Clare Arnold

"It's fear, you know. I'm just afraid that, if I really let myself love someone, I'll just end up losing them"

- Clare to Steve Clare Arnold is a principal character on Beverly Hills, 90210. She is portrayed by Kathleen Robertson.

Character
Clare is the daughter of the chancellor of California University, Chancellor Arnold. She is introduced as a privileged, cultured, intelligent and bold woman, who is used to getting what she wants. She grew up in a fictional European country, where her father was an economic consultant and her late mother was best friends with the mother of Prince Carl, her childhood friend who Clare described as "a spoiled rich pain in the butt". Clare's mother passed away while Clare was still young and she and her father ended up in California.

Story
high school senior

In 1994, Clare is a senior in high school and attends a retreat for the Chancellor's task force, where she rooms with Kelly Taylor. Clare becomes interested in Brandon and wastes no time making her intentions clear. Clare decides to make an active move on Brandon and she finds him at the Peach Pit. Despite Brandon's protests because Clare is Chancellor's daughter, he's clearly attracted to her and tells her so and she kisses him. Learning that Brandon's parents are out of town, Clare drops by unannounced and makes a series of playful passes at him. When Brandon doesn't bite, Clare decides to handcuff herself to his bed in lingerie and Brandon resorts to sleeping in the living room. As they part ways the next morning, they make out and Clare leaves.

Not taking no for an answer, Clare seeks out Brandon at the Peach Pit, where she charms Nat. She directly tells Brandon that she turned 18 last week so they're free to do whatever. Brandon still keeps her at a distance, but Clare tells her Dad that Brandon's taking her to her Senior prom, although it doesn't seem like she told Brandon. He shows up nonetheless to escort Clare. At the party, Brandon actually talks to Clare and tells her about his car accident his sophomore year in high school. Clare has fun and dances with her friends, but later gets in trouble when she flirts with some guys on the street, then antagonises them by pouring her drink out on the street. They come to pick a fight and Brandon tries to calm them, ending up in the crosshairs. Everyone gets thrown out and Brandon yells at Clare, but she doesn't care that he's being mean as she's drunk and just wanted to have fun.

Clare continues her pursuit of Brandon, who resorts to talking to her father, despite Clare's claims that he'll get thrown off the task force. Clare's father actually knows of her wild ways and has no problem with Brandon dismissing Clare. Clare decides to come to D.C. with the task force and takes a shower in Brandon's room. She comes out and puts on a robe and asks if he isn't tired of abstaining. Brandon gives in and they make out and plan to sleep together after one meeting Brandon's attending. Their plans are interrupted by Lucinda who's also at the hotel. Brandon reneges on his plans with Clare when Lucinda starts coming onto him as well and Clare ends up not getting what she wanted.

sophomores

Clare skips her freshman year and becomes a sophomore at CU. After being kicked out by her roommate, Clare moves into the beach house with Kelly and Donna, convincing Kelly that she doesn't have anything to worry about regarding Clare's previous pursuit of Brandon. Clare's confronted by the girls, however, with the fact that she snores. She denies it, but when they play a recording of her snoring she admits that she's tried everything to help it. She knows she only snores when she's with a guy and so Donna gets her a blow-up plastic guy to solve the issue, which works. It was during this period that she also began seeing David Silver. An early point of their relationship involved her catching him handcuffed to a bed, and deciding to have her way with him. They were interrupted, however, when her father suddenly arrived outside, causing Clare to leave a much-agitated David alone until he was released later on. They also made a X-rated video of each other that was nearly viewed by Donna Martin's parents (though Dr. Martin strongly implies he saw the whole thing and found it amusing). While there was some initial turbulence between them over Clare not telling her dad they were dating, things went downhill in Season 5 when David admitted he still had feelings for Donna, leading to an initial breakup, a brief reunion, and then a final parting of ways between Seasons 5 and 6.

juniors

After she and David had broken up, Clare began dating Steve Sanders after she became his math tutor. Though both were playful, it was during this relationship that Clare began to reveal a more serious and sensitive side as she and Steve fell in love. However, at the end of their first year together, Prince Carl came to California determined to win Clare's love. He was ultimately unsuccessful and Steve and Clare remained together despite his interference.

On one occasion, Clare was able to overcome stage fright by looking out at Steve and directing a song towards him.

seniors

In another episode, the couple briefly addressed the topic of marriage and where they each stood on it, eventually deciding that they'd simply follow their hearts. As Season 7 wound down, Steve's uncaring mother dumped Clare's father, and Clare (who had spent much the year pissed off at Steve for various things he either did wrong or she inaccurately blamed him for) pushed Steve away once again.

Following their college graduation at the end of the seventh season, Clare reluctantly left Steve—and subsequently, the series—when she accompanied her distraught father out of town, wanting to ensure that he didn't feel alone. Her last on-screen moment was with Steve on the beach.

Romances
Brandon Walsh

Clare meets Brandon at her father's task force retreat and becomes attracted to him. She pays him a visit at his house when he's home alone and handcuffs herself to his bed, but Brandon, while attracted to Clare, doesn't engage because of his relationship with the task force and the Chancellor. After Brandon's engagement with the task force ends in Washington, Clare shows up to make another play for him and they hook up, but not before Kelly shows up and Brandon abandons any interest in Clare. Although Clare starts dating David after starting CU as a sophomore, she shows on many occasions that she has genuine feelings for Brandon and really wanted to be in a relationship with him.

David Silver

David and Clare start dating their sophomore year in college after meeting in a Media Studies class. They have a fun and light relationship, mostly based on sex, but break up when they both admit to having feelings for someone else; David for Donna, Clare for Brandon. They reunite for a while, but Clare breaks up with David during the summer before their junior year. They stay friendly afterwards as part of the gang.

Steve Sanders

Quotes
"After boarding school, I kinda have trouble believing large groups of women can live under the same roof without killing each other"

- Clare to Donna

Trivia

 * Clare is fluent in 5 languages, one of them being French
 * Her favourite flowers are lilies

Photos

 * Clare Arnold/Gallery

Episodes
SEASON 4 (6/32)
 * Change Partners
 * Divas
 * Acting Out
 * Truth and Consequences
 * Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington: Part 1
 * Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington: Part 2

SEASON 5—7 (94/96)
 * ALL EPISODES EXCEPT FOR:
 * What I Did on My Summer Vacation and Other Stories (5x01)
 * A Song For My Mother (5x26)