DVD Review: Melrose Place (The Sixth Season, Volume 2)

DVD Reviews, Reviews

After all the changes in tenants, viewers were starting to move out of the TV’s most popular apartment complex. In it’s penultimate season, Melrose Place had lost over a million viewers. Instead of merely accepting its fate, the producer turned on the primetime soap opera weirdness. They pulled out all the stops with balloons, offers of a free month, helicopter crashes, outrageous weddings and baby daddy naming. They had to fill units to keep the network from condemning the property. Melrose Place: The Sixth Season, Volume 2 throws all the drama at the screen.

“To Kill a Whirlybird” gets the danger and cutthroat action going fast. Michael (Thomas Calabro) gets screwed out of the business deal by Brett (Linden Ashby). He threatens back, but only digs a deeper pit when he’s set up on a sexual harassment charge. Brett gets all the treats when he seduces Megan (Kelly Rutherford). Things don’t go as smooth for Billy (Andrew Shue) since he finally lip plants Connie (Dark Sky‘s Megan Ward). She makes a call that is really not good. But while all this happens on the ground, a helicopter carrying Amanda (Heather Locklear) and Samantha (Brooke Langton) crashes in the woods. Will they survive? Will Heather Locklear’s hair remain bouncy? “Amanda’s Back” is a title with a double meaning. The residents of her apartment complex form a search committee. How many people would care enough to Google map where their landlord was missing? Turns out Amanda has complications from the crash. But even with a few limbs out of commission, she’s feisty.

“Kyle of the Desert” starts a storyline about how Kyle (Rob Estes) remembers Christine (Susan Walters). They were lovers back in Iraq. She had died during the Gulf War. Or did she? “Coop de Grace” deepens the mystery. Turns out the Christine didn’t die instantly of her injuries. But she had the news of her death passed to Kyle so he wouldn’t wait for her to recover. Someone who doesn’t recover is Craig (David Charvet). He comes to the end of his role when he can’t deal with Sydney gone. “Mama Mia” sends Kyle out to New Mexico to find the love of his life that faked her death. “Last Train to Baghdad” spreads the lovers reunion over two episodes. How could she have done it? Will their love flame up once more? Can they have a joyful life together or will it be ruined by their soap opera universe? And why is Billy posing as Craig?

“A Swing and a Mrs.” gives Peter (Jack Wagner) the good news that he’s going to inherit $10 million. The catch is that he must remarry Lexi (Jamie Luner). Why do dying people make lives complicated by forcing love where it doesn’t belong. How can they put a woman between a man and his money? “Blunt Drama” traps Christine in a major scam operated by Taylor (Lisa Rinna with her old lips) and Nick (Scott Plank). “A Christine Runs Through It” makes the ugliness swirl out of control. Billy finally hooks up with Jennifer (Alyssa Milano). That must have been a tough day of acting. “Too Romantic for Words” brings on Billy’s guilt. “Four Affairs and a Pregnancy” is extra tawdry with one resident realizing her belly bump isn’t from drinking too much Zima. “M.P. Confidential” pours on the cliffhangers which won’t be frustrating since Fox did renew for the seventh season.

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers look fine so that you can enjoy the late ‘90s fashions. The audio is Dolby Digital Stereo. You can hear all the backstabbing. The episodes are subtitled.

No Bonus Features.

Melrose Place: The Sixth Season, Volume 2 goes into overdrive in order to keep fans watching. There’s little pacing. It’s a manic dash. Unloved characters go out with a bang. Others get yanked apart by the whirlwind that is Amanda. Hard to think there would only be one last season with such much hitting the characters. And this doesn’t even count Amanda’s wedding fiasco.

CBS DVD presents Melrose Place: The Sixth Season, Volume 2. Starring: Hethar Locklear, Jack Wagner, Lisa Rinna and Megan Ward. Boxset contents: 12 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: July 19, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.