Flamingo Road

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[j swift]

After finishing this season of Mexican Dynasties on Bravo, I wanted to see Fernando Allendes' early work, so I just binged the whole series and I recommend it. 

 

The voodoo turn in season 2 is totally nutty.  The reveal of Michael's sister really surprised me.  However, even in a binge watch, I lost track of the actual parentage of every character vs who they thought were their parents.  By the time Lane's long-lost-father showed up, but he might not have been her biological father, it blew my mind.  When the whole town starts talking about Titus and Tyronne, I kept having to remind myself that Tyronne was Michael.  Horrible things befall Woody/Skipper and his hair just keeps getting blonder. And one of the soapiest moments in history is when his sister (who may not be biologically related) Constance takes physical therapy in the family pool, in a french-cut bathing suit, despite being paralyzed from the waist down. 

 

Barbara Rush and Howard Duff give my favorite performances, but it is easy to see that CBS did not want those two to carry the show because the promos focus on Constance and Lane.  Titus was so much scarier than JR because the stakes were higher.  He tries to kill multiple characters, he raped at least two women, and he is the legal system in that town.  Barbara's hairstylist should also be singled out because that was a herculean amount of teasing.

 

I think my biggest criticism as a modern viewer is that the minority characters are given the cringiest of parts to play.   It goes without saying that Esther Rolle as a voodoo priestess, (with a constant bongo underscore), stretches the boundaries of good taste.  Fernando's Julio is a physical therapist who can bill for housecalls but still lives in the poorest part of town.  And his sister is only there to be a victim of Titus's bigotry.  Needless to say, I don't think it is going to get a reboot any time soon, but it was a fun binge.   

Edited May 6, 2019 by j swift

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[ericaduvall]

Fernando Allende the actor who play Julio..was the worst acting I've ever seen

[SoapDope]

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[dc11786]

"Flamingo Road" is one of those shows I struggle to get through even though I find it intriguing. I definitely need to revisit it again at some point. 

 

I do have a question, which may or may not have an answer. I know there was talk in late 1982 of reviving the show as a daytime serial. Was there any details released other than NBC was considering reviving it? I think the plan was for a half-hour. Would it have replaced "The Doctors"? 

[Paul Raven]

All I recall is that it was slated for 3pm and it was announced that some of the cast members would be  a part of the daytime version.

There was new head of daytime (Frons?) who scuttled those plans and went with Santa Barbara,

[dc11786]

Thanks, @Paul Raven. For some reason, I thought it was earlier like late 1982 or early 1983. 

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NBC "Proud As a Peacock" promo, 1980 - YouTube

[dc11786]

I was finally able to make it through season one. The pilot telefilm is fine. I like the distinctions in class that are drawn with the idea of Flamingo Road being the affluent party of the community with the Weldons home, while the Eagle Cafe was part of the working class section near River Street where Annabelle Troy lived. Lute Mae's bordello seems to be a meeting of the classes, which I really liked. Lane Ballou declaring that she, one day, will make it to Flamingo Road on her own merits was a nice setup, but I'm not sure how much the first season lives up to that promise. 

The tragic affair between Annabelle and Skipper was wonderful. I think Annabelle needed to die in order to propel Skipper, who still struggles to find his place both in the story literally and metaphorically. I wish they had spent a little more time on Skipper and Christie Kovacs, who I felt had the potential to be wonderful. I wish they had played on the fact that Christie looked a little bit like Annabelle with Christie using that to her advantage or her dying her darker hair blond to play on the resemblance. 

I like the Sam Curtis of the telefilm more than I do the Sam Curtis of the first season. In the pilot movie, Sam is more laid back and carefree. While the Weldon clan represents that old money, Sam is definitely the representation of the nouveaux riche. Sam setting up shop in the brothel was about as much business as it was pleasure in the pilot, whereas it seemed more like business in the first because it was a place where you could have cladenstine political meetings. While I understand some of the changes, Lane's love is suppose to tame him, I wasn't so thrilled with the way Sam never returned to that version for a stretch when Lane and Field reunited at the end of season 1. 

On the other hand, I liked how Constance Weldon Carlyle evolves from simple spoiled little rich girl in the pilot to a more active manipulator throughout the first season. I don't like the opener of the first season. It's one of the reasons I struggle to watch the show, but I like how they laid the grown work with Constance offering herself to Nick in order to save herself and Field. Constance loves Field. It would have been interesting to have seen more of what Constance and Field were like before Lane arrived in town. I haven't seen much ever mentioned about Constance's political power. She makes some shrewd (and some miscalculated) moves. I thought Constance outing Field's opponent as a Klansman was wild (while I loved Elmo's speech about how the press had known for years but kept queit because Constance was misrepresenting facts). In the current political climate, that moment really resonated. Also, Constance winning over some bigwigs when Field was on his downward slide was interesting. Let's not forget Constance's attempt to Clean Up Truro by having Lute Mae's brothel closed.

The Lute Mae / Constance / Eudora dynamic is very interesting. Constance is clearly a Daddy's girl and alligned with Claude. I wish that Claude had made it clear to the audience that he resented Skipper (his namesake) because he assumed Skipper was Elmo Tyson's son. It would have just been enough to push Eudora more over the edge when she learned that adopted daughter Constance was Claude's. Constance makes it clear that she and Eudora are too different at the wedding when Constance lets Eudora know that she wants it all. With that said, it is Eudora who constantly brings up Constance's adoption which makes me think that Constance might have solid reasons to not like Eudora. Constance looking down on Lute Mae because of her status, while Lute Mae is willing to destroy a relationship with replacement daughter Lane is just great. 

I love Eudora and Elmo. I wish they would explore Elmo a little more. There were hints that he and Mary Troy were close at one point, but that Elmo was married already. I would love to know more about that marriage. The slow burn between Elmo and Eudora all season that leads to the hurricane is wonderful. They are definitely the duo I most want together. On the otherhand, I don't really care one way or another for Lute Mae and Claude. I like Lute Mae, but Claude is just such an unlikeable character. His soft spot for Constance only fuels her malicious behavior. If there were more attempts to soften Claude at least a little bit, I could enjoy him. 

Field is much more interesting to me this go around than he has in the past. I don't really care for him with either of his female leads at the start. Constance loves him and needs to be loved whether that is because of her daddy complex or some adoption issues, there is enough reasons that Constance's need for Field works for me. Lane's initial position, I've been hurt and I don't want to get hurt again, is nice, but I don't think it works in terms of her having the longer relationship with Sam. I actually found the Christie Kovacs affair refreshing because there was no attempt to pretend it was anything other than what it was. Field's alcoholism seems to build all season and I feel like this is something that gets dumped in season 2, no? 

Christie Kovacs was probably the most fascinating piece of season one. For a season that is very slow burning, Christie comes on like lighter fluid accelerating several of the plots. It was such a tonal switch. I thought Christie and Field's liasion was a fun jolt and the Chappaquiddick-esque automobile accident that scarred Christie solidified Field as a morally ambigious JFK type with Titus acting as the Joe Kennedy of the situation. I liked that Christie representing the working class that was underrepresented, but laid out as a signifcant part of the show's fabric in the pilot. I wouldn't say Christie was terribly well defined, but there was a lot of untapped potential. Similarly, Alice Kovacs was in the same boat. Did we even get a real Alice and Claude scene despite her unrequited feelings for him. 

Of the more stand alone episodes, "A Mother's Revenge" with Mary Troy was probably the best. The Mary / Titus relationship was great. Lane being able to emotionally manipulate Mary into staying quiet was probably one of my favorite uncomforable moments. The twist with Titus having raped Mary and fathered Annabelle was tragic. Howard Duff's Titus is very bizarre. I don't know if I think he is one of the best villains or one of the lamest. I found the sequences with the Turner family intriguing. Carl Turner is hired to run the construction project with Titus forcing him to use Cuban labor. I really wasn't sure what the point was, but I imagine there was some sort of kick back for Titus. Titus trying to railroad George Turner was terrible. I was actually surprised to see that they kept Carl on throughout the first season and had him getting sick with the poisoning from the mill. 

I really liked when the mill came into play midseason when Skipper planned to leave Truro for the job with the New Orleans paper. Claude's accident requiring Skipper to take the lead at the mill was nice as it kicked off the Christie Kovacs stuff. I wish they had played Skipper at the mill longer or at least had Constance butting into the office politics on the behalf of Claude, who wouldn't trust Skipper to handle things. 

I like Joel Bailey as Channing, Jr.'s bisexual lover Lindsay on "Santa Barbara," but I found Tony very unmemorable and was sorta shocked that they brought him back towards the end to be a potential love interest for Lute Mae. That sequence made me like Tony a bit more, but I didn't really know what propelled them to do that. I liked the idea that Tony would need work because the mill was closed, but Tony's natural conclusion seemed to be when the Kovacs faded from the scene.  

While the Christie story's pacing bothered me, I at least enjoyed that story. The Slade murder plot didn't really fit into the canvas and stuck out like a sore thumb. I still don't know why Harrison Brandt wanted Lane back or why she had to leave or why he had to kill all those people. It just seemed very plot heavy and reminded me of the Lorca / the Walkers stuff at the start of the season which I didn't like. 

The final episodes of the season were great. I loved Sam and Constance ending up together at the seedy motel and leaving us up in the air as whether they did or didn't (it seemed like they did though). I really liked when Field and Lane reunited after the car accident and Field and Titus went head to head over Field taking control of his own life. I liked the conflict with the mill poisoning the water and how Lane again defended Field even if I don't think either side was right in this. Eudora and Elmo ending up together for one night during the hurricane after Eudora drank several sips of brandy was also wonderful. I found Peter Donat surprisingly attractive this go around. Everyone trapped at Lute Mae's with that great exchange between Lute Mae and Constance where Lute Mae suggested that in another life Constance and Lute Mae would have been business partners. Constance threatening a long and drawn out divorce action. 

I'm curious to see how the second season progresses with the introduction of Michael Tyrone and the Sanchez family.

[DRW50]

@dc11786 Wonderful rundown. I have rarely watched this show as it doesn't appeal to me, but you make me curious.