SoapLand - The Battle Of The Seasons - The result

[Richard Channing]

At a push, I'll go mini-series, followed by Season 1, Season 2 etc. I wasn't aware of any other count until the DVDs came out.

This is also where I'm at with the seasons numbering. I guess I went for the DVD numbering for this battle as I thought it would be the least confusing for the most amount of members. I got the impression that when discussing Dallas here on the board the majority were using this when referring to a season. I also thought that perhaps members who didn't watch Dallas during it's original run might be more familiar with the DVD numbering. However, the vibe I'm getting from most who have posted is that they would prefer to stick with the original numbering. Anyhoo....

 

[Willie Oleson]

I have a soft spot for this season. Although I don't like its mostly episodic formula, I just love it's gritty and almost dark tone

Of all the episodic-structured seasons I'd pick Falcon Crest S1 as my favourite. I think it works better for shorter seasons and FC S1 was partially episodic and partially continuation.
I like Knots S3, but I remember getting a little restless every now and then, and even more so with Dallas season 2, but I think I'd be more appreciative of these odd episodes when I watch them a second time. The first time I was too eager to learn the whole cul-de-sac saga.

 

[Richard Channing]

1. DALLAS : Season 7

Season 7 will always have a special place in my heart as it's the first one I can remember watching consistently as a boy and being totally hooked and invested in the story. Bobby and Pam's relationship is never more interesting and heart-breaking than in this season. So many forces are at work to keep them apart, and every time there's a window where they might come together something happens to pull them further apart. I loved Mark and Pam's story and Bobby and Jenna's and the dynamic between the four of them. Katherine was really firing on all cylinders this season and she's one of my all time favourite soap characters. Unlike many, I enjoyed the Sue Ellen/Peter story line. Ray's trial, Lady Jessica's soapy villainy, and JR's scheming against Cliff were all good stuff, and 'Endgame' was one of Dallas' best season finales. Also Bradford May's cinematography made this probably Dallas' most visually beautiful season.



2. DYNASTY : Season 2

I think most of what I have to say about this season has been said already by other members. It's fabulous for many reasons, the most obvious one being it gave us Alexis, one of Soapland's most charismatic and memorable characters ever. Sammy Jo is another fantastic addition to the show. It's the season of Dynasty that really has it all. It's tightly plotted and for the most part well-written. The Blake/Krystle/Alexis dynamic is fresh and exciting here and all three characters are firing on all cylinders. This season is everything you could want from a soap and more.



3. FALCON CREST : Season 2

Much like Dynasty and Dallas, season 2 is where Falcon Crest really finds it's groove (that's not to say season 1 wasn't very good). Where Dynasty gives us Alexis, Falcon Crest gives us Richard Channing, a complex and charismatic character, who embodies charm and menace in equal measure. As if Chase wasn't enough of a thorn in Angela's side all through season 1, now she has another one, and a formidable one at that. Melissa showed up late in season 1 and she really comes into her own in this season. Old feuds, new feuds, and a murder mystery, all lead to a very exciting climax.



4. KNOTS LANDING : Season 4

In many ways season 4 is the bridge between two different eras of Knots landing, and for me it's the perfect balance and has the best of both worlds. We say goodbye to the self contained episodes and the story takes on a new momentum. Things get soapier for sure, but it's still all about the cul-de-sac, and retains that grounded quality of the first 3 seasons. When Cathy shows up at the end of an episode in season 5 I couldn't help but feel a little sad, as in that one moment it became clear that the old Knots was well and truly gone forever. This could never have happened in earlier seasons. And that's not to say that I didn't love what it went on to become as well, but season 4 felt like the season that gave us just the right amount of all the right ingredients. It does such a good job of putting our beloved characters in exciting story lines that all become intertwined, and throws in some great new characters to mix things up.



5. DALLAS : Season 6

Jock's will, the fight for Ewing oil, and all the heartache and destruction it causes is really Dallas at it's best. Jim Davis' death, and consequently Jock's death, could have thrown a spanner in the works but at this point in the series the writing and plotting is so top notch that they take it and run with it and give us one epic battle, and one awesome season of soap. The last three or four episodes, from when Sue Ellen finds Holly and JR in bed together, have a momentum that just so exciting, it's pure adrenaline. The domino effect serves up events we've been waiting for all season but also amps up the drama in ways we never saw coming. This last part of the season, with it's fiery crescendo, does something that Dallas does best, brings all the threads and themes that have been running all season together in ways that are simultaneously inevitable, yet still thrillingly unpredictable.




6. FALCON CREST : Season 1

7. DALLAS : Season 3

8. DYNASTY : Season 1

9. KNOTS LANDING : Season 5

10. KNOTS LANDING : Season 6

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Season 7 will always have a special place in my heart as it's the first one I can remember watching consistently as a boy and being totally hooked and invested in the story.

This is true for me also.

Also Bradford May's cinematography made this probably Dallas' most visually beautiful season.

Yes indeed. It looks wonderful.


Now I'm feeling regret at not including it in my top five (nor even my top ten).

 

[Richard Channing]

Now I'm feeling regret at not including it in my top five (nor even my top ten).

This battle has probably been the most difficult in terms of what to include and how to rate them. There's so many great seasons of the soaps to choose from, and even once you're narrowed them down it's very hard to say which was better than which. Especially when comparing seasons from different soaps.

That said, it's also the one that I am most curious to see what the top 5 looks like. And as for the number one spot, there's a few clear forerunners, but by the looks of things it's still anyone's game.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It looks like Dallas and Knots are getting the most votes, but Falcon Crest and Dynasty are getting votes for the same seasons. Not much love for The Colbys, therefore the next battle will be: top 5 Miles Colby moments. Or is that too manipulative, whadddayathink Richard?

 

[Richard Channing]

It looks like Dallas and Knots are getting the most votes, but Falcon Crest and Dynasty are getting votes for the same seasons. Not much love for The Colbys, therefore the next battle will be: top 5 Miles Colby moments. Or is that too manipulative, whadddayathink Richard?

Make it Miles Colby's top 5 shirtless moments and I'm in!

Actually after I posted my list I thought I really should have included The Colbys but it's the only one I haven't rewatched since it aired. So apart from the clips I've watched on youtube it's all a bit hazy. And it's not cause I don't want to rewatch it, it's just that rest of them, by hook or by crook, I could watch somewhere online. I'm not really a DVD collector but I guess I should really put my hands in my pocket and just order them.

 

[Willie Oleson]

but it's the only one I haven't rewatched since it aired

That's a long time ago, I wonder what you'd think of it now. It's only two seasons but still very discussable.

 

[Richard Channing]

That's a long time ago, I wonder what you'd think of it now. It's only two seasons but still very discussable.

So I see! Now there was a lot of clips on YouTube recently (they've since been taken down) and I watched them all, so I had my memory refreshed as to a lot of what went on. And I really enjoyed what I saw.

But those clips (which I didn't watch in order) and my hazy memory didn't feel like enough for me to be able to rate a season.

 

[Richard Channing]

Tuesday will be the last day to vote for your favourite seasons. Totals on Wednesday.

 

[Karin Schill]

1. DALLAS : Season 7

Season 7 will always have a special place in my heart as it's the first one I can remember watching consistently as a boy and being totally hooked and invested in the story. Bobby and Pam's relationship is never more interesting and heart-breaking than in this season. So many forces are at work to keep them apart, and every time there's a window where they might come together something happens to pull them further apart. I loved Mark and Pam's story and Bobby and Jenna's and the dynamic between the four of them. Katherine was really firing on all cylinders this season and she's one of my all time favourite soap characters. Unlike many, I enjoyed the Sue Ellen/Peter story line. Ray's trial, Lady Jessica's soapy villainy, and JR's scheming against Cliff were all good stuff, and 'Endgame' was one of Dallas' best season finales. Also Bradford May's cinematography made this probably Dallas' most visually beautiful season.

View attachment 11937

Excellent reasoning. I really love this season too so if we had done a top ten instead of a top five it definitely would have been included on my list.

 

[Angela Channing]

1. Falcon Crest Season 2 - As near to a perfect season of a series that I have seen. Compelling TV and not a weak episode in the entire season.
2. Dallas Season 6 - the way all the storylines wove in and out of each other was superb. Just a brilliantly constructed season of TV.
3. Falcon Crest Season 6 - I just loved watching Cesar Romero on the series and this was his best season.
4. Knots Landing Season 6 - in two words: Val's Babies! But there was so much more in that season that was great.
5. Flamingo Road Season 1 - underrated but so many great storylines that established the relationships between the characters and their motivations.

If I had to do a top 10:

6. Dynasty Season 1
7. Dallas Season 2
8. Dallas Season 8
9. Knots Season 5
10. Dynasty Season 1

 

[Falcon Crest I]

1 - Dallas, season 6
2 - Falcon Crest, season 2
3 - Dallas, season 3
4 - Falcon Crest, season 3
5 - Dynasty, season 2

 

[Richard Channing]

The results are in.......And it was very close, with just 1 point in the difference between the top 2. Interestingly the top 3 are all from season 2 of their respective soaps (Dallas season 3 per DVD really being season 2). I guess it's season 2 is where the a show already knows what it is, and it's characters are well established and they can start to really have fun with them. Poor Knots Landing got a lot of votes yet didn't make it into the top 5, but only because it's seasons 4, 5 and 6 were all so consistently good that the votes were spread out fairly evenly between them. I've included them as well.

1. FALCON CREST : Season 2 (23 points)

2. DYNASTY : Season 2 (22 points)

3. DALLAS : Season 3 (20 points)

4. DALLAS : Season 6 (19 points)



5. DYNASTY: Season 1 (16 points)



6. KNOTS LANDING : Season 4 (15 points)

7. KNOTS LANDING : Season 6 (14 points)

8. KNOTS LANDING : Season 5 (11 points)

 

[Richard Channing]

Congratulations Falcon Crest! And what better way to celebrate than with a bottle of Falcon Crest Cabernet Sauvignon 1982, which we have all agreed was an excellent year.


A fruity and elegant wine, with rich, treacherous flavours, beautifully balanced with hints of vendetta and evil granny. It's spicy, adulterous aromas, with shades of shade and subtle Nazi war crime undertones, are complimented with a nutty, murderous finish.

​

 

[James from London]

How gosh darned interesting!

I guess it's season 2 is where the a show already knows what it is

But not well enough to have settled into a formula. It's still exploring the boundaries of what the show can be and so maybe it's bolder than what comes later.

 

[Willie Oleson]

What an excitingly unexpected result! I was so sure that it was going to be a battle between the season 6's of Knots and Dallas.
Congratulations, Falcon Crest!

I always try to be impartial but I must say I'm sorta kinda a tiny little bit happy to see my top 3 in the top 5.

 

[Willie Oleson]

And if I would ever decide to get a tattoo:

A fruity and elegant wine, with rich, treacherous flavours, beautifully balanced with hints of vendetta and evil granny. It's spicy, adulterous aromas, with shades of shade and subtle Nazi war crime undertones, are complimented with a nutty, murderous finish.

 

[Toni]

Enough said (I learnt a new English word today!)​

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Awww, I'm too late to play!