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Knots Landing
shaqattaq ranks Knots Landing
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<blockquote data-quote="shaqattaq32" data-source="post: 397512" data-attributes="member: 2283"><p>4. "Harry, go, they wanna take the babies!"</p><p></p><p>Mack and Ben are in one car with Gary and Karen in the other close behind them. They know that at least one of Val's missing babies is at the home of Sheila and Harry Fisher. Mack and Ben know the general neighborhood of where the house is, but not the exact address (you see, phonebooks were banned in Knots Landing.) They finally find the Fisher house, but Mack says just he and Karen should talk to the Fishers (in order to provide maximum drama by leaving Gary and Ben alone together.) Meanwhile, Abby and Val are separately on their way to the same exact address -- both parties unaware of the other.</p><p></p><p>Sheila answers the door with one of the babies. Mack and Karen are both happy to see a baby -- but their happiness quickly turns to horror as they remember why they're there. Sheila confirms that she and her husband adopted twins -- Michele Lee's face portrays simultaneous jubilation that they've found <em>both </em>the babies (as they didn't know whether both babies would be with the Fishers until just now) as well as heartbreak over what she knows Mack is about to reveal to Sheila. I like the actress who plays Sheila - she seems really sweet if not slightly <em>off</em> (a description that is not so much different from Valene herself TBH.) As Mack and Karen reveal the truth to Sheila and that they found the doctor who switched the babies (the doctor who met the business end of a revolver at the conclusion of the previous episode), Val and Abby pull up. They're shocked to see Ben and Gary, who are equally shocked to see them. I LOVE the wordless look that passes between Val and Abby - "What the hell are they doing here?" Valene asks with her eyes. "f**k if I know!" Abby replies with hers. </p><p></p><p>But Val forgets about Abby, Ben, and Gary when she hears a crying baby. As Mack continues to grill Sheila (and IMO, he comes across as a total jerk in this scene) over the Fishers' hastily packed suitcases, Valene walks up to get a closer look at her baby. Sheila panics as she finally spots Valene walking up to her.</p><p></p><p>As Harry pull up in a <s>tank</s> station wagon, a desperate Sheila sees her husband approaching, the dramatic music swells, and Valene whips around to briefly see her other baby in the passenger seat. "Harry, go, they wanna take the babies!" Sheila yells. Writer/Producer Lynn Marie Latham, who started working on Knots in season 6 and took over as head writer in season 8, stated that she hated the scene - she hated the idea of a woman shouting in a baby's ear. You mean to say you watch this dramatic scene, and <em>that </em>is what you hone in on? Drama gets messy. Sheila's grief and desperation are palpable, and I really think the "small" change in Latham's mind of not having her shout that would have made the scene much worse. Makes you wonder - during Latham's tenure as head writer, how many other brilliant moments did she veto because they hurt her sensibilities? </p><p></p><p>Sorry, I got a little off topic there. The first time I watched season 6, I loved it. On subsequent rewatches, I've definitely noticed the flaws. The pace of the season is SO FREAKING SLOW. Nothing on television would ever get made nowadays with a pace this slow. But the storyline of Valene's babies remains as compelling as ever on rewatch. There are certain episodes where the focus goes away from Valene and her babies for a while, and you search around and wait for any mention of the babies like an addict combing through the carpet for pieces of crack they may have dropped. </p><p></p><p>And this just wraps everything up so nicely, equally balancing rewarding us for our patience while still keeping the true end of the storyline until next season.</p><p></p><p>I have to say, getting everything and everyone in this scene was probably way more difficult than it seemed. I've seen examples of shows where everything hinges on getting the characters to a place, and when the show executes this badly, it means the crucial climax can't work. Take season 1 of Big Little Lies -- the entire season builds to a certain moment, and when that moment comes, it's a complete and total mess. But nobody kept many balls in the air at once better than Knots Landing. And when the crucial climax comes at the end of season 6, they seamlessly have so many characters in one place and pull it off without a hitch.</p><p></p><p>They wring out every bit of drama that they need to: Ben being put in the uncomfortable position of everyone assuming he's a deadbeat dad because he doesn't care enough about kids he knows aren't his, Gary wishing the kids were <em>his </em>(and perhaps knowing the truth deep down that they are), Abby feeling the insecurity that somehow she will be linked to the kidnapping, and also feeling the relief that finally she doesn't have to feel guilty that she kinda was, and of course, crucially, Valene briefly getting to see both of the babies before the episode and season 6 are through.</p><p></p><p>This scene has so much going on and so many people in it that it could have been a real mess, but it's a masterpiece.</p><p></p><p>12. Season 11 (Karen's stalker is revealed)</p><p>11. Season 10 (Paige in the rain, does she choose Greg or Ted?)</p><p>10. Season 7 (Karen is revealed locked in a basement by a male kidnapper)</p><p>9. Season 2 (Sid goes over a cliff)</p><p>8. Season 8 (There's a crack in the cement where Abby just buried Peter)</p><p>7. Season 12 (Karen takes a joyride)</p><p>6. Season 13 (Pierce is alive and appears behind Paige in her car)</p><p>5. Season 9 (Valene is passed out on the floor)</p><p>4. Season 6 ("Harry, go, they wanna take the babies!")</p><p></p><p>Cliffhangers remaining to be ranked:</p><p></p><p>Season 3 (Valene leaves Gary and the cul-de-sac)</p><p>Season 4 (Diana has left with Chip/Gary is in jail for Ciji's murder)</p><p>Season 5 (Karen is shot, Abby is kidnapped)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="shaqattaq32, post: 397512, member: 2283"] 4. "Harry, go, they wanna take the babies!" Mack and Ben are in one car with Gary and Karen in the other close behind them. They know that at least one of Val's missing babies is at the home of Sheila and Harry Fisher. Mack and Ben know the general neighborhood of where the house is, but not the exact address (you see, phonebooks were banned in Knots Landing.) They finally find the Fisher house, but Mack says just he and Karen should talk to the Fishers (in order to provide maximum drama by leaving Gary and Ben alone together.) Meanwhile, Abby and Val are separately on their way to the same exact address -- both parties unaware of the other. Sheila answers the door with one of the babies. Mack and Karen are both happy to see a baby -- but their happiness quickly turns to horror as they remember why they're there. Sheila confirms that she and her husband adopted twins -- Michele Lee's face portrays simultaneous jubilation that they've found [I]both [/I]the babies (as they didn't know whether both babies would be with the Fishers until just now) as well as heartbreak over what she knows Mack is about to reveal to Sheila. I like the actress who plays Sheila - she seems really sweet if not slightly [I]off[/I] (a description that is not so much different from Valene herself TBH.) As Mack and Karen reveal the truth to Sheila and that they found the doctor who switched the babies (the doctor who met the business end of a revolver at the conclusion of the previous episode), Val and Abby pull up. They're shocked to see Ben and Gary, who are equally shocked to see them. I LOVE the wordless look that passes between Val and Abby - "What the hell are they doing here?" Valene asks with her eyes. "f**k if I know!" Abby replies with hers. But Val forgets about Abby, Ben, and Gary when she hears a crying baby. As Mack continues to grill Sheila (and IMO, he comes across as a total jerk in this scene) over the Fishers' hastily packed suitcases, Valene walks up to get a closer look at her baby. Sheila panics as she finally spots Valene walking up to her. As Harry pull up in a [S]tank[/S] station wagon, a desperate Sheila sees her husband approaching, the dramatic music swells, and Valene whips around to briefly see her other baby in the passenger seat. "Harry, go, they wanna take the babies!" Sheila yells. Writer/Producer Lynn Marie Latham, who started working on Knots in season 6 and took over as head writer in season 8, stated that she hated the scene - she hated the idea of a woman shouting in a baby's ear. You mean to say you watch this dramatic scene, and [I]that [/I]is what you hone in on? Drama gets messy. Sheila's grief and desperation are palpable, and I really think the "small" change in Latham's mind of not having her shout that would have made the scene much worse. Makes you wonder - during Latham's tenure as head writer, how many other brilliant moments did she veto because they hurt her sensibilities? Sorry, I got a little off topic there. The first time I watched season 6, I loved it. On subsequent rewatches, I've definitely noticed the flaws. The pace of the season is SO FREAKING SLOW. Nothing on television would ever get made nowadays with a pace this slow. But the storyline of Valene's babies remains as compelling as ever on rewatch. There are certain episodes where the focus goes away from Valene and her babies for a while, and you search around and wait for any mention of the babies like an addict combing through the carpet for pieces of crack they may have dropped. And this just wraps everything up so nicely, equally balancing rewarding us for our patience while still keeping the true end of the storyline until next season. I have to say, getting everything and everyone in this scene was probably way more difficult than it seemed. I've seen examples of shows where everything hinges on getting the characters to a place, and when the show executes this badly, it means the crucial climax can't work. Take season 1 of Big Little Lies -- the entire season builds to a certain moment, and when that moment comes, it's a complete and total mess. But nobody kept many balls in the air at once better than Knots Landing. And when the crucial climax comes at the end of season 6, they seamlessly have so many characters in one place and pull it off without a hitch. They wring out every bit of drama that they need to: Ben being put in the uncomfortable position of everyone assuming he's a deadbeat dad because he doesn't care enough about kids he knows aren't his, Gary wishing the kids were [I]his [/I](and perhaps knowing the truth deep down that they are), Abby feeling the insecurity that somehow she will be linked to the kidnapping, and also feeling the relief that finally she doesn't have to feel guilty that she kinda was, and of course, crucially, Valene briefly getting to see both of the babies before the episode and season 6 are through. This scene has so much going on and so many people in it that it could have been a real mess, but it's a masterpiece. 12. Season 11 (Karen's stalker is revealed) 11. Season 10 (Paige in the rain, does she choose Greg or Ted?) 10. Season 7 (Karen is revealed locked in a basement by a male kidnapper) 9. Season 2 (Sid goes over a cliff) 8. Season 8 (There's a crack in the cement where Abby just buried Peter) 7. Season 12 (Karen takes a joyride) 6. Season 13 (Pierce is alive and appears behind Paige in her car) 5. Season 9 (Valene is passed out on the floor) 4. Season 6 ("Harry, go, they wanna take the babies!") Cliffhangers remaining to be ranked: Season 3 (Valene leaves Gary and the cul-de-sac) Season 4 (Diana has left with Chip/Gary is in jail for Ciji's murder) Season 5 (Karen is shot, Abby is kidnapped) [/QUOTE]
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Knots Landing
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