Pilot

Knots Landing

Season 1 Episode 1

Air Date:  December 27, 1979

Recap:  Bobby is bringing Val and Gary to their new house in California. They meet one of their new neighbors, Karen Fairgate, she invites them over for dinner, that night. Gary wants Bobby to stay overnight, but Bobby says he can’t, because of JR.
   Sid, Karen’s husband comes home early and finds his daughter in his bed with a boy.

   Bobby says goodbye to Val, she wants him to tell Lucy something, but she remembers that they don’t want her to know that they got remarried yet, they want to work on making sure that they are going to stay together this time. Gary leaves Val to take Bobby to the airport.
   Val meets another neighbor, Richard, he seems kind of a jerk, he goes into her house with her and offers her a light bulb, but doesn’t get back to the house until Gary come back. He invites them to dinner, but they tell him they are already going to Karen’s, he tells them to come over for drinks after, and to bring the Fairgate’s along too. Richard asks Gary if he's related to those Ewing's. He thinks that Gary is going to be opening a branch of the family business in California, which Gary denies.
   At the Fairgate's, Karen tells Sid that she invited the new neighbors to dinner, she wants him to send his daughter, Annie back to Philadelphia, but Sid tells her that she is staying for the two weeks that have been planned for.
   Over dinner Val and Gary tell the Fairgate's how they just got remarrie after so many years apart.
   Annie gets home and goes to Kenny and Ginger's house, Ginger leaves for Richard's leaving Kenny and Annie alone together
   Richard, is bugging Gary about the Ewing's, he tells him that he's going to look for a job the next day, Sid offers to give him a job at his car dealership. Ginger tells Karen that Annie is talking with Kenny at her house, Karen leaves and finds Annie in Kenny's arms, she sends her home and tells Kenny to keep away from Annie, or else Sid will come over and make him not so good looking.      
   At Richard's house Annie makes a scene, Val tries to talk to her, telling her about Lucy, but it doesn't work. Sid tells Annie to go home.
   Later, as they are all walking back to their houses, Annie drives up and hits their other car, she is drunk and Sid and Karen's daughter, Diana is with her. They fight with all the neighbors watching, Karen tells Sid that Annie has to go.  
   Val tells Gary that she doesn't think that they belong there. He tells her that he could feel her watching him at the party to see if he would take a drink or not. He tells her he knows that he can't drink, and that he really wants her to give this place a chance.
   Karen wakes up and finds Annie packing to run away. She tries to stop her, but Annie smashes a mirror and runs from the house. Sid goes after her.
   The next morning Annie calls Val, and she goes to get her. Gary goes over to the Fairgate's and Karen tells him that Sid isn’t' home, but that he should be back soon. When Sid gets back he remembers he promised Gary a job and says that as soon as he gets dressed they can go in to town.
   Annie was arrested for hustling, she tells Val she isn't going back, but Val tells her that she has too, but that they can go to the beach first. Val leaves her keys and wallet in the sand and runs into the waves, Annie asked her why she trusted her. Val tells Annie about Lucy, and explains why she doesn't live with her.
  They get home as Sid comes back out of the house. Sid asks Annie were she's been, she tells him about being arrested. She runs into the house. Karen thanks Val for bringing her home.
   Val tells Gary that she wants to leave again but he tells her that this is his last chance to prove to himself that he can make it.
   Sid tries to talk to Annie, he wants to make things good between them, and he wants her to want to come back.
   Karen finds Sid working on his car in the garage, he tells her that Annie wouldn't have run away if she hadn't got to her, he thanks her and they go for a ride in his car.
Final Thoughts:   This was a interesting pilot episode, you meet everyone, and get an idea of who everyone is.  I decided to start watching this now since I'm watching episodes of Dallas that were playing around the same time, so in case anything crosses over story wise then it will make sense.

Best Outfit:   I had to pick this just because of the medallion, take the vest off and it looks like anything you might see now, maybe with different shoes.
Guest Stars:  Karen Allen
                       Patrick Duffy

Fight Count:  3 (Sid vs Karen) (Karen vs Annie) (Sid vs Annie)

In His Father's House

Falcon Crest

Season 1 Episode 1

 Air Date:  December 4, 1981 (1981-12-04)

RErrRecap:  Emma meets a man outside and they are caught by her uncle Jason, who tells the drifter to get out and leave his niece alone, Emma tells him that they are going to get married. Jason and the drifter struggle and Jason falls to his death. Emma gets her mother, who with the help from her majordomo they make it look like Jason was killed in a car accident. Angela, Emma's mother, tells her other daughter, Julia that she has to call Jason's son Chase and tell him what happened to is father.

   Chase is a pilot, and they are heading in for a landing. At his house, Maggie is trying to write an article, their son Cole is home, and daughter Vicky comes home late, Cole knows she's been somewhere else then what she tells her mother. Maggie answers the phone, and when Chase gets home she tells him about his father.

   They got to California for the funeral, leaving the two teenagers home alone. Vicky is seeing an older man, he was a teacher's of Cole's. He is trying to break things off with Vicky, when Cole come in and confronts the two of them, there is a fight, and Cole is arrested.

   At the reception after the funeral, Chase and Maggie talk to Lance and his mother Julia. Lance tells Maggie that Jason was killed drunk driving. Angela gives Chase her great-grandfather's watch, and introduces them to her attorney. Angela wants to buy the land that Jason left to Chase in his will. Chase wants his lawyers to look over the wills before he decides anything.

   That night Chase tells Maggie about how he tried to keep in contact with his father over the years. He tells her that he doesn’t want to be like his father, and not be a part of his children's lives. He says that they hardly get to see each other anymore, they are about to make love, but are interrupted by a scream out in the hall. Angela tells Chase it's only one of Emma's nightmares.

   Chase tells Maggie about his childhood as they walk the vineyard, he takes her to his father's house, the house that his great-grandfather built. They go inside and they find that Jason kept all the pictures and letters Chase ever sent to him. Maggie reminds him that they have a plane to catch. They got outside and find Gus and his son packing up their truck, Gus worked with his father, and he tells him that Angela fired him. Chase tells him to unpack that he'll talk to Angela about keeping him at the vineyard.

   Vicky comes to see Cole at the police station and he tells her to call their parents.

   Lance and Angela are walking through the wine cellar, he wants to become a buyer, she tells him that he's got a lot to learn, he tells her that he's concerned about what happened to Jason.

   Angela greets Chase and Maggie, he asks her why Gus was fired, she tells him that Gus doesn't work well with the way she runs things. Lance tells Chase that he's got a call from the police. Angela asks Maggie if Chase is serious about keeping his father's vineyard. Chase tells Maggie about being arrested but that the charges were dropped, he tells Angela that he'll pay Gus' salary till he figures things out.

   Back in New York Chase is yelling at Cole for being arrested, Cole won't tell him the real reason he got into the fight. Maggie is talking to Vicky, she knows that she's been seeing the older man. She tells Chase about Vicky, he tells her that he wants them to be a family and wants to move the family to the vineyard. She agrees.

   Gus greets the family when they get to the house. The kids aren't thrilled about moving, and their parents tell them that they'll grow to like it.

   Lance tells Angela that they family has arrived, and he asks what they are going to do about it. She says let's invite them to dinner.

   Lance and Angela greet the family and welcome them to their new home.

Final Thoughts:  I like how they introduced the cast, and started with a secret that I'm sure will play out through out the first season, I love Susan Sullivan on Castle so it's pretty cool to see her in this.  I've got an issue with their daughter's frizzy hair, it's like Gene Wilder from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Best Outfit:  I didn't like anything that Vicky wore in this episode, but I thought that this jacket/shirt was the worst because of the back mostly, which from this shot you can't see, but I couldn't get a better shot, so I went with this one,

Fight Count: 3 (Jason vs drifter) (Cole vs teacher) (Chase vs Cole)

Oil Parts 1 & 2

Dynasty

Season 1 Episode 1

Air Date: January 12, 1981

Recap:  The show begins and we meet Blake Carrington, he's off to work in his chauffeured limo, he's very busy and important because he has a desk in the limo so he look at important papers for work.  He tells the driver that they need to stop at Miss Jennings house before going to the office.  There's a wedding shower going on at Krystle Jennings house.  She gets a copy of The Joy of Sex, everyone thinks it's funny, expect for one of her friends, who doesn't understand why anyone needed to write an instruction manual.  Blake's driver comes and delivers a gift, all the women go look out the window and go on about how handsome and how rich Blake Carrington is, then one of the ladies begins to cry. She says that they are going to miss Krystle, I guess they all assume that as soon as she gets married she's going to drop them like that.  But she tells them that they'll always be friends and they will come over all the time, I suspect that we won't see or hear about anymore girls nights.  They make her open the gift, it's diamond earrings, then Doris the one who made the comment about the book, says that the other guy wouldn't have given her diamonds.  This obviously is something she shouldn't have said out loud, but I'm pretty sure the other ladies were probably thinking it too. 
We cut to an explosion at an oil field, in the Middle East.  Matthew Blaisdale gets into a fight with one of the soldiers, but loses the fight pretty quickly.  It's the next day or a couple days later, and they are walking to a plane, there's an angry mob on the other side of the fence, they want want the Americans out of the country, because it's their oil.  Matthew looks back one last time, which kind of reminded me of Miss Saigon, except one on is trying to pull in into the plane, but who knows maybe there is some girl out there trying to get to him. 
Back in Denver, Blake is talking to his lawyer about the mess that went on in the Middle East.  He wants to know why the government wasn't there to help get their equipment and people out.  We also learn that he doesn't want Matthew to come back to Denver. 
Matthew is on a plane back, and comes across a very drunk, Steven Carrington, he begins to complain to Matthew about his father, who didn't call to tell him about his wedding, he just sent the invitation.  He asks Matthew if he knows who his father is going to marry, but before he can tell him he gets into a fight a flight attendant who won't give him another drink, because he's had enough.  After the plane lands Steven finds Matthew again, and doesn't seem drunk anymore.  He offers Matthew a ride, but Matthew says no.  Steven goes to the car and finds out that the car is for Matthew not for him, his father wants him to take a cab home, the driver tells him.  At Blake's office Matthew runs into Krystle, there's a history with them. (so he's the guy who wouldn't give her diamonds)  Blake takes Matthew into his office, and Krystle leaves in a huff.  Blake and Matthew talk about what happened in the Middle East, and tells him that he'll have to talk to reporters and to congress.  Matthew tells Blake that they should start looking for oil in the US.  Blake wants to know about his relationship with Krystle.  Matthew goes home, everything is covered, so his wife and daughter are somewhere else. 
Krystle is late for a meeting with the wedding planner, he's a dick about her being late, and is really condescending, but Steven comes to the rescue and sends her to lie down.  He tells the wedding planner that he should apologize to Krystle, the wedding planner thinks he's apart of the same class as the Carringtons, but Steven lets him know he's even lower than where the wedding planner thinks Krystle is. 
Blake is on the way home and gets a call on his car phone, it's his daughter Fallon, they go off for a horse back ride, she gets thrown from her horse, and while Blake goes after her horse, she strips out of her wet clothes and puts on his jacket he left for her.  On the way back to the house, they talk about his plans for her future, which are for her to marry into a family that will increase the Carrington empire.  She makes a comment about his marriage to Krystle then rides off.  Michael the chauffeur is cleaning the car when the phone rings, it's Fallon.  They met in the carriage house, (I would say garage, but there are actually carriages there, that's how rich Blake is).  They kiss and the jacket falls to the floor, Steven is watching from an upstairs window. 
Blake sees Krystle leaving and stops her, she thinks he brought Matthew to the office on purpose, and accuses him of thinking she'd leave him if she knew that Matthew was back. 
Matthew and Krystle meet up later and talk, he wants to know if she loves Blake, she says yes, then says she thought she did.  Matthew seems like a real prize, and Krystle doesn't seem to mind that he's married, and won't divorce his wife, I'm pretty sure Krystle wouldn't like it if it were her. 
Later Matthew is at the gym and an old friend comes in they box a bit, while talking about going into business together.  Matthew wants to put his life back together and bring home his wife and daughter.  Matthew picks up daughter and they go to the mental hospital where his wife Claudia is, their daughter doesn't want to go in, so he goes in alone and finds out she checked out awhile ago, not sure why no one was notified, even if he was in the Middle East and couldn't be reached I would think that they would let other relatives know.  They find her at the diner, and Matthew makes her sit down even though she tells him that she has to work, she agrees to come back home with them after the daughter hugs her. 
At Krystle's apartment, she gets a whole flower shop delivered to her house, she thinks it's great, check out the pictures below for a blooper:

This is kind of creepy

Blake comes and tells her that some lovesick fool bought out the flower shop and gives her a droopy bunch of flowers, he apologizes and asks her to go to dinner, and wants to know what she would like, she says nothing expensive.  So he takes her to San Francisco to the best Chinese in town.  On the plane ride back they make up and the wedding is back on.  It's the day of the wedding and the house is a buzz with activity. 
At the oil rig somethings gone wrong and it falls apart, someone gets hurt bad, but the guys don't carry him very well, so he's probably hurt more on the way to the truck.
Blake's lawyer brings Krystle the pre-nup to sign.  If she doesn't sign it then their won't be a wedding Fallon tells her, she signs it after asking the lawyer if it's true. 
Walter, Matthew's friend from the oil rig thinks Blake caused the accident, after they discover it was tampered with.  He drives off to Blake's, he's got a gun in the glove compartment. 
Blake finally wants to talk to Steven, he lectures him about what his plans are for him after he come back from the honeymoon.  Steven doesn't want to work for his father, they argue and we learn why Blake has been putting his son off, he's gay, Blake isn't very sensitive, but does try to apologize, but doesn't do a great job.  The episode ends with a shot of Krystal staring pensively out the window.

Final Thoughts:  Lots of drama, there's a lot going on, but the story pulls you in.  I don't know if the they want us to like Matthew, but right away I don't like him, he mumbles like his got marbles in his mouth, and looking at him I don't see what the appeal is, but maybe it's an 80's thing. 

Best Outfit:  This one was a bit tough, I was going to pick Matthew's corduroys jacket and tight tan pants, but I thought the pattern on this dress was pretty bad.

Fight Count: 3 (Matthew and Walter, Blake and Fallon, Blake and Steven)

 (1981-01

Re

Digger's Daughter

Dallas

Season 1 Episode 1

Air Date: April 2, 1978

Recap:  When the show begins we see a couple driving, this is Bobby and Pam, they are talking about her meeting his family.  They stop at a gas station, I tried to see how much gas was but it wasn't clear enough for me to see.  The scene cuts to a trial, and we meet Cliff Barnes, he's the legal counsel to a government investigation against the Ewings, JR Ewing is watching this on the tv, and gets a phone call from his father, he wants to know if JR is watching the trial. 
Back to Bobby and Pam, he's telling her about his work, and she encourages him to get more involved with the family business in Dallas. 
At Southfork Ranch, Jock Ewing calls Ranchhand, Ray Krebbs, he wants to know if Ray took his granddaughter Lucy to school.  Apparently Ray and Pam, and she's Cliff Barnes sister, they used to go out and Jock wants Ray to talk to her so Cliff will ease up on the Ewings.  Lucy isn't at school, she's with Ray, and they see as Bobby and Pam get to Southfork.  Lucy realizes they are married.  Bobby introduces Pam to his mother, who is really surprised by his news that he's married.  Jock is at the office with JR, they get a call from Miss Ellie, who tells them that they need to get home right away.

It's time cocktails at the Ewing house, and Bobby is telling the family about how they got married.  We learn that cocktail time is a time when you can't talk about business at the Ewing household.  JR takes Pam on a tour of the Ranch, it's pretty clear that he's got another motive for taking her, but he's not saying anything till out of nowhere he asks her if her brother put her up to this.  She gets pissed and Bobby joins them and they leave.  After dinner JR joins Jock out on the porch, JR tells him he tried to pay Pam off, Jock calls JR a jackass, and says that this may be a good thing.  They can hear giggling from upstairs, so he tells him that he should go home to Sue Ellen, or Bobby and Pam will have a baby before them. 
The next day, Pam drops Bobby off at work then goes to her apartment, where Cliff is waiting for her.  He's not happy she married a Ewing, and wants to know when she's going to tell their father, she says she's going to.  At the office Bobby asks JR's secretary, for the combination to the safe, she says he changes it all the time so she goes to ask JR.  It's pretty clear that JR doesn't want Bobby working at the office, he tries to give him some line to keep him from getting the "Red Files" that are in the safe, but eventually give in and opens the safe and hands him some files.  He has kept one red file and tells the secretary to put the file into his safety deposit box at the bank. 
Pam and Cliff find their father, who they and everyone else call Digger, at a bar, he's telling a group of guys the story about how Jock Ewing stole what was his.  This is the cause of the feud between the two families.  Pam tells Digger she's married to a Ewing, he's really drunk and it takes a bit for her to get through to him. 
Back at Southfork after Pam tries to help Miss Ellie and Sue Ellen set the table, but gets rejected, Lucy tells her that she's got no chance.  Then she goes on a bit about how her father was a drunk and beat her mother, who ran off with her, but JR brought her back to Southfork, Lucy must   really love JR.  In the bedroom Pam complains that things aren't getting any better.  JR comes in and tells Bobby he wants him to go to Austin to meet with some clients, but Bobby says he's not doing that anymore, but he can't say no to JR. 
The next day JR convinces Pam to go with Ray on a helicopter ride, she's gone by the time Bobby comes out, and he thinks she's still mad at him for going.  Ray and Pam are walking the grounds of the ranch they are a dock, of a pond, and Ray pushes Pam in, she's mad but not for long because soon she's laughing.  They got to the "shack" where Ray starts a fire and makes coffee.  He's making a play for her, she hears something and sees a car, and that it's JR and Bobby.  She realizes that it's a set-up.  She tells Ray if he doesn't back her up that nothing happened that she'll tell everyone about him and Lucy.  Bobby gets mad at JR for what he's done and almost hits him, but Pam stops him.  When they leave, Ray apologizes to JR, who says that he underestimated Pam.

Final thoughts:  We meet the whole family and get a bit of back-story about the feud between the Barnes and the Ewings.  Tina Louise, who is best know as Ginger is JR's secretary.  Great opening to the show.

Best Outfit:  This looks like a robe

.

Fight Count: 1/2 - Bobby and JR