Ultimate Answers

Falcon Crest

Season 1 Episode 18

Air Date:  April 16, 1982

Recap:  Douglas’ funeral (not sure what it really is) is surprisingly small, in fact it’s just the family, no one else.  Chase comments to Maggie that Emma isn’t there, she tells him to leave it alone for tonight.  He tells Angela how sorry they are for her loss, she is cold with them.

   Angela’s lawyer tells her that the inquest will continue the next day, it’s been on hold for a week, and they can’t postpone it any longer.  She asks about Douglas’ will and when she will get control of the newspaper, she plans to get Chase thrown off the board.

   On the stand Angela tells the court how much she loved Jason, and tells them her story of what happened to Jason that night. 

   Back at Falcon Crest Melissa wants to know what they are keeping from her, Lance tells her that if Jason’s death is ruled anything other than an accident then they would lose everything to Chase.

The sheriff takes the stand, he is asked why he didn’t have an autopsy performed.  The medical examiner is questioned, he says that Jason died from the explosion of the truck, the DA gets the doctor to admit that he isnt’ really a doctor, he asks why no autopsy was performed.  He tells the court that Angela didn’t want one performed and Angela always gets what she wants.

   Lance and Melissa go up to check up on Emma, she has them pretend to toast to the new baby.  Emma asks Lance if he’s going to push Melissa down the stairs too.  When they go down stairs Melissa asks him what that meant.

   The DA questions Gus who tells them that he picked Jason up from the bar and that he took him back to his place for coffee, he was going to drive him home, but Jason said that he would walk since he had to get something from the winery.  Gus says that he doesn’t understand how Jason could have been driving so soon after he left him.  The DA wants Emma to be brought to court.  Angela tells her lawyer that he needs to do something.  He tells the court that Emma is unstable and he brings Dr. Banning to testify to that, but when the DA questions him he tells the court that he only spoke with her once and that as far as he knows Emma has never been institutionalized, and there is no record of Emma getting any help.  The judge agrees that Emma should be brought in to testify.

   Angela’s lawyer goes to Chase’s house and tells him that Angela would be willing to give him a loan so he could start his own winery, only if he drops this inquest.  Chase tells him that he just doesn’t get it, he doesn’t want anything but to know what happened to his father.

   Angela tells Lance that he needs to be sure that Emma takes some pills and that she isn’t to leave the house.  The lawyer comes and gives Angela a letter stating that Richard Channing has inherited the newspaper.  She asks about her daughters, he tells her that they own a share.  She asks who Richard Channing’s mother is.  He tells her that they are working on it.

   Emma is called to the stand, but Angela’s lawyer brings up a statement from her doctor saying that she’s too ill to come to court.

   Lance brings Emma her pill, she takes it, but once he’s gone she takes it out of her mouth and puts in the drawer with the rest of them.  She gets dressed and sneaks out her bedroom window.

   Chase is called to the stand, Angela is looking very smug.

   Lance goes back to check up on Emma and finds her gone.  Melissa takes the phone call Lance has been waiting for from his private investigator friend in New York, she takes the message for him.

   Chase describes what lead him to believe that his father’s death is no accident.  When Angela’s lawyer questions him he tries to make Chase admit that he is only doing this because he wants to control Falcon Crest.  He asks Chase why he came back to the valley.  The lawyer brings up Cole’s arrest and that Vicky is promiscuous. 

   Lance and Chao-Li  check the cottage then go to Chase’s house to find Emma.

   Chase says he isn’t bitter that he wasn’t left more in the will, he only wants the truth, he wants Emma to testify.

   Emma comes over to Cole and asks him to take her to the inquest.  Lance arrives and tries to get her to come home with him, but she won’t go, Cole says that he’ll take her home, Lance tells him to stay out of it.  Emma tells them that she wants to go to the inquest, so Cole drives off with Emma, Lance and Chao-Li  go to follow, but they need to fix a flat tire first (talk about bad luck). 

   Emma bursts into the court room, Angela goes to her,  but the judge orders her to sit back down or she will be removed.  The judge asks who she is, she introduces herself, and says that she wants to tell what happened that night.  Angela’s lawyer tries to get a recess, but the judge refuses.  Emma is sworn in and after the lawyer tries to stop her by saying she is under a lot of strain the judge asks how she feels.  She tells the judge that is fine.  She asks if she can read from her journal since she can get confused, he agrees, and    Emma begins to tell the court what happened that night Jason died.

   While the jury is out, Melissa comes and give Lance the message, his friend said that only two things scare him, a violent death and Richard Channing.  She says that she can’t wait to meet him.

   The jury return their verdict and Jason’s death is ruled as at the hands of another.  Chase asks the DA if he is going to prosecute Emma, he says no, Chase asks about Angela, the DA says that there would be no point.

   Emma goes over to Chase and tells him that she is sorry.  He tells her that he forgives her.  When Angela  calls to Emma to come with her, Emma tells her mother that she will came with Cole so she will leave with him too.  Chase tells Angela that he only wants what is his.  A 50/50 share of Falcon Crest, she tells him that she will fight him all the way, but agrees.  After he leaves she tells her lawyer that Chase thinks that he won. 

Final thoughts: I’m glad that story line is over, and I love how they set up Richard Channing, it’s a lot better set up then Alexis’ intro in Dynasty.

Best Outfit:  I think Angela had the worst outfits of the season, but Vicky was a close second.

Penultimate Questions

Falcon Crest

Season 1 Episode 17

Air Date:  April 9, 1982

Recap:  Lance and Melissa are on their honeymoon in Hawaii, Lance tells Melissa that they need to do something about her being pregnant, he said that they need to make plans after the honeymoon, she tells him that her only plans are to get things for the nursery, obviously he wants her to have an abortion.  He asks her where her ring is, she tells him that it’s where his is obviously, in their suitcase.  He goes to get a drink, once he’s gone she starts to put on sun tan lotion watching some men across the pool

   The medical examiner is talking to Angela, he is worried about the questions Chase could ask.  She reminds him that he answers to the sheriff. 

   When Lance comes back he finds Melissa with two men, one is rubbing the sun tan lotion on her the other is sitting really close.  He sends them off once he tells them that he’s her husband.  In their hotel room Lance is packing, he complains about how she is paying attention to other men but won’t let him touch her.  He tells her that she won’t keep the baby, she tells him that she is going to and that it’s her word against his whether or not it’s his baby.

   Chase and the family are going through the old letters that Cole brought back from Italy.  He comments about all the negative comments there are about the relationship between Angela and his father Jason.

   Julia tells Angela that it’s only a matter of time before Emma tells the truth about what happened to that night..  They are surprised when Lance and Melissa come back from the honeymoon a week early.  Angela takes Melissa to the drawing room to hear all about the honeymoon, which I find a little creepy..  Lance and his mother go make some tea.  Emma is having a nightmare and wakes up screaming, Angela tells Melissa to stay downstairs.  Lance and Julia are comforting her when Angela comes in.  Melissa is listening outside the door and hears them talking about Emma feeling guilty.

   Chase goes to the Sheriff’s office and tells him that he wants answers, the sheriff reluctantly agrees to meet with him at noon.  The sheriff goes right to Angela and tells her that Chase is demanding answers from him.  She tells him to cancel the meeting.  Melissa is on the stairs and hears this exchange.  The Sheriff says that he can’t stonewall Chase forever, she tells him to tell him that he didn’t ask for an autopsy, he reminds her that she was the one who asked him not to have one done.  Chao-Li  finds Melissa listening at the door, Julia comes downstairs and tells Melissa that Lance is looking for her, she asks what is going in and tells them that she overheard what happened in Emma’s room last night.  They tells her that it was about Emma’s shoplifting, she doesn’t believe this and asks why Chase has anything to do with this.  Lance tries to get her out of the house by going horseback riding, she tells him that she can’t and announces that she is pregnant.  Angela looks thrilled by the news.

   Maggie is waiting for Chase with lunch, he tells her that he forgot, and that the sheriff stood him up, and he thinks that he is avoiding him.  They talk about how little time they’ve spent together lately.  They argue about whether or not he is trying to find about his father for the family or just for himself.  She gets upset and says that he is a workaholic.  Chase apologizes and tells her that he feels that something isn’t right about his father’s death.  Maggie says that she is going to help, she’s going to go talk to Dr. Banning.

Julia goes to pick her father up from the hospital, she wants to take him back to Falcon Crest to recuperate, but he doesn’t want to.

   Melissa goes to see Cole, he doesn’t want to talk to her, she tells him that she came to talk to him about Emma and his grandfather so he’s going to listen to her.

   Angela calls Dr. Banning, but he won’t talk to her because of doctor patient confidentiality.  She seems satisfied with that since he won’t talk to her he won’t talk to anyone else.

   Chao-Li  goes to the junk yard at Angela’s request and buys the steering wheel from Jason’s truck.

   Julia catches Emma trying to leave, she tells her that she is leaving and that she needs her own space.  Julia tells her that she wants to go with her, but that they can’t go yet.  She convinces Emma to go back upstairs, but Angela finds them before she can.  When Emma is upstairs, Julia tells Angela once again that it’s only a matter of time before she talks.

   Melissa goes to see Chase, she tells him that she needs to talk, she tells him that the family is keeping secrets from her, she tells him how ruthless Angela is, he tells her that she is just like Angela.  She tells him that there are so many secrets.

   Vicky and Chase are cooking dinner, when Maggie gets home, she tells him that Dr. Banning wouldn’t talk to her since it would be unethical for him to discuss his patient with her, Chase said that he was helpful before, Maggie tells him that was because Emma was there before and had consent for him to talk to them.    She tells him that Angela called the Dr as well.  Chase tells her about Melissa coming to see him.

   The next day the sheriff finds Chase waiting for him by his car.  Chase asks him why there was no autopsy performed on his father, the sheriff tells him that his father was a known drunk and that he made a left turn when he should have turned right, he tells Chase that the circumstances were clear and made a choice.  He tells Chase to let it go, and that it would do no good to perform an autopsy now, since the embalming fluid would have destroyed any evidence that there might have been.

   Julia tries to convince Angela to let Emma tell what happened.  Angela reminds her that they would loses everything because of the clause in her father’s will.

   Chase goes to the junk yard and goes to see his father’s truck.  He learns that the truck never worked well since his father was constantly getting parts for the truck, he also learns about the Chinese man that came and bought the steering wheel that morning.

   Emma and her father are going for a walk, just when it looks like she might tell him what happened, Angela comes to take her back home.  Douglas says that he wants to spend time with her and that Angela is making things worse for Emma.  He asks Emma where she wants to go, she says that she wants to go to Paris, he agrees.

   Chase asks Gus and Cole what they think about his suspicions that his father was murdered.  Cole asks him what he is going to do, Chase says that he is going to go to the District Attorney.

   The DA asks Chase why he thinks it wasn’t an accident, he asks him if he thinks Emma killed his father, he tells him no.  He tells Chase that the Chinese man could be anyone, not just Angela’s butler.  Chase tells him that he just wants help, but if he can’t handle it he’ll go to someone else.  The DA says that he can handle it, he just needs plenty of ammunition before going to “war”.  Chase tells him that Angela has a lot of friends in high places, he tells Chase that if he is right, then she will need them.

   Douglas calls and asks Maggie about Chase going to the DA, he tells her that he doesn’t want to see his family torn apart.

   Lance tells his mother and grandmother that he isn’t the father of Melissa’s baby, when she comes back to the table, he asks her to tell them that, but she cries asking him how he could say such a thing.  It’s clear that neither his mother or grandmother believe that he isn’t the father, since he went from girl to girl and had been seeing Melissa regularly for awhile.

   The DA tells Chase that any finds found in this inquest couldn’t be brought up in court if there were to be a trial, he tells him that he knows, he only wants to know what happened to his father.  He tells Chase that he could find out more about his father then he might want to, Chase says that he understands.

   Angela tells her lawyer to talk to the DA, but he tells her it wouldn’t do any good, he tells her he managed to get the inquest to be a closed hearing.  She says that Emma mustn’t go, he tells her to trust him, and that he wants to take her away once this is all over, I didn’t see anything going on between the two of them, I’m sure that she is just using him too.

   In the courtroom, Angela tells Chase that he is a fool.  Angela is called to testify first, Douglas brings Emma to the courtroom and tells her to tell the truth.  They walk in and Angela leaves the stand, Emma tells her that she wants to tell the truth.  Douglas collapses, everyone rushes to his side, he tells Angela to let Emma tell the truth.  The paramedics come and they say that he’s gone.  Angela gets up from the ground and tells Chase that she will never forgive him.
Final Thoughts:  I'm glad that they are finally concluding this storyline, I can't believe that the police do everything Angela tells them to do. 

Best Outfit:  Nitpicking again, but I think that it would look better if it was not all polka-dots with a solid top or skirt.