Written by: Ashtyn at 12:56 am
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Heather Locklear, Patrick Muldoon, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Doug Savant, Daphne Zuniga, Kristin Davis, Josie Bissett, Marcia Cross, Laura Leighton, Grant Show, Thomas Calabro, Jack Wagner, Andrew Shue
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Not Rated
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Back when Melrose Place was on the air in primetime I think I saw every single originally aired episode. Sure, that’s probably not something to brag about, but it’s true. The show included every necessary aspect of an Aaron Spelling primetime drama. There was at least one crazy female, a philandering husband, repressed molestation issues, blindness (and later sight), a power hungry female, a hunk, and all the trash talking that you can stand.
It might have been over the top, but it usually wasn’t boring. Melrose Place was one of those shows that people that watched it just didn’t miss. They would set their VCRs or they would go out after the show was on. It reminds me of Knots Landing in that respect. My brother and his friends would always wait to go out on college night until after Knots was over.
After the show ended and eventually moved to syndication I stopped bothering. There were new shows and I had seen all of those episodes so the point of watching the reruns seemed unnecessary to me. Every now and then I would check it out, though I hadn’t seen it in years until I picked up the third season for review, last year. Again, it’s time for me to review this illustrious show about some outlandish 20 and 30-somethings that are tied together by their affiliation to their homes in the Melrose Place apartments.
Release Information:
Melrose Place began as a spinoff of another Aaron Spelling drama, Beverly Hills 90210. This is somewhat interesting because despite being a spinoff, there are no characters from 90210 on this series that appeared on a regular basis. A few cropped up from time to time, but it was hardly regular. In fact, viewers probably would not have made the connection if they watched only one show and not the other. The show struggled throughout the first season to find their place on television, but as Melrose continued to get wilder and wilder, ratings increased and the show lasted for a total of seven seasons before getting cancelled.
The first four seasons of Melrose Place are now available courtesy of CBS and Paramount Home Video. The fourth season came out on April 15, 2008. The set includes all episodes from the fourth season on a nine disc set. You should be able to find this box set wherever DVDs are sold, including Amazon, where it is available for $44.99 with free shipping.
The Melrose Place: Fourth Season Plot
Season four starts off with quite a bang, literally. Kimberly (Marcia Cross) is seen detonating a series of bombs at the end of the third season. The fourth season begins with the bombs detonating and blowing a good chunk of the Melrose Place apartments off the map. In the explosion, Jane’s new boss is murdered, the boss’s husband (Jane’s Lover) is considerably shaken up (and guilt ridden, too), and Alison (Courtney Thorne-Smith) ends up blind, at least for a little while. This is just the beginning of the season, too. There is actually plenty more going on the entire time.
Speaking of Kimberly, Peter (Jack Wagner) swears that it is not her fault and that Kimberly is legally insane. Rather than having her put away, like the rest of the gang seems to want, he wants to have her put in a hospital where she can eventually be released. Sadly, he gets his wish. Of course, with Henry pulling the strings you almost have to feel for her. Who is Henry you ask? He is the gardener that used to work for Kimberly’s family. She had to off him (stabbing) when she walked in on him raping dear old mom. Now, he’s getting his revenge! So, Peter appears to be flip flopping between the crazed Kimberly and Amanda (Heather Locklear). In both cases, there are drawbacks, but that is for Peter to discover.
Jake (Grant Show) goes through a metamorphosis that can only be described as self-destructive when he deals with the loss of Jess, who dies at the construction site. Of course, Jake’s problems seem relatively small when compared to Matt (Doug Savant) who gets cleared of the murder rap that had him in prison after the husband of the deceased admits Matt’s innocence, and his own guilt, on his death bed. Matt later ends up going to med school (he had to do something with his life), but life is too hard for this Melrose token gay, so he ends up turning to drugs and becomes a junkie when he was just doing them to get through his homework in the first place!
Billy (Andrew Shue) and Alison split up because she was molested as a child and couldn’t deal with things. So, Billy moved on to Brooke (Kristin Davis) and though she had her flaws (faking a pregnancy, for example) he stayed with her through a rocky marriage and an on again- off again relationship. Alison meanwhile, realizes that she cannot get her man back, so she moves on to greener pastures – Brooke’s father, Hayley (Perry King)! This makes things interesting because daddy and daughter have an interesting relationship that involves meddling in the other’s relationships. Billy leaves Brooke, but when she dies, it’s hard for him to cope and he becomes a heartless shrew, just like she was.
And this is just part of the season. Not wanting to give it all away, let’s just say there is a lot more action. You can expect Jo (Daphne Zuniga) to take something from Jane (Josie Bissett), Michael (Thomas Calabro) to remarry one of his many Melrose ex-wives, Kimberly goes nuts again and one of her split personalities is a pissed off housewife from the 50s (good times, right?), and Jane becomes partially paralyzed when her sister Sydney (Laura Leighton) drugs her drink with too much medication. Plenty more happens of course, but with all this I am sure we can leave plenty to your imagination. You should get the idea by now.
The nine disc episode layout goes as follows:
Disc 1:
- Postmortem Madness
- Melrose Is Like A Box Of Chocolates
- Blind Ambition
- Simply Shocking
Disc 2:
- Drawing Henry
- The Jane Mutiny
- Let The Games Begin
- Dial “M” For Melrose
Disc 3:
- Amanda Unplugged
- El Syd
- Free Kimmy
- Kimberly Does L.A.
Disc 4:
- Hook, Line And Hayley
- Two Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
- Oy! To The World
- Holy Strokes
Disc 5:
- The Brooke Stops Here
- Sydney, Brothered And Bewildered
- The Bobby Trap
Disc 6:
- No Lifeguard On Duty
- Devil In A Wet Dress
- The Circle Of Strife
Disc 7:
- Run Billy, Run
- Ruthless People
- The Burning Sofa
- Triumph Of The Bill
Disc 8:
- What Goes Up Must Come Down
- True Fibs
- Melrose Unglued
- Peter’s Excellent Adventure
Disc 9:
- Full Metal Betsy
- Dead Sisters Walking
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting: 
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The video for Melrose Place is pretty standard for a television show like this. The majority of the video comes out looking clear with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. There are a few specs of dirt that crop up from time to time and a few moments of what can only be described as damaged film. However, for the most part, even with a few flaws, the video certainly is manageable. It ends up being good enough to watch without annoyance.
The audio offers a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track in English. No other languages or subtitles are represented. However, Closed Captioning should work through your television if it is needed. The dialogue is consistent throughout the entire set and the sound for the most part works excellent. I could not find anything worthy to complain about other than the lack of subtitles and other languages, which did not directly affect me in any way.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Considering the fact that the third season had more than one special feature, it is kind of depressing to see the fourth season has none. This can be common for a lot of the CBS box sets, but as this is a show that could have easily provided a few deleted scenes, outtakes, or special featurettes, it would have been nice to see them included. The content certainly holds the box set together without question, but a few bonuses couldn’t hurt.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Melrose Place is highly recommended for what it’s worth. This show is fun, entertaining, and filled with drama at all times. There is rarely a dull moment in this truly self-indulgent form of television. If you’ve never seen Melrose I highly recommend that you start with season one. Otherwise, if you’re an old fan you should pick this up at your earliest convenience.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, TV on DVD, Aaron Spelling, Heather Locklear, Patrick Muldoon, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Doug Savant, Daphne Zuniga, Kristin Davis, Josie Bissett, Marcia Cross, Laura Leighton, Grant Show, Thomas Calabro, Jack Wagner, Andrew Shue, Drama, Sex, Primetime
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.
