KNOTS LANDING

[Paul Raven]

Married at one time to Ginger Rogers. Dr Kildare in a very popular series of movies for MGM. 

Conscientious objector in WW2.

It's a shame the nighttime soaps got little attention from the Emmys. Some excellent performances were ignored.

Really enjoying the episode breakdowns and discussions. Keep 'em coming!

[Franko]

It seems to me that as soon as the Emmys and Golden Globes could get away with ignoring the nighttime soaps in terms of acting and, well, existing, they did. The GGs showed a little more respect. Both (particuarly the Emmys) also seemed to seek out as many nominees as possible from the prestigious shows (Hill Street Blues, Lou Grant, St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, etc.) while mostly sticking to the usual suspects from the Big Four.

Dallas -- Emmys: two nods for Outstanding Drama Series (for 1979-80 and 1980-81), two nods for Larry Hagman (79-80 and 80-81), one nod for Jim Davis (80-81), three nods for Barbara Bel Geddes (1977-79, 1979-80 and 1980-81; win in 1980) and one nod for Linda Gray (1980-81). Golden Globes: five nods for Best Television Series -- Drama (for 1979-1983), three nods for Larry (for 1980-1982), three nods for Barbara (for 1979-1981; win for 1981) and one nod each for Linda (for 1981) and Victoria Principal (for 1982).

Dynasty -- Emmys: one nod for Outstanding Drama Series (1981-82); three nods for John Forsythe (1981-82, 1982-83 and 1983-84), one nod for Linda Evans (1982-83) and one nod for Joan Collins (1983-84); Golden Globes: six nods for Best Television Series -- Drama (for 1981-86, win for 1983), six nods for John (1981-86, wins for '82 and '83), five nods for Linda (1981-85, win for '81), six nods for Joan (1981-86, win for '82), one nod for John James (for '85) and one nod for Gordon Thompson (for '87).

Knots -- Emmys: one nod for Michelle Lee (1981-82) and one nod for Julie Harris (1981-82). Golden Globes: one nod for William Devane (for '86).

Falcon Crest -- Golden Globes: two nods for Jane Wyman (for '82 and '83, win for '83), one nod for Lorenzo Lamas (for '82) and one nod for Gina Lollobrigida (for '84).

Flamingo Road -- Golden Globes: one nod for Morgan Fairchild (for '81).

For the record: Dallas won four People's Choice Awards (Favorite TV Drama, in 1980-82, then Favorite Nighttime Dramatic Serial in '87), Dynasty won 10 (Linda Evans in 1982-86, Joan Collins in '85 -- tied with Linda -- and the show itself in 1984-87 -- the last one tied with Dallas) and The Colbys won one (in '86).

[Joseph]

Lew Ayres Is one of My All Time Favorites he also co-starred with Jane Wyman on Johnny Belinda, the movie that gave her the Oscar! More Than a Pacifist on WW2 he also gave up a chance at a lucrative contract on TV on a possible TV Version of Dr. Kildare because it would be sponsored by Cigars i'll always respect him for that

[Vee]

Episode 19 (Night):

This is one of the legendary eps. Written by John Pleshette for his own character, it absolutely lives up to its reputation. Richard coming home sloppy drunk with Abby, wheedling his way inside, rambling about their ill-fated affair ('remember the hot tub? the neck, not the ear, right?') and then getting way too physical with her sets the disturbing tone. I assume that's the definitive end of their friendly relationship!

Back at the Avery house, Richard lonely in his darkened home is a shocker, as it's turned to a complete shambles; he appears to be living and sleeping on his couch for no clear reason (perhaps he can't bear to sleep in the bed he shared with Laura). His having to put on the TV just to hear something in his solitude - an old Hollywood musical romance - was disturbingly too true to life. We've all been in dark holes, black moments throughout our lives, and while it may never have been quite as bleak as Richard's low, I think there's way too much relatable there. As he tells Karen later about his life now: "Everything echoes, everything reflects back."

The late Alexander Singer directed this, along with a lot of other KL eps and a veritable who's who of classic '80s TV, but before that he already had a massive resume in network TV - he did a bunch of classic episodes of The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible and many other greats. He closed out his career doing all of the '80s/'90s Star Trek shows (TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyager) for over a decade, which is how I know his name best. This episode is stunning work. The little insert shots, like Richard examining the old family photos in his wallet, feel intimate, private, something we shouldn't be seeing. Unsettling to see it at all. The slow, Robert Altman-esque zoom in on the dojo as Richard persuades his way into taking Jason out of his class again feels vaguely sinister, surveillance-like. And Jason comes home to find the house frighteningly transformed - the living room a playspace for a gargantuan train set. Then Richard cooks a perfect meal for the family, and refuses to let them leave.

Joe forcing the Fairgates (and Lilimae, and Abby!) to read Dylan Thomas for him feels like extraordinary rendition out of Abu Ghraib. A line that hits different today: Karen heading across the street when they hear the Averys' yelling and telling her kids, 'hey, we're not invading Afghanistan!' The crisis here feels far more real and less bombastic than the home invasion silliness from S2 because it feels like something that can happen, does happen with couples we know (not that home invasions don't, but still) all the time in quiet suburban neighborhoods - neighbors hearing the shouting - and because we've lived with these characters so long now and know them well, their reactions, their growing concern and gossiping feels extremely real and true, and has real weight.

The shot of Gary creeping into the Avery backyard and patio - a known and friendly, comfy setting as early as the first cul-de-sac party Gary and Val were invited to there in Season 1 - and seeing Laura at the kitchen window trying to do dishes is incredibly haunting.

This is the second hostage situation for the LAPD in Knots Landing in a year! A studied and fascinating difference with this one, though: The lead cop is a woman, and all the main action-oriented protagonists in this situation (Karen, Laura, etc.) are women, with Karen taking Sid's role opposite a female cop. Yes, Karen, etc. were lead and active characters in the prior situation in S2, but they were all still hostages at the hands of another evil woman (the lead burglar). Here, the women are on the outside doing the police work and power jockeying against a man, working to end the standoff. This is a major change from the OTT male bombast of the original home invasion episode, where Sid, Gary, etc. all roared and raced around the living room howling at the male cops as the show strained to give the male stars enough viscera to their performances in an episode which still focused on the women, but left them in hostage roles.

Something more incisive and smart is done here, giving Karen a lead role. Her relationship with Richard, as we've all noted, is loving, unique, thorny, almost brother and sister. In another life I could've even seem them getting together as an odd couple post-Sid, had Richard stayed the bettered man he was at the outset of Season 3. Initially Karen simply can't believe that the situation is that serious; she pooh-poohs the SWAT team, dismisses Abby as having 'led him on' the night before.  Later she understands the gravity of the situation.

The eerie music as Karen finally cuts through to Richard herself is stunning, and the central underpinnings of the season thus far begin to link up as Karen equates Richard's loss of Laura with her loss of Sid: "It's like a death, isn't it?" "My hair is growing, my nails are growing, but I'm dead," he replies. Constance McCashin does wonderful work opposite him, but ultimately this episode is Pleshette's showcase and a brilliant piece of work. The eternal question, of course, is did Richard know the gun was never loaded? Knowing his history of being a lovable loser, I don't believe he did. I think he meant to blow his brains out.

I can't imagine how anyone goes on from something like this to staying in the cul-de-sac and continuing to interact with the rest of the main cast, which I believe Richard somehow does for another year in some fashion (though I don't know how, and don't tell me). It's not Melrose Place where Kimberly was accepted back in after blowing the place up and I embraced it because I loved Marcia Cross and the character had become an hedonistic chameleon (until Darren Starr quit later that same season, anyway); Melrose had a much more elevated level of glitz and camp than KL. Also, how the hell can LAPD only hold Richard 72 hours? He took hostages!

The ending coda - with Karen racing to the Wards to happily welcome them home, trying to go on with another normal day in the neighborhood as the camera rises up over the abandoned Avery house - is a lot to process. I almost wish this had been a 2-parter tbh; I think it could've sustained even more.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Vee

[DRW50]

@Vee So glad you have stayed with the show through writing up these key episodes. I'm thrilled you liked Silver Shadows. Night is one of KL's best and is only enhanced by your thoughts. I hadn't thought about the contrast between this episode and the hostage episode until you brought  it up, and how much more female-centric the narrative became between the two seasons.  I feel like it's the difference between KL being strung along through melodramatic cliches and KL having character-driven drama. The late '80s has another nigh-based episode that is also very plot-driven melodrama (no spoilers), which just makes this period of the show even more special. 

[Vee]

Episode 20 (Acts of Love):

Home stretch time, and the love triangle of the '80s is hitting full throttle. Gary is instantly belittling Val minutes into this episode for not supporting him in his latest night out with his work wife (Abby), like a complete [!@#$%^&*]. She rightly asks 'when have I ever not backed you?' Val does not exist to him atm except as an extension of his ambitions and desires, and he's literally booking her as a babysitter for Abby's child without her knowledge.

Fed up, Val takes to the hills with her best wingman thus far IMO: Olivia, who's always had a lovely bond with her. Stuck in the boonies overnight after her manic tantrum, Val starts waiting tables in some country-ass dive tavern in the mountains with a guy who refers to himself as "the Kid" and tries to tempt her to stray, and this is contrasted beautifully with Gary and Abby in their upscale restaurant, wheeling and dealing James Karen.

Before they even leave for their latest trip Abby's already teased Gary that they're 'just pals' and tells him Val's being petty with her concerns, but the smirk on her face as she says it and the hint of one on Gary's even then tells the story on its own: They both already know the truth and they're both getting off on it, somewhere in the darkest part of Gary's Ewing heart. There's a famous Dallas scene where Jock Ewing snarls at Bobby and tells him that power given to a man is nothing, that it's something he takes. Gary, like his distant, fearsome father, craves to take, and with Abby he allows himself to enjoy it, to feel it. They close a deal with James Karen by invoking the spectre of the Dallas Ewings, then dance and sing on the beach - "I'm a mogul, you're a mogul, wouldn't you like to be a mogul too?" If that's not the '80s I don't know what is! And it's triumphant, ritualistic foreplay for Gary and Abby, which makes perfect sense.

A very candid, humanistic bit of dialogue on the beach when Gary finally succumbs to his passion with Abby:

Gary: Abby, we can't do this.

Abby: Oh, come on, we can't do anything else. [...] You like this, you like going to the edge like this. You like tempting me and having me tempt you. And okay, fine, if that's what you like, that's fine! [...] I've got feelings invested in this, Gary. I've got feelings invested in you. I'm sick and tired of being the wicked woman and the homewrecker. There are two of us here, Gary. It takes two people to feel like this, and I'm real tired of being the only one who admits it.

She's right! And she's not just a vixen or sexpot here, she's human and has her own feelings wrapped up in this beyond her schemes. When they get home and Abby hears Lilimae's message about Val and Olivia being away, the very faint ghost of a smile on Abby's face is genius. She knows and they know that the moment is now, and there's no words; she just takes Gary to bed. And now Lilimae knows!

At the hospital, Karen is of course Richard's only visitor. In a troubling turn, he's fixated on Laura and why she hasn't called, and the same eerie music from "Night" in a spooky bit as he wanders down the hospital corridor alone. Over at the Wards, there's a wonderful, awkward sequence where Laura instantly tenses up the moment she's alone with a visiting Karen, fully expecting her to bring up Richard, and sure enough she does. It is beyond me how Karen can shrug off what Richard did, and it's astonishing that she'd keep advocating for Laura to connect with him. The creepy vibes (and eerie music) continue when Laura actually does go visit Richard, and he's still joking and schmoozing away, shining her on, but you can see the fear gripping Laura behind her eyes. I have no idea where this is going, but it's very intriguing.

Episode 21 (China Dolls):

It's stormy weather as Gary and Abby's red hot affair continues, and his initial and consistent lack of guilt is striking - he seems delighted by it when he tells Abby he has no regrets. That's the Ewing DNA, IMO. Meanwhile, everyone's catching on, even Val who's in denial. Joe wisely ties Gary's infidelity to his past gambling addiction - 'down deep,'  he warns an uncomfortable Gary, 'the gambler wants to lose.' Probably Stephen Macht's best scene on the show so far, and one of the only ones he's felt integral to. His pointed sparring match with Abby at her front door later - him teasing her about taking Ginger to his function ('a married woman!') and him shooting back ('so tacky!') - was great, too. I've seen Macht go hogwild, so with a less tamped down character him and Donna Mills could've been very interesting. He's a bit cute with Ginger but I wasn't seeing the point of any of that subplot beyond perhaps Lankford and Houghton's contractual obligations.

The quick glimpse of Abby breaking down when Gary calls it off the instant after he leaves was a shocking show of vulnerability. Again, not something you'd expect to see from a typical character sketch like hers in most primetime soaps. But it doesn't last, as Gary's sexual obsession blossoms into complete mania and Val's denial is pierced by watching her husband all but stalk Abby, watching her through their living room window for hours and finally rushing across the street to confront her. The show knows what it has in Ted Shackelford, a performer who can be alternately intellectual, emotional, heartfelt and truly ugly as a human being, driven by bestial lusts, and they're fully ready to explore.

Laura would have to be far crazier than Richard to move back in with him. Even crazier than that shrink at the sanitarium with the deranged amount of ostentatious cat statues in her office. How is Karen still on her ass about taking Richard in? And I wasn't really getting into the china doll metaphor with the crazy patient's story and actual doll, but hey. At least Richard seems saner this week, acknowledging their marriage is over. I can't understand why she'd ever agree to move back in with him, but she's pregnant and it was a very different time.

Stormy winds howl as the camera smartly follows Val across the street with rising music, in a confrontation scene even I've seen bits and pieces of over the years. Val and Abby's perspectives on Gary are clearly illuminated here very well, as Val says she's been in love with him since she was 15 and Abby says she loves the Gary Ewing that presently is. More compelling for me though, as I haven't seen it before, was the scene that felt like the apex of the original conceptual underpinnings of this show and its suburban marriage intrigues, as Gary wanders over to the abandoned, battle-traumatized Avery house over pounding music because he can't take anymore and ravishes Abby then and there.

This is another famous episode and I understand why, but it's not the equal of "Night" for me. I think its impact is slightly diluted for me in that I, like many people, have seen some of the Val/Abby confrontation at the end before. It's still a very good episode.

I know it comes up in Season 4, but it's not been mentioned so far and it seems like a glaring oversight: The death of Jock Ewing. I've been idly watching a lot of Dallas Season 5 for fun on FreeVee, and Jock's death figures largely in the latter half of that year for that show. Dallas shows Miss Ellie going to call Gary, yet this same year on KL Gary and Val have yet to acknowledge it at all onscreen. (I think Karen's the only one who made a brief mention of Jock's death) It would seem as a fan to be a galvanizing event for Gary's slow transformation with Abby and out of his marriage, and a major blow to his psyche, yet it hasn't come up. That feels like a huge mistake. I am glad it will figure in next season in a material way (which I will be starting very shortly), but it warrants a lot more talk re: who and where Gary is.

[Soaplovers]

What I liked about season 3 of KL is that it struck a perfect balance between being a soap and the earnest self contained episode format of the 1st season.

Even in self-contained episodes, you still were given little nuggets of ongoing plot.  The Abby/Val friendship becomes filled with underlying tension starting with episode 11 (Power Play) when Val has a look on her face when she responds to Karen's joke about knowing how Abby is... and that tension continues as a thread until episode 17 (Letting Go) where Val/Abby have the conversation about morality being for those with money/security. 

Speaking of the exchange between Val and Abby in 'Letting Go',  that one exchange near the end of the episode showed the difference in 'station' and status between the two at that moment.  Of course Val would talk about morality and doing the right thing because she knew where her next meal was coming from.  She already had her dream of living in suburbia with Gary accomplished, so of course she would be lecturing Abby.  Abby, on the other hand, was still working toward her dream and as Tess Wilder in Working Girl said 'You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you're trying to get there. And if you're someone like me, you can't get there without bending the rules.' so Abby was using whatever resources she had to ensure she got what what she'd always wanted.... to be part of the haves.

What made the Gary/Abby affair so interesting was that we showed the growing connection between the two for over a season before the affair happened.  You saw them instantly have a good rapport, have one anothers back at KL motors, and have the same mindset when it came to business.  They had a friendship/admiration for one another that sparked the attraction/love between the two.   And I have to admit I always like Gary/Abby better together then Gary/Val because there were so many different avenues you could go with Gary/Abby together as a couple vs Gary/Val.. who always seemed to work better apart than together.

And @Veethat Val/Lilimae tension will always be there even when they become close.  It never is swept under the rug or forgotten.  It comes up in season 5/6 during Val's pregnancy and her mental decline after the twins are stole, when Val's half brother Joshua comes into the picture.. and in season 9 when Lilimae is about ready to leave.   

[Chris 2]

Laura having anything to do with Richard after the hostage episode is purely ridiculous. I know it’s a soap and people on soaps forgive each other more easily than they do in real life. But this is a bridge too far.

[Vee]

I try to take it as a mirror of the times, especially as an unwed pregnant woman. But yes, it's insane that he is still living on this block.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Vee

[Vee]

I think KL was always very female-centric, even in the prior S2 episode. The difference for me is that in S2 they struggled to give the male cast something to do in the story (which focused largely on the captive women) by having them all go apeshít vying for the camera with a bunch of male cops, thumping their chests and springing into physical choreography to prove they were integral to the action, whereas here the women occupy virtually all of the power and dramatic positions throughout outside of the house. No thought is given to turning Gary, Joe or the absent Kenny into men of action, because the story is about Richard, his wife and his relationships (such as with Karen).

[Vee]

Episode 22 (Living Dangerously):

Season finale! And everyone's buzzing about Gary and Abby, even the kids. What's interesting here is that Gary now knows Abby helped set Val's book in motion for her own purposes - she openly admits it - and he doesn't care. He's treating Val with contempt and seems fully committed to Abby, and embraces what she does for who she is and why she does it. Which makes them a perfect match.

I was admittedly a bit amazed Ginger is eager to bring her new baby over to visit Richard, the hostage-taking neighbor. What the hell did they tell people happened that night?! No sooner did I say this though did Ginger freak to see Richard holding Erin (I refuse to call her Erin Molly), which only makes perfect sense. Karen keeps making excuses for him, but Laura can see Richard's hand in all his strange, enigmatic behavior and refuses to engage while the whole cul-de-sac (unrealistically, IMO) continues to cluck over his well-being - I cannot buy Ginger and Lilimae being so upset over offending him at this point, let alone the others. 

I did love seeing Karen, Laura and Lilimae out to lunch together, and I loved them spotting Gary and Abby's lovenest even more. This goes to the throughline of the show's domestic arena; seeing people out at local spots, gossiping together as Lilimae counts the seconds til Gary emerges after Abby: "Look, he beat me." Karen lashes out when Val is still clucking over her book's new (and great!) title and wringing her hands over Gary's reaction - 'this is no time to worry about what Gary thinks!' Her jousting with Gary later over Val - him warning her not to tell, daring her - is a world from where they used to be. But I truthfully don't think either of them ever got over Gary's involvement with the circumstances leading to Sid's death. I think it has scarred the relationship ever since in ways they've never fully confronted, and now the open aggression over Val allows it to leak out and inform the situation.

Lilimae's confrontation with Gary is great. I believe this scene is where David Jacobs said Julie Harris only changed one line in all her years on the show - 'score one for the blond kid' is her idea. Julie Harris excels as a schemer and shitstirrer, and they're finally giving her more of her full due; she crackles as she gets Gary over a barrel and puts him in his place. But Val knows the whole thing's a sham as Gary reluctantly agrees to go to her book party, and seems resigned.

Her confrontation with Abby in the driveway (as the rapidly-growing Fairgate boys watch) is equally fun for entirely different reasons.

Lilimae: Look, I know what's going on, and I want it to stop!

Abby: Well, Lilimae, if you're talking about inflation or the arms race I agree! [pats her hand] I do too. [drives away]

The cul-de-sac biosphere, the confines of the neighborhood, once again show itself to be a perfect arena for endless combinations of different interpersonal interactions, as this sequence dovetails directly into Lilimae, Michael and Eric discovering Richard's lawn flooded from the sprinklers and his garage door opened. Same goes for a rare first time solo scene for Diana and Olivia (a cute combination and one of the only times I've enjoyed Claudia Lonow), who's babysitting as Olivia lets slip that Gary is 'here a lot.' These kind of simple, true-life suburban 'see something, say something' permutations are all you need to ignite certain types of classic soap opera drama, and it's too often lost sight of these days because it's not seen as high-toned enough.

Speaking of the Richard disappearances, there's a great scene where Laura tells the Wards, "I don't know what [Richard] knows" and admits she thinks it's possible he's planned all of this to force her back into their house. I think she's right. I don't think his leaving the sprinkler or on the door unlocked was an accident; I think he created that scene deliberately to stir up the neighbors and see to it they contacted Laura. The eerie music from "Night" replays as she finds his potential suicide note, and while he may have meant it I also think he allowed her to find it. I think his brazening it out with his ex-boss was also deliberate. I think he's been playing all of this to get her back in the house and one way or another, he's still deeply unwell. Which makes the finale where Laura and Jason move back in, with Laura's eyes darting around the lawn in the night like a caged animal, all the more satisfying in its lack of resolution, because to me this still feels like an Avery cold war and Richard feels much more calculating and dangerous, no matter what he's saying or doing. I think it's all a manipulation, and I am fascinated and spooked. And frankly, despite our comments above, this 'resolution' is a situation that can and has happened IRL which makes it scarier.

Anyway, the book party is grand but Val is still! bitching about her scandalous book being too scandalous. Give me a break, lady; take the money! The show seems intent on cementing Stephen Macht's Joe by making him Val's new West Coast editor, but we know that will not last for whatever reason. He's worked a lot better in the last couple episodes, but he has no serious romantic or sexual connection with any of the stars yet. That could've easily changed.

I loved Karen rushing to Abby's lovenest and trying to drag Gary out like her family problem, and I loved Val storming in and out and then driving out on Gary without a word. Great stuff.

I cannot wait for Season 4, which is when so many people say the show 'really starts', but I think so much of the first three seasons is integral character and community building you really need to see (I'm sure we could all probably prune very different lists of essential episodes, though). I don't regret barreling through them. I don't know how many more of these individualized takes I'll do as the show goes full serial, but I am definitely excited for it.

I agree that it very smartly delineates their takes on life, but what's interesting is I'm pretty sure (from what we know of her background at this point, anyway) Abby's always had it at least materially easier than Val, who was stripped of family, child and reduced to waiting tables in squalor for years. The difference is that all Val's ever wanted for herself up until her book is the home, family and suburban security Knots Landing and Gary provides, while Abby's had home and family and that kind of security, seemingly, her whole life - but, it would seem, nothing for herself, nothing she wanted for her own dreams as an actualized woman, a baby boomer. For Abby it seems it's less about economic survival than personal survival.

I do agree Gary and Abby are a match.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Vee

[Vee]

An interesting note on "China Dolls" btw, from the KL Season 3 essay by Tommy Krasker I think I linked a couple pages ago:

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Vee

[DRW50]

It's difficult for me to articulate, but  the main difference for me  in the first two seasons and afterwards is the couple-centric  format. The women in the first two  seasons are strong and relatively complex  in the definition of their marriages and traditional family structures. Starting with season  3 the tables are turned with a female narrative becoming more prominent, and  male characters (like Gary, and later, Ben  and  Mack)  tending to  be  most compelling or active in story when defined through the women in their lives.  KL tries, repeatedly, to bring in more dynamic male characters who have more of their own narrative, but the only one who ever really takes is Greg Sumner. 

[Vee]

That makes a lot of sense. I do think Gary, Sid, Kenny, etc. have never been as fully focused on or centralized as the women themselves but I def take your point.

[Joseph]

Funny i never realized or cared to search but a considerable number of Cast Members of Knots Landing have Birthdays on June:

Lisa Hartman turned 66 on June 1 (Wednesday)

Michelle Phillips turned 78 yesterday (June 4)

Kim Lankford Turns 68 on June 14

Joan Van Ark Turns 79 on June 16

Constance McCashin turns 75 on June 18

Ted Shackelford turns 76 on June 23

and Michele Lee turns 80 on June 24!