Beverly Hills, 90210's Shannen Doherty and Brenda Walsh are owed an apology

Paste Magazine

"Can you imagine if how you were at 19 continued to define you?" Amy Amatangelo says of the Doherty's reputation for bad behavior that came from her experience on the Fox teen drama. "Somewhere along the way Doherty and Brenda Walsh became intertwined." Amatangelo adds: "The gossip pages never let up on Doherty. Critics like me made easy jokes they still feel bad about (or should). How much of our collective dislike of Brenda Walsh was steeped in sexism? Were the male stars of the show subjected to such scrutiny? Or was their bad behavior dismissed as 'boys will be boys?' I’m trying to think of a time when a character and the actor who played her were so intertwined. That the characteristic of one fed and defined the other and vice versa. I’ve come to love Shannen Doherty and by extension Brenda Walsh. As she was in her youth, Doherty continues to be a fierce force to be reckoned with. She has been open about her breast cancer diagnosis in a way that has probably helped so many women. She’s a loyal friend (if you want a few moments of pure joy check out the Instagram posts between Doherty and her BFF Sarah Michelle Gellar). She had a great time gently mocking herself in last summer’s BH90210. If West Beverly ever had a high school reunion, I would totally crash it so I could apologize."