Melissa going cuckoo .......

[Jock Og]

Do you think it was necessary that Melissa descended into a cuckoo character, in her later years in the show? While you could argue that FALCON CREST had more crazy overtones than the other three prime timers of the era Melissa's nervousness could have been attributed to the all conquering Angela. The accumulation of Melissa's mental illness was of course setting the FC mansion on fire (early in season 8), which at this point she owned. IMHO a truly sad end to a once feisty vixen (two thirds of the show's duration).


Melissa is in a psychiatric unit, in 'Our Lady Of The Tuscany Valley' hospital. Angela is doing community service in the same hospital, this is her sentencing for dumping toxic waste at 'Tuscany Downs'. She has managed to use a Doctor's office, to do some of her wine business. The Doctor tells her Melissa needs attention in her room. Angela offers to help, (a scene from season 6, 1986 - '87):

Melissa is in the hospital, after an incident with scissors.

Melissa: "You're not listening to me. I'm not crazy."

Angela: "Of course not! You were just practicing your sewing, which you're not very good at. I also hear that you won't eat."

Melissa: "Not until they get me outta here."

Angela: "Well I'm part of the food brigade. As a community servant it is my job to fatten you up."

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I have a Season 7 in my head in which Julia and Emma have brain tumors removed, their mental illness explained as the result of radiation from nuclear waste Jacqueline had buried under the vineyards back in the '50s. Which also explains Maggie's tumor four years earlier.

Melissa begins displaying the same symptoms but refuses any medical examination. And we're never sure if it's due to radioactive toxicity, or if she's faking it.

But then I also want S7 rife with giant scorpions emerging from the Tuscany reservoir, giant birds attacking the Channings on a restaurant terrace at dusk, spontaneous human combustions resulting from a Strontium-tainted batch of chardonnay, and Melissa convinced her baby is the result of alien impregnation -- and I don't mean by the undocumented field workers.

So consider my judgment as "questionable".

 

[Arlene Halloran]

One of the worst aspects of Melissa going mad was that she was in the thick of those horrid special effects, presented by Buck Henry's character. I disliked that so much. Then there was praying out loud, in another meltdown

 

[Falcon Crest I]

Ah well it became just part of Melissa's character and I accepted that. Having her end up with FC even with all her demons was bittersweet why oh why wasn't there an epic Melissa versus Angela battle, in the 8th season. Michael Filerman thought otherwise, regrettably.

 

[Karin Schill]

I hated the way they killed off Melissa and brought her back as a look a like character. I wish they had kept her as Melissa.

 

[Jock Og]

IMHO the special effects plot was OTT, in an enjoyable way. There were no aliens but there could easily have been. Angela deserved every bit of her winery damage, by Melissa. Angela employing the services of Mr. Glenn to make Melissa crazy, was all because the Agretti vintner was making progress with building her own winery and as such the business would be rivalling FC. Melissa versus Angela was a fine example of a power battle in the Tuscany Valley; compared to the cat fights in DYNASTY between Krystle and Alexis while DALLAS had J.R. and Cliff sniping at each other plus undermining each other's business deals, to be the supreme oil man.

Angela was successful in the string pulling, to make Melissa crazy. Except she didn't count on the young neighbouring vintner wrecking the Falcon Crest winery, (a scene from season 7, 1987 - '88):

Angela is in her study, on the phone to the special effects wizard Foster Glenn (acted by Buck Henry).

She tells him: "You've created a monster. I thought you were going to put Melissa in the funny farm."

Foster: "She is crazy, isn't she?"

Angela: "She is more than crazy. She has chopped up my winery, with an axe."

Foster: "Bad luck!"

Angela: "Well you've got to turn her around."

Foster: "I'm a special effects man. Not a shrink. It's not my fault your scheme backfired."

Angela: "Just do something."

Foster: "You made your own bed Mrs. Channing. Sleep in it."

The conversation ends although Angela clearly wanted more talk, as she looks at the phone.

 

[Gioberti84]

I loved the time when Melissa recorded the song with the Mud Eaters, ye know she could do cabaret extremely well. Angela thought the same.

 

[Chloe-Fusco]

I hated the way they killed off Melissa and brought her back as a look a like character. I wish they had kept her as Melissa.

Melissa was always a loose cannon and the show needed her so much after the fire. A pairing with Michael Sharpe in the last year would have been ideal for her, just to watch Lance squirm. Melissa was a fun character, even in the crazy times. They should not have had her blow Angela's house down. Sad times then.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Though I would have preferred Melissa's hallucinations be hers and not Buck Henry's.