Wow…Amanda Woodward is back and it already feels like Melrose Place has been elevated to another level. This was certainly the reboot’s sharpest, sexiest and bitchiest episode, which I obviously mean as a compliment. Bravo, Heather Locklear, you still know how to rock a mini-skirt and infuse any scene with crackling energy.
Amanda revealed herself as the “W” in PR firm WPK, which is of course Ella’s employer. Amanda, who had been living in New York, swept through the L.A. office with swift firings (casualties included Ella’s boss Caleb) and some sassy talk. “This L.A. branch is drowning in red like a steer in a slaughter house. Now when I hired you to give this place a makeover, I didn’t mean smear it with lipstick and turn it into a five-dollar hooker. This office is pathetic,” Amanda announced with her jaw-dropping entrance.
Amanda had plenty of zingers — after Ella came into her office gushing about how Amanda’s profile in Vanity Fair had inspired her career in PR – the boss cut her off quickly: “Shockingly, I didn’t call you in for your life’s story, but your absentee father and pill-popping mother make for a very juicy tale.” She then told Ella to force Riley to sell the press on a fake bio to make the Anton V Real People jeans ads more interesting. Ella protested at first but Amanda put her in her place: “If you have a problem there’s a long list of eager assistants willing to take your place.”
I loved the Ella-Amanda sparks already and think they’ll only get better in time as Ella feels strong enough to stand up to Amanda more. Back in the Melrose 1.0 years, Amanda taking down Allison was like watching a cheetah pounce on a helpless wounded bird. At least in Ella, she has — or will have — a worthy sparring partner.
Squeaky-clean Riley couldn’t go along with the “gang violence, rough streets of Boston” spiel she was supposed to spurt to help Ella save her job, and as a result Ella got in hot water with Amanda (cue exchange of the week: Ella (to herself): “Amanda is going to skin me alive”/Amanda (sneaking up): “Not satisfying enough“). Jonah, aka Mr. Killer Miller Mojitos, was standing by Riley, in his dorky/cute bowtie, giving her lots of support, even though it meant they were out $10,000 for the ad work.
Caleb warned Ella not to trust Amanda. He also revealed, rather intriguingly, that Amanda had been digging around about Ella for months. And later we learned that Amanda hired a rival agent to try to hire Ella at the Anton V party — sure, Ella was up for some girl-on-girl PDA at her own event, but she was loyal to Amanda. Only to a point, it seems — Amanda told her to call Riley’s school and get her fired, but Ella wasn’t willing to go that far. But, Riley did get fired — so we can only imagine that Amanda did the deed herself. Watch your backs, Melrose Place residents.
Also making a return were Auggie’s abs. After Auggie revealed to David that he thought David was being framed for Sydney’s murder, David posted bail and Auggie was back home. You had to love Ella’s awkward hello by the pool: “Auggie, you’re…free.” Even former BFF Riley wouldn’t stick up for him. Crazy Violet was crazily happy to see him even though he left the country minutes after their first intimate encounter. He said their blossoming relationship was too “intense” (translation: back off, crazy-eyed stalker!) and they should just “stick with the friend vibe.” But later when he was considering drowning his sorrows in a cheap bottle of tequila, Violet ripped off her shirt and attacked him without even bothering to kick off her slutty shoe-boots. (Again, the cheetah pouncing on harmless prey image comes to mind.)
David thought that his dad was the culprit trying to frame him for Sydney’s murder. “If anyone’s capable of murder, he is,“ David mused about the anti-father-of-the-year. So he snooped around Dr. Mancini’s house and car until he found the bloody necklace Sydney had been wearing the night of her murder. Multi-tasking during the same trip, he also let Dr. M’s wife Vanessa know that her husband had been unfaithful with Sydney.
David didn’t do anything (yet) with the necklace, because he was busy stirring up romance with Lauren – finally. He broke into her apartment (awww, what a romantic jewel thief!) and decked the place out with autumn leaves because she was homesick for Cincinnati. What a cutie. They got hot and heavy for a few minutes but then she didn’t want to seal the deal. David seemed fine to take things slower, although I have to question his Skyline Chili idea for a first date — it reminded me of Jack’s line on 30 Rock about “a guaranteed disaster, like a burrito before sex!”
But enough about first-date no-nos, back to Amanda’s first-episode jolt. In addition to her Ella fixation, she has a few more secrets to reveal. The episode ended with her back in her abandoned Melrose Place apartment, going straight to a safe in the closet. In there, she found only a note from Sydney saying: “You’ll never find it.”
With that, Amanda not only brings quotable lines and eye-raising hemlines to the new Melrose, but also a new mystery that’s already got me hooked.
What about you, what was your favorite Amanda moment? Did you think this was the best episode yet of Melrose 2.0? Any theories about what was in the safe?
Photo Credit: Patrick Wymore/The CW
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LOVED IT!!! The return of Amanda did exactly what I thought it would – got me hooked again. Can’t wait for next week!
Seriously, I FULLY DISAGREED when I heard Amanda was back but…hats off, the b*i*t*c*h still the BOMB !!!
AMANDA/ELLA/CALEB: Amanda nailed her part, I can’t deny it. But I don’t want Ella to be the brand new Allison-the-whyning-vodka-drinker. Please spare us CW. Too bad Caleb is out of the game, but I hope he will stay around as Amanda’s business nemesis
DAVID/LAUREN: When Pretty Woman meet Robin Hood, it makes two cuties and a lot of upcoming dirty drama. can’t wait!
RILEY/JONAH: I always root for Jonah (Ross Geller much? I just love geeky cuties). I loved the fight with Auggie (Back off of my 10, you six-packed guy!. Riley was fine too!
AUGGIE/VIOLET: How come CW fired the girl who shows skin the most? I can’t talk about their storyline, I was wondering “Did they know that they were fired yet?” during their scenes.
Dr MANCINI: Where was he? Okay it was Amanda’s comeback but I missed Dr M last night.
In fact, after seeing Amanda, I miss Peter Burns, Megan-Lily Van Der Woodsen and the others, I miss Melrose Place 1.0…Oh crap, bring’em all back!
I guess you few were the only ones impressed, considering the ratings went up by a pathetic 300,000 viewers and the demos only ticked up slightly.
Amanda = 90s has-been
Hater! EW reports that Locklear brought in 800,000 more viewers, including more viewers in 18-49 category.
Actually, make that number 800,000 viewers, which is half a million more than you said. For the CW, whose average audience for a HIT show is 5 or 6 million, that is very good numbers. And with the press and critics talking about this, viewership should pick up within the first two months. I am very excited about this. Amanda, once again, breathes new life into a failing show.
i can not say enough about how good this ep was, definitely, the best ep of MP 2.0. Heather, brought it like we all hoped she would. and yes, i’m intrigued by the mystery envelope.
Best episode this season!!! I was skeptical about Amanda’s return but damn this bitch still has it even with a younger generation she proves to rule the flock. I cant name a best moment of this show because there we so many including Auggie’s abs. I’m a little sad to see Auggie and Violet go because there getting so hot. But I’m more happy that Amanda is back! In by now if it isn’t obvious Michael’s wife Vanessa is the murderer, why else would she be on the show.
Next week? What are you talking about? Didn’t you see the previews. Amandas return is followed by a freaking repeat next week. There isn’t another new show until December.
OMG!!!!! I LOVE MELROSE PLACE!!!
Thought it could’t get any better than what has happened so far but then comes Amanda!!!
Luv that after the sydney murder, theres a new mystery!!! YAY
the bitch is back…loved it
o & i was bumped that ashlle got the boot cuz im intrigued with her character violet, but know with the whole new vibe & amanda,… IM FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved it. LOVED IT.
Only one question though.
Where the hell has Jane disappeared off to? She came in as the new landlady, completely disappeared, and when the show returns December 1st, it looks like Amanda’s the new landlady of Melrose. I am so confused!
Jane is still the landlord/owner. It’s looking like Amanda will just be a tenant for now.
The unexplained absence of Jane is one of the little ‘holes’ the writers left – kind of like Violet applying for the Nanny job with Michael’s wife.
The show went up a level, maybe two. Looking forward to the next episode.
Better than the past episodes, but still think Amanda’s shenanigans are bordering on illegal (re. getting Riley fired).
After how the show mis-handled other alums (Sydney being an alcoholic and drug addict, Michael the reformed do-gooder with a family, Jo … just being dull, Jane being curiously antagonistic) I was worried how Amanda would fit in with this new crew … but alas, Amanda Woodward entered and took charge as if she hasn’t gone anywhere. Her exchanges with Ella were entertaining but the final scene of her back in her apartment and the note from Sydney addressed to her left me wanting to know more. ‘Melrose Place’ definitely improved with this episode. I’m ready for the Sydney plot to be wrapped so that the spotlight can rightfully be focused on Amanda and her secrets and agendas.
actually, I thought Amanda was too mean – I enjoyed her, but I just couldn’t see the ‘old’ Amanda being as petty as getting Riley fired from her teaching job. Making Ella do it was mean too, but I could see Amanda using it as a test – but to go through with it herself when Ella wouldn’t – rang false to me. Soapy, but false.
I’ll agree. Amanda can be an evil, conniving bitch, but to do something like THAT…
Then again, Heather Locklear admitted that these were new writers who were writing Amanda a little differently in another interview…
It seems like the 90210 writers did a better job of keeping the older characters true to their roots in the first season than the MP writers have so far.
Riley created a PR nightmare for the firm by revealing the bio was falsified. And you somehow think Amanda wouldn’t want revenge for that? It’s vintage Amanda.
I think it’s clear, from Caleb’s warning to Ella to the revelation that Amanda setup a test for Ella to fail (that she ended up passing) that Amanda has invested interests in Ella. She seems bent on wanting to see what Ella is capable of and how she’ll react in different situations. Amanda isn’t the type to make friends – she has no interest in Riley’s teaching career. Her getting Riley fired is nothing more than another test for Ella. Ella did say she wanted to BE Amanda – yet when Amanda gave her a chance to rise to the occasion she was ready to play nice and put Riley’s feelings and needs before her own. That’s not really Amanda’s style. What better way to get the ‘Amanda Woodward’ in Ella to come out than to provoke her to actually come out of her shell?
I Lived for this episode, it seemed like everyone wanted to step up to try reach locklear’s level and most succeeded! usually I drift off and Melrose is watching me, but tonight i was glued, the show need a real villaness, and since Sydney was dead, and Ella is more a Frenemy, Heather stepped in and Damn! it really was like she never left! kudos MP 2.0…
Best yet is true, but who ever made the choice to air a new episode 2 WEEEKS AFTER amanda, should be personally fired by her!
I lmao when ashlee ripped her shirt off!!! She looked like a serial killer ready to finish Auggie off. So ready for them to get the hell off; they ruined an almost perfect episode. Love Amanda!!! Love Ella!! Hot steamy romantic scenes were a great plus as well. Melrose Place could be finding its way to a great start…finally.
OMG…Heather Locklear’s upper lip is out of control…The trout pout is insane…her skin looks to tight and bloated…I understand she’s aged but she could have done it more gracefully and why does her hair look so fried? Even in the original melrose it always looks fried…Best episode yet but I’m still not convinced
OMG…Ty is an idiot!
Girlfriend needs to step away from the Botox.
You are so right Ty. That’s the thing about getting work done on your face, if you ever think about having a comeback, people will be looking more at your messed up face than your acting.
f**k you, ty.
Everytime there was a closeup of Amanda’s face all I could see was her collagen-filled lips. It was driving me insane. Other than that, I thought she looked great.
Thanks, Ty!
Ok, Heather Locklear looks fantatic…I’d kill for those legs. But her puffy lips did steal a few scenes.
I gotta say I always loved the original Melrose, love the new one and glad to see Heather bringing back Amanda – BUT all I could focus on was her upper lip. Stop doing work.. no one wants to see people who’s face doesn’t move.