It's that time of year again: the stress of finals is over, you've already gotten your acceptance letters and now you have the whole summer to party and look forward to starting college in the fall.
Or, if you're past those particular rites of passage, it's the time of year where you relive a little of your teenage glory with some graduate-themed viewing. Below are some of the best (and of course, worst) graduate-related scenes in the western canon. Some are already in the cultural lexicon ("Donna Martin GRADUATES!") some are... well, they can't all be perfect.
Best: Beverly Hills, 90210
No, we're not here to talk about Andrea Zuckerman's valedictorian speech (duh, of course she was valedictorian; she was like... 40?) we're here to talk about perhaps the most significant thing ever to happen on television. When goody-goody girl Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) gets drunk at senior prom (let he who is without sin...) the administrators at West Beverly Hills High decide her punishment will be to forgo graduation because they take teenage drinking VERY SERIOUSLY. I will refrain from mentioning that with everything else going on in that show teenage drinking was really the least of their worries. Because it just wouldn't be the same without Donna, Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestly, be still my prepubescent heart) rallies the senior class in front of the school board and leads a chant of "Donna Martin graduates!" and of course, she gets to walk the stage. The coming together of friends and not having to pay the price for bad decision making: this is my "oh captain, my captain moment."
Best of the Worst: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
"Major in philosophy because there's no way you can make a career out of that." Really? In this economy THAT'S the advice you have to offer, girl who is neither Bella nor one of the Cullen sisters nor that werewolf chick with the scar? That's just irresponsible... and by the way, princess is a VERY realistic career goal, how dare you insult my lifestyle choices.