Hot in Cleveland: Lows in the Mid 80s?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yeah, I know. I totally ripped a Will & Grace episode title to stick in the post title. But I loved it then and it fits now, so I'm going with it. I mean, the story of how Melanie, Victoria, and Joy met focuses on two things: the fact that it was the 1980s, and the fact that they were all at major low points in their lives. The 80s thing is hit hard, from the dresses to the hair to Joy's veil and Victoria's cellular phone. You could probably come up with lower lows than "your boyfriend cheating on you because you talk too much" and "you're in a career lull," but being left at the altar is a big one. Though I was really confused as to why Joy had NO friends at her wedding... I know that she mentioned that her girlfriends couldn't fly over, but certainly she knew SOMEONE there, right? I mean, there were enough people in the ballroom!

Hot in Cleveland "How Did You Guys Meet, Anyway?" (S03E06): The ladies are in line for the bathroom at the Cleveland Browns stadium, and the line is really long. [we don't really find out why they're there, though...] Melanie tries to talk herself into going in the men's room, but once she finds out that the urinal is a trough and there are no stalls, she throws out that idea. [haha. I've used the men's room exactly twice in my life. They were no different than unisex bathrooms, really.] Elka, dressed as a dog, makes fun of how the other girls are dressed (in their typical attire). We soon learn that "I'm done with men" was the line that brought the ladies together, which leads Elka to ask for the story... 

Melanie was crying on a rooftop in Beverly Hills, and hears Victoria crying, too. Victoria gives examples of some commercials she did, and whines about how sleeping with people isn't furthering her career. She's in a slump. That's it. Melanie says that she spied on her boyfriend to see if he was cheating on her, and is now crying because he was. In fact, he used the "it isn't you, it's me" line, which was "new" then. [I love the idea that it "originated" there, ha!] Melanie asked his "other woman" what he said about her, and learns that her boyfriend thought she talked too much. Then, they hear Joy crying, and find her in her wedding gown. Earlier in the day, Joy was preparing for her wedding (alone) and watching television. She caught a moment of Elka on Hollywood Squares or some such, and finds her annoying. [this bit was pretty funny. as was the "I shot JR" remark.] A note arrives, but Joy shocks herself and becomes paralyzed. [this was a bit too over-the-top...] She has the deliveryman read her the note, and it turns out to be a break-up letter. Joy left the honeymoon suite (which Melanie's ex then rented), and came to the roof.

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The girls all go down to the ballroom, and Melanie and Victoria go to give the announcement that the wedding has been cancelled. Of course, Victoria nearly turns it into a celebration when she gets a call that she got the part of Honour St. Raven. [so the girls met on the day that Victoria received the offer to star on her big soap opera? that rubbed me funny...] We see the "I'll marry you myself" line between Victoria and Joy. [glad they took the time to add that! Also, I loved the bit at the end with the joke about preferring to die than to move to the Midwest.]