his innocence to those he loves, as the campus takes sides. Meanwhile, D'Shawn attempts to blackmail Brandon to take his mid-term paper when he thinks that Lucinda and Brandon are involved. John Sears shows his true colors to Kelly who finally rejects him.

Brandon's road trip to find himself leads him to former love Emily Valentine, whose twisted obsession once tore their love apart. A now emotionally healthy Emily is thrilled to see him and the two spend a romantic week in San Francisco. Back in Beverly Hills, Andrea is also falling hard for Jesse, behind her boyfriend Dan's back. Meanwhile, Dylan spends Thanksgiving with the Walshes, sending ex-girlfriend Kelly into a fit of jealousy over Brenda's presence. Steve stops John Sears from trying to seduce an underage teen girl during a KEG party which makes Sears vow to get back at Steve for his interference.

In San Francisco, Brandon learns that Emily has been accepted to the prestigious Cousteau Institute in France, but does not want to attend because she and Brandon are in love. Brandon observes her passion for marine biology and encourages her to pursue her dream. Back in Beverly Hills, it's Hell Week for the Greek geeks of C.U and that means Steve, Donna, and Kelly are in for a series of humiliating experiences. But some take the fun too far and before the week is over, someone may end up in jail. Meanwhile, Brenda balks when she is asked to appear nude in an experimental campus play.

David and Donna head to Chinatown for their anniversary and Donna finally decides to sleep with David. But a visit from her parents cancels all plans. Meanwhile, the vindictive Professor Randall decides to press charges against Steve for stealing his autographed baseball. Brandon returns from his San Francisco trip and blackmails Randall to drop the breaking-and-entering charges against Steve by threatening to reveal that Randall has, for many years now, been wrongfully grading term papers to athletic students so they can pass in order to play sports for the university. Elsewhere, Dan is bitter about Andrea's relationship with Jesse which results in their breakup and Dan leaving the university.

The winter holidays have arrived but no one's plans are going according to plan. As Dylan prepares to go to Baja for Christmas, a mysterious woman, named Suzanne, and her 11-year-old daughter, named Erica turn up on his doorstep, claiming to have a connection to the McKay lineage. Meanwhile, the Walsh family plans a Hawaiian holiday, but end up stranded in the airborne plane. Steve dresses up as Santa for disadvantaged children. Frustrated that Donna won't give up her virginity, David starts to act coldly towards her during a Christmas party at Mel's house. Also, Jesse takes Andrea to a midnight mass.

After a hazing prank gone wrong, the KEG house hopes to avoid charges by unfairly distancing itself from Steve. When Steve learns he was set up by John Sears, he must prove it to his "brothers" or face expulsion from the fraternity. Meanwhile, Dylan offends Suzanne when he decides to do a background check on her. David starts abusing drugs (crystal methamphetamine) to keep up with his busy schedule, while Donna wonders what's wrong with his sudden change in behavior. Also, Brandon tries to get D'Shawn to take his mid-term finals, then an accident during a game sidelines D'Shawn, forcing him to study to pass his mid-term.

David's addiction to stimulants spirals out of control and the result could cost him Erin's life. Meanwhile, the gang takes a ski trip where Donna meets a cute ski bum named Chad, but her attraction to him is complicated by her still strong feelings for David. Andrea gets a life-altering shock when she learns that she is pregnant. Which Suzanne out of town, Dylan spends the day with Erica teaching her how to surf, which takes a turn when Erica gets her first menstrual period, forcing him to turn to Cindy for assistance. Dylan also learns that Suzanne has been keeping secrets from him when Jim makes a background check of Suzanne on Dylan's behalf with her social security number and uncovers a hidden bank account containing $20,000 after Suzanne has previously told Dylan that she is broke. When Dylan confronts Suzanne with the lie, she tells him that the money was only recently deposited into her account from a property insurance settlement. Dylan believes Suzanne and agrees to trust her from now on, but Jim continues to remain suspicious about Suzanne and her intentions for Dylan.

Brandon is chosen as the freshman representative of an elite national task force, which will help to make decisions in Washington regarding America's college campuses. Andrea grapples with her pregnancy and her decision to tell Jesse. Meanwhile, Nat suffers a heart attack and the future of The Peach Pit is in jeopardy. David seeks treatment for his drug use while trying to find a substitute for his radio shift and finds Steve, who does a bad job. Dylan gets Suzanne a job at the Peach Pit as a waitress and then tries to help out when Nat's cousin, Joey, wants to sell the Peach Pit due to Nat's failing health. Also, Cindy becomes involved in university life when she takes a part-time job at CU as a courtship instructor.

With Nat still in the hospital awaiting heart surgery, Brandon temporally takes over running the Peach Pit, while Dylan rescues the place after he buys out Joey's share, making Dylan the co-owner. Meanwhile, David's drug problem returns, resulting in Kelly and Donna moving out. Then, David loses his radio DJ job after the station manager, Howard, fires him after seeing that David is completely out of control with abusing drugs. Jesse disagrees with Andrea about her decision to get an abortion. Also, Brandon learns of Lucinda's divorce from Professor Randall and now wants in on a relationship with her.

Andrea and Jesse's impromptu engagement leads to tension in the Zuckerman household, which upsets the pregnant freshman. How can she marry without the support of her parents and her grandmother? Donna tries to make up with David, whose increased drug use turns her away. David also steals $150 from Mel to buy more amphetamines for himself. Later, when David's drug dealer is arrested, he finds himself holding a huge stash of narcotics and calls on Dylan for help who makes a solo intervention to make David choose to quit drugs or end up in jail... or a coffin. A dangerous affair begins between Brandon and Lucinda, while her true colors are shown when she begins teaching an anthropology class of human sexuality and preaches the need for multiple partners for she sees sex as her own personal weapon. Also, Brenda gets a surprise visit from a long-absent Stuart on Valentine's Day.