"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."
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* NOTE: I do NOT have tapes of this show available for trade. *
* Please post to the newsgroup alt.video.tape-trading for requests. *
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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
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