​P​ublic Display of Dysfunction ("Bye Bye Billy" S1 EP 24)

Still the Place with Laura Layton, Courtney Thorn Smith.

And Daphne's Aniga an iHeartRadio podcast. Hello friend, how you guys? I know?

Are you good as you know?

Because you can see I have a different background behind me with a lot of accolades. I might say this is my uh my half brother's mom and her husband's basement and office and baby rooms, so they kind of I could have this for my podcast needs. There's a baby bassinette and all kinds of other stuff over there, which I'm much. It's all pink and soft. Yeah, it's a girl. She's adorable.

And who's a girl, Daphney? Do you want to tell us who's my niece? Yay?

Well could you say? Your name's Zoe?

Daphne's an auntie.

I'm exciting Auntie Zoe. Yeah, it's uh And so a lot of family and friends are coming by. We're up in San Francisco where they live where I was born, oh a few years ago. Yeah, remember last episode. I think Chuck was there and he's like, we would be writing and going, oh that's a Melrose moment.

This episode should be called Poor Allison, Bye Bye Billy slash Poor Alison.

Yeah, yeah, okay, so bye bye, Billy it we'll do a brief recap here. We open up on Marina del Rey, which is our marina in La and it's on some sail boats and beautiful water, and the camera pans up this very fancy for nineteen ninety two, very modern high rise, and then we cut inside and we have we see these close ups of coffee being poured, toast being buttered, flour putting in a vase, the paper being folded and put it on a tray. So we don't know who

I remember?

Yes, he's the sweetest man, Lee Arenberg. He's done a lot of work and he usually plays those kind of characters because he has that kind of like menacing look, but he's like a big teddy bear anyway. So that's a very traumatic situation for Allison, and she continues to have flashbacks and fear throughout the rest of the episode. And it's Keith who is kind of there for her,

That was fun.

Yeah, c D crazy roommate and they have a whole jealousy triangle that they'll have to work out. So this really is about navigating the different pairings and of course at the end everybody. We have the saddest scene in cinematic history when Belly finds out that Keith has moved in. So he figures, well, my time is here.

Second only to Casablanca, but serious second only.

Maybe yeah, maybe it was close, though it was close.

I don't know. If we're in the oscars, I don't know. I think BILLI and Allison scene may have won, just.

Got nominated for very few oscars. I think we do need to point there's a.

Couple of reasons for that. We can get into that in a minute.

Well, now that we're streaming on Paramount Plus, we probably would be eligible anyway. Uh, but yeah, that's a sad, sad scene. So get your Kleenex and box of wine people, because you're gonna need it.

Bye Bye Billy, Bye Bye Billy.

And so that's that's where we end the episode. And I like we said, let's jump in.

What a great summary Daphne.

Nice and brief, but really well done, so everyone should watch it. I just want to reminder.

I think I think the main point that we'd all like to agree on is there was way too much making out with Billy and Amanda. I think the main point we want to make enough of that, am I right? Enough of that right now?

I will say there there was less of it than the last episode, which is much more of this.

Well I noticed the nuzzling, Yes, yeah, because it really is slightly less pain for me, your only marker of success, slightly less pain for me.

I'm just trying to break it to you that, yes, there was the making out, but to be honest, it was less than last episode. I'm still very sad for Alison, because you know much I'm rooting for Alison, and I am such a spectator in this in these episodes, like when you say, Daphne that we hope people are watching

Mean funny also watching that scene court you and I was thinking, Wow, I'm really feeling like like I feel so sad and that, and I was like, oh, they're dating these she's they're using, they're using emotional connection and probably and imagining like never saying like saying goodbye, like Billy, You guys are both so good. Andrew was really good too. I really felt it.

What a weird reality I was watching the What a weird reality. We probably drove to work together. Then he goes and makes that with Heather and I go mack.

Out with and then we.

Get back in the car, drive home, hopefully make out with each other. Maybe we're just tired at that point. And they were like, I've had about it.

You could reality that you can truly see in this episode that Alison, the character is annoyed by Keith and not really very warm and fuzzy. She's like talking herself, and this is what I'm watching, and I'm the audience member, so I'm like, this is just what I observe.

I see Alison not very.

Interested in Keith, and she's settling and she's just okay. And then somehow he manages to like come be the hero when she's in a dark and scary time in her life and he happens to be there, and she's just grateful for that presence, but it's.

Not really she doesn't really like him.

This is what I see.

And yet when.

She's with Billy, it's just warm and fuzzy and perfect and you know, like there's chemistry and you like each other and both and it's so sad to see the relationship that they're not choosing to have be the one that's so obviously better on screen.

Yeah, it's the first scene with Keith and Allison when I'm so far over to the side of the car, I'm almost hanging out.

I look about to jump back. Is my car sick?

Like I literally look sick and so close and I'm like, but am I really so close.

Like I was a good four feet away in a car and you were.

The notes I made on that scene were that he was harassing you for like and mocking you and teasing you and being starcastic like, oh, we're just but buddies, We're just pals, you know, and really, and I thought that was so annoying, like mocking you and being sarcastic because you want to go slowly and you're like, do you not remember I don't trust you, because like he never told you he was married before, but remember she delivered okay, well do you what do you need the papers?

Well I think Allison was too, because all those lines that she delivered in that scene were so were that same level of annoyance.

Like yeah, he was like literally it did feel like it was going like this, and then this trauma happens to Alison, and so then he's there to save her. Doesn't it there for her? Over and over?

Doesn't it make you sort of wonder like did Keith somehow orches straight all this to su I mean, there's no spoilers here because I don't know where this is going.

This is just.

Because he does loan her his car car. She says she needs to feel like it's not that I really care. I just my car's in the shop. Like I don't care that you're not going to play with me my cars.

Right, I'm fine going alone. So he knows she's going alone. He's she's in the borrowed car and you know, going to the theater district and and all this stuff, and like just conveniently he's there when she's going down into the scary laundry room too, like when she thought the lights burned out? Is that so is that just a coincidence? Or to watch this is my this is my weariness level of Keith. I don't trust him at all. I

Is Keith villain? Definitely?

I see him as villain, even though you know they're painting it like, oh, this is a relationship for Alison as an audience member.

Well, I'm taking it very personally. How on Alison's side you both are? It really feels like that great conversation, like he's the worst, you're the best. So we really appreciate it as a I really appreciate the conversation.

But you guys, the writers aren't dumb what you're feeling, Laura, as an audience member, as you say, I am two, we're all feeling it. I think they you know, they have specific lines and they're writing it in there. It's in there.

Yeah, you know.

So we got to see why well be revealed. You sound like you know where it's going. I don't, and so I'm super excited. I find out this is just what.

I thought I knew.

But I forgot this. So Alison goes to play gets mugged. That scene was terrifying. I completely forgot it. I sort of remembered it after, but like hanging on the fence and crying like I didn't remember that at all.

You know, they grab her, they grab her purse and take the key and.

And then he takes you by that back of your head and over to the.

Yes, shoves your face into the fence. It's it's terrifying, totally trauma.

Makes me wonder if Keith set it up, because you're absolutely right, He's there for every moment, and it felt like the Lee Ehrenberg character made it extra scary for you to make a bully, and I do remember that.

And it's funny because I just saw Lee rewatching Seinfeld for the thousands time and he has, remember, has that fight with Kramer over the parking space. So if people don't remember who he is, the guy who's arguing with Kramer over the parking space.

He was amazing in that too.

But I do remember how incredibly sweet he was, which is great because it was really scary. But so often don't you find those guys who played that have guys are the sweetest guys?

Yeah, yeah, the sweeting you in between. Yes, you have to practice, you know, you have to go over the blocking and stuff.

But I was surprised, like she couldn't get her key. I just assumed watching it that she would get her key in time and go in the car. I was just as shocked as you or Laura having seen her for the first time when she got grabbed and really scary.

And it was shot in that way that's really startling and frightening, like that tone in Melrose's place. We're going to see it in subsequent seasons, like it's going to come up a lot. I think a lot of you know, traumatizing, scary stuff happens, especially to the women, as we know. But I think this is kind of you know, although Billy was he had his car, you know, beating attack thingy too. This is a really scary, like the music

Also the camera shots. I mean, no, forget that's Victoria Hope. She's so good at bringing out the emotion. And I think she uses like steady cam or handheld a lot, so that when you use steadycam or handheld, it's not like locked off on a tripod. You feel vulnerable because it's moving with you. There's no That's what I felt in that scene. And also down in the laundry room, there's movement to it, so there's this like creeping feeling as well.

And also it's always scary to go down into a dark laundry room, right like go down into your basement, go down into a dark laundry room.

But didn't you think so?

So Alison goes down into the dark laundry room. The lights are out, she hears a noise. Keith comes down, of course her savior. She says, I'm so scared. I'm so scared, And I literally said, what about your laundry?

Like, didn't we start to You're going to help you with your laundry, right, I can't I just.

Abandons the load of laundry.

Well, I'm thinking, yeah, you're traumatized, and why would you go down in that moment. I'm trying to imagine it will maybe if I go down in the launderroom and I'll feel better if I do my laundry right now. Well that'd be like in bed.

Yeah, I would say forget it. I can do laundry tomorrow on the light day. But she must have clearly known there's like another light switch at the bottom of the stairs, very conveniently, so I'll just like bravely venture down and hit this southern light switch.

Yeah, she's trying to be brave. There's a line like later on which just got me. It made me laugh. Start when when Keith says, and I wrote here, Keith is very sweet and thoughtful post mugging. I'm almost rooting for him, like he's saying all the right things.

He actually said.

Don't worry about being strong, being brave. Let me be all those things for you, at least for tonight. Then I kind of wanted to hit him because I was like, that's really taking advantage of Alison's vulnerability, yeah, and.

Trying to pat himself on the back. I will shoulder this all for you.

But he did say the right things right like he said it was so scary, don't worry about the car. Like he really did say all the right things. So I understood.

Why.

Oh, and how about that scene when so it's post mugging, it's the next morning and Alison and Keith are holding hands in the doorway and Billy comes in and he has no id to what happened. He's just coming and apologizing for the play, and he says, how is the play? And Allison goes, I don't remember. It all kind of slipped my mind once I got carjacked, and I was like, oh, she's a master of passive aggression. And then and then she walks up and she and he goes, I didn't hear.

She says, listen to it for yourself, and she leaves with Keith and he's living listening. Poor Billy's by himself, hearing you don't traumatize. Yes, He's like, what did I do? Yeah? Yeah, yeah?

And then you know, alongside this, Billy's navigating his thing with Amanda, Who's who's really catching on that he's preoccupied with his feelings about Alison and stuff. And she's going, you know, you don't seem like somebody who just thinks of her as a friend. You seem to be thinking of her an awful lot, you know, this guilt over her not being there for her.

And how about that shot when when they're in the sculpture garden, which sculpture garden that's kind of cool from place is that?

And I come in and it's this naked.

Torso of this woman in bronze and we're driving in and she's talking, we're driving in. The shot is coming in and you see them coming up in the background. And did you notice in this scene she says someone who loves you?

Yeah?

Do we know that they love each other? Have they said the L word yet?

That came out and even Billy didn't say anything about it, and we're going, excuse me, is that is that a thing we.

Missast moving fast?

Yeah, I know that was the elder.

And even and before that when he meets the dad, what about that scene that was hilarious, Like Amanda's father is teaching Billy the things about whiskey scotch, whiskey scotch, and.

He's like, well, I drink beer and I'm a camp driver.

And I'm like wrong. Thing he wasn't.

He wasn't trying very hard to make a good impression.

I don't think he knew how to be honest. Yeah, he was like, well i'd drive out, well, I like beer.

I thought he was being so sweet, like he wasn't putting on airs.

I just think it was he like didn't care to impress him. He was like not going to.

Try, well that was that would be dumb. I think so too dumb.

I think so true.

Like Amanda, You've just said, You're like it's like dumb, like do something. Isn't he smarter?

But like, I don't know, just he was a little bit like almost defiantly sort of challenging Amanda's dad and I don't like I don't like Scotch.

I'm a beer drinker.

Like that is kind of dumb if you're gonna try to make a good impression. So I conclude, well, then he just wasn't trying, because.

So I'm going to bring this back to me again. I just realized. Yesterday after saying hi to the baby, David and I went to One A Vista, which is a famous Irish pub here in San Francisco next to Giadelli Square. It's where Herbcane went all these writers. And I had an Irish coffee Irish whiskey, and David had a Guinness so beer drinker Irish And then I looked the clock. It was like eleven am.

He'd probably been up for hours.

We've been up for hours watching over the baby. It's so exhausted. It's five o'clock summer. He goes so meanly. Her dad goes to her asa as an aside in the kitchen and says, like, we'll see how long this lies.

Yeah, he's not for you. Wayne Tippit is the actor who plays Amanda's dad. He's so great and yeah he's.

Great another millions and everything.

Yeah, he's just he was perfect but it.

Does feel early, like I know we snuck in that Amanda loves Billy, but it does feel early for him to meet her dad right, like, So it's all happening very very fast, that that real ship is taking off. Billy and Alison and Keith are moving quickly because of her trauma.

And by the end of the episode, she's going to suggest he moves in. Yeah, it's moving fast. Yes, you know, we don't talk about the L word, but we're also moving in together super fast.

Well I feel like, yeah, I don't know, And it feels doesn't it feel like driven by Amanda this close close close? Doesn't it feel like she's like I want him and doesn't feel like it's so pushed and initiated by Billy. Yeah, it feels like, yes, okay, Well she's gorgeous. Yes, I dig this, and my roommate slash woman that I really love is you know, back in Keith's life.

So also, she's so seductive, like you said, Daphnie started off with her making a breakfast in bed. She's so gorgeous obviously, and she's more sure than it doesn't.

Look it like.

Remember you know, Heather said she felt old coming on the show. She doesn't look any older than anybody else, but she definitely is more sophisticated. He looks like an axe like boy next to her, so I think he just sort of is letting her lead the way. Who wouldn't like on who could say no to her. I'll be like, so beautiful, I'll do this.

Sure he's not. You're right, she is in spite of how he was.

But she was driving that and saying all right, we're in this, I love you and you.

Should move in, and you know that was What do you think is the competition for her? Like how much of it is stealing Billy from Allison?

Or am I sort of looking into the future. But I think you're looking like you're projecting. Yeah, I think you, Allison are projecting.

Your lines are really blurred for someone Alison does it like Andrew Billy, Amanda, Heather Courtney, Elison.

Courtney's really offended by this whole thing.

For Alison, I do think there's touches of that those Melrose moments where she's like, well, you know, kind of gives them ultimatums and nuzzles Isna and like, you know, I'll take you away from her. But I don't think it's fully that. I think she really digs them from the very first episode, way back on what twenty one twelve.

Well, they had more of this, like this scene and you pointed out, Daphne, I'm still mad at you for it when they're ice skating and it's so sweet and you're kind of rooting for them, Still mad at you for it. But in this one, they're walking down, you're getting a hot dog and a dirty dog.

A dirty dog.

Heah, there's dirty others in her, like really fitted sexy plaid. So here's the dichotomy, a clothing dichotomy.

She's got this.

Sexy red plaid suit with a half jacket and a tight skirt, and I've got this huge plaid jacket. I remember that jacket though, and I remember thinking it was so cool because had huge shoulder pads that sort of hung halfway down my arm.

Yeah, but it was like an ll bean or whatever you like, you know what.

I think it was now that we're talking about it. And I literally had a vague memory of this. It was because I was so scared. Yeah, I think I kept that jacket.

You're still wearing it, come on now. It was a scene daft.

You know, this was a scene between you and me when I'm folding sheets.

I thought the same thing, like did she just come over and like you happen to be folding laundry at the times they're like, hey, help me fold this laundry and let's chat.

But doesn't it look like I'm folding up like a bed that had been on the couch.

It was very confusing to me.

It was like you folded or you were just folding the laundry in the living And.

I just remember things we've said this before early on in our podcast, like well, what can she be doing? Or you're saying we walk on set, you know, with your tea or your water going, well, what am I doing? Expecting somebody there? So they're like well, and then they're like, well, we got to do it over here. Well let's do she's folding laundry. And I don't even know if they tied it into the laundry scene earlier episode No, right.

Yeah, maybe or maybe that's what it was and we didn't get it.

Oh she didn't get it.

But I'm really glowing and talking about because I had spent the night with Keith who now and it's so funny because watching it, I didn't at all get what you guys were talking about about him taking advantage of.

Her in her moment of need. Now I'm furious.

I'm furious now what happened. I'm so angry that he took advantage of her because he did. It was right after that I'll be brave for you that they fell into bed, and then she's all perky and saying, we had it's amazing.

Actually it was amazing. Yeah, And I'm like, well, I'll take care of that. I'm taking you to the shooting range. You know, we're going to go shoot my SIGs hour.

I also thought it was sort of funny, like Joe was being like, oh, I know how that feels. That's happened to me, Like, oh, yeah, it happened to me in New York.

I just, you know, have an evil access in New York.

She did say that, you're right, I've been mugged. Yeah, I got this.

Oh well, yeah, I have an idea. Come on, I know you're scared to go out of the house right now and you're not going to work, but come on, let's go.

Let's leave the house.

Yeah, And didn't you think it was interesting that Jake was so anti gun. So Jake finds out that Joe has a gun at home and he does this, He just rails on it, talking about his friends who had guns and.

They ended up shooting each other.

I thought that was a nice anti gun message in the middle of Melrose Place.

Yeah, it was a very like, very clear conversation between the two characters. That whole scene with Jake.

And Joe is so sweet because their storyline like refers to the previous episode where Joe had sort of he had said to her, you are silent partner, right, and so all throughout this one when they're having this thread continue where he's saying, this is my business, you're the silent partner.

Stopped telling me.

What to do, and by the end he is She gives the hey, I'm done with the gun, and he gives, hey, I'm giving you the books, and like they like both.

Share this do the money part yeah for each other.

And it's such a sweet scene with the with the gift that Daphne or not that Daphne that Joe brings for Ja very blurry.

The gift that Joe, You're so confused.

It's just because we're middle aged brain now.

But Dap, who is the transper guy we saw at the window. He used to go on those magical motorcycle rides with all of you guys.

Yeah, that's what he was the best I am. Yeah he was a few times. Yeah, Yeah. I liked how in the beginning when Joe brings up, you know, I noticed your business and I'm the silent. You just want my money and I'm your investor. So she's trying to figure out but she has ideas and stuff, and he's so testy, what do you mean you don't think I can do the money myself. Let's just say it. You don't think I can run this business by myself. And

You finally gissed. You guys did a lot less making out in this story. Yeah, so we haven't talked yet about Karen's and Rondo, which is great for comic relief.

That whole storyline. When I saw ray dun Chong's name in the credit, so I was like, oh, and I totally understood when Ronda's character says, wait, you haven't told me what your decorator's name was that you want me to meet with, and then you're.

Like, I can tell you.

And it was such a good balance right to these sort of heavy storylines, especially the poor Alison storyline, So they're so light and funny, and raydon Chong is so hilarious and Vanessa does such a great job playing along with it. Meanwhile, we've got the storyline with Keith and Allison and Billy where Alison finally asked Keith to move in and then Billy decides to move in with Amanda. Yeah, and then we have that sad scene at the end.

That lasted forever and it was so sad.

Just on Alison being sad, and then she wait a minute, Billy, and then she goes, do you want your coffee maker?

And we're like, no, Oh. It wasn't just sad because of the writing. It was as sad because of the shots, because she kept turning around and doing close ups on you and Courtney, you were so real and so just there. And I just saw she's using, that's really my boyfriend and I'm never going to see him again. You were just like and tears were coming in him and then they cut to him and little Andrew slash Billy was just like, oh, I don't need the coffee maker. Amanda

And then he says, right before this last scene, she's like, wait, where are you going? And he goes, it's not as if we thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.

And I was like, but we did. We did. It's like and then he also does I think, didn't he say, Corney, Well, we probably did the best. We like, No, you haven't even comes the best.

You can you more, I haven't even kissed you more busy kissing these other people that we want you to stop kissing right now.

You guys were both so good in that scene.

And it traveled from the bedroom out into the living room as he goes and he ends up going out the door, but like every back and forth shot and the music cues underneath, it was just this gentle piano. It was like very unique and very like pure lump in your throat watching scene.

I mean, and that hugo he goes to the door, you guys have even hugged and then they cut to you and you're going bye, and he's like.

He decides to give me hugs and you're like, I know, he gives me a kiss on the cheek and like it's almost a kiss. I thought at first when he leaned in, I thought he's gonna kiss her me and then this is what life is bloring again, And then he didn't. It was a kiss on the cheek and a hug, and it's like, oh.

And all we the audience are going, oh, she's left there with what's his name exactly? Yeah, it was wanting to seattle the very end. He's like, come on, at least look at the you know, check out the things of pamphlets. And please just consider it, and.

You thought about it till right now. But all through it she's saying, I don't know if I'm brave enough to live and work in la anymore. So that's also working with him saying you want to go to Seattle. So there's a very good chance.

And she's got her gonna move walking out the door. She no longer has a roommate, so yeah, I don't pay through the end, John, it's a good option to come in and be her roommate.

This should have been the cliffhanger. And you know what, episode twenty four was probably supposed to be the last episode, but then they kept asking episod ten.

You're obsessed with how bad the ratings were, and she thinks every episode we were off air, so this was probably it.

Well, but twenty four would have been. We did twenty two then, so twenty four would have been a lot. So my guess is this was where they were. This was probably going to be the cliffhanger, but then they kept adding because the ratings were getting higher and higher.

Maybe well a lot happened in this one, for sure.

We've got Bill out into Amanda's apartment, Allison's on the verge of considering if she's going to leave for Seattle. We didn't see Michael and Jane at all. We saw Matt for a beat as he's giving advice to Ronda.

And there and he was also cleaning the pool.

And Matt was cleaning the boot was mad that mad.

I don't think that was Matt. I think that was unnamed pool cleaner guy.

I think pulled around and seen.

Yeah, they would like he was being paid for the episodes. They might as well have used his face.

He was actually cleaning the pool. TV money clean the pool.

He was just there at work a scene in a pool duty for you, Doug. You know I'm not doing anything else right now?

Can I clean the poole?

You?

I can fold your footage.

I'm here all day, my trailer.

No, I know we have to end. But one quick question, Laura U. Did you and Doug ever have a scene together where you're just ever on the show where you're just talking to each other?

Yes, we have some sids later.

Okay, oh good, I'm exciting.

I don't know episode I couldn't imagine how Sydney and Doug would have a conversation there.

There are some scenes with Sydney and Matt group scenes.

We're all in group seas together. Something happened somewhere along the line. Totally all right, I gotta go see the baby, all.

Right, have fun, guys, Thanks for tuning into our episode. Is still the place to see on a Melrose minute and say on the next episode.

Bye guys, Bye everyone,