Land of the Free

Knots Landing

Season 1 Episode 7

Air Date: February 7

Recap:  Everyone is having a great time at the beach, Val and Karen are watching Diana play volleyball, while Ginger and Laura are playing with Jason in the waves.  Karen tells Val it’s time to get her swimsuit wet, I find this hilarious, since in the last episode she didn’t seem to mind getting her dress wet.  Trouble comes when a bunch of bikers come through the beach, they proceed to harass everyone, driving through the volleyball net, one of the guys grabs Laura.  The leader of the bunch, whose name is Music breaks up the scuffle.  Karen tells them that motorcycles aren’t allowed on the beach, Music says that it’s a free country, I hate people who use that line, if something isn’t allowed then it doesn’t matter if it’s a free country or not. 

   Back at the cul-de-sac they are talking to the police, they didn’t see the license plates, so there isn’t much the police can do, they have to catch them doing something.  Richard tells them that the group will be gone so there is nothing to worried about, he wants his dinner.  The police tell them that the beach patrol was cut due to budget cuts. 

   Karen is still upset about what happened at the beach, she doesn’t think it’s funny when Sid thinks that they had good taste since they were bothering them and no one else.  She goes upstairs and hears Diana talking in her room, she goes inside and she finds Diana practicing lines for the play she is auditioning for, she wants the first lead since Buzzy, the boy she likes is auditioning for the lead boy.

   The next day they all go back to the beach and guess  who comes back the bikers, this time they ride around the group, one of them pulls on Karen and when Michael goes for he practically gets hit, and falls to the ground. 

   Sid meets Karen at the hospital, Michael has to have some stitches, but he’s okay.  Karen is upset because there was nothing she could do to protect him.  On the way home they see the Music and the guy who almost hit Michael, his name is Alien.  Sid tells Karen to call the police and parks the car in front of the bathroom, where Music went.  He grabs a hold of Alien, the police take him into custody, Karen decides not to press any charges against Music since he didn’t do anything to them at the beach.

   Everyone goes over to Karen and Sid’s to talk about he bikers.  Richard tells them that Alien probably won’t be in custody, he won’t have any money so his friends will probably steal something to get the money.  Karen goes to take Diana to her audition.  When she gets home Music comes out of the shadows and tells her that he wants to talk to her.  She calls for Sid and tells him that she’s going to call the police.  When Sid comes out he asks what he wants, Music tells them that he wants them to drop the charges, the other bikers won’t leave without Alien, and so  who knows what they will do while they wait for him to be released from jail.  He leaves and the boys ask Karen and Sid what he wanted, Michael asks her if she will drop the charges and Karen tells him that she won’t.

   The next morning is garbage day, and the bikers pay a visit to the cul-de-sac, they throw garbage in the yard, all over Richard’s car, and they ride through the yards.  Sid and Karen watch as they ride off, when the police come, he tells them that they will have a patrol of the neighborhood, it will take some time for them to get the bikers.  Karen tells them that Richard thinks that she should drop the charges, Gary tells her that he’s only thinking of himself.  Val tells her that she’s glad she’s not giving in, and she tells them how the police couldn’t help her when JR’s boys took Lucy away from her. 

   At Richard’s house, he’s only concerned about his car, Laura asks him what if it was Jason instead of Michael, his response was that it wasn’t Jason.

   Val goes with Karen grocery shopping, Music comes up to them as they are putting the bags in the car, and when they are driving home two girls surround the car and kick at it telling them to pull over.  Val points out a police car, which follows the two girls who drive off.  Karen and Val hurry inside the house and Karen gets a harassing phone call, they can’t get an outside line.

   Laura is going out, she backs out but she realizes that there is a problem, she gets out of the car and sees that all the tires have been slashed.  She looks around and sees that all the cars in the cul-de-sac have been slashed, a biker moves out from behind Val’s car, finishing the job.  Laura runs to get Karen, she tells him what happened as the guy rides off.  She goes back inside and tells Val that Laura is calling Sid and Karen.  They hear a cry outside and run out to see that Karen’s boys fell from their bikes because there is oil all over the street.  She tells  them to get into the house.  Val asks her if she’s okay, and Karen tells her no. 

   Richard goes with Karen when she goes to the station to drop the charges, he tells her that she did the right thing.  Music meets Alien, who wants to get out of town, but Music tells him that he needs to stick around and pay Karen back for keeping him locked up for a day.

   Gary and Val are over at Karen’s house, they hear a motorcycle, Sid goes out to check it out, but it’s only the police officer patrolling the cul-de-sac.  Sid tells them that he’s not sure that it’s over yet.  Gary and Sid go back to discuss advertisements for the dealership.  Diana leaves to go to her rehearsals.  Not long after she’s gone Buzzy, comes back and tells them that the bikers took Diana to the beach. 

   Diana tells them to let her go, they see that Sid is coming towards them.  Music lunges at him, Kenny shows up and starts beating up Alien.  Gary and Richard get to the beach and soon everyone is fighting.  Some of the bikers get away, but the police arrive and take control of the situation.  Richard feels great, even though the only thing he did was chase a girl around the garbage can and hold on to her when the police got there.  But all is as it should be and the beach is safe for everyone once again.

Final Thoughts:  This episode was a bit hard to believe, I can't imagine that the police couldn't do anything to stop the bikers, especially when they trashed the neighborhood.  I thought it was a good episode though.

Best Outfit:  Were you running out of time to put on a shirt?  Seriously it would have taken less time to put on a t-shirt then it would have to put on the jacket and button it up.
Fight Count:  1 (biker gang vs the neighbors)

Home Is for Healing

Knots Landing

Season 1 Episode 

Air Date:  January 31, 1980

Recap:  Gary and Val are getting ready for bed, she goes and changes her nightgown to black lingerie, he asks her why she did that, which is something I can’t imagine any man really saying, she goes back and changes into the nightgown.  The phone rings interrupting them from getting any further than kissing.  It’s Bobby, he tells them that Lucy found out about them getting remarried.  Val tells him that she will come out and talk to her.  Gary wants to go with her, but she tells him that it would be best if she went alone to bring Lucy back to California.

   Val finds Lucy at school, Lucy tells her that she doesn’t have anything to say to her, she walks off to her car.  Val tells her that they were just trying to be careful, Lucy asks why she was the only one at Southfork not to know about their remarriage.

   Karen comes to the car dealership and asks Gary where Val is, they were supposed to go out that afternoon, he tells her about how Lucy found out about them.  Sid comes out from the garage and he and Karen go to lunch Gary goes back to his cubical and waits for Val to call.

   Lucy and Val go for a walk and Val tells her that they couldn’t live apart any longer.  Lucy thinks that it’s Gary who doesn’t want her, but Val tells her that he just wanted to be sure that they would make it, because they knew how much it would hurt her if things didn’t work out.

   Gary gets a call from Val and he tells Sid that Lucy is coming for her vacation, then she will go back to Dallas to finish the year at school then she will move out in the summer.

   Ginger comes over as Karen and Diana are cutting roses for Val and Lucy, she tells Karen that she followed her advice and told Kenny that they need to spend more time together and he can’t go to parties every night.

   The family arrives and Val introduces Lucy to Karen, Diana, and Ginger.  They go into the house and take Lucy up to her room, she really loves it, especially the dolls her mother saved for her.  Val tells Lucy that she really feels like this is home now that she is here.  Gary is at the doorway, and he turns around and leaves the house.  Karen is driving home as he is walking down the street, she tells him that everything will work out.

   Val asks Gary what’s wrong, she tells him that they just need to give it sometime, they’ve spent a long time apart and everyone needs to get to know each other again.  Kenny and Ginger come over and he invites them to his latest party, he tells Lucy he can introduce her to a famous band, she thinks it’s a great idea, but they already have plans, they are going to Marine Land with the Avery’s and the Fairgate’s.  Ginger doesn’t look to pleased with Kenny.   After they go Lucy goes upstairs to go to bed, Gary asks Val if Lucy should go to the party so she can be with kids her own age, Val says that Lucy wants to be with them.

   At their house Ginger is mad that Kenny is having the party at their house and it’s the night that they were supposed to go out, he tells her that they’ll do it next weekend.

   Val and Lucy went shopping, Gary tells Lucy that she needs to stop using her credit cards, and spending her grandfather’s money, she needs to start learning to live on the income he makes.  Lucy gets upset with him for trying to teach her things that he should have taught her when she was younger, she goes upstairs.  Val tells him not to be so hard on her.  He goes to her room and apologizes, he tells her that they need to be able to talk to each other, so that they can make up for all the lost years.  She tells him that she wants to be alone.

Yes that's better, the second button definitely shows off my hot body

I know I look good but something is missing

   Kenny is getting ready for the party, he checks himself out and decides that he needs to unbutton his shirt two buttons to many.  He comes out to the living room and sees that Ginger is still wearing the same clothes.  She tells him that she’s had it with his parties, and leaves the house.  She waits outside, he looks at the door, like he’s thinking of following her, but he goes over to the stereo and turns on the music.

   Lucy comes downstairs and tells Val that she isn’t going with them after all but will be going to Kenny’s party.  Val asks Gary what he said to her.

   Lucy is having a great time, she’s dancing with the whole band.  Kenny is talking to a girl, she is flirting with him, she’s noticed that Ginger isn’t at the party, and she tells him that she thinks he likes it when she’s there so he can sneak around.  Richard, Sid and Karen all stop by.  Sid and Karen feel really old and out of place, but Richard thinks that he’s in his element.  He tries to introduce himself to Lucy, but she is off with the band. 

   Gary and Val are arguing about Lucy, he suggests that they go over to the party, but Val says that she would feel out of place.

   Back at the party the girl that was talking to Kenny is now singing, Kenny is making phone calls looking for Ginger, when the song is over he tells her that she is great, she’s really humble and tells him that she knows.  She asks him to come back to her house, but he tells her that he can’t leave the party, she says that his neighbor can handle things Richard, which I would think could lead to a lot of problems.  But Ginger comes home, he follows her, she goes to their room and tells a couple to get out, Gary shows up and asks where Lucy is Richard tells him that she left with the band, he asks them how they could let her go, they tell him that she’s not a child.  In their room Kenny tries to make it up to Ginger, he tells her that he will give up the opening that’s the next night for missing their date, but she tells him she can’t let him do that since that is really work, and that the next weekend it fine.

   The next morning Lucy gets home, Gary wakes Val up who was sleeping on the couch, they ask her where she was, and that they were worried because she didn’t call, and that if they are going to live together then that she will have to call.  Lucy tells them that they won’t be living together, she goes upstairs to pack, Val follows her.  She tells Val that it’s too late, but she wants her to come back to Dallas with her.  Val doesn’t want to leave Gary, but she agrees to go back with her.

Gary doesn’t want Val to leave him, but she tells him that if she lets Lucy go alone then things will never be right.  Outside Lucy is waiting for her mother when Laura jogs by, she introduces herself, she tells her that her parents talk about her all the time, and how close she and Val have gotten.  She tells Lucy that she just loves her parents story about how they spent so many years apart and just got back together, thanks to her.  She tells her how much they love each other.  Val and Gary come outside, Val tells Laura that she’s taking Lucy back to Dallas, she asks her how long she will be gone, Val hugs her and tells her that she’s sorry.  Gary begs Val not to leave him.

   On the way to the airport, Val stops at the beach, she tells Lucy that she comes there all the time.

   Gary goes over to Sid’s, and tells him what happened, he tells him that he couldn’t admit his weakness, Sid tells him that he needs to go and make things right, and that the past is just the past.

   Lucy and Val are walking along the beach, she asks her mother what she is thinking.  Val tells her that she is thinking that she shouldn’t go with Lucy, she tells her that soon she’ll have a family of her own, and that this was all very hard for Gary.  Suddenly he is there, he tells Lucy that he wants her to stay, and that he should have told her not to use the credit cards because how it made him feel.  He tells her that he’s not a loser anymore, he’s working and he’s not drinking or gambling anymore, he’s facing every day.  Lucy stops him and tells him that she gets it, and that they all really need to get to know each other.  He asks her to stay for the rest of her vacation.  Val wants them all to run into the ocean, Lucy doesn’t want to because it’s cold, but she follows her parents and they run hand in hand in the ocean.

Final Thought:  I'm glad that they finally got Lucy in California, I don't think she would have really fit into the show, so I'm glad this is the only time she shows up on the show. I'm pretty sure that something would have happened between her and Kenny if she had stayed.  It was a bit gross when Richard was trying to introduce himself to her.

Best Outfit:  Lucy is wearing her Heidi dress.

Fight Count:  1 (Ginger vs Kenny)