"For Your Love" Episode Guide v1.0.4 (c) 1998, Tom Walsh (avs@netport.com) This guide may be reproduced in its entirety for noncommercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact the author. The following is an episode guide for the show "For Your Love." ********************************************************************* * NOTE: I do NOT have tapes of this show available for trade. * * Please post to the newsgroup alt.video.tape-trading for requests. * ********************************************************************* The text version is available at the AVIMall: http://www.avimall.com/entertain/ForYourLove.txt A pointer to this site is available at the Ultimate TV List: http://tvnet.com/UTVL/ Of course, there is a page at the Internet Movie Database: http://us.imdb.com/M/title-exact?%22For%20Your%20Love%22%20(1998) ABOUT THE SHOW: "For Your Love" is a sitcom about three young couples who are friends. Dean and Sheri Winston (he a former backup placekicker in the NFL for three years and now an architect and she a facialist) have been married for four-and-a-half years (and known each other for 15). Reggie and Melena Ellis (a lawyer and psychiatrist, respectively), are newlyweds who've just moved next door to longtime friends the Winstons. Mel's brother, Reggie, and his girlfriend, Bobbi Seawright (a restauranteur and teacher, respectively) are both fearful of commitment; Bobbi because she was married once. All couples live in Oak Park, Illinois. "For Your Love" was created by and the executive producer is Yvette Lee Bowser (executive producer of "Living Single"). It is produced by SisterLee Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The song of the same title was written by Graham Gouldman and was originally performed by the Yardbirds, but this version is performed by Chaka Khan and Michael McDonald as the main title. ABOUT THIS GUIDE: Episode titles and original run dates come from television listings. VERSION HISTORY: v1.0.0 18 March 1998 Initial version v1.0.1 25 March 1998 More episodes and descriptions added v1.0.2 15 April 1998 More episodes and descriptions added v1.0.3 22 June 1998 More episodes and descriptions added; information on the show's future added v1.0.4 30 October 1998 Early second season episodes and descriptions added CAST: PERFORMER - CHARACTER Holly Robinson Peete - Malena Ellis James Lesure - Mel Ellis Tamala Jones - Barbara 'Bobbi' Seawright Edafe Blackmon - Reggie Ellis DeDee Pfeiffer - Sheri Winston D.W. Moffett - Dean Winston EPISODES: NBC,WB - The show appeared on NBC on Tuesdays from 8:30-9:00 p.m. in the first season. After the profit-sharing deal fell through, it was picked up by WB, at whose studio it was filmed. For season 2, it aired aired on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. *** SEASON 1 (1998 only) 13 EPISODES (7 aired, 6 filmed but unaired) *** 1. "Pilot" 17 March 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Barnet Kellman W: Yvette Lee Bowser Newlyweds Mel and Malena Ellis move into the house next to old friends Dean and Sheri Winston. Reggie makes a fake attempt at commitment by giving Bobbi his apartment's alarm codes but then frets that she has his spare key, which she won't relinquish. While Dean explains to Mel about things "clashing" and shows him his garage, Malena thinks she may be pregnant, an event she and Mel haven't penciled in until June 2000. Reggie tries to get his locks changed and is caught by Bobbi. Guests: Richard Whiten - The Locksmith Roger Hewlett - The Mover 2. "The Games People Play" 24 March 1998 P: W(illiam) E. Baker, Barnet Kellman D: Barnet Kellman W: Kari Lizer Reggie, too embarassed to hold Bobbi's purse, accidentally drops it in water. The whole gang plays "I Never," a game where you try to embarass someone else. Skeletons emerge from Mel's and Dean's closets when they play: Dean has twenty years of Playboy in his garage, while Mel used to date Naomi Campbell. Neither wife knew this. Mel has a further secret: not only did he just run into Naomi that day, but he didn't tell her he is now married. Reggie finds a way to apologize, while the married couples learn to trust each other. Guests: Naomi Campbell - herself Robert Bailey, Jr. - ? 3. "The Mother of All Visits" 31 March 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Barnet Kellman W: David Hemingson Dean's aggravating mother visits and runs him ragged and disparages Sheri's housekeeping skills. At a restaurant, Dean finally confronts his mother. Meanwhile, Bobbi reveals to Malena Reggie's sexy lovemaking technique, which she tells Mel, who talks to Reggie about it, causing those four to be angry at each other and leaving Reggie to wonder what he did, since he cannot remember. Guest: Tyne Daly - Mary Winston 4. "The Donor" 7 April 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Ellen Gittelsohn W: Steve Faber & Bob Fisher Reggie receives a visit from Mr. Curtis, who has a childless couple as clients. The wife has targeted Reggie as a sperm donor. Bobbi urges Reggie to become the sperm donor because she does not want him to, feeling that by agreeing to it, he won't do it. Meanwhile, Malena asks Mel to share the household tasks, like grocery shopping. Dean introduces him to the Big Bulk Club -- a discount wearhouse -- where Mel becomes a bulkaholic. Malena holds an intervention with the gang and some neighbors, the Gerards, the husband from whom was also a bulkaholic. Mel agrees to never go to Big Bulk Club again, and Malena takes over the shopping, which was Dean and Mel's plan to begin with! Guests: Joel Brooks - Mr. Curtis Stuart Pankin - Mr. Gerard Judy Kain - Mrs. Gerard Shane Keller - Man #2 5. "The Gift That Keeps on Giving" 14 April 1998 P: W(illiam) E. Baker D: Barnet Kellman W: Kari Lizer Bobbi and Reggie get their first joint item that requires a commitment: a dog. He wants to name him Thor; she, Chi-Chi. They decide the dog requires them to make more of a commitment to each other than they want, so they return him to the pound. When they realize they miss him, they indepedently try to get him back (so that the dog belongs to him or her and not "them") and find themselves bidding each other and a little girl to get him back. In the end, they pool their money to get the dog and make a little commitment to each other. Meanwhile, Sheri's birthday is coming up, and he thinks he has the perfect gift for her: the tried-and-true yearly birthday trip to the amusement park. When informed by Malena that she wants something else, her sex-in-a-public-place fantasy fulfilled, he decides to give this something new a try. Guests: J.P. Manoux - Shelter Director Brittany English Stephens - Molly Wooten Naomi Serotoff - Mrs. Schulman Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) NOTE: Jill is a female Brussels griffon who appeared in the Academy Award-winning movie "As Good As It Gets" and plays the male Thor/Chi-Chi on "For Your Love." 6. "The Good Doctor" 21 April 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Barnet Kellman W: Roger S.H. Schulman Malena and Mel attend a couples seminar given by Dr. Tina, because Malena can write it off as a professional expense, but she and Mel get more than they bargained for from the confrontational psychologist, whose slogan is "What the Hell is Wrong with You?" Dr. Tina likes Mel's straightforward answers, while Malena pegs her as a bitter, mean person. Sheri's attempts to entice her tired, overworked husband backfire in big public ways when a nude photo and a sappy love poem end up in the wrong hands. Malena teaches Bobbi that Reggie's apparent romantic side is actually his parsimonious nature. Guests: Kathy Najimy - Dr. Tina Romanis Bonnie Biehl - Charlene Michael E. Bauer - Bob Charity James - Maria 7. "The Vows" 28 April 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Leonard R. Garner, Jr. W: Clayvon C. Harris Dean and Sheri agree to renew their vows, but he panics when he learns she wants him to write a new set. He has never told her that he did not write the original ones. Mel injures his finger playing basketball, and Malena discovers he often takes off his wedding band but doesn't know he has already lost two of them, and has actually lost the third as well. Bobbi and Reggie look for a suitable mate for Thor/Chi-Chi. Dean finally confesses to Sheri that he didn't write the first vows and is having trouble writing the second set. At the wedding everything is fixed when Dean gives goofy but sincere vows from the heart, Malena figures out about Mel's rings and he agrees to always wear his, and Thor/Chi-Chi meets the dog of his dreams. Guests: Adrienne-Joi Johnson - Joan Michael Luckerman - Joe Ralph Manza - Old Man Marcus Nelson - Young Man Brenda Isaacs-Booth - Woman Charles C. Stevenson - Father Bevard Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) Note: All five(?) female dogs are actually played by males. Source: NBC website - http://www.nbc.com. It appears only four dogs actually made the final airing. 8. "The Brothers' Day" 5 May 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Ellen Gittelsohn W: James L. Freeman & David Hemingson (teleplay); Steve Faber & Bob Fisher (story) To impress Mel's mother on Mother's Day, Malena has Reggie coach her in making a special dinner. The brothers have decided to give their mom a videotape of old home films, and while watching it, Reggie discovers that Mel was the one who lost his autographed Reggie Jackson baseball. Malena later finds it in the garage, and Mel confesses that he took the ball because he felt Reggie didn't appreciate it and now refuses to give it back. While Bobbi worries about how Mrs. Ellis feels about her, Malena fears the spat will ruin her dinner plans. Dinner does get ruined, but Mrs. Ellis likes both women. Meanwhile, Dean is making his mom a special Mother's Day gift: an exact scale replica of the house the family lived in--until it burned down. Sadly, Sheri and a blowtorch make the model more realistic than Dean cares it to be. Guests: Jenifer Lewis - Sylvia Ellis Mark Gardner - Waiter Trevor Mann - Mel at 11 Malcom David Kelly - Reggie at 5 Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) At this point, the show went on hiatus, with a number of unaired episodes. The remaining ones were to air during the summer. NBC offered to pick up the show as a summer replacement if the producer agreed to a cost-sharing and ownership proposals. This was rejected, NBC decided not to pick up the show for 1998-99, but the WB, at whose studios the show is actually filmed, agreed to acquire the show for the 1998-99 season. The five unaired NBC episodes will NOT be aired by either NBC or the WB. *** SEASON 2 (1998-99) 22(?) EPISODES ORDERED *** 9. "The Art of War" 17 September 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Ellen Gittelsohn W: Steve Faber & Bob Fisher prod. no. 4E7-601 [TV-PG-DL] To introduce the show to the WB audience, a "Twilight Zone"-style narrative is employed. Mel feels he is losing control in the relationship when Malena decides to decorate what he hopes is the TV room. After explaining his position, Malena agrees and orders a much smaller TV than the one he wanted. Against their agreement, Malena opens Mel's mail and learns he has a storage unit, which she visits and where she learns all of his old furniture is stored. After she confronts him about this, he has the furniture delivered to the house to the front yard. The standoff ends when she agrees to the larger TV and his furniture gets ruined by a sudden rainstorm. Guests: Steve Kehela - The Narrator Eamonn Roche - Don Angel Vargas - Mel's Delivery Person Bill Gratton - Delivery Person #1 Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) 10. "The Divorce-i-versary" 24 September 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Ellen Gittelsohn W: Yvette Lee Bowser prod. no. 4E7-602 [TV-PG-DL] Bobbi decides to celebrate her divorce with a divorce-i-versary party at Reggie's restaurant. Reggie's employee Ennetta is obviously smitten for him, and though the feelings are not reciprocal, she makes everyone feel uncomfortable. Mel realizes that Bobbi's quickie divorce in Mexico is not legal in Illinois, and offers to refile it for her, although that requires her facing her ex-, Keith, again. Keith tries hard to woo her back, and it almost works, but she realizes she needs her independence. He reluctantly signs the papers. Guests: Malik Yoba - Keith Natalie Desselle - Ennetta Rick Cramer - Gunther Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) 11. "The Hair Club for Men" 1 October 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Ellen Gittelsohn W: Rod J. Emelle prod. no. 4E7-603 [TV-PG-DL] Although Dean has only ever had two barbers in his life, first his mother then Sheri, Mel talks him into going to the men-only barbershop that he and Reggie have frequented since they were children. When the barbers find out he was an NFL player, he becomes more popular than the now-jealous Mel. Meanwhile, Malena administers Reggie and Bobbi a compatibility test, which shows they are ideal for each other. They wake Malena up at three in the morning to take it again, so that they can take it again and prove they are not compatible. Although told that they failed this time, they actually passed with even better scores. Mel does not prevent Dean from bringing Sheri to the barbershop, and Dean is asked not to return, although Stanley figures out that Mel created the situation. Mel later apologizes to Dean and informs he can come back anytime, although Dean decides he prefers Sheri, especially when she comes out weaering a skimpy barbers outfit. Guests: John Henton - Oswald Bill Cobbs - Uncle Stanley Romany Malco - Frank "Heavyhands" Cato 12. "The Big Sleep" 8 October 1998 P: Frank Pace D: John Bowab W: David Hemingson prod. no. 4E7-605 [TV-PG-DL] Mel tries to get out of attending an office party, but Malena convinces him it will be good for his career. While there, his boss tells him he is a good lawyer but needs to mingle more. Mel comes home drunk and later finds a photocopy of a pair of butts, one male and one female, taken on the photocopy machine. Mel worries the man's is his. He later finds out whose butt it really is and uses it to his advatage. Meanwhile, Bobbi thinks Reggie is trying to control the relationship since all the time is spent at his place. She makes him spend time at her tiny apartment, which he does even though he is not comfortable there. Their usual battle of the wills ensues. Sheri and Dean have trouble sleeping -- she is snoring, and he is talking in his sleep. They finally decide to sleep in separate rooms; this works but fear it will hurt their marriage. They then discover the cause of their sleeplessness. Guests: Richard Gant - Mr. Talbot Nikki Tyler - Jill Jeffrey Polk - Grosbard Cynthia Frost - Cleaning Lady Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) 13. "The Most Valuable Player" 15 October 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Barnet Kellman W: Jim Pond & Bill Fuller prod. no. 4E7-604 [TV-PG-DL] The guys drag their women into a sports memorabilia store (as payback for being dragged into a home decorations store) and spot a Dean Winston football card, which they discover is free with any purchase. To help Dean out of his depression, Sheri, who has sport show host Clay MacAfee's as a customer, gets him a spot on Clay's TV show without telling him. With Walter Payton as a guest, Dean try to tell about his favorite moment in a game -- where he kicked a 53-yard field goal against Payton's Bears in a blinding snowstorm. Instead, MacAfee shows a clip of 'Wrong Way' Winston scoring a touchdown against his team. This experience depresses Dean even more, and he decides it is time to forget that part of his past and throws away all of his football memorabilia. Sheri, who later confesses to the disaster, makes it up by creating a highlight film of his architectural achievements, and saving his football stuff from the garbage. Meanwhile, Bobbi starts going off without Reggie, and he suspects another man. He discovers she has been taking country line dancing lessons from Wayne. When she challenges him to learn, he takes her up on it and is actually pretty good at it. Guests: Walter Payton - Himself Steve Paymer - Salesman Mark Derwin - Clay MacAfee Walter Frankes - Wayne 14. "The Sister Act" 29 October 1998 P: Frank Pace D: Barnet Kellman W: Jamie Wooten prod. no. 4E7-606 [TV-PG-D] Bobbi is offended when her sister, Maya, shows a lack of interest in Reggie. Guests: Shari Headley - Maya Jill - Thor/Chi-Chi (uncredited) 15. "The Cuckoo's Nest" 5 November 1998 P: Frank Pace D: ? W: ? prod. no. 4E7-6xx [TV-PG-?] Malena gets overwhelmed by her incompetent assistant, her patient Tracy, and a tight schedule. Guests: MC Lyte - Malena's assistant Roxanne Beckford - Tracy