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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James from London" data-source="post: 241206" data-attributes="member: 22">Courageous Convictions (KNOTS, 13 Mar 80) v Crash of ‘83 (DALLAS, 04 Feb 83)JR mentions “the little man” a lot in Crash of 83. Mostly he talks about supplying him with cut-rate gasoline (and himself with a quick profit, the better to beat Bobby for control of Ewing Oil). Men don’t come much littler than Richard Avery who was so in awe of JR when they met in Community Spirit. At the end of Courageous Convictions, Richard describes how much he hates being ordinary. He doesn't want to be the little man; essentially, he wants to be JR himself — so much so that he invested in an oil deal which has now turned bad and plunged him and Laura into a financial crisis.That Courageous Convictions is arguably the most forgettable episode from KNOTS’ first season has always struck me as odd, given that it focuses on Richard and Laura’s marriage and boasts typically strong performances from both actors. I wonder if at least part of the reason is down to the way it’s filmed. In almost every shot of the ep, there is a good inch or two of dead space at the top of the frame (so that when you’ve got, say, two characters talking, you’ve got also good chunk of boring ceiling above their heads). It’s remarkable how much that causes the dramatic tension to leak out of a scene. (This might be due to the DVD transfer, which can sometimes result in more of the image being shown than originally intended —for instance on the DALLAS DVDs, the lighting rig above the fake Southfork backdrop is occasionally visible the way it never was on TV — but it’s not usually as blatant, or consistent, as it is with this ep.)While the main subplot on KNOTS sees the Fairgates reacting nervously to Diana’s first steady boyfriend (whereas Karen does a lightly comic variation on the overprotective mother from hell she’ll turn into later in the series, Sid turns a characteristic blind eye), there’s an age reversal of the same scenario on DALLAS as JR and Sue Ellen both start twitching uncomfortably at the first signs of a budding romance between Miss Ellie and Clayton. (I'm not sure Ellie and Clayton will ever seem more natural and likeable a couple as they do during this initial courtship.)As both KNOTS plots develop, Laura and Diana each discovers her man has behaved unethically for money. While Richard tries to pressure Laura’s father into mortgaging his house on their behalf, Diana’s boyfriend steals $100 from Sid. Meanwhile, the best scene on DALLAS features Pam’s angry reaction when Bobby confesses to blackmailing a member of the Texas Energy Commission JR has in his pocket.On KNOTS, Richard explains to Laura that his reckless actions are born out of a fear of being ordinary. On DALLAS, Pam won't allow Bobby to explain his actions; she already knows. “There's only one reason! You would do anything to beat JR and get the company — anything!” she shouts angrily. It’s very satisfying to watch Pam let rip at her husband like this, and one finds oneself urging Laura to do the same thing rather than continually turn the other cheek. However, early KNOTS isn’t in the business of giving the audience what they want when they want it (that’s its great strength). It’s playing a long game instead, especially when it comes to the Averys.Rather than Pam, the DALLAS female in Crash of ‘83 closest to Laura is poor put-upon Afton. She too has a man who treats her like crap but for whom she nonetheless prostituted herself earlier in the season, just as Laura did. Cliff remains blissfully ignorant of this fact — at least until the scene where he comes home to find Gil Thurman with his hands all over Afton, eager for “another ride on the rollercoaster.” Cliff loses his temper with Afton and storms out. Likewise, when Laura offers Richard an ultimatum — she'll let her father loan them the money they need on the proviso that Richard allow her to get a job and take over the family finances — he too loses his temper and storms out. Whereas Richard subsequently returns home with his tail between his legs, Cliff does not.Meanwhile, Constant Companion’s Beatrice Handleman swaps her kaftans and voodoo dolls of Ginger for shoulder pads and a Filofax as she transforms herself into Rebecca Wentworth and wages war on JR. “The stakes are very high here, Pam!” she declares before flying off to Houston to sabotage his refinery deal.Each episode ends with a surprise for Laura and Pam respectively — Richard wears his new night shirt to bed and word reaches Southfork that the Wentworth jet has crashed with Pam’s mama onboard.And the winner is ... Crash of ‘83BONUS BEATS:[MEDIA=youtube]xrOiyJ4VEJA[/MEDIA]</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?