Mel reluctantly allows Joe’s brother to stay in “The Other Longo.” In “Teacher/Teacher,” Joe tries to help Ryder deal with an unfair essay grade while Mel helps Lennox sneak into an 18-and-over concert. Even if Joey Lawrence’s brothers hadn’t guest starred, these would still be some of the show’s best episodes – or at least, two of my favorites so far this season.
When Joe’s flaky, photographer brother Tony (Matthew Lawrence) arrives in town, Mel reluctantly realizes that she likes him and lets him stay. But then a photo shoot at her office turns into a not-so-professional modeling session, and naive Tony posts the risque pictures online, where they’re discovered by all of Toledo. Outraged Joe and Tony get into a fight over it, especially after Tony accuses Joe of having feelings for Mel. Meanwhile, the commenting voters love that Mel is so comfortable with her body, so the whole incident turns out to be good PR.
At the same time, Lennox is determined not to catch Ryder’s cold right before a big party. In the end she catches it and sends Ryder in her place. A cute, insignificant storyline just there to give the kids something to do in the background.
On the other hand, Lennox and Ryder are equal players in “Teacher/Teacher.” My favorite of the two episodes features Joe trying to help Ryder deal with who he thinks is an unfair teacher (Andy Lawrence), while…Mel gets Lennox a fake ID so they can sneak into a Kings of Leon concert. True, I like the twist where Joe bribes the teacher with the worthless tickets he thought Mel and Lennox weren’t using.
But the best aspect of the episode by far is Mel acting like a cool aunt, and reminding Lennox of the fun they used to have going to ’90s bands’ concerts. The scene where they hide in the bathroom stall and then jump into a dumpster to avoid getting arrested is absolutely fantastic, a classic for the series I’d say. One aspect I don’t like is how Mel hides her illegal antics from Joe, like she’s afraid of what he’d say when she’s his boss. Though maybe that’s more because it affects Lennox as well, and since Joe was hired to take care of the kids, he should have a say in the matter too.
I think I like “Teacher/Teacher” so much because, not only is the humor strong and there are some awesome ’90s bands references, it also focuses on Ryder and Lennox. Joe actually plays the nanny role in this episode, rather than just a permanent house-guest who lives to tease Mel. Honestly, his storyline should always be a problem he has to fix for the kids, not just a situation that highlights the “romantic tension” with his boss.
Anyway, definitely another great couple of episodes for Melissa & Joey. “Play Ball” and “House Divided” air next week, September 7th.
