Jump to content

Knots Landing


Sedrick

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I also wanted to say I'm so glad you put that little shot of Frank on his guitar. Frank and Larry Riley were also a very underrated element of the last years of Knots Landing and in adding some freshness to a group we were beginning to know a little too well.  

 

Now that I'm seeing these again I'm reminded of how many episodes those seasons had. I think it was like 27, 28, 29 at one point, wasn't it? These days dramas struggle to even produce 20.

Edited by DRW50
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

 

The 'funny' thing is, we saw him in private moments before (for a few seconds after Val would exit) and he seemed normal. But I guess things are starting to get complicated now, so the psycho's coming out. Besides, they kept him a pretty much empty slate up until now, so they could fill those holes with anything they want & it's not like it would contradict anything we've seen so far as viewers.

 

You are right about Lotus Point vs Sumner Group. Lotus Point was the embodiment of early/mid-80s soap opera business. Big, dramatic, dark colors, melodramatic. SG really feels much more late 80s. Lighter, more pastel, even slightly more professional  lol I miss Lotus Point, and the fact that it brought so many characters together, but I think the show moved on with the times in a way. 

 

 

That was my favorite from all the screencaps. It's never a bad scene when he's in it. Now, if only Patricia could get a little more to do....

 

Yep, the show put out 3 seasons of 30 episodes before settling around 28 or 29. This one has 29!

 

 

Y'all are driving me crazy. I can't wait. So far, I imagine the stabbing in PSYCHO (complete with music) every time that thing opens her mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

On Linda (no storyline spoilers) ...

 

Please register in order to view this content

 

I'm also reminded of how this season isn't my favorite. Lots of mundane storylines and not very interesting things going on. Paige/Sumner was what kept me the most interested at this point. Danny losing his shine also helped. I'm just cringing at the Harold/Olivia stuff. lol

Edited by KMan101
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Members

EPISODE 5: BEST INTERESTS

 

Amanda and Chester drive off and thus resumes yet another succession of scenes in which Gary tries to reach/find/call/locate Amanda and everything in the universe stands in his way. As a final recourse, he goes to Val's so he can ask for Amanda's number. The whole thing goes spectacularly badly, since Danny is there, and long story short, Danny ends up admitting that he’s married to Amanda! I gasped. Gary is written as particularly weak here – he tries to punch Danny and hurts his hand on the door. Ok, but really?

 

On the other hand, we see some strength in Val that we haven’t witnessed in a long time. Val quickly ends things with Danny and refuses to return his calls or allow him to explain. Eventually, she decides to hear him out – and in one of her most thrilling moments ever, tells him to leave her alone in no uncertain terms. It’s obvious this won’t end there, but it’s exciting to watch Val react to Danny's betrayal the way you expect her to.

 

Danny, to prove his … well, I don’t know, tells Amanda where to find Gary. Amanda shows up at the ranch with Chester, and the two spend a long, romantic day actually talking to each other face to face.

 

There is a return to the feeling of neighborhood in this episode. I really love the scene with Mack, Karen and Val just hanging out outside at the cul-de-sac, talking, groceries moved from car to house, and then Ginny's arrival with the hilarious news of her arrest.

 

Paige is resolved to make Greg squirm and wait and get jealous – as much as possible. The hilarious part is, she succeeds. Greg is waiting and squirming and peeking through windows and is making a fool of himself – to our viewing pleasure.  

 

The Ginny stuff is so unexpected. The initial scene of the story throws you right in: Ginny visits a couple people with the twins. One of those people, Jeri, taking advantage of the distraction the twins provide, steals money from a safe. It’s a genuinely wtf moment. Next thing we see, a police car pulls up at the cul-de-sac and you think you know where this is going: Ginny will somehow end up taking the blame. But it quickly proves to be so much more than that. Before long, there’s a whole case that draws Mack and Frank in, a mysterious-corporate-evil-figure that lurks in the shadows, threats of jail and trial. By the end of the episode, I’m really hooked. I particularly liked that bedroom scene with Mack and Karen, where you see the passion and determination return to him – he knows something fishy is happening and he will find out. It feels the character has purpose again. Unfortunately, poor defender of retirees everywhere Jeri gets thrown out a window to the pavement below.  

 

Winner of the episode: Val, for finding her strength and determination again.

 

Loser of the episode: Evil corporation representative/lawyer Mark Baylor. Despite his endless efforts and his main adversary ending up with her blood splattered all over the pavement, he somehow comes across as a bigger loser.

 

OyZFbkW.png?1rkRSYj5.png?1DeUCHZH.png?1IvETT3Z.png?17sBddP0.png?1w3Gzli8.png?1O6QTE5k.png?1SUaSXFI.png?1c2vRSuP.png?1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'd forgotten about Aunt Ginny until now. She was obviously a Lillimae replacement (which makes you wonder why they didn't just try to get Julie Harris back), but Betsy Palmer had her own special style and kookiness. 

 

I kind of wonder if Joan van Ark asked that Val push Danny away rather than forgiving him.

 

I remember how shocked I was when that man went through the window. It was a strong glimpse of the complex crime stories that the Lechowicks would favor here and elsewhere. And it was interesting, although I think we're going to get to Mack bellowing DIRTY COP DIRTY COP DIRTY COP soon, unless we've already gotten to that. Hate hate hate hate hate. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

One word: money.  It was probably cheaper to hire a new actor than to keep employing Harris, whose salary probably had increased with each season (as most actors' salaries on long-running series tend to do).

 

Anyway, that's my theory.

Edited by Khan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

I don't think the Lechowicks understood Abby's character (as I think Donna Mills suggested as well) - there was something very mechanical about her last season, up to her last episode, which was much better thanks to the "Abby scale" scene and her finally cutting the cord with ungrateful Olivia. I think they also had a really hard time covering up that they loved Paige and likely vastly preferred her to Abby. 

 

I think Abby was too complicated a character for them, as she always did plenty of scheming, but had a great deal of vulnerability to her. They didn't seem to understand that. The only other woman on Knots who was more complicated was Laura, and they ditched her too.

 

The closest they got to capturing that type of complexity was Anne, who was much more of a supporting character. 

Edited by DRW50
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

The story is indeed very promising. He hasn't done that yet, although I'm sure this is going that direction. So far, it's been all about a dirty lawyer lol

 

 

 

Oh, without a doubt both Harris and McCashin were fired to free up the budget. But it's clear they had the least use for them anyway. Other than the loss of the actresses/characters, the problem was that Val still needed that dynamic in her storylines, hence the sudden appearance of Ginny as a dime-store replacement.

 

I do, think, however, that she's a little stronger now with the beginning of this story. It's solidified her a little bit. 

 

 

Well, she was at Sumner Group for a good portion of Season 10, so I think, if they had truly been interested in writing for her, it wouldn't have been a problem. If Abby fit in at such diverse places as Knots Landing Motors and Lotus Point, then SG would have been fine.

 

 

While I loved her final storyline (and probably the only brilliant story they ever gave her), it was clear they weren't feeling her as soon as Season 8 started. I swear, it felt in season 8 that she would show up for a scene or two an episode and then disappear. But it was nothing compared to the evilness of her season 9 story.

 

From the beginning, it was clear they "got" and liked Greg, Paige, and Karen, and Mack to a lesser extent. And it was equally obvious they didn't have as much interest for Val, Gary, Laura, Lilimae, and Abby. And they really didn't get Ben. It's a shame that they didn't recognize the drawing power those characters had. I'm only glad Jacobs and Filerman were still around. I am fairly certain they might have gotten rid of all of them (instead of most of them) if they could.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Members

EPISODE 6: WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

 

So much great stuff! Such a good season so far. Aunt Virginia is put to some good comedic use following Jeri’s murder. Can you imagine how difficult she would be as a witness? Well, she’s worse! It all clearly is heading towards Ginny being accused of Jeri’s murder, but it barrels on with such conviction and such fun that you don’t care.

 

Greg takes Paige's games and uses them against her by piling on so much work, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Consummate professional that she is, Paige responds by doing her job. Meanwhile, surprisingly, Greg and Paula (who’s still arguing with Karen over wanting Karen's husband’s penis) run into each other. Holy randomness! The two begin to spar in a way that’s obviously meant to be sexy, only we’ve never really seen Paula behave like this before, have we? Greg would never give her a second look, unless she suddenly develops a Paige-like acerbic tongue that catches his attention and matches his wit – and so she does. Yet, I can’t deny, this could be fun. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do with it. Karen and Paula make up, only for Karen to find out Paula's going out with Greg.

 

It’s not the only Greg-surprise Karen gets this week. She learns that Michael's bought himself a fancy smancy watch and, in a way that recalls the Karen of seasons 1 or 2, mercilessly makes fun of Michael for the extravagance. A few million dollars have not changed Karen for-the-people McKenzie. It’s not all fun and games, though, when she realizes Michael was inspired to get the watch by Greg. I loved that little realization.

 

Val and Amanda officially meet or re-meet or whatever, after which Danny goes crying to Amanda and spends the night with her. The next day, he finds Val waiting for him outside his apartment. She forgives him. Val is given a big speech to explain this but, honestly, it all screams plot point. How did she reach this point? How and why did she make this decision? I didn’t get a good enough answer, BUT… I’ll reserve judgment as long as the plot that results from this is good.

 

Mack ends up with the theory that Mark Baylor killed Jeri and warns that he will put him away. Instead, you guessed it, aunt Ginny is arrested! Mack gives good shock-face freezeframe.

 

Winner of the episode: Mack, for getting his drive back.

 

Loser of the episode: Paige, for not seeing this coming.

  

 

yQ8cXRo.png?1NjaZewb.png?13MRv9vl.png?17JJddSH.png?1o8tnjEs.png?1Idk4Puo.png?1sRjP2sm.png?1u5Uqn8h.png?1

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It's been over a year since I've been meaning to come to this thread. CBS Drama, a cable station where I am, started showing Knots Landing from beginning to end on weekday mornings, and so I recorded the episodes and started watching them. I had never watched KL before (I am a Dynasty girl). I cannot tell you how much I love this show. Right now I am coming to the end of Season 8. It really is an epic tapestry of these people moving on up as their suburban cul-de-sac gets caught up in the go-go 80s. My favourite movie is Chinatown and if you have ever seen that movie, you cannot fail to see the parallels between that and the growth of the Valley as part of Greater Los Angeles as chronicled by Knots Landing -- especially in seasons 5-6. It also takes on the theme of wealthy people raping the land in their obsession with profit -- and mowing down people in their wake. (Ciji's sad demise in S4 being an example of how rapacious people use someone's talent and then discard them when they need help the most).

 

The thing that has surprised me is how KL seems to have a romantic soul. Even cynical, Kennedyesque Greg Sumner is a romantic deep, deep down. It surprises me because KL's sibling show Dallas was like a fast-moving train steered by the Hooded Claw (basically JR Ewing). Here, David Jacobs teases out all the drama of the setting via the relationships between people. That focus on feelings really appeals to me. Plus I enjoy the stories for the most part. Yes, ofc there are missteps (Ben turning into a cold, robotic paranoid being the most egregious -- what a horrendous rewrite of this character. He was a warm, sexy heroic figure with a sense of humor, kind of like Ryan on AW, which soapy shows just do not do anymore). But on the whole I feel like I am turning the pages of a really good book I don't want to put down. It makes me disappointed that Lynn Marie Latham was such a lacklustre writer on Y&R when she could have brought THIS delicious storytelling to the show. What went wrong? Should Bernie Lechowick have been her co-HW? Was it the oversight of David Jacobs and Lawrence Kasha which provided Knot's Landing's best SLs and steered the ship?

 

So I am halfway through the S8 episode where Anne overdoses (while listening to Dedicated to the One I Love, a song Michelle Phillips sang with the Mamas and the Papas)and Evil Peter is about to come onto teenage Olivia. Anne is a really good addition to the show (as was Paige this season -- wow! Breath of fresh air) and she reinvigorated the characters of Karen and Mack. While I am glad Mack held back from falling into an affair with her, I am sorry that Anne will be going away for a couple of seasons before returning.

 

I am also feeling a little nervous about going into S9. I am worried that after eight excellent seasons, the quality will start to drop. Please tell me it won't! 

Please register in order to view this content

Edited by Cat
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.




  • Recent Posts

    • Thanks @Paul Raven  That Grainger story always reads like hog-wild melodrama, not very similar to the more subtle stories for Rita in her last few years. I wonder how Lenore played the material.
    • More from 1976 Lynn, apparently making every effort to overcome her alcoholism, accepts a baby-sitting job. However, when the baby starts crying, Lynn begins to get nervous and takes one drink, then another. By the time Bruce and Van arrive home, Lynn is on the floor, ineffectually trying to find the doctor’s number, sure the baby is ill. When the mother arrives; she vows to let everyone know what goes on in the mayor’s house.Bruce insists that Lynn has to go, but Van, learning that Lynn can’t remember drinking the cooking sherry, calls Joe to report Lynn’s blackouts. Joe wants her institutionalized but gives in to Van’ s pleas that Lynn needs loving attention. Eddie has sent some of Felicia’s work to a New |York gallery owner and reports to Charles that Lisa Cooper wants to exhibit Felicia’s work. Charles refuses to tell her this and later admits he feels he has “cowed”her attention because of his being confined to a wheelchair. What Charles doesn’t say is: that he’s plagued with fears she’ll leave him for another man. Felicia is exuberant as she starts painting again. She tells Charles how she feels about it, but, jealous of anyone or anything that takes attention from him, Charles tries to undermine her confidence. Eddie finally professes his love for her. He will be happy to step forward if she will only let Be and admit that they belong together. Charles tries to stop Felicia’s ‘trip to New York by making her doubt her own work, and when that fails, he finds business reasons at his bookshop to keep Di, his ex-wife, who is running it for him, from accompanying her. Felicia finally decides it’s not going to work and tells Eddie they might as well call it off. Instead, he arranges for Lisa Cooper to come to Rosehill. Charles is rude and insulting to Lisa when she arrives at the house to view Felicia’s work, and his derogatory remarks about shady gallery dealings prompt Lisa to tell Eddie that living in such an atmosphere could permanently stunt an artist’s development; if Felicia is subjected to this indefinitely, it’s not even worth Lisa’s while to take her on as a client. Felicia finally decides she can’t be torn apart any longer and must accede to Charles’s demands. She tells Eddie her career is over and she won’t paint any more, breaks down in his arms, crying bitterly, then pulls away, unwilling to acknowledge that her feelings for him are deeper than she dare face. Charles is delighted when she prepares to dispose of her art supplies, insisting everything will be fine once she has accepted that this part of her life is over. But she cannot do it. She promises him that he can set the limits and terms, but she must paint. Arlene discovers that her mother is planning to avoid the surgery she needs, and the accompanying medical bills, by leaving Rosehill and moving in with her sister Dorothy out west. Arlene manages to prevent this by calling her aunt and telling her the truth about Carrie’s condition. Dr. Tom Crawford has been footing the costs of Carrie’s presurgery tests, but Arlene knows that Carrie won’t like this. So she tells Carrie that David Hart, the son of Meg’s late husband, the former mayor, has heard about their plight and forwarded the money as a gesture of friendship, to be repaid when possible. To convince Carrie that she does indeed have the money, Arlene asks Ray to just lend it to her for a few hours, so she can convince Carrie and then immediately return it. Ray instructs her to get dressed for a night on the town and takes her, out implying that the money will be waiting at the end of the evening. When Ian Russell happens to join them, Arlene doesn’t suspect anything is afoot, but when e Ray suddenly leaves, she becomes furious, realizing what he’s done. But she finds Mr: Russell a distinguished and cultured man, and decides there’s no harm in having a drink. After cocktails and stimulating conversation, Ian suggests that they go to his place, and Arlene agrees. But when they get there, Ian matter of factly suggests that they skip the preliminaries and get on with it. Ian is embarrassed and annoyed to discover that Arlene is not a professional call girl and that Ray didn’t explain to her the purpose of their |meeting. He is apologetic and solicitous, until Arlene, explaining why Ray felt he could pull this on her, mentions her sick mother in need of an operation. Ian starts to laugh at this overworked standard line, and a livid Arlene storms out of his apartment. Thinking it over, Ian decides he’s more intrigued with Arlene than he is annoyed at Ray, and calls Ray for her telephone number. But Arlene is not delighted to hear from him, and he has to use a good deal of soothing charm before she agrees to have dinner with him at one of the better local restaurants.During dinner Ian again apologizes for his mistake, and he gives Arlene a diamond pendant as a token of his gratitude for her forgiving him. Ray arrives to interrupt an otherwise enjoyable evening with a business matter, and quietly reminds Arlene that Ian is his customer and she’s not to cut herself in with him. At home, Arlene examines the pendant and is convinced that it’s genuine. She hides it in her dresser drawer, unable to bring herself to show it to her mother.
    • LOL!! That's funny.  I actually thought he got a little better.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Oh God, she's back? I thought those first scenes were well-intentioned but hysterical.
    • More Guiding Light 1976 At dinner the next evening, Grainger tells Rita he still can’t understand why she inherited from his father and he’s hired a lawyer to help him discover what her role was in his father’s death. Telling her he knows she lied to him, he again warns that he will destroy her reputation in this town. As Rita insists she’s done nothing wrong, Grainger, growing even more angry, lashes out, “Ill see you charged with m—”. Suddenly he clutches his head and collapses to the floor. As people rush to help him, Rita quickly slips out of the restaurant. Grainger is rushed to Cedars and treated for stroke. Rita is even more frightened and upset when it appears that he’s going to recover under the excellent treatment and care of Ed, who is assigned as his attending physician, and Peggy, who is a fine specialty nurse. Rita, drawn by an unseen force to his door, is further shaken when Peggy, seeing her, presses her into temporarily spelling her so she can take a short break. Ed is determined to come to Rita’s aid, as she did his, and brings a big steak for dinner to her apartment. But Rita is too unnerved and shaky to even be with Ed, and disappoints him by asking him to leave before dinner, explaining that she’s extremely tired. Ed knows it’s more than that, and is doubly determined to help her out of this depression, but when she starts to cry, he leaves her, as she wishes. Roger, remembering how Grainger fired him from the oil fields for- being a friend of Rita’s, is disappointed to learn that Grainger has come out of his coma and that Ed feels Grainger’s paralysis and inability to talk may just be temporary. Rita is pressed to assist Tim with a spinal tap on Grainger, and is frightened when her presence causes Malcolm’s pulse rate to rise rapidly. His doctors are unable to understand his rapid pulse changes. Rita tells Roger why Grainger is so hateful toward her. While she was his father’s special nurse, Malcolm made physical advances toward her and she fought him off. His father noticed her bruises~and instantly guessed his son had manhandled her. The old man then swore to her he’d never forgive Malcolm for this cruelty. Roger again warns Rita that nobody is to know about his connection with her and with the Graingers. He fears that if Peggy learns about it, she will leave him.  Ed continues to press his concern and support on Rita, and while it helps to a certain degree and she’s grateful, Rita can’t bring herself to tell him what the source of her worry is. Each day, as Grainger rallies a bit more, her fear and tension increase. Finally, Grainger is able to barely murmur, “Lie... father ... Rita,” to Peggy and manages to crudely letter “RITA S” on a pad of paper. Peggy, assuming that Rita has somehow managed to get Grainger to respond, summons her to the hospital in the hope that she can further stimulate him and thus hasten his recovery. But a major catastrophe, a train derailment, - has immobilized the entire area, and Cedars, as well as all local hospitals, is being overrun with patients. Even though she’s off duty, having served her full shift, Rita is pressed into distributing the patients’ medication. Peggy, explaining that Grainger has already had an accidental delay of medication, which could have caused a major setback, must receive his dosage exactly on schedule. The sight of Rita again agitates Grainger, but she finishes her extra duty and returns home, drained and oversensitive as well as exhausted. When the regular nurse does her usual check, she finds Grainger lying over the side of his bed, unconscious. She issues a “Code Blue” call for the emergency team, and Steve, there almost immediately, starts resuscitation and then gives adrenalin, right into the heart, but Grainger is dead. As soon as he hears, Ed rushes to Cedars in amazement. This is all impossible to him, as he saw Grainger’s recovery as a certainty. He immediately institutes an investigation to determine the cause of death. Roger, told by Peggy what has happened, notifies a stunned Rita just before Ed arrives to question her about everything she can remember about the last time she was in Grainger’s room. Rita, unable to understand what’s happening around her, breaks down in tears, crying that she could be responsible for his death. Ed comforts her, assuring her that he’s not blaming her, just trying to find out what happened.    
    • Carly, considering Robin's daughter as a possible daughter-in-law .... I think the technical term for it would be "plotz"! Or to put it another way, the top of her head would explode!  

      Please register in order to view this content

    • What AW stories do you think of as DOOLish? I mean AW, in a very positive way was KNOWN for its comedic elements. From Iris's maid, Vivian, to the naming of plants, to highjinks with Cass, Felicia, Wally & even Lily, plus remember Dee Evans & Tony the Tuna? In a way at one time DAYS had similar with Caliope & Eugene. 
    • Were those reasons to do with having younger children on set? Other shows seem to manage. The ageing up of the kids has been one of the mistakes the show has made.
    • I agree.  Lemay was supposed to start in early 88 and we saw some of the writing on the wall with character reference from the past.  Notably, the core families Frames, Cory, Matthews.  The stupid Reginald Love was wrapped up.  Not even a year later Mary was written out of the show along with Vince and the McKinnons who came and left .  The previous writers tried to introduce a new family that never aspired with the viewers.  1988 was focused on the 25th anniversary of show in 1989 and suspect why Lemay was asked to come back in 88.  Prior to 1988, the storylines were so DOOL stupid.
    • That's true. He may have ended up keeping her on a recurring basis, like Dr. Michaels on ATWT. I'm trying to remember if GL had a similar long-running therapist.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

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