TOOBWORLD'S TAKE: "MELROSE PLACE"

Here there be spoilers from the pilot episode of the 'Melrose Place' sequel........
I never saw a single episode of the original 'Melrose Place' series, but I watched the premiere of the new, updated version. The "Pilot" brought back Sydney Andrews and Dr. Michael Mancini from the original - at least long enough to help launch the reboot. (Laura Leighton looks to be only around for that one shot, but she could return in flashbacks. Thomas Calabro is listed for two episodes, but as one of the new characters is his son, he could be recurring.)

Okay, I'm going to state it up front and out loud about the big twist in this episode - Sydney Andrews was murdered, her body seen floating in the building's pool face down in her own blood. I gotta admit - it made for a great visual to hook viewers... just not this one.
Bringing in established characters to help launch a new series is nothing new, and it's a great boon for Toobworld in making the links between shows official. They help to set the scene and introduce other characters (like George Jefferson checking on his niece at the Chicago 'E/R' where she worked), and then they go away to let the fledgling soar or crash on its own.

But this time, they brought in Sydney Andrews from the relative safety of off-screen immortality only to kill her off in the first ten minutes of the pilot! Cujones, bruthah!

I tried to think of any other previous instance in which something similar happened and I could only come up with a few examples. The last one would have been Miles Drentell - a recurring Prince of Darkness on 'thirtySOMETHING', he returned for a few episodes of 'Once & Again'. Eventually his character got sick and passed away.
Then there was former San Francisco police detective Steve Keller. He retired from the force before 'The Streets Of San Francisco' had run its course, only to turn up dead 17 years later in a sequel movie.

I suppose "Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan" counts as an example as well, since one-shot villain Khan Noonian Singh returned to be the nemesis of the film, which really jump-started the franchise. And he went out in a blaze of glory that established him as one of the biggest and best movie villains of all time. (My opinion, O'Bviously!)

Let me know if you can think of any other examples.

So that was the only reason I decided to watch the new 'Melrose Place', just for its Toobworldian novelty; I don't see any reason why I should come back. As is the case with 'The Vampire Diaries', this isn't the demographic for me. And I doubt there'll be anything else on this show that will have any major impact on the TV Universe, so there's no need to even monitor the episode guides for televisiological purposes.

BCnU!