Jump to content

Knots Landing


Sedrick

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I loved the Jean Hackney plot. I hate that we had to lose Ben, but I found it a suspenseful storyline and I liked how much of the canvas it involved. It was different, but I thought it fit. I also loved how they played Ben's exit into the even better Jill vs Val storyline.

BTW, a bit of trivia is that they *did* try to bring Doug Sheehan back at some point, but were unable to locate him. I wonder how his return would've tied into the show and if it would've possibly replaced the Danny Waleska story which I feel is one of the worst they ever did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 3.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

I remember reading somewhere she was vocal in the press about how her character was being written and they decided to kill her off. Too bad. She was a good actress and it kind stunted the Williams family storylines. 

 

UGH !!! that Amanda character. What was really the point of all that mess ? I wonder if the character could have been more tolerable with better writing and someone like Ana Alicia in the role instead of Penny Peyser. I also hated Melinda Culea's character on the show. 

If they wanted to torture viewers with annoying characters, they should have just brought back Diana Fairgate...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm sure Douglas told them no on a return. Wasn't he unhappy about his character's storyline? 

I don't understand why Diana was let go. She was great on the show!

The writers had no clue how or what to write for Michael and Eric.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Diana in the first three seasons was written with more dimension.  She was the bossy older sister, but she also would call out Karen on her hypocrisy..and she had a few moments here and there where she was nice.

Once she became involved with Chip, any sort of dimension was wiped away.  At the end of her last season..she had become more tolerable living at Abbys, etc....but the character needed a breather.  And it.made sense for her to move to NYC since her love of fashion/design was established in season 3.

And I think Jill could have worked had the show not done the trying to kill Val story.  She could have easily moved into the Sumner group orbit...and she had legit beef with Paige.  Would have been a better rivalry then Linda vs Paige was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've never thought about that, @DRW50, but that is an excellent point!

I wish Doug Sheehan had returned in the final season when Gary was searching for Val in Florida.  Ben and Gary could have crossed paths; Ben could have learned that Val was in trouble; and he and Gary could have teamed up to rescue her, burying the hatchet in the process.

I also wish John Pleshette had returned when Mack was arrested for Mary Robeson's murder and needed an attorney.  It might sound strange, but I think he and Michelle Phillips could have made an interesting pair, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I agree.  At the very least, the show should have tried finding a new love interest for Frank and mother figure for Julie after an appropriate period of mourning had passed (and no, Halle Berry was not it, lol).  Unfortunately, I don't think anyone at the show was committed anymore to writing for Larry Riley or for Kent Masters-King.  If Riley hadn't have died of AIDS, he probably would've been written out anyway.

I like your suggestion of casting Amanda with Ana-Alicia instead of with Penny Peyser, @SoapDope.  Even if the writing had not changed, at least Ana-Alicia would have been more interesting to watch - and she would have been more Ted Shackelford/Gary's type, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I agree.

It didn't work for me either, @DRW50.  First of all, the circumstances that brought Anne and "Benita Appleman," as I call him, together reeked.  Anne is broke and homeless? I don't think so, lol.  Second, I think Stuart Pankin was too boorish-acting as Benny.  Why would Anne - even an Anne who was penniless - want anything at all to do with someone like him?  Someone needed to tell Pankin to pull back a bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Those were just two of several returns that I had in mind for the "alternate" fourteenth season.  KL knew going in that season 14 would be last, so why not mark the show's passing with return visits from former cast members?  Of course, getting Constance McCashin to return was still out of the question, but for example, you could've had Don Murray return as Sid's "ghost" to counsel Karen during a crisis point in her and Mack's marriage.  Or Julie Harris could've returned for Val's funeral (and seen that Kate has feelings for Gary).  Or Lisa Hartman could've returned (with the excuse that Cathy was passing through California while on her latest tour) and helped Gary see he had to move on from Val.  Or - and this is just me being Ron Carlivati - Alec Baldwin could've returned in the last episode as a prospective buyer for one of the houses in the cul-de-sac.

KL's budget and episode order might have been slashed for the last season, but I would rather they had spent the money on getting some ex-cast members to return for an episode apiece than on more airtime for characters like Nick Schillace and Vanessa Hunt.

One other thing I would have done in season 14: for sure, I would have had Treadwell's men kill off that walking stereotype Nick; Anne would have left town with Richard; and on her flight to wherever she was going, Claudia meets a man who looks a lot like Mark LaMura.

Please register in order to view this content

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't think they exactly "knew" from the start, even if you argue writing's was on the wall. Shows back then weren't given final seasons - they were produced to go on indefinitively and it likely wasn't until Jacobs & co sat down and talked with CBS late in the season that they realised that there would've been even further cuts for a 15th season, so they decided to end it. I assume that's why there was a bit of a gap between the 17th episode and the final two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • @Tisy-Lish Seems like the bulk of 76 was the Schneiders who I don't believe ever headwrote another soap. I think the Labine/Mayer structured the show well in the time they were there and succeding headwriters used that to their advantage but then began chipping away with their own characters/story. @Franko glad you're enjoying delving into unfamiliar territory And now Part 2.... When a missing person’s report on Ben goes out, the Connecticut state police respond with their unconscious John Doe. When Ben awakens after brain surgery he calls for Betsy, angering Arlene, who gets drunk and goes to tell Meg the truth. Meg’s housekeeper, Carrie Lovett, who is Arlene’s mother (she had no idea of ‘Arlene’s involvement with Ben when she took this job), manages to prevent Arlene from seeing Meg. Ben, still hazy from anesthesia, tells Betsy how sorry he is for the way he’s treated her. Betsy, misunderstanding, assumes he means the gambling. Diana is still feeling sorry for herself, despite Jamie’s efforts to convince her that they can have a full life with children by adoption. When he informs her that his divorce is almost final and they can plan their wedding, Diana refuses to acknowledge that she has any future at all. Arlene, drunk and despondent, starts a letter to Ben in which she refers to herself as his “real wife.” Ray finds it and takes it to Jamie, threatening to give it to Betsy unless Jamie gets his client, Meg, off Ray’s back. Jamie has already warned Meg that Slater is no small-time hood; he has big money and power behind him. Arlene, confronted by Jamie, insists she meant “first wife,” but Jamie gives her seven days to produce a divorce decree or he’ll prove her and Ben guilty of attempting to defraud Meg. Ben, learning this, orders her to get a quickie Haiti decree, but she refuses, reminding Ben that he has told her sometimes he feels happy being married to Betsy and expecting a child. Arlene refuses to be dumped. Ray comes to Ben’s aid with a phony divorce decree. Ben takes it to Jamie for verification while Ray tells Meg that Ben needed false divorce papers from Arlene. Meg confronts her son and agrees to help him out of this mess. She plans to expedite his divorce from Arlene and convince Betsy to renew her marriage vows on their anniversary. Learning that Rick has known about Arlene and Ben’s marriage since the beginning, Meg withdraws her support from their planned ski resort. Rick realizes his dreams have just gone down the drain but can’t fault Meg’s motive. Arlene decides she needs money now to get Ben out of town and sets out to blackmail Meg. Ben, realizing that the only thing left to do is to run away with Arlene, leaves a letter for Betsy explaining why he married her but that he later fell in love with her. At the edge of town, however, he realizes he can’t go through with it. He tells Arlene he loves Betsy and wants to be there with her when their child is born, and he gets out of the car and calls a cab. Arlene, furious, races back to Meg’s house, where she tells Betsy the whole story. Betsy, disbelieving her, rushes to her bedroom, where she finds Ben’s letter confirming everything Arlene just told her. In shock, Betsy calls her brother, Dr. Tom Crawford, to come right away. Ben arrives and is truthful with Betsy, who no longer wants anything to do with him. Realizing that Meg stands in the way of his being a man, Ben moves out. Betsy is unmoved when Ben and Arlene’s divorce comes through; she won’t expose herself to that kind of hurt again. When Meg cajoles her to live with her until her grandchild is born, Betsy tells Meg that in the eyes of the court this isn’t her grandchild and she’ll never allow her child to be corrupted by Meg’s money, as Ben was. Meg, full of self-pity gets drunk and manages to get Rick drunk when she tells him Skyler Mountain is out. She then reminds him of how their relationship used to be and renews his passions, now affected by liquor. After they spend the night together, Meg decides to go ahead with the Skyler Mountain project after all. Rick makes it clear, however, that he still loves Cal and his relationship with Meg will be strictly business. Betsy continues to refuse to see Ben and is determined to be self-supporting. When she inadvertently mentions Ben’s letter to Bruce Sterling, the mayor of Rosehill, he has to turn it over to the district attorney. Meg is furious upon discovering that her own brother in law is the one who found the evidence against Ben. Dr. Joe Cusack is quite concerned about a teenaged alcoholic patient at the clinic, Lynn Henderson, who is determined not to be helped. She tries a sob story on Vanessa Sterling, but Cal, Van’s niece, overhears and warns Lynn not to put the bite on her friends and relatives. So Lynn, who refuses to heed Joe’s warning that alcohol has so destroyed her stomach lining that she could die from another binge, steals money from Van’s fund-raising folder and takes off. She later turns up at Van’s to apologize for stealing charity money and explains she was the ugly daughter of a beautiful mother and grew up feeling unloved. Van persuades Joe to let Lynn stay with her instead of returning to the halfway house she hates. Bruce, Van’s husband, sees Lynn as another of Van’s strays and asks Lynn not to take advantage of Van. Cal. is concerned to learn Rick will again be involve in business with Meg. He assures her it will be okay and that Meg is his last chance to fulfill his dream of making it big. When Meg overhears Cal telling Ben that she and Rick are engaged, Meg tries to tell Cal that Rick’s not the marrying kind and she’s wrong for him. Seeing that Cal is serious and Rick apparently is too, Meg threatens to tell Cal everything, including their most recent intimacy, if Rick doesn’t call it off immediately; she gives him twenty-four hours. Rick, for Cal’s own good, he feels, tells her he’s not the monogamous kind and she’d be better off without him. Cal, knowing she really loves him, refuses to let  go easily. So. he uses Cal’s knowledge of the fact that his son Hank dearly wants his parents to reconcile and tells Cal he and Barbara are planning to try again, for the boy’s sake. But Cal later runs into Hank and mentions that he must be glad his mother’s coming home. Hank has no knowledge of this and is confused. Rick, therefore, has to tell the child he used this as an excuse to get out of marrying Cal. But Hank, miserable at having his hopes raised and dashed, spills this to Cal when she tries to cheer him up. He tells her it was all a lie. Jamie warns Rick that his Skylar Mountain contract with Meg has so many contingencies that if anything happens, he’ll be holding the financial bag. But Rick, wanting this success badly, signs the papers, and Meg releases the money.
    • I genuinely in my 20 year history of watching Days can’t recall a single Bo and Phillip scene though I’m assuming there had to be one or two? Phillip was always much more presented as Lucas’ brother due to Kate’s involvement in their love lives and closer age post SORAS. I will say my favorite thing about PR though is he made Bo the only Kiriakis to actually pronounce it like Victor/John Aniston despite Papa Brady obviously being the dad he was associated with.
    • OK 1976 GL coming up   As none of those shows aired in 1976...
    • Thank you, @Paul Raven! I chose Love of Life because it's a show I don't have a lot of familiarity with, so I thought it would be interesting to look at this period with a more or less unspoiled view.
    • 40 years ago this summer.  To me this is the GOAT CBS daytime promo and the yardstick to which all CBS daytime promos are measured.

      Please register in order to view this content

       
    • That would be a good plot point to add more tension to the situation.
    • Some hot sports guys from tennis and football.

      Please register in order to view this content

       

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Checked. Favorite New Couple & they beat out AW Cindy & Grant and ATWT Peter Parros & Lauren Martin
    • Leslie: "But I deserve to be on the wall with King, Fauntroy, and Angelou. For I, too, have suffered."  
    • Damn what if she miscarried bc he gave her an STD? He really is a POS
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy