Knots Landing

[All My Shadows]

Yeah, I'd say Laura's rape should have at least been a two-parter.

[alphanguy74]

haha!! Glad you got to see it unspoiled. That scene damn near gave me heart failure at the age of 16! When they were chasing him through the parking lot, and then I LOVED how Karen backed the cherokee out and T-Boned Ackerman to stop him from fleeing. I was convinced when he reached for that gun, that he was gonna try and shoot Mac, but the suicide thing was totally unexpected. And how well shot was that? If this had been today, they have showed his brains splattered all over the place and made it graphic and sickening. But back then, the reaction of horror on Mac and Karen's faces were much more effective. Now... when it comes to stand alone episodes, I think "Man Of The Hour" was pretty good. It gave more insight into Ginger's family, and although it was kind of an afterschool special type of thing, it worked.

[alphanguy74]

Why do they make you angry, Carl? Granted, it was not nearly as good as seasons 1-6.. but I thought the Ann homeless thing was interesting, Michelle Phillips crying in her reflection in the storw window was awesome. And I LOVED Karen's road rage cliffhanger. I just identify with her, she wants everything to be nice, and good, and fair, but when soemthing sets her off... she goes NUCLEAR. The boy driving the car is killed, and the scene in the hospital where the boy's mother confronts her is so painful and raw.

[alphanguy74]

You didn't care for "The Lie"? !! Why? It was one of the most brilliant of the whole series. So dark and psychological. Connie just totally hit a home run with the bases loaded in her performances.

[DRW50]

I thought the story was preachy, and pointless. There were no real consequences after a few episodes. The story also felt very dated to me, because of the mother. She was written and portrayed as if she was from the hills, giving some type of "you people" lecture to Karen. it was class conflict on a show which didn't need it, and it went nowhere. It felt like a knockoff of the equally bad story in season 2 where the poor girl accused Sid of rape and her mother Conchata Farrell went on those "you people" lecutres.

It was so heavy and I thought the material was rushed for one episode.

[DRW50]

As for the other stories:

- I liked Anne's homeless story until the annoying fat man came in. After that, NO.

- Linda was a bitchy, sneaky, wonderful character who could have driven story for years. To have her snuffed out in such a violent way, for a generic psycho, was a huge mistake. The death scene was way too grisly for Knots Landing.

The absolute worst?

- Claudia causing her son's death. No way out! The show realized this and had her attempt suicide and then had Karen (not knowing the story) persuade Kate to forgive her mother. Then it was never mentioned again. I never forgot this and I never cared about Claudia or her stories ever again.

[alphanguy74]

Carl, I forget which season it was that Greg had the liver transplant., it was basically purchased.., and I remember watching the scene where Claudia had arranged it, and you heard the person who was supposed to get it crying after the doctor made up some BS excuse. I can't remember if Greg KNEW it had been bought, or if that was all Claudia that did it.. I'm thinking it was all her, and he didn't know. That was another thing that made me HATE Claudia... that smirk she had on her face in that scene when the Doctor was telling the other recipient that they weren't getting the liver. And I know "The Lie" was heavy, but that's what I really LIKE... stuff that is dark, psychological.. and serious as a heart attack.

Edited July 24, 2012 by alphanguy74

[juppiter]

I gotta disagree with "All My Shadows" about making The Lie a two-parter. I loved The Lie and I thought it was perfect as a stand-alone episode. To me The Lie was very theatrical and complete, and there is nothing more awkward or amateurish than television's two-parter trope. True, it is sometimes needed, but is there anything more irking to a viewer? Is there anything where you're really showing your fourth wall and taking the audience out of the story in a way theater and films usually don't? Films rarely have two-parters, Harry Potter being the most notable exception I can think of, and it really takes the "art" away to me.

I do think the ending of Laura getting her cigarette lit is just lovely. She's still longing and Knots understates that, just as Laura herself is quietly screaming throughout the whole first season. It's a really gorgeous shot and I think it'd have been ugly and cheapened with "To Be Continued" plastered over it as Dynasty would have done lol.

[alphanguy74]

Those are some really good points, ones that I hadn't considered before.

[YRBB]

That shot & freeze frame must be one of the most beautiful and iconic images I've ever seen on TV. Such a triumph to a great episode.

[DRW50]

Bill Devane talks about Palm Springs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qys6hWBMmag

[SFK]

This is fun:

http://vimeo.com/30410116

[SFK]

Clicking around on YouTube, I ended up watching a little bit of Knots the other night. I don't know why I was so taken by this scene, maybe because I haven't seen stuff like it on soaps in a long time, but... when Karen is on the phone with the cab company trying to trace Val's (or fugue state Verna's) steps and she starts feeling pain and paralysis in the hand that she writes with... I thought that was beautifully done. It was such a great way to move two stories at once. Here we are intrigued, getting more details on how Val made her move, while simultaneously seeing the devastating effects of Karen's bullet fragment just as the doctor had warned her. I dunno. I thought it was great.

[full hearts]

Re-watching the "Val's Babies" story. Somebody on YT clipped some of the scenes. I wasn't alive during most of KL's run but I did watch the show when SN aired it. I LOVED it.

[DRW50]

It's a great story. I do wonder what it would have been like if the Verna portion had run longer, as originally planned.