Scandal, betrayal and lust are constant reoccurring themes of the new CW series "Melrose Place." From revolving love partners, backstabbing tenants, jealous fathers and secret pasts, the first season followed the surreal lives of seven residents of Melrose Place, California.
Sporting a new cast of young professionals, the series also brings back some of the original "Melrose Place" characters and cast members, including Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton), Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) and Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear).
Ending its first season on notes of suspense, with Amanda Woodward dragged off to wear the infamous orange jumpsuit for her illegal art trade, David (Shaun Sipos) finding himself sucked back into the black market with threats against lady−doctor friend Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen), the revelation of Drew (Nick Zano) having received Doctor Mancini's toxic heart stent, Ella's (Katie Cassidy) newfound position as head of Beverly Hills agency WPK and the potential ending of peculiar pair Ella and Jonah (Michael Rady).
The finale of season one gave the audience a taste of what the futures of the remaining original and newcomer tenants would face in the next season. Ella and Amanda compete head−to−head for financial security as Amanda fires Ella from WPK and Ella in return searches for a means to blackmail Amanda.
To Ella's delight, she finds the mysterious painting that has compelled Amanda to fly all the way to Beverly Hills. The painting serves as a commodity for Ella as she bargains with Amanda for financial support of her own publicity company. But, in typical Amanda fashion, Amanda draws up a contract of agreement detailing in small print her power to withdraw the agreement at her will. In response, Ella surprises the audience and hires a private investigator to take pictures of Amanda illegally selling the painting to a Japanese buyer, taking Amanda's precious pride from right under her nose, as she places it in the hands of the police.
Although Ella triumphs in her career, her personal life with Jonah is shattered as he tells her that he and Riley (Jessica Lucas) got caught in the emotional train down memory lane after their college reunion and kissed. Meanwhile, Jonah attains his dream of becoming not only a film writer but also a director, and Riley's dream of building a school comes into fruition after a successful fundraiser with the help of her man — newcomer Drew.
Drew leads his own private investigation of Dr. Mancini's heart stent and proves its release of toxins into the bloodstream. In an effort to stop Mancini from implanting the stent in another patient, Drew finds that Mancini plants drugs in his locker in order to eliminate the threat of his research against Mancini's professional medical success. Lastly, Lauren and David make amends and decide that they are made for one another because they had both made mistakes in the past, though David is blackmailed into resurrecting his illegal activity.
"Melrose Place" is vastly different from hit CW shows such as "One Tree Hill" (coming back on April 26th) and "Gossip Girl" because although it revolves around the characters' relationships with each other, the private and public lives of the individual characters are brought into view and are an integral part of the creation of the plot.
For example, Lauren's nightly escapades as an escort weave into her private−life tension with David and her public life as a doctor because the money pays for her medical school tuition. The new show builds on the original series in that every cast member has his or her secrets, but the new "Melrose Place" puts a less dramatic, more modern spin on the issues of the characters.
As a whole, season one of "Melrose Place" has matured at a rapid pace from the murder of Sydney Andrews in the courtyard swimming pool to the loss of two characters as they move to form a new life (Violet Foster, played by Ashley Simpson−Wentz, and Auggie Kirkpatrick, played by Colin Egglesfield). "Melrose Place" has been a rollercoaster with several twists and turns, and the second season is sure to satisfy the guilty−pleasure entertainment craving.
