New posts

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 31614" data-attributes="member: 23">...cont'dTURN, TURN, TURN - Part I(2/2)The way the loss resonates with the characters felt incredibly relatable. A show where character is this important knows it needs to stay present. So the departed character he is conspicuous by his absence - as is the case with a real death. And we focus on what the consideration of mortality means for those who are left behind. Harv decides to treat his mother to a holiday. He also takes a stick and gently pokes the bear that is the subject of Mary Beth's father, asking if she wants her children to get to know him. It enriches the overall story to be reminded of this unpleasant fact of life that Mary Beth carries round. It taps into the history of the show as well as the present and leaves the audience wondering if perhaps it's part of the show's future too.There are eulogies both formal and informal. The informal came as throwaway little snippets of the reality of Charlie's life - from Samuels giving Chris the ME's report about Charlie's death which showed just how much he was drinking, through Chris recalling Charlie attending an open casket funeral and his comment that they'd turned his friend into a Kewpie doll to some back and forth between Chris and Brian over which of their parents was at fault during their childhood (Chris, naturally, too Charlie's side while Brian could see his mother's point of view).Speaking of Brian, it was so good to see David Ackroyd return. Stephen Macht was back too. And there was one shot at the graveside service where I got more  excited than I should have at seeing both of these Knots Landing supporting stalwarts briefly sharing the same frame. Sadly, they never had any dialogue together but I still got more than I'd expected. And they got closer than on Knots where they missed each other by about half a dozen episodes. It feels so rewarding to have both of these characters back. The show could have got away with not including them with Brian 3000 miles away and David no longer Chris's love interest, and I greatly appreciate the choice to bring as much history as possible to this episode.Also returning was Donna LaMarr. This particular return brought some tension and showed some ugly colours in Chris. At the graveside, Chris gives a silent and passive-aggressive snub when Donna tries to initiate a hug. Later, after Chris has hit the sauce at the wake at Flannery's, Donna takes a direct hit from Chris's tongue:CHRISTINE: "Hey, Donna! Having a good time? I'm having a hell of a good time! Too bad Charlie couldn't make it, huh?"DONNA LA MARR: "Chris, stop. I know how bad you're missing your dad right now, but later on, ...don't be a stranger. OK?"CHRISTINE: "You left him when he needed you. And now he's dead."Chris and Donna's relationship has gone on for a few seasons now and continues to fascinate. Objectively, I understand that Donna has done what her Al-Anon programme has suggested for both her own sake and Charlie's own. It's also plain that she loved Charlie and is broken up about his death. But at the same time it's easy to understand why Chris takes this viewpoint at this moment in time.And right after this moment, when Chris is as unlikeable as possible, she makes a slurred and heartfelt toast to Charlie and wins my heart all over again.A wonderful, wonderful episode.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?