Knots Landing

[Chris B]

For me it's season 4, but I agree that season 4-6 is quite the run. In my current re-watch I'm at the beginning of season 3 and I have to give them props for how well they handled the self-contained period of the show and used it to still weave continuing stories in. Season one in particular allowed the characters to be completely vulnerable and they handled some serious stories. 

I'd argue that nobody in the Dallas/Knots universe had chemistry as strong with Larry Hagman as Joan Van Ark. She always played all of the backstory in all of their scenes. 

 

[Soaplovers]

Watching some of these season 1 to 3 episodes, I can understand why Gary eventually cheated.  Not that I condone it, but I understand why he did so.   Val is a level 5 static clinger... I'm watching the show thinking 'girl.. give the man some space'.

Gary outgrew Val in season 3... just like Abby outgrew Gary in season 8.  

I often play a game of sliding doors and I wonder how different the show would have been if Sid hadn't been killed off.  Karen was a lot more tolerable when married to Sid then she was married to Mac.

[SoapDope]

I wonder what the actors thought when that Biker script was handed to them ? I noticed Joan Van Ark almost breaking character during the scene where "Alien" says they are scaring the pants off him and he strips them off.

Season 1 (1979) is like the late 70's walks up and slaps the piss out of you......and I love it so much.

[dragonflies]

I wonder if deep down JR resented Val that she had no romantic interest in him. I mean JR wants all women to fall at his feet lol 

[Vee]

A hilariously accurate description.

[All My Shadows]

I watched the biker episode yesterday, and it felt like an episode of CHiPs. I’m finishing my season 1 rewatch tonight, and I’m formulating my list of favorites. Will the Circle Be Unbroken was definitely a masterpiece.

Edited September 1, 2024 by All My Shadows

[Vee]

I like a lot of Will the Circle be Unbroken but hoo boy it's got just a few too many cornpone Lilimae songs for me. I do think it is an essential watch because it introduces the character. That ep in S3 where Lilimae runs off to Vegas or whatever, not so much.

Edited September 1, 2024 by Vee

[SoapDope]

Two of my Favorite Season 1 episodes are " The Lie" dealing with Laura's rape and a real look into the Avery marriage. It also has a eerie "Looking For Mr. Goodbar" vibe.

I like" Courageous Convictions" because Laura tells Richard she wants to be an equal and she's getting a job.  Richard was all about living beyond his means and keeping up with the Joneses and it gets them into hot water. That scene where Laura has to put back the stuff at the clothing store in front of Karen & Val is sad. 

[Liberty City]

Not Priscilla Pointer playing a different character on Knots than she did on Dallas. Missed opportunity to cross her Dallas character over, even briefly.

[Vee]

The Lie is one of the must-watch eps from S1 for me as is Courageous Convictions. While they don't really revisit it with Laura it is one of the deepest windows into her that you get, particularly for who she was before she really reinvented herself as a career woman.

What on Earth would Rebecca Wentworth have done there, though? 

[Liberty City]

Not a clue... but it would've been neat, LOL! And then maybe, just maybe, Pam could've shown up in Knots Landing, instead of dying in a car crash. 

Please register in order to view this content

[All My Shadows]

The Lie and Courageous Convictions were both great Avery episodes. Richard is really an interesting character but I keep wondering how they ever could have kept him on longer than they did. He had some pretty abhorrent traits right from the very beginning, and it was just clear that Laura could do much, much better and was on the way to a come-up. It absolutely sucks that her story ended the way it did.

[Vee]

The Laura thing has been hashed out by many people more informed than me over the years. I will say I think it would've been a fundamentally different dynamic in the show had she continued, and it's interesting to think how they might have used her (or not used her) and how she would've reacted in/with later story. I think an equally viable choice could've been to have her cancer or tumor or whatever put her in a coma for years if they had to cut the budget, then bring Constance back in the last year or two to shake things up. Laura's voice and attitude were different from many characters on the show.

Same goes for Richard - I can think of ways to interweave and use him after Season 4. But unlike Laura I can't see him staying forever. It would've been nice if he'd come in and out.

Edited September 2, 2024 by Vee

[Liberty City]

Laura & Richard annoy me... plus, from the moment Richard met Valene I got this vibe he was going to R-her.... whew.

[Paul Raven]

Don Murray leaving was a blessing. Has Sid remained they would have had trouble coming up with stories for the Fairgates as I imagine they were going to be the solid couple who never strayed.

And the self contained episodes showed the difficulty in coming up with a weekly story for that type of show. 

Had that format continued there would have been the inevitable 'comedy' episode and one of those 'fantasy/ what if' episodes

Eg under anaesthetic Val imagines everyone as a different character or writing her next novel Val casts her friends as characters.