Melrose Place - Season 2, Episode 19

Michael tries to get a nurse interested in the restraining order Jane issued against him

"The Young Men and the Sea"
Original airdate: 2/2/1994

Episode summary: Alison tells Billy she has no interest in moving to New York with him. Reed launches his ill-fated charter boat business. Michael overdoses on painkillers.

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Recap: Michael is popping painkillers and leaving crazed messages on Jane's answering machine, and eventually Jane picks up the phone and snarls at him to stop harassing her or else she'll get a restraining order. Michael threatens to come to her workplace and not budge until she talks to him, so she calls him "a sick man", urges him to get some mental health assistance, and hangs up on him. A few seconds later, Sydney drops by...and when Jane tells her about Michael's deranged phone messages, she advises her to get a restraining order pronto and offers to go with her for moral support.

Jo arrives at the pier, where Reed grumpily tells her the boat's engine is shot, which means they can't cruise to Catalina Island - but, more importantly, they may have to cancel tomorrow night's harbor charter cruise. Jo says she knows someone who might be able to help, then promptly calls Jake and tells him she needs a favor.

Billy runs into Jake in the courtyard and tells him he just got promoted to a new job in New York and has no idea how he's going to break the news to Alison. Jake says that if Alison is truly committed to their relationship, she'll have no problem leaving the life and career she's built in L.A. all these years to trail after him across the country so he can pursue his career...but Billy says he doubts that things will be that simple.  

Jeffrey is telling Matt about the joys of being in the military, but Matt makes it clear how unimpressed he is with an institution that refuses to let gay men serve openly. Jeffrey insists that the Navy is awesome and then invites Matt over to his place for dinner, but Matt just natters about how he can't understand how he can keep the two facets of his life so separate. Jeffrey shrugs and wryly explains that he generally likes to keep his romantic relationships "simple and short". 

At the hospital, a sheriff serves Michael with a restraining order, courtesy of Jane, and he reacts by cackling like a crazy person and showing the document to the disinterested nurses who happen to be walking down the hall and have no choice but to hear him guffaw about being restrained by his wife for telling her he loves her [in the form of leaving her one demented phone message after another]. 

After Jake fixes Reed's boat's engine, Reed offers him the opportunity to join his charter business for a 60/40 split. Jake says he'll think about it...and Reed tells him that, regardless of his decision, he'll get his cut from tonight's charter cruise for helping out with the engine.

Billy presents Alison with an array of New York-themed food, books, and videos...and when she's all 'whaddup with all this New York stuff?', he tells her he just got promoted to a junior editor job in New York and wants her to move across the country with him. A stunned Alison stares back at him and looks less than thrilled by the prospect. 

"It's bye bye L.A. and hello New York."

"Or just bye bye Billy."

Reed asks Jo if she wouldn't mind storing his suitcase in her apartment (during tonight's cruise) 'cause it's filled with stuff that has lots of sentimental value. Jo assures him it's no problem, and he happily thanks her for dragging Jake into his faux boat business and for agreeing to be tonight's hostess.

Over at D&D, Amanda congratulates Alison on her imminent move to New York, and a startled Alison's all, "Wuh?" and mumbles about how fast news travels. Amanda waxes on about how moving to New York will be a great opportunity for her...and when Alison says she's not entirely sure she wants to give up her L.A. life and follow her boyfriend to the east coast for the sake of his career, Amanda points out that true love is a rare thing she shouldn't let slip away [an opinion which seems wholly out of character for a staunch career woman like Amanda, unless her motive is to be Alison-free at work and home].

Sydney arrives at Michael's beach house with a bag of groceries, lets herself in with the spare key, and marvels at what a pigsty the place has become since Kimberly's demise. She finds Michael asleep in bed and pokes him awake to inform him it's noon, then urges him to destinkify by taking a hot shower. As Michael staggers into the bathroom, Sydney makes up the bed and discovers an empty painkiller bottle and looks alarmed. She asks Michael whassup with him taking so many pills in so short a time period, and he grouchily tells her his back is in a lot of pain, and that he wants her and everyone else to stay out of his way so he can continue his futile efforts to reconcile with Jane.
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Boat cruise! Amid the party atmosphere, Reed tells Jo he dreamed about owning a charter business while languishing in prison, and Jo says she'd be more than happy to give him half the collateral he needs in order to buy the boat. Reed pretends to protest her generosity, then agrees to become bed and business partners with her. He heads down to the nearby deck to get all in Amanda's personal space and tell her he needs 10K to convince the bank that he's a good risk to assume a loan, and she somehow decides that this sounds like a solid investment opportunity and assures him she's A-OK being a silent partner, given that "this racket" pretty much runs itself. 

Michael bangs on Jane's door, calls her "a stupid bitch", and then still expects her to open up for him. Jane calls the police as Sydney rushes over, warns Michael that Jane has no doubt called 911, and steers him upstairs so he can evade arrest from the comfort of her apartment. A few seconds later, the police arrive, glance around the courtyard, and tell Jane it looks as though her ex-husband has left the premises and that they have no desire to expend any energy or resources in tracking him down...and Michael and Sydney watch the lackluster policing from the living room window.

Matt drops by Academy Hall to meet up with Jeffrey, who's visibly uncomfortable with his new same-sex friend showing up at his workplace unannounced. He introduces Matt to his fellow Navy officers as an old high school chum he just happened to run into the other day...and once the officers are out of earshot, Jeffrey's all, "WTF were you thinking coming here?" and admonishes him for trying to give the military a reason to probe his sexual orientation. Matt says he can't grasp why he's so mad, doesn't think he should continue to live his life in the closet just 'cause he's fully out, and huffily stalks off like the prickly little pear he always is.

"Hey everyone, this is Matt, a guy I once knew in high school who randomly stumbled back into my orbit the other day."

"Ouch."

After dinner, Alison serves Billy a decadent dessert, then breaks it to him that she has zero interest in moving to New York. When Billy scrunches his face unhappily, she points out that her career is just as important as his, doubts there's any comparable-to-D&D ad company in New York she could work at (which is a fairly ridiculous assertion, but OK), and suggests they continue with their relationship in a long distance capacity. Billy chews on that for a few seconds, then digs in about how much he dislikes the idea of them being so far apart geographically.

Jake tells Amanda he's not thrilled with her dumb decision to invest in Reed's boat venture, not least 'cause the guy obviously doesn't know shit about engines or how boats actually run. He further adds that he doesn't get how she could possibly trust him - right? - but Amanda says she's somehow convinced herself that this creepy ex-con couldn't possibly be a con artist.

Over at Melrose Place, Jo tells Alison that Reed asked her to hold onto his suitcase for safekeeping...and that she's convinced there's drugs, guns, or something equally as bad inside. Alison says her instincts could be right, and Jo decides she absolutely must know what's in the thing, so she breaks the lock to snoop inside. As she rummages through his clothes and personal effects, she sheepishly admits that the suitcase contains exactly what Reed said it contains. 

​Jeffrey drops by the hospital to apologize to Matt for his behavior the other night, and Matt gets all pissy about Jeffrey not introducing him to his fellow military officers as a potential love interest. Jeffrey applauds him for being comfortable in his own skin and says he'd really like to integrate him into his life, and adds that he's never met anyone who truly made him see what he was missing out on. He implores Matt to help him slowly ease his way out of the closet, and Matt says he's willing to give his coming out process a try, then leans in for a hug.

Reed meets up with Jo at Shooters to tell her he's taking on Amanda as his new business partner. Jo scrunches her face disapprovingly - just as Jake and Amanda arrive at the bar to toast the ill-advised joint venture. As Amanda natters about her plans for the charter business, a concerned Jake warns that she's getting ahead of herself.

Michael is with Sydney in her car, sweet-talking her into filling a prescription for his painkiller meds and then handing the pills over to him. Sydney tells him she's worried he's overdoing it with the pills and asks why he doesn't just get another doctor to write him a prescription, and he gets all prickly and gives her an ultimatum: get the prescription filled or get out of my life. Sydney mulls over the notion of being cast out Michael's life [that she's largely been rudely shunned from since before his split with Jane], and foolishly agrees to do his bidding.

"Get outa my life if you're not willing to get me meds."

"You mean the life I'm not actually welcome in?"

Alison shows Billy a proposal she cobbled together for keeping up a commuting schedule for their soon-to-be bi-coastal relationship - but Billy argues that logistics aren't the issue, and that most long distance couples slowly drift apart until they break up for good. He decrees that if she's not willing to give up her entire life and career in L.A. she's not truly committed to him - but she insists that it really could work for them if they're both committed to each other. (Blah blah...break up already, dullards.)

Jo tells Reed she's miffed at him for taking Amanda on as his business partner without any kind of discussion with her, so Reed points out that he needed another investor to get his faux charter venture off the ground. He then back pedals and apologizes for not consulting her, and asks if she can fetch him his suitcase so he can see whether or not she took the bait in his lame Snooping Test. She sheepishly retrieves the suitcase and admits that she broke the lock so she could examine the contents, and Reed rails at her for not trusting him, says he no longer wants her investment money for the charter business, and bitchily storms out of the apartment.

The next morning, Jo tells Alison that Reed was supremely pissed off about her breaking into his suitcase. She kicks herself for not trusting the shady ex-con and decides she owes him an apology 'cause she really really wants their relationship/business partnership to work despite what a douchebag he's proving himself to be.

Reed is aboard his boat, on the phone with someone to "double up" his order of something (cocaine, I can only assume) now that he's newly flush with cash. He hangs up as Jo climbs aboard to apologize for making him pay for the disappointment of her past relationships, and says that her perceived mistrust of him was more about her fear of letting him get too close than it was his criminal history. Reed retorts that he's sooooo frustrated whenever people are reluctant to trust an ex-con and took that frustration out on her...then pulls her close, moans, "I need you", and gives her a big smooch. 

"You shouldn't have to pay for the disappointment of my previous shitty beaus."

"You might want to save that speech for your next beau."

Sydney drops by the beach house that evening and finds Michael passed out on the bathroom floor. She races over to the phone to call for help, then caresses an overdosed Michael while assuring him he's going to be just fine. 

Billy tells Alison he opted for an airport cab 'cause he's a little afraid he won't actually board the plane if she's in the airport. She tells him she already has her plane ticket to the Big Apple and promises that they'll do lots of fun things together in the city...and after the two hug and kiss goodbye, Alison stares after him sadly as he lumbers out of the courtyard, clutching his suitcase. 

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