Knots Landing

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Abby may have been the villain of the show but she was still down-to-earth and multi-faceted. JR and Alexis were cartoonish, one-dimensional and campy. Those kind of OTT characters got all the attention. Abby was more understated. But KL was such a different show than Dynasty or Dallas. They were very flashy shows which produce pop culture phenomena. KL just wasn't that type of show. Don't get me wrong, Dynasty and Dallas were entertaining and I liked watching them. However, I just think KL was a far superior show and it was because it was more relatable and more of an ensemble with not just one character stealing the spotlight. 

[Soapsuds]

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[SoapDope]

In the later years of the show (say circa 1991/1992), Judy could have come back and dropped the bomb that Gary had gotten her pregnant during their affair and they have a 10 year old child. 

[Paul Raven]

There was a lot of earlier stuff they could have used later on, but chose not to, for whatever reason.

Abby's ex for a start. Sid's daughter/Abby's niece could have been recast and taken in a lot of directions.

What happened to Laura's son Jason? Was he seen occasionally or shipped off?

[SoapDope]

It's like the first 3 years 1979-early 1982 of Knots was wiped and they started fresh. Same with Dallas, it was like 1978-early 1980 was wiped and everything was rebooted after J.R's shooting. Both shows burned through a lot of material in those early days. 

On Dallas they could have recast Pam & Cliff's cousin Jimmy. He and Lucy could have married instead of boring and bland Mitch. 

 

[Khan]

It's pretty clear they wanted to do a Gary/Val/Abby triangle as early as S2 - remember when, at the end of the Earl/Judy arc, Abby comes to Gary at his office and asks, "Are you ready for me now, Gary?" - but KL was in such a miserable state that year.  They were attempting to be as salacious as DALLAS, but still staying within the self-contained, Bergman-esque format, and it just wasn't working.

[Vee]

Sure, of course. I just didn't know it was ever backed off of in that period.

I actually think much of S2's first and last halves are much stronger than some of mid-S3 where it flags for a little while, but that's me.

I've talked about it before, but Abby is the perfect encapsulation of why the show's transformation worked so well IMO. Like all the other women and families, you knew exactly where Abby came from because you saw it onscreen the day she drove into the neighborhood. You knew what she'd been through and what she wanted, and she didn't get it all immediately in S2 or S3. So you could root for her and make the adjustment (as with the other characters) when they dive headfirst into the '80s and much of the ensemble become career power players. Because they built the changes in themselves from the ground up, Abby most of all. That didn't happen with any of the other examples you cited, and doesn't happen with most daytime or primetime soaps today.

Edited September 4, 2024 by Vee

[Spin865]

I wonder why we never really find out what exactly Gary and Val were doing during their post-Southfork pre-reuniting years. You have to think Alcoholic Gary Ewing in the late 60's would get into some trouble.   

[SoapDope]

I always wondered that too. Gary & Val split up around 1962 or 1963 so you have about 15 years before they show back up in 1978. 

[Soaplovers]

I seem to recall Val had something with the guy that was raising that demon child Cricket.. but I'm surprised Gary didn't have one or two children come out of the wood work during that period of time.

I guess the show decided to use that trope with Mac when Paige was created

[Paul Raven]

Gary surely would have had some relationships during that time.

A woman from his past claiming he was the father of her child, which could turn out to be false, even if the woman truly believed it (or not)

Or a quickie marriage when he was drunk. 

Or some incident from the past that Gary has forgotten or has kept hidden.

A lot of possibilities.

[SoapDope]

Maybe Gary prostituted himself for money to buy booze ? Like Midnight Cowboy.

I noticed in S1 when Lucy comes to visit, Val is showing all the stuff she saved from her childhood in her bedroom and Lucy is naming the dolls. OK, if Lucy was stolen as an infant, how would she know that stuff ? She also tells Val she is the one who came back visiting her over the years. On Dallas Lucy says she has not seen Val till then (1978). 

[SoapDope]

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[Franko]

And maybe this is revealed when Gary runs for office?

[All My Shadows]

Currently watching “Man of the Hour,” which I’m assuming is one of the final Eight is Enough-style episodes that focus on the Fairgate kids. Eric is such a sweet and earnest kid, absolutely adorable, and in terrible need of a haircut. My question is - did the show ever resolve his fate after Shaw’s death? Even in the reunion mini-series, was it established that Eric was no longer living?

General season 2 observations before I finish it up soon - you can just tell some changes had to happen because halfway through, we’re pretty serialized but every couple on the cul-de-sac is just dealing with a different stage of adultery, and then we go back to self-contained episodes.