Melrose Place
Episode #129 / Season #4
Title: "Full Metal Betsy"
Original Air Date: Wednesday, May 15, 1996


Synopsis

[D&D]
The episode begins with an LAPD detective visiting with Amanda. You assume he's a cop because on Melrose Place, it seems that blacks are either aerobics instructors or policemen, and this guy definitely does not own a step. This detective harasses Amanda unsuccessfully regarding Peter's whereabouts. As the cop leaves, Michael arrives. He informs Amanda that Kimberly went to Hawaii and he's really, really ticked. Kimberly even loaned her office at the hospital to Peter while she's away so she must not be involved in the Peter's disappearance. Amanda tells him that the only way to find Kimberly is to find Peter. Michael swears that if he finds out Peter has anything to do with Kimberly's disappearance, Peter will wish Michael never found him.

[MP Courtyard]
The scene begins as the camera zooms in on the only realistic person left on the show: Pool boy cleaning his favorite corner. Jake is busy focusing all his energy on cooking breakfast, which consists of two pieces of toast served on a paper towel. Luckily, he has real coffee cups because Billy drops by to share in some of Jake's famous joe, which he has finally stopped delivering to Jane. Jake informs Billy that Alison just wants to be Billy's FRIEND. But Billy wants to know if when she said that, did she still *appear* to have a thing for him. Jake replies, "Yeah, yeah, I saw something there." This brings a smile to Billy's face because it makes him think he still has a chance with Alison, when all Jake meant was that he saw her breasts as she leaned over him on the couch the other night. In the courtyard, Jo is leaving for work when she runs into Matt returning from a jog. He is all sweaty and nasally, but if you think he looks bad, you should see the outfit Jo is wearing. She touches his forehead and is surprised to find he's burning up, but he assures her all he needs is some rest. As he closes the door behind him, she wipes her hand on her side and looks at it, apparently still throbbing from the heat.

[Willowbridge Institute]
Kimberly, obviously distraught over not having any patients while practicing psychiatry at Wilshire Memorial (except for a brief stint treating Syd), has discovered a captive audience here at Willowbridge (established 1941). Well, actually about two-thirds of the patients are wandering about aimlessly, but she does manage to have the attention of a few good men along with the staff, Ziggy, Dave, and even Nurse Benson. As interim director, she thanks everyone for helping her run a tight, neat ship. Then she offers some advice in case any of them, including the staff, ever rejoin society. Kimberly explains that drugs are good, so forget what that nazi woman of the 80's meant when she said, "Just say NO!" She warns them that resistance is futile and that punishment will become more severe, using Peter as an example. "All of you patients like this guy, don't you? I even see Nurse Benson looking at him all cow-eyed." But at this point her speech takes a personal deviation and she starts ranting about Peter, revealing her true feelings. "I know this man for what he really is. A kidnapper. A torturer. An evil, lying, abuser. And I'm going to make sure he doesn't lock up anyone against their will again. I have very special help for you Mr. Peters, very special help." She keeps repeating "very special help" as if trying to *drill* it into his head. Then she adjourns the meeting and everyone resumes their zombie walks, except for Peter, who is resigned to a wheelchair. Instead, he begs Nurse Benson for help. Her face has a slightly puzzled look on it, but considering both his wrists are strapped to the arms of his wheelchair it seems like a completely legitimate request.

[Boutique]
Jane, looking for All Outdoor Sporting Goods, stumbles upon a little boutique specializing in up-to-the-minute fashions for the "twenty-something" crowd. Samantha "the salesperson" Riley takes one look at Jane's beautiful outfit and admits "Honestly, though, what you're wearing is totally hipper than anything we have on our racks." Jane realizes that if their fashions are lamer than hers, then this store ain't gonna be in business much longer! Actually, the light bulb over her mop top gets a little electricity when Samantha informs her that the owners are divorcing and will probably sell the store. Samantha adds that she'll probably end up jobless. Jane leaves her business card with Samantha and tells her that if they play their cards right, she might have a job for as long as she wants. Jane started the day simply looking for a knit ski cap and some gloves (you know, the kind that shrink when they get soaked in blood) but ends up finding a potential new business venture. As Samantha would say, "Cool."

[Burns-Mancini-Mancini-Burns]
The waiting room is packed for a change, as Michael calls his next patient, the Perdue chicken man on crutches, into his office. Then Jane drops by, looking for financial support for her new business idea. Michael tells her look around; he's practically bankrupt. What's he talking about? The office is crawling with patients! I think he and Jane shared the same bed for too many years -- now he's beginning to have the same warped business sense. Jane feels that after all the rotten things he's done to her each season he owes her. Michael tells her Sydney is the one who really owes her, and that she should simply blackmail her sister. Jane asks Michael to explain, so he says "The pills! She's the one who spiked your drink and nearly paralyzed you for life." This shocking news almost paralyzes Jane a second time. Finally, Syd arrives, late for work because she was seeing Bobby off on his last flight to Florida. Jane sees Syd, gives her a burning glare, then leaves. Syd asks Michael what Jane was doing there, so Michael tells her she came by for a favor and that he accidentally mentioned the "pill thing; the little Christmas surprise."

[Willowbridge Institute]
Peter is strapped down in bed with nothing better to do than to talk to himself. Nurse Benson pays him a visit to give him his evening injection. First, he tries to woo her with some sarcasm but it doesn't seem to turn her on. So he changes his approach, telling her that even though the medication is helping, the injections are killing him. He asks her, "I wonder if you can help me, orally..." Now this is more like it, she thinks to herself. But the gleam in her cow-eyes disappears when Peter adds "You know, with pills." She says she'll have to check with Dr. Shaw first. At this point, Peter lays the charm on thick, telling her he'd much rather have a compassionate and beautiful bovine than a snake like Kimberly. He tells her to call him Peter, and when he asks her what they call her, in her best double-o seven voice she replies, "Benson, Nurse Benson." She injects him causing him to cringe and cry "Pills. Pills. That, and a kiss." He convinces her that he's strapped down so he can't make a pass at her. Besides, what harm could come from an innocent kiss on the cheek? Actually, the thought of kissing his cheek really excites her, but which cheek? She decides to take things slowly at first, so she leans over, and just as she is about to kiss the side of his face, Peter turns his head such that full lip contact is achieved. She continues to kiss him for a brief moment longer, then pulls away and gasps "My God, Mr. Peters!" He begs, "Peter, call me Peter." Out of breath, she still manages to *udder*, "Alright -- Peter. And since we're on a first name basis, you can call me Nurse. Goodnight. Mooooo."

[Burns-Mancini-Mancini-Burns]
Amanda stops by to speak with Michael. She demands to know why he hasn't learned how to use his phone system yet, but he explains that answering phones is Syd's job. When he asks her why she's there, Amanda presents him with the passenger manifests for all Hawaii-bound passenger flights in the past two days and Kimberly's name wasn't on any of them. No hotel reservations, nothing. Michael seems more interested in *how* Amanda got her hands on such confidential information rather than in *what* the information implies, but Amanda refocuses his attention on the fact that Kimberly lied to him and that all is not well at Melrose Place.

[MP, Evening]
Speaking of all not being well at Melrose Place, we come to the relationship between photo-Jo and Dr. Dominick. Dominick is starving for Italian, and Jo could go for a big salami herself, but she wants to stop by Matt's first on the way out. When they knock on Matt's door, Matt is quick to greet them in his bathrobe. Pretty fast for a guy with a fever and on the brink of passing out. Dominick mentions how much he missed Fielding in class and Matt tells him he's only got a touch of the flu. You know, the strain that causes you to fall unconscious whenever you reach for your newspaper, which Matt then proceeds to reach for and naturally, falls over. Dominick catches him and notices that Matt is "burning up" (technical term) and barely breathing. He calls 9-1-1.

[Wilshire Memorial]
The next day, Matt has stabilized. O'Malley asks if Matt remembers anything unusual happening in the past few days. Well, other than Peter's disappearance, Kimberly's multiple personalities, Jane's sudden breakup, Jo's sudden relationship, matt can only come up with one thing, and he confesses that he accidentally broke his skin with the IV needle he was trying to stick into the Jerry kid, just before the kid ran away. "I didn't want to look like an incompetent. I screwed up." When O'Malley hears this, he tells Matt he not only looks incompetent, but he IS incompetent. O'Malley storms out to call the police, hoping to find the Jerry kid. Jo follows close behind, scolding Dominick for biting Matt's head off. O'Malley tells her that he can stand stupidity in storylines, but he draws the line at stupidity in characters. But Jo argues that Matt was just being human. Dominick admits he doesn't have "patients" for that either. For the record, most of the doctors at Wilshire Memorial lack patients! Jo grits her teeth at him behind his back but it has no effect (has it ever?) so she turns and leaves. Meanwhile, Dominick calls the police, telling them to issue an APB for a boy named Jerry, last seen running around the streets of L.A. barefoot and dressed in a hospital smock.

[D&D]
Michael brings over every file and piece of information of Kimberly's that he could find. While Amanda starts digging into the mass of papers, all Michael can seem to do is stare at her incredibly short skirt (or the tanned legs protruding) causing him to ramble on about nothing in particular. Amanda finds a bank statement from Certified National Bank, calls customer service pretending to be Dr. Kimberly Shaw (although I must say, her voice sounded nothing like Kimberly's) and asks to verify the amount and location of her last few ATM withdrawals. Amanda discovers that there were two withdrawals in Merton, a small fictitious town north of Sacramento. Michael smiles, knowing they're a step closer to reuniting with the love of his life.

[Willowbridge Institute]
Nurse Benson arrives to administer Peter's morning dosage of mind relieving drugs. She unstraps Peter, who immediately pulls himself up using the back of her neck as a brace. He thanks her from the bottom of his heart, then bats his eyelashes causing her to open up and share her life story with him: she's been a nurse at Willowbridge since she got out of school; every year she got a little lonelier; she didn't want anything for herself, just to help people, but it doesn't make her happy anymore; and she's become a horny, lascivious, lactose-intolerant woman. He suggests that he can make her happy. He pulls her close and they kiss, and for someone with such little experience, she sure seems adept at keeping her lipstick from smudging. Peter tells her, to make her happy all she needs to do is to take him home for one night, and if it's possible, to bring along one of those beds with the leather straps attached. She feels it's too dangerous, but he reassures her that "dangerous is good." If that's the case, what Kimberly has in store for him is on the edge of great. He "takes" his pills and she straps him back down. Once gone, however, Peter spits the pills out into his hand.

[Shooters]
Alison arrives at the bar, all dolled up wearing the same red dress she wore at the Christmas Party. She's excited about her dinner date with Billy, but she tries to slough it off. Jake then plants the same "just friends" seed in Alison's head that he did earlier in Billy's empty garden, by acknowledging to her that Billy is trying his best even though all Billy really wants is to be her FRIEND. Alison waters her garden with some sparkling water, then Billy arrives and the two of them head off to dinner.

[MP Courtyard, Evening]
Dominick O'Malley arrives with a bouquet of red roses for Jo. Could this be love? He comes over to apologize for being short with her earlier, but that it was an urgent situation, namely Matt's life. But she can't get over the fact that he raised his voice at Matt regarding Matt's stupidity. She lets Dominick have it with "And he's paying for it, Dr. God. What are you going to do, bump him out of med school once he gets better?" No Jo, it's probably better to let another imbecile join the already overcrowded medical field, burying his name amongst all the others in some HMO somewhere.

[Beverly Hills]
During their dinner, Alison opens up to Billy mumbling something about how her career vision has changed now that she's gone from an advertising exec to a bar maid with no apparent loss in pay. Billy, however, is fairly preoccupied between trying to keep the champagne from dribbling down his face and saying "Hi" to all his business buddies milling about, that he doesn't really hear what Alison has to say. Basically, he wants her back at D&D. He says he's not a jerk anymore, he can run interference between her and Amanda, blah, blah, blah. She realizes this dinner was a mistake and starts to leave, so Billy jumps up to stop her but lets it slip that he's been quizzing Jake as to what it will take to make her happy. She replies, "You used to know without asking." Then she leaves, totally disgusted that Billy even has Jake involved, leaving Billy standing there with that dumbfounded stare that we've all come to know and love. Yea, the old Billy's finally back!

[MP, Jane's Apt]
Syd drops by Jane's apartment to explain about the "pill thing." Since apologizing is only for wimps like O'Malley, Syd opts to concoct a flimsy story instead. When Syd mentions that the whole incident was a mix-up, that she was simply putting the pill in her own drink, Jane interrupts her confession with the cock of her pistol. Syd stands petrified, but Jane tells her not to worry, she's just cleaning it. But Syd decides to leave anyway since she's not comfortable around "instruments of death," promising that she'll keep Jane's weapon a secret. Jane says they'll talk later.

[MP, Jake's Apt]
First thing in the morning, Alison makes a beeline for Jake's apartment so that she can scold him for interfering in her life and divulging personal information to Billy, saying "My God! It's like the two of you are working on ways for him to get me into bed." Jake tells her to cool her rockets and that he did what he did because Billy's his friend. She tells him that if he's her friend he'll keep her secrets to himself, adding "And never ever set me up on a date again!" With that, she turns and leaves. A big Cheshire grin overtakes Jake's face for he knows he's within an episode or two of bedding his last conquest of Melrose Place. Then his job is done.

[Wilshire Memorial]
O'Malley informs Matt that they caught the Jerry kid, but not in time and he died. The good news is, just before Jerry died, they were able to perform a Spinal Tap and found he had spinal meningitis. Matt starts crying, saying "I loved that movie. It always brings me to tears." Then Matt adds that he feels responsible for the kid's death. O'Malley tries to calm Matt, telling him that he was in no way responsible for Jerry's death because Jerry came for treatment much too late. I guess O'Malley forgot the part about keeping the kid in the hospital doing tests for over a week without a clue as to what to do next, and every time the kid asked what was wrong with him, they would change the subject. Now, Dr. O'Malley, being the world's foremost expert in child abuse, diagnoses Matt as also having contracted spinal meningitis and recommends a spinal tap and heavy penicillin drip. Since Jo is at Matt's bedside, O'Malley makes sure he remains compassionate in front of Jo, bringing a smile to her face.

[Royal Oak Motel]
Amanda and Michael arrive in the small town of Merton, dig up information about Kimberly's whereabouts from a coffee shop waitress, then surveil the motel where they heard she was staying. Sure enough, Kimberly drives into the motel lot shortly thereafter. Amanda wants to call the police, but Michael doesn't want Kimberly to get into any more trouble. So Amanda allows Michael to talk with the motel manager, from whom he learns that Kimberly has been visiting Willowbridge, the mental hospital, established 1941. So off to Willowbridge they head.

[Willowbridge Institute]
Darkness has blanketed the town of Merton. Nurse Benson stops by to give Peter a master key and instructions on where to meet, telling him to wait one hour before attempting his escape. She warns him to be careful, and that this may be his *last chance*. He asks what she means by that but she has no time to explain. As he's trying to leave, loony Louie sees him and starts banging on his door saying he wants out. In order to shut him up, Peter takes him along. Then Louie cries that he needs his only friend Marco to come, too. So these three stooges make for the west exit. But when Nurse Benson sees that Peter's brought spectators to watch her lose her virginity, she starts freaking out. When Peter admits it's not a love affair but rather a break she hits the chastity alarm.. Ziggy and Dave run out and round up the patients, including Peter, while Nurse Benson screams repeatedly, "You used me! You're gonna pay for this!" Seconds too late, Amanda and Michael pull up in her Jag asking if they've seen Dr. Peter Burns. Nurse Benson, mussed up hair and all, tells them in her most seductive voice, that Peter isn't there and that the institute is closing for the night. The next morning, Kimberly calls a meeting of the wackos, parading Peter in front of everyone for destroying the fragile doctor-patient relationship that exists at Willowbridge. Then Kimberly announces that they will change Peters behavior forever by performing a temporal lobotomy. At this point, Louie asks if he can pee. Kimberly says alright, as long as he does it in the men's lavatory. Kimberly describes her plan for Peter as "A clean and simple way of living. Living without thinking." (Kind of like the way Alison's been living since she left D&D.)

[Burns-Mancini-Mancini-Burns]
Amazingly, Syd is at the office doing her usual "filing." Michael calls in for his messages, telling her that he'll be back in a couple of days. Their conversation is interrupted however, when she gets a call on the other line. It's from Louie, who is calling from a pay phone in one of the hallways at Willowbridge. It's a good thing for Peter that Louie just happened to have $3.50 in change to call all the way from Merton to the Wilshire District, not to mention guessing the correct phone number for the Burns-Mancini office! He mumbles something to Syd about Peter being in Willowbridge and that they're going to do his brain. At this point Syd hangs up on him and transfers back to Michael. When she tells Michael the other call was just a prank call about Peter, Willow-something, and brain surgery, Michael hangs up and he and Amanda "zoom" back to the nuthouse, figuring Peter must be there after all. I use the word zoom loosely, because they don't actually get there until nightfall.

[MP Courtyard, Evening]
Dominick stops by to apologize to Jo, bringing her a single rose. Again, he finds himself apologizing. Jo finds this whole thing interesting, figuring Dominick would say or do anything to get into her pants. He admits, "One would hope." She responds by telling him he doesn't need the rose, saying, "Come on in, the zipper's down." Meanwhile, Syd attempts to tiptoe to her apartment unseen, but Jane catches her from behind and pulls her into den #2. Before Jane can explain what she wants from Syd, Syd confesses that she would never *really* hurt her sister, and in fact, even prayed for her. Jane reassures Syd that although she has a gun, it's not to hurt her. Jane tells Syd that she was raped by Richard, in New York, but she's fine because she has a plan and that Syd is part of it. She orders Syd to be both her alibi and her co-conspirator as she set things right, telling Syd she's going to help kill Richard.

[Willowbridge Institute]
Amanda and Michael return to the mental hospital and knock on the wrought-iron fence, but no one seems to be answering (Granted, knocking on wrought iron isn't very loud). So they head around back and jimmy a set of window bars open. Back inside, Kimberly and Nurse Benson put their surgical masks on over their mouths and Kimberly pulls out her Skil cordless drill. She explains to Peter that the anesthesia will allow him to remain awake, adding "You won't feel any pain. But I will get the distinct pleasure of seeing that manipulative little light in your eyes, as it goes out for the very last time." But the drill bit is spinning so slowly as she guides the drill towards Peter's head that it appears as though the batteries are almost dead. Suddenly, you realize that Peter's probably going to be saved because Kimberly forgot to look for those batteries with the "copper top."
[To Be Continued...]

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Last Modified May 16, 1996