Mack - a good character?

[Daniel Avery]

It did seem that they created Mack/Greg as a mirror relationship to Karen/Abby. Karen would spout off about Abby's latest shenanigans just like Mack would spout off about Greg's. Just as Karen and Abby had a shared past as in-laws, Mack and Greg had been friends from way back. And of course while Karen and Mack tried their best to be upstanding members of the community, Abby and Greg wanted to buy the community out from under them.

 

[Billy Nolan]

From the way I understand it, the writers really want some "strong" male characters to draw in bigger Nielsen numbers among men.

For me, Gary was the strongest male character in the series with the greatest identification potential for men (racing cars, bodybuilding, ranch work, nature, horses)

 

[Daniel Avery]

Yes, but at the time Mack was introduced, Gary was being led around by his...um, libido by Abby, and his inability to keep it in his pants was forcing everyone to choose sides, tearing the cul-de-sac apart. He would also soon fall off the wagon and showcase how weak and pathetic he could become. Then there was Richard Avery, fresh out of the institution, and Kenny Ward, who went from serial philanderer to Stepford Husband with the stroke of a writer's pen---with neither version attracting much interest from viewers one way or the other.

So someone with Mack's 'testicular fortitude' was needed in that period.

 

[James from London]

testicular fortitude

That's a good name for a band. "... and in session tonight, all the way from Dunfermline, we have Testicular Fortitude."

 

[Daniel Avery]

 

[James from London]

View attachment 21923

That's the album cover right there.

 

[Stillwitty]

While watching the series after almost 20 years, I noticed how little I like the role of Mack. He's portrayed as the "good guy" on the show - and he's certainly got some wonderful parts, but in my opinion he's a very conservative, narcissistic and self-righteous man. When Karen talks about her problems, it seems that he is only half listening or smiling away at her issues. His issues are inflated and he often takes a very conservative stance. Especially when it comes to raising Karen's children and his daughter Paige. He married into the Fairgate family, moved into Karen's house and shortly thereafter behaved as the "landlord". The German voice actor for Kevin Dobson made a similar statement about the role at the time. Interestingly, he also voiced Robert Foxworth on the Falcon Crest series (the voice actor is best known in our country as the voice of Eddie Murphy) - and he even said he thought Robert Foxworth was a better actor than Kevin Dobson. I would almost say Mack is the character I like least of all of the lead roles. Opinions about "Mack"?

Let's see, can I possibly disagree with a post more? Nope, I can't. Kevin Dobson was not only a talented actor, he was multi-dimensional, unlike Foxworth, he seemed to perpetually look like he wants to be elsewhere. Phoned in every role. Mack had humor and in his role as Step-up Father to Karen's kids, took on responsibilities he didn't have to. And calling someone (twice - lol) Conservative is actually a huge compliment..

 

[James from London]

The German voice actor for Kevin Dobson

Like most of the actors on Knots, Dobson brought a lot of humour to his character which wasn't always there in the script (or if it was, it wasn't telegraphed as "comedic" in the way that a lot of the more sitcommy stuff was, say, on Falcon Crest for instance). What could have read as heavy-handed or domineering on the page didn't come across as such in his performance. Sure, Mack was hot-headed and emotional but that's a different thing. I imagine that might get lost in translation if you're watching a dubbed version of the series. (For what it's worth, I also thought Robert Foxworth was great as Chase - a very different character to Mack.)

 

[Soaplover]

Mack in season 4 was a great character for several reasons:

- He was evenly matched with Karen and would sometimes put her in her place. That dynamic fades away in season 5 and thereafter.

- He was a unique character in season 4. He had an edge and intensity that wasn't apparent in the other male leads.

- He was more of a grey character, which is diluted once Greg is introduced in season 5.. and it became Mack = good... Greg = bad

- His backstory was explored when his estranged father came to visit. It was a rare self-contained story within the soapy structure of season 4

Once season 5 comes around, Mack starts to lose the edges/layers that made him interesting/appealing in season 4.

 

[James from London]

Mack in season 4 was a great character for several reasons:

- He was evenly matched with Karen and would sometimes put her in her place. That dynamic fades away in season 5 and thereafter.

- He was a unique character in season 4. He had an edge and intensity that wasn't apparent in the other male leads.

- He was more of a grey character, which is diluted once Greg is introduced in season 5.. and it became Mack = good... Greg = bad

- His backstory was explored when his estranged father came to visit. It was a rare self-contained story within the soapy structure of season 4

Once season 5 comes around, Mack starts to lose the edges/layers that made him interesting/appealing in season 4.

I dunno. Mack is definitely a great addition in Season 4, but if anything, he becomes even more interesting as he grows darker and gets obsessed with the Wolfbridge Group in Season 5. And later, his relationships with Anne and especially Paige add yet further layers to the character. (Mack and Paige on screen together are always really interesting.) And there is an argument to say that, of all the long-term relationships on Knots, his and Greg is among the most fascinating -- it's alway shifting, never stagnant, and never gives off that slightly self-congratulatory "the audience love us together" vibe that Mack/Karen, Karen/Val and Val/Gary scenes occasionally do, circa Season 12 and/or Back to the Cul-de-sac.

 

[Monzo]

The German voice actor for Kevin Dobson made a similar statement about the role at the time. Interestingly, he also voiced Robert Foxworth on the Falcon Crest series (the voice actor is best known in our country as the voice of Eddie Murphy) - and he even said he thought Robert Foxworth was a better actor than Kevin Dobson.

Knots Landing and Falcon Crest shared a few German voices. Besides Mack and Chase, there's Valene and Maggie, Abby and Terry, Sid and Phillip, Ginger and Vickie (both), Karen and Pamela, Jill and Pilar, Ruth and Angela, Greg and Dr Landry, Laura and Liz, Diana and Apollonia, Paige and Shannon, Richard and Gus, Ben and Damon, Chip and Dwayne, Frank and Walker.

While Falcon Crest premiered on West German television in 1983, Knots Landing didn't start until 1988, so it felt like KL had stolen beloved voices from FC.

 

[Laura Avery-Sumner]

And calling someone (twice - lol) Conservative is actually a huge compliment..

There are plenty of political forums online. This is not one of them.

 

[shaqattaq32]

The first time I watched, I hated Gary for seasons 1-3 and then started liking him after. But now when I rewatch I love Gary for the whole series.

But I absolutely despised Mack from season 8 through the end. His constant moral grandstanding rubbed me completely the wrong way. I agree with the comments above that it was a less interesting iteration of the character than how he was originally presented to us in season 4.

Now when I rewatch, I can appreciate that in many ways, Kevin Dobson had the most difficult character to portray of the main cast. Playing the villain is the most fun. But then you had Karen who was the most heroic — he could never be as heroic or likable as her. When I think about how he couldn’t have the fun of the villains, and he had to be heroic but always less heroic/likable than Karen, Kevin Dobson did an amazing job playing Mack. I still don’t find the character likable a lot of the time from season 8 onward, but he was an important and necessary part of the cast.

I actually find him most interesting in season 14 when the show seems most willing to explore his flaws and subvert expectations to let him be objectively presented as the bad guy. I wish we could have had a few more seasons with that deconstructed version of Mack, because it was a very interesting take on the character (much more interesting to me than, say, the Jason Lochner storyline, which I find to be obnoxious and cloying, as unwatchable to me as the Val Brain Virus storyline.)

 

[TheRealEwing]

I've always really liked Mack, except in season 14 when he goes completely off the rails with the Mary Robeson obsession. I just finished season 5 of my binge, and he does come close to that level of obsession with Wolfbridge--in fact, he's the one responsible for Karen being shot. But that's what reins him in, I think: the realization that his obsession almost killed Karen. He'll always be a sanctimonious hothead, but you love him for that because he wants to do what's right.

His outbursts crack me up because they are so short-lived. He reminds me a bit of Bulldog from Frasier: "ALL RIGHT, WHO STOLE MY KEYS?????? Oh, right, here they are." And his little smile that seems to put people off--the one that seems so inappropriate? I see that as a grimace because Mack doesn't know how to process what he's just heard. He's really awkward in that way. I guess I've always found him endearing. He's passionate, driven, obstinate, and sometimes really dumb, but he is a good guy and he's not as wackadoodle as literally everyone else in the show.

 

[Stillwitty]

The first time I watched, I hated Gary for seasons 1-3 and then started liking him after. But now when I rewatch I love Gary for the whole series.

But I absolutely despised Mack from season 8 through the end. His constant moral grandstanding rubbed me completely the wrong way. I agree with the comments above that it was a less interesting iteration of the character than how he was originally presented to us in season 4.

Now when I rewatch, I can appreciate that in many ways, Kevin Dobson had the most difficult character to portray of the main cast. Playing the villain is the most fun. But then you had Karen who was the most heroic — he could never be as heroic or likable as her. When I think about how he couldn’t have the fun of the villains, and he had to be heroic but always less heroic/likable than Karen, Kevin Dobson did an amazing job playing Mack. I still don’t find the character likable a lot of the time from season 8 onward, but he was an important and necessary part of the cast.

I actually find him most interesting in season 14 when the show seems most willing to explore his flaws and subvert expectations to let him be objectively presented as the bad guy. I wish we could have had a few more seasons with that deconstructed version of Mack, because it was a very interesting take on the character (much more interesting to me than, say, the Jason Lochner storyline, which I find to be obnoxious and cloying, as unwatchable to me as the Val Brain Virus storyline.)

Of course Kevin Dobson had the hardest role: Being the moral compass of a cul-de-sac, no easy task, renders one, at best, stable and at worst, boring. He was far too attractive and had that effervescent personality, so boring wasn't an option. What Mack was was complex. If you were paying attention, a whole season before his purported "mid life crisis" he had a little soliloquy with Karen about hitting a point in his life where he realized he'd never pitch in Fenway or become President or WTF the aspirations had been. Well, if you haven't reached that milestone yet, you will. All thinking types do. That made him an infinitely more complex character and added real depth to the performance - deeper still when Meg comes into their lives and taps into Mack's long repressed desire to raise a child. Multi-dimensional characters were really Knot's strength (Sumner, Abby, et al) but Dobson's acting presented our universal human frailties without hitting you over the head with it as the other 2 so often did.

I've always really liked Mack, except in season 14 when he goes completely off the rails with the Mary Robeson obsession. I just finished season 5 of my binge, and he does come close to that level of obsession with Wolfbridge--in fact, he's the one responsible for Karen being shot. But that's what reins him in, I think: the realization that his obsession almost killed Karen. He'll always be a sanctimonious hothead, but you love him for that because he wants to do what's right.

His outbursts crack me up because they are so short-lived. He reminds me a bit of Bulldog from Frasier: "ALL RIGHT, WHO STOLE MY KEYS?????? Oh, right, here they are." And his little smile that seems to put people off--the one that seems so inappropriate? I see that as a grimace because Mack doesn't know how to process what he's just heard. He's really awkward in that way. I guess I've always found him endearing. He's passionate, driven, obstinate, and sometimes really dumb, but he is a good guy and he's not as wackadoodle as literally everyone else in the show.

Well to New Yorkers and New Englanders, he literally acts like all 4 of my brothers - the hothead switch flips on and off on a word. Just shocked he wasn't Eye-talian...

Wonderful comment!!! Nothing more to say. I feel the same...

I would go almost as far as to say that I don't like the actor either. In interviews he comes across as being much in love with himself and arrogant. Just my opinion.

Just not a very good judge of human nature, eh? Mr. Dobson's exemplary record as a humanitarian, patriot and family man speaks for itself.

It did seem that they created Mack/Greg as a mirror relationship to Karen/Abby. Karen would spout off about Abby's latest shenanigans just like Mack would spout off about Greg's. Just as Karen and Abby had a shared past as in-laws, Mack and Greg had been friends from way back. And of course while Karen and Mack tried their best to be upstanding members of the community, Abby and Greg wanted to buy the community out from under them.

Excellent analogy...

There are plenty of political forums online. This is not one of them.

HE used the word conservative several times. Perhaps you should reserve your consternation for him...

 

[Laura Avery-Sumner]

If only there was a way for me to never hear from you again. Oh, there it is, the block button. And only 8 posts in. There must be some kind of award for that.

 

[ClassyCo]

I've always preferred Sid to Mack. The qualities generally attributed to Mack, like kind, good, steadfast, and so forth, are sometimes why I don't like him. He can certainly be cheesy and too cute, and his good seems to absorb him. It's not that I object to people being good, it's just I don't it when it doesn't seem like the niceness is genuine. Mack seemed to present a facade of false niceness, even if you really know he is "good" deep down.

I could easily say all of this for Karen, too.

I change my stance on this.

I actually like Mack. Yes, he could be a little too goody-goody, but he was a good guy with a good heart. He loved Karen, her kids, and his kids. He genuinely wanted to help those around him. Kevin Dobson was a good actor, too.

Was he flawless? No, but none of the characters were.

 

[Stillwitty]

I change my stance on this.

I actually like Mack. Yes, he could be a little too goody-goody, but he was a good guy with a good heart. He loved Karen, her kids, and his kids. He genuinely wanted to help those around him. Kevin Dobson was a good actor, too.

Was he flawless? No, but none of the characters were.

None of us are perfect, either. Which is why so many of us loved the character of Mack best. All the attributes you mentioned, and yes he was tempted to stray at least 3 times, but resisted because of his innate value system. He is as close to the perfect male as the human condition allows...

Mack in season 4 was a great character for several reasons:

- He was evenly matched with Karen and would sometimes put her in her place. That dynamic fades away in season 5 and thereafter.

- He was a unique character in season 4. He had an edge and intensity that wasn't apparent in the other male leads.

- He was more of a grey character, which is diluted once Greg is introduced in season 5.. and it became Mack = good... Greg = bad

- His backstory was explored when his estranged father came to visit. It was a rare self-contained story within the soapy structure of season 4

Once season 5 comes around, Mack starts to lose the edges/layers that made him interesting/appealing in season 4.

But it IS revisited via Jason's abuse. Another dimension is his passion for parenthood that Meg brought out. Also, he was repeatedly tempted by attractive (Anne, Jill) and unattractive (Paula) women and didn't cave to his values - a rarity in life and rare in Soaps.

 

[Svengali]

it's simple I have never watched Kevin Dobson in an other role, but I have always hated Mack !

 

[Stillwitty]

it's simple I have never watched Kevin Dobson in an other role, but I have always hated Mack !

Check out Kojak reruns on Prime: He was Telly Savalas' sidekick/apprentice detective for 5 seasons. Mr. Dobson was blessed with 2 long running series...