Melrose Place - The Complete First Season [DVD]

Ok, not everyone likes the first series of Melrose Place, but I must be in the minority.

I would have to say that the series was a bit more substantial at the start and was not as outrageous and sensational as it became the following season (and only got more so).

Season 1 did a good job of introducing us to the residents of Melrose place, to Shooters and to D & D Advertising.

The main characters are Billy, Allison, Jake, Sandy, Michael, Jane, Matt, Rhonda (I don't think I've missed anyone) with small appearances by Kimberley and Amanda (towards the end of the season).

All the characters are developed quite well with the exception of Sandy, they don't seem to know what to do with her. One minute she has a strong Texas accent, the next it's gone! One minute she can't live without Jake, the next she's moving away (without even saying goodbye to him or any of the other residents in person). So as you may have guessed she disappears from the series after a dozen episodes.

Her character is replaced with a new one called Jo, who is actually an improvement.

Enough about the series, if you are looking into buying this you probably know a bit about the series anyway.

Specifically about this DVD set - there are no extras! Not a thing, the menus aren't even animated. In the USA there were some extras (but not many) but for some reason in the UK they have left these out.

Speaking of left out. If you glance at the episode guides on TV.com you will be able to see all the music used in the show such as U2 and The Cure, not in this set! All the contemporary music has been replaced, usually discreetly but one or twice it is obvious that some editing has had to take place to hide the change in music (such as in the pilot episode where Micheal is singing in the kitchen whilst making breakfast, his lips are still shown singing the original song but his voice is singing complete gibberish!)

So the 2 stars deducted are for

-no extras

-replacement music

Overall though I am happy with the set and will be buying season 2 when it becomes available.

Hope my review has been of some use.

Watching Season One of Melrose can be likened to watching a great artist at work. As it nears completion, you begin to understand what it will be, but for much of the time up to that point it looks sketchy - and you're watching paint dry.

The end result - of course - is a fun, sudsy, over-the-top drama: the worthiest American soap of the mid-90's. The crucial pieces come very late in Season One. But when we're talking about HEATHER LOCKLEAR; DAPHNE ZUNIGA; LAURA LEIGHTON and MARCIA CROSS - you know it's worth the wait!

What precedes it are some forgettable issue-of-the-week episodes (such as the controversial "Alison wants to sell her Ford Escort" story). A relationship with a married man, and a pregnancy fend off a complete coma, but that's all really.

The good stuff really comes from the episode "Single White Sister" onwards, where Leighton debuts as Sydney. Two episodes later - Heather Locklear's Amanda marches in. Then the fun begins!!

The last ten episodes of the season are a taste of what is to come when the show goes into overdrive for Season 2.

THE PACKAGE

The picture is quite crisp, and it's nice to have 8 single-sided discs, which help the quality. Sound is ok, but not amazing.

Despite the Region 1 version being FULL of featurettes and interviews, the British version is a very sad bare-bones affair. No bonus material at all.

The whole package gets 2 stars from me, sadly the decent latter part of the season has to be rated together with the soporific start it had, and there's no excuse for the extra features not making it across the Atlantic.

We came into MP late on during reruns on Sky maybe 10 years ago and found it quite entertaining and compelling. We couldn't remember much about it so decided to buy Series 1 just to see how it kicked off. To cut a long story short, it's pleasant enough, if forgettable early on, fluff based on several typical token characters, with the main players being the impossible-to-dislike Alison and Billy.

The entry of Jo, as a slightly edgy love interest for the hunky Jake perked the show up a bit, but Rhonda and the gay guy are just plain dull. I could have done without the Aids infomercial episode, but maybe it seemed worthy at the time. Like others say, around episode 16, Amanda enters the picture and livens the show up no end. Not normally a fan of blonde bimbos, I actually look forward to her screen time, as she's so bitchy to Alison. However, I just can't see her falling for Billy the way she seems to, as she's very much a rich sugar-daddy sort of gal, but maybe there's more to come.

Even the boring married couple liven up no end, with the help of the just plain gorgeous and wonderful Bree from Desperate Housewives. I remember her as as total nut-job in later series, so I can't wait to see what happens.

I've now bought Series 2 and 3 and am looking forward to getting into them , as I know that things get even livelier. It may be bubblegum TV, but it's strangely compelling and addictive and well worth the money, especially at 32 episodes a go.