Twins Brandon and Brenda begin school at trendy West Beverly High after moving from Minnesota. Brandon joins the newspaper staff and meets Andrea Zuckerman, the intelligent and devoted editor. Brenda is befriended by snobbish Kelly, who picks her as a chemistry lab partner to avoid being paired with a fat girl. Brenda discovers that she doesn't have the right look to fit in at this new school, and starts to plan a drastic change. Marianne, a rich but reclusive girl uses skywriting to invite the entire school (minus freshmen, of course) to a party at her mansion, complete with a live rock band.

Brandon meets Dylan McKay, a mysterious loner who stops some jocks from harassing Scott in tech class. Dylan takes Brandon surfing and introduces him to his friends, including a troubled young woman named Sarah. Brandon becomes disturbed by the behavior of Dylan's friends, who treat Sarah like a possession. Brandon grows tired of Dylan's bad boy act after he raids a hotel room. Dylan reveals that he lives in the hotel, and only pretended to break in to preserve his reputation. Sarah nearly drowns while surfing drunk, but Brandon and Brenda save her life. Sarah seeks help for her drinking problem, and thanks Brandon for convincing her to believe in herself. Brenda is miffed at Kelly after she leaves Brandon and her stranded at the beach. Steve's actress mother encourages him to be nice to David because she mistakenly believes that David's father is a producer. Music: 'Surf City' by Jan and Dean, 'Word to the Mutha!' by Bell Biv DeVoe, 'Monday, Monday' by The Mamas and the Papas.

Brenda goes on several shopping trips with Kelly and Tiffany, Kelly's best friend from junior high school. Brenda cannot afford the merchandise, and considers stealing because she is envious of her classmates' wardrobes. She does not realize that Tiffany is a shoplifter. Tiffany stashes clothes in Brenda's bedroom, and the two are later arrested. Cindy begins to lose faith in her daughter until Tiffany clears Brenda's name. Brandon begins work at a trendy restaurant, where his boss treats him shabbily. He quits after learning that she also pays the minority employees less than minimum wage. He gets a waiter job at a diner called the Peach Pit, as Dylan is friends with the owner. The Walshes hire a maid. Music: 'Town Without Pity' by Gene Pitney, 'Money Talks (Dirty Cash)' by the Adventures of Stevie V, 'MT' by the 77s, 'Let the Good Times Roll' by Louis Jordan.

Jim encourages Brandon to try out for the basketball team. Steve, unaware that he is terrible, is bitter about being cut from the team. He tells Brandon that several of the players are ringers brought in from out of district to help the team win a championship. Andrea, whom Brandon had asked to investigate, discovers that the player competing against Brandon for the last spot on the roster is from another district. Brandon is ashamed of himself when he learns that the player came to West Beverly to get a good education; his father is a city employee, making him eligible for admission. Brenda enrolls in driver's education, despite the fact that she failed three times in Minneapolis. Kelly is stranded after a concert and begs for a ride, so Brenda takes Brandon's car without permission. She runs out of gas and manages to lose the car. Music: 'Oops Up' by Snap, 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' by the Temptations, 'That's Just the Way It Is, Baby' by the Rembrandts.

Sheryl, Brandon's old girlfriend from Minneapolis, stays with the Walshes for the weekend. A concerned Cindy asks Jim to have a talk with Brandon. Before he gets around to it, Sheryl spends the night in Brandon's room. Sheryl seems obsessed with wealth and fame, and takes a liking to Dylan and his Porsche. Brandon believes that Dylan is hitting on Sheryl and punches him. Brandon is stunned to learn that he was not the first guy to sleep with Sheryl. Sheryl's mother calls Cindy and reveals that her daughter ran away following a fight with her stepfather. Brenda babysits for her handsome algebra teacher, with 'help' from Kelly and Donna. She no longer finds him appealing after watching his wife push him around.

Brandon is getting a C in American History because of the teacher's unreasonable grade curve, in which 80 percent of the students receive C's regardless of their marks. Steve scores an A on every test because he obtains copies of the exams beforehand. Feeling pressure from Jim about his grades, Brandon cheats on a quiz. Andrea is furious, particularly when her grades slip as a result. Brandon is faced with a moral dilemma when Steve offers him a copy of the midterm. Brenda tries to dye her hair blonde in the hopes of impressing Dylan, but winds up looking like a clown. Dylan flirts with Brenda and takes her to a stylist to repair the damage. Music: 'Policy of Truth' by Depeche Mode.

Brenda is mesmerized by Kelly's hip and glamorous mother Jackie, a former model. Kelly insists that her mother is not all that she appears to be. Jackie is a recovering addict, and begins hitting the bottle again after her boyfriend dumps her. Cindy is hurt when Brenda initially fails to ask her to be in a mother-daughter fashion show. They eventually agree to appear, and are joined by Andrea, who draws raves. Jackie attempts to emcee the show while high on cocaine. She becomes disoriented and disrupts the show with a rambling tirade. Kelly convinces her to check into rehab. Kelly gains new respect for David when he gives her the fashion show tape to save Jackie from embarrassment. Jim becomes addicted to his new keyboard. Music: 'Stars' by Erasure.

At home, Cindy takes off her wedding rings and looks at her wedding anniversary while they talk about having their first anniversary away from their old home. Jim tries to get frisky, but Cindy wants to talk, but when Jim tells her to talk, she tells him that she just doesn't want to be intimate. Jim gets up and walks downstairs to do his work. Brandon and Brenda talk about how their parents are acting on their way out of the house to go to school. Brandon thinks that she is overreacting and tells her that they have been married for a long time and that is just what happens. At school, DJ Mike is giving his good-bye over the air waves and David gets an idea about trying out for the job. Steve stops and tells David that he is trying out. Brandon and Brenda talk to Ms. Rye who tells them about a twin study that she would like them to take part in. Cindy is at a nursery looking at plants when she notices that someone is taking pictures of her. When she starts to walk away, telling the maid, Anna Rodriguez, that there are crazy people around the area, she stops and notices that the guy is Glen, her old boyfriend. They start reminiscing about old times and why he is in Los Angeles. She tells him that she has noticed his pictures in National Geographic and then she tells him that she is still married and has twins. At home, Cindy makes Glen tell the family about different stories and how he introduced Cindy and Jim while they were dating. Jim gets up to go do some work and then Brandon and Brenda tell Glen that they are about to become the subjects of a study and Glen wants to take some pictures of them. When they get up to leave, Brenda tells Brandon that she thinks that Glen likes their mom, but Brandon thinks that she is crazy. Cindy and Glen talk in front of the fire in the living room and Glen tells Cindy that he has just ended a long-term relationship. Jim wakes up from his sleep to find that Cindy has still not gone to bed. He gets up to go downstairs and sees them still talking on the couch about Glen showing Cindy around "his" LA. Brandon and Brenda show up at the college and are going to the study. They talk about how their parents have stayed together for so long. Thinking that they are lost, they try to figure out where to go when Brenda spots a set of guy twins. Glen takes Cindy around LA and shows her art around the city in murals and paintings beyond the ordinary. He takes her back to his studio and he asks her about her marriage. He also continues to talk about her marriage with Jim. Glen thinks that Cindy and Jim are total opposites.

Brenda becomes a trainee for a teen crisis hotline, although Andrea questions her devotion. Brenda violates the rules by taking a call after hours. The caller is a date rape victim, who suffers the same fate on three consecutive nights. Brenda is desperate to learn the girl's identity and help her. Brandon believes that a masseuse has a romantic interest in him. He also dodges a freshman admirer, who similarly gives the cold shoulder to Scott. Music: 'Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)' by Technotronic, 'Since I Met You Baby' by Ivory Joe Hunter, 'Devil or Angel' by the Clovers, 'Chocolate' by the Time.

Brenda and Dylan continue their flirtation, and she accidentally catches him in the shower. They go out alone when Brandon has to stay home sick. Dylan loses his cool after a confrontation with his father. Brenda consoles him, and they end up kissing. Jim objects to the relationship because Dylan's father is considered ruthless and crooked. Brenda is prepared to go all the way, and is crushed when Dylan stands her up. He later explains that he had to move because his father skipped the country to avoid an indictment. Steve tries to make a pass at the speaker for a sex education assembly. She reveals that she has AIDS. Her speech prompts Brenda to slow things down with Dylan. Music: 'Lily Was Here' by Candy Dulfer and Dave Stewart, 'Doing the Do' by Betty Boo; 'She's Like the Wind' by Patrick Swayze.

Brenda goads Brandon into taking her to a party at Donna's house. He voices his objections to alcohol, but Steve spikes his drink. He decides to go along with it so that he won't appear "uncool". Kelly gets drunk and sleeps with Steve. Cindy catches Brenda with alcohol on her breath, but Brandon gets by unscathed. Jim and Cindy attend a weekend retreat, where they are forced to spend all their time with an overly friendly couple. Brenda convinces Brandon to throw a party, but they agree not to drink. Word of the party spreads, and it quickly gets out of hand. Brandon drinks heavily and kisses a stunned Andrea. Kelly dances with the lovestruck David to avoid Steve's advances. Brandon tries to drive to the store and smashes his car. He is arrested for drunk driving. Dylan takes him to an AA meeting and reveals that he is an alcoholic. Music: 'So Hard' by Pet Shop Boys, 'Don't You Love Me' by the 49ers.

Brandon meets senior Melissa Coolidge on the school lawn during lunch. He makes a date with her, and learns that she is the mother of an infant son, Joey. Brandon is forced into emergency babysitting duty while Melissa has an interview with Harvard. Jim and Cindy are unavailable, but Steve helps Brandon through the afternoon. Melissa's interview does not go well, and she becomes frustrated with her life. She fears that she may have to give up her son, but Cindy calms her with a heart-to-heart talk. Brenda and Kelly win skydiving lessons from a radio contest. Music: 'Baby Love' by the Supremes, 'Joey' by Concrete Blonde, 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak.

Brenda invites Kelly, Donna and Andrea over for a 'night of female bonding'. They are having a good time until Kelly's bitchy friend Amanda shows up. She insults everyone and decides to turn the girls against each other. As part of a 'game' about secrets, Amanda bullies Kelly into describing her first sexual encounter, in which she was humiliated by the football captain. After Brenda recalls stealing a Minnesota friend's boyfriend, Kelly admits that she tried to hit on Dylan. The girls eventually make up, and Brenda and Kelly vow to never let a man come between them. Amanda's behavior is attributed to a diet pill addiction. The girls catch David and Scott lurking outside the window and taking pictures of them. Brandon and Steve are denied entry to a club, but hook up with two girls. They steal Steve's Corvette, but he doesn't press charges (and pays their traffic ticket) because he foolishly thinks that he and Brandon still have a chance with them. Music: 'Mony, Mony' by Tommy James and the Shondells, 'Streets In Paradise' by Vixen.

The Walshes agree to let their maid's extremely intelligent "niece", Carla, use their address to enroll at West Beverly. Brandon falls hard for her, but doesn't understand why everyone seems opposed to their relationship. Carla reveals that she witnessed a drive-by shooting that claimed the life of a four-year-old; she had moved in with Anna while waiting to testify, with protection from the D.A. Carla returns to her family after one of the huggers confesses. Jim and Cindy organize a soiree for his new client, a sportswear designer. Dylan, Steve and the girls receive free clothing. David wants MC Hammer to perform at the school dance. Music: 'Let's Go Deeper' by MC Hammer; 'Finger Poppin' Time' by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, 'Deep Down' by Debbie Gibson, 'I Like You' by Culture Beat.

David invites Steve, Kelly and Donna to his grandparents' luxurious Palm Springs home for President's Day weekend. He is embarrassed to find that his grandparents, who he believed were on a cruise, are actually at home. David meets a strange girl at a gas station and asks her over to the house. She brings friends for Steve, who is still trying to win back Kelly. Brenda plans to spend the weekend with Dylan, but cannot remember the name of his hotel. She loses her wallet and spends the night in a linen closet. She finally makes it to the hotel, only to find Dylan hanging out with another girl. David's grandparents give the teens advice about romance, and help Brenda and Dylan. Brandon befriends a young customer at the Peach Pit, but later catches him trying to steal cash. The boy reveals that his family is homeless. Music: 'Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie' by Jay and the Techniques, 'La Bamba' by Ritchie Valens, 'Tequila' by The Champs.

Brandon is rollerblading in the park while the television show Keep It Together is filming an episode. The producers seek him out as an emergency replacement for one of the extras. He hits it off with the star, Lydia Leeds, and is considered for a recurring role. However, Lydia is only using him to make her leading man/boyfriend jealous so that he will end his holdout. Brenda fills in for Brandon at the Peach Pit. She is in over her head until she adopts the persona of Laverne, a sassy, gum-chomping waitress. She quickly charms all of the customers with her wisecracks and lip-synch routines. Music: 'Hooray for Hollywood' by Johnnie Davis and Frances Langford, 'Sally Go 'Round the Roses' by the Jaynetts, 'Finger Poppin' Time' by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, 'It's My Party' by Lesley Gore.

Andrea persuades Brandon to run for class president. Kelly seizes control of the campaign and encourages Brandon to capitalize on his looks and image. She even agrees to a date with David in exchange for his help producing a campaign video. Brandon decides that he isn't the best man for the job after talking with his bright and dedicated opponent. Brenda, feeling neglected by family and friends, begins hanging out at a coffeehouse. Sky, a performance artist, convinces Brenda to drop out of high school and get her GED so that she can "experience life". Brenda moves out of the Walsh house to apartment-sit for Sky. She learns that life as an artist is not as romantic as it seems, as Sky's utilities are turned off and her furniture is repossessed. Music: 'Merry Go Round' by the Replacements, 'Hippy Chick' by Soho.

Everyone but Dylan is driven into a frenzy by the upcoming SATs. A completely panicked Andrea seeks help from Steve, who attended an expensive SAT prep course. During their study session, they end up kissing, and avoid each other for days. Kelly reads an article about breast health, so the girls take time out from studying for a self-exam. Brenda discovers a lump in her breast and must undergo a biopsy. Cindy and Brenda are haunted by memories of Cindy's sister Sheila, who died of breast cancer. Brandon cannot concentrate during his SAT, so he leaves during the exam to go to the hospital. (He and Brenda are to take a make-up test at a later date.) Brenda is relieved when she receives a clean bill of health. Music: 'That's Just the Way It Is, Baby' by the Rembrandts.

Brandon interviews Roger Azarian for a senior profile in the Blaze. Roger is an outstanding student and athlete, but is overwhelmed by the legacy of his father; a self-made millionaire. Roger asks Brandon to read a screenplay that he has written. Brandon is disturbed by the autobiographical aspects of the script, especially since it ends with the lead character cuddleing his father. Brandon finds aballoon in Roger's car and fears that he is going tohug his father. He tracks down the missing Roger in his pool house, where he is actually contemplating sleeping. After receiving terrible SAT scores Donna decides to become a bad girl, skipping classes and taking up smoking. After the guidance office intervenes she is tested for and diagnosed with a learning disability that inhibits her test-taking skills. She is given another chance on the test and presumably scores much higher the second time. Ironically, Brenda and Brandon receive identical scores on the SAT (1190). Music: 'Would I Lie to You- by Eurythmics, 'Doing the Do' by Betty Boo.

A dog follows Brenda home from a jog. She tries desperately to find the animal a home so that she won't have to take it to a shelter. Brandon and Steve must take over Jim's little league team after he injures his back during infield practice. Brandon is disgusted with the whole experience, particularly the undue influence of the league president (father of the star pitcher) and the players' attitudes. He arranges a practice game with Nat's team of underprivileged kids, where one of his players taunts the hapless second baseman. Brandon stomps off when Steve won't let him remove the boy from the lineup. He stays with the team out of loyalty to his father, but also helps Nat's squad. The fortunes of Nat's team begin to turn around when Andrea brings in a female superstar.

Brenda tries to convince Andrea to ask Brandon to the spring dance, but Kelly beats her to it. Steve reluctantly takes Donna, who wears an elaborate gown that impedes sitting or dancing. He ignores her, gets drunk, and lashes out at Brandon and Kelly. Kelly admits her crush on Brandon, and they kiss. However, he nixes a relationship because he thinks of her as a sister. Steve reveals that it is his birthday, and that he is especially sensitive about this after recently learning that he is adopted. He had confided in Kelly, but she forgot because she was caught up in her quest to become spring queen. Brenda and Dylan check into a hotel room upstairs, and she loses her virginity. While watching a horror movie, Andrea daydreams about chasing Kelly with a chainsaw. She decides to go to the dance alone. David wins a dance contest, and receives the right to dance with spring queen Kelly. Music: 'You Can't Hurry Love' by the Supremes, 'She Says (Come Around)' / 'The Best I Can't' / 'Respectfully King of Rain' / 'Smile' performed by the Rave-Ups.

Jim is offered a promotion that requires a move back to Minneapolis. He initially decides to respect his family's wishes and decline the job, but changes his mind when the boss offers to double his salary. Steve pushes Brandon away, and Brenda feels that Kelly and Donna are ignoring her. Dylan wishes to try a long-distance relationship, but Brenda breaks up with him. Andrea wants to sleep with Brandon before he leaves, and he agrees. Their rendezvous is cancelled when Kelly organizes a going-away party at the Peach Pit. Jim, swamped at his new job and touched by the outpouring of affection by his children's friends, decides to turn down the promotion. Brenda tells Dylan that she may be pregnant. Music: 'Deep Down' by Debbie Gibson, 'Celebrate Me Home' by Kenny Loggins.