Last time in the miniseries... Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike and Ralph formed a singing group to escape the poverty and turmoil of Roxbury's Orchard Park housing projects, which proved to be a successful gamble. Their discovery by Maurice Starr netted them the single "Candy Girl", which allowed them to quickly burst on the music scene, gaining a wide fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, the harsh reality of the music industry's dark side hit them towards the end of the first part, as they were still poor and living on food stamps.
So, determined to achieve true superstardom, they signed with MCA Records at the beginning of 1984, although Jheryl Busby had low expectations. And behind the scenes, a clear separation began to surface, as both their new manager Gary Evans, and their record producers start to disproportionately favor Ralph to lead on the sophomore album's songs, going against their manager/choreographer Brooke Payne's philosophy of "no one man is bigger than the whole group."
Oh, so that's why Ralph's the only one in the group Gary allows to sing... he's trying to make him a potential solo star, and also use him as a cash cow. So messy and shady AF.
Yeah, Gary, the only reason they'd be jealous is because their vocal talents are being suppressed to make sensitive Ralph stand out. I got the feeling that he's done this before with other groups, and they seem to have broken up pretty quickly...
Amazing to see that from Ralph, always sticking up for everyone. That kinda loyalty's very hard to come by.
That recreation of "Mr. Telephone Man" is flawless. Come through, Bobbay!
Mike wasn't going flat, he was singing an F#4 when he should've been singing a D4. But even so, Bobby has no real reason to mock him about that.
Wow, they can be so petty. I wouldn't pay $10 or $20 for a good limo seat, even if I had to Venmo it.
"ARGH— STOP THE CAR!" I'm sorry, but Mike getting his foot squashed was even funnier than an episode of The Fairly OddParents! XD
Bobby is the textbook definition of an asshole. And meets all the criteria for a narcissist, even without Whitney.
(Mike spits in Bobby's face) "NOW WHO'S THE BITCH, HUH?!!" As disrespectful as that action is, Bobby was asking for it.
Bobby makes a smooth jump out the sunroof, and tackles Mike. But in the blink of an eye, Mike rightfully gets to manhandling Bobby.
I highly doubt Gary spoke to any one of their mothers.
"I know he tried to kill me... but did he?" Goes to show how this isn't just a group, it's a real brotherhood.
In addition to the spoken interlude, they could've also shown Mike resinging his part in the background vocals.
Um, shouldn't their new choreographer be working with Ariana Grande or Fifth Harmony?
Zena looks more like Ralph's aunt than his girlfriend. I honestly can't believe she got a pregnancy and miscarriage from him down the line.
Why, oh why does Jheryl have to constantly doubt New Edition's marketability?
Brooke didn't just throw an island of shade at Gary; he scalped him, and more importantly, read that greedy piece of crap!
New Edition had spectacular concerts, from their performances, all the way up to their set designs. But seriously, Gary, "Ralphie, my little star"? That was so wrong on so many levels.
Bad boy Bobby's lucky he didn't crash. And no, he wouldn't be considered a lead singer of New Edition until after 1989, although Malika actually gave birth to Landon over six months after his exit from the group.
The first time seeing Johnny Gill, I can just tell his fashion sense has flop written all over it.
Millions of girls adore these five guys, and as you could expect, Bobby's inner rockstar is going front and center. And as he mentioned in a Rewind That YouTube clip: "I never lied to them and told them that I didn't wanna go solo; they knew I wanted to be solo, but at the same time I was causing so much conflict with the way I performed, and the way they performed... I felt constricted, I felt like they didn't want me to do anything."
Bobby shouldn't have to worry about what he does on stage. As long as New Edition's earning plenty, then Gary needs to STFU.
"With this fool, making me a damn grandmother!" "You bring a baby back home? I ain't raisin' no more damn kids." "You don't see me on this damn phone?!" Sounds like any black mother's use of discipline.
When someone says they've gotta catch a flight during a conference, that should be a red flag.
Oakland '85... the Bobby Brown as we know him today finally came out. But seriously, didn't he learn the hard way about messing around with Mike the first time?!
No, Bobby Brown isn't bad for business; you're stealing a lot of the group's profits, and making the other four members vote him out so you can become even more of a loan shark than you already are!
The mothers' phone conversation is even better than tea threads on Lipstick Alley.
New Edition can't survive without Bobby, but as far as no Ralph, they're doing just fine right now.
Industry rule #4080: record people are shady. But All for Love was actually a great album and tour, and if there were more videos besides "Count Me Out", it'd be more popular than their second album. But this version of "Count Me Out"? Easily the worst song in the miniseries, with the original being better by a longshot (worse, there weren't even any harmonies).
Goodbye Gary, you won't be missed. I hope you ate the prime rib, and someone sent your luggage.
Nice going, Zena. You may be his fiancée, but Ralph will NEVER indeed be on Michael Jackson's level. End of story.
That song from Living in a Dream... it's actually good, but it's so trite, bland and useless compared to all other 80s' R&B.
New Edition's not like Phil Collins and the Genesis, they're more like the Beatles.
Ralph's ego trip isn't only Zena's fault, but also Gary and Maurice Starr's fault. Ricky getting a chance to sing lead? Didn't that already happen on some songs in their catalog at this point? Ronnie wouldn't be a good male model with those eyebrows. And Ralph had some nerve to talk about Mike not running things, but look who ended up dealing with financial troubles in the future.
Ralph may have never missed an interview, but he has been absent from both performances and shows throughout the group's tenure, even in their early days. And why would someone like him take a deal with Hollywood Records? IMO, he'd just end up a cornucopia of psychiatric disorders.
"I'm not splitting my money five ways again!" Sorry, Ralph, but truth is, you were turning into a bigger diva than Bobby, and karma is a bitch. If you thought the future members of Bell Biv DeVoe wouldn't do anything without you, then you've lost all common sense.
"Can You Stand the Rain" is easily New Edition's signature song, even without Bobby. And the carmarderie between the four Roxbury guys and Washington D.C. native Johnny looks pretty organic. And Bobby's going on tour with his old bandmates plus Al. B Sure! Wait, what?
Coming up in the final part... all six members of New Edition tour together, and finally accomplish their solo success. But with all those hits and album sales come egos and behavior that would put Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez to shame. On top of that, Ricky suffers in silence with a drug addiction, leading to dire consequences. Stay tuned!
