Hot in Cleveland: Quadruple Update, Mostly Melanie and Elka

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This show managed to not really carve out much time for the holidays, hence how we have a quadruple recap this time! Eeek! First, a strange moment. Victoria named her third child "Oscar" because she already had an "Emmy" and a "Tony." Anyone doubt that she'll choose to go by "Grammy" by her grandchildren? I was surprised by the Fantasy Con, and disappointed that Joy's relationship was so short. I'd love to see more of Elka and Joy in college, and more of Elka's scheme, which apparently has multiple parts! I have not decided how I feel about seeing Mamie so often now, and it's also weird to have Wilbur in a scene or two without his father really making an appearance. Victoria's plots are getting annoying, but Melanie's are a real soap opera! I'm not sure what will happen with that workplace romance, but I can't imagine Alec is going to be the love of her life! What have you thought about the recent storylines? Any favorites? Any that are truly whittling away at you? 

Hot in Cleveland "Method Man" (S04E03): A fellow actor, Emmett, is very kind to Victoria upon meeting her but then acts strangely, so she's trying to figure out if he hates her or if he's method acting. [this had me laughing pretty hard, guys.] She decides to write a new scene, slip it into Emmett's script, and see what happens. [hahaha!] When he sees it, he decides to quit the movie, deciding that it's the worst thing he's ever read and that this will be a bad Woody Allen movie. She has to admit to writing the scene, he calls her a lunatic, and they're set.

Melanie and Alec drink a box of wine because they need to come up with a way to promote it. [hahahaha!] Their ideas are either a celebrity endorsement (like Victoria) or jack up the price and pretend there's a shortage to get people to buy more. Alex is still dating Carmen (a cheerleader) so Melanie pretends to be dating a celebrity, Emmett. Alec asks her to have him do the endorsement instead, so Melanie asks Victoria to talk to him, as they're both in the same movie. Victoria just tells Melanie to say that he said no, but Alec doesn't buy it and wants the chance to persuade the actor in-person. [getting trickier!] She decides to tell Alec that they broke up, but the celebrity shows up at the office, as Victoria filled him in and he agreed to help. Alec agrees to endorse the wine but his prices are exorbitant. As Emmett and Melanie actually introduce one another, Alec overhears Melanie confess that she's crushing on Alec. [oh boy.]

Joy goes shopping at Forever 21 in an attempt to try fitting in at school. [hahahaha! Elka has a disposable phone?] She even carries her purse in her messenger bag. Meanwhile, Elka has some girls from class over to the house, but they don't warm up to Joy. Joy shows off her new neck tattoo to try to be cool, but it weeps and grosses out the girls. [um, yeah.] Elka says that Joy is awkward because nobody wants to hang around someone their mother's age. [truth.] But, when she explains a booty call to the group, they want her wisdom on deciphering guys. [this totally makes me question the naivety of 20-year-olds. I wasn't in college all that long ago but I feel like I know how to read between the lines of claims like the ones the girls shared.]

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Hot in Cleveland "GILFS" (S04E04): Mamie brings money to Elka's, and they admit that they've started a dating service for seniors - GILFS, Grandmothers I'd Like to Friend. [big laughs!] They ask Joy to look at their ad, but trick her into doing a sexy commercial. ["we put the sex in sexagenarian." hahaha!] This causes elderly men all over town hit on Joy. 

Melanie is paranoid that Alec heard her say that she's in love with him. She thinks that texting him that it was all an elaborate prank would solve everything, but then she can't stop texting stupid things, so Joy takes her phone. [hahaha! like that time on Friends when Monica just makes things worse and worse with Richard's answering machine!] They realize that Alec left his phone at home while on vacation, so they have to break into his apartment to delete the texts. Victoria joins them and they get caught, but it all works out when Joy agrees to have dinner with the supervisor. [haha, he recognized her from GILFS!] They then see Carmen there, who didn't go on the trip at the last minute when Alec said he needed to think. [hmmm.]

TMZ is reporting that Emmett and Victoria are having an affair, so they decide to fake one. [LoL.] Apparently, he does this a lot. But, his agent says that Victoria isn't testing very well, so he dumps her and has an affair with Heidi Klum. [funny!] In retaliation, Victoria decides to be crude in their interview for the DVD. [kinda sucks.]

Hot in Cleveland "A Box Full of Puppies" (S04E05): The girls' dog swallows Joy's keys so everyone heads to the vet but Victoria, who is more interested in being interviewed by her daughter, Oscar, for NPR. Oscar asks about what's really changed, but Victoria focuses on work and love. Oscar wants to be honest and report the truth, so Victoria decides to spin her life into loving animals after she says something mean on-tape. This leads them to head down to the vet's office, too, where Joy is busy hitting on all of the guys who love their pets. [what??]

A fireman with some saved puppies comes in, and Mamie and Elka volunteer to find homes for them, though Joy lands the date. [haha, she's thrilled that the receptionist gave them "six months."] Mamie also decides to try out some flirting at the office, as Elka has been coaching her. Her first attempt fails miserably, but when she recognizes the doctor from her school girl days, she gets a date. [is Mamie a regular character now??]

Oscar then asks Joy and Melanie what's changed for them since moving to Cleveland, and Joy says that it feels good to be rejected by men because of her personality, not her age. [ha!] Melanie talks about her love for her boss and breaking into his apartment. Oscar considers them to have reinvented themselves while Victoria hasn't changed. [lmao "turtle rabies."]

Hot in Cleveland "Cleveland Fantasy Con" (S04E06): Joy's firefighter boyfriend invites her to watch a Star Trek movie. Joy begins to worry that they have nothing in common when he has her watch five of the movies and invites her to the Cleveland Fantasy Con. Joy doesn't mind dressing as a princess, but when Sean goes as Prince SilverSaddle from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, she deems "bronies" a dealbreaker and calls off the relationship. [that's kinda funny. I think it might be the first "brony" I've seen on live-action television!]

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Alec returns from vacation and tells Melanie that he heard her confession and is crazy about her, too. But, things are complicated because Chloe flew down there when her cat died, and she thinks that his comfort was romance. [I don't understand people who get that out of sorts over the death of a pet.] Alec decides to get her a new cat and then fool around with Melanie until everything has blown over. But, as the trio are dressed to go to Cleveland Fantasy Con, Melanie accidentally lets Chloe's new cat out onto a ledge, and the woman forces GargoyleMelanie out to retrieve it. [ahhh!] Chloe comes out, too, and while they're out there, Alex lets it slip that he and Melanie are together. Between her fear of heights and the news, Chloe is frozen until the firefighter arrives to save her. Chloe falls for him just as quickly as Joy did! [do you think that they had to keep cutting away because the wings on that costume caught on everything?] Plus, Melanie and Alec finally kiss. [did he not smell like lavender all night?]

The other ladies: Victoria flies around the world to spy on Emmett regarding some internet rumors, but she arrives just in time to hear him say that he loves her. [not gonna last so it doesn't much matter.] As Mamie and Elka are driving, they're pulled over and Mamie panics. They've got something in the trunk that's problematic, but Elka has the officer call his grandmother, which gets them out of trouble. [more on this, please!]