In the mid-1980s, the Monkees are hot stuff again after MTV has reintroduced them to a whole new generation of fans. The executives at their old recording label wants them to record some new tunes for a 20th anniversary album and go on a reunion to...
Mike started flaking out and not showing up for parenting dinners. His ego had already become somewhat inflated after he won a Grammy for Elephant Parts for Video of the Year, but once he got into producing movies, he became the true megalomaniac he was born to be. His first movie was Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, a science fiction time-travel flick about a hero who fights the bad guys in the 1800s from the seat of his motorbike.
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Next he tried his hand at producing music videos, turning in a very unique and catchy presentation for Lionel Ritchie's video for his song All Night Long.
Then he invested in a quirky, dark movie called Repo Man, for which he was Executive Producer, and was very hands-on in terms of the daily production schedule.
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In truth, he just wanted to be in the milieu of the magical realm of movie-making, but his excuse for anyone who questioned his micromanaging approach was that he was watching over his investment. He even had a small role in the movie, playing a rabbi. He thought this might amuse Wendy. It didn't, particularly because by now he was missing in action in her and Robbie's life more and more.
Wendy was also concerned that Mike still had made no move towards contacting Deandra to arrange for visitation for his son Jason. It was the end of 1983 and the boy was now almost 3 years old. She had heard about Mike's stubborn neglect through Troy, who had kept tabs on the situation as his lawyer of record in the matter. While he had set up a trust for the boy and provided for every financial need the boy might have, he had yet to meet Jason or even stand in the same room as him.
Mike's callous disregard for one of his sons and his increasing disregard for his other one worried Wendy. The parenting dinners weren't part of their formal custody agreement, but Wendy considered them an important supplement to it and an invaluable opportunity for Robbie to learn that he had an extended family of his parents' friends who would cherish and look after him. It also was good for him to see that his father was esteemed and liked by others, even if his mom didn't like him all that much. So after missing a month's worth of dinners, Wendy decided she needed to call Mike out on his absence.
