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S02.E19: Jessica Place

ElectricBoogaloo

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alrightokay

alrightokay

I think Evan might be more of a Matt

LOL!  Loved all the Melrose Place references, especially the use of the ominous background music, the opening credits montage-style, and the theme song.  All the wig jokes, as well.  MP was so much campy fun.  

Poor Emery.  After Evan's bossiness last week, and Emery's pent-up anger this week, It seems like Eddie's the most adjusted kid in the family this season.

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BubblingKettle

BubblingKettle

Oh Louis and the vest from Structure! I had forgotten about that store....so very 90's. I love that the show continues to have Evan play an active role in the HOA. I agree alrightokay, the MP music in the background and the other nods to MP were great. And I noticed the hashtag for JessicaPlace at the bottom of the screen! I watched the show back then, but I don't remember the storylines very well, but I still found it funny. This episode wasn't the best, but it was still entertaining. 

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vibeology

vibeology

I was too young for Melrose Place, though I know I've seen bit and pieces of it but I still loved this episode. If you've ever watched any nighttime soap, you know enough to get the jokes.

 

I worry for Emery. Those scream jars are not healthy. When Louis was brushing off the outburst as a tantrum and Eddie was pushing for them to address it, I was really proud of Eddie. I thought he was being a really good big brother.

 

As for that pool, no way would I want a front yard (seriously, I spend the whole episode trying to convince myself it was in the backyard but it really wasn't) above ground pool in my neighbourhood. I think voting against it was the right thing to do. As bad as Deidre can be towards Honey, I did have to agree with her on that point. I love the wig thing. My one real piece of Melrose Place knowledge is about Kimberly Shaw and the wig so I'm glad the writers fit that in.

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ClareWalks

ClareWalks

Loved Jessica's assertion that the pool wasn't tacky because it had faux-wood paneling. And yeah, why was it in the FRONT yard?

 

I never watched a single episode of Melrose Place but I still thought the style of the episode was hilarious. It had "90s prime-time soap" all over it.

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jah1986

jah1986

I liked this episode, especially Honey's husband (completely blanking on his name) in the background saying it was all about the moo mailbox and loving this show was great.  Evan is a very good manipulator.  Also, nice seeing Courtney Thorne-Smith at the end, she looks good.  Why anyone would put an above ground pool in their front yard is beyond me and glad Jessica understood once it was taken away. Still love Honey and Jessica's friendship.

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

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Maybe I'm too traditional or old fashioned, but I always thought that pools were supposed to be in the backyard, so I don't blame Deirdre and the HOA for not wanting that thing visible from the street.

 

I loved all the Melrose Place music and dramatic looks. We even got a wig reveal! I mean, nothing will ever beat Kimberly Shaw Mancini ripping her wig off but I was cracking up at Jessica and Honey being so horrified by Deirdre's wig.

 

Structure was so totally 90s so I loved that. Louis loving that guy's vest was hilarious.

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mansonlamps

mansonlamps

I don't even remember Structure and I was definitely around in the nineties. Was that a men's store? And Emery is normally my favorite, but I didn't buy him telling Louis he was too old for the vest, that was just mean and judgemental and I thought the feelings he was hiding were more of anger. It reminds me of those internet stories you see on Buzzfeed and the like where twenty-somethings tell fifty-somethings what they are too old to wear. Well they can kiss my ass, I'm wearing whatever makes me feel good, lol, so take that twenty-somethings!

I've been having quite a row with my HOA this year, so I enjoyed that story as well. And I swear I didn't have an above ground pool in my front yard.

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Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane

I hate HOAs with the white-hot fury of an exploding supernova, so this one was very funny to me.  In certain parts of the town where we lived in SoCal, the HOA could tell you what color your interior walls had to be. They're usually run by a bunch of people who need more to do with their time than stick their noses into their neighbors' business when it in no way affects them.  Yes, some things probably need some consideration, but sadly, HOA people never seem to know where the line is.  That's my totally unbiased and reasonable opinion.  ;-)

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Canada

Canada

Do HOAs really exist?  I know in apartment buildings, there are rules as to what you can or cannot do with the exterior of your apartment.  But I didn't know entire neighbourhoods had this kind of thing.  I don't recall anything like that when I was growing up and lived in a number of suburban houses.  That must really suck to have to deal with that. 

 

I never watched Melrose Place, but I loved this episode.  It just reminded me of that melodramatic element present in shows like MP and soap operas.  Too funny!!

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peeayebee

peeayebee

Do HOAs really exist?  

Oh yeah. Sometimes it's a real pain. We've at HOAs at a few houses we've lived at in different states. In one we got a letter because our trash cans were visible on a non-trash day. We also got notice that our grass was too tall. I'd say it was ankle-high. Seemed super picky to me. 

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Canada

Canada

Oh yeah. Sometimes it's a real pain. We've at HOAs at a few houses we've lived at in different states. In one we got a letter because our trash cans were visible on a non-trash day. We also got notice that our grass was too tall. I'd say it was ankle-high. Seemed super picky to me. 

 

That's the trouble with those kind of groups.  Great in theory, but in reality they tend to be full of power-trippers and just degenerate into popularity contests.  Basically, it's like high school all over again.  It's cute when a kid like Evan does it or if it all works out well like it did in this episode.  But in reality?  That sucks!!

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blackwing

blackwing

I loved everything about this episode.  The MP theme music, the overly dramatic background music, the pool, the sinister plans, the wigs, Courney Thorne-Smith.

 

HOAs are definitely alive and well.  Our little subdivision of about 30 homes has an HOA.  I'm not exactly sure why.  We have no clubhouse or common space to maintain.  I guess it's because we are billed as a maintenance-free community... the HOA has a contract with a company that mows the lawn and shovels the snow.  There is an elected board of directors that goes around and makes notice of violations or items that need attention, all in the sake of "preserving and maintaining the values of the homes in the community".

 

There are no street lights in our subdivision.  Instead, every house has sconces on either end of the garage.  I don't know how the HOA gets away with this, but we have absolutely no control over them.  Can't turn them on or off.  They come on automatically at dusk and shut off in the morning.  One of mine broke and it was extra sensitive and the light would only come on if the light bulb was screwed in just right, not too much and not too little.  Finally I just gave up.  I've received multiple notices about not complying with the HOA rules because one of my lights was always out and I needed to change the light bulbs when necessary.  I wrote back and said that the fixture is broken.  They said I would have to pay to replace it.  What?  Something I didn't want to turn on and have no control over?

 

We also can't change the colour of our front door.  When the nosy neighbour noticed we had hired someone to come paint the exterior of the house (which we are required by HOA rules to do every two years), she came over to check the paint for the front door and said that we were supposed to get pre-approval from her before painting.  No joke.  She said we should have written to her and given her the brand of paint and colour name and number that we were going to use for the door, so she could check to make sure it was appropriately the same.

 

I've also gotten notices that the lilies I planted were unacceptable because they clashed with the colour of the front door, and that the gladioluses were unacceptable because they grew too tall.  Then I got told that I should have gotten pre-approval of the plants I selected before planting them.

 

So I was laughing so hard at the HOA meetings on Jessica Place, because it sadly hit a little too close to home.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

I've also gotten notices that the lilies I planted were unacceptable because they clashed with the colour of the front door, and that the gladioluses were unacceptable because they grew too tall.  

Holy crap. That's ridiculous. I can see HOAs having a say about paint color (though of course that's taken to the extreme), but color of plants? Height of plants? Thanks Obama.

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Vickismom

Vickismom

Holy crap. That's ridiculous. I can see HOAs having a say about paint color (though of course that's taken to the extreme), but color of plants? Height of plants? Thanks Obama.

I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but HOAs and all their issues have long predated Obama's presidency.  

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blackwing

blackwing

Holy crap. That's ridiculous. I can see HOAs having a say about paint color (though of course that's taken to the extreme), but color of plants? Height of plants? Thanks Obama.

Yup.  It was something like "Your front door is bluish gray.  The lilies you planted are orange.  Many of the other homeowners have chosen to plant Stella D'Oro day lilies, which are a beautiful yellow.  The orange lilies do not go well with your front door, nor do they go well with the appearance of the rest of the community.  In the future, please be aware that the HOA bylaws state that any plants must be submitted for pre-approval by the HOA Gardening Subcommittee."  

 

Take a guess on who is on the Gardening Subcommittee.  Yep.  It's just her.

 

The next year, I got something like "We noticed that you planted gladioluses.  Please be aware that the HOA Gardening Subcommittee does not approve of gladioluses, because some of them grow too tall and create an uneven look within the community.  Additionally, the metal supports you installed to keep the blooms upright are very unsightly.  Please remove them.  Please be aware that you have been asked in the past to notify the HOA Gardening Subcommittee of the type and number of plants and flowers you wish to install in your yard."

 

Operative word?  "Your yard."   There's really no recourse she can take... there's no legal way for her to fine us.  So I have enjoyed my little battles with her.  Most everyone in the community seems to think the HOA is a joke (the same 3 people have been on the board for the 15 years I have lived here and keep running unopposed for re-election).  Unlike on Jessica Place, apparently nobody bothers to attend the meetings.  So there wouldn't be a lynching and mass complaints like there were about the Moo Mailbox and Jessica's pool!

 

I apologise for going off topic, but the depiction of the HOA on Jessica Place doesn't seem too far from reality.

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blackwing

blackwing

Can they really not legally fine you? I am doing huge battle with my HOA over a dumpster I needed while remodeling my kitchen and had to pay a fine. I'm still so pissed off I can barely talk about it.

You should probably consult with an attorney who does this kind of work.  But I think it would probably depend on whether they have a legally enforceable contract.  In our case, we never signed anything when we bought the house that bound us to the HOA Bylaws.  They were included in a binder left on the kitchen counter, and the lady asked us to read them and sign a statement saying that we read them, but we never did.

 

Our case might be different because there was no mutual exchange of consideration for us.  It's not like we had to agree to be bound by the bylaws in exchange for being able to use the community pool or clubhouse, since we don't have one.  The only thing they could hold over us would be that they wouldn't have their service mow my lawn or shovel my driveway, which I would have gladly opted out of.  $250 a month in assessments for them to cut the grass once a week from spring to fall and then to shovel the driveway whenever it snows in the winter is ridiculous.

 

The Jessica Place HOA seems fairly similar to ours, it doesn't appear like they have any common buildings or a pool, otherwise the meetings would be held there and Jessica wouldn't have had to get their own pool.

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Camera One

Camera One

This one was pretty funny, though I never watched "Melrose Place".  That lady did deserve to be knocked down a few pegs, though, so I was disappointed she still had the veto.  I do agree the pool was ugly in the front.

 

The Emery stuff was funny but was borderline disturbing.  They could have ended with Emery taking on a new hobby like yodeling or karate or something.

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