KNOTS LANDING

[EricMontreal22]

Of course I meant Shout Factory not Box lol

[Soapsuds]

It's ok...I understand.

[DRW50]

Does Shout Factory do any commentary or extra features?

There were still some self-contained episodes but otherwise it was all serial.

Aside from a few rough patches, KL was still pretty watchable all the way through season 12. Then season 13 hit, and it was never the same, but the last year was still OK.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah their thirtysomething boxes have a number of commentaries, etc. Their Peyton Place of course has none (and apparently it's one of their most requested titles to be continued but the company that owns PP isn't happy with their sales, even though Shout Factory is. GRRRRR I don't get why companies aren't happy when they could make SOME money instead of none.)

[CalliopeJonesRules]

I have a feeling we will never see season 3 on DVD- thank goodness I taped every episode when it was on TNT years ago(minus a handful). Now to dig out my old tapes from where ever they are.

I was so looking forward to the introduction of Ciji. That was my favorite season ever. She was my favorite character ever.- Though I do have a soft spot for Abby, Linda, and Anne.

[quartermainefan]

Sid's death shocked me. That was the most memorable moment for me out of the entire show, I have to say. He was one of the main stars and then it happened, and I never really saw that on a TV show before. I am the rare KL watcher than prefers the cul-de-sac early years. It wasn't a full soap, but it was like watching Eight Is Enough or a show like that, but with adults.

[DRW50]

What I thought was interesting with Sid's death was they wrote it where his refusal to live in a wheelchair was what killed him. That he had a choice, and he basically chose to die.

[All My Shadows]

I see a little EiE in Knots, too. They were produced by Lorimar at the same time, so it makes sense that they have a similar style and feel. I popped in a disc this morning and watched Breach of Faith, which was probably my favorite of the second season so far, shocking because Abby wasn't a HUGE presence, but she made a lot of things happen.

I finally picked up S1 and will be watching from the beginning when I get a chance. I've seen the pilot dozens of times, but I'll tune in again just because.

[All My Shadows]

So far, I like the first season a lot more than the second. Maybe having S1 in my mind will make S2 better, who knows.

These early episodes remind me a lot of the early episodes of Dallas in which they spend a good 45 minutes weaving together this big plot and then everything is resolved in a matter of seconds at the end of the show. Dallas and Falcon Crest did it more abruptly, but Knots still does it too. But I'm loving the general atmosphere of the show, the suburban feel and what-not. The kid actors on this show are way underrated, especially the Fairgate boys (as for Lonow...I think she gets better later on when she and Chip went on the run).

"The Lie" was a really good episode, but it amazes me how easy it was for Laura (and Karen in the previous episode) to just go out and think about cheating on her husband. I don't like to put the blame on the woman in rape cases at all, but it can't be ignored that Laura's choice to follow this strange man to his apartment while there is a rapist on the loose was incredibly stupid. And Val! Val kept dropping the ball! The second she realized Laura lied to the police, she should have opened her mouth.

All in all, though, I'm loving this season. WB needs to get off it and put out at least 3-5 and at least another season or two of Falcon Crest. *cough* and Flamingo Road would be nice, too.

[DRW50]

The first season is good, and I appreciate that they weren't locked into easy patterns of later years (like the Val/Karen friendship which stifled character development and became a crutch more than an actual friendship -- it's nice to get to see Val spend more time with Laura, or just on her own). You can tell they were still feeling their way around, mostly trying to tackle what they saw as important topics. The episodes seem very all over the place. You have some which are good but which are also tough to watch and would have been better if they weren't self-contained (Laura's rape, Karen's pregnancy and miscarriage), and others which are just pure camp (the biker gang) or came a bit too early in the show's lifespan (the teacher and Karen almost having an affair). There's also a certain falseness at times, mostly in episodes like the one about JR's visit. I think the episodes which worked best were the ones which managed to use the self-contained format in its best way, like Lucy coming to Knots Landing (although I could have done without the stuff at Kenny's house), the episode with Lillimae where everyone thinks about their mother, or the episode where Ginger was harassed because of her abortion. The one about Richard's money problems I haven't seen in a long time, I should watch that again, it just isn't one I wanted to see again.

I think that the third season was best at self-contained episodes.

One of my favorite things in the early seasons was the Olivia/Val friendship, which was kind of forgotten later on, and would have been useful when Olivia became such a bitch in her last few years.

[Soaplovers]

I was a kid when Knots Landing was a big hit so I didn't know the specifics of the early years of the show. When TNT reran the whole series in the 90's, I finally got to see the early episodes and was surprised at how different it was. My thoughts are as follows:

Self-contained vs. Serial: I was surprised the first three seasons were self-containted (the first season especially had only self-contained vs 2 & 3 that had some continuing elements going on). I think that this was a great idea because the audience got to know the characters and what made them tick. Once it went to serial form officially in the 4th season, we already knew the character's and cared about them. I think to revive the prime-time soap, you need to start a show with self-contained episodes then switch to a soap like structure down the road. That's what the new show 'Lonestar' is planning to do.

Val: I was surprised at how rural she acted but I also noticed that she had an inner strength and wisdom not seen in later years. To me, she seemed to be the advice giver and less of a victim in those early shows. Sadly in the later years, she became a caricature and always the weak one compared to Karen, Laura, and Abby.

As someone mentioned above, I liked that Val interacted with the other women more. She had some great scenes with Laura, a few with Ginger, and even got along with Abby. What fascinated me about Abby/Val was that they seemed to get along with each other in some respects. They would have coffee at each other's homes, worked out together, and took advice from one another. What's even more interesting was that Abby stole Val's husband but they seemed to still be somewhat friendly with each other in the later years.

[alphanguy74]

AMS, once you get to the final episodes of season 2 and into season 3... that's when it gets really GOOD. Seasons 3,4,5, and 6 are just perfect television in every way. I'd feel like my heart was gonna jump out my chest every week at the end of the episode. Of course, subject matter such as that makes a bigger impact on a 12-16 year old.... but from the perspective of someone who watched the original telecasts from fisrt episode to the last, even when it was "bad", it wans't that bad... except for a couple eppies. In season 1, I think "the Lie" is the best. But the psychological undercurrents in Richard and Laura's relationship is so complex and interesting. The episode "Night" (I think it's in season 4) is AWSEOME in this regard. Connie's much more brilliant than what she's given credit for.

Edited August 10, 2010 by alphanguy74

[DRW50]

Night is late season 3. It's a very strong episode, another showcase for John Pleshette, who played the hell out of Richard. Laura and Richard had a fascinating relationship, as Laura became stronger and stronger and felt Richard was a burden to her, but often had no choice but to stay with him. Richard I believe did genuinely love Laura, but was a screwed up, desperately insecure man who had no idea how to express love. One of the most powerful moments ever on a KL season finale was season 4 when he quietly said goodnight to his children and left, never to return, because he had decided he was a burden to them and to Laura.

[alphanguy74]

Thanks, Carl.. I couldn't remember exactly when "Night" came along. "Celebration" was also one of my favorites. the final scenes on that is one of the most exquisitely filmed sequences on any night time soap. Jealous Ginger signing (To be honest, I thought Kim Lankford was a better singer than Lisa Hartman) in Ciji's place, and her voice singing while we watch Ciji's body wash up on the beach was beautiful and chilling at the same time. And the fact that Ciji was pregnant gave that whole thing an extra layer. You nailed Richard perfectly, I thought his and Laura's relationship was the most interesting.

Edited August 10, 2010 by alphanguy74

[DRW50]

Ciji was an odd character, in that she was not unsympathetic, but she was very aggressive in what she wanted. There hadn't really been a character like that on the show before, which is probably why they brought Lisa Hartman back after Ciji died (they never quite seemed to know what to do with Cathy). The part of Ciji I enjoyed most was her friendship with Laura, it was a real breath of fresh air, especially since by that time Laura had no strong friendships with anyone else (Karen always seemed to take Richard's side).

There was a great soapy scene in that season where Ciji was singing and Karen, who had told Mack she couldn't be in a relationship with him, began weeping and weeping as she heard the lyrics.