The CW’s premiere of Melrose Place, the new version, did everything it was supposed to do…even if it did rely upon a few shopworn plot ideas to do it. There was much less shock factor and much more slick appeal than what was to be expected. But at the end of the episode, enough loose ends were left hanging to keep audiences coming back for more.

To sum it up, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’s acting was bad, Sydney’s part was pretty small and the blonde girl? Completely unlikable so far - but definitely a diva worth hating.

The episode opened in a flashy nightclub and squeezed in as many character introductions as possible - a good-looking face here, a few exchanged comments there, and suddenly David Breck (Shaun Sipos) was running off to rescue Sydney (Laura Leighton).

She was dead in the very next scene, opened by Violet Foster’s (Ashlee’s) scream. By the end of the episode, viewers had discovered more than one possible motive for the murder and several different suspects. Since Auggie Kirkpatrick (Colin Egglesfield) was seen burning bloody clothes in an alley, he seems a pretty safe bet as the killer…but there’s bound to be a wrench thrown into the works in Episode #2..

One good girl turned into a prostitute, the resident couple got engaged and I’m pretty sure Ashlee Simpson-Wentz isn’t going to improve. But the production? It’s really, really good, and hopefully the writers will even manage to inject some creativity into their storytelling soon. In the meantime, Sydney’s killer is still at large…though it’s pretty clear she probably deserved what she got.

Hooked yet?