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Episode 14 “Melvin” Details

Air Date	March 24, 2025
Network	CBS
Director	Kim Wayans
Writer	Dean Lorey, Damon Wayans

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Recap

Poppa’s brother, Melvin, comes to the house, and with Melvin being a master of sleight of hand, Poppa tries his best to keep anything of value close to his person. Now, does this stop Melvin from getting the glasses off Poppa’s face? Nope. But, it makes Junior giggle as much as when Melvin did all of this when he was a kid.

However, as a grown man, Junior comes to understand why Poppa and Melvin have a slightly strained relationship. It isn’t just because their father, Sir, seemed to favor Poppa, but also because Melvin is a bit of a hustler, a con man, and isn’t necessarily above pulling one on family. Junior is almost drawn into Melvin’s latest con, but Poppa is able to get through to Melvin to at least have Melvin give Junior the chance to know what he is getting into – which could include jail time.

Thankfully, Junior is smart enough not to take things that far, and so Melvin goes off to South America for his next opportunity.

Cast and Characters

Previously Introduced Character(s)	Actor
Poppa Damon	Damon Wayans
Damon Junior	Damon Wayans Jr.

Melvin (Marlon Wayans)

Melvin has always sought not necessarily the easiest way to do things, but rather a way that allows his charm to smooth things out. Because of this, Melvin has sometimes run afoul as he has used various methods, including conning people, to make a living, and even at his age, some jail time doesn’t scare him and he treats it as part of doing business.

Review

Trajectory (75/100): Decline

One of the main struggles we may always have with “Poppa’s House” is that once it found a formula that seemingly worked for the Damons, it stuck to that, and it seems not to want to really change that formula. To make things worse, it acknowledges that things have to end with Poppa giving a backstory, in order to wrap things up and explain why he did, said, or feels the way he does. Which, as noted previously, if it truly felt heartfelt, like “Wig,” then it would be fine. But that’s not the case here – it just feels like a weekly churn that isn’t going anywhere positive.

And at this point, I’m struggling to think of how or if there is a desire for “Poppa’s House” to do better. While presenting Ivy’s mother and ex-husband was a move in a positive direction, the show is episodic, and outside of Damon Sr. bringing up Leon for a few episodes, nothing else has really been continuous, story-wise. I mean, even Ivy liking Poppa hasn’t been something that has had any real commitment and mind you, I don’t support it, but at the same time, it is one of the few storylines Ivy has had that made her more than a sidekick.

Now, bringing in Marlon and his role as Melvin, I’ll admit I laughed and loved his energy, but like most guest stars, or reoccurring characters, I didn’t find Melvin’s appearance as special as it should be seen or could have been. The only family we’ve seen of Poppa’s has been his son and ex-wife. With that in mind, Melvin should have gotten the build-up Catherine didn’t get, and it should have been a notable arrival.

I mean, Ivy alone, especially with how Melvin was flirting with her, should have gotten to do more, ask questions about Poppa, the family beyond Junior, and give us a sense if she could fit in. Even with Junior playing naïve, as he usually does, it would have been nice to get more of Melvin and Junior interacting and seeing why Melvin was his favorite uncle.

There is just so little done with people who could and should shake things up that it almost feels like “Poppa’s House” is made to be a sacrificial lamb to get the Wayans name back out there, but not be the type of comeback you’d expect for the legendary family.

On The Fence

• Melvin Doesn’t Really Add Much [75/100]

“Poppa’s House” Guide