Final Thoughts After Watching The Entire Series

[retrosonic]

So...a very bittersweet night. Tonight I watched the last episode of Falcon Crest. All 9 seasons. Many thoughts are swimming around in my head, but I will try and summarize them . One amazing thing......normally, I would now go back to season one, episode one and watch the entire series again to see what I may have missed the first time around.
But in this case, I dont think I will. So MANY crazy things happened, that I know already, that it could never be quite as good the second time around.

What a show!!! Other than Dallas, I cant remember enjoying a series so much. It was almost like I was visting the Giobertis every night.

Some thoughts:
Jayne Wyman as Angela: An AMAZING job of bringing a character to life. I dont think any actress on the planet could have done it better.
Lorenzo Lamas grew up in front of us. I think he did a terrific job with the Lance character, and really made it his own.

In general, I found Seasons One and Two a bit slow, but I believe I was still learning the characters. Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL.
However, with Chase's death and exit from the show, I believe thats where the slide downward began. While I liked the Richard Channing character very much, and I think David Selby did a fantasic job with him, I dont feel it was a satisfactory replacement for Chase. Chase was the "balance" for Angela's ruthlessness. The constant tension between them was a terriffic binder. Season 8 was so so, but Season 9, was in my opinion, by FAR the weakest of the entire series. First off, Killing off Maggie did not sit well with me. It seems like the producers went out of their way to "rid" the show of major, original characters. First Maggie, then Emma. And notice how Julie and Cole were basically forgotten? The entire season was Richard vs Michael Sharpe, two characters who were not part of the original fabric of the show. To me, if Season 9 was to be the last, many of the unresolved threads could have been resolved. Why not bring Cole and Julie (with jamie Rose ) back, with Maggie there and revisit their coming to the valley in the first place. And the Melissa look alike was completely, utterly ridiculous. But, Pillar was a very nice touch.

However, as I mentioned, I thought Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL. That really when the series reached elite status. Angela's scheme after scheme, Chase matching her play for play , Maggie as the rock for the family. Absolute, great stuff. It never got old. I couldnt WAIT to see what happened next.

Tonight, the last episode nicely brought the series full circle. There of course, was NO doubt that Angela would get Falcon Crest back. Chase would not be happy, but it was destiny that Falcon Crest would belong to Angela once again. The last 2 minutes or so, with Angela's speech, was extremely well written, and was a beautiful ending.

To all the actors, I say 'Thank You". You created a show for the ages that will be watched and enjoyed by new fans yet unborn. What a show!! I now put Falcon Crest as #2 behind Dallas in my all time favorites list.

So......as I finish this post, I have now watched the entire runs of:
Dallas
Dynasty
Knots Landing
Falcon Crest

What next? Are there any series equal or close to in quality that I should seek out? What do you folks recommend?

Thanks!
Retro Rick

 

[tommie]

I guess Peyton Place (if you want to go back two decades) and Melrose Place (if you want to go forward a decade) are the closest things to the soap quartet of the 80s.

 

[Angela Channing]

So...a very bittersweet night. Tonight I watched the last episode of Falcon Crest. All 9 seasons. Many thoughts are swimming around in my head, but I will try and summarize them . One amazing thing......normally, I would now go back to season one, episode one and watch the entire series again to see what I may have missed the first time around.
But in this case, I dont think I will. So MANY crazy things happened, that I know already, that it could never be quite as good the second time around.

What a show!!! Other than Dallas, I cant remember enjoying a series so much. It was almost like I was visting the Giobertis every night.

Some thoughts:
Jayne Wyman as Angela: An AMAZING job of bringing a character to life. I dont think any actress on the planet could have done it better.
Lorenzo Lamas grew up in front of us. I think he did a terrific job with the Lance character, and really made it his own.

In general, I found Seasons One and Two a bit slow, but I believe I was still learning the characters. Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL.
However, with Chase's death and exit from the show, I believe thats where the slide downward began. While I liked the Richard Channing character very much, and I think David Selby did a fantasic job with him, I dont feel it was a satisfactory replacement for Chase. Chase was the "balance" for Angela's ruthlessness. The constant tension between them was a terriffic binder. Season 8 was so so, but Season 9, was in my opinion, by FAR the weakest of the entire series. First off, Killing off Maggie did not sit well with me. It seems like the producers went out of their way to "rid" the show of major, original characters. First Maggie, then Emma. And notice how Julie and Cole were basically forgotten? The entire season was Richard vs Michael Sharpe, two characters who were not part of the original fabric of the show. To me, if Season 9 was to be the last, many of the unresolved threads could have been resolved. Why not bring Cole and Julie (with jamie Rose ) back, with Maggie there and revisit their coming to the valley in the first place. And the Melissa look alike was completely, utterly ridiculous. But, Pillar was a very nice touch.

However, as I mentioned, I thought Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL. That really when the series reached elite status. Angela's scheme after scheme, Chase matching her play for play , Maggie as the rock for the family. Absolute, great stuff. It never got old. I couldnt WAIT to see what happened next.

Tonight, the last episode nicely brought the series full circle. There of course, was NO doubt that Angela would get Falcon Crest back. Chase would not be happy, but it was destiny that Falcon Crest would belong to Angela once again. The last 2 minutes or so, with Angela's speech, was extremely well written, and was a beautiful ending.

To all the actors, I say 'Thank You". You created a show for the ages that will be watched and enjoyed by new fans yet unborn. What a show!! I now put Falcon Crest as #2 behind Dallas in my all time favorites list.

So......as I finish this post, I have now watched the entire runs of:
Dallas
Dynasty
Knots Landing
Falcon Crest

What next? Are there any series equal or close to in quality that I should seek out? What do you folks recommend?

Thanks!
Retro Rick

This is a great review of the entire run of Falcon Crest and I agree with so much of what you have said. I remember many years ago when I finished watching the end of the series for the first time and I was sad that it was going to leave a hole in my TV viewing when it was over.

I completely agree with your comments about how good Jane Wyman was in it. I've seen many of her films and I had now idea she could play a character like Angela so convincingly and engagingly. In her movies she often played light comedy or "nice" people, so Angela was a major departure for her at a late stage in her career and she pulled it off spectacualarly.

I also agree that the first 7 seasons were great, some were better than others but overall the standard was very high and it was very watchable and often very gripping. The final 2 seasons were much weaker although there were some good elements within both of them.

Regarding what to watch next. Have you considered Flamingo Road or Return To Eden?

 

[Richard Channing]

So...a very bittersweet night. Tonight I watched the last episode of Falcon Crest. All 9 seasons. Many thoughts are swimming around in my head, but I will try and summarize them . One amazing thing......normally, I would now go back to season one, episode one and watch the entire series again to see what I may have missed the first time around.
But in this case, I dont think I will. So MANY crazy things happened, that I know already, that it could never be quite as good the second time around.

What a show!!! Other than Dallas, I cant remember enjoying a series so much. It was almost like I was visting the Giobertis every night.

Some thoughts:
Jayne Wyman as Angela: An AMAZING job of bringing a character to life. I dont think any actress on the planet could have done it better.
Lorenzo Lamas grew up in front of us. I think he did a terrific job with the Lance character, and really made it his own.

In general, I found Seasons One and Two a bit slow, but I believe I was still learning the characters. Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL.
However, with Chase's death and exit from the show, I believe thats where the slide downward began. While I liked the Richard Channing character very much, and I think David Selby did a fantasic job with him, I dont feel it was a satisfactory replacement for Chase. Chase was the "balance" for Angela's ruthlessness. The constant tension between them was a terriffic binder. Season 8 was so so, but Season 9, was in my opinion, by FAR the weakest of the entire series. First off, Killing off Maggie did not sit well with me. It seems like the producers went out of their way to "rid" the show of major, original characters. First Maggie, then Emma. And notice how Julie and Cole were basically forgotten? The entire season was Richard vs Michael Sharpe, two characters who were not part of the original fabric of the show. To me, if Season 9 was to be the last, many of the unresolved threads could have been resolved. Why not bring Cole and Julie (with jamie Rose ) back, with Maggie there and revisit their coming to the valley in the first place. And the Melissa look alike was completely, utterly ridiculous. But, Pillar was a very nice touch.

However, as I mentioned, I thought Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL. That really when the series reached elite status. Angela's scheme after scheme, Chase matching her play for play , Maggie as the rock for the family. Absolute, great stuff. It never got old. I couldnt WAIT to see what happened next.

Tonight, the last episode nicely brought the series full circle. There of course, was NO doubt that Angela would get Falcon Crest back. Chase would not be happy, but it was destiny that Falcon Crest would belong to Angela once again. The last 2 minutes or so, with Angela's speech, was extremely well written, and was a beautiful ending.

To all the actors, I say 'Thank You". You created a show for the ages that will be watched and enjoyed by new fans yet unborn. What a show!! I now put Falcon Crest as #2 behind Dallas in my all time favorites list.

So......as I finish this post, I have now watched the entire runs of:
Dallas
Dynasty
Knots Landing
Falcon Crest

What next? Are there any series equal or close to in quality that I should seek out? What do you folks recommend?

Thanks!
Retro Rick

I see The Colbys is not on your list. That's what I would watch next if you want to keep on with that 80's primetime vibe. Not sure if it still is but the whole series was on YouTube recently.

 

[retrosonic]

I see The Colbys is not on your list. That's what I would watch next if you want to keep on with that 80's primetime vibe. Not sure if it still is but the whole series was on YouTube recently.

Rich: ooops! I forgot to include The Colbys. Yes, I watched them also. I think it was just 2 seasons. But thanks for the excellent suggestion.

 

[retrosonic]

This is a great review of the entire run of Falcon Crest and I agree with so much of what you have said. I remember many years ago when I finished watching the end of the series for the first time and I was sad that it was going to leave a hole in my TV viewing when it was over.
Regarding what to watch next. Have you considered Flamingo Road or Return To Eden?

Ang: Thank you for those excellent suggestions. Someone else suggested "Flamingo" as well. I will be seeking out those 2 series for sure. I really appreciate your reply. At some point, maybe in the winter, I will go back and watch the entire run of 'Dallas" again. I do have 2 DVDs of 'Peyton Place", I suppose I should give those a try next...

 

[Alexis Colby Carrington]

I loved Falcon Crest, I thought the entire series was fantastic.

 

[Chloe-Fusco]

How fabulous Retro, you enjoyed the show so much. I feel FC was business focused as in meticulous like Dallas but not as extremely bizzare as Dynasty. Some pointers -the main setting was lovely, plenty of power struggles, Jane Wyman setting the bar so high and the characters were so well defined. I would rate the seasons in order of preference, top to bottom like this:

2nd season
3rd season
4th season
1st season
5th season
6th season
7th season
8th season
9th season

 

[retrosonic]

Chloe-Fusco: Yes, I'd pretty much agree with your rankings, but maybe I'd swap 2nd and 4th. no matter....I enjoyed them all!

 

[C Rose]

So...a very bittersweet night. Tonight I watched the last episode of Falcon Crest. All 9 seasons. Many thoughts are swimming around in my head, but I will try and summarize them . One amazing thing......normally, I would now go back to season one, episode one and watch the entire series again to see what I may have missed the first time around.
But in this case, I dont think I will. So MANY crazy things happened, that I know already, that it could never be quite as good the second time around.

What a show!!! Other than Dallas, I cant remember enjoying a series so much. It was almost like I was visting the Giobertis every night.

Some thoughts:
Jayne Wyman as Angela: An AMAZING job of bringing a character to life. I dont think any actress on the planet could have done it better.
Lorenzo Lamas grew up in front of us. I think he did a terrific job with the Lance character, and really made it his own.

In general, I found Seasons One and Two a bit slow, but I believe I was still learning the characters. Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL.
However, with Chase's death and exit from the show, I believe thats where the slide downward began. While I liked the Richard Channing character very much, and I think David Selby did a fantasic job with him, I dont feel it was a satisfactory replacement for Chase. Chase was the "balance" for Angela's ruthlessness. The constant tension between them was a terriffic binder. Season 8 was so so, but Season 9, was in my opinion, by FAR the weakest of the entire series. First off, Killing off Maggie did not sit well with me. It seems like the producers went out of their way to "rid" the show of major, original characters. First Maggie, then Emma. And notice how Julie and Cole were basically forgotten? The entire season was Richard vs Michael Sharpe, two characters who were not part of the original fabric of the show. To me, if Season 9 was to be the last, many of the unresolved threads could have been resolved. Why not bring Cole and Julie (with jamie Rose ) back, with Maggie there and revisit their coming to the valley in the first place. And the Melissa look alike was completely, utterly ridiculous. But, Pillar was a very nice touch.

However, as I mentioned, I thought Seasons 3 to 7 were PHENOMENAL. That really when the series reached elite status. Angela's scheme after scheme, Chase matching her play for play , Maggie as the rock for the family. Absolute, great stuff. It never got old. I couldnt WAIT to see what happened next.

Tonight, the last episode nicely brought the series full circle. There of course, was NO doubt that Angela would get Falcon Crest back. Chase would not be happy, but it was destiny that Falcon Crest would belong to Angela once again. The last 2 minutes or so, with Angela's speech, was extremely well written, and was a beautiful ending.

To all the actors, I say 'Thank You". You created a show for the ages that will be watched and enjoyed by new fans yet unborn. What a show!! I now put Falcon Crest as #2 behind Dallas in my all time favorites list.

So......as I finish this post, I have now watched the entire runs of:
Dallas
Dynasty
Knots Landing
Falcon Crest

What next? Are there any series equal or close to in quality that I should seek out? What do you folks recommend?

Thanks!
Retro Rick

Where did you find seasons 5 through 7?

 

[retrosonic]

Where did you find seasons 5 through 7?

VHS tape, not great quality but watchable

 

[Jock Og]

A very comprehensive review of the wine saga, Rick! I'm glad you enjoyed the series, to the extent you did.

After the show's creator Earl Hamner relinquished his input post season 5 I feel the show's identity for two years became a mixture of darkness and sitcom, which of course can be funny too. The show's most praised supervising producer was Robert L. McCullough. Robert (Bob) was there from the start to the end of season 3 (the plane crash en route to Italy). While not everyone's cup of tea I thought the Freilich penned seasons (6 and 7) were entertaining. I had high hopes for season 8, until we had the Pilar Ortega show and the pace went too pedestrian. Imho the ninth/final season wasn't FALCON CREST, for the most part.


Richard and Pamela are waiting for the other Falcon Crest partners, at the Tuscany Vintners' Associate Winery. Chao-Li arrives with Angela, in the black Mercedes 600 limo. The father and son champagne producers; Chase and Cole drive into the yard, in their pickup truck, (a scene from season 4, 1984 - '85):

Richard opens the limo door for Angela and says: "Good morning! I appreciate your promptness. I want to welcome you all, to this special meeting of the Falcon Crest board of directors."

Angela: "Do you mean to tell me I was summoned all the way out here, so I could be put on display?"

Chase: "We all have that Angela. Didn't you read Richard's press release? He is transporting his bulk wine; to some warehouse, for aging and bottling."

Cole: "Sounds exciting!"

Richard: "It is to me."

Chase: "Tell me something. What is the aging period on this swill of yours; a week, ten days?"

Pamela laughs and Angela cracks a smile.

Richard: "If you think you can offend me Chase you're wrong. You should be grateful to me. All of you should be. Here I thought I was going to have to build a brand new winery. Now I'm in business with rented and leased equipment."

Pamela: "Which means a very small cash outlay, for the Falcon Crest partners."

Angela: "I will not be grateful as long as Falcon Crest is involved in a rent a winery."

Richard goes to the others, with the intention of getting a group photo. The photographer takes one photo.

Angela looses the bap with the photographer: "Will you stop that! Now let's get on with it."

Richard gives the signal to his henchmen to let the wine lorry go. The garage doors open and the vintage process commences.

Richard: "Let the ceremony begin!"

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

The show's most praised supervising producer was Robert L. McCullough. Robert (Bob) was there from the start to the end of season 3 (the plane crash en route to Italy).

Sometimes I wonder if they shouldn't have just kept McCullough at the helm after Season 3, even if they had to put up with his "don't-you-know-what-so-and-so-said-about-you?" toxic manipulation crap.

Unlike, Eilleen Pollock (over on that other show), at least McCullough had oodles of talent.

 

[Richard Denault]

Angela wanted Falcon Crest to remain together. Not even Chase's small part could be separated.
And how would it end up with half going to Lance, a quarter going to Kevin and another quarter going to Michael assuming Richard didn't have any more children?
More divided than ever.

 

[TJP]

It was Richard's condition for selling Falcon Crest back to her to have a guarantee that Michael and Kevin would inherit at least get a quarter each, so it was probably Richard's final triumph over Angela because he set the terms for the contract.

Angela was cornered, and in a way she probably hoped to reunite the family by agreeing to that.

In case the show ever got a revival, this would create a great conflict between the new owners, all fighting for control.

 

[Richard Denault]

It was Richard's condition for selling Falcon Crest back to her to have a guarantee that Michael and Kevin would inherit at least get a quarter each, so it was probably Richard's final triumph over Angela because he set the terms for the contract.

Angela was cornered, and in a way she probably hoped to reunite the family by agreeing to that.

In case the show ever got a revival, this would create a great conflict between the new owners, all fighting for control.

Well, Richard didn't look very happy when he signed the contract.
Besides, Lance was no match for Richard.

 

[Arlene Halloran]

It was Richard's condition for selling Falcon Crest back to her to have a guarantee that Michael and Kevin would inherit at least get a quarter each, so it was probably Richard's final triumph over Angela because he set the terms for the contract.

Angela was cornered, and in a way she probably hoped to reunite the family by agreeing to that.

In case the show ever got a revival, this would create a great conflict between the new owners, all fighting for control.

Michael was such an adorable child. Kevin was good too but his older brother was the golden boy.