Am I the only one who loves Season 5?

[remingtonstelee]

I have been taking my time with this series, giving MANY shows the once over, but now I'm at the final two eps of Season 5!! they are now off to Ireland!!

All I've heard about is how Rem and Laura should never have been married etc etc, so here I am picturing a watered down version of the show while the couple sit at home flipping through the channels.... what people do NOT mention (for some reason) was the delicious circumstance that produces the marriage! I will stop short of spilling all the beans however, their marriage of RELUCTANCE is a hell of a lot more fun than many of dull Season 4 episodes! Hell, I even like Jack Scalia.

Season 4 had it's share of high points; like Forged Steele, but I found far far too many weak scripts and MANY that did NOTHING for the Rem and Laura relationship (the reason I watch this show). I found Season 5's Mexico debut "The Steele That Wouldn't Die" to be as fun and as good as anything the series had produced in turn I found Season 4's opener "Steele Searching" to be a real mess that did NOT live up to the story elements set up by Season 3's conclusion.

[icyvice]

Nope, you certainly are not the only one who love Season 5. I'm a huge and proud Season 5 fan here.... ;D

[Ace]

Not the only one but I suspect rather in the minority.

I actually like Bonds of Steele -- and I'm in the minority with that one as well. Though I suspect many dislike it because for those who watched during the original it threatened to be the last episode of the series and for many that was a bitter pill to swallow.

I think the mess of a wedding as part of a scam is the only way those two would have married at that point. I just think the entire 5th season was a terrific squandering of the concept and what they could have done with it. Only in Steele Hanging In There in the office scene do we get what it might be like at work with them after they're married -- and it manages to not only be tense but funny and gives us the sexiest most believably playful scene between them for the entire 6 hours -- the bantering about bartering for office supplies for sexual favors.

I think there's about 2 good maybe very good hour episodes buried in the 6 we got. As the series go on they spend less and less airtime together to the point when there's the final wrap up it just hasn't been earned by anything that's proceeded it on screen.

I DETEST Tony as a character and a plot device -- not only do I find him a bore but worse he makes Laura look like her brains have been sucked out though her nostrils. He's almost like having Butch Beamis for 6 hours and Laura panting over him. I find it revolting to watch and a slap in the face to the relationship to such an extent that by the final romantic wind up I'm wondering why Steele wants her anymore. This is not the feeling I think they intended.

[bgwillis]

Ace, I know you and I have disagreed before about Laura, and I always feel the need to defend her, but you and I are right on target about Season 5.

When I watch it all the way through (and not skipping to the few favorite scenes I have) I always watch it with a sense of dread. I know what's coming and it breaks my heart, especially have invested so much in the series and in those two characters.

The office scene you are talking about is one of my all-time favorite scenes, not just a Season 5 favorite. It does give us a glimpse, although very brief, of the potential a married Laura and Remington would have story-wise under the guidance of a gifted writer. Witty banter, sexy dialogue...thing of the possiblilties, Xenos. We waited five years to get hot and steamy and it lasted all of 30 seconds.

I too loath Tony. If there was ever a totally unnecessary, absolute worthless character it was him. And it made Laura look like a tease, and a fool.

I try to watch Season 5 with an open mind, but its hard. I feel cheated every time. The only thing that makes it bearable is knowing that to get truely fullfilled about Laura and Remington's future, there's always fanfic.

Belinda

[Lauryn]

Though Tony is as welcome as a case of measles as a romantic rival (no argument there), at least as a character he's consistent. Faint praise, faint praise, I know, LOL! He's put there to provide conflict, artificial though it is, and he does that pretty well. You have to feel a teensy bit sorry for someone forced by the wardrobe department to wear that awful blousy jacket and pants and newsboy cap. Though he's out for himself (and Laura) he's not a thorough louse, and though he manipulates it rebounds because he gets played for a fool in the spy game. Not too bright, alas. Takes him a while to catch on. And Laura certainly leads him on, playing tonsil tennis and spreading her pheromones everywhere.

I would have gladly traded Laura and Tony for more scenes of Tony and Steele facing off. Not just because Steele, at other times, seems uncharacteristically indifferent to what's happening under his nose with Laura -- but because those encounters (and the meeting in the train station with Helmsley) give you a glimpse of how PB might have employed that wariness and ice-cool British reserve had he been allowed to play Bond then. Despite PB being quoted as secretly relieved at losing the role that young, the evidence of The Fourth Protocol and his playing of similar type in RS hint that his performance would have been fine, once the nerves were over. I'm aware that conventional wisdom of most Bond (and some Steele) fans says otherwise. The fly in the ointment is that I'm not keen on the 80's / John Glen directed Bond era, for all sorts of reasons, and it's best for PB that he avoided it. I wonder sometimes though how they would have incorporated Brosnan's more youthful Bond. Couldn't be that hard a trick if they can turn weathered 37 year old Daniel Craig these days into a rookie double-o.<wink>

A shame, as everyone laments, that the abbreviated Fifth Season missed its big chance to tell the real story of Laura and Steele (at work and at play) in their unorthodox marriage. But hey, there's still some fun to be had elsewhere. Case in point, Sarah Douglas' heroic aptitude for farce as Shannon. "I'd never steal this! This is vinyl!"

[Ace]

lauryn said:

Though Tony is as welcome as a case of measles as a romantic rival (no argument there), at least as a character he's consistent. Faint praise, faint praise, I know, LOL! He's put there to provide conflict, artificial though it is, and he does that pretty well. You have to feel a teensy bit sorry for someone forced by the wardrobe department to wear that awful blousy jacket and pants and newsboy cap. Though he's out for himself (and Laura) he's not a thorough louse, and though he manipulates it rebounds because he gets played for a fool in the spy game. Not too bright, alas. Takes him a while to catch on. And Laura certainly leads him on, playing tonsil tennis and spreading her pheromones everywhere.

Oh I'd say he's a thorough louse. He's not a successful louse because he screws up everything and is used by his employer and Laura -- but he's still a louse. He blackmails Steele, is indifferent to thought that his blackmailing might get Steeled killed, all the while playing tonsil hockey with Steele's faithless fickle wife (sorry but if the fs fit), and even after Steele saves his worthless ill dressed hide he's still putting moves on Laura and calling Steele a pimp. Tony's a complete weasel -- and it doesn't help that he's wearing silly clothes.

I would have gladly traded Laura and Tony for more scenes of Tony and Steele facing off. Not just because Steele, at other times, seems uncharacteristically indifferent to what's happening under his nose with Laura -- but because those encounters (and the meeting in the train station with Helmsley) give you a glimpse of how PB might have employed that wariness and ice-cool British reserve had he been allowed to play Bond then. Despite PB being quoted as secretly relieved at losing the role that young, the evidence of The Fourth Protocol and his playing of similar type in RS hint that his performance would have been fine, once the nerves were over. I'm aware that conventional wisdom of most Bond (and some Steele) fans says otherwise. The fly in the ointment is that I'm not keen on the 80's / John Glen directed Bond era, for all sorts of reasons, and it's best for PB that he avoided it. I wonder sometimes though how they would have incorporated Brosnan's more youthful Bond. Couldn't be that hard a trick if they can turn weathered 37 year old Daniel Craig these days into a rookie double-o.<wink>

He'd have been more than fine as Bond in the 80s. PB often has a tendency to undersell his own worth and people mistakenly take his self doubt and deprecation for fact. Glen as a director wasn't helping any Bond actor though in the 80s and the series had been stagnating for decades. But I think PB could have given the films more style and panache, though I'm afraid they may have left the flying carpet in if he'd done The Living Daylights.

As for the scenes with Tony -- the "I appear to have split your shaft" and the scene where he cooly dismantles Tony's lies in his office are pretty much the highpoint of Tony's appearance and only because he's so thoroughly outclassed by Steele.

A shame, as everyone laments, that the abbreviated Fifth Season missed its big chance to tell the real story of Laura and Steele (at work and at play) in their unorthodox marriage. But hey, there's still some fun to be had elsewhere. Case in point, Sarah Douglas' heroic aptitude for farce as Shannon. "I'd never steal this! This is vinyl!"

She's part of the good 2 hours lost in the 6

Ace

[Lauryn]

Oh I'd say he's a thorough louse. He's not a successful louse because he screws up everything and is used by his employer and Laura -- but he's still a louse. He blackmails Steele, is indifferent to thought that his blackmailing might get Steeled killed, all the while playing tonsil hockey with Steele's faithless fickle wife (sorry but if the fs fit), and even after Steele saves his worthless ill dressed hide he's still putting moves on Laura and calling Steele a pimp. Tony's a complete weasel -- and it doesn't help that he's wearing silly clothes.

Err, I take it you're not convinced then? Won't even allow that there is a certain come-uppance / poetic justice for his behavior (he does get his conniving arse shot at), and he does apologize (for what it's worth) for that crack about Steele being a pimp.

Ye-ouch! Where is the love?!?! No wonder Jack Scalia signed on for that Italian TV show (Tequila and Bonetti) with the talking dog. No one else would speak to him, LOL!

He'd have been more than fine as Bond in the 80s. PB often has a tendency to undersell his own worth and people mistakenly take his self doubt and deprecation for fact. Glen as a director wasn't helping any Bond actor though in the 80s and the series had been stagnating for decades. But I think PB could have given the films more style and panache, though I'm afraid they may have left the flying carpet in if he'd done The Living Daylights.

Oh, dear. So much for my career advice. "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!!!" [sound of knights and clopping coconuts] "Would it help to confuse it if we run away more?"

[Ace]

lauryn said:

Oh I'd say he's a thorough louse. He's not a successful louse because he screws up everything and is used by his employer and Laura -- but he's still a louse. He blackmails Steele, is indifferent to thought that his blackmailing might get Steeled killed, all the while playing tonsil hockey with Steele's faithless fickle wife (sorry but if the fs fit), and even after Steele saves his worthless ill dressed hide he's still putting moves on Laura and calling Steele a pimp. Tony's a complete weasel -- and it doesn't help that he's wearing silly clothes.

Err, I take it you're not convinced then? Won't even allow that there is a certain come-uppance / poetic justice for his behavior (he does get his conniving arse shot at), and he does apologize (for what it's worth) for that crack about Steele being a pimp.

Yes and he feels so sorry he calls up Laura and tells her he's not giving up on her after Steele saves his life again. He's a swine .. that pig. As for comeuppance, that poor Irish policeman gets what's coming to Tony --- not fair at all.

Ye-ouch! Where is the love?!?! No wonder Jack Scalia signed on for that Italian TV show (Tequila and Bonetti) with the talking dog. No one else would speak to him, LOL!

Poor dog.

He'd have been more than fine as Bond in the 80s. PB often has a tendency to undersell his own worth and people mistakenly take his self doubt and deprecation for fact. Glen as a director wasn't helping any Bond actor though in the 80s and the series had been stagnating for decades. But I think PB could have given the films more style and panache, though I'm afraid they may have left the flying carpet in if he'd done The Living Daylights.

Oh, dear. So much for my career advice. "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!!!" [sound of knights and clopping coconuts] "Would it help to confuse it if we run away more?"

Ace

[Lauryn]

admin said:

lauryn said:

Err, I take it you're not convinced then? Won't even allow that there is a certain come-uppance / poetic justice for his behavior (he does get his conniving arse shot at), and he does apologize (for what it's worth) for that crack about Steele being a pimp.

Yes and he feels so sorry he calls up Laura and tells her he's not giving up on her after Steele saves his life again. He's a swine .. that pig. As for comeuppance, that poor Irish policeman gets what's coming to Tony --- not fair at all.

Pig, weasel, louse -- do I sense a theme here? Yer Honor I submit that my client is irretrievably and utterly GUILTY






Of nothing more than taking very very bad advice from his agent.

That's as far as my adversarial abilities can go. I refuse to turn this into the "Am I the only one who loves Tony Roselli?" thread.

[Ace]

Tony has an agent? That's all Scalia is guilty of (that and some wooden acting and a mullet) but Tony is another matter entirely. Though I guess he can blame Gleason -- I'm not a swine I'm just written that way.

[Lauryn]

admin said:

Tony has an agent? That's all Scalia is guilty of (that and some wooden acting and a mullet) but Tony is another matter entirely. Though I guess he can blame Gleason -- I'm not a swine I'm just written that way.

Boy, this is a tough room! You and your inadmissable evidence! Sheesh!

Need I remind you that in the "nearly getting Steele killed" Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, compared to Laura and Daniel my client is a very distant third. He'll be lucky to cadge a discount magazine subscription and a free back massager.

[Ace]

lauryn said:

admin said:

Tony has an agent? That's all Scalia is guilty of (that and some wooden acting and a mullet) but Tony is another matter entirely. Though I guess he can blame Gleason -- I'm not a swine I'm just written that way.

Boy, this is a tough room! You and your inadmissable evidence! Sheesh!

Need I remind you that in the "nearly getting Steele killed" Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, compared to Laura and Daniel my client is a very distant third. He'll be lucky to cadge a discount magazine subscription and a free back massager.

My rule of thumb is the only people semi allowed to blackmail and almost get Steele killed are his friends and people who love him. ;D Tony doesn't qualify. Of course that doesn't mean I don't hold grudges against Daniel and Laura over a few of those incidents as well (especially Blue Blooded) They're far too careless with Steele's body. Philistines.

Ace

[Lauryn]

A shame, as everyone laments, that the abbreviated Fifth Season missed its big chance to tell the real story of Laura and Steele (at work and at play) in their unorthodox marriage. But hey, there's still some fun to be had elsewhere. Case in point, Sarah Douglas' heroic aptitude for farce as Shannon. "I'd never steal this! This is vinyl!"

She's part of the good 2 hours lost in the 6

Ace

In the category of things not lost on anyone here is that, paragon of charm and good looks though he is prior, by season five, PB had turned into one of the most mouthwatering male specimens on the planet. One can forgive some of the "International Male" catalog kinds of fashions they put him in in Mexico -- just to show him off. I would too, LOL!

[Lauryn]

My rule of thumb is the only people semi allowed to blackmail and almost get Steele killed are his friends and people who love him. ;D Tony doesn't qualify. Of course that doesn't mean I don't hold grudges against Daniel and Laura over a few of those incidents as well (especially Blue Blooded) They're far too careless with Steele's body. Philistines.

Ace

He probably wouldn't have the heart to get Daniel or Laura criminally charged with reckless endangerment, but just to teach them a lesson, I'd have sued them in civil court!

OK, by your measure Anthony "don't you have any other friends?" Roselli loses standing on both counts. Well there was a certain notorious NC-17 fanfic that someone wrote once, but that was less about love than another "L" word.

Almost as scary is what ails Laura. Careless with his body, indeed! Doesn't she realize the use she'll have for it later?

[Myrtle Groggins]

Count me in as a Season 5 fan. Yes, it has disappointing moments, and yes, Laura could use a good spanking, but for what it was, it wasn't too bad. There was adventure, globe-trotting, a taste of romance and a hilarious honeymoon, spies all around, and an interesting jerk named Tony. Yes, I liked Tony. I especially liked Tony with Steele and when Mildred put him in his place.

One of my all-time favorite moments is when Laura is ticked at Steele, they are in his apartment entertaining the INS woman, Tony enters and Laura kisses him like mad, and says my favorite line of all, "I'd like you to meet my brother." Oh my gosh, the first time I saw that I nearly chocked on my popcorn. My other favorite was when Laura and Steele were trying to figure out who killed Keyes with their usual movie banter and Tony said to Mildred, "Those two have a hell of a code" and Mildred answered that no one should try to break it. Funny stuff.

I liked Jack Scalia from The Devlin Connection, so seeing him as Tony was a bonus to the season we waited for forever.

While Season 5 didn't go the way we wanted it, it had great moments (Steele Hanging was wild and fun: "Mr. Steele's sister." "Sister Steele.") Loved the bow and arrow splitting with Steele and Tony. We also learned that they really did want to try to see if their marriage could work. It would have worked too if the writers hadn't tried to play games with them and add obstacles that were outrageous.

Unlike most, I thought the ending was charming. I did think they should have ended it with a real kiss in the bedroom.

[remingtonstelee]

Ok. I finished this awhile back but never got over here to give my 2 bits. Umm, I think in some ways I spoke too soon. 2/3 of the way through I totally lost what the hell was even happening. Russian spies, gunnysacks, who-the-hell-is-that, occupied my mind most of the time. The whole thing just got so convoluted I couldn't follow it. Sorry. I WILL of course watch it again sometime, being a fan, and I did enjoy a majority of it but jeez, this series really has some complicated plots. And the way Chalmers just "expired" was just strange. Are there any other fans that found this to be true...?

I sort of liked the final ending with Rem and L in the room and Tony still trying to get through. It seemed like they were saying.. it's not over! However, it is, and I'm relieved.

Still, in the end, having just Netflixed Remington Steele Disc One S1 as a "trial" early last year, I am floored at finding such a great gem tucked away (I was in High school when this came out, my Motley Crue phase) and of course bought ALL SEASONS the day they came out. No matter how season 5 is perceived, the show is a marvel with some of the best chemistry EVER! I found Moonlighting the exact OPPOSITE.

[Ace]

Daniel just croaking is weird. Yes, we're told he has some disease -- but he's hopping around spry as can be for 2 hours and then the moment Steele wants to know his name he just conveniently croaks? Oh come on! Not to mention he lies to Steele for 20 years, never tells him about his mother (where's Daniel's loyalty -- not to mention basic human decency - to the woman to keep her memory alive for her son) and Steele's allowed to be angry for 3 minutes but has to forgive and then Daniel just dies on him. Oh fun.

It's like they had all these ideas for the 5th season and managed not to do any of them much justice. Steele and Laura are supposed to be having this huge relationship arc but they are rarely on screen together, the Tony stuff IMO is just a mess and then we get Steele's long lost father tossed in the last minute for good measure -- and all of it surrounded by murder plots, wacky exes (though I really enjoyed Shannon) and spies and gunny sacks.

You can really tell that the writing was rushed and that the producers were grasping at straws trying to think of a new gimmick/hook (Tony) to keep the show going. The loss of their L.A. sets and several of their best writers and staff didn't help either.

All said, the show gave me 4 plus (and counting) years of great pleasure, it remains my favorite show and I'm delighted it's on DVD and new fans are finding it's charms.

Moonlighting is a show I watched when it first appeared (most of the first three seasons but much less of the last two) but one I feel little desire to re-watch at any length because while it was fun and had snappy writing it also had two main characters I didn't much like and if you think Season 5 is a mess well that's a gem compared to the last 2 seasons of Moonlighting which ended in a complete implosion.

[susan]

Last week I watched the first two double features of season 5. Finally got the DVD. It was beyond anything I expected. At some parts I thought I would pass away laughing. But I fear it was at the parts that were not intended to be funny. My overall impression is, Laura completely lost her marbles along with her sense of style and this Tony guy is everything but not good looking. Did we like outfits like his in the 80's? The lines are getting duller and the whole story is nothing but wicked. Sorry if I sound destructive. I'm glad we have it and I'm relieved they stopped before making complete idiots out of everybody involved.

[DCZinger]

Season five does have some scenes of merit.... The excellent "Periscope scene" with Shannon in Steele's closet was definitely good stuff and worthy of previous seasons.

Of course, Pierce was absolutely gorgeous in this season....so much so that the images on the screen would fairly scream: "This should have been BOND!". The archery scene, with Steele splitting Tony's shaft....Bond, James Bond.

I don't believe that the character Stephanie played was "Laura Holt", rather a "Pod Person" from the Invasions of the Body Snatchers. Looks like Laura, sounds like Laura, but surely has been invaded by some alien to think that she would want to spend five minutes in Tony Roselli's company, or wear that tam with BANGS.

My mind plays a scene after the lights went out in Ashford Castle, with Remington turning the lights back on and shouting " You are NOT Laura! Laura would not have given Tony Roselli five minutes of her time, much less talk to him when I'm taking her upstairs to bed!". "That's correct, Mr. Steele " says Laura Pod Person..."Your wife is actually in the castle pantry, organizing the canned goods".

DCZinger

[remingtonstelee]

I wonder..... does the cast, well Steph and PB dislike Season 5? Any word on that?