An Analysis: Brenda as interpreted by Shannen Doherty

I do not believe that Brenda Walsh was intended to have the snark that she has grown to throw around without caution. Particularly, the early episodes portray a mixed up but generally upbeat teenage girl - but over the course of 16 episodes she has flipped. Shannen Doherty brings a certain level of spite and disgust that can only come naturally - as the leaves turned, it had to have become painfully obvious what the writers had to do.

Shannen Doherty had it in her to be the Michael Jordan of bitchiness - a true powerhouse of hate. The writers and most likely Aaron Spelling saw that the Brenda character was dull, and that the actress brought a shining star of prissy angst - and that this was the only way to spark a loser. So instead of Brenda being the hokey, naive, midwestern bumpkin that she had been intended, Shannen Doherty was granted access to the role she was destined to fulfill. Godzilla. Brenda turns on everyone, for anything, or nothing. She is tortured in the most superficial ways. Her interests are completely in line with everyone else in her peer set, yet she feels alone, isolated, jilted. 

The writers saw potential and unleashed it. Even in her heartwarming and tender dialogue, there is a level of contrite riffing underneath. Never has an actor or actress been able to deliver even the most vanilla "thanks" to her mother with an undertone that reeks of "fuck you" with such strength.This is an example of one of the strengths of 90210 - fumbling around with characters in an undetermined persona until it becomes clear the role in which it would best suit the person behind the character - Dylan as a tortured bad-ass; Steve as the jock ass: Brenda as the most horrible human imaginable. To this point, David and Donna are completely faceless - Kelly and Brandon to a lesser extent have yet to settle into their final set personality.  This is an almost incredibly organic method of story, and I have to believe this was part intention, part blind luck, and part seat-of-your-pants throw it to the wind and see what happens.