Dallas Decoder

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You’re a Ewing now’

July 23, 2012 by Chris Baker 12 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Dallas, Miss Ellie Ewing, Trouble at Ewing 23

She knows

In “Trouble at Ewing 23,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode, Ray (Steve Kanaly) finds Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) with her horse in the stable.

RAY: Miss Ellie, I’m very grateful to you.

ELLIE: Oh, Ray.

RAY: No. You accepted me into your family. That’s very important to me.

ELLIE: Ray, Jock told me about his affair with Margaret years ago. I know how fond of you he’s always been. Maybe it should have been more of a shock to me, finding out you were his son. It wasn’t. It was as if part of each of us had always known.

RAY: I want to thank you. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do would be to hurt you or Jock.

ELLIE: I think you may need more adjusting than either of us. You’re a Ewing now. That’s a lot to take on all at once. I know.

RAY: I’ve been Ray Krebbs for too long now. I just don’t plan on changing anything. That’s why I didn’t want anybody else but the family to know about this.

ELLIE: That may not be so easy, Ray. But welcome to the family. [She kisses him.]

RAY: Thank you.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Barbara Bel Geddes, Steve Kanaly, Trouble at Ewing 23

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 62 – ‘Trouble at Ewing 23’

July 23, 2012 by Chris Baker 21 Comments

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Trouble at Ewing 23

Little brother, big trouble

“Trouble at Ewing 23” is a decent “Dallas” episode until the fourth act, when everything falls apart. Or is blown apart, to be more precise.

The episode starts off strongly when Ray runs into Miss Ellie in the stable, where he thanks her for welcoming him into the family. Ellie is gracious, but she also expresses concern for Ray. “You’re a Ewing now,” she says. “That’s a lot to take on all at once. I know.” Barbara Bel Geddes and Steve Kanaly each do a nice job in this scene, which helps establish the special bond Ellie and Ray develop as “Dallas” progresses.

“Trouble at Ewing 23’s” other highlight: the scene where Pam drops by Cliff’s apartment unannounced, not knowing Donna is about to arrive for a romantic dinner. When Pam spots a bottle of imported wine chilling in the corner, she realizes Cliff is expecting a woman and teases him.

“It’s the first date,” she says. “Chinese on the second, tacos on the third. Funny how I know all this, isn’t it?” This is a cute scene, well played by Ken Kercheval and Victoria Principal, whose on-screen relationship is one of “Dallas’s” most believable.

Nice moments like these stand in contrast with the rest of “Trouble at Ewing 23,” which isn’t very good. By the fourth act, the show has abandoned everyone else’s storylines to focus on the subplot about a disgruntled Ewing Oil employee’s threat to blow up the drill site in the episode’s title, which J.R. shut in “A House Divided” to prevent Cliff from sharing in the profits.

I like the idea of showing how J.R.’s vindictiveness has unintended consequences – it turns out Gillis, the angry worker, wants revenge because he lost his job when the field closed – but the plot’s execution is lame.

Why does Gillis demand use of the Ewing jet to make his escape? Isn’t he afraid J.R. and Bobby will have police waiting to arrest him when he lands? When the field crew goes looking for Gillis’s hidden-in-plain-sight bombs, why don’t they find them? How long does it take to scour an oil field, anyway?

When the field finally goes up in flames, the special effects are spectacularly fake, but I don’t get too worked up about that. After all, this production is by Lorimar, not Lucasfilm.

Besides, by the time Gillis hits the detonator, my willingness to suspend my disbelief has long since disappeared.

Grade: C

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Pain at the pumps

‘TROUBLE AT EWING 23’

Season 4, Episode 8

Airdate: December 19, 1980

Audience: 26.3 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Louie Elias

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: Miss Ellie welcomes Ray. Donna tells him she’s dating Cliff. Pam’s detective finds evidence her mother didn’t die. A disgruntled employee threatens to blow up Ewing 23 if Bobby doesn’t meet his ransom demands. J.R.’s security guards shoot the worker, who detonates the explosives before dying.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Michael Bell (Les Crowley), Ray Colbert (Gillis), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), John Furlong (airport manager), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Laurence Haddon (Franklin Horner), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Richard Herd (John Mackey), Susan Howard (Donna Culver), Sherril Lynn Katzman (Jackie), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Warren Vanders (Harry Owens)

“Trouble at Ewing 23” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Barbra Bel Geddes, House Divided, Ken Kercheval, Steve Kanaly, Trouble at Ewing 23, Victoria Principal

Drill Bits: Ratings Rise Again for TNT’s ‘Dallas’

July 20, 2012 by Chris Baker 8 Comments

Charlene Tilton, Collateral Damage, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, TNT

Viewers love Lucy

TNT’s “Dallas” isn’t pulling the kind of numbers it did on opening night, but the show continues to perform well. The July 18 telecast of the latest episode, “Collateral Damage,” was seen by 3.9 million viewers, making it that evening’s second most-watched cable program behind USA’s “Royal Pains.”

“Dallas’s” July 18 audience included 1.2 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the group advertisers covet.

This is the second week “Dallas’s” audience grew. The July 11 telecast of “The Enemy of My Enemy” attracted 3.6 million viewers, ranking 26th in the weekly cable ratings. On July 4, “Truth and Consequences” was seen by 3.4 million viewers, finishing 16th.

“Dallas’s” numbers haven’t gone unnoticed by the press: Larry Hagman graces this week’s Entertainment Weekly cover, while USA Today, in an article this week about the broadcast networks’ summer struggles, called the series “a summer bright spot.”

Read All About It

Speaking of Entertainment Weekly: Karen Valby has penned a terrific spread that includes some juicy tidbits from the season’s remaining episodes (murder! near-death experiences! marriage proposals!).

Also featured: a preview of the second season’s overarching theme and sidebars on Patrick Duffy and Hagman’s bromance, Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe’s rivalry and yes, J.R.’s eyebrows.

The other highlight: Jill Greenberg’s fantastic photos, including a cute recreation of this season’s best scene.

If you’re a “Dallas” fan, you owe it to yourself to purchase a copy (or two).

Strong Emmy Contenders

“Dallas” won’t be eligible for Emmys for another year – and if Hagman isn’t nominated, Dallas Decoder is going to raise hell – but Brenda Strong, a.k.a. Ann Ewing, received a nod yesterday for her voiceover work during the final season of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”

This is Strong’s second Emmy nomination for narrating “Desperate Housewives.” The award will be handed out during this year’s Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, which will be held Saturday, September 15.

What is Ann’s Secret?

While we’re on the subject of Brenda Strong: In a new interview with Celebuzz, the actress reveals Ann is “going to have a mini breakdown, and then it’s like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She’s going to come back stronger than she was before.”

To hear Strong describe it, “No Good Deed,” next week’s “Dallas” episode, will be essential viewing. “[B]y the time I got the script for episode eight, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough,” she says. “I called our writer and said, ‘Thank you for giving me such an interesting woman to play.’”

Gray and Gonzalo in the News

Dallas, Julie Gonzalo, Rebecca Sutter Ewing, TNT

Many faces of Rebecca

Two other “Dallas” leading ladies – Linda Gray and Julie Gonzalo – also gave revealing interviews in the press this week:

• In a chat with the McClatchy-Tribune newspapers, Gray recalls what it was like to balance the demands of fame, family and career during the original show’s heyday. “I was just kind of going along, this is part of the job and trying to fit it all in. And I couldn’t do it,” Gray says.

• Gonzalo tells the entertainment news site Collider.com she uses “different voices” to play the mysterious Rebecca. “The scenes that I have with Tommy and another member of the family, I’m changing faces all the time, but that’s the most fun I had,” Gonzalo says.

Hagman’s Ten Grand Ten Gallon

Larry Hagman wears a $10,000 Stetson and has a “personal costumer” who holds it for him between takes. These and other interesting tidbits – including cool insights from “Dallas” wardrobe designer Rachel Sage Kunin – are included in USA Today’s recent article on prime-time television headgear.

Line of the Week

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Yep, he’s his mama’s son.’”

Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton) in “Collateral Damages,” recalling the time she found John Ross drunk after he broke into the Southfork liquor cabinet as a child. Only on “Dallas” do sentimental childhood memories involve children getting soused.

Pow!

In “Truth and Consequences,” we saw Metcalfe’s character, Christopher Ewing, beat the stuffing out of brother-in-law Tommy Sutter (Callard Harris). Fittingly, The Christopher, the latest cocktail from Cook In/Dine Out, also packs a punch. If you like your “Dallas Drinks” spicy, be sure to give this one a try.

“Drill Bits,” a roundup of news about TNT’s “Dallas,” is published regularly. Share your comments below.

Filed Under: Drill Bits, News Tagged With: Brenda Strong, Callard Harris, Charlene Tilton, Collateral Damage, Enemy of My Enemy, Jesse Metcalfe, Jill Greenberg, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Karen Valby, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, No Good Deed, Patrick Duffy, Rachel Sage Kunin, TNT, Truth and Consequences

TNT’s Dallas Styles: Marta’s Dress

July 19, 2012 by Chris Baker 12 Comments

Unraveled

All season long, TNT’s “Dallas” has used Marta’s hair and wardrobe to telegraph her shifting moods and evolving identity. This practice continues in “Collateral Damage,”when the bipolar vixen goes off her medication – and eventually, off the deep end.

When we meet Marta in TNT’s “Dallas” pilot, “Changing of the Guard,” the character pretends to be a wealthy land conservationist who wants to buy Southfork and turn it into a nature preserve. She wears her hair up, but once her true motives are revealed – “Marta” is actually Veronica Martinez, who is secretly plotting with John Ross to seize the ranch – we begin seeing her with hair down, literally and figuratively.

By TNT’s sixth “Dallas” episode, “The Enemy of My Enemy,” Marta is in full “Fatal Attraction” mode and determined to steal John Ross from Elena. The tightly wound Marta shows up on his doorstep in a skintight dress, hoping to seduce him, only to be rejected once again.

When John Ross sees Marta again in “Collateral Damage,” she has come undone. The skintight dress has been replaced by something much looser; it falls off Leonor Varela’s shoulder, which seems appropriate given how her character is falling apart.

The dress’s metallic color is also telling. Until now, Marta has been depicted as a duplicitous villainess, but in Varela’s haunting final scene, it’s hard to not feel sorry for her. Marta is neither good nor bad; like all great “Dallas” characters, she lies somewhere in between. It’s another reason why the gray dress is fitting, even if it doesn’t quite fit.

Filed Under: Dallas Styles, Dallas Styles (TNT), Features Tagged With: Changing of the Guard (2012), Collateral Damage, Enemy of My Enemy, Leonor Varela, TNT

The Art of TNT’s Dallas: ‘Collateral Damage’

July 19, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

John Ross and Marta (Josh Henderson, Leonor Varela) confront each other in “Collateral Damage,” the seventh episode of TNT’s “Dallas.”

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (TNT), Features Tagged With: Collateral Damage, Josh Henderson, Leonor Varela, TNT

TNT’s Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Hope You Choose Wisely’

July 19, 2012 by Chris Baker 7 Comments

Collateral Damage, Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, TNT

Mama knows best

In “Collateral Damage,” a first-season “Dallas” episode, Elena and Sue Ellen (Jordana Brewster, Linda Gray) discuss John Ross’s business problems while having lunch in a posh restaurant.

ELENA: Why doesn’t he just ask me himself?

SUE ELLEN: Because he’s a man. And worse, he’s a Ewing man. And the Ewings always have to believe that they have everything under control. But the bigger truth is John Ross is a good boy – and he has a good heart. And he doesn’t want you to feel that he’s taking advantage. But his father’s investors are very impatient – and very unreasonable. And the barrels you would be giving him would only help to tide them over until John Ross can get his operation fully going.

ELENA: John Ross knows I want no part of drilling on Southfork. He respects that. It’s what he wants.

SUE ELLEN: You wouldn’t be drilling Southfork. You would be helping John Ross keep his head above water. His father just dumped this into his lap, warts and all. And John Ross is just trying to make the best of it. I want my son to succeed.

ELENA: And so do I. You’re not the only one that cares about John Ross. But I also care about Christopher and Bobby. Don’t you?

SUE ELLEN: Elena, when the day comes that you have to choose between your child and anybody else, I hope you choose wisely. [A waiter places the bill on the table.] And as the sole investor in your growing enterprise [signs the bill], I hope you always make the wise choice.

She rises and leaves.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (TNT), Features Tagged With: Collateral Damage, Jordana Brewster, Linda Gray, TNT

Critique: TNT’s ‘Dallas’ Episode 7 – ‘Collateral Damage’

July 19, 2012 by Chris Baker 37 Comments

Christopher Ewing, Collateral Damage, Dallas, Jesse Metcalfe, TNT

Cry, cry again

“Collateral Damage” gets it right. This episode offers solid writing, stylish direction and strong performances, all while making good use of established “Dallas” lore. Overall, this is the new show’s best hour since the pilot, “Changing of the Guard.”

I’m sure many viewers will remember “Collateral Damage” as the episode where Marta meets her maker, but as haunting as the sight of her bloodied body atop that crushed car is, it’s not the image that sticks with me most. No, that distinction belongs to the scene in the doctor’s office, where Christopher and Rebecca are shown the sonogram of their unborn twins as Bobby and Ann watch silently.

Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong are good here, but it’s the guys who move me most. Jesse Metcalfe is establishing himself as television’s best crier, while Patrick Duffy has matured into the rarest of Hollywood species: the actor who doesn’t need dialogue to perform. The look on Duffy’s face tells us everything we need to know about the pride and joy Bobby feels at that moment.

And while I’m sure “Dallas” newcomers appreciated this scene, it holds special meaning for me and, I suspect, other longtime fans. We once watched a twentysomething Bobby bring his young bride home to Southfork, and now we see him on the brink of becoming a grandfather. We remember Christopher arriving at the ranch as a babe-in-arms, and now he’s embarking on his own journey to fatherhood. For “Dallas” diehards, this is a big, meaningful moment, and director Steve Robin deserves our thanks for slowing things down so we could absorb the weight of it.

My other favorite “Collateral Damage” scene opens with John Ross sitting in a posh restaurant, reminiscing about the time he broke into the Southfork liquor cabinet as a child to sneak his first taste of bourbon. “That’s when you found me,” John Ross says as the camera pans across the table to reveal his dining companion: Lucy. “You were half past gone on the floor,” she quips. “And the first thing I thought was, ‘Yep, he’s his mama’s son.’”

I adore this exchange because it demonstrates how TNT’s “Dallas” can bring together younger characters and longtime favorites in ways that serve current storylines while also honoring the old show’s past. Even though we never witnessed John Ross sneaking liquor on the original “Dallas,” it isn’t hard to imagine it happening off-screen. The same thing can’t be said for many of the historical revisions TNT’s writers have made this season.

John Ross and Lucy’s scene also works well because, frankly, it’s nice to be reminded of a time when Southfork was full of family – something I hope the new series will get back to soon. Additionally, I’m happy to see TNT showcase Charlene Tilton, a onetime ingénue who now possesses a wonderfully worldly, been-there-done-that charm. I hope we see more of her in the future.

Aaron Allen’s “Collateral Damage” script also includes a nicely written scene where Sue Ellen oh-so-subtly pressures Elena to bail out John Ross. Jordana Brewster more than holds her own against Linda Gray during this exchange, particularly when Elena questions if Sue Ellen still cares about Bobby and his family – something I’ve wondered myself. Sue Ellen’s response (“Elena, when the day comes that you have to choose between your child and anybody else, I hope you choose wisely.”) illuminates the character’s thinking, reminding us that even though Sue Ellen has changed, she hasn’t lost all her old impulses.

Speaking of illumination: “Collateral Damage” sheds a little more light on the dark secret being kept by Ann, Bobby’s new wife. The evidence suggests Ann once had a daughter, although we don’t know what happened to her. According to one wild theory making the online rounds, Rebecca is Ann’s daughter, the result of a one-night stand with Cliff a quarter century ago. (Strong portrayed an unnamed woman Cliff slept with in “Cat and Mouse,” a 1987 “Dallas” episode.) I suppose anything’s possible, but for now I’m content to enjoy the mystery.

Finally, some praise for the fantastic “Collateral Damage” sequence where a frantic John Ross goes to Marta’s hotel room, believing she’s kidnapped Elena, only to discover it’s just another one of Marta’s deceptions. The whole thing plays like a fevered dream – the camerawork is shaky and the film looks like it’s been sped up – making this one of TNT’s niftiest “Dallas” scenes yet.

Until this moment, Marta seemed destined to become another crazed stalker from soap opera central casting, but Leonor Varela’s mesmerizing performance makes the character feel utterly human. Rather brilliantly, Allen’s script gives Marta a line about how she “earned” her way out of “the slums of Caracas,” a neatly efficient way to generate sympathy for the character before she dies.

From this perspective, Marta resembles another tragic “Dallas” vixen: Julie Grey, Tina Louise’s character from the old show’s early years. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Marta plunges to her death after encountering a couple of henchmen, just like Julie did during the old show’s classic “The Red File, Part 1” episode.

Clever homages like this help “Collateral Damage” earn its “A” grade, which is the first one I’ve awarded since “Changing of the Guard.” Something tells me it won’t be the last.

Grade: A

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Missing cousin

‘COLLATERAL DAMAGE’

Season 1, Episode 7

Telecast: July 18, 2012

Writer: Aaron Allen

Director: Steve Robin

Audience: 5.2 million viewers (including 3.9 million viewers on July 18, ranking 13th in the weekly cable ratings)

Synopsis: Under pressure from Cano, John Ross invites Lucy to join him in the battle for Southfork, but she sides instead with Bobby. Ryland has Bobby arrested for assaulting him but drops the charges. Bobby tells Ann her past doesn’t matter to him. Christopher tells Elena he wants her back, but he’s at Rebecca’s side when she learns she’s pregnant with twins. Sue Ellen persuades Elena to use her oil to help John Ross, who is arrested after Marta plunges to her death from a high-rise balcony.

Cast: Carlos Bernard (Vicente Cano), Jordana Brewster (Elena Ramos), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca Sutter), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), D’Laine Gutmann (nurse), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Peyton Hayslip (Dr. Lauren Barstow), Josh Henderson (John Ross Ewing), Jesse Metcalfe (Christopher Ewing), Glenn Morshower (Lou), Kevin Page (Bum), Mitch Pileggi (Harris Ryland), Brenda Strong (Ann Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Leonor Varela (Marta del Sol)

“Collateral Damage” is available at DallasTNT.com, Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (TNT), Opinion Tagged With: Brenda Strong, Cat and Mouse, Changing of the Guard (2012), Charlene Tilton, Collateral Damage, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Red File Part 1, TNT

The Art of Knots Landing: ‘Kristin’

July 18, 2012 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Kristin and Kenny (Mary Crosby, James Houghton) are interrupted by his wife Ginger (Kim Lankford) in this 1980 publicity shot from “Kristin,” a second-season “Knots Landing” episode.

Filed Under: Art of Dallas, Art of Dallas (Classic), Features Tagged With: James Houghton, Kim Lankford, Knots Landing, Kristin, Mary Crosby

Knots Landing Scene of the Day: ‘I’m Pregnant’

July 18, 2012 by Chris Baker 4 Comments

Dallas, Joan Van Ark, Knots Landing, Kristin, Kristin Shepard, Mary Crosby, Valene Ewing

She knows

In “Kristin,” a second-season “Knots Landing” episode, Kristin and Valene (Mary Crosby, Joan Van Ark) argue in the Ewings’ guest bedroom.

VAL: If you’ve got something to say, Kristin, I think you better say it.

KRISTIN: [Looks away, begins tearing up] I’m pregnant. [Sits in a chair]

VAL: Pregnant? [Sits on the edge of the bed]

KRISTIN: I didn’t wanna tell anybody. I thought it would be easier for the baby if I kept it a secret. I hoped to find somebody who would be a father to my baby.

VAL: Do you know who the father is?

Kristin is silent. Val moves off the bed and kneels in front of the chair.

VAL: Do you love him?

KRISTIN: I don’t know.

VAL: Darling, why didn’t you tell me this before?

KRISTIN: I was afraid that if I told you, you wouldn’t help me.

VAL: Oh, no, that is not true.

KRISTIN: You wouldn’t have let me in.

VAL: Oh, no, Kristin. You’re wrong. I would have. I know exactly how you feel right now.

KRISTIN: No you don’t. Nobody does.

Val lays her head in Kristin’s lap.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Joan Van Ark, Knots Landing, Kristin, Mary Crosby

Critique: ‘Knots Landing’ Episode 18 – ‘Kristin’

July 18, 2012 by Chris Baker 7 Comments

Dallas, James Houghton, Kenny Ward, Knots Landing, Kristin, Kristin Shepard, Mary Crosby

Killer smile

I’ve always had a soft spot for television crossovers. When I was a kid, I loved seeing Mary Richards visit Rhoda Morgenstern in New York and watching Steve Austin and Jamie Somers fight Bigfoot together. Somehow, crossovers made television seem more real: If Mork could show up on the Cunninghams’ doorstep, why couldn’t he show up on mine?

All these years later, I still think it’s cool when Kristin Shepard pops in on Gary and Valene Ewing, even if “Kristin,” the “Knots Landing” episode that brings her to town, is a little lackluster. (Trivia: “Kristin” also features Tom Fuccello, “Dallas’s” Senator Dave Culver, although he’s somewhat confusingly cast as a different politico here.)

This episode aired about a month after Kristin was fingered as J.R.’s shooter on “Dallas,” and I’m sure that’s no coincidence. If CBS’s goal was to send Kristin to Southern California so “Knots Landing” could soak up some “Who Shot J.R.?” Nielsen afterglow, the ploy worked: On the night it debuted, “Kristin” was seen in 15.6 million homes, or about 2 million more than watched “Knots Landing” the previous week.

Too bad the show didn’t come up with something more interesting for Kristin to do. Her fling with Kenny Ward feels like more of the same. On “Dallas,” Kristin slept with J.R. and tried to seduce Bobby. Is she only capable of chasing married men?

The change of scenery does reveal another side to the character, albeit fleetingly. When Kristin confesses her pregnancy to Val, she seems genuinely frightened about her future. This might be the character’s first sincere moment since Colleen Camp played the role during “Dallas’s” second season.

Interestingly, something similar happened when Lucy visited Gary and Val in “Home is For Healing.” In that first-season “Knots Landing” episode, Lucy suddenly became a more interesting, believable character. What is it about Knots Landing that brings out the best in the women of “Dallas”?

Of course, as soon as we catch this glimpse into Kristin’s humanity, she decides she’s overstayed her welcome and departs Gary and Val’s. I understand why the show sends her packing: Kristin arrived in town on the heels of Abby Cunningham, and the cul-de-sac only had so much room for man-stealing hussies.

Still, I wish Mary Crosby had hung around a few episodes longer. With more time, “Knots Landing” might have turned Kristin into a three-dimensional character, something “Dallas” never really achieved.

Grade: B

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Bad to the last drop

‘KRISTIN’

“Knots Landing” Season 2, Episode 5

Airdate: December 18, 1980

Audience: 15.6 million homes, ranking 29th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Diana Gould

Director: Nicholas Sgarro

Synopsis: When Kristin is arrested at a Hollywood party, she turns to Val, who invites Kristin to stay with her and Gary. Kristin has a fling with neighbor Kenny Ward, whose wife Ginger walks in on them, prompting Ginger to sue for divorce. Kristin confesses her pregnancy to Val and decides to leave, much to Gary’s relief.

Cast: Eric Coplin (Mark Russelman), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Peter Elbling (Al Tuna), Tom Fuccello (Ed Kroft), Danny Gellis (Jason Avery), David Haskell (Dr. Karl Russelman), James Houghton (Kenny Ward), Kim Lankford (Ginger Ward), Michele Lee (Karen Fairgate), Constance McCashin (Laura Avery), Donna Mills (Abby Cunningham), Don Murray (Sid Fairgate), John Pleshette (Richard Avery), Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Louise Vallance (Sylvie), Joan Van Ark (Valene Ewing)

“Kristin” is available on DVD. Watch the episode and share your comments below.