KNOTS LANDING

[Chris B]

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.

[Vee]

That's essentially what I've always heard. I could never skip all those given the foundations, even if it is slowgoing and the resource will hopefully stick around in the meantime - I don't binge that fast these days, and I'm busier IRL now than I've been since the start of the pandemic. Anyway, I made it through Season 1 of Melrose Place (to say nothing of Season 6), so it can't be that rough.

[Chris B]

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.

[Vee]

Anyone who hasn't seen the original Bergman Scenes From a Marriage, BTW, should; it's amazing.

I will be the outlier on Melrose S1 and say I think key elements of the relationships and major couples are formed there, like Billy/Alison and Jake/Jo, or Michael and his various women. The latter half of that season, when Amanda arrives, should especially be watched and is good. Anyway, yes, I will be going all the way through on Knots if I am able. I'm watching the Dallas introductory episodes now. You can see why that show took off as well.

[victoria foxton]

 

 

   

[Khan]

Agree.  In a way, I feel like Gary and Val's addition diluted Kenny and Ginger.  Both couples were young, or young-ish; and both were starting out in life, even though Gary and Val had been married before and were bringing all their DALLAS history with them to KNOTS.  Gary/Val and Kenny/Ginger weren't EXACTLY the same; however, when I'd watch the two, there were times when I felt like Kenny and Ginger were redundant, for lack of a better word.

Agree!  I think the only thing that comes close on American television was the first season of "thirtysomething."

[DRW50]

In the long term I think they may have been wiser to have Abby cheat with Kenny, rather than Richard. It would have provided more story for Kenny and Ginger, still angered Karen, and Richard and Laura were in a terrible marital place anyway. 

I do think, beyond how gorgeous he was, there wasn't a lot Kenny offered to the show. Ginger I think had real potential, especially as she was very ethereal (which, as you say, was also true of Valene, especially in the earlier seasons). I wish we had been able to see her as a single woman. 

[Chris 2]

I hope you watched the two “Dallas” episodes with David Ackroyd as Gary, too. I think they contain some of Joan Van Ark’s finest moments as Valene.

[Vee]

I watched all of their Dallas episodes. Now I'm onto the pilot! Michele Lee and Don Murray (who I mostly know as a much older man in Season 3 of Twin Peaks, where he shined) make a hell of an entrance.

[Chris B]

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. 

[Vee]

Who still has the rights to this? WB/Paramount? It's really unbelievable that given the pedigree, the Desperate Housewives-style setup and the eternal '80s craze atop almost 20 seasons of content that no one has put this up for streaming on Paramount Plus or HBO Max (or Hulu, but I guess Hulu wouldn't be the place given the Disney merger). It's great already.

Edited May 12, 2022 by Vee

[DRW50]

It doesn't make any sense to me either. 

If anyone doesn't know, you can find the first two seasons, with some extras, on  DVD. 

[Paul Raven]

Excellent idea.

Given the fact that Knots was developed before Dallas, isn't it the case that Gary and Val were not apart of the original concept?

Was it always 4 couples and one couple were rewritten to be Gary and Val?

Could that need to accommodate the Ewings have been the cause of Ginger and Kenny being somewhat sidelined? They didn't even appear in a couple of early episodes which seems strange for a new show wanting to establish the characters.

 

[DemetriKane]

The guy that host this soap podcast named The Chat, has said a few times HBO Max is actually working on it. I wish I could remember which episode it was…..

[Vee]

This school board drama in episode 3 has not aged! (The cute teacher randomly laying one on Karen sure has.)

Edited May 15, 2022 by Vee