Drunk in the 80s

[Jimmy Todd]

So this thread relates to 80s prime time soaps and getting drunk- characters, not viewers lol.
JR drank regularly but the only time I remember him drunk was after Jock died. It came off as very authentic. Sue Ellen and Gary were also very authentic drunks. When Miss Ellie got drunk in one of the later seasons, it seemed completely contrived and inauthentic l, imo.
The best line from a character who had worshiped the "god of the grape" was when in Dynasty Steven asked a drunk Jeff what his problem was and Jeff responded, "I'm a drunk. What's your problem?"
So what's the point of this thread? There are several characters who never got drunk, but if they did what circumstance would make it seem authentic? I'm thinking of Abby Ewing(KL), Alexis(Dynasty), Angela Channing(FC), Blake (Dynasty), Krystle(Dynasty), and Pam(Dallas). Would they ever get drunk? If they did would it seem that the writers had run out of storylines? They always seemed to have such self-control that it would take a lot for them to over indulge.

 

[Karin Schill]

I remember a scene in Dallas when Cliff, Afton, Pam and Mark had been out partying all night after Pam's divorce had come through. They were sitting in Mark's car and they were all hung over and wanted to get some coffee.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

I remember a scene in Dallas when Cliff, Afton, Pam and Mark had been out partying all night after Pam's divorce had come through. They were sitting in Mark's car and they were all hung over and wanted to get some coffee.

I don't recall that scene. It's hard to imagine Pam getting drunk. She was always so self controlled. Although. The good Lord knows, the Ewings gave her plenty of reasons to hit the bottle.

 

[Richard Channing]

Alexis(Dynasty)

Alexis did get drunk a couple of times in season 9. There's one where she's drowning her sorrows which I can't find the clip for but here's the other one where she's in high spirits and then passes out.

Would they ever get drunk? If they did would it seem that the writers had run out of storylines?

That certainly seemed to be the case with Maggie on Falcon Crest. After never having gotten drunk her whole time in the Tuscany Valley, despite being surrounded by wine and vineyards, she became an alcoholic in season 8. The excuse was that being married to Richard had driven her to drink, but really there had been plenty of traumas through the years that could have made her hit the bottle, but she didn't. She's one soap character that literally had every soap calamity in the book thrown at her so I do think this story line really was a question of them running out of things for her to go through.

 

[Richard Channing]

JR drank regularly but the only time I remember him drunk was after Jock died. It came off as very authentic. Sue Ellen and Gary were also very authentic drunks.

Cliff would get blind drunk whenever JR would double cross him or also when his mother died. Lucy also got drunk a few times and then there was that time Katherine got totally sloshed when she told Mark why Pam was really marrying him.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Blake (Dynasty)

He got drunk and raped his wife.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

He got drunk and raped his wife.

I forgot about that one. Season 1 Blake was very different from subsequent seasons.

 

[colbyco]

Alexis did get drunk a couple of times in season 9. There's one where she's drowning her sorrows which I can't find the clip for but here's the other one where she's in high spirits and then passes out.

That certainly seemed to be the case with Maggie on Falcon Crest. (....)

-I read it was Susan´s idea .... didn´t someone in her own family drunk?

Alexis was deep in trouble in S9 and drunk a lot :
- Alexis was so drunken she even phoned Fallon and cried because of the men in her life ...
-in a scene with Sable (I think Alexis burned something in the Carlton) Sable asked if she´s drunk ... Alexis answered something like tomorrow I´ll be ok but you´re still this boring woman ... # I´m not sure if both scenes happened the same day/episode

 

[Jimmy Todd]

-I read it was Susan´s idea .... didn´t someone in her own family drunk?

Alexis was deep in trouble in S9 and drunk a lot :
- Alexis was so drunken she even phoned Fallon and cried because of the men in her life ...
-in a scene with Sable (I think Alexis burned something in the Carlton) Sable asked if she´s drunk ... Alexis answered something like tomorrow I´ll be ok but you´re still this boring woman ... # I´m not sure if both scenes happened the same day/episode

I remember a funny line from Alexis to Sable in one of those scenes: "And here comes my hangover."

 

[Daniel Avery]

Jill Bennett (KL) started drinking excessively in the period before she went bonkers and tried to kill Val. Gary would find her drunk and threaten to kick her out of his life (with an undercurrent of I can't be around her when she's drinking because I might end up being her drinking partner). Eventually she sobered up and graduated to plotting murder---maybe Gary should have just let her stay drunk.

Gary was a violent drunk. Mack was a self-pitying drunk. Richard was a belligerent drunk. Jill was a sarcastic drunk. Greg was a weepy drunk. So everyone seemed to react differently.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

There are several characters who never got drunk, but if they did what circumstance would make it seem authentic?

Krystle having a Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog style battle with the booze could've been good. Rejected and taunted by her new husband's family (in this case, Alexis and Fallon) and his uppity social circle , Krystle turns to the bottle to cope. I know it wouldn't have been in keeping with her saintly image but I'd have taken drunk Krystle over weepy Krystle any day.

 

[colbyco]

A drunken Krystle after her time spending with Joel at Delta Rho would have given Linda something to do and it would have given the storyline some outcome. Or start drinking after Moldavia - so her new (Rita) behaviour would have been acceptable for the family thinking it´s her alcohol problem making her act that way ... Maybe she could have drink the whole S6 .... her alcoholism could have made her sleeping with Joel ... "Krystle you want a bottle... I want a body.... "

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Jill Bennett (KL) started drinking excessively in the period before she went bonkers and tried to kill Val. Gary would find her drunk and threaten to kick her out of his life (with an undercurrent of I can't be around her when she's drinking because I might end up being her drinking partner). Eventually she sobered up and graduated to plotting murder---maybe Gary should have just let her stay drunk.

Gary was a violent drunk. Mack was a self-pitying drunk. Richard was a belligerent drunk. Jill was a sarcastic drunk. Greg was a weepy drunk. So everyone seemed to react differently.

I wonder what an intoxicated Valene would be like, or if she would ever let herself be in that state. The same goes for Abby. What would drive her to drink too much? She was always a woman who when confronted with a crisis would spring into action, any kind, and do something. It's hard to see her character ever drowning her sorrows.