THIS is the Melrose Place We Remember (S1 EP29 "Pas de Trois")

Still the Place with Laura Layton, Courtney Thorn Smith.

And daphnews Aniga and iHeartRadio Podcast.

Hi lady, Hi, those good to see you.

So excited about this recap today and we've all been like texting ahead of this, going, oh my god, this episode was.

So fun, last episode twenty nine.

It is like full on Melrose. I feel like we're into it, We're into the we're getting into the show.

It's just so delicious.

Yeah. Well, because here we are at what episode twenty nine of thirty two, I mean already it's twenty nine episodes in one season of a television show, so a lot's happened and it's totally evolved into what we are. We're finally seeing like what we know and love or like recall about Mailrose being Melrose.

Yeah, and normally this would be season two, but because we went so long, we're still in season one. But it is real heating up. I mean this was exciting to beginning, the beginning, from beginning to end.

YEA.

Yeah, all right, well let's get started because there's so much in this episode.

Because clearly we all watched the same one and this is episode twenty nine for those who are following along and it's called potatoa not just at but potaty, and you will see why. There's you know, a couple threesomes for better for worse in this episode. Charles Pratt, our favorite recent guest, wrote it and Chalmers directed, and it starts as we sweep into the courtyard over Scotty, our prop guy, who's, yeah, finally I'm just once and finally it's not Dog. It was never done.

It didn't look like.

Doug this time.

It didn't look like that, but this.

Was officially Scotty, Like I think we can. When it turned when Scotty became the official pool guys, like he's at work anyway doing props and they're like.

He always those cool guys on crew, and Scotty was the cool guy.

He was definitely well, he was so cool.

And he's got his like regular work boots on whatever, and like it was perfect, Hey, could you just pick up this pool, you know, sweep and just be in the shot. When I was watching the episode on Paramount Plus, which is where you can stream it, I looked at their little logline, like what how did they describe this episode? And I was like I didn't really think it matched totally. Oh so I sort of wrote my own it kind of like based on what they said, but like I

Ah, that is.

Excellent, much better than whatever they wrote.

Now maybe it's maybe it's more of a spoiler than the kind of logline that they like to write, like they don't really reveal the end. But I've just revealed the end because I'm so excited about it.

I love it.

That's a great that's a perfect introm awesome.

So you know where we're going, people, I did. This episode starts with Joe and Jake and his apartment and Jake is learning that he owes eighty four hundred dollars in taxes.

And which, because this is my job here is twenty thousand dollars in advance.

Yeah, I was dollars.

I was a lot of money.

I was all excited because hey, where are the pink satin sheets and where's his bare chest, and they're not rolling around in the sheets with this opening.

They are talk where's that they're talking to.

The sexy sexy taxes, that's.

Super sexy taxes. But they're they're kind of like in different headspaces about this whole thing. And he ends up Jakein's up sort of offending Joe, who's doing the finances for the shop, and he's assuming that Joe must have made a mistake when.

She yeah, and he says, if you didn't know what you were doing, why didn't you just come out and say it.

I should have hired a real accountant. That's so rude.

He wasn't really kind.

Of being rude.

He was being super uber rude.

We're rude, Yeah he was.

But in his also defense, Joe is being a little nonchalant about the whole thing. Don't you think like she was like, yeah, whatever, we owe all this money. That's texes for you. Like, I'm like, wait, isn't doesn't she have some stake in this, like some investment, And she was a little bit like that's the way it is.

Did you think that?

Yeah?

Yeah she was.

She was very not feeling into his pain and fear of owing eight hundred dollars.

And she was super offended by how he assumed it was her mistake. So she leaves the scene in a huff and she says, you know what, do your own books. And then we go to D and D, where Amanda is continuing to torment Allison. This time she's sort of questioning with her Allison's doctor's appointment is a lie, and she claims she's just kidding, and then they're both called into Lucy's office.

Wait, hold on, hold the phone.

Did you guys notice that for some reason, I had a bouffont? She noticed that my weed super high? Like what happened? Did I say I want to be hive today?

That's so funny. I didn't notice it because I noticed your hair later in the episode when it was kind of like, come up, really, I don't know. I thought it was really.

Kind of She's in every scene. It was pre smoothing hair products, Like we didn't have smoothing hair products in the nineties, so everything was sort of frizzy.

I feel like the whole episode you were a variation of some up and some down like this, and you had that Barrett, that classic Midwestern Barrett in the back and so, but this the front was often like boufonted.

Yeah, I was trying to you, and I'm not a fan of this whole hair period.

You had that Anne of green Gables some up. I don't know, Corney.

I just feel like you're so hard on your on your poor younger self on screen because I thought you were.

Doing I just think I made some bad choices. I have tons of compassion for that young woman.

But what are you gonna do. You're only allowed yourself an hour in the chair, so you're like, let me get out of here. It's really true, rightwe we only do it.

They could do it an hour, and you're gonna feel so much better about yourself when Sydney comes on screen, because Sydney is just so all over the place.

I have gorgeous, adorable, But I want to go back to Lucy's off because Lucy tells them that she's engaged, and Amanda asked about their sex life, and out of nowhere, she says, with my last boyfriend Billy, one night in bed with him, and I moved him right in unbelievable stamina. You just don't let a guy like that get away.

Ever.

A lot like that was a lot, and it was clearly for Alison's like, ire, you know, that.

Was a Meloe's moment.

There was I've counted them throughout and that was what you did, like in front of somebody else going oh this DaMina and you're just like cringing, you know, she's going on them.

Yeah, well it was super cringey and like for her to act like she's super besties with her boss Lucy, like, oh look how close we are, we can talk about our sex lives. It's like just all of it was was cringing.

Really uncomfortable.

Yeah, but anyway, so yeah, she drops this thing about her last boyfriend Billy and how he was so great in bed, and Allison still apalled. So, speaking of appalling, we go to the hospital where Michael and Kimberly see each other in the hallway and they breathlessly sort of agree that they can't stop thinking about each other. So of course they hurry into the elevator and they wait for the doors to close and hit the emergency stop button and then they start ripping each other's close off

Another Melrose moment. The moment was what are we going to do about this, look at him close up of her. He slams the close up on the emergency stop and that Melrose music bam, and then they look at each other and they start going for it like that to shut the stop, you know.

Yeah, no, this is a hospital elevator, like somebody could be.

Dying, somebody might need to get in there for an actual emergency.

And now Melrose fact. I mean, you know, every real life is out the window.

Yeah, yeah, it probably went pretty fast.

We're just doing a quickie un down.

That's all right, not the emergency will be fine.

You're fine.

So then when when we go back to the courtyard, Billy is swimming laps and Allison is telling him all about how Amanda's making it so hard for her work ever since he had broken up with her, and he's she's acting like Billy was the love of her life. And Billy says, you know, there's nothing I can do about it, that's it.

And then Allison says, well, at least you're not working for Amanda the hunt.

Yeah, but I appreciated in my dress.

Yeah, but of course, like you're in this long you know, peasant dresser, and he's like doing laps and then he gets that out of the pool totally ripping wet, and she doesn't notice.

She's like, he.

Spends very little time in a shirt this episode, and Allison is just veryly beside herself.

Until finally she gets a message somewhere.

Well, she will get the it's pretty hard not to get the message. We all noticed Billy getting out of the pool, and but he tells he tells her not to worry. You know, hey, some guys are attracted to hold some types, like like you farmers for example.

Fourage clubs.

Yeah, they go in and they're sitting on the couch and I and Alison keeps looking at his chest like they're talking in Her eyes keep wandering her eyes like if it was a guy, if it was a woman, it was reversing. Hey, eyes up here, she's just like her eyes wandering.

It's like she's looking like for the first time, she's kind of like, wait, am I wait.

What's going on here?

Like I don't get she's so.

Closely hey, you know.

So it's really sweet though. I really do like seeing her this vulnerable and sort of flustered. It's fun to see her this way.

Yes, cool, Yeah, I just like that that that him teasing her about the foreach and the like, you know.

And her last line was he teaches her and that she's like, hey, I was president of my fourage club. And then you hear this soft door shut chunk.

So then we're back in the courtyard where Jake stops Joe and he asks her to look over the work sheet that he's attempting to do by him self, and she's like, you got this, you know, sorry about that movie.

I don't have time for you mind.

Item, but you know, by go to the movie see yeah bye, Yeah, it's not working for you, right, helping you stinkerinker.

Oh, and then she pulls she goes, let me see ooh line by liners.

Oh those are a bit but you'll be fine.

Scares go look.

So then Billy decides to go visit D and D to tell Amanda to stop punishing Allison because of him, and Amanda says, it's not her, it's Alison. She's the one who's so messed up and she's lyned both of them, and you know, what she's telling Billy really isn't true. And then Billy notices a very huge framed photo of Amanda and himself.

Yeah, strange photo on your desk. Yeah, of the two of them as if they were a couple. Still yeah, yeah, super inappropriate.

Weird. Yeah, but if Amanda.

Weren't Amanda played by Heather, Well, can we be going like, okay, this she's crazy, she's the cuckoo lady.

Well, this episode she was particularly like miss grace and deceitful all of a sudden, like just completely deliberately stirring it up and telling like h lies and stuff.

And just do we think that she really loves and missus Billy or is it that she's just trying to mess with Alison. I couldn't really get a handle on that.

I think it's both.

But I but I think what is interesting is that usually someone in her position like clearly has one over on Alison, like she's in the power seat, but she's not.

She's so desperate.

She's lying to Alison's face when Alison knows the real truth.

It makes her look so desperate.

But only because it's Amanda, who's so cool and so you know, played by Heather You.

Go, oh, okay, oh, well she's.

You know, she's a little lonely, But anyone else playing that part you go, you're crazy, You're crazy lady, But I.

Thought, yeah, she's She still does come off as like super like threatening and like sexy and and charming even though she's doing this manipulative stuff. But so we're back at the hospital. Allison is leaving her doctor's appointment, and.

Do you notice quickly that Andrew had to have the line, Yes, it's a check up from her surgery, like he had to like get her check Like, yeah, she's going to the doctor.

I know what she's doing doing that exposition, Andrew.

Well, but it also proves that she wasn't lying about the doctor's appointment, you know, like like everything that Amanda tries to say is just like not true, you know.

Yeah.

So I don't know about you guys, but when Alison is leaving this doctor's appointment, I am positive that she's about to step into the elevator and discover Michael and Kimberly in that in this moment, were you guys thinking that, like, like this is where she goes to the elevator and the doors are gonna Oh that's how But instead that doesn't happen. But instead she goes out to the parking lot and discovers them. There they're making out behind a parked van.

Apparently behind a park van, oh right outside of the door like.

I have some of the production office.

Wasn't it crazy how he caught her eye and just yeah it hearing her to say something and the evil daring her.

He sees Alison catch him in the act of kissing another woman and he looks right at her and it's almost like this conniving, evil look that we're going to come to associate him with later, but like in this circumstance, it seems so wrong.

Well, it was very daring, like he's literally with those eyes daring her, like, yeah, you're nothing to me, Like i've he's committed and he's he's in another state, I think, you know, Yeah, he was daring.

No embarrassed, No, it was that was shocking. That was that was cool? Like that felt so creepy.

Yeah, super evil and like what a surprising turn because you know, for Allison to just assume he's just Jane's husband who manages the building and then all of a sudden, this guy behind the van. That was like a lot. So then back at the apartment, Billy agrees to go to the engagement party with Alison, and then Allison sees Michael going down to the laundry room with this toolbox, so she follows him down there to confront him.

And again, didn't you think, why is she looking out like I'm looking out in the distance. He's talking and looking in the distance. I'm like, what is happening? And then all of a sudden you realize I'm looking to see Michael.

Yeah, you're distracted by this whole thing.

Luckily I have the laundry handy. Luckily the laundry is handy.

Well, I see him go to laundry like you didn't need laundry anyway. You're just going down there to confront him, right, But.

That's my rouse though, Laura.

I appreciate it all. It was good prop acting everything, and then but that Michael is just as smug and defiant right to her face. Yes, when she confronts him, he continues, yeah, and he says, I'm sure somebody wrote this down. I didn't write it down. It entirely, but he says that doctors who work in extreme circumstances become close. And then he's super condescending. He says, well, I don't expect you to understand that.

Yeah.

At first he said, Kimberly had a tough morning. I was trying to comfort her. Then I wrote with your tongue, yeah, like were full on making it.

Yeah, behind a van in the and then he says, men, we need variety, we need to feel good about ourselves, and maybe we can't just say no about temptation, temptation, any questions.

It's so disgusting what he says. And then he's like, and he compares it to the same thing, like, well, that's what Keith did. You know, how does it? Yeah, you know, what's any It's no different from what different what you and Keith did?

Ye you were super smart, I thought, yeah.

And then Allison goes, that was different, and I'm going, how exactly, Yeah, trying.

To make it different, I know, but it was.

It was.

It is different because of the way he's so entitled to his like I get really do this.

Alison's not really different.

But what he's acting like though he's acting so entitled to like I get to do this. This is what men do. Get over it, I know.

But he's referring to the actual act and they both took place in the act.

Yeah, of course, but I'm just commenting on what he is about it.

And then poor Allison says, kind of whines. But you're the only happy couple I know, he says, and will stay happy if you don't say anything.

Yeah, Like threatens are like don't don't open your mouth, like it'll be her fault if things get messed up.

It's so interesting how he's really committed to you know, the character and also of course Thomas, but he's really committed to this, you know, no apologies. I did who I did, I did what I did and who I did, and how I am't going to say anything because when he leaves, he's like, oh and that watch it doesn't work.

You have to use the other one.

I'm out, like f off, you know. It's so challenging and baldy. Yeah, so you're just going.

I think he just I'm just I don't know.

I'm trying to get in the psychology of it, you know, like he just loves that secrecy he has with Kimberly.

And you know what's weird that I'm just noticing, Like why isn't Alison talking about the possibility of telling Jane. It hasn't even come up yet. No, I know Jane's your friend.

Well, yeah, they don't interact at all in this episode, and I wonder if it will, Like it seems like that would be the next I mean, she obviously tells somebody Alison you know, doesn't keep it to herself, but it isn't she doesn't go straight to Jane.

Yeah, yeah, you're right.

Speaking of Jane. The next scene is Jane is in her in the design shop and her boss, Kay Beacon is back in this episode, and Gane is working really hard on her new swimwear line, but her boss says she's weird that Jane's going to burn out, and she insists that Jane take a break for lunch with her husband.

Yeah.

So Jane tries to go to the hospital to meet Michael, but she learns that Michael is already out to lunch at a nearby restaurant, So we see where this is going. We cut to Michael and Kimberly at a table they've got wine. They're talking about their unbelievable attraction to each other, but Kimberly's the one who spots Jane entering the restaurant, and Michael doesn't even miss a beat. He hops up like a good little liar, and he escorts Jane over

Yeah, And Jane is like, oh, wine at your lunch in the middle of a shift of a workday, you know, oh, it seems.

Like you are celebrating something. And you just see him, Yeah, pull up a chair. You know, he's just going with it.

If I you know, there was this sum I don't know if you guys knew about this or ever heard this, but Charles Growden, years and years ago, I think, had a joke, if you're ever caught in bed with another woman, just say just say no, just deny it, no matter what. So the wife walks in and he's in bed and going, what are you talking about?

You know, like the like the gas lighting. I guess, so.

That's what he's doing. He's like, yeah, there's no problem here. Is so comfortable with that.

So even if Jane catches them, yeah, at our table for work, like, you know.

Just act like she's crazy. That's all you gotta do.

Well, But he made a really great choice because he's showing no guilt no more. He's just fully committed and to it. Well.

I like that Kimberly at least has some sort of icky feelings and you know, to go, I'm not into this, and she gets up and goes and then she says Jane can just eat her salad, which is already on the table, which is really like.

Yeah, you can have my sloppy yeah, trimp secondand shrimp wow.

I think the moment of the scene where Jeane's like, oh, I'm working on this new swimmer line, Kimberly, you look great in my new you know one pieces. They have this plunging back and whatever, and you just see Michael like satisfied, like imagining swims and you're like, oh.

You And meanwhile Kimberly is like all but turning green and throwing up. She's so sickened by here here's the actual wife, and she's.

Offering her a bathing suit and she's just you.

Know, and they're so easy to gather, Jane and Michael, and she's just like, whoa, you know, okay.

Kimberly seems to have a bit of a conscience, and Michael clearly has none.

A conscience or just a little reality something. Yeah, we'll see.

Well, then at this very lavish engagement party of Lucy's, we meet Lucy's fiance, Irving, who is, of course our very own producers, her real life husband, her real life husband at the time, and that he was a good looking couple. They gave him some lines this time, and I thought he'd delivered them brilliantly. And yeah. So then Amanda appears at this engagement party. She doesn't have a date, and after she turns down a guy who asks her to dance, she then turns around and asks Billy to dance.

It was so funny because he goes later he was such a toss amazing.

She that's a great delivery.

Yeah, and she's gorgeous like Alison's sort of a business dress and Amanda's in sequence leaveless, skin tight sequence.

Darkly Yeah, of course.

So of course she's dancing with Billy and she comments on how they just fit together and and uh. While they're dancing, Lucy finds Alison alone with the champagne, I might add, while Amanda is dancing, and Alison tries to tell Lucy, you know it's not a big deal that he's, you know, dancing with her and that she's dancing. No, it's fine, you know. And Lucy's not so sure. She's like, oh, that's seems a little curious. Your roommate is also the ex boyfriend that Amanda's referring to, but.

She's dancing with him. I'm confused.

Yeah, And isn't that where Chip comes up and said, mother's here.

Yes, and she has mother's here. He has a bit of a mother mother issue. But he's perfect eyes perfect.

Yeah, he had a tough line to deliver and this is what he delivered it brilliantly. But they've decided that Irving is a little bit of an uptight guy with a mother issue. I think it's hysterical. So yeah. So then Amanda leads Billy after dancing. She leads him behind some bushes and she tells him that she misses him, but she doesn't want to lose the friendship.

Well, and then she says, first she says, it's really not like me to be this forward. No, is it really not?

Are you really? Are you sure?

Are you sure?

And then and then, in a gesture completely opposite of friendship, she starts kissing him, and of course that's Allison appears at this precise moment to witness that, and she's absolutely disgusted and over it, and she turns to leave the party.

And she says, why does this keep happening to me?

She saw, you know, Michael kissing Kimberly, now she's seeing Billy kissing Amanda, and.

Yeah, she's disgusted and rightfully so. And then we find out in the courtyard that Billy has followed Alison home as they're both arriving back in the courtyard, and he says he didn't want to kiss Amanda, that she just you know, kissed him, and Allison argues that he didn't exactly fight her off, and they end.

Up the funny line.

She goes, oh, yeah, I saw you fighting off on the dance floor, fighting off on the evil you were resisting all over the places.

All over the place.

Yeah, not so much line, And but the whole conversation ends up in a fight about whether Billy is the kind of guy who can resist temptation or if he's one who just wants sex. And this is where Allison admits that she's really upset about Michael. She tells him she tells Billy about the affair with Kimberly, and Billy insists he's not Michael, but he does know how to say no, yeah, because.

Don't you think I would have acted on my temptations?

Right?

So by now that's the critical moment because he gives Alison the example, Hey, this example that Hey, all this time, I've been living with you, and I'm like.

Being in the room next to you.

Yes, sleeping in the room next to you, and I haven't given in to any of my temptations. And that's where like there's this music cue and this has tilt from Alison and.

He's like, what did I just say? Did I just admit?

Did she?

Did?

He just admit?

Yep? Yeah, very important you say you had temptations. But instead of jumping on him in this moment, Alison like challenges him saying, well, you know, if either one of us had temptations, don't you think one of us would have acted on it?

By now?

Yeah?

And he sort of like throws it back at her court saying well you think so, right, But again she like totally doesn't take the bait, and she's like, yeah, all right, this is a stupid conversation and she just turns on her harols and walks away. Super can't deal in this moment. But I loved how like the tone. I don't know if you guys noticed stuff like this, but like the tone of the music totally changes through

A great job building the tension in this episode. Yeah, I like everywhere. All the stories are very exciting.

I love music, soundtrack and TV shows because they're so obvious. Like movies are probably more subtle, unless it's like a sweeping, you know, scene across the sand or something, but movies are so off they help tell the story so obviously, right, Like, yeah, like.

I love it.

Back of the Hospital, Kimberly tells Michael that Jeane doesn't deserve this, and well, but.

First of all, they're wrestling some out of control guys, some out of control guys on a journey the patient. Doctors are patient. They're trying to wrestle them down, and all of a sudden she storms off.

Just abandons the she abandons it.

It's like proporate answer is, well, there's a crazy person in the hallway, but instead.

Yah, yeah, one of the appropriate answers.

I'm sorry i didn't.

Help save the guy's life, but I'm just so preoccupied with the affair I'm having.

It was like he walked into the scene. So yeah, she was so distracted. She's like, yeah, forget this patient, forget I need to talk to about our relationship to.

Nobody's mentioning the PCP guy at all anymore.

Yeah, the gurney in the outtakes, he's flapping on the.

Floor, and she's like, I just don't know what to do because you have a one that's the show.

I want to do that stuff happening in the background, sign me up and and uh. Anyway, so she's sort of having her crisis of conscience and Michael says that what they have is completely separate from Jane.

She has nothing to do with us, which would cold. He's so cold.

It's so god that he's trying to talk her into continuing this thing.

But guys are known for being able to compart, to mentalize.

They are I mean, haven't you heard.

This over the years.

This is like a kind of a stereotype.

But I think it's very interesting.

No, men in general, like they when they come home for work, they're like done.

They don't want to talk about.

Work, of course some men, but I think that this is kind of an overall stereotype, but a true one.

I mean, I don't know, whenever I bring up work after.

David's work or I have in the past, it's like, I don't want to bring it home.

I don't want to talk about it. Like, what do you mean, I haven't.

Seen you all day? You have to You can't shock that, you.

Know what I mean?

Like they can compartmentalize to hey, this isn't my affair with you, doesn't have anything to do with.

My wife right conveniently. Michael is very good it's compartmentalizing. Yeah, he's very very good at it here, and he says, well, you know, now that we've started, you know, it's going to be really hard to stop. Now that we've started. It's like and Kimberly still just sort of like walks away and walks out saying I just can't And and I'm glad that she's at least attempting that.

But well, enjoy it, Laura, because I know we know it, but like I'm glad there was some that color and that Kim Kimberly was, you know, because clearly Michael is not going to make.

Any attempt Yeah at a conscience. So back at D and D, Alison tells Amanda that trying to manipulate Billy is just not going to work, and Amanda says, yes, it will because I understand men, and that she and Billy had really great sex. Again, she needs to bring that up for Alison to hear, suggesting that what Alison

So she has a great line. She says, you need a good dose of something, but it isn't talk.

Yeah, and.

Then she goes and well, she says, well he came home with me, Allison says, and then and then Amanda says, well, what did you do when he got home to you?

And she's like, well talked, She was like.

Exactly, yeah, that was very Melrosey, Amanda digging into her.

Yeah, and again I noticed a music you here. There's like a serious like b bass note dropping, you know, which is like this is fighting music, Like now somebody's being mean and there's a fight happening. Firm, we get it. So Amanda leaves the scene, leaving Allison to think about what she said. And then later at the apartment that night, Alison is on the couch working. She sneaks a glance at Billy, who here is working topless.

Billy is writing hertless and jeans, which is hello, right, hello, throwing a cowboy hat and you we're all over you want to.

Test those temptation lines you all just had?

Hello?

How did that happen? So Alison keeps looking over Yeah, but I love like the camera work too.

Is the camera work was like her eye scanning and across sandbody right after his chest, very extremely close up too.

Yeah again and it's like Allison's going, what is this?

Am I supposed to be attracted to that over there?

I think she knows at this point.

I think she knows very clearly how she feels about it, but she's just trying to sneak her little glances and there it's so cute. And then Billy you know, gets up from his computer and says he's got to take a break, invites her out with him to go to shooters, and she turns him down oddly, and she stays home. He goes out alone, and Alison is like, sort of, she.

Says under her breath, she is, She's she's fully aware that she has the thoughts for him. Finally, super finally Yeah.

Then over at Michael and Jane's apartment, Michael turns down Jane's suggestion that she finished up for work, and they have dinner and wine together, and he abruptly says he's going to go out and get some air.

Yeah, Like, if he's helping her, you need to get your work done. So I'm going to be a good guy and give you spear and.

Let me just be super vague and go I'm going to get some air, yeah, and but I won't be long, and leaves her alone in the apartment. I don't know, did you guys, did you guys. Know, as speaking of prop acting, did you see in this scene as this exchange is happening, he's getting a bottle of wine out and it's already been open because there's a broken cork in it, like it's you know, like last night's bottle or something like that. And he gets out of glass

You know?

It was like such a funny.

She starts coming on to him, and he doesn't want to have sex right, wants to have sex with Kimberly, so that's why he puts it all back to right.

But I it just I found it like part of I found myself watching it as like the storytelling of it.

So anyway.

I thought you were going to say he pulled out a bottle that was already open and you could see the cork.

And he pulled out a cork opener.

You know what I mean, a wine opener, because that would be something very kind of like overlooked.

This one he did, like, so this one had this broken cork in it whatever, And I thought also he went to try to open he couldn't quite get it out, and so I the part of me wondered, I wonder if you put it all back. He was supposed to be able to pour it and the thing, but didn't because he couldn't get the cork out.

He's like, forget it, I'll.

Do the same. I'm just gonna put it all back. I don't know, but later we'll see him open a bottle of wine, Like there's a fresh bottle of wine. He is to like take the twist top off or something. Anyway, I noticed.

I don't know about you, but I have bottles of wine and my fridge with a cork, like several of them.

Is it a rosee night that I had a white knight? Or do we want red? We just keep him in there until they're done.

Well, I'm just feeling so sorry for Jane. At this point because he's God. So then we find Billy who's gone of shooters and apparently Michael has gone there too, and because it's, you know, the only joint in LA, and Billy scoots down the bar to talk to him, and he first kind of tries to dance around it, I think, but then eventually he tells Michael that he really couldn't believe it when Alison told him about the you know Michael and Kimberly and Michael here again is

He's acting like a man who's doing something thing wrong.

It's what he's doing.

It's super entitled about it, even to Billy, and it's yeah, piky. So meanwhile, Allison is telling Joe how confused she is about Billy. She's gone over to Joe's.

I love this scene so much. I think this is such a sweet scene because we so look like friends and Alison is all kerfuffle and Joe is so calm, Yeah, just trying to calm her down, and Alison is just random. We have this friendship, right, and it's a great friendship, and I guess neither wants to jeopardize that, but I'm thinking about doing something about it. But something Amanda said is getting smack in the way. And then you just so calmly say, well, you and Billy make a great couple.

And there's such an a cute and right down She'll smile on Jo's face.

The whole point, you know, is that to hear that for you like someone else said it, you know.

I know it was such a sweet moment between us.

I love the scene and it was like Joe was waiting to hear her say that. She was so pleased to go, oh, well, you know you would make it like you know, it was very cute.

Yeah, it really was.

But she also like get Joe helps her, like get up the nerve to take some initiative with Billy. And so she leaves the scene like going, you know what, I am going to do something, but I'm going to stop being so timid, and and she leaves Joe's apartment to go home, and and Joe's sort of encouraging her. Yeah, go go be spontaneous, you know, go for it. And it's super cute how she just like gives her some nerve.

Very cute. I'm gonna go see if I still have them, so.

They're probably Andrews jeans mixed up that morning when they left you.

But here. Alison goes back to her apartment and Billy is on his way out. He brushes past her, telling Alison he's going out, and Alison is sort of like, hmm. She goes in and plays the answering machine because she had seen that he was maybe listening to that. She plays the answering machine and then she hears what Billy had just listened to. Yeah, realize that Amanda has asked Billy to come over tonight.

And it's really like I'm lonely, I need a friend.

Oh yeah, But you know, it's also like Billy's going through a lot right now too, lots in his head. It's not like this is a free let's go cozy up to Amanda, you know, because he's starting to have feelings for Alison.

I thought that was a.

Great shot before Alison actually comes in, when he's just there and Andrew's like playing with the cord or something of the phone and he's listening to Amanda saying, you know, I guess I miss you and I just miss having someone and.

Blah blah blah.

But it was very thoughtful, you know, it was very like, it was very moody moment.

And then you come in and then expectations and he leaves so.

We know where he's going, and you're just yeah, and again Alison is thwarted and just when she got up the nerve.

So that's super sad. And then Joe shows up to Jake's apartment and she shows up with new tax documents for him. She's very pleased with herself, and she reveals to Jake the new bottom line that she's figured out is zero taxes OEDE and she's very pleased and Jake is rightfully suspicious and he's and then Joe reveals her creative accounting that helped arrive at this new number, and Jake is concerned about getting audited and justice, just just sign off on the taxes. Everyone cheats on the taxes.

And he's like, we'll get audited. She's like, not till next Year's fine.

Push off on the line. It's fine, everyone doesn't it.

So she starts kissing him and distracting him and yeah, he's like, oh okay.

It was a super scene out with him like just grasping for this pen, like okay, I'm gonna sign but first kiss. And then we see Billy. He shows up at amandas of course, she's in a short, sexy.

Silk and really vulnerable.

I like, you played this.

She does seem really vulnerable and I was like, oh, that's not what I expected.

Really soft and vulnerable and emotional, gorgeous yeah and sweet yeah, And so you can see why he's like, oh, you know, really sort of sympathetic and and of course, pretty soon they're kissing and Amanda is inviting Billy to go to bed with her, and let's go to bed, and we're out without Billy knowing what's gonna happen next.

Well, you have her kissing, then she pulls away and says that then you on his eyes looking off.

But he did. He played it so subtly.

It wasn't like, oh, I don't know, it was just very subtly, like do I this is the moment that Michael's always talking about, go for the temptation, la la la. He's actually here in that moment, and Michael would obviously do it, but what would I and Billy do you know? And I like how they cut it before you know what they're gonna do, right, But also the funny thing is like the next cut is straight to a swat team crashing through the courtyard.

Very exciting, all these plaicopters time they're banging on jeeks door, demand that he comes out with his hands.

Up and we're crawling out yep.

But didn't you notice how sweet it was that he scoops Joe up and protects her.

H and he's down on the floor and he's crawling on the floor boxers, which is.

We're both crawling like he's like, let's get out here or something.

Yeah, Hi, it's really funny and obviously we realize that it's Jake's bad dream and he wakes up with a start, and he's in bed with Joni, tells her, you know, we have thirty minutes we got to go and we had to take back these you know, fraudulent taxes that we've put in the mailix whatever. So he's like, I don't dream that's awful. We have thirty minutes to fix this.

Yeah, you guys are the comic relief in this episode about taxes.

Yeah. So then but we cut first, We have to cut to Billy waking Alison up in the middle of the night. She's dead asleep, and he has to wake her up to tell her that, hey, I just wanted to tell you that I went over to Amanda's but nothing happened. And Allison doesn't fully believe him, and she's like, what that doesn't make sense And I know you were there and you were gone forever.

She's clearly her and sad.

And it's and it's hard to go on. It's hard to fully believe, you know, in an instant, and Billy is she's seen Amanda, we know, but he's annoyed, saying he's not like Michael. And actually here he also reveals that he missed having Allison around to talk to when

Who's collecting mail at midnight?

Yeah, as the yeah man, not really do but yeah, but they wait for him and he pulls up and they end up, you know, having a plan to try to convince him to give the mail back, which obviously would be him to do, to pull out of the mailbox. Yeah, but but Joe decides to really say the truth. You know, hey, listen, we cheated like on our taxes and now we want to do the right thing. And he's compelled by it. He asks, all right, just show me your ID and he gives him back the envelope. I thought that was

Nope, Well, maybe that mailbox was a few blocks away.

And maybe it was.

It's you over there, and Low's scale is down near like we got to put something on.

I don't know. So then, speaking of dishonest, Jake calls and Jane calls the hospital the next morning or that the next morning, and learns that Michael isn't there. It's his day off, she learns, and that you can see on her face that clearly he has lied to her yet again, like she called to expecting to find him at work, but they say nope, it's his day off, and her face just says it all. It's just devastating.

I know nowhere, anyway I can have you for as long as I can have you. Wow.

Yeah, I'm like, what is the appeal? Like, what what is it that you must have? What is this guy?

Michael? Yeah, he's good looking.

Tom No. I was like wow, yah, yeah totally.

They have really hot sex and I guess, So what are you gonna do?

I guess. So she doesn't really care if he has a conscience or not. I suppose, and he's thrilled, and we're all screaming at the television and then yeah, at back at D and D. Amanda starts the day trying to taunt Alison again about like, oh, you know how exhausted was Billy after.

Last It was Billy as exhausted as I was this morning, And for some reason that shifts something for Alison. Did you I don't know why Alison then thought she was lying? Did you get that?

I just got the feeling that like Alison had come to it on like it like a you know, she wakes up with it going you know what, and just you acting like you want to like twist this yes thing tells me you know what you're full of? You know like this now you know what? Now I really know that Billy did tell the truth, because you're just messing with me by trying to tell me. Yeah, she goes, because I know Billy didn't stay with you last night.

Yeah, so this is this scene that.

Made me really go anyone but Heather playing this role, any role but Amanda would look like Looney Tunes because you see a shot of Amanda and right behind her is that picture of her and Billy in a wooden frame on her desk, and she's telling the woman that Billy lives with ether last night, was he exhausted?

And she's like, no, he came home I know, thinking that you did nothing.

What's wrong with you, crazy lady?

Anyone else she's crazy?

And Amanda tries to make her question, know you really think he would tell you what really happened? Yes, she keeps an yeah, she's sure. She says, so desperate, I believe in it and I have said and she also here she says, I have something with Billy that you, Amanda, never will and Amanda retorts her best retort that she can think of, is well, I think that your chances with Billy are long gone. Like, oh, yeah, whatever, you may have had something you'll never.

So Amanda's not psychic, we know that much. No, that is not what happens.

And they were back to Jane, who's waiting up in the dark at her apartment waiting for Michael to come home. And he doesn't return home till late, and he blatantly lies about what rough day he had to work and she's just sitting there knowing that he's.

Just directly into the shower.

Red flag, red flag, super red flag, and her heart breaking.

Yeah.

So she checks his pockets for any other no cell.

Phones, you remember she can't check his phone.

Right, But the tell is when she sees that his shoes are fun of sand.

It's full of sand, Like.

How old is he is? Full of sand, all wet.

Yeah, she pours it out on her own bedroom floor just to show us all what she's found. Yeah. So, then Billy is returning home from work to his apartment to find Alison waiting for him, wearing no pants, no pants.

The biggest work shirt ever, but no.

Point, just how she remember that's how she approached him when he was in his bedroom last time. She seems to think this is her This is her oversize.

This oversized men's shirt, like she has a little section of her closet.

This is my sexy wear.

It's a really subtle signal no pants, but but.

It's it's it's I think it's going to work for her this time done very well. He's super cute in this look. And here she's standing in the door of the Hallway, and she apologizes for not believing him last night, and she says she's been too self absorbed, and as he makes her way over his way over to stand close to her, she says, I've been too blind to appreciate what's right in front of you. Me damn blind, too damn blind, and she then grabs him buy the shirt and pulls him in for a kiss.

It is a yummy kiss, too well played.

Yeah, I kiss finally.

We've been waiting for how many episodes?

Twenty ninety nine? Is this your first kiss?

Billy and Allison?

It was Andrews and my first kiss, which was awkward because we've been dating for about a year at this point. It really I really held him at bad.

Yeah, it was difficult to sort of figure out how to.

Yeah, I can tell, but I mean Bison, But I thought it was really so sweet.

Yeah, it was really gratifying, like this. It was a good scene. I love finally have gotten to what we've been waiting for.

Andrew really like loses himself in it and then you're like you pull away and you're looking up and then you're like good night, Billy.

And I'm like, wow, oh poor guy.

Yeah, she just yeah, she just decides that's it gonna and literally standing there looking totally flam mixed.

I know, I know, the next episode better start with him just barging into her room, because better what was that?

Yeah, let's try that again.

Yeah, that.

Was a great way to end this episode, and it really felt like a super fun Melrosian right.

Yeah, like if people are watching it in groups, are screaming at that moment, right because it's like, finally, Yeah, really sweetly done. I like that she made the first move. Yeah, I thought that was really really well done. Well done writers.

Yeah, So if you're going to jump in and watch an episode on Paramount for twenty nine one.

Really is there.

You have your betrayal and your affair, and you have your you know.

Yeah, it's got sex and taxes, got.

And taxis always good balance.

You got crime, you know, trying to get away on your taxes. You got you got action with the SWAT team.

It's totally damn packed. Yeah.

Shirtless, lots of shirtless, every lots of shirtless, lots of.

Yeah we should start with that. We've got Andrew shirtless shirtless.

More than we are more than once. Yeah, so good Grant shirtless crawling on the floor.

Yeah, and your shirtless and jeans. Hello, So ladies, this is the place.

Yeah, this is a good one to jump in.

Be honest, did you guys click and watch the next episode?

Did it make you?

Okay? But what I think to be true is that this is an episode that makes you like, oh, no, I need to tune into the next one, you know, totally. And I think that that is where melrose got, like really Melrosie, is that every episode would end with something that made you go, oh, I need to watch the next show.

Well, now I have Jane discovering that Michael's having an affair. We have Million Allison getting together, we have Daphne and Grant. They're pretty much set up.

We want more trouble, more Jake.

They've got that, They've got the taxes back, and it'll be more exciting next episode.

Yeah. Kind of weird that a couple of our regular characters didn't even appear, Like Ronda wasn't in it at all, Matt wasn't in it at all. It's just sort of an indication like it was really hard to figure out that many storylines, and so they really were leaning into the ones that they could see how to do this juicy thing, and like have this kind of cliffhangary moment at the end of every episode. And I'm looking forward to watching episode thirty. Yes, because I didn't.

I didn't.

I resisted the temptation to watch it.

Now, good look forward to impressively strongly.

We're really good at resisting disucation.

Oh yeah, all right, guys, well I can't wait.

I can't wait.

All right, we'll see you say okay, bye bye.