Falcon Crest

[j swift]

There's an excellent playlist on YT of all the finale and premiere promos ("this season on Falcon Crest") they are like a highlight reel of all of the best scenes without the fluff.  I am a big fan of the Falcon Crest score, and I find it thrilling to re-watch those scenes with the music in the background.

[kalbir]

Season 4 is still good but signs of tanking are showing. The abrupt end of the war crimes storyline derailed all the momentum that had been built during the course of the series.

[te.]

@Vee look at 1x01 then skip to 1x14 to see if you're interested - because in 1x14 you get to see Melissa do the soap slut move to end all soap slut moves! She's amazing.

[YRBB]

Making my way through Season 4 for the first time and thoroughly enjoying it. It's not quite as great as I remember Season 3 being but I have no problem with the Nazi plotline. I think it's a decent main arc for the season and, somehow, manages to feel like it grew organically from what preceded. It's a well-acted show with a strong visual style, so I'm down for the ride. Oh, it's so plot-driven. But they manage to make the pieces fit usually.

I am enjoying Greg a lot so far (Good looks and good chemistry). I never thought I'd say this, but Lorenzo Lamas has developed into a very competent performer. He seems to have finally relaxed and found his groove and has effortless charisma and charm. He's a joy to watch.

And it's all worth it if only for that brilliant scene where Maggie invites Angela, Terry, Melissa, and Emma to lunch and indirectly confronts Angela for bringing Charlotte to town and setting her up to start gambling again. Wonderfully done.

PS. The way everyone kept pronouncing Charlotte Pershing's last name (such a stupid last name), drove me nuts! From Persing (no 'h') to Pear-zing and everything in between! 

Edited April 11, 2023 by YRBB

[te.]

The issue in season 4 pretty much comes towards the end when the network interference starts and the show never really finds its footing again. The show is still fun at points after that though.

[victoria foxton]

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Edited April 13, 2023 by victoria foxton

[yrfan1983]

I’ve watched the first 4 episodes of Falcon Crest! What a treat. I started watching the show real time as a teen with season 5, and apparently completely missed the peak years. My first FC memory is Angela referring to Apollonia as Babylonia.

I considered jumping past the original batch of eps, but I’m so glad I started from the beginning. There’s a lot of excellent world-building. How exquisite to see every moment from the Giobertis meeting Angela, and the slow inevitable breakdown between the families. A favorite moment was Angela giving Cole a history lesson on the Giobertis clan. Very soon I imagine Angela will never speak to the Giobertis whatsoever!

Susan Sullivan is simply indispensable. Her warm presence grounds the show.

Julia as played by Abby Dalton is so strange. The character feels awkward somehow. It’s clear that her life was interrupted by Angela and she’s not a full or well person.

Emma floating around the rafters of the house like a character from a Tennessee Williams play is <chef’s kiss>

So strange to hear Angela referred to as “Angie”

William R Moses… what a dopey rootable dreamboat.

Lorenzo Lamas… as an actor - he’s a redwood tree. I see from the comments he will slowly ease into his role.

Jamie Rose as Victoria is giving me Diana on Knots vibes <annoying daughter who has to eventually be written off the show>

[te.]

Yay! I agree - there's a lot of world building in those first 13 episodes, though I will say there's also the annoying thing where they'll blatantly forget the happenings of the previous episodes, most notably...

 

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I will say that from episode 1x14 through 4x19 I find it a pretty remarkable show; despite all its criticism for being plot heavy (and it is, which is why we get a lot of side characters, but a lot of them end up being death fodder, which is why FC is the deadliest 80s soap) they actually had real overarching plots that were weaved through the seasons. That only seemed to change when the network got cold feet re: the nazi stuff (which was always there, but I guess there was a "show-not-tell" rule when nazis actually turned up). I still find the show enjoyable through seasons 5-7, but it becomes increasingly frantic so by season 8 it makes sense to try and bring it back to the ground. Season 9 is underrated and I'll stand by that, but I understand why hardcore FC fans doesn't like it as it's like a different show at that point.

[Soapsuds]

I've gone backwards. I'm watching season 2 as Julia breaks into Maggie's and Chase's house to type the suicide note from Cole. Maggie almost catches her and she pulls out a knife. Later she knocks out Cole in the garage and turns his jeep on leaving the motor running with the suicide note in his hand that admits to killing Melissa's father.

[yrfan1983]

Agreed, and it happens again in 1.06 when 

 

[kalbir]

Falcon Crest had the ingredients to give us a drama with high emotional stakes character driven storytelling, but the execution squandered the potential. The plot driven storytelling resulted in inconsistencies and plot holes, which are apparent if you watch daily or binge watch.

Wait until you reach season 2. There's a great scene early in that season that for me sets everything in motion for the rest of the series. After seeing that scene I was like "I am totally down for this."

Edited May 2, 2023 by kalbir

[yrfan1983]

Can anyone remind me… did Chao-Li have a greater presence/his own stories in the later seasons?

I do remember Rosalind Chao as his daughter appearing briefly in season 5.

Oooh I’m intrigued!

[Chris 2]

Chao Li got added to the opening credits starting in season 6. But the size of his part remained the same.

[kalbir]

It looked like she was going to be paired with one of the young men from the main families but I have a feeling the writers chickened out. Asian female/white male pairing not a big deal to CBS viewers in 2023 (see The Equalizer) but something tells me that in 1986 there might have been some backlash from older conservative CBS viewers.

If you're on episode 5, you've got another 15 episodes until you see that scene.

[yrfan1983]

sigh... oh well, thanks... at least he hopefully made a higher salary after making the opening credits.

Just finished ep 8. After the stage-setting and world-building of eps 1-4... eps 5-7 were a slog to make it through!

The problem is too few characters and too little story per episode.

I was excited for the return of Tony Cumson, as well as the return of Turner Bates... but the plots of both eps were so stretched out over 44 minutes that all the tension drained away.

Maggie's false alarm pregnancy felt tired and not worthy of a B story.

Episode 8 "Lord of the Manor" - what a very welcome vast improvement! 3 different plots of equal interest:

1- Lance very confidently trying to scam the wine distributor and slowly realizing that he's in way over his head was very fun to watch. And what a difference a budget makes. The scenes with the machinery corking the wine bottles, and the forklift moving the wine boxes, make Falcon Crest feel REAL (I think I'm scarred by 2023's threadbare daytime soaps budgets) 

Key quote from Lance: "I'm living in a madhouse"

2- Angela is vulnerable (and quite charming) for the first time - both in her insecurity while awaiting the results of the wine competition, and dealing with her ex-husband's renewed romantic interest.

Key quote from Angela: "I haven't built my empire yet"

3- Cole is at his cutest - connecting with his Tuscany, Italy relatives and trying to get by with his basic Italian

The ep seems to end on a happy note but suddenly shifts to an unsettling note, as the Giobertis learn that Angela and Jason were bitter enemies.

I'm definitely encouraged to continue on with my viewing. Can't wait to make it to Ana-Alicia's debut. Sounds like the show will fully kick into gear around then.