Knots Landing

[Khan]

Yet another, potentially good storyline ruined by the Lechowicks' inability to cast the right actors.  In fact, the Lechowicks probably would've had even more success at KL, with far less of their storylines requiring "course correction," but they just couldn't cast for [!@#$%^&*].

Edited December 14, 2024 by Khan

[kalbir]

Budget mode also played a part in casting. Hiring on the cheap.

[Khan]

On the one hand, I definitely agree with you.  But the thing is, I'm not talking about just KL.  Across the board, on most of the shows that one or both Lechowicks ran - "Homefront," "Second Chances," "Hotel Malibu," "That's Life," "Wild Card," even Y&R - they had a strange knack for making highly questionable casting decisions.  It's as if Lynn and Bernie thought their scenes and dialogue were SO good that they were actor-proof.

Conversely, look at someone like Jay Tarses.  Production values on his shows (including "Buffalo Bill," "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" and others) often were crap, but he knew how to cast the right actor for the right role, and that made his writing all the more brilliant in the process.

Edited December 14, 2024 by Khan

[te.]

To be fair, I find that to be an issue with the Lorimar soaps in general - they might've had a good initial cast that at least grew into their roles, but a lot of side characters were just either blandly cast - or worse (yes, I'm looking at you Sasha Mitchell). It dampened a lot of ability for these shows to move past the initial cast and they had to rely on the originals to carry these shows.

Spelling shows, on the other hand, usually did pick up actors with potential but of course steered into overstylized messes where the script came in second.

[Soaplovers]

One of season 9's little talked about episodes was 'There are Smiles'.

This episode tied up the Peter Hollister story, established Abby vs Paige, and moved Paige out of the Lotus Point orbit.  These served to tie up season 8 mistakes (Abby being all pro Paige made no sense, Peter Hollister had too much focus, and Paige was never a fit in the Lotus Point group).

The other main thing was the Laura exit was set up in this episode with resigning from Lotus Point and her way of telling Greg she was dying was so very Laura.  The acting between Greg and Laura is good..and subtle changes of Greg's expressions as he realizes what she is saying is flawless.  Greg, as a character, truly passed away once Laura passed away.  

The other main season 9 set up happens in this episode and it was due to the Peter Hollister murder. 

Jill finally calls Gary out on his dysfunction at always rescuing Val and Abby..plus his continual ties to the kids.  She even elects to cool things with him...but relents when he admit she's right and ready to move forward with her.

All this progress is ruined by two words said by Val in frustration to Gary 'your kids'.  The last scene of them in bed is Gary in shock Val finally admitted it as Jill's look shows that she now views Val as a threat and now is back in the cycle she had tried to break out.

In regard to the funeral episodes, how Teri Austin choose to play those scenes is what gave the Latham's the idea to make Jill snap. 

The Jill character is a perfect example of never turning down work.  Teri Austin said she happened to be in LA for pilot season, got a call from David Jacobs to offer her a bit part, she took it and it turned into a 4 season role all due to her and how she played that brief scene with Mack.

[Soapsuds]

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[dragonflies]

[Khan]

Now all I need is for Pluto TV to launch a KL channel and I can die a happy man, lol.

[All My Shadows]

I did not expect the adorable photo of Laura and baby Daniel under the end credits of S2E2, but it’s crazy to see how delicate the show was with her character/story knowing that she’ll be mostly marginalized a few seasons later. She’s the true tragic heroine of primetime soaps, and it almost feels like Laura is what Sue Ellen was supposed to be before Dallas became all about watching JR pull everyone’s strings.

[Chris B]

I'm almost done with season 9 and this is the first season I feel didn't work as a whole. It has some series best highlights but overall a lot of clunkiness. 

Highlights:

- Lilimae's exit - If she had to go, finding love with Red Buttons was the right way to do it. Looking back I'm very satisfied with her arc although I wish she had returned at some point.

- Noises Everywhere - While I didn't enjoy Laura's exit, I did love these episodes. The first episode narrowing it down to the core cast and then the second episode bringing the broader cast in was a nice touch. John Pleshette was wonderful as always and Teri Austin stole the show as Drunk Jill.

- The Williams family - It's a shame what happened, but this was a 10/10 introduction. I loved the mystery surrounding it and once the mystery was resolved we discovered that Pat had really nice chemistry with Karen and Val. I wish racism hadn't gotten in the way and these characters, particularly Pat, were able to live up to their full potential.

- The finale - I haven't reached this in my re-watch yet, but those final two episodes of the season are among the finest tv I've ever witnessed.

The Bad:

- Laura's exit - While I find it believable that Laura would leave the way she did, I think they did a disservice to Constance McCashin by not giving us enough on-screen build up before she was written off. She deserved a major storyline that lasted at least half the season before sending her off to die. 

- The Mexico mess/Manny Vasquez - Nothing in this story worked. Not Manny, not Harold and Olivia, not the kids in Mexico looking for treasure. In order for this to have worked they would've needed to develop Manny as a more complete character so we could even care. Maybe they could've skipped the Charles foolishness and made Manny the new love interest for Abby. 

- Charles Scott - Michael York is a wonderful actor but casting him as the man who made Abby how she is made no sense. I would've presented the character more as a womanizer with power like a JR. I just couldn't believe this milquetoast man stole her heart like that. Not to mention, it went nowhere.

Today my goal is to get through everything except the final two episodes so I can enjoy those by themselves. Then I'm looking forward to season 10 and saying goodbye to Abby!

[Khan]

I suspect it would've gone somewhere, had the Lechowicks' not fucked up the casting, like they always did.  

The Manny Vasquez story is exactly the story that makes me question the Lechowicks' whole "We chose to work on KNOTS over DALLAS and FC because KNOTS was more real" explanation.  You chose to work on KNOTS because it was more real, but you end up writing a drug smuggling storyline that smacked of "Miami Vice."  Make THAT make sense, lol.

[te.]

TBF, execs do dictate storyline ideas at times and might've specifically told them to do more "action" as it was getting more popular. 

[kalbir]

 

Knots Landing goes off the rails in the aftermath of Laura's departure.

 

I've brought this up before, but I think the Williams family was added in an attempt to get the African-American audience away from NBC.

[Khan]

And I think you're right!  Just as I think Kevin Dobson/Mack and William Devane/Greg were added in order to steal male viewers away from "Hill Street Blues," and the whole "Sumner Group" dynamic was added in order to get people away from "L.A. Law."

I'm just glad KL was gone by the time "Friends" hit it big, or else we would've had to endure scenes with Karen or Val hanging out in coffee shops, lol.

Edited December 24, 2024 by Khan

[soapfan770]

Honestly I had completely blocked Abby and Michael York from my memory until finally seeing it all over again. WTF was that about it anyway? I wish it had stayed blocked in my head.

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I did like the Williams family it’s a real shame of their fate both on the show and off it. I was glad to see at least KL give a chance to diversify, as opposed to Phillip Caprice’s resistance on Dallas about it.