Falcon Crest

[Soaplovers]

I think Kristian Alfonso would have been a great asset to the show, had the show provided her with a character that wasn't a Melissa replacement.  KA was always cool, sarcastic with a hint of ice cold bitchiness... while Ana Alicia was more of an emotional tidal wave of emotion.  Two very good actresses... no way that either could be the replacement of the other.

 

[kalbir]

Was it this blog Hill Place: The Single-Handed Destruction of "Falcon Crest" by Kristian Alfonso's Pilar Ortega

A couple more old blogs I found

‘Falcon Crest’ (Season 1): Intrigue, drunk on wine | Drunk TV

‘Falcon Crest’ (Season 2): Melodrama & glamour ramp up in 2nd season | Drunk TV

[soapfan770]

Yep that is the one! After re-reading it’s more of a hit piece on the character itself as well as that season’s producers & writers. There is fair criticism of KA’s acting but the whole “and I admire how she continues to thrive once she gave up notions of prime time success and retreated back into her limited daytime niche” is pretty low. But as a whole the essay makes a good point and has some interesting ideas.
 

To answer your other question about Season 5 kalbir it’s been fairly mediocre compared to the first 4 seasons. Like Soapsuds said a few pages back the Season 4 cliffhanger isn’t adequately resolved at all, and writing out both Lorraine and Pamela Lynch weren’t very good ideas as they left an obvious hole. Maggie’s amnesia is too cliche. The Melissa/Cole/Robin baby drama is too melodramatic. I liked JJ Robert’s in the beginning but her story goes off the rails and is very isolated to her own island as previously mentioned. Apollonia is horrible. Good things like Cass & Anna’s revenge and Chao-Li’s daughter coming to Falcon Crest end way too quickly. At least for the most part the acting was on par, and Emma & Dwayne and Richard & Terry were highlights for the season. The show needed to be refreshed. 

[kalbir]

That same blogger also has another good post: Hill Place: Favoring "Falcon Crest": The Other Major Prime Time Soap

That arc specifically is why I refer to Season 5 as Dallas with grapes/Miami Vice hybrid.

Did you like that pairing? I recall some scenes in Seasons 3 and 4 where they seemed intrigued by each other but then suddenly out of nowhere comes a blackmail marriage.

Edited May 29, 2023 by kalbir

[soapfan770]

Thanks for sharing that post, I enjoyed reading that post. I know it’s been 10 years now but I wonder if that blogger has been able to stream it all over again given its current widespread availability.

I enjoyed Richard & Terry as I thought they were better suited for each other and usually brought out the best and worst of each other. Terry should have been kept around but I guess she was dropped for Dana Sparks Vicky recast?? I hated her final scenes was after  the good deed of reuniting Richard with his son, as @Khan once pointed out during an earthquake she suddenly reverted back to a final very selfish moment came as she yelled “But Richard WHat about MEEEEEEeeee?!!!” as she yelled hollered as Richard went for his infant son was ridiculous. 
 

More of a topic for the 80’s primetime ratings thread but the Miami Vice vs Falcon Crest war ended almost as quickly as it had begun.

[te.]

It honestly seems like CBS nixing the nazi treasure storyline really just gave an incredible blow to the show which it never recovered fully from. This start-and-stop storylines really culminates in season 7 when Freilich seemingly can't expand a storyline beyond three episodes; Maggie's supposed "alcoholism" being a prime example. She basically becomes a full-blown alcoholic overnight and then recovers just as quickly.

[kalbir]

You're welcome.

Jealous scheming ho all about the come up that blackmailed dangerous villain businessman into marriage was not going to turn into a Pretty Woman love story.

[Khan]

Yes, it WAS ridiculous, lol.  Even Melissa Agretti would have put aside her self-centeredness in that moment to make sure Richard's son was safe.  The "best" part, though, was during the next season's premiere, when Terry's death was confirmed with a shot of her stunt double lying on the floor, with her head turned strategically away from the camera.  Anything not to have to pay Laura Johnson for another episode, right, FC, lol?

[te.]

They actually DID want her back for a few scenes to die on camera but she turned them down lol.

[Khan]

Really?  Well, good for her, lol!

[soapfan770]

The entire cliffhanger for Season 5 is a laughable and embarrassing mess, made worse by Emma being the one to holler “We’re all going to DIE!!!” lol

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Originally that phone call was supposed to be Stavros’ evil brother played by Anthony Quinn but plans fell through and Chase was supposed to die but the show convinced Foxworth to continue. Like Laura Johnson as @te. mentioned, MacCorckindale and Fairchild had been fired but asked to film final scenes but refused well because they had been fired lol. The result was the pair getting an off-screen exit as told to us by Richard & Angela (an inspiration to Josh Griffith??).

Something similar had happened with Sarah Douglas the previous season which facilitated the show giving us a recast Pamela and very strange exit. Not sure what the producers were expecting to happen when they fired cast.

True the whole marriage was doomed for sure. I just felt like Terry made a fun secondary vixen overall to Melissa. I had liked the period of the show where characters like Terry, Greg, and Pamela roamed the show as grey characters and operating on their own agendas. 

[kalbir]

This earthquake was some 3 1/2 years before the real-life northern California earthquake. I don't think the real-life earthquake was referenced during season 9 though.

There is some soapy goodness in the dangerous villain getting blackmailed into marrying the jealous scheming ho sister when he really loves the kind-hearted sister.

She has a scene about halfway through season 5 that made my jaw drop.

Edited May 31, 2023 by kalbir

[Khan]

I agree.  I thought FC's cliffhangers always came up short.  They wanted them to be as explosive as DALLAS's or DYNASTY's, but they didn't know how to make them happen.

[te.]

I love that part because it always makes me laugh so hard 

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In the season premiere they completely forget that the winery was flooded with wine, but there's no sign of it in the follow up scenes.

[Khan]

That's because Sue Ellen Ewing had heard about the earthquake and the winery, and she flew over from Dallas (with a very large straw) to help with the clean-up.