Melrose Place - The Second Season [DVD]

Sub-titles are: English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish, and in English for the Hearing Impaired.

Season Two is where Melrose really kicks off, as the pace goes into overdrive. By mid-season, Melrose was THE hottest show on tv at the time.

There's a trio of troublemakers to make sure things really heat up. Heather Locklear's character - Amanda - moves into the building and right into the centre of the action. Laura Leighton is back full-time as Jane's scheming little sister Sydney, and Marcia Cross gets plenty to do, as her character Kimberly has helped break up Jane's marriage and moves in with Michael.

It's impossible to summarise all the twists and turns the show takes this year. So much happens in every single episode! Just follow Syd's career path this year, as she falls into illegal profession after illegal profession. You have to see it to believe it.

Love triangles and quadrangles abound - everyone's sleeping with everyone. Plus there are several weddings - one is a marriage of convenience, another is through blackmail, and there's one in the season finale which is action-packed!

Melrose isn't for the faint-hearted either - there are plenty of shocks in store:- a few horrific deaths (including shootings, car wrecks and even a harpooning), kidnapping, pregnancy, domestic violence, a couple of murder plots - you name it!

As fantastic as the whole season is, they save the best for the last 5 episodes! Firstly, there's Linda (Sue Ellen Ewing) Gray, who comes in to launch the spin-off show Models Inc (which really deserves a dvd release).

Then... in the last scene of "Psycho Therapy", there's a shocking reveal. The following episode ("The Bitch Is Back") is the finest Melrose ever (tied with the Season 3 finale for my favourite episode). This ends with a truly chilling moment, and from this point on, anything can happen....

...and it does!

I've only given a 5-star season 4 stars because the Darren Star audio-commentaries from the American version were not included here, which is a shame. The other features are really nothing to get excited about.

Still, this is great value for money, as there are 8 single sided discs with 31 episodes on - including a feature-length finale.

With the new Melrose Place series due to begin in September, check this out, and see what a hard act it has to follow.

I don't understand why some reviewers refer to Melrose Place as a 'guilty pleasure', rather than what it is - a damn good show, and one of the biggest TV hits of the '90's. There's nothing guilty about it...

Season Two does a semi-pick up after the first (rather lacklustre season) but within episodes does an about face and the show finally takes off. Whereas season one had been very episodic, with a moral edge, season two's whirlwind storylines almost leave you breathless - on the basis of second season storylines, I'm convinced that no sane person would ever willing move in to Melrole Place.

Right, some story highlights....there's, Alison's stalker, then a rememberence of family abuse and alcholism; Michael and Amanda are beastly, to eveyone, throughout; Kimberley 'dies'; Jo suffers trauma after trauma and Sidney becomes a 'good time' girl; Matt marries a woman, while dating an sailor (tacky!) but this is just some of the events that make this season so watchable.

Melrose Place is great TV and certainly worth a re-visit - if you've never heard of it, think Hollyoaks on speed and you won't be disappointed!!