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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Willie Oleson" data-source="post: 196266" data-attributes="member: 8">910There have been quite a few references to DYNASTY and KNOTS LANDING in our S&D discussions, but the last season feels very DALLAS.That can never be a bad thing of course but the "fact" is that this soap continues because it can - and even that itself isn't a bad thing because that's what soaps do.It's just that things don't feel as important as they used to. David in jail and the prospect of Terry going to jail had a much more dramatic narrative than Beryl in jail.And yet, somehow, this soap-on-its-last-legs manages to be entertaining and watchable.Most of season 5's frivolity is gone so in that regard it's even an upgrade from the previous season.In true Sons & Daughters style there are some bonkers storylines that develop into something very interesting - and I can almost never pinpoint the moment when that happens.Caroline's tell-all best-seller is no longer the point of discussion, only the resurface in later storyline, and not without consequences.It's one of the many things I love about Sons & Daughters.So, the bitch is back, and how I dreaded to rewatch this infamous chapter because it has the same negative impact as "Bobby in the shower" i.e. S&D's ultimate jump the shark moment.But it's Rowena Wallace, for crying out loud, so at least let's hear what she has to say.And dammit, it works, it really does!Amazingly enough she does come across as a different character: the accent and body language, it's definitely not Patricia.And eventhough these events are considered outrageous (and they are) I think it's a lot of fun that the soap genre does these things and try to sell it as straight drama.It's so bad it's good but then sometimes you forget the "bad" part.Not surprisingly, Rowena's Pamela has great chemistry with all the old and new characters.Charlie revels in the insanity of it all, almost in a breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of way. The counter-argument could be that it's very honest to acknowledge that very insanity.The question is: does the soap viewer need it?But Charlie usually gets away with everything, and she even does her classic vampire thing when she spots Wayne's new bodyguard. I mean, that was pretty close to an orgasm.Andy is working for Wayne again (!) and he has to steal whatever files or documents from Alison. He has no idea what he's looking for and yet it only takes a glance at some company papers to understand that he's found something very important.Eventhough Wayne has accused Beryl of shooting him, the real shooter appears in his nightmares, but the identity of the shooter varies from dream to dream.To keep the whodunit relevant, I suppose.At some point he suspects it could be Caroline and he threatens to change his statement to the police if she doesn't pay him lots of money.I'm trying hard to ignore how ridiculous this is but the police don't seem to be bothered with hard evidence. And where are the lawyers??Ian Rawlings completely overacts in his villainous scenes but maybe it compensates for the wacky dialogue.Dr. Michael Benson has a brother, Nick, he's the psychiatrist who has to trigger Wayne's memory about the shooting. That's all the evidence they need, apparently.He also hypnotizes Beryl, just in case she remembers a tiny but crucial detail. Quelle surprise, she does remember a tiny but crucial detail.A few years before Sarah Palmer does it, Beryl <s>Palmer</s> Hamilton suddenly "sees" the hand with the ring of the real Killer Bob - or Bobette.I could imagine a cassette tape-esque storyline about the ring going from one person to another in order to create a lot of confusion.A childhood tragedy has tarnished the relationship between the Benson brothers. Leave it to S&D to come up with an extreme background story!There's a mini sub-whodunit when a mystery person hangs up an "executed" doll in the Dural living room when Susan's sleeping on the couch.It turns out to be Charlie, and eventhough her intentions are good I found it an uncharacteristically cruel method considering Susan's miscarriage and all that.Alison discovers that Pamela is her presumed dead twin sister, and with her current craving for family she decides to force a friendly relationship.And it almost works until Pamela realizes that Alison is "Pamela" in Caroline's best-seller.</blockquote>

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