Melanie Buckingham

**Melanie Alexandra "Mel" Buckingham** (born 1992) is a one of six main characters of *Lights Camera Action*. She was born to Lillian and Tom Buckingham in San Francisco, California but grew up primarily in Miami. It was there in her kindergarten class where she met her best friend, Danika Kors. She is married to a director, Simon Wells. Together they have an adopted daughter, Hannah Buckingham-Wells and Sophie Buckingham-Wells, whom they had together. Mel is also the stepmother to Simon's son, Finley Wells.

## Character Background

### **Childhood**

Mel was born in 1992 in San Francisco, California. When she was four years old, her father got a promotion, moving her family to Miami. Her grandparents stayed in their old home while they were gone and her parents returned to their San Francisco home when her father retired. Over in Miami, Mel went to her first kindergarten class where she met Dani.They continued to be best friends throughout elementary, high school, college and adult life.

From a young age, Mel had two goals: to become a mother and an actress. She would play with her dolls at the same time as planning her Oscar acceptance speech.

She and Dani would always play around with their parents' old video cameras. They would film themselves dancing, acting and so on. Throughout the course of the show, several of these tapes get discovered and watched by the Sexy Six.

### **Teenage Years**

As a teen, Mel was your stereotypical teenage girl. She obsessed over hair, makeup, clothes and boys. She was quite a flirt and had a couple of boyfriends throughout middle school and her freshman year of high school but her first serious long-term relationship started during her sophomore year with a boy named Logan Woodward. He was a sweet, clean-cut boy who was also the quarterback of the football team. They dated for three years until Mel went off to college. In "*Like A Virgin"* it is revealed that Mel lost her virginity to Logan when they were both sixteen. Their prom night, Logan gave Mel a promise ring which she accepted. Mel truly believed she and Logan would be high school sweethearts, get married and have kids together one day. This idea excited her because it was all she ever wanted. Then she realized she hadn't taken into account her career.

As mentioned earlier, Mel maintained her friendship with Dani even throughout the rocky high school years. They kept inside the same social circle and never went to a party or a dance without each other. Mel enjoyed drinking at parties but never took to drugs. She tried smoking once and hated it, especially after her mother warned her of the effects. This was very contrary to Dani so a lot of time Mel would have to take care of Dani and her reckless behaviour. Mel didn't mind though, being a relatively selfless person. She never put up a fuss when it came to looking after the people she cared about. She and Dani had a great high school experience being two of the most popular girls in their grade. All of the boys wanted to date them and all of the girls wanted to be them.

### **College**

By her parents’ request, she attended and graduated from the University of California with Dani where she majored in drama. Mel didn't get around to enjoying herself much her freshman year at UCLA as she was still getting over her breakup with Logan. She also secretly resents Dani for not being there for her during this time as Dani was always busy getting high or drunk of both (which Mel also never really approved of). She also spent a considerable amount of her time during college watching out for Dani yet again. She even took a week off school to take Dani to rehab and get her settled in. After a certain point though, Mel realized all she did was give, no take.

Her second year at UCLA, Mel got out more and met new people. She didn't get into any serious relationships, but went on a few dates. After trying to connect with several guys her age, she realized none of them were anything special and/or had anything in common with her. This is around the time Mel discovered she wanted an older man. Her junior year, Mel scandalously began a relationship with her English professor, Dr. Jonathan Harris. When Dani found out, she applauded Mel on her daring decision and dubbed it her "proudest moment" of Mel.

## Personality

Mel is a loyal and supportive person who cares for everyone close to her. She has an unconditional love for her friends and family, being extremely protective of them, bringing out her motherly qualities. She is called the mother hen of the group and says she uses them to practice for her real future children. Mel always gives and rarely takes. This is shown most prominently when it comes to Dani. Mel is always first to help Dani with her problems (drug addiction, relationships, pregnancies and abortions). This is partly because Mel has a deep love for getting involved with everyone's lives, even when she shouldn't. Sometimes this love for helping others gets her into tricky situations. At times Mel can take it too far and overstep her boundaries and give advice when it isn't asked for. But this is only because she just genuinely cares. She always puts her friends' needs before her own and will try to give her best advice. She is also a very trustworthy person when it comes to secrets which is why a lot of friends come to her with juicy gossip or their most embarrassing stories.

Mel is also a hopeless romantic, who falls for guys hard. She was drawn to Simon since day one partly because of her attraction to much older men. She admires their maturity, life experience and how they are usually more ready to commit than guys her own age. They have their life together involving houses instead of bachelor pads which excites Mel. She shares their higher level of thinking and enjoys the more intelligent conversations.

This isn't to say that Mel doesn't like to get out and have a good time. Being best friends with Dani, she has been on her fair share of social scenes. She is a highly adventurous person who loves new experiences. She loves to have fun with her friends and family whenever she can. She's a very social person who loves to get to know new people. Part of this might be because she loves studying the human race in her own little way. She's extremely observant and studies people's actions, trying to find the reasons behind them. She is very attentive and can usually find out what you're hiding before you even know you're hiding something. She surprises people with their own secrets they thought no one knew. She was also the first person to suspect Dani and Mateo's secret relationship in Season 2.

When Mel is around Dani, her more risque side comes out. She starts to show more rebellious qualities and comes across as more of a badass than a mature motherly figure. Her best stories happen with her best friend as they get up to the craziest things even after college ended. Dani inspires her spontaneity and adventurous nature, having invented several drinking games together as well as rambunctious nights out on the town with random men. But Mel definitely grows out of this much faster than Dani.

Finally, Mel's strength must be addressed. She shows her strength of character on many occasions whether it be: her brother's death, her miscarriage, Dani's overdose, the list goes on. Many difficult things have surfaced in her lifetime but she always handles them with such grace and poise. She almost never loses sight of what is truly important, always keeping a clear head. When she finds out her mother smoked during her pregnancy with her brother, she doesn't lash out. She maintained her composure to discuss it like an adult. Also, her strength is shown in each of her relationships. She never lets anyone push her around and acts like a true independent woman would. She doesn't let anything hold her back, whether it be society, her gender, toxic relationships, nothing. She and Dani are feminists and it shows. They don't let tradition control them, they pave the way to a better world like modern women do.

## Career

Mel always longed to be an actress, as well as a mother. Her own mother never had a career and resented that fact which lead her to encourage her daughters to never give up on their dreams as she did. Mel took this advice to heart and went for her dream not only for herself, but for her mother too.

In 2014, she got hired as an intern on the set of a TV Show. During the "*Pilot"* episode, it shows the Sexy Six starting their first day as interns at Paramount Studios. Three years later in 2017, she gets promoted to a resident at the same studio and from there she keeps working and working to bring herself closer to the acting dream. In 2020, Mel is cast in a mid-season replacement show that doesn't end up doing too well. Discouraged and unemployed, Mel then takes a break from her attempt at the film industry to focus more on her personal life and also to explore different career options.

In 2021, Dani uses her fame to start a fashion line and Mel partners up with her to bring it to life. They travel to Milan for fashion week to debut their line. It turns out to be very successful and Mel is left feeling thrilled of the unexpected positive turn her career took.

Later that same year, Mel and the five other friends get cast in a new medical drama premiering on a popular network. This turns out to be her big break she'd been waiting for her whole life. The show is nominated for several Emmy's each year as the success feels endless and the yearly contracts keep rolling around promising more and more money. By this point, the entire group has been fully accepting into the elite Hollywood world. They are all household names and their level of fame is so astounding, even Simon gets jealous. They have finally made it.

## Relationships

### **Romantic Interests**

#### Simon Wells

Mel and Simon started officially dating around the third episode of the first season, "*Work Hard, Play Hard"*  when Becca finds Simon's pants lying around the apartment which forces Mel to admit to their relationship. In "*Car Wash"* Mel breaks up with Simon after he calls her just one of his co-workers in an interview. In "*Back In Business"* , Mel and the rest of the group come back to work after a suspension and Simon hears that Mel hooked up with Zach Sutherland and gives her hell about it. She insists they were broken up, trying to make him see the light. Finally he does and they get back together. After that, Mel and Simon stay in a consistent relationship until the second episode of the fourth season, "*Upgrade You"* when Mel discovers that Simon has a child from a previous marriage that he kept from her. Before that, they overcome all their problems such as Simon finding about another one of Mel's hookups during their previous breakup and two of them having to keep their relationship a secret during the Season 2 relationship ban. They don't get back together until the Christmas episode of Season 4, "*Santa Baby"*  when Simon gets Mel something she mentioned that always wanted which surprises her because she didn't think he was listening. During that season's penultimate episode, "*Papa Don't Preach",* Mel finds out she's pregnant with Simon's baby. In the Season 5 premiere, "*Hello, Goodbye",* Mel has a miscarriage. Despite this tragedy, their relationship stays strong throughout the entire season. In the fourth episode of the sixth season, "*Locked out"*, Mel runs into Simon's wife, Jennifer Wells-Hardcastle and later discovers that Simon never actually divorced her. He reassures her that he will but in the fifteenth episode of the season, "*Public Display Of Affection",* Mel learns that he's still made no effort to separate from his wifeso she breaks up with him and starts dating an actor, Joshua Grant who also works at Paramount Studios. Two episodes later in *"Simon Says",* Mel finds it too hard to see Simon at work so she quits. During the next episode, "*Private Session",* Simon offers Mel an exclusive audition to try and win her back but she tells him she is not coming back to the studio. They share a kiss but Mel still tells him no and finds another job at Universal Studios. In Season 6's penultimate episode, "*As Long As You Love Me",* Simon finally divorces Jennifer, but this unfortunately makes his son resent him. Finally, after a long season of being on the rocks, the two make up in the finale, "*Go Your Own Way".* In the premiere of the seventh season, "*With Or Without You",* Mel learns that she's pregnant but doesn't tell Simon yet, scared of having another miscarriage.

*Main article:* *Mel and Simon*

#### Graeme Ramsay

Mel and Graeme were friends way before they started dating, and even when they started dating, they were always more of friends than partners. That's what made it so easy for them to move on after their mutual breakup, especially since the main reason they dated was to get over other people whom they truly loved (i.e Becca and Simon). They started dating at the very end of the third episode of Season 4, "*Replacement".* They date until the ninth episode of the same season, "*Ball so hard".* During this time, the two of them only got as far as second base with each other. Most of their relationship mirrored their friendship and the Sexy Six often forget that they ever dated.

#### Logan Woodward

Mel and Logan met at a high school dance during their sophomore year (*2007)* and dated until early 2011 while Mel was at UCLA. They fell in love at first sight, like Mel does in every relationship she has. Logan asked her to dance and they did to "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's. Now every time Mel hears the song, she gets nostalgic and sometimes even teary eyed. Logan was her first real relationship and the first she was ever really in love with a boy, not just the idea of them. When they were both sixteen in their junior year of high school, they both lost their virginities to each other to the same song as their first slow dance. Mel described it in *"Like A Virgin"* as a very romantic affair with candles and rose petals everywhere. They were a very happy couple for the entirety of their relationship and everyone in the school was jealous of what they had together. Except Dani, that is. They were voted Prom King and Queen two years in a row and everyone thought they would high school sweethearts and eventually get married and have kids together. They believed it, too. The night of their senior prom, Logan gave Mel a promise ring and she accepted it. Mel truly believed they would have the future everyone expected for them, but when the next fall came and Mel was off to California for university, that future seemed harder to attain. They decided to try a long-distance relationship and maintained that for a few months until one drunken night, Dani encouraged Mel to go home with this guy she had been crushing on for months. She resisted it though because of Logan, but it had been months since she's seen him. The next morning after she realized what happened, she called him and broke it off. She didn't tell him about the cheating until several years later at their high school reunion.

#### Zach Sutherland

Mel and Zach met through work at the studio. There was always been a deep hatred between them; Mel being one of Nicole's interns and Zach one of Taylor's (aka: Taylor Trash). But Mel needed someone to ease the pain of her breakup with Simon. They never actually developed a romantic relationship, but they slept together once in 2015 during the first season. Simon finds out about their hookup in the twentieth episode of that same season, "*Back In Business".* The Sexy Six often make fun of Mel for sleeping with a member of Taylor's team.

#### Connor Abrams

Mel slept with Connor during her first breakup with Simon during the first season. They never started a romantic relationship, Mel only hooked up with him because he was in the right place at the right time. Connor worked as a gaffer on set and got fired by Simon when he found out about them in the fourth episode of Season 3, "*Seeing Is Believing".*

### **Friendships**

#### Danika Kors

Mel and Dani have one of the strongest friendships on the show, having been best friends since 1997. They met in kindergarten and have been inseparable ever since. They always have each other's back in every situation and know every ounce of detail about one another. They both discovered their love for acting together and chased that dream hand in hand. In high school they never went anywhere without each other and both maintained high statuses there. The two of them knew they had power in the school, and people would part down the middle when they walked down the hallways to let them through. Although they might have been bitches to people they disapproved of, but always supported each other no matter what, even if they didn't approve of the decision the other made. For example, when Dani started doing drugs and smoking, Mel disapproved heavily but didn't try to control her (knowing it never even work). But, when Dani finally chose to go to rehab and needed support, Mel was right there with her every step of the way, ready to offer it. They both got accepted into the University of California together and made the move from Miami to L.A together. They were roommates for all four years. They were also both successful in getting internships at the same studio and in the "*Pilot'* episode of the series, they become roommates yet again, moving into the same apartment (with Becca as well). The two of them share a few personality traits which is expected after being together for decades. They both share similar humour and often laugh at the same things. They rarely make fun of each other, but make fun of other people together. It has been said about them that when they're together, they're almost feared - a force to be reckoned with. Separately they are both already have very powerful presences, but when they get together, it's undeniable. Whenever they share a victory, they usually celebrate with what they call a "high boob" where they jump up slightly and hit their chests together. This shocks a lot of people because from the outside they appear to be traditional, docile and gentle girls. But in reality, Dani and Mel aren't anything if they aren't strong, independent, modern women. They aren't afraid to speak up and take up space. When they learned what feminism was in the eighth grade, they decided to make it one of their missions to change the way in which the world perceived women. They were unapologetically fierce, with bold personalities who owned their bodies and their sexuality. Several of their ways would be thought of as traditionally masculine, such as the way in which they fight. It needs to be said first of all that Dani and Mel rarely fight. On the rare occasion that they do, they either go outside and settle it in a physical fight, or they'll talk about how stupid it is to fight in the first place. Their longest recorded fight was during Season 8 when Mel believed Dani stole the spotlight at her wedding. Part of this comes from Mel's secret need to be as good or better than Dani. Their whole friendship, she has felt in competition with her whether it be for boys, friends, popularity, beauty, etc. But being a smart girl, Mel knew how stupid it was to be jealous of her best friend so she bottled it up. But at her wedding, a day she had been looking forward to her entire life, she had had enough with the secret rivalry and let all her feelings from all those years come out. Others are often jealous of Dani and Mel's friendship, in particular, Becca who had the task of living with them for years. She always felt like the third wheel and envied how close the were. Dani and Mel are aware that people envied them, and milked it a lot of time by speaking solely in inside jokes or linking arms or even performing an elaborate handshake.

*Main article: Dani and Mel*

#### Rebecca Conrad

Mel and Becca met in 2014 when they were both hired as interns on the same TV Show set. They developed a close friendship from being in the same circle of friends and also from living together. Becca is always desperate for Mel's approval and one of biggest wishes is for Mel to come to her for advice instead of Dani. In "Kiss And Tell", Dani is out so Mel goes to Becca to talk about her problems. But in the end, Becca's advice didn't fare well and Dani called her out on it. Becca is extremely jealous of Mel and Dani and at several points during the series she tries to one-up their friendship and one-up Dani to get closer to Mel. Becca always ends up being the third wheel in the girls' apartment and Mel and Dani sometimes gang up on her. But despite that, Mel and Becca are actually very supportive of each other and look out for one another. For example, in "Sexy Back", Mel organizes a photo shoot for Becca to help her feel sexy and beautiful in her own skin. Also, since the two of them both have such a kind and loving nature, they are always helping each other out in whatever way they can. In Season 3 when Mel learns that Becca has been fired, she does everything in her power to try and get her the job back. Becca is also an amazing support system for Mel whenever she goes through rough patches with Simon among other things. Becca is also the only one who truly understands Mel undying need to have children and the pain she goes through when she has her miscarriages. One of Becca and Mel's rockiest times was in Season 4 when Mel dated Graeme after he left Becca. And in result of Mel's rage against Simon, she let it out on Becca by rubbing that relationship in her face. Mel and Becca love to have the stereotypical female friendship together since Mel misses out on that being best friends with Dani. They love to watch chick flicks, get their hair and nails done, go shopping among other things. One of the strongest points for Becca and Mel was during Season 9 when the two of them are pregnant at the same time. The two of them bonded over that experience - going to lamaze classes together, reading parenting books together, having a joint baby shower. In Season 10, they both compete for "Best Mom" which Dani inevitably awards to Mel which of course pisses Becca off. But overall, Becca and Mel share an undeniable bond and both serve as the foundation of the group. They are always looking out for the others, sharing the role of the mother hen.

*Main article: Becca and Mel*

## Style and Appearance

Mel is a very beautiful blonde with gentle features and a slender frame. Her hair hangs in beachy waves just past her bust. Her hair is naturally dirty blonde but she bleaches it to be lighter. She has a kind face, making her easy to approach. Her grey-blue eyes sparkle and compliment her other features. She has a small and slight figure that her sister would always make fun of. Because of this, Mel used to wish for more curves until Dani pointed out to her that her sister was probably just jealous.

Mel's style is very bohemian. Most everything she wears is loose and flowing, her wardrobe full of blouses, sack dresses, maxi skirts and flare pants. She loves prints of all sorts and always piles on the jewelry. Hats are definitely one of her staples as well as gladiator sandals.

## Memorable Quotes

* **Mel:** So I was making the first big decision of my life. My parents didn’t approve, so… I guess you could call me a rebel! Sort of. I set off on my own and for the first time, I actually did something entirely for myself. And good thing, too, ‘cause now I'm an actor.
* **Nicole**: Interns! That way!
* **Mel**: Well, *almost* an actor. (*"Pilot")*

* **Mel:** If you were trying to be fashionably late, that was five minutes ago. (*"Pilot")*

* **Mel:** I heard that on average, five billionaires drown in their money each year. (*"Pilot"*)

* **Mel:** Oh mine! Becca! Mine! *That* is *my* man!!
* **Nick:** Wait, him?
* **Mel:** No, not Becca's massage therapist.
* **Nick:** Wait, so *this* is your boyfriend? Oh sorry, *your* man?!
* **Mel:** Okay, he is *not* my boyfriend!
* **Nick:** (scoffing) Okay!
* **Mel:** I'm serious, Nick.
* **Nick:** Okay.
* **Mel:** We're nothing!
* **Nick:** Then why did you call him *your* man?
* **Mel:** I meant my invite. I invited him. (*"Housewarming")*

* **Mel:** I'm sorry about all this. My friends are...
* **Simon:** Funny-
* **Mel:** -crazy.
* **Simon:** No, really. I'm glad I came.
* **Mel:** Really?
* **Simon:** Really. Maybe some other time, it could just be me and you. (*"Housewarming")*

* **Nicole:** Now for Buckingham palace… oh, you’re with Simon. (pause) Did you hear what I said?
* **Mel:** Um. Yes. Yes I did.
* **Nicole:** Do you have a problem with tha-
* **Mel:** No! No!!! (pause) But like, I’m not over-eager or anything… *("Dine And Dash")*

* **Mateo:** So how long have you two been… lovers?
* **Simon:** Um...
* **Mel:** Well...
* **Simon:** Dessert?
* **Mel:** That'd be nice! (then to Mateo) What the hell!?
* **Becca:** Heck-
* **Mel:** What the hecking hell??
* **Becca:** That's... worse.
* **Mateo:** So! Are you sleeping over, or...? *("Dine And Dash")*

* **Mel:** *My* best friend and *your* best friend had a fun little fling. *My* best friend, like *your* best friend, has a great deal of experience in the area of one night stands. So! When *my* best friend and *your* best friend had what *my* best friend believed to be one of *those*, *my* best friend didn’t find it necessary to consult with y*our* best friend about whether or not she could see someone other than *your* best friend! *("Wedding Bell Blues")*