In the spring of 1995, I was too old for summer camp, but I was too young (legally) to be hired for cheap seasonal jobs. I knew I would end up spending a hot month in my aunt and uncle pool, mostly buried in the horror novels of RL Stine and Dean Koontz Oeuvre.
At this point in my adolescence, I didn't fit the type of other peers. I was absorbing edited content and schedules while they shot hoops in the park and biked around the neighborhood. TV GuideLook at the list of thrasher movies that can be recorded on Family VCR.
And while my classmates are obsessed with teen shenanigans Beverly Hills, 90210I found more fascinating entertainment in what I thought was a more mature dish, like David E. Kelley's Picket fence Rerun the cable Landing of the knot. I also knew I would spend the summer guessing about the fate of almost 12 characters Melrose locationFox Primetime Soap continues to define 90's TV for me.
Anatomy of the explosion
May 22, 1995, Melrose location The third season ended with one of the biggest cliffhangers of the decade. And it is one of the most memorable in television history. It was a delicious convergence of the storyline that solidified the show's legendary status in pop culture.
After two seasons of betrayal, annoyed and bitch-slap, Dr. Kimberly Shaw had plenty of reasons to hate everyone who lives in his honorable apartment. Marcia Cross played nine years ago before she moved to Wisteria Lane Desperate housewifeKimberly hates Michael (Thomas Calabro), who drove a drunken drive and ended up in a car accident that ruined her life. She dislikes Matt (Doug Savant) for conspired with Michael to hide terrible evidence against him and literally snatched her wig in front of her colleagues. She hated Michael's former step-sister-in-law, Sidney, who was portrayed by Laura Leighton. Moves above him. She hated Jane (Josie Bissett) after a plan to frame her for Michael's hit and runback fire. She intervenes with Michael, and Peter (Jack Wagner) leaves her to take his attention and dislikes Amanda (Heather Locklear). And she hated Joe (Daphne Zuniga) because she gave birth to a baby that Kimberly never had. Hands that shake the cradle.
Everyone else in the building was merely a collateral loss.
So, what gal should you do with all that rage? – Ah, yes – She is troubled by the vision of her mother's rapist who killed her in self-defense as a little girl? Answer: strategically plant 4 fire bombs (yes, real bombs) around the building, and of course explode them!
Delayed explosion
The Kimberly bomb didn't miss until the fourth season premiere in September. This was a network's decision based on its sensitivity surrounding the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. But what fell 30 years ago was enough to fascinate my 15-year-old self.
Massible top stories
After a long four months of waiting, millions of fans and I finally saw Kimberly press a button and wipe out half of the building. One Life (Morgan Brittany's Mackenzie Hart), Allison (Courtney Thorne Smith) is temporarily blinded, leaving everyone else with minor cuts and bruises, leaving behind his photogenic traits intact.
There were still many deaths to deal with for characters who missed the Big Bang. Jake (Grant Shaw) kills his evil brother Jess (guest star Dan Cortez) and pushes him out of the self-defense building, and Matt is framed for the murder of his boyfriend's estranged wife.
Also (arguably) killed: the writer's ability to create a more persuasive story through the show's extremely rigorous 32 episode order. Melrose You may have jumped the Shark with this evaluation stunt, but it was made for a TV worthy of OMG, which would have made a Tiktok gag if it had existed at the time.
Another explosion
MelroseOrders for 32 episodes per season resulted in a “double-up,” in which the cast and crew filmed two episodes simultaneously on multiple soundstages. In January 5th episode Melrose location Podcast Summary Still a placewriter-producer Chip Hayes, co-host of the podcast (and Melrose Alumni) Laura Leighton, Courtney Thorne-Smith and Daphne Zuniga ultimately doubled up.
So, by the time the writer plots the end of season 3, Melrose There was a budget surplus and we were able to give them a finale filled with big stunts. In fact, the original plan for the explosive episode was that Kimberly had the plane fly to his apartment (six years before the tragic events of 9/11). Hayes said, “When?” [series creator] Darren Starr calls me and says, “I want to fly the plane into a building and blow it up.” I said, “We can blow it up,” and that's because the money came from a double up from my little slash fund. ”
Taking the plane from the equation, the production built a replica of the building half in the parking lot at Santa Clarita Studios, where the show was regularly filmed. It proved to be their most challenging shoot. “We made some small explosions on stage and blew the windows out. [Locklear] From the balcony,” Hayes said.
After the explosion
It was the moment when Kimberly exploded the apartment bomb, when the show fully embraced the glow of the habit and cemented its status as pop culture gold in my eyes. At the time, other TV dramas weren't close to the mayhem on top of them, but the show never saw it the same way again. The explosion sparked the outrageous storyline whirlwind of Season 4, which exploded the traditional Melodrami shape. Things got crazy, so some viewers jumped over the boat, but I was hooked. I leaned in insanity and stayed on the show all the way up until the final episode of 1999.
As a young television viewer who grew up in New Rochelle, New York, in the 90s, Los Angeles was the charming crown jewel of the West Coast, where beautiful people and beautiful people mixed in with each other, yes, slept with other beautiful people. This impression was mostly informed by the stable, perhaps unhealthy diet of other Aaron Spell Dramas throughout my formative years (through my formative yearsModels Inc. , Malibu Coast, Palisades in the Pacific Ocean, Titan). But no one had an impact on me Melrose location;I'm still on guard against the wig bomb doctor hiding a nasty head wound.
I proudly call Los Angeles my home, so I can't help but feel the tickling of nostalgia every time I drive by the real Melrose Place. Also, in the thrilling, you know that your residence is just a 20-minute walk from the Spanish tiled complex where you stood for Melrose apartment in the exterior shots of the show.
I like to think I'm adored me in 1995 in 2025. I am now a LA veteran. Honestly, I can't imagine living anywhere else. My story has quite a twist and a good portion of turns, tragedy and celebration. The characters have come and go in and out of my life. Some are special guest stars, others continue to become regulars in the series. And for me and everyone I care about, there is always a “new season” on the horizon, full of new and exciting developments. Perhaps one would look back at this current storyline and ask, “What was the writer thinking?”
All 7 seasons Melrose location It is currently streaming on Paramount+.
