Chris B

Damn. There’s so many characters, it’s hard to know which spoilers to really take seriously and which ones will be a minor 1-2 episode thing. I got invested in the Chet/Terry stuff, so I’m curious if they’ll try someone else with her or push her back into the background. Also as someone who loved Spinelli, I’m curious what they’ll do with him.

It’s available for free on Amazon Prime’s Freevee app! You don’t even need an Amazon account if you download the Freevee app. https://www.amazon.com/Falcon-Crest-Complete-First-Season/dp/B006VA4JRS/ref=nodl_

@VeeIve been loving your recaps and I’m happy to see you’re enjoying the early seasons! There are some clunkers in the first three seasons, but for the most part they really hit the mark in developing those characters. The foundation they laid not only with the various characters, but the entanglements fueling so much story in what was considered the glory days. I feel like the self-contained days on Dallas didn’t really do much for those characters, so I always appreciated that Knots took a more grounded approach with them. I cannot wait for you to get to season four! I’m also curious how you’ll feel about Claudia Lonow when she transitions to a main character in the same season. I grew the love her although I’ll admit she was incredibly unlikable, but I loved what that meant for Karen and her dynamic with Abby was interesting as well. I hope you don’t mind me spoiling it, but I loved that they brought her back in the final season (and the reunion) which allowed her character to come full circle. It was unexpected but a nice call back to the early years.

@JosephI'm going to skip that clip because I'm only four episodes in. Season 9 so far is chilling and I find that I'm loving it. It's probably been 15 years since I last saw this season! One thing I like is that they seem to have a strong handle on the main cast and the new characters are working for me as well. Michael Sharpe and his sister Lauren seem interesting and it's nice to have a new rival for Richard. It's something fresh at least. I love that my girl Emma has a central storyline that affects everybody, instead of a B or C story as usual. It's sad to see her last relationship didn't work out, but I like where this is going. I don't think they've messed Emma up and from memory, the story has a strong pay off for her. Lance the past two seasons has been a revelation. I about died when he told Charley it was disrespectful to walk around the house in his undies, when Lance used to do that all the time. I feel like Pilar is the perfect match for him and they've done a good job of maturing him. I know many hate Pilar because they view her as a Melissa replacement, but the two characters are quite different. Melissa was never the love of Lance's life either, so I don't mind that he's found happiness with Pilar. Maggie's death remains one of the greatest and most shocking exits in soap history IMO. I also feel like after watching their relationship develop, it could've only ended in doom. From the moment Maggie got with Richard she fought every sign and instinct that told her to run away from him. I'm enjoying seeing Richard on the bottom and lose everything--his business, his money, his kids and his wife. The only thing that truly saddens me is that Jane Wyman couldn't film this full season. I just know if she was in better health they would've taken Angie to new heights. I'm glad they gave her a strong exit though. Especially with her age I could see other writers simply sending her to Europe as planned or an off screen accident, but for someone as formidable as Angela, I was glad we got to see her interactions with Charley and her fight. It's added to the terror that character brings and any second Emma is around him I'm worried for her safety. I'm going to be sad when this binge ends, but I'm glad they went out trying, whether people like the season or not. It's sad that Dallas started the primetime soap boom and it's the one of the big four that just gave up in the end. Say what you will about the final seasons of FC, Dynasty and Knots, but they at least tried to do something with the time they had left.

I just finished season 8 and this has been one of my favorite seasons. It's like a love letter to the early years. The stories were more grounded and rural and I think they did a good job of refocusing the show on the Channing and revamped Aggreti families. For the first time in years we have younger characters that work as well, with Ben, Gabriel and Tommy. Richard and Maggie had a GREAT story arc that perfectly sets up the darkness of her season 9 exit. I loved the way they built up Angela and Richard's relationship only for him to turn on her in the end. The entire kidnapping arc was fantastic. I also enjoyed Ana-Alicia's return as Samantha. She could've been a useful character to keep. And of course this season did a good job of repairing the damage done to my favorite character, Miss Emma. Now I'm looking forward to diving into the very controversial final season, then I will give my rankings for the entire series.

Apparently, his return should've been friday, but preemptions means it airs today.

@VeeTo answer your question on the previous page about Gary and Val on Dallas 2.0, they did reconcile in the end, but it was poorly done. Gary was one of the few returning characters they got right and they did give him a bit to do, but that show was so plot driven that there wasn't much room to develop stuff. With Lucy, she appeared semi-regularly, but we never learned a thing about where she was in life now and when her parents returned, they cut one scene with Gary and Val (and didn't even include it on DVD). If the show was better written, they should've done more with the potential Sue Ellen/Gary/Val triangle. It felt so incomplete because Sue Ellen and Val literally only had that one scene and nothing else. As well as Gary fit in, I would've kept him and at least have Val make regular guest appearances here and there.

Vee, I'm loving your thoughts on the early years! I'm glad you see the appeal of the Avery's. Laura's life is so damn miserable, but I love that she doesn't give up and tries to change things for herself. Richard is such a slimey weasel, but I loved him and I sympathize with him for some reason. I loved his relationship with Abby, which highlighted how pathetic he is. You mentioned the Gary/JR scene when JR crossed over, but the real gold for me is whenever Val and Gary had a scene together. I don't think Larry Hagman had better chemistry with anyone than Joan Van Ark. I love that Joan always played the backstory and the hurt over what he did to her. She could tell so much with just a look. Val really starts coming into her own in season four. Season three I feel belongs to Karen, but lord does JVA give some amazing Emmy worthy performances in season four. That season is also the only season where Kenny and Ginger are fully integrated in the cast and actually interesting. I'm curious how you'll react to them at that point.

I'm 10 episodes into season 8 and I'm still loving it. I find that I don't miss Melissa at all. In a way, she's been out of my mind for a while now because she was so unwatchable the past two years. Had they kept her, I think they would've had to bring Cole and Joseph back and I could see the writers doing a good job bringing her back to her roots. In my previous viewings I never cared for Pilar, but Kristin Alfonso's performances are better than I remembered. She has good chemistry with Richard and Lance and I like the idea of her coming from a poor family, getting an education and coming back to spread the wealth amongst her people. Another bright light this season is Emma. The previous writer wrote her as a joke, but she's been humanized again. She's still eccentric, but she isn't the butt of everyone's joke and I like seeing the family actually care about what's going on in her life again. This season feels very similar to the first three seasons, but I will admit it isn't packed with the more plot driven stories from Falcon Crest's glory years. It feels almost like Knots Landing meets Falcon Crest.

I don’t mind producers bringing on people they previously worked with as long as they fit the show and are necessary. But here, do we need another white male in that age range? No.

Back in the day I used to be one of the mods on KnotsLanding.net and I got to talk to Kim Lankford when setting up her interview. One thing she mentioned is that after season four (when I feel the writers finally understood Kenny and Ginger), they were supposed to spin off into a music based show called Nashville. She wanted to do it but Jim Houghton wanted to become a writer and she seemed pretty upset by it.

Thankfully I feel the early years are more mature than the mess that was season one of Melrose Place lol. Season one actually ranks among my favorite seasons. The show was initially inspired by Scenes From A Marriage and I thought they did a good job of picking topics that could explore that. Season one dealt with adultry, rape, ex-wives, parenting children, abortion, etc. One character who I felt was at her very best was Karen, who was allowed to be more sexy and grey as the young wife to Sid. As the years went on, she became a more traditional heroine. I also love what a complicated and unique character Laura was. Constance McCashin was a unique and understated actress and she did a great job with whatever they threw at her. There is a clear weak link in the early years and that's Kenny and Ginger, but they had their good moments as well, including being the center of the very first cliffhanger.

I think Venus and Sally didn't return because they weren't close to the cast and there were years between seasons four and five. And you are correct. Originally, season five was going to include Lydia and Gina and Simone and Jackie weren't in the picture. Filming was canceled due to Covid and Lydia/Gina could no longer do it, but Jackie returned and Simone was added as a new housewife.

The first season is completely self-contained, but if you are open to the format, it has some really strong episodes. Season two and three are a mixture of both formats and then season four is when things become completely serialized. I personally still enjoy those first three seasons. They have a lot of memorable episodes and the episodes are well written. I also think they are important to the development of many of the characters, especially Karen, Richard, Laura and Valene.

I like Kristin Anderson. I’d be open to seeing her back on a soap.

I’m curious who it is as well. Jacob Young?

If the writing is good, I find this isn't the case. Like much of Knots Landing, which evolved really well throughout the 80s and always kept itself fresh until the end. I find that show holds up incredibly well. So does the best of Dallas, but these particular seasons of Falcon Crest were too trendy and plot driven to have long term appeal. Surprisingly, I'm four episodes into season 8 and I'm finding it so much more enjoyable. I liked that they brought back Ceasar Romero for Vicky's exit, which actually ended up being a shame because the new writers calmed her down and wrote her in a way where I might be interested in seeing her. Melissa's death is definitely a misstep, but I like that the focus is back on Falcon Crest and the valley and the core characters. The new people being brought in are supporting to the main cast and aren't dominating stories as new characters tend to do on Falcon Crest. I'm very curious to see when it goes off the rails completely.

The fans on another board I’m on also enjoy 6 and 7 which I do not understand. Ratings were good too! I think maybe they were fun at the time, but they’ve aged poorly. For example, the fashions became very 80s and the synthesizer score plays horribly now. But on the flip side there was nonstop action and lots of sex, even if the storylines didn’t make any sense.

I just realized I didn't respond to this. Christian LeBlanc was a finalist for Lance during the initial casting and he also auditioned when Richard was going to appear during season one. Michael Zaslow was a finalist for the final version, which ended up being cast with David Selby. I just finished season 7 and boy was it bad until the end. I thought Dallas and Dynasty had some rough seasons, but I'm going on record that this was the most unwatchable season of any of the big primetime soaps. I also watched the first episode of season 8 and it's a shame it doesn't work out because it starts off good. That dreadful synthesizer is gone and the focus is on the core characters again without so many outsiders. Kristian Alfonso's introduction is also good and the writing for Melissa has improved. I like that she finally got what she wanted (Falcon Crest), but is realizing she still isn't happy.

I just finished episode 21 of season 7 and it remains awful. I know Jeff Freilich likes to say he was fired due to budget concerns, but the show is so awful that I'm sure that had something to do with it. It's crazy I'm so far into the season and there is still not one storyline I would say is a success. I do like that Maggie and Richard are married, but I wouldn't say they're well written. If anything, this helps set up her death in season 9. He currently has her daughter kidnapped in a European prison and is constantly putting her life in danger. Her tragic end was bound to happen as she avoids every red flag since getting with Richard.

Monique also announced that she turned down a WWHL appearance because she doesn't owe Bravo anything. Personally, I think that is stupid. I would hold my head high and show up and show I have a new show. Also, Andy was supportive of her. As for her Girls Trip replacement: LISA WU! This woman was excellent in both of her seasons (and Sheree said she brings it when she returns this season), but she's largely ignored. I don't know why she wasn't called or why they don't bring her back as an official friend. I hope the thing Sheree teased puts her back on peoples radar. I'm not sure if it was discussed, but in Carlos King's latest podcast, he mentioned how he was offered the EP position for season 11 of RHOA, but turned it down because they wouldn't allow him to work with his production company and wanted him as a contractor. He's mentioned that before, but the bombshell is that he was *thisclose* to becoming the EP of RHOD for season two. He said he saw potential with Leanne and had big plans for the show, but again, they wanted him to work as a contractor and Goodbye Pictures didn't want to share the production duties. He said the biggest issue with the EP for RHOD is that he had never done a Real Housewives show and didn't understand it, which we know is true. It's such a shame because he was critical to launching RHONJ and RHOA, the two highest rated franchises. Why wouldn't Bravo give him a show at RHOD? Goodbye Pictures has only ever produced forgotten one season Bravo shows. They choose him over a proven hit? It makes no sense, but whiteness allows you to get rewarded for mediocrity. He said he's still open to reviving it, or producing another HW show, but who knows if Bravo will do it.

That premiere was excellent! That’s how you come out the gate strong and set the tone for the season. I already cannot wait for next week! The cast definitely needed the refresh, but it's clear how important production is, because you could immediately feel the stamp of the new producers. The editing was tighter and it looked more glam. I don’t miss Porsha or Cynthia, not because I didn’t like them, but because we got years with them and it’s nice to see the dynamics get changed up after so long of the same issues. Marlo was flawless as a peach holder. It completely transformed her by allowing us into her life instead of only having her pop up to show fashions. I also feel like after some weak seasons, Kandi feels more vocal and needed right now. Drew is determined to embarrass herself I see and Sanya is a STAR out of the gate! Kenya and Sheree round out the group nicely as well and it’s nice to see them not bicker.

Oh of course, but who will be the HW when she returns? I wonder if Ron may have created the perfect storm to create enough backlash to get him fired finally.

The way Abby dies this summer has been leaked on twitter. People are going to mad and if the people leaking are right, there’s more to come. I know it’s the spoiler thread, but in case some don’t want to know I’ll tag it for now.

I agree with you about Angela, Maggie and Richard, but the season 6-7 writers absolutely destroyed Chase and Melissa IMO. In an interview, the writer said he was given the season 5 finale to watch and he fell asleep because he was tired. When the show reached out for his thoughts he said he had fallen asleep and because they assumed it was due to boredom, they gave him free rein to do whatever he want. As a result he never watched previous episodes and it was obvious. I don’t mind changes, in fact I love them, but you have to have some basic knowledge of the show you’re writing. It was clear he knew a brief outline of the characters so he often went with one characteristic for them. Only Richard and Angela maintained this complexities.