Season Ten Talk

[Panda Bear]

It's very weird that Steve wouldn't ask Brandon to be the godfather. Yeah, he's not nearby, but he's still a more reliable choice (much as I hate him) than Dylan. 

[Jax7917]

1 hour ago, Panda Bear said:

It's very weird that Steve wouldn't ask Brandon to be the godfather. Yeah, he's not nearby, but he's still a more reliable choice (much as I hate him) than Dylan. 

I agree. Especially because Dylan and Steve were never particularly close, if even friends at all. I also hate when two people on a show are best friends , but one of them leaves the show.. and the show forgets the friend ever exists. They did that on one tree hill when Peyton left also. Brook made Haley the godmother instead of Peyton.

[GHScorpiosRule]

34 minutes ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I agree. Especially because Dylan and Steve were never particularly close, if even friends at all. I also hate when two people on a show are best friends , but one of them leaves the show.. and the show forgets the friend ever exists. They did that on one tree hill when Peyton left also. Brook made Haley the godmother instead of Peyton.

They did it with Valerie on this show. Because Shannen couldn't or wouldn't appear for the series finale, Tiffani Thiessen showed up, and it was all hugs, squeals and kisses, as if she and Donna were besties.

Edited March 19, 2019 by GHScorpiosRule

[meggonzo]

Do we need to subscribe to the Melrose Place podcasts, or will they just be "delivered" normally on the Again With This podcast?

[meggonzo]

2 hours ago, Panda Bear said:

It's very weird that Steve wouldn't ask Brandon to be the godfather. Yeah, he's not nearby, but he's still a more reliable choice (much as I hate him) than Dylan. 

Or David, who Steve always seemed closer to than Dylan. Or one of his brothers!

[TeslaNewton]

6 hours ago, desertflower said:

I kind of felt sorry for Daniel Cosgrove. He was a good looking guy, and a decent actor. But Matt was such an obvious placeholder character that you just couldn’t see him as anything other than a doormat, waiting around for his moment to valiantly step aside so Kelly and Dylan could be together. It’s too bad they didn’t bring him to the cast earlier so they could do more with him. I would’ve much rather seen more of him than the endless years we had with Noah. 

Looking at some of his screen caps in his various episodes, Daniel Cosgrove seems to know that he's in a thankless role and looks like he wishes he were somewhere else.

Vincent Young is a horrible actor, and Noah was an awful character.

[desertflower]

On 3/19/2019 at 1:12 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

They did it with Valerie on this show. Because Shannen couldn't or wouldn't appear for the series finale, Tiffani Thiessen showed up, and it was all hugs, squeals and kisses, as if she and Donna were besties.

Yeah, I get the feeling that was all affection for Tiffani, rather than Valerie. It’s the same vibe I got when they went to see Ray in Las Vegas. I think the actors were just happy to see Jamie Walters again and it sort of bled through. 

But yeah, the Steve/Dylan friendship that last season was a bit forced. The actors made it work but those two characters were never that particularly close. 

[CurlyATX]

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 12:01 PM, meggonzo said:

Or David, who Steve always seemed closer to than Dylan. Or one of his brothers!

Even I forgot about those dorks.  Do we ever see them again? Even at the birth of the baby?  We never saw Joy at the non-wedding (but then again, Brenda couldn't be bothered to go).  

And on that note... can they ever just say what freaking country Dylan was in? Was he in France? England (my thoughts).  It's always Europe... like that's a city or something.  

[CurlyATX]

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 3:12 PM, TeeVee329 said:

For some reason, I had conflated this treasure hunt slash surprise wedding with Gina's departure episode, but obviously that was incorrect.  So Janet really did have A friend to participate in this thing?

I enjoy our hosts' low-key shipping of Gina and Matt.

Speaking of our hosts, I am OVERJOYED to hear they're gonna be taking on "Melrose Place".  Sure sure, there's a bunch of boring stuff to get through in season one, but once we get into the good stuff, when there's people having verbal cat fights every episode when they're not fighting in pools, ripping off wigs, running people over, making too much tuna salad, etc. oh man is it gonna be so good!

*small voice* And I kinda remember liking that first Rinna season but I guess we'll see when we get there! *small voice*

Just before LP's passing I was listening to some OLD podcast episodes when were in "Peak Dylan" (TM @Sarah D. Bunting, and shoutout my birthday twin).  These were episodes like u4EA and when Emily tries to burn down the float.  All good Dylan.  

Gina and Matt had great chemistry- especially when he tried to negotiate for her.  I wish they had gotten together when they found out that Kelly and Dylan and hooked up.  

Melrose Place! YESSS!! But heaven help those first season episodes.  I wasn't a fan of Rinna but I loved that redhead from "Just the Ten of Us" who joined around the same time (Lexi I think) and the girl who later played the mom on GG.  @TeeVee329 The tuna salad line made me giggle... was that from ExtraHotGreat? I remember everything else about it. 

[ZeroDiscipline]

Lexi was awesome on Melrose, and I am a MAJOR fan of Jack Wagner. His album of songs he sung on General Hospital with that band he was in with John Stamos was the first record I bought with my own money and I always tell that story when that subject somes up. I could easily lie and say I bought literally anything else but I have committed to the truth on that. I very much look forward to when Melrose hits its stride- roughly when Amanda shows up and Michael Mancini is allowed to be a bad guy. He was a terrific villain.  The season 2 finale is the finest season finale of any program in the Spelling universe ever, and I mean that and I know that includes everything that ever happened on Dynasty which also had phenomenal finales.

My favorite Dylan moments are him with Brenda, and then later him with Valerie. Suck it forever, Kelly. 

[MerBearStare]

13 hours ago, CurlyATX said:

But heaven help those first season episodes.

The only storyline I remember from the first season is Michael and Billy fight because Billy took out student loans for college because he wanted extra money and didn't actually need they loans and Michael is upset because he actually really needed his loans. Booooooring. Thank God Amanda and Sydney eventually arrive.

[meggonzo]

I think the brother played by Randy Spelling shows up this season.

[meggonzo]

On 3/22/2019 at 12:54 PM, MerBearStare said:

The only storyline I remember from the first season is Michael and Billy fight because Billy took out student loans for college because he wanted extra money and didn't actually need they loans and Michael is upset because he actually really needed his loans. Booooooring. Thank God Amanda and Sydney eventually arrive.

There's also an episode where Allison helps Jake study for his GED.

[Jax7917]

What season do you all like the most ? I liked parts of 3,4 some of 5 ( though I hated the Kelly joins a cult storyline with that creepy professor  ) and 6. Before season 3, it was too after school special for my taste and after 6, it got pretty terrible . 

[TeeVee329]

On 3/22/2019 at 12:02 AM, CurlyATX said:

Melrose Place! YESSS!! But heaven help those first season episodes.  I wasn't a fan of Rinna but I loved that redhead from "Just the Ten of Us" who joined around the same time (Lexi I think) and the girl who later played the mom on GG.  @TeeVee329 The tuna salad line made me giggle... was that from ExtraHotGreat? I remember everything else about it. 

I think Rinna and "Gossip Girl" mom, a.k.a. Kelly Rutherford, both show up in season 5, with Rob Estes, and then "Just the Ten of Us" redhead, a.k.a. Jamie Luner, shows up in season 6 with...whoever it was that played boring Coop.

The turn away from peak "Melrose" for me begins when Brooke Langton shows up.  Samantha was sooo boring, and then she and her dad "kill" Sydney! 

[Scarlett45]

On 3/23/2019 at 7:20 PM, Jaclyn88 said:

What season do you all like the most ? I liked parts of 3,4 some of 5 ( though I hated the Kelly joins a cult storyline with that creepy professor  ) and 6. Before season 3, it was too after school special for my taste and after 6, it got pretty terrible . 

I agree with you about seasons 1-2. I think season 1 and season 9 were my least favorites. 

I liked Seasons 3-6, parts of 7. 8 and 9 were WTF and with 10 at least we got some good moments with Steve & Janet as well as David and Donna (although David was such a dick to her). 

[desertflower]

On 3/23/2019 at 8:20 PM, Jaclyn88 said:

What season do you all like the most ? I liked parts of 3,4 some of 5 ( though I hated the Kelly joins a cult storyline with that creepy professor  ) and 6. Before season 3, it was too after school special for my taste and after 6, it got pretty terrible . 

I like 2 the best. It started the great summer episodes and we also get a nice string of episodes with Brenda and Dylan getting along and having a nice relationship. Also the Emily Valentine stuff is entertaining. I like 1 and 3 too. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, desertflower said:

I like 2 the best. It started the great summer episodes and we also get a nice string of episodes with Brenda and Dylan getting along and having a nice relationship. 

YES! But it also has the wonderful relationship between Brenda and Brandon. How they tease each other, give each other the straight talk (when the other is being a jerk, obnoxious, etc.) AND support each other. I missed that relationship SO much after Brenda and Dylan broke up. And it was ruined, because I don't think they ever went back to having that close relationship. Ironically, it's DYLAN who's there for Brenda before Shannen left the show.

[CurlyATX]

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 7:20 PM, Jaclyn88 said:

What season do you all like the most ? I liked parts of 3,4 some of 5 ( though I hated the Kelly joins a cult storyline with that creepy professor  ) and 6. Before season 3, it was too after school special for my taste and after 6, it got pretty terrible . 

I really love season 2- especially when Imily Valentine comes in.  We have a lot of "peak Dylan" where is a funny and charming- still faithful to Brenda.  I do like some bits of the college years (namely David's drug problem, then Kelly's drug problem).  I didn't mind as much the summer of deception but later when Brenda is reduced to pining for Dylan, I just feel so bad for her. I wish that Stuart wasn't such a dork. 

[Blondie11]

Did anyone notice in the visual aids for this episode that Gina's name is Gina Bobbi and her mother is named Bobbi Gina?  Gina's name is partially cut off, but it isn't too hard to figure out based on the shape of the letters. 

"Bobbi Gina" was pointed out in Sarah & Tara's discussion, but I don't think they mentioned "Gina Bobbi."

https://imgur.com/a/5f0ne80

[purist]

Here is the page at Again With This 90210 that has the visual aids and audio link. Badly written summary from IMDb:

Quote

Dylan gives an expensive painting to Kelly as a gift which disturbs Matt thinking that Dylan is trying to buy Kelly's affections again. Meanwhile, Donna finally tells Gina their whole story about that they are half sisters, which throws Gina into anger and frustration. But Donna learns that Noah hasn't told her all of his life story when he tells her that he never went to Harvard. After returning from the hospital, Steve becomes overprotective of baby Madeline. Also, David's jealousy surfaces again when Gina confides in Dylan instead of him with her personal troubles.

[atlanticslide]

Maybe I missed something when he first came back, but why is Dylan even living at the hotel? What happened to his house? 

[meggonzo]

I think he originally came back to BH because he sold his house and had to come to the closing.

[CurlyATX]

Am I crazy but this isn't Donna's secret to tell Gina, is it? It should be something that either Dr. Martin or Bobbie tell her.  This is the crap honesty that people do to make themselves feel better.  Wasn't it just a little while ago that Donna was calling Gina trash?

The hood on the shrug is longer than the shrug.  This reminds me of that cutoffs trend where the pockets are longer than the shorts itself. 

[Earmuffs Mom]

Donna stayed with Noah a year too long after he raped Valerie, but I digress.  In show time, she is going to be married to David in less than six months.  

Kelly proposing to Dylan then going back to Matt like nothing is wrong is so gross.  JUST BREAK UP WITH DOORMATT!

[purist]

@Tara Ariano, I know of several people who have knocked on the door of a house where they used to live and the new resident lets them have a look around - including my elderly dad, who went past my childhood home of 17 years and was given a tour by the current owner.

[atlanticslide]

Hilariously, I think Tara and Sarah had that exact same exchange in an earlier episode when a similar "person wanting to see their old house" scene happened. I think maybe when Brenda is back in MN in Season 4 and she and Cindy and her cousin or whoever are at the old Walsh house? 

[Kerfuffler]

Donna didn't tell Gina for Gina's sake. She did it for herself because she's sad and angry and wants someone else to be sad and angry with her. St. Donna at her worst, but people IRL do that shit all the time. The most unrealistic thing about this storyline is that Donna's parents failed to anticipate exactly how Donna would react to this news. Of COURSE she was going to tell Gina!

Hahaha, that noise Dylan makes after Kelly says "All or nothing" is amazing. It's just like the "Least Valuable Player" sound.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Kerfuffler
Misidentified the least valuable player sound clip.

[purist]

Here is the page at Again With This 90210 that has the visual aids and audio link. Summary from IMDb:

Quote

As Christmas approaches, Gina's meeting with Dr. Martin as her biological father is awkward and unsatisfying, similar to Janet and her parents when they accidentally run into each other at a Christmas tree lot. Steve eventually confronts Janet's parents and tells them to stop acting cold towards her and him. Donna's mother, Felice, offers to help Gina financially, but she refuses. Meanwhile, Donna can't let go of Noah's accident years ago resulting in the death of his girlfriend which leads to her and him considering breaking up. Also, Dylan loses control in front of kids during a Christmas gathering at the community center when he punches a belligerent neighbor complaining about the center's residents hanging around his house. Matt takes advantage of a client's latest fee to buy Kelly an engagement ring and proposes marriage which she accepts. But Dylan confides in David about him still having strong feelings for Kelly.

[Earmuffs Mom]

Matt blowing his entire retainer check on Kelly's ring should get him disbarred.  He's not earned those fees and so he cannot spend the entire $15K.  I hate that (spoiler alert) he only gets suspended.  In almost all jurisdictions, it's grounds to be disbarred for mishandling client funds.

I forgot that Noah was the one to dump Donna and not the other way around.  Noah's blithe little, "I've spent a lot of time getting over this and I cannot go back" is a bunch of crap too.  Just last season he was using his dead gf/fiancee as an excuse to keep Val at arms' length (before he raped her, but I digress).  Noah's only redeeming quality was his ability to deadpan a "whatever, dude" attitude toward Brandon and Dylan when needed.  I cannot stand that we have to see his downward spiral and his attempts to save some chick and her daughter that he meets in AA later this season.  As soon as he and Donna broke up, we should have been able to say, "and we never saw him again."

[purist]

Er, @Tara Ariano, what was that comment about tinsel and a cat's butt? I'm not a cat person, so I have no clue what you were talking about!

[Earmuffs Mom]

I've lived the tinsel/cat butt trauma.  It's not pretty.

[CandysWrapRoom]

I am missing S10.E10 and S10.E12 from my podcast app. Anyone have any ideas?

Edited April 25, 2019 by allienc

[purist]

3 hours ago, Earmuffs Mom said:

I've lived the tinsel/cat butt trauma.  It's not pretty.

Do they ... eat it and then it comes out the other end? I'm clueless here!

[Lisin]

On 4/25/2019 at 12:28 PM, purist said:

Do they ... eat it and then it comes out the other end? I'm clueless here!

Yes. Cats... dogs... they're not the brightest. 

[CurlyATX]

On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 1:09 PM, Earmuffs Mom said:

Matt blowing his entire retainer check on Kelly's ring should get him disbarred.  He's not earned those fees and so he cannot spend the entire $15K.  I hate that (spoiler alert) he only gets suspended.  In almost all jurisdictions, it's grounds to be disbarred for mishandling client funds.

I love it when the actual attorneys (which I'm assuming you are) chime in about Matt! Here is what I don't get.  Matt is basically broke.  Buying at over the top engagement ring for Princess Kelly is basically setting them up for a lifestyle that he can't afford.  And at that time, $15K is a LOT for a ring... Mr. Curly proposed in 2001 I think and he paid about $2000 for it. 

[Earmuffs Mom]

1 hour ago, CurlyATX said:

I love it when the actual attorneys (which I'm assuming you are) chime in about Matt!

Yes I am.  I work for the court that oversees attorney discipline issues.  Matt would be disbarred so fast his head would spin.  And again, yes on the $15K engagement ring.  That is huge money in 1999!

[Scarlett45]

On 4/29/2019 at 12:38 PM, Earmuffs Mom said:

Yes I am.  I work for the court that oversees attorney discipline issues.  Matt would be disbarred so fast his head would spin.  And again, yes on the $15K engagement ring.  That is huge money in 1999!

Another attorney here and I agree!!!

[dariafan]

The leasing situation at the beach apartment must be a paperwork nightmare 

[purist]

Given that individual episode threads for this crapulous season aren't attracting many posts, I thought we might as well have one big thread for the remaining episodes to be covered on the Again With This podcast.

Episode 13 is called 'Tainted Love' and the relevant AWT page is here. The IMDb synopsis:

Quote

The loss of a client's business puts Matt in financial straits because of the engagement ring he bough for Kelly which was paid for with the retainer. Gina tries to help Matt by asking Dylan for the $15,000 Matt owes, but Matt refuses the money because of his own pride and reliance, while he begins lying to Kelly about his financial problems. Meanwhile, Dylan grows uncomfortable about God-parenting to Kelly because of her engagement. David and others benefit from a man's crush on Donna whom she asks out on a date that flops. Also, Noah attempts to fight his loss over breaking up with Donna by hanging out with a pair of wild and crazy swingers, named Josie and her brother Shane, that come to the After Dark every night.

(Hee: 'God-parenting'.)

[Scarlett45]

Matt is a piss poor attorney and he deserved to be disbarred over that foolishness. Never mind spending all you had on an ENGAGEMENT RING, if you really thought this case was “all that” wait until you actually billed for the time and earned the money. He’s awful. 

[MCMLXXVII]

The longer hair looks good on Kelly. It’s weird how the mid to late 90s was this great short hair era, and then it never really trended again for younger women.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, MCMLXXVII said:

The longer hair looks good on Kelly. It’s weird how the mid to late 90s was this great short hair era, and then it never really trended again for younger women.

Jennie Garth has a small face- I think she looks great with long hair or the pixie. Mid length bobs don’t do much for her. 

[CurlyATX]

Can someone explain the retainer portion to me? I've only dealt with it when I worked at a PR firm when a client was super slow to pay.  In our case, they paid us $5000 and we billed against that and then when it was close to being done, we'd ask for more money.

However, I heard on TV shows that an attorney is "on retainer".  Does that mean that attorney is collecting a specific amount even if no work is done, just so he will be certain to jump at a moments' notice?

I'm not CPA but wouldn't  you need to use funds from your company for company expenses? If Matt had earned the $15K doesn't he pay himself a salary or use the money for company purchases?  And if Gina just hands him a check for $15K and he deposits it into the bank account, will he need to show how the hell he got that money?

[Earmuffs Mom]

38 minutes ago, CurlyATX said:

Can someone explain the retainer portion to me? I've only dealt with it when I worked at a PR firm when a client was super slow to pay.  In our case, they paid us $5000 and we billed against that and then when it was close to being done, we'd ask for more money.

However, I heard on TV shows that an attorney is "on retainer".  Does that mean that attorney is collecting a specific amount even if no work is done, just so he will be certain to jump at a moments' notice?

In my state, it does not work like that due to rule changes recently changing "nonrefundable" fees.  Any money an attorney receives to work for a client must be put into a trust account and the fees are withdrawn as the attorney performs the work/earns the money.  If Matt worked here, he would be disbarred because he basically stole the entire $15K because he did not earn it, and he converted the funds for personal use in buying the engagement ring.  I don't understand how the client settled the case without Matt's involvement, but that further enforces the idea he was due a sizable refund.  Matt got off lightly with a suspension.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, CurlyATX said:

Can someone explain the retainer portion to me? I've only dealt with it when I worked at a PR firm when a client was super slow to pay.  In our case, they paid us $5000 and we billed against that and then when it was close to being done, we'd ask for more money.

However, I heard on TV shows that an attorney is "on retainer".  Does that mean that attorney is collecting a specific amount even if no work is done, just so he will be certain to jump at a moments' notice?

I'm not CPA but wouldn't  you need to use funds from your company for company expenses? If Matt had earned the $15K doesn't he pay himself a salary or use the money for company purchases?  And if Gina just hands him a check for $15K and he deposits it into the bank account, will he need to show how the hell he got that money?

As mentioned above, clients who need legal help as a normal course of conducting their business will often pay a lump sum to a lawyer or firm simply to be available to do the work whenever called upon. That is a retainer. The idea is that the client probably gets a discount on his rate due to the larger volume of work he gives to the law firm while the firm doesn't have to wait to submit a bill and get paid for their work.  The firm is expected to hold the entire sum and deduct as they do the work.  Taking that money, which is sort of held in escrow, without earning it is illegal and Matt should've been disbarred and maybe gone to jail.  The retainer is not meant to be spent by the law firm except as in payment for services rendered to the client.

[Lisin]

22 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

As mentioned above, clients who need legal help as a normal course of conducting their business will often pay a lump sum to a lawyer or firm simply to be available to do the work whenever called upon. That is a retainer. The idea is that the client probably gets a discount on his rate due to the larger volume of work he gives to the law firm while the firm doesn't have to wait to submit a bill and get paid for their work.  The firm is expected to hold the entire sum and deduct as they do the work.  Taking that money, which is sort of held in escrow, without earning it is illegal and Matt should've been disbarred and maybe gone to jail.  The retainer is not meant to be spent by the law firm except as in payment for services rendered to the client.

All correct however, there's not normally (that I've ever seen in 15+ years working at various firms) any discount for having a retainer. It's just normally required, some are small and just for the sake of having it, some clients don't have one at all (think big "we know they can pay" businesses or very small cases that aren't going to bill much). The attorney and firm decide how much retainer they're going to require based on a ton of different variables like size of case, income of client, length of case, litigation possibilities, and other variables. They say "Ok, here's your engagement letter, sign and return it with your retainer payment of X and boom we're your lawyers" some large corporate style clients have a fairly low ($5,000ish) monthly retainer that covers "emails and brief phone calls" so they only get bills if they ask for extra work, like to create documents etc. Generally for a Matt style lawyer he'd just kinda guess at approximately how much the case will end up costing and ask for a retainer based on that and the amount of risk the attorney/firm is willing to hold in regards to the potential of a client not paying. The firm/attorney then puts those funds into an IOLTA account and then bills as normal but at the end of the month they draw the payment for the bill from the retainer in the IOLTA rather than billing the client... unless the client is high risk and has a non-diminishing retainer agreement  meaning the funds are held in IOLTA, and paid out normally but then also the client is billed the amount to replenish the retainer. All of this is to say it's very closely monitored, Matt's a moron who should be disbarred and in jail HE'S SUCH AN IDIOT. 

[CurlyATX]

Thank you to all you smart LAW-yers out there.  This was 10X more interesting than the episode.  Granted the writers and cast didn't care anymore but I like the one running thread that whenever a Hillster (or Hillster adjacent) gets called out for acting incorrectly they immediately act like my 8 year old and start giving excuses of why THEY should be given some type of loophole. 

Client- you stole my money! Give it back

Matt- it was for an engagement ring

Client - (in Matt's world)- oh, well, then, just pay it back whenever you can.

or

Judge- please tell your clients you can't work for a month

Matt- I'm a small practice, I'm not a big firm

Judge (in Matt's world)- oh, well then, nevermind.  That wouldn't be fair.

[purist]

Episode 14 is called 'I'm Using You 'Cause I Like You' and the relevant AWT page is here. The IMDb synopsis:

Quote

Donna and David meet promising new mates for themselves, she with an unpredictable businessman named Jerry, and he with a law clerk named Chrissy. Meanwhile, Kelly decides to quit working at the boutique store. Soon after being suspended by the state bar for misappropriate use of legal funds, Matt violates his suspension by taking a case of an injured factory worker, until Chrissy finds out and threatens him. The increasingly moody Dylan suffers from the fast-lane acquaintances of Noah's which takes a turn for the worse when both Dylan and Gina are arrested when Josie's stash of drugs is found in the limo they take for a drive. Also, Steve and Janet hire a nanny, named Darby, for baby Madeleine whom Noah asks out on a date.

[Scarlett45]

Are there actually 27 episodes in this season??!!

Its a slow slog to the finale. 

It seems that David had no real story lines in season 9 besides pining after Gina.