Flamingo Road

[Chris B]

The first season is well written, but seems to be missing something. I do like that the self-contained episodes still further the main themes of the series. It doesn't seem so open and shut, but still something feels off. The best moment so far was in "The Election." The Field and family are being interviewed and the interviewer asked Constance where Skipper was and she said soliciting votes with a church group. Then you have the perfect shot of Skipper and everybody else at Lute Mae's whorehouse cracking up.

The writing is very clever and it's a dark and naughty show full of grey characters. I wish it had another two seasons just to see what they would've come up with. I'm also curious if Constance will ever get to react to Lute Mae being her mother. I hope thats not a loose end. It's too juicy to pass up.

[SFK]

Is Esther Rolle in season 1?

[Chris B]

Esther Rolle is season two I believe.

I just finished an episode where Field slaps Constance so hard she fell to the ground. He's such a nasty guy considering he's the one they try to build sympathy for. Constance doesn't work for me as the vixen/bitch because so far she hasn't done anything wrong. She has every right to be angry since her husband uses her, is openly and constantly cheating on her and has no respect for her or her family. He's a total bastard. Nobody forced him to marry her, he did that to further his political career. I hope he has a horrible downward spiral. I wish this show lasted long enough for Constance to break free.

[All My Shadows]

Esther appears towards the very end of season two along with (random) Ernie Hudson. They factor into the Michael Tyrone voooodoooo story.

I think we were supposed to see that Field's position in life wasn't necessarily of his own choice but part of the path given to him by more overbearing figures in his life, namely Titus. IIRC, his father was a more kindly man, and had he been alive, I think Field's life would have been much different. Still, I was Team Constance all the way through season one simply because of Field's constant lies. In season two, there are definitely moments where you realize that Field doesn't hate Constance or even dislike her a whole lot. They've known each other for years, so he likes her. He just sometimes resents the lack of control he has on his own life and takes it out on her. One of my favorite side comments was in the Christmas episode where he snarkily, but with total sincerity, wishes her a Merry Christmas. I would have loved to see them transition to a love/hate friendship had the show continued.

Constance, sadly, never lived up to her bitchy potential in the show's short run. Her biggest scheme was faking the divorce and then faking the paralysis. Given a few more seasons, I'm sure she would have gotten herself together and struck out on her own instead of relying just on Daddy's money.

IIRC, Constance never learns that Lute-Mae is her mother. I never got to see the last couple of episodes, so she might have found out then. It pretty much remained a secret between Claude and Lute-Mae through the first season. Eudora found out the truth while they were all keeping vigil at hospital following the hurricane and Constance's fall at Lute-Mae's. She overheard Claude and Lute-Mae talking about it in the chapel in one of those GREAT soapy reveals -- Claude and Lute-Mae had this big conversation about it in the darkly lit chapel, and as they leave the room, Eudora steps out of the shadows.

I need to watch the episodes on YouTube while I can, lord knows how long they'll stay up. If Warner can put The Yellow Rose out on the power Cybill Shepherd, then they can certainly capitalize on Mark Harmon and Morgan, especially considering they're the actual stars (not like plastering Johnny Depp's face on the final season of 21 Jump Street).

Edited March 27, 2011 by All My Shadows

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPmA_5aybUs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

[SFK]

The second season theme is more lush and sophisticated, more Savannah. I think I prefer the tawdry twang of season one. The shot of the mansions between the train tracks and the water is really... I dunno what I want to say, romantic? A striking image. Having an expensive home near loud passing trains isn't exactly customary but its nothing if not elegant in this instance.

[DRW50]

Stella Stevens still looked great then.

I remember thinking Woody Brown was very hot when he did the Skinemax/direct-to-video softcore route in the 90's, but he just looks goofy here.

[All My Shadows]

The first season theme was more swampy lol the bongos and such. The theme was written by Gerald Fried, who also wrote the theme from from Roots, and you can definitely hear similarities between the two.

I LOVE the little part with the various homes representing Flamingo Road. The Weldon home, also used on Emerald Point NAS, is in California and supposedly looks like a tiny piece of the south stuck in the middle of Pasadena.

He was cute on the show (not HOT like Mark and Fernando, but cute), and they often had him coming into scenes right from the pool, so that was a plus. They didn't really use him a lot, though. He got air time, but his own stories were usually overpowered by whatever was going on with the central quad.

Edited May 23, 2011 by All My Shadows

[Paul Raven]

[SFK]

I was going to mention the Emerald Point connection, and indeed with the swampy bongos and whatever instrument that is that sounds like a rattlesnake (a maraca-like sound, Knots used it too).

My mom would be swooning at that Mark Harmon pic.

[DRW50]

Poor Morgan Fairchild and Woody Brown were both a bit off in that first photo. Morgan usually looks fantastic. Perhaps the show was trying to tell us their family had some bad inbreeding.

[Paul Raven]

Edited May 23, 2011 by Paul Raven

[DRW50]

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[All My Shadows]

Thanks for the promo, Carl! It reminds me of how the infamous Rev. Donald Wildmon went on a crusade against the show around this time because of its sexual content. I wonder whatever happened to him.

A DVD release is still nowhere on the horizon, and that pisses me off greatly. It's 37 episodes plus a pilot movie! Mark Harmon stars in the most-watched drama of the last 5 years, and Morgan Fairchild is still a familiar face! Release this show NOW, Warners!

[DRW50]

He retired about 5 years ago but his...group is still around, as powerful as ever.