Mel & Lennox have New Guys...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Melissa & Joey "Young Love" (S01E21): Mel needs to hire a caterer and Joe wants the job. Joe then hires Ryder as a waiter... who eats the pigs out of the blankets. [this doesn't sound very Ryder...] Joe is dressed in a business suit and mingling with those at the event. [which explains why he hired Ryder.] A young guy, George, shows up who won a business grant and thinks "Mel Burke" is a guy. Mel helps him pick out and put on a tie, and Joe spills the beans about her identity. By the end of the night, George asks for Mel's number and the two wind up chatting over some wine. Mel pretends she's 28 instead of 32. George is 24 and an entrepreneur. Mel and George go to bowleoke - a combination of bowling and karaoke. [wonder how THAT works?!] Mel tells him her true age afterward and he says that the age difference doesn't bother him. [I don't have a big problem with 24 and 32 either.] George wants to go skiing on Saturday, but Mel has plans to take Ryder to a soccer game. [I'd like to see more scenes in the rooms of Mel's house we only see in the background - like that dining room in the background of the living room...] Joe is also dating a younger woman. [figures that this is pretty much ignored...] Ryder is carpooling so Mel can go skiing, but when George shows up, he says that he'd go to the soccer game if need be - he just wants to spend time with Mel. It's implied that Mel and George go fool around. Maybe even twice. While all this is going on, Lennox wants to be the editor of the school literary blog. [Lennox's sweater looks fancier than daily school wear.] Lennox and another guy are the main candidates - they have 24 hours to come up with a sample school blog. [is this really going on now? blogs for high schools? I mean, I believe it but am still a bit skeptical. I also thought the 24 jokes got old.] Lennox becomes a co-editor after all, with a dorky-looking guy named Roman. [I doubt it, but do you think they're going for a play on Joe's last name from Brotherly Love?]

Melissa & Joey "Mel and Joe's Anniversary" (S02E22): Mel and George hit a bunch of bars/clubs, and Joe reminds Mel that just because she's dating a 24-year-old doesn't mean she's 24. [true story!] Lennox and Roman aren't doing well as co-editors of the school blog. [this is one of the first times that an episode heavily relies on past storylines. I think I like this series better when the episodes stand alone, though.] Joe wants to give his ex-wife an anniversary card. Lennox tells Roman to take a chance on her pieces... and he kisses her, thinking she means take a chance in more than one sense. Then, she kisses him back. Mel and George are now boyfriend-and-girlfriend after 12 days, and he wants to have a party to introduce her to his friends. [awkward!] Joe has a good interview, but the company clears out in the night. [too bad.] Since Lennox and Roman get caught kissing, one of them has to resign as editor. Joe gets a call from a restaurant - his standing anniversary reservation with his wife is still on according to the record. Joe is upset that his ex-wife is using the reservation to take a new guy there. Joe is planning to show up at the restaurant to see who Tiffany brings. George's party grows pretty quickly and Mel runs out to help Joe. [I'm happy with Joe's hair again, finally.] Joe confronts Tiffany at the restaurant, but she's with two other people - it's not a date. She's upset that he didn't acknowledge their anniversary - turns out, Mel forgot to mail the card. [meh. one of Mel's more annoying qualities.] Joe and Mel sit down and have some wine. George shows up at the restaurant and take's Joe's place. On his way out, Joe is stopped by Tiffany and they end up "going to the restroom like old times." [uh huh.] Lennox and Roman decide to act like enemies in the newsroom, but they're really still together. [let's kick George to the curb in the next episode or two, shall we?]