Vee

You don't need to worry about spoiling me for a 40 year old TV show. Use your own judgment but it's not your responsibility.

I'm taking aim at Manchin. The rest is simple reporting of what may or may not be on the docket this week for this, which I think is newsworthy. But no, on gun control I don't think it's a particularly harsh take to say no one in power is doing enough. Chris Murphy, for example, is a good man and is very passionate about gun control. But tonight, as he talks about it, he claims he thinks he can get ten GOP votes for 'something about guns.' I think he's living a rich fantasy life. Because it doesn't matter what the 'sensible' Republicans tell their friends across the aisle in hushed tones in cloakrooms; it matters what they do on the record. I don't believe there will ever be ten Republican votes for any gun control before I'm 50, at the very least. Maybe not before I'm dead. But regardless, that still doesn't leave the rest of us, elected or unelected, without a responsibility that goes beyond floor speeches and messaging votes. I've had enough of those. And I know we've all had enough, so I can sympathize with all of us.

So, to take my mind off events in Texas, here's a little more: Season 3, Episode 5 (The Surprise): In which Abby gets her kids back, Julie Harris is not yet in the opening credits and I still can't square little Brian being obnoxious teen Bobby Jacoby from Tremors as well as a recent MST3K episode, he's so tiny here. Interesting to see Karen trying to make her way selling at Knots Landing Motors, for however long it lasts. From a little reading it seems it was Donna Mills who went to the writers and told them 'no one wants to come home from work and watch people selling used cars' and tbh she was absolutely right, but I will miss Sid's baby a little when it's gone, and watching Karen and Gary try to preserve his business. Seems like there's a few hints of the return of Sid's engine with the man who bought a lot from Karen, too - the Carter-era gas/energy crisis figures heavily into the subplots of this season and the last, and it's a fascinating time capsule embedded in the storytelling. Olivia is still a pistol. "Don't worry, it wasn't a pervert or anything." Amazing that Crazy Jeff literally sits on the couch pretending to read the paper while he lets the ex-wife he stole his children from help do the dishes for him and his hostages. I am equally amazed Abby managed to convince Jeff to come back to KL with the kids vs. just grabbing them in the night and hauling ass, calling the FBI. She strung the trapline long. The Val/Lilimae friction continues to vibrate in the background, which I appreciate. Poor Richard stuck pimping hos! I loved Lilimae's response to Laura when asked how she was: "Fat, sassy and curious!" She already fits in well in the Ewing household, mixing things up, gossiping and cooking big meals. Lilimae is enough of an operator that I like to think she'd have seen through Abby's act instead of buying in, though. Abby works a Mata Hari act on Jeff beautifully. The look in her eyes at the end was scary as hell: "He hurt me. No one gets away with that." I wish she'd had him arrested, though. I have no idea if we hear from Jeff again. Dude does not seem like the type to give up because of a restraining order; you'd think he'd turn violent next. Episode 6 (One of a Kind): Terry "Weekend at Bernie's" Kiser is here! And so is OLTL's Allan Miller, the original and best Scooter, back again. I'm sure CBS mounted a massive "The Real Scooter Returns" campaign to promote the episode. The unique Karen/Richard friendship plays again early in this episode and it's just golden. I can't gush enough about it. The juxtaposition of their relationship and the dance with Scooter and Laura is pointed and very interesting, and I do wonder what the show would've looked like if Richard and Karen had actually tried it on, just for one night. Karen is so much the audience heroine for the show that I don't think they'd ever have gone there in that era, even with Richard being a much more positive and redeemed character over the last half-season who is currently true to Laura, but I still wonder. I am surprised Scooter and Laura actually went there, and I wonder where that goes next. I would not have expected Laura to be the one to stray at this point, and yet it makes sense: She is now the more empowered, increasingly more worldly one. And now dueling sports cars - woof. Poor Richard is struggling to be the best possible husband here. Never thought I'd be saying 'poor Richard' re: the Averys! Teddy the ex is right about Christmas in L.A.; it's obscene and there's no challenge! I'll never get over missing the old weather and the East Coast as long as I'm here, I'm still a New Yorker and a Washingtonian/Marylander at heart. "You're no spring chicken, Mom." Little Olivia remains a stone cold stunner. The breezy back and forth duel between Abby and Karen in the kitchen about Teddy and Diana showcased their fantastic, nuanced rapport with its baked-in history, their sniping still threaded with a grudging fondness. And Karen turning out the lights on Abby when she's still eating - I cackled. More exploration with Val and Lilmae as one of the sideplots here, as Gary gives Val a little insight into Lilimae the child bride, and Lilimae finally makes good on that homemade quilt. I like the push and pull between friction, trauma and analysis. Teddy's soliloquy about his sons was great work by Terry Kiser, on top of his very candid discussion about their romantic and sexual lives with Karen beforehand (and again with Karen alone at the end with Diana, giving a wonderful talk about the difference between Teddy and Sid in her life as a young woman). The long, long, slow pan to Karen on the stairs after his speech with no music was something you would not get today.

For the "Sounds Like a Job For Someone Else" File:

I'm aware of that. I just don't care. I'll roll the dice. I've had enough.

My only consolation on days like today is that someday, probably far from now, this country will look back on the utter paralysis re: gun control in these years and find it incomprehensible and barbaric that we waited so long to do the right thing. Doesn't make me any less angry to be living through it now though.

Woof.

I don't think it is a good idea linking to full episodes in here at all.

The language in this article may be misleading, as it is very general and almost implies Finney will continue as Rose in Gatwa's tenure. But I think it's generalizing and Finney, who I believe is committed to two more seasons of Heartstopper, may only be in the Tennant/Tate special(s).

IIRC Ginger is a volunteering kindergarten teacher, at least in the early seasons. Not sure she's even getting paid.

Series 13 (Flux, or as I like to call it to imitate Whittaker, 'Flooks') will be available on HBO Max on 6/6. For my money, the Angels episode is the best and one of the few wholly good stories in Jodie's entire run.

Episode 3 (Aftermath) has some good stuff in the opening with the funeral, the no-dialogue sequences like Eric weeping in Sid's restored roadster/hot rod - I think Sid and Karen made love in that car at the end of the pilot, but don't quote me - and more. Michele Lee does great work, especially when she's coming back down from each subsequent violent outburst that she's been trying to hold in, and you can see her trying to put the pieces back together behind her eyes. The Abby stuff early on with her struggling to compose herself with Karen was heartbreaking. Also great was a mournful, angry Gary telling Val he is tired of her being so accepting of him and tired of her forgiving him. That's a deeper window into their relationship than the story of this single episode might present, I suspect. A very funny, throwaway sardonic scene with Richard, Laura and Jason in the middle of the episode. "Did you just mix a metaphor?" "Martini." Constance McCashin and John Pleshette are legitimately sparkling in this mode, however shortlived it is. Why am I not surprised that Grinnin' Kenny (still grinning through it all) is demanding Ginger take no drugs in labor? I wish that doctor had clotheslined him instead of simply dismissing him. That was one clean, full-grown baby Ginger gave birth to. Karen's catharsis at the end with baby Erin was earned. Notably no pics of Diana on Sid's desk at the dealership. Hmm! Episode 4 (Moving In): Following a brief and undignified cameo by Gary and Val in a Season 5 Dallas ep between KL eps, where everything and nothing seemed to be happening at once - a trend on Dallas, it seems, in my casual viewing of it so far - we are back to the triumphant return of Julie Harris, complete with Dukes of Hazzard incidental theme music following her around. That trick with the suitcase and the shopping bags was inspired. And Richard was right about Gary's ad - he was doing something with his arms. I was very glad they didn't end the episode on a too-pat resolution between Val and Lilimae - their issues are clearly going to be ongoing. I cannot wait to see more of her around the cul-de-sac. Gary and Val are more appealing this season so far than they have been in awhile; he has more verve and humor, perhaps as his station in life rises, and she is smarter and feistier. The second Dallas crossover in two consecutive weeks ("Five Dollars a Barrel") was equally frothy, colorful and diverting, but ultimately nowhere near as substantial to me as any given episode of KL. I enjoy watching the Dallas crossover eps as a kind of junk food, I like a lot of the cast, but I am probably never going to dedicate myself to bingeing it like I have KL, though I may casually watch its run over time. While I have very slowly begun watching Dallas from its initial miniseries onward, I keep dipping in on the KL crossover eps much more frequently, and the show seems deeply repetitive in a lot of ways any time I've looked in on Seasons 1-4 - lots of smiling men in offices or restaurants (most particularly Dennis Patrick from Dark Shadows!) meet up to talk about 'getting J.R.' but routinely fail to do so in any material way. The Southfork ranch and its bright greens and yellows by a pre-fab pool and patio increasingly look like a Tim Burton-esque astroturfed homestead. Most of the men fear J.R. taking their women, their money, their balls or all of the above, most of the women worry about having babies, losing babies, losing their minds or keeping J.R., and the exceedingly tiresome Lucy gurgles her lines through a mouthful of grease and shoots wan bon mots at Uncle J.R. from her lazing position on the couch. (I do not believe Lucy will have any clue what to do with Gary's shares let alone what they are, and may instead search for a duffel bag to store them in.) Audrey Landers is at least a sparkplug, I like Donna Krebbs, and Steve Kanaly remains very hot, and Larry Hagman and his beloved showrunner rule the roost above it all. I like Larry Hagman a lot and always have, including in his early supporting part in Sidney Lumet's terrifying Fail-Safe, and he's very enjoyable to watch here, but that's not enough for me to hang viewership on when most of the rest of the show feels profoundly subservient to both his towering charisma and more importantly, Leonard Katzman's(?) macho power fantasies. When Amanda on Melrose Place went down a few times, for example, we saw her get dragged and knocked around hard; she came back, but we saw her bleed and bowed. Granted, I have only watched a smattering of Dallas but I have yet to see this kind of vulnerability or weakness from J.R. Now, in this particular episode and season (Season 5), things are a bit different, in that he is in fact brought low by Cliff Barnes and his alliance of anonymous businessmen, but the audience is primed to dislike Cliff or find him to be a nebbish loser for years running so the pattern only deviates so much. (I understand Jock Ewing's death comes immediately after this, which makes me want to continue watching this season to see how far down J.R. falls for awhile.) Overall, Dallas is just a lark for me by comparison to KL so far.

Season 3! Episode 1 (The Vigil): The new opening is nice - I wondered if they were going to use Don Murray in the opening credits to fake the audience out, and to my surprise they did. Many shows didn't back in those days and simply adjusted for immediate cast changes, giving the game away. The idyllic scenes of sun-baked serenity in Abby's backyard as Val and Karen shoot the shít while waiting on Sid were a nice contrast to the crash. There is a bracing, grim bluntness to the hospital stuff, even the terse dialogue between Karen and the surviving agent ("You're entitled, we blew it"). The moment where Karen walks in on them drilling into Sid was gruesome and shocking even though nothing is seen. The nauseating detail as the surgeon outlines all of Sid's bodily trauma (flecks of bone, etc) while Karen struggles not to vomit was how I felt, tbh. Diana has gotten a red-blonde rinse between seasons, but who cares, it looks good. Another grim moment as Michael keeps asking about the dead agent. Everything with Michele Lee and Don Murray was stunningly good - their easy wit and humor with each other as Karen tries to mask her horror and play it all off as her usual merry self, and Sid's wry candor about his condition. Donna Mills is also astonishingly vulnerable and heartbreaking; I've never seen her like that as Abby breaks down ranting about the hospital and Sid's doctor. The very stark cuts to the house as Michael dreams and wanders through his empty parents' bedroom (and later cutting back to him having fallen asleep in their bed), then as Karen stumbles through the hospital alone over the haunting music, even the brief cutaway to Gary alone on the beach, were quite cinematic. You don't see that stuff often in the modern era without a pop song blaring over it. Not to say those montages don't work too, but they're old hat now. This is more subtle. Richard is Karen's dark angel, showing up at the hospital with breakfast and a rose on the table as Karen breaks down crying and laughing. I really love that relationship. The community sphere is beautifully re-woven in here after some distancing in late Season 2, by having Richard call up the Ewings and get them to bring more clothes and provisions while Val also takes care of the kids. The great character actor Clyde Kusatsu played Dr. Akura here. He's in a zillion movies and TV shows, but I had no idea he'd done so much daytime as well. This episode was another written by John Pleshette, and it seems a shame if he was not nominated or awarded anything for this. I haven't checked. They fake the audience out brilliantly, thinking it's all a happy ending and tidy bow at the end as Sid wakes and Karen promises him and the viewers he'll be okay. Episode 2 (Critical Condition) is also very strong, but especially the harrowing cross-cutting between Sid's operation and the family slowly relaxing, losing their nerves and fear, and beginning to laugh and talk as Sid is literally dying. I had no idea they'd show that much of the operation and his death and the whole last half of the episode is pretty grueling. The direction on the reveal to Karen and the family, with the wide shots down the hall and back again, is very well done. I will say I can't believe Val, etc. let Karen and the kids drive home by themselves. Richard and Laura are happy together again, while Abby is the unwelcome interloper at their home during dinner. Never thought I'd see that. Gary wanting to skip town over this mess is classic Gary, and so rooted in his background that they didn't even need to mention it that much at this point. The shot of the family in the elevator is stunning - especially Donna Mills' shellshock right into the camera - and so I have made it my new avatar. The end credits appear to run over a shot from the ADD episode in Season 2 with Sid embracing Michael on the beach. I was glad they did something special and didn't use the jaunty theme tune.

And now, the Season 2 finale (Squeezeplay), written by John Pleshette! The tipsy ladies of Knots Landing going full wine mom out at lunch and inadvertently running into Gary and the mob is the kind of stuff this show's suburban ecosphere can do so neatly and it feels real. Karen being hungover hours later as the Abby plotline continues to unfold was a laugh. I enjoyed Karen playing Nancy Drew (and needling Sid for never looking at his books - you can def see the show is losing patience with him). Gary and Abby conspiring together to hide their scheming from Sid and Karen is a massive shift from how they started the season, and indicates that they are already in bed together on a mental level, and you can see they both know it now - not just Abby. It's on Ted Shackelford's face, this growing disease and intensity. I do wonder when the show knew Gary was going to go darker as opposed to staying part of the sweet audience identification couple with Val from Dallas. I know JVA has talked about pushing for Gary/Abby to the writers, and we're fortunate that some KL fansites exist today with both contemporary and recent interviews with the cast and crew which likely delve more into this - I will have to read up more. Their intentions (or at least Gary's, while Abby was obviously out to elevate herself, get Gary and help Sid? sure, why not) started out noble for the business but the thrill of it - the rush, the juice - is the scheming, the triumph and power in and of itself for themselves. I was wondering where I knew Crazy Jeff from. Sure enough, he is Barry Jenner who played Admiral Ross in the excellent final seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His mom was way too arch and camp not to be in on it, so I wasn't surprised when she pulled out that envelope. I loved, loved, loved Karen still being able to go to Richard for help despite their thorny relationship - in which Karen never seemed to stop having seemingly inexhaustible if exasperated affection for him from the very pilot on, almost like he's her ne'er-do-well brother. And his responses to her requests: "Did I fall wrong? Don't flirt, Karen. It's unbecoming in a woman of your height." The last lines Richard had that were that good was mid-Season 2 in Breach of Faith, when he comes home from job hunting and gives Karen a hysterical, withering soliloquy about the hippie kid he interviewed for a job with in a jacuzzi. Karen's response was to laugh out loud, and to me that interplay sums up their relationship thus far. Anyway, back to the finale: Karen and Richard were a well-oiled team in Sid's office and sharp as hell together (it makes you wish Richard might've been retained as the female leads' consigliere in the business stories of the future) but even funnier is the moment when Laura offhandedly remarks to Sid that Richard joked they were off to break into his office, and the cut back to Don Murray's face. I did not expect Abby to instantly sell Gary out! Hilarious. Sid is such a dupe for her, but his kingpin act at dinner with the crooks was unexpected and a hoot; Don Murray totally sold it. "Get me a skateboard!" And yet Gary lies to Sid at the end about Abby being in deep, to spare her and Sid's feelings. in hindsight Val has not had too much active to do this season but react to Gary, and this finale brings that into sharp relief. The fire between Shackelford and JVA as they battle it out over his schemes was more exciting than most of what they've done together in the last season and a half. I do hope she gets a lot more next season, and while I liked their sweet original incarnation, the new Gary and a tougher, more worldly Val would be intriguing. Val: But Gary, if we don't share the bad as well as the good, what kind of a marriage have we got? Gary: A normal one. Abby's wine-guzzling breakdown alone in her increasingly chic, upscale, chrome-and-glass house - the ghost of '80s yet to come, a reflection of her vision of her personal future - was a great silent sequence. Her subsequent meltdown at the end was a bit wild, but I couldn't fault it: There is a notable moment which you don't necessarily hear clearly unless you're listening closely, where Jeff is stodgily droning on about her sexual history and how it factored into his mad decision on the cassette tape, while she's crumpled on the floor sobbing. That moment feels like the period at the end of the sentence about how we've met Abby and all we've learned so far re: the duality of who she is, and how she isn't purely evil or good. Notably zero sign of the Fairgate kids for most of this major family finale. I was wondering where they're supposed to be right as Michael shows up near the very end (and his ADD/diet is still in the mix! - I love that they just keep weaving the domestic subplots in). There's a sick irony that Sid dreamed of being a race car driver, and this is how he goes out. IMO, a very strong end in the last quarter, to a season that really turned the corner around the time Gary cuts Judy Trent loose. I am very amped for Season 3, the big changes and the return of the immortal Julie Harris, who I adored in The Haunting and other things and didn't know she spent years on Knots. Her episode of S1 was a highlight and I am looking forward to seeing how she figures into the future.

Season 2 Ep 16: More Than Friends A tad jarring to see legendary character actor John Considine subbing for OLTL original castmember Allan Miller as Laura's boss, Scooter. Considine is always amusing in Altman and Alan Rudolph films, but I hope Miller will return; he was so sweet as Scooter, and the talk about their relationship here was mature if uh, not entirely workplace acceptable today. And Rosemary Prinz! My God! Poor Richard trying to contain his jealousy over Scooter is admirable. The Averys are strangely sweet now that they are able to actually talk through their problems without him constantly belittling her, and Richard has slowly begun to accept a secondary, submissive position to Laura in the relationship. I know it won't last for whatever reason but seeing them newly functional is refreshing. Queen Earl Trent has returned and is here to burn Val's writing and then try to mate with her. It astonishes me that this late actor (the 'other' Paul Rudd) apparently was married with children, but you never know what that means, especially back in those days. I accepted Earl to have hanged himself or something by the end, but no, off he goes. Interesting that Gary admits all the advice he gave Earl should apply to himself. Abby's 'what if we fücked? jk haha.... unless?' moment in the car with Gary was ahead of its time. Since she was mentioned upthread I will stick up for Karen, at least for now. Yes, she's a lot at times but I love her. Ep 17: Designs J.R. has returned! You can see Gary and Abby's minds working in tandem the instant Sid mentions J.R.'s interest in his engine, while sweet saintly Sid dismisses the whole thing. (His emissions concerns are, sadly, more relevant than ever.) This is why both J.R. and Abby were right about Gary; he is an Ewing after all, and I would assume that this connection with Abby will ultimately go far beyond sex. Abby plays Sid masterfully when he comes over re: the engine plans, but they give you a wonderful grace note before and after where Abby is mothering Olivia and trying to teach her math, even after showing her at her scheming height. These are the full dimensions of the character as we've come to know her so far, and it's impressive work. Still, I don't believe Abby is stupid enough to think she can hand the plans over to J.R. and not have the entire engine stolen out from under her brother in the process. I don't believe she'd intentionally allow that to happen to Sid, and I don't believe for a second that J.R. wouldn't do that. I presume the contract she drew up is intended to protect Sid and the business, or so I hope. Abby is very cunning having started from the bottom, but given her station in life atm I also have my doubts Ewing Oil's lawyers could not shoot something she wrote herself full of holes. We'll see what happens but it's a great storyline so far. J.R. and Abby's Supercouple That Never Was is great, but I am endlessly amused that J.R. is still! down bad for social justice housewife Karen Fairgate and tbh I am 100% here for it. You can see the gears turning in his mind when she starts calling to them through the door - 'threesome?' Michele Lee and Larry Hagman are great together. And it's interesting the almost love/hate sibling dynamic emerging with Abby and Karen. Olivia's about to get cancelled for her cornrows request to Val, 40 years late. Kenny continues to have the depth of a wading pool and a single happy expression. I check my texts any time the Wards come on at this point. I'd be fine if Sylvie returned to gun Kenny down provided she simply never speaks again. The show really kicked into high gear again midway through Season 2 after some doldrums, and I've been pretty pleased with it. The home invasion and angel dust episodes are silly (and some of the Earl return ep as well, the A-plot) but there's still some good character work in those episodes; overall there's a lot of pretty good stuff in the back end. I know there is apparently some fog of war re: Don Murray's exit. Most stories claim he was bored and/or wanted a pay bump and both coincided with his quitting. Supposedly there's another anecdote claiming he was also pushed out/allowed to quit. I don't know more detail than that but I assume someone else more knowledgeable than me does; it would not surprise me if both came into play. Murray is wonderful as Sid, a soothing presence, but I can see by now why both he and the writers might be bored with Sid - he is too good, too kind, too level. Even his wife is exasperated with his naivete. Of all the adult leads (even Kenny, who has changed overnight from simpleton philanderer to simpleton dad-to-be), Sid is the only one not evolving or showing any vulnerability or other facets.

I'm on that binge while procrastinating for work - burning through the last of S2 and probably going to take a break for a bit (hours, days, minutes? who knows with KL) following the Season 3 premiere two-parter.

The angel dust episode with its Dutch angles, handheld camerawork and broad performances and lines at the teen party was a trip. But what are you going to do, that was the times. I did really like the array of reactions back at the Fairgate house, with the younger Gary and Val starting out clearly quietly amused when the joint is discovered, and Karen caught between Sid's apoplexy and her being more grounded and realistic about modern times, not wholly dissimilar to Diana (who offers up a rare restrained moment). Michele Lee's deadpan reaction to Sid's speech about 'tying [Eric] down and sitting on his chest' til he comes of legal age was great. I also just loved watching the interplay at the house for another dinner party with the neighbors over, the family and the kids and Michael knocking around as well. That's the kind of real life stuff the show does so well with the cul-de-sac environment, and which we almost never seen on soaps today - everything is plot-driven, not character-based or location-based in everyday life, with this episode's weekly plot rising up around the backdrop and the circumstances. Granted daytime soaps have a different temporal rhythm and reality in general and always have, there's less time/narrative elision than in primetime, but still, I'd like to see more hangout moments on daytime again. Steve Shaw has shaved the poor attempt at a mustache and also appears to have grown a couple inches since he was last seen. People roast these kids and who knows how rough their acting turns out when they get older, but I like them (even Diana, at times) and I always enjoy seeing the Fairgate family interplay. Shaw did a really good job in this episode, and you can tell Lee took her role as their mother seriously with all three, even the brief moments with Michael spilling his food; it's imbued in every moment she's onscreen with them. Abby's visible unease about handing the kids off to Jeff as he keeps asking for more clothes and provisions was haunting to watch. I did like the scene where she goes to talk to the Averys about it - Laura is sympathetic and concerned despite everything, but Richard, still bruised over her rejection, brushes her off. Such cheesy Mod Squad music as Eric chases Ginger's stoned sister through the night, then later our adults. Any time the show tries to put the cast in Action!! scenarios thus far, the ancient music cue library straight out of Mannix or Hawaii 5-0 throws it off. And of course Grinnin' Kenny is drafted to play Drug Gumshoe for the kids because he is young and With It. (What is with Karen's camo cap?) I assume after the situation was resolved he chased down Discount Lance Kerwin and asked for some more angel dust. I would've liked to see the Ewings put to use in that situation more instead - Val is tougher and smarter than she is often given credit for this season, and when Gary is not on a rage bender he can be pretty canny, just not about himself. The episode takes a deeply camp turn when Ginger's mom shows up to do her off-Broadway party piece and recite the episode title over and over for a bit of business someone on staff clearly thought was brilliant. It reminded me of Michael Malone drilling his overly embroidered purple prose poetry into the scripts during his second run on OLTL in the early 2000s. That sequence was the kind of outré theatrics we understood and enjoyed or at least tolerated when viewing TV from the '60s and '70s, but by this point, on the cusp of the full-on '80s (and the early '80s were often weird like that still), it's just so silly. I'll try not to do a long one of these for each episode, that would be terribly annoying. I'll try to compile my thoughts in blocks of episodes a bit more. Lord, Eric, come on: Doctor: She's comatose. Eric: What's that mean? Doctor: It means she's in a coma.

Were Gary and Val back together by the end of their Dallas 2.0 appearance? I've heard varying things and Wikipedia is unreliable. I noticed JVA had no accent in that scene with Sue Ellen on YT (and her face work looked a lot better there than it had several years prior). It was pretty thin and camp script-wise. Little Olivia is adorable. I know Tonya Crowe supposedly auditioned for some daytime parts in the '90s, but I don't know what roles or when. I think Karen so far seems to tolerate him much more than many others would despite his endless foibles and bad behavior, from his affairs to bungling Sid's case. But that's Karen's nature. She keeps giving Abby chances too, at least for now; she was able to sympathize with her during the hostage crisis right after their first big throwdown re: Richard and Gary.

Esta did not look well.

These home invaders look for all the world like members of Black September, fresh from the Munich Olympics. Who would have thought Diana would emerge as the Bruce Willis of the group, evading capture and outwitting the thugs? Not moi, as a little Diana already goes a long way with me. If cracked-out Michael were in the house these crooks would be in real trouble. Karen immediately hitting the floor facedown on elbows and knees cracked me up, seeming to fling herself to the ground and let the other women take the hot lead if necessary. For a couple scenes I'd thought she'd just swallowed her wedding ring rather than give it over. That'd be a conversation with Sid at the nearest bathroom when this is all over. Gary Graham from TV's Alien Nation is the deranged and horny male burglar here. The scenes with Abby and Karen commiserating over their plan are great work from both Lee and Mills though, with the connection and respect between them, while all the overheated stuff with the men is largely a competition over who can go apeshit the fastest to make up for the lack of overt male heroism in this silly episode. (I don't blame the cast, but it feels like the writers straining to give the men meaty stuff to sink their teeth into here that verges on William Shatner turf) The class struggle 'message' with the lady burglar is embarrassing given the times, then and now. A war is coming, Karen, between your kind and a host of out of work character actors hoping to be on next week's Love Boat! How does Abby know Laura used to get around (a brilliant plot point from her rape episode dropped entirely afterwards, perhaps due to network concerns - the ending of that ep, as Val watches Laura pick up her next man, was searing and it doesn't seem to ever return)? That conversation between those two could've been a lot smarter. Sure enough, Abby essentially takes the whole house herself. Why couldn't Black September shoot Kenny when he ran outside?

Believe me, I know. I love Greenwood but I was shocked they didn't go for another elderly prestige name. But they were almost totally done with shooting at the time and under the gun, and Greenwood is a trusted Flanagan commodity, and apparently the Usher role requires a ton of makeup anyway, so...

I think Richard has some very sweet moments here and there, like with Laura in the first season where he finally consents to letting her work and handle their money but asks her not to make him give up his dreams, and when Abby lets him down (relatively) easy and then he goes back to Laura and says he is proud of her and seems to recommit. Of course that all is dented big time when he realizes she has just made his yearly salary in one escrow; presumably that is why he is back to trying to pick up chicks at the bar by Episode 14 (Moments of Truth), which I have just begun but will probably finish watching later. I have been moving through this show at a pretty rapid clip while procrastinating on work, in large part because I am hoping to get through at least Season 4 before something happens to the online source. This is the kind of show that could definitely use a Y&R/B&B-style Onedrive vault, if there isn't one already. As odious as Richard can be, John Pleshette is a brilliant actor and it seems writer. I can see why they kept him for as long as possible, the character is just great. I mentioned the cancer episode a bit more above in edits, but that was something to be endured overall and one of the weakest of an uneven season for me. So saccharine, whereas I thought the more muted and mixed Gary/Val scene where she confronted him over the affair with Judy was stronger. In that sequence Val gives this long monologue on the beach about how they missed their chance to get it right, Gary tries to speak and recommit himself, she slaps him, finally lashing out, and then they embrace and go home. Their relationship is deeply imperfect and a lot of this is still profoundly unresolved, and that's the way life happens sometimes. Everybody always talks about J.R. and Val, but I actually really like the stuff with Karen and J.R. as well (he was still down bad for her by the time of Lucy's wedding on Dallas). And J.R. seemed especially fascinated by Abby because he had found an equal in the unlikeliest of places.

Langella basically confessed to the whole thing, amazingly, in his preening op-ed which he clearly thought would exonerate him and did the exact opposite - among other things, he openly admitted to ignoring requests from the production on how to behave and what to do or not do, feeling it lacked 'spontaneity.' I think Frank Langella is one of our greatest living actors, and I love his work. I also love Mike Flanagan's work and was really looking forward to Langella working with him. But while he is a brilliant actor he is also an old fool. It's sad. (Bruce Greenwood, a Flanagan alum, has replaced Langella)