Remember the Good Times

Knots Landing

Season 2 Episode 3

Original Airdate: December 4, 1980

Recap:  Abby is lying in the pool as Karen folds Abby’s laundry that she did for her too, Val comes over to show them her new dishes that she just bought.  Abby asks Val if she can babysit, so she can go on a date, but Val tells her that she can’t she has to go to a meeting with Gary.  She asks her what kind of meeting and Val tells her that Gary is an alcoholic.

   At the meeting that night, Val introduces Gary to Judy, she tells them that she was supposed to come with her husband but he never showed up.  Val suggests that Gary talk to him, and Gary’s doctor, who is also an alcoholic tells him says that it’s a good idea.  They leave the meeting and Judy finds her husband Earl outside, she introduces him to Val and Gary.  Val gives him Gary’s number at work and their home number and tells him that it’s just in case he wants help.  Earl rips the card up.

   Ginger comes home from a date, he wants to come inside with her but she tells him she has a headache.  That doesn’t deter him, but luckily for her the phone rings and she gets rid of him.  Kenny is calling he wants to pick up a microphone, she tells him to come by in the morning.

   As they are getting into bed, Gary tells Val that Earl is nothing but trouble; she tells him that he could help him.  He tells her that Earl has to want the help, and he doesn’t want it yet, he knows because that is how he was.

   Everyone, but Abby is working on moving things into her house, she invites Richard over to swim, when Laura comes out she invites her took, mainly because Ginger is right there.  Inside Abby tells Karen that she needs to break a date since she has so much work to do; Karen suggests that Eric came babysit for her.

   At the dealership, Gary is trying to convince Sid on an idea to bring in more business.  They are interrupted by Earl, who stumbles in and starts knocking things over.  Gary takes him to his place, when Val comes back home from Abby’s, Gary tells her that Earl is upstairs.  She tells him to go back to work and she’ll call Judy.

   Ginger gets home and finds Kenny; he has brought the microphone back, like it’s something that she can’t live without.  He tells her he wants to take her out to dinner, to the restaurant they had their first date, and where he proposed to her. 

   Judy tells Val about how she and Earl ended up in California, he joins them downstairs and soon he and Judy are arguing. 

   Ginger and Kenny are at the restaurant they are talking about their past.

Judy is helping Val set the table when Gary gets home; he goes up to check up on Earl.  Earl asks him if he has to deal with the women, Gary tells him only during dinner, and then they are going to go to a meeting.  After Gary leaves to go wash up, Earl gets up and takes a drink from a bottle he had in his pocket.  Over dinner Val is trying to keep the conversation cheerful, but Earl is belligerent, he excuses himself and Judy tries to apologize for his behavior.  He goes into the bathroom, which I thought had to be a closet since it’s right off the front door, and takes another drink.  When he sits back down, Val suggests that he eat something, he starts pounding the table and throws the dishes.  Gary takes him away, and Val tells Judy that everything will be alright.

   At the AA meeting, Gary convinces Earl to speak, when they ask if it’s anyone’s first meeting.  Everyone cheers him on, Earl he looks surprised by all the attention, I think he likes the feeling.  After the meeting Earl asks Gary if he is his sponsor, Gary say that he guesses that he is.  Gary suggests they go get a cup of coffee and talk.  Gary asks him when he started drinking, he tells him that he used to only drink after work, then it became all the time.  Gary tells him about how he had been sober for a year, before he started drinking again.  Earl tells him that he can’t go through the day without a drink and gets up; Gary tells him that he will help him; Earl goes to the bar (why did they go to a place that had a bar?  I’m sure that they must have a Waffle House or something).  He tells Gary that he doesn’t want to stop.

   Kenny and Ginger come home, she thanks him for the evening and they kiss, and go inside.

Gary gets home and he tells Val that Earl is out drinking.  She tells him that she is sorry that she gave him his number.  He tells Val that he is sure that Earl is ready to stop, but he needs someone that can really help him.

   Karen goes over to Abby’s and finds that she still isn’t home, she send Eric home since it’s a school night, and she stays to wait for Abby to come home.

   Gary tells Val that he doesn’t want to talk about his drinking problem, but Val tells him that she wants to help him that it’s what they promised each other, when they got back together again.  The phone rings, interrupting their moment, it’s Judy.  Gary tells her that he’s on his way.  He tells Val he needs to go on his own and that she shouldn’t wait up.

   Earl wakes up screaming, Judy tells Gary that she doesn’t know why he’s doing this for them.  He tells her that it’s helping him not want to drink.  Earl starts to cry and Gary tells her that it’s worse than it looks.  She tells him that he is so strong, and that she can’t live with Earl anymore, she hugs him and tells him that she hopes that Val knows how lucky she is that he is sober.

   Val is still up waiting for Gary to come home, she sees a car drive by; she looks out and sees that it’s only Abby.  When Abby gets home, she is surprised that Karen is there not Eric.  Karen tells her that she should have been home since it was the kid’s first night in a new house.  Abby doesn’t seem to be concerned about it at all.

   Gary calls Val and tells her that they took Earl to the hospital, she tells him she’ll be right over. 

Kenny thinks that he can move back in, but Ginger tells him that unless they resolve their problems then nothing will change.  He can’t live with another woman and be with her too.

   The doctor pulls Val aside and tells her that she doesn’t need to take care of Gary anymore, he will have to do things that she can’t be a part of, she tells Val about the AL ANON meetings.  When Gary leaves Earl’s room, he finds Val waiting for him.  He tells her that he has never felt better, and she tells him how proud she is of him.

Final Thoughts:  My favorite part of this episode was when Abby isn’t doing anything and everyone is working, and Karen asks her if she did any cleaning before.  I hope that Gary doesn’t relapse; this isn’t a storyline that I really enjoy.  I have a feeling that this isn’t the last time we see Judy or Earl, especially when Judy hugged Gary.

Best Outfit:  Too much going on one pattern with the black would have been fine.