Melrose Place (1992) - General Discussion

[Maverick]

If Sandy has been written off to her soap career then things should start picking up.   Jo, Amanda and Kimberly will be along in short order to stir up the dreary, boring loves of the apartment dwellers. 

[luckyroll3]

Jo just popped up in the episode I started this morning.  It's about damn time.

[Maverick]

Enjoy.  First season Jo is the best Jo. 

[luckyroll3]

I just realized that Alison is the Kelly of this show.    She is so self-righteous, judgmental, bitchy, and all around annoying as fuck.  And holy hell is she unprofessional.  It baffles me that her boss keeps promoting her time and time again, even when she keeps blowing off the job for stupid ass shit.  I'm enjoying Amanda putting her in her place, especially after she treated Amanda like crap when Amanda was nothing but nice to her when they first started working together.  And nothing is ever Alison's fault; it's always someone else's.  Every time she talks I do one of these:

 

[TeeVee329]

Listening to this first season stretch on "Again With This", I can't believe how boring everything is.  I know that you have to set the table a little before you can get into catfights in pools and wig ripping, but it didn't have to be...this.  And what's insane is that they knew that from "Beverly Hills, 90210," and I feel like even those first three episodes were better than these.

These episodes are also super repetitive, which I know is another first season show thing, to repeat the pilot a time or two, but if we're supposed to buy all these people as a big group of friends (...who apparently bonded in the three months Michael and Jane have been in LA, okay), mix them up!

[MCMLXXVII]

On 4/29/2019 at 7:55 PM, TeeVee329 said:

Listening to this first season stretch on "Again With This", I can't believe how boring everything is.  I know that you have to set the table a little before you can get into catfights in pools and wig ripping, but it didn't have to be...this.  And what's insane is that they knew that from "Beverly Hills, 90210," and I feel like even those first three episodes were better than these.

These episodes are also super repetitive, which I know is another first season show thing, to repeat the pilot a time or two, but if we're supposed to buy all these people as a big group of friends (...who apparently bonded in the three months Michael and Jane have been in LA, okay), mix them up!

See, I’ve always viewed the 90210 pilot as very John Hughes-influenced, or like a PG-13 “Less Than Zero”- it still has a very “80s” feel to me.

By ‘92 you had movies like “Singles” (which I’ve still never seen), “Slacker”, first season of “The Real World”- all the Gen-X stuff, so I’m thinking maybe the writers thought attractive 20-something’s hanging out was interesting enough in the beginning and didn’t plan for full-on soap drama.

Edited May 2, 2019 by MCMLXXVII

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, MCMLXXVII said:

By ‘92 you had movies like “Singles” (which I’ve still never seen), “Slacker”, first season of “The Real World”- all the Gen-X stuff, so I’m thinking maybe the writers thought attractive 20-something’s hanging out was interesting enough in the beginning and didn’t plan for full-on soap drama.

I thought it also kind of had a Thirtysomething vibe to it, but for 20-somethings.

[purist]

Here is the page on the Again With This website where you can find visual aids and other info for the S01.E03: Lost & Found podcast.

[luckyroll3]

Woah!  Pre-nose job Gina Gershon in Season 2!

Also, Season 2 is soooooooo much better and more interesting.  Alison is still annoying as fuck, though.

[purist]

Here is the page on the Again With This website where you can find visual aids and other info for the S01.E04: For Love or Money podcast.

[purist]

Here is the page on the Again With This website where you can find visual aids and other info for the S01.E05: Leap of Faith podcast.

Ugh, so boring! Bring on Special Guest Star Heather Locklear. Her first appearance is in episode 21 - we have a long time still to wait.

Edited May 31, 2019 by purist

[methodwriter85]

"You conniving bleached blonde piece of dirt!" God, I loved the fights on this show.

[4evaQuez]

So I'm currently rewatching Melrose Place, and I've made it to Season 4 right after Brooke's ghost possesses Billy. I haven't watched this series since it's original broadcast back in the 90's and I have a lot of thoughts regarding seasons 2-4. I refused to watch season 1 as I remember hating it.

1. Although still enjoyable, season 4 has lost something that season 2 and 3 had in spades, and I'm not quite certain what that is. With 2 and 3 I couldn't wait to watch the next episode but with season 4, it's been harder for me to give the show my full attention. Some possible reasons for this may include:

a. Some characters feel completed isolated from the rest of the cast, i.e. Brooke and Matt. During Brooke's funeral episode, Sydney and Kimberly discuss Brooke's death in the pool, but neither one of them ever shared a scene with her. Jane also talks to Allison about how she (Jane) and Brooke hated each other, but the two only shared one inconsequential scene at Shooters, and this is before Brooke was revealed as the schemer she later became. Brooke also never shares a scene with Matt, yet he attends the funeral, as well. Also, after rewatching the series, I realized Brooke is the first major character death on the show.

b. Some characters seem to have no purpose on the show, and the show is visibly struggling to find a purpose for them, i.e. Jane, Jo and Jake. So the show creates this random Jane vs Jo rivalry that goes no where. Then the two just magically make up after Jane accuses Jo of drugging her and causing her stroke and then the two are at odds again for no apparent reason. Jason's paralysis goes no where and is promptly forgotten about. And the RIchard/Jane partnership just kinda dissolves.  Granted even in seasons 2 and 3 there were storylines that seemed to be there just to take up time, but this involves three major characters who seem to be just treading water. Also, how far has Jo fallen? Season two she is spunky, street smart, scrappy and intuitive. However, after Reed, Kimberly stealing her baby and Jake's brother, she just has no fight in her anymore. Jane punches her, and she just falls on the ground bleeding. Richard and Jo were also a horrible couple.

c. I'm not sure why some of the storylines are happening at all. Mainly Amanda and Bobby Parezi. All of it! Even bringing Sydney into that storyline gave it no life whatsoever and the show exited Sydney out of that sinking ship just as quickly.

Rewatching the series, Amanda has a pit bull's bark with a mosquito's bite. Amanda is good for some funny one liners, but she is constantly being blackmailed, duped, tricked and given orders by other characters. Hell Allison and Billy are constantly talking Amanda into something she initially doesn't want to do and changing her mind. She's also the first to forgive Kimberly after the apartment bombing. And I really don't understand her great friendship with Billy. There is literally not one secret he has ever kept for Amanda up to this point. He even blabbed about her cancer to Allison and her abusive husband to Peter. Two people she was not on good terms with at the time. The only time she is an effective schemer is when Allison is president of D and D, and quite frankly, she, and Allison, worked much better as rivals in those respective roles. Speaking of, does D and D only ever have 3 clients. Lindy Toys, Glorious Gowns and whomever is dating or pursuing Allison or Amanda that particular episode.

Lastly, it's funny that my opinion on certain characters has not changed at all. I still love Sydney. I hate Jane, Billy and Matt. And I'm in awe at how physically aggressive the male characters, including the good ones, are with the female characters.

Anyway about to finish up season 4.

[luckyroll3]

I just finished rewatching the entire series as well.  Season 1 and everything after season was 3 was rough as hell!

1 hour ago, 4evaQuez said:

Rewatching the series, Amanda has a pit bull's bark with a mosquito's bite. Amanda is good for some funny one liners, but she is constantly being blackmailed, duped, tricked and given orders by other characters. Hell Allison and Billy are constantly talking Amanda into something she initially doesn't want to do and changing her mind. She's also the first to forgive Kimberly after the apartment bombing. And I really don't understand her great friendship with Billy. There is literally not one secret he has ever kept for Amanda up to this point. He even blabbed about her cancer to Allison and her abusive husband to Peter. Two people she was not on good terms with at the time. The only time she is an effective schemer is when Allison is president of D and D, and quite frankly, she, and Allison, worked much better as rivals in those respective roles. Speaking of, does D and D only ever have 3 clients. Lindy Toys, Glorious Gowns and whomever is dating or pursuing Allison or Amanda that particular episode.

I felt like the show kept trying to force it down our throats how much of a bitch Amanda was, but never actually showed it.  I loved Amanda because she was always upfront, fairly competent at her job, and called people out on their shit (especially Allison).  But you are absolutely correct that she was also constantly walking things back because someone, usually Allison, Billy, or Jake (ugh, that trifecta), would always tell her that she wasn't be "human" or fair, causing her to apologize for her "bitchiness" and to try it their way, even though she was absolutely correct most of the time!  I can't count how many times Allison blew off work, showed up late, didn't complete a project, etc., but was then appalled that she wasn't given a promotion or assigned as the lead for a lucrative client or deal.  The only times I found Amanda to be out of line was when she called her staff dumb (unless she was talking to Allison, cause....ugh again!).

[4evaQuez]

So I just finished Season 5. I have to say while I found Season 4 more entertaining, I found Season 5 easier to watch. I think it's because besides from a major plot points, I've forgotten most of what happened in Season 5, so it at least seemed new even if it wasn't the most entertaining. 

I remembered that Season 5 was a major bloodbath for the vet characters, but Jo, Jane, Kimberly, Jake, Allison and Sydney was a brutal loss for the show, and quit frankly, I didn't find any of the new characters half as interesting. I felt Taylor started off with promise, but they lost their way with her sometime around she got with Peter and he attempted to make her Beth. 

What's more disheartening is that Jane is the only character that got any sort of farewell. Jo leaves and only Matt and Amanda seem to know. No one else EVER mentions Jo's absence. Kimberly dies and only Amanda mentions it in passing to Kyle. So Kyle and Meagan get more screen time to acknowledge Kimberly's death than Sydney who feuded with her most of her run or the characters that nearly died in the explosion. Any Allison would have been appropriate considering she was blinded as a result of Kimberly. But no. This never happens.

While I was never much of a Billy/Allison fan, I must admit I found their airport goodbye touching. Courtney Thorn-Smith did a wonderful job with the goodbye and I could honestly relate to Allison feeling like she needed to get far away from Melrose Place to start over. While Allison was never my favorite, Melrose without her doesn't feel like the same show. I actually think she was the heart of the show, and again, this is from someone who isn't a huge Allison fan.

I hate that the show wasted Craig for most of the season. He and Amanda did not work and I did not like this rivalry they tried to create with him and Peter. But Craig and Sydney were pure GOLD! I remember loving them during the original run of the show, but I had no idea their relationship was so short lived. Their FIRST interaction is in episode 28 out of 33 episodes. Even still, they provided my favorite scene of the season. When Craig and Sydney inform Amanda that Sydney now works for DandD and there's nothing Amanda can do to get rid of her. Amanda walks off in a huff and Craig and Sydney high five each other. SWOONS! They were so perfect, and they could have been hellraisers together for Season 5. Also I always love when two damaged people who nobody loves find love in each other.

Speaking of Sydney vs. Amanda was such an underrated rivalry. I honestly didn't remember the two going at it, but their beef and tension increasingly rises from season 2 onward. Even small scenes of them just bumping into each other at the mailbox or the pool see them slinging verbal daggers with both giving as good as they got and it just increases from there. Even their brief stint as roommates in Season 4 was pure gold. The two actresses worked wonderfully together, and I wish we could have gotten a DandD vs Sky High in Season 6.  

Lastly, I found myself just as angry at Sydney's death 20 years later as I was the first time I watched it. For once, I wanted to see  Sydney get her happy ending; however, maybe unintentional, I did notice a theme of the bad girls dying - Brooke, Kimberly and Sydney - while the good one get to just leave. I'm not sure if that was intentional but I still will Brooke and Sydney could have left the show alive.

I'm debating if I want to continue watching. I hate Sam for killing Sydney - to be fair, I found her boring even before that. I've never liked Matt or Billy and I find Kyle the very definition of annoying, superfluous and a waste of time.  Hmmm...I try to watch a few episodes, but ugh. 

Edited August 10, 2019 by 4evaQuez

[Hiyo]

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Season 1 and everything after season was 3 was rough as hell!

Seasons 2 and 3 are just pure fun soapy goodness. Some of my favorite TV ever. Season 1 is actually ok once Amanda shows up and the Jane/Michael/Kimberly triangle begins. Season 7 had good moments and was pretty decent overall. Seasons 4 are 5 are hit and miss (more misses than hits at times), while season 6...blech.

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Brooke also never shares a scene with Matt, yet he attends the funeral

I'd say most of the people are there more for Billy's sake than Brooke's. Though that still doesn't explain why Sydney was there.

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Although still enjoyable, season 4 has lost something that season 2 and 3 had in spades, and I'm not quite certain what that is

Darren Star?

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So the show creates this random Jane vs Jo rivalry that goes no where

And they seem to have forgotten that Jo and Allison were best friends, not Jane and Allison.

Season 4 Jo was just...sad.

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While I was never much of a Billy/Allison fan, I must admit I found their airport goodbye touching.

Despite how annoying they could be, and how wooden Andrew Shue is as an actor, they 2 of them had decent chemistry together and could be pretty charming at times.

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I'm not sure why some of the storylines are happening at all. Mainly Amanda and Bobby Parezi

A retcon which just never worked for me.

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I'm debating if I want to continue watching.

My advice is to just skip season 6 and go ahead to season 7, which is at least watchable and has some fun moments here and there.

[Hiyo]

One of the better TV themed mash-ups that were opular a few years ago...Falcon Crest in MP style, and pretty good too. Also, having William Moses appear does make the 2 opening a bit more connected...

[TeeVee329]

Just spotted Vanessa Williams, "Melrose Place" Edition (a.k.a. Rhonda) as the mother of the "final girl" in "Thriller", an indishe slasher move I watched on Netflix for Halloween.  It's servicible slasher fun, and she's good in her few minutes of screen time.

[Advance35]

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While I was never much of a Billy/Allison fan, I must admit I found their airport goodbye touching. Courtney Thorn-Smith did a wonderful job with the goodbye and I could honestly relate to Allison feeling like she needed to get far away from Melrose Place to start over. While Allison was never my favorite, Melrose without her doesn't feel like the same show. I actually think she was the heart of the show, and again, this is from someone who isn't a huge Allison fan.

I really liked that the show managed to make me feel for all of the characters at one time or another, even the one's I didn't care for.  The only one I never managed to empathize with, though I enjoyed her, was Amanda.  Loved her lines and suites and feuds but I never FELT for her, even when bad things happened to her.  I also never felt for anyone that joined the show after Season 3.  But even frequent evil doers like Sydney and Kimberly managed to tug on my heart strings on occasion.  I truly believe Alison loved Jake and I thought what she did in the end for him (though I didn't agree with it) was very selfless.  I don't doubt for a minute it broke her heart.

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I hate that the show wasted Craig for most of the season. He and Amanda did not work and I did not like this rivalry they tried to create with him and Peter. But Craig and Sydney were pure GOLD! I remember loving them during the original run of the show, but I had no idea their relationship was so short lived. Their FIRST interaction is in episode 28 out of 33 episodes. Even still, they provided my favorite scene of the season. When Craig and Sydney inform Amanda that Sydney now works for DandD and there's nothing Amanda can do to get rid of her. Amanda walks off in a huff and Craig and Sydney high five each other. SWOONS! They were so perfect, and they could have been hellraisers together for Season 5. Also I always love when two damaged people who nobody loves find love in each other.

I thought they were ADORABLE and dare I say, romantic.  Sydney was selfish, reckless, underhanded, greedy, at times malicious and callous.  I am still to this day, baffled that Laura Leighton made me love this train wreck of a girl so much.  She was so deeply damaged and hungry for genuine love.   And I believe Craig did love her, truly loved her.  I was horrified at how it ended for them (I never forgave the Sam character).  I remember after Sydney had hatched the scheme to help that crooked lawyer defraud D&D and Craig tried to win her over so she would drop the law suit, there was a scene where they were talking at dinner (and Sydney's arm was in a sling) and she was trying to cut her streak with one hand and Craig just looked at her and smiled before pulling his chair over and cutting her food for her.   It was so ridiculous but so touching.  But that was Sydney for you.  That they thought the sallow and callow Jennifer character could replace Sydney??? What were they thinking?

Sydney has such an energy with all the characters.  Michael, Jane, Amanda, Jake (back in the day), Peter, Kyle and Matt.  I use to love the little moments when Sydney would get to interact with randoms in the court yard.  Everyone knew she was trouble but those that at least had a passing fondness for her would always call her "Syd".  Michael, Jane, Jake, Billy, Matt, Kyle.  Throughout the show, I feel like we did see glimpses of Sydney's other side.   In their final episodes together she was genuinely there for Jane.

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Speaking of Sydney vs. Amanda was such an underrated rivalry. I honestly didn't remember the two going at it, but their beef and tension increasingly rises from season 2 onward. Even small scenes of them just bumping into each other at the mailbox or the pool see them slinging verbal daggers with both giving as good as they got and it just increases from there. Even their brief stint as roommates in Season 4 was pure gold. The two actresses worked wonderfully together, and I wish we could have gotten a DandD vs Sky High in Season 6.  

THIS. SO MUCH THIS.  Their scenes always hummed.  Sydney was jealous of Amanda and Amanda saw Sydney as a lost cause.  I'll never forget how when Jack Parezzi tried to strangle Amanda and then he died in the attempt and Amanda slapped him, then the camera pans and we see Sydney watching "That's no way to treat your husband."

You could tell she relished being able to put the screws to Amanda.  And though she didn't get to relish her victory, at the end of Season 5 Sydney beat Amanda.   Actually kicked the crap out of her.   She destroyed D&D, even got Billy to turn on her.  Amanda had a heart attack when she realized she lost her last client.   And then we see her packing her bags, she was going to move to New York.  I can't think of anyone else we saw get the best of Amanda that way.

Full disclosure, the show never recovered from the mass exits of Season 5.  The final scene should have been Matt's final scene by the pool, when he gave that speech.  Contrary to popular belief, IMO, Amanda wasn't enough to carry the show.

Edited November 2, 2019 by Advance35

[Hiyo]

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Full disclosure, the show never recovered from the mass exits of Season 5.

That and Darren Star leaving between seasons 3 and 4.

[Hiyo]

While it won't break the internet the way a Freinds reunion would, I thought it was still pretty cool to see this.

[Emilio Jr]

I hate that Rhonda's character was written out since she had potential to be a main performer. In addition, I never understood why Jo left the show. Actually, she was the most popular character among the women. Amanda, Kimberly and Sidney were beloved in terms of entertainment but not on Jo's level.

I appreciate that producers made their best to replace the leaving characters, however, Sam, Megan, Craig, Jennifer and Kyle's brother were never catchy.

[Hiyo]

Quote

I never understood why Jo left the show

Given how her character was written during season 4, can you really blame Daphne for leaving?

[Emilio Jr]

20 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

Given how her character was written during season 4, can you really blame Daphne for leaving?

Actually, every single original character turned bitchy at some point. I remember reading somewhere that producers hated they all get along and that's why Amanda was brought. Anyway, it sucks they ruined friendships with that plot twist.

[Hiyo]

I don't think it was a case of bitchy, I just think by that point they had no idea what to do with Jo. And while the writing was uneven in season 4, Jo's storylines just sucked.

Also, as much as I liked Jo, and as much as she had her fans, I'm not sure she was the most popular character.

Amanda wasn't brought in because of that. The viewers thought the show was boring (and the ratings were decreasing), so they brought in Amanda originally as a temporary spoiler in the budding Billy/Alison relationship. The reaction to her was positive, so they kept her on began integrating her with the rest of the cast.

[ClassicShowsFan]

Melrose Place Actress Amy Locane Resentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Fatal DWI Crash

[TeeVee329]

So as one does, I'm thinking about the logistics of how Kimberly blew up Melrose Place and how everyone pretty much survived.

Kimberly tells Sydney she's planted four bombs - in the laundry room, in Alison's apartment, in Matt's apartment, and in Amanda's apartment.  What I don't understand is why the bomb in Alison's apartment, because in her villain monologue to Sydney, she makes it sound as it's only because Alison is next door to Matt, but Matt's apartment got its own bomb.

Speaking of, while Kimberly does figure out ways to lure Peter and Michael to the complex, she doesn't seem to do anything to ensure Amanda and Matt are on-site, and in fact, Matt isn't (poor Matt's in jail because he's been framed for murder #finaleproblems).

Anyway, so then the bombs blow up.  The laundry room blows, but the people who were supposed to be in proximity - Michael and Sydney - aren't.  Alison apparently is super lucky that she's not closer to the explosion and that getting thrown across the room doesn't kill her (and that Billy comes in and pull her out before the ceiling collapses).  Matt's not home so no harm there.  And then Amanda's apartment blows, but because she and Peter were taking care of poor Jo in her apartment, she's also farther away from the blast radius.  Thus everyone escapes with cuts and bruises except Mackenize (conked just wrong with rubble) and Alison (who goes soap blind).

Gawd what a classic soap opera moment.

Edited June 15, 2021 by TeeVee329

[Hiyo]

Brad Johnson, who played Dominick O'Malley in season 4, aka the doctor who Jo left LA with, has passed away at 62.

[Egg McMuffin]

62 is too young.

I also think Alison was the heart of the show - the sensible one through whose eyes we saw the action (see Pam Ewing on Dallas, Allison Mackenzie on Peyton Place, Victoria Winters on Dark Shadows, and Riley Richmond on Melrose Place 2.0 for similar character types). I wish she had been written better. I didn’t like when she unrealistically went from receptionist to ad agency president in two years. Or when they had her hook up with Jake in the last season, just to keep her and Billy apart.

But never underestimate the importance of the classic soap opera heroine. And the shows mentioned above suffered when their heroine exited.

[purist]

@Tara Ariano and @Sarah D. Bunting are coming up to the midpoint of season 5 on the Again With This podcast. After having been an avid viewer for the first four seasons, this is about where I bowed out. The show got so boring!

[KWalkerInc]

With my favorite pairing (Jake and Jo) no longer possible after Daphne Zuniga's departure, and Billy and Alison not allowed to reunite (I laughed hard at the SNL sketch that called them "the world's most uninteresting couple," but liked them anyway), the main thing I enjoyed in season 5 was Sydney and her wacky antics.  And then they of course killed her in a salary dispute.  I don't know why I even watched the last two seasons other than I had been too invested for so long to just let go.  Maybe I thought they would revive Syd or bring back the other actors to put the couples I liked together, but of course they didn't.  I was more trusting of writers then than I am now.

[Hiyo]

I hated how they ended Jo and Jake. The characters barely acknowledged each other by the end of season 4. I get some couple break up (for good), but even Jo and Jake always cared about each other, even when they weren't together as a couple.

Season 5 was ok. Some hits, some misses. It's season 6 for that's the worst. I missed much of it because it was just so unappealing. I will say season 7 was a vast improvement of the previous 2 seasons, even if it kind of all falls apart towards the end.

[JAYJAY1979]

One unexplored pairing was Jo and Sydney.  In season 2, Jo kind of looked out for her in a way Jane never did...but that connection was dropped until late in season 4 when Jo took in Sydney's friend and child.

If anyone watched the reboot, Sydney and Amanda still had that rival chemistry...and you saw it in spades in the original show as well.

In the reboot, Jo does manage to get one over on Amanda...and it did make me remember how they had issues in season 2.

[BetterButter]

‘Melrose Place’ Reboot Starring Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton & Daphne Zuniga In The Works