All My Shadows

I just checked “A Change of Heart,” and they have the correct S5 description but the S7 episode plays instead.

I’m loving these conversations btw I think I’ll like Sumner more when I watch his natural integration into the cast of characters and really see the gradual opening up of the show. I do think 3-6 will always be the Knots I turn to, which is no surprise bc I think those are my preferred seasons for most long-running soapy dramas I watch, namely Little House and Degrassi: TNG at the moment. Once a show sheds the complete earnestness and embraces a little messiness, it’s at peak soapy goodness (a term I know we hate). Abby’s introduction driving into the cul-de-sac with Olivia and Brian making all of that unnecessary ass noise in the backseat of her station wagon is so crazy considering the heights she attains in her nine seasons on the show. Yall are right - the slow but steady progression of these characters (obvi the women in particular) might be the defining characteristic of Knots. Gosh, I can’t wait to watch it all.

Yeah, but I mean for Plex. It sounds like he needs more options in general. I need to stop picking random episodes to “just see” bc I’ve fully watched each one I intended to watch only a few minutes of lol Everyone is exactly right, 3-5 is the PERFECT mix of what Knots was and what Knots became. I can see why S6 is the peak. Greg Sumner’s presence changed the show’s tone forever, and I’m not sure if I really like him. Obviously Devane is a fun and engaging addition, but - and I do believe someone said this here this past weekend - he definitely pulled the show away from its domestic core. I remember reading an interview with Donna Mills where she said she pushed to get out of the cul-de-sac and away from the car dealership more, and I can appreciate the wider scope, but as a character, Abby had strong ties to all of the original characters.

It all else fails, @Maxim, invest in a Roku stick. They’re super inexpensive these days, and I bought one for each of my Vizios bc, well, I’ve learned that Vizio sucks. Vizio doesn’t even have Freevee, last time I checked. No ma’am, no sir. I’m still only seeing the first five seasons show up but that’s okay bc those are the ones I want/need to watch the most. I’m spot-watching some of the big ones, and I just finished China Dolls. Exquisite. This is the Knots I’ve always wanted to wrap myself up in. The constant watching others through windows, the stomping across the cul-de-sac to launch a confrontation, the heavy emotional drama, the arguments between friends that go nowhere because they just get each other, etc. Boy oh boy, am I in for a treat.

I just needed to see the opening moments of “A Brand New Day” again. Someone uploaded it to YouTube a few years back and I remember being in awe of the entire sequence from the recap of Val catching Gary and Abby to Abby waking up to an empty bed. It still hits the same.

Omg finally on demand!! I’m gonna cue up my seasons 1-2 DVDs and watch those pronto and (again hopefully lol) on demand will be available through Freevee by the time I’m ready for 3-5! ETA: Okay, so wait, I thought Plex was subscription-based?? I just downloaded the app on Roku, and it’s presented the same as other FAST apps like Freevee and Tubi. I have S4E1 playing right now.

I thought I had timed it right to get home for the series finale, but I guess not. What a ride this has been! For a solid week, I was stranded in Knots Landing, a show I’ve wanted to see more of for years and years, and it was an incredible time. I really have no interest in Sisters, so I’ll be taking a break from the Primetime Soaps channel. In the mean time, it’s back to Falcon Crest on DVD as well another watch of Knots’s first two seasons in preparation for (hopefully) streaming.

That's exactly what I would probably do because I distinctly remember the second season being crap lol Nothing ever could live up to that first season, so I'd probably just stick to that and keep it moving, to be honest.

Ooh, that's a good point, and I agree. Desperate Housewives tapped into that very well in its first season, with the kids having their own storylines while still being affected by what was going on with their parents. Now that's a show I need to revisit now that it's 20 years down the line.

I meant to mention that when I got to this episode. Cole literally overhears her talking smack behind his back to Lance, is visibly upset, decides to stay loyal to his dad, and then next episode, Chase is swirling around a wine glass at the big house.

Bob Barker would WEEP because the chokehold that the classic TPIR channel has had me in for the last 1-2 years would finally loosen. This would be my go-to channel all the time. I'm surprised DALLAS isn't already on a 24/7 channel as it is available on demand through Freevee. It's really shocking that we had, essentially, a 24/7 Knots channel for two weeks (and FC for a week and a half?) before a Dallas channel.

I already knew about Larry Riley's health deteriorating throughout season 13, but it really is heartbreaking to think that just yesterday, he was a healthy, muscular man, and in his very last appearance, he was so much smaller.

Flamingo Road would make more sense than Sisters, given that FR was also a Lorimar-produced soap. I still say they should have all four on in daily blocks. Re: a Knots reboot. The only thing I'd worry about is that today's 30/40-somethings don't really socialize with their suburban neighbors. I feel like portraying a cul-de-sac with regular dinner parties, barbecues, and coffee klatsches would be seen as old-fashioned. My generation is just antisocial af. I have to say, the 90s episodes haven't been as bad as I thought I'd be. I guess I didn't really think they'd be bad - moreso boring, but I've found myself caring enough to keep watching.

I'm imagining the closing credits running over the chewed-up remains of set pieces, which I say with love and reverence.

I've only been watching here and there over the last few days, and obviously, much has changed, but it is truly upsetting that they decided to have Val go nuts so late in the game. I know that Karen/Mack were supposed to be the one solid couple, but by the 90s, if they wanted Gary and Val to be the end game, then they needed to be a solid couple, too, if for nothing else but the fact that they were in their late 40s and had kids. If they wanted a reset for the 90s, then refocusing on the cul-de-sac with Gary/Val and Karen/Mack as the veteran couples along with 2-3 more families (including the Williamses) was the perfect way to do it. I feel like the original premise of just couples/families in a cul-de-sac going through human drama was finally back in vogue, so all of the convoluted crimes and mysteries and what-not were no longer needed.

This is how I feel as well. I think a primetime drama trying to “revitalize” itself after 10+ seasons is just kinda desperate. At that point, you can say you had a good run but now it’s over. The risk of souring even more is just too great.

I agree - headshots (or clips) would have made the sandcastles perfect. Even if they just faded clips in and out amongst the sandcastles/birds a la Dawson’s Creek. With the sandcastle cul-de-sac so prominently featured in the opening, was there an effort in the show itself to go back to basics and center around the cul-de-sac again? I’ve had it on as background noise for most of today while generally following along, but part of me wonders why it’s even called Knots Landing anymore. They just live in LA. There doesn’t seem to be a distinct community called Knots Landing anymore. It seems like in season 7, the show slowly transitions from being a mainstream hit for a general audience to being older-skewing, alongside the likes of In the Heat of the Night and MSW. All of the big four nighttime soaps feel like “old people shows” that grandma watches as grandpa snores by 1987.

I can only watch on a more casual/superficial basis during the week, so my observations aren't that deep, but I will say that the season 8 arrangement of the theme is truly horrific, and I remember assuming it was a fake fan-made MIDI version when I first heard it on YouTube years ago. The slower arrangement that started with the sandcastles and carried on through season 12 is great and perfect for the time period, IMO. Hunt Block has NEVER done anything for me in any way, but he seems alive and awake here as opposed to where I know him best (ATWT and OLTL). He was actually kinda sexy here, but the fact that it's him makes it hard for me to look at him like that. Call me a basic B, but Ted Shackelford was always the hottest man on the Circle, from the beginning to the end.

If they’re going to run multiple shows, they should just show them all daily in blocks. Maybe six episodes each of Knots and FC, three episodes each of Sisters and Flamingo Road? Running 14 seasons of Knots in a row and then not having it again for 2-3 months just seems silly without the option to watch on demand.

Oh, duh, the scene with Abby reading the letter was at the very end of the first episode I caught yesterday. I stand corrected on that. I have every intention of watching from the beginning. It might be more accurate to say that I plan to watch past season 2 since I’ve worn the DVDs out. I’m due for another watch of those two seasons, though. Maybe by then it’ll be streaming on demand and I can just pick up with 1981-1982 *fingers crossed*

The added layer of Gary and Ben not knowing that the babies are Gary's makes it that much better. The stakes are HIGH. Kudos to these folks for making something that has people on the edge of their seat nearly 40 years later - fully aware of the entire story and how it plays out, but still held by the balls in front of the TV. I have no idea how I'll ever force myself to go to sleep tonight.

I figured they would have more to do later on when they're older. I know the actor who played Eric tragically died during the show's run, but Michael became a main character for a few seasons. I'll definitely look out for more of them. I did already know that Olivia would have more to do, too, and yes - I already see how important she is to Abby (and that bond plays a part in Abby's role in the Val's babies story). The season six finale just started and oh my GOD lol I feel silly because I know everyone here has been watching this and discussing it for decades, but as someone seeing it for the first time, I am hookedddddd. So here's a question. I notice that there are not a lot of exterior scenes at the cul-de-sac. Was it a Dallas-type situation where they only went to Granada Hills at the beginning of each season, or was it a thing where as the focus shifted to the characters' lives outside of home, they just showed the actual cul-de-sac less and less?

Well, for starters, I don't think I've watched anything else since I first turned it on yesterday lol It took no time at all for me to get deep into the story and characters. I mean, I've already known the main gist of everything for years and years (and have the first two seasons on DVD), but to watch full episodes has been a whole new experience. To me, the mark of a good TV show is whether or not it creates a world I want to wrap myself up in, and that's exactly what Knots has been for me so far. I'm learning that the big four primetime soaps really were unique in their own ways. I expected Knots to be more akin to Dallas (and maybe it is - we're in S6 of Knots, and I haven't gotten to the same point with Dallas yet), but it is much more dramatic, the emotions are heightened, and the characters just feel things a lot more than their Texas counterparts do. The music is also incredible at establishing the mood (something I already noticed from watching clips). I can't imagine the sense of tension people felt when they watched each week back in the day. The storyline for season 6 is plotted so tightly, just when you think one thing has nothing to do with another, they collide, and then there's no way you can stop watching until you see how it plays out. It helps the characters because you get the feeling that every single one of them has a real purpose, even Karen's sons, who I always figured were glorified extras who popped in for a "Hi, mom/bye, mom" every now and then. Those guys who did scenes from the show in drag really hit the mark with voices and mannerisms I really do need for it to be available on demand though because I've been enjoying this season so much, and I hate the idea of going to work each day this week and jumping ahead.

Well, after 20+ years of being extremely interested in watching this show from beginning to end, I am *finally* in a position to at least watch it regularly. I didn’t realize the steaming channel would be available through Amazon, but here I am enjoying it on a Saturday afternoon. Can’t wait for it to be available on demand - and it better be available long enough to actually watch the whole series at a comfortable pace!

I’m kinda surprised it took me two days to read about his passing. I figured it would have been covered in a much more widespread way, but alas. Of the classic 70s hosts, we still have Martindale, Eubanks, and Chuck Woolery. Eubanks goes back farthest as Newlywed made its debut in 1966.