In the 90's I was a huge fan of the original Melrose Place and I was only a teenage. Unlike most of the people, I think that the best seasons were the first ones, and when things started being the most craziest thing on TV, it just stopped hooking me. People say that the 1st season wasn't so great because it hasn't anything catchy or interesting... but in my point of view it was great because, differently from what was the original Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose was showing a bunch of going-on-30's trying to achieve something in their life. They were living in Hollywood, in a middle class complex, working hard, paying their bills, falling in love, making mistakes. Melrose was meant to be in drama what FRIENDS was for the comedy but it didn't work for the audience and that's why it turned something that it became in further seasons.
When I heard that MP would come back I thought that it would be a great opportunity to try its original idea again, most of all because I'm 27 right now, the same age of most of the original characters in the first season.
But I'm a little disappointed because Melrose is just another teenage show getting the same track of Gossip Girl, a TV show for teenagers discuss the last episode during boring classes or also trying to be one of the characters. It's only a new TV show with people with great and stylish haircuts-and-colors, using amazing outfits, living a simple life that simple people wouldn't ever have. So, I was expecting something more serious and mature.
But differently from what I felt just watching the pilot (which made me give just 1 star first time a wrote about it), now I have to say that it got a lot better after second episode. Despite some characters and amateur acting level (like that horrible Ashlee Simpson or that annoying Jessica Lucas), the lack of chemistry between most of the actors, and also the fact that there's background music in every single scene (which is also a lot annoying), the show is really holding my attention. Seems that it will be the same craziest thing that the original one was, but not in a so surreal way (well, I expect that). Of course that some things are the same: everyone needs to take care of their own backs, because everyone's crazy to stab each other.
After second episode characters started to gain some edges and interesting constructions. Now I see that Sydney's death was a great background to tell each character's own story being interesting without losing its tempo. Even some explicit references to the old MP are there all the time (like the exactly same MP complex, cameos of the original main characters, and also characters with some personality resemblances to the older ones like Auggie = Jake, or Ella = Amanda + Allison), this is a totally new show.
The best characters are the main ones performed by charismatic actors like Lauren Yung (Stephanie Jacobsen), Ella Simms (Katie Cassidy), Auggie Kirkpatrick (Colin Eggelesfield) and Jonah Miller (Michael Rady)... the rest of the bunch are totally forgettable and supporting. I repeat that Ashlee Simpson's character (and also Ashlee herself) is TOTALLY unnecessary, she's boring, she can't act and her character doesn't add anything to the show, any other actress could make what she's doing way much better. So, writers, for the sake of the nation, kill this character! Take this girl out of this show quickly!
After giving the show just 1 star, now I give it 6... and I'll probably give more when Ashley Simpson get out of it.
