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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James from London" data-source="post: 122394" data-attributes="member: 22">02 Mar 88: DYNASTY: The Scandal v. 03 Mar 88: KNOTS LANDING: A Fair Race v. 04 Mar 88: DALLAS: Crime Story v. 04 Mar 88: FALCON CREST: Wheels Within WheelsHaving been tipped off to Sean’s real identity by Alexis, Blake flies to Natumbe with Dex to find out what he’s really up to. Lance likewise plays detective on FALCON CREST, travelling to Las Vegas to find out what reporter Curtis Esterbrook was investigating before he was killed. Both parties make parallel discoveries: while Blake and Dex learn that Sean is using Blake’s tankers to smuggle illegal arms out of Africa, Lance discovers Richard was responsible for bringing illegal arms into Africa in order to aid the country John Remick’s army was fighting against. When Lance suggests to Maggie that her husband had Curtis murdered to keep this discovery quiet, she refuses to believe it. “This is insane!” she protests. Conversely, when Morgan Hess informs Alexis of her husband’s colourful past (cop-killing, car bombing, terrorist kidnapping) and concludes that “this is a dangerous guy, Mrs Colby”, she does not disagree.There’s further travelling elsewhere in this week's Soap Land. Bobby Ewing goes to Washington as part of his efforts to get the Ewing Oil name back — and, scandalously, kisses Kay while technically still dating April! He also delivers an enjoyably nostalgic speech about his early days at Ewing Oil: “I guess in polite circles you could call me a bag man … My job was to pass out the three Bs — booze, broads and booty.” Back on FC, Eric and Vicky journey to Geneva to clean out Richard’s Swiss safety deposit box. Their “heist” is pitifully staged, but the overall plot — Richard easily outwits them and casually orders they be kept in a foreign jail indefinitely — is so good, it doesn’t really matter.The crime wave continues back at home. Charles Scott’s former associates, Manny Vasquez and his nephew Harold, step out of the shadows on KNOTS. Harold is an unassuming, happy-go-lucky guy — who thinks nothing of breaking a restauranteur’s arm over a late payment. Meanwhile, this week’s DALLAS ends with April returning home after getting dumped by Bobby only to be apprehended by two FALCON CREST-looking thugs right outside her apartment.This season’s run of DYNASTY, shorter than the rest of the soaps by about eight episodes, is now in the home stretch and things are moving very fast for the Carringtons and Colbys — everyone’s on red alert having learned how dangerous and vengeful Sean is. In contrast, KNOTS is taking its time in its depiction of Paige’s pursuit of Greg Sumner. As it did when Abby set her sights on Gary, KL is playing the long game here. In spite of Paige’s blatant attempts to get his attention, such as kissing Johnny Rourke passionately in front of him, Greg’s response remains inscrutable. Is he playing hard to get? Is he even aware of her interest? Or does his grief over Laura simply preclude an involvement with another woman so soon after her death? And so, while everyone on DYNASTY is frantically speculating about Sean’s motives and intentions, KNOTS finds time for a cross-cutting montage in which Paige quizzes Karen and Mack, and Johnny questions Michael, and they all try to figure out what makes Greg tick. Meanwhile, the elusive object of their fascination is shown in long-shot riding one of his horses around the track. It may be nearly five years since Greg arrived on the show but he still proves impossible to pin down.Paige is using Johnny for sex and to make Greg jealous and doesn’t pretend otherwise. “You’re not in the running,” she tells him flatly. I’m not sure there’s been a “friends with benefits” relationship quite like this one in Soap Land before. To my surprise, I find myself warming to Johnny. So long as he forgets to either sing or pretend to be Irish, he’s quite a good supporting character. Over on DALLAS, Laurel Ellis has acquired her own version of Johnny, i.e., an ex-boyfriend who has followed her from Europe. A snobby Brit by the name of Brett Lomax, he is borderline xenophobic in his contempt for Texas and its inhabitants. “What is there for you here, living in this foreign place surrounded by people who … hardly speak our language?” he asks, before insisting that she return to England with him. (Knowing that Brett will eventually transmogrify into FALCON CREST Anti-Christ Charley St James adds an extra level of fascination to his character.) While far less possessive than Brett, Johnny is starting to get serious about Paige and gives her an expensive necklace as an indication of his feelings. She is not unappreciative, but all it takes is a call from Greg to turn her head once more. Meanwhile on DYNASTY, Alexis presents Sean with a watch engraved with the inscription, 'To Sean, undying love — Alexis.’ This is part of the vaguely Hitchcockian scenario she now finds herself in where she must play the adoring wife so as not to arouse his suspicions that the family are onto him. The gift comes back to haunt her in the closing moments of the episode when Blake calls her from Africa with the news that “there’s been an explosion on one of my tankers … Sean is dead … They took a watch off a body and the inscription read, ‘To Sean, undying love — Alexis’.” But then look! There’s a man swimming away from the ship — it’s Sean!!Elsewhere on DYNASTY, there’s a surprise confession from jailbird Charlie Braddock, who admits that it was he who kidnapped Adam all those years ago in a doomed attempt to win the heart of Kate Torrance. This means that Adam really was Adam all along (kind of the opposite of New Adam on New DYNASTY who was never Adam at all) and puts Blake and Alexis in the unusual position of having accidentally adopted their own biological son. As convoluted as all this is, George Murdock elevates the scene with a great performance as the haunted Braddock — it’s the acting highlight of the Soap Land week.No sooner have two Soap Land custody disputes been resolved (Bobby and Betsy’s on KNOTS, Christopher’s on DALLAS) than two more spring up to take their place. “‘Karen Atkinson versus Adam Carrington’ … They’re suing to nullify the surrogate contract. They’re suing for my child!” Adam tells Dana on DYNASTY. “I’m suing for visitation rights as Michael’s paternal grandmother,” Angela informs Richard on FALCON CREST.While this week’s DALLAS finds Soap Land’s original female alcoholic, Sue Ellen, on fine sardonic form (“How’s the centre of my universe tonight?” she smiles at a clearly fuming JR. “I’m going to stay married to JR till the end of time — just so you can’t get him and he can’t get West Star,” she cheerfully informs Kimberly Cryder), KNOTS LANDING’s Jill and FALCON CREST’s Maggie both follow Miss Ellie’s recent example by starting to drink alone. Gary spending more and more time with the twins (and by extension Val) affords Jill the opportunity of downing a bottle of wine in his absence. Meanwhile, the complications of living with Richard — his ongoing feud with Angela, Lance’s allegations against him, the oppressive and continuous presence of his security staff — take a cumulative toll on Maggie who starts hitting the brandy in earnest.Nearly a year after Bobby announced his decision to leave Ewing Oil (“I’ve had it right up to my ears with JR and the whole way he does things — I’m getting out”), brother Gary tells Karen and Abby that “I’m getting out of Lotus Point … I’ve spent my last day worrying about what colour to paint the bridal suite and where to get the best deals on sheets.” Interestingly, Gary’s decision (“No hard feelings — I just don’t care”) comes across less as soap fatigue (as Bobby’s did) and more as soap restlessness. I guess it’s because Gary isn’t defined by his job the way the rest of the Ewing boys, including Ray, are. Rather he is defined more by his own searching, questing nature. Fortunately, KNOTS is flexible enough to incorporate this restlessness into the series. Were he a character on a more rigidly structured soap, he might wind up searching and questing his way off screen for good.In the same week that Charlie Wade is told by Jenna that “Randy is out of your life!” and is then caught sneaking out of the house to see him, Abby lies in wait for Olivia to return from her first impromptu date with Harold Dyer and then insists there will be no second date until she gets to meet him. Olivia reluctantly complies and Harold is all smiles and good manners when he and Abby meet, just as Randy was while sitting through a parental lecture from Ray — although there was kind of a subversive edge to Randy, as if underneath all the smiling and nodding you could tell he was really thinking, “Yeah, whatever you say, old man — in a couple of years, I’m gonna be Brad Pitt!” Harold’s subversion comes in the shape of his Uncle Manny whom he brings along to meet Abby (“I was impressed by your desire to meet my nephew,” he explains. “Most parents don’t care who their children associate with”). She is charmed and Manny uses it as a chance to pick up where Charles Scott left off. “Karen, I’d like you to meet Manny Vasquez,” says Abby in the final scene of the ep. “I think we can do business together.”And this week’s Top 4 are …1 (1) DALLAS2 (2) KNOTS LANDING3 (-) DYNASTY4 (-) FALCON CREST</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?