Season 1 vs. Season 2 -- which is better?

[Snarky Oracle!]

... and why?

 

[Tony]

I would say Season 1 because of the Constance and Sable dynamic, though the last quarter episodes with Phillip in Season 2 are very good.

 

[rayray]

I adore Barbara Stanwyck in this show, but the storytelling got better with Season 2: Sable was no longer the "ersatz Alexis" villain of the piece; Channing added a great dynamic to Miles' story; and I agree with Tony in that Philip's addition adding spice where spice was needed.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I'm not a big fan of Phillip except for how his return affected poor Frankie, but I like Fallon's troubled pregnancy, the Cassidys and Sable's race for First Grandchild.
There's also a lot of greatness in season 1 and therefore I can't choose.

 

[Matthew Blaisdel]

Same here, i can't choose and love the show as a whole.

 

[Richard Channing]

I think season 1 was better. Many of the characters had more of a sense of purpose and their motivations were more clearly defined. The wonderful tension and drama that we got from the Sable/Jason/Frankie triangle was the best thing about the show, and in season 2, instead of amping up the drama, it felt a little more diluted.
I missed Connie and what she brought to the show in season 2 also. Plus season 1 somehow felt more lavish, it seemed like they had a bigger budget for clothes, there were too many sweaters in season 2.

None of this is to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy season 2, but I was hoping for a progression like Dynasty had in it's second season. Giving us more of what we wanted and adding intriguing new elements we didn't know we wanted. It didn't quite manage that.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Giving us more of what we wanted and adding intriguing new elements we didn't know we wanted. It didn't quite manage that

Well said.
Zach Powers didn't become the larger than life villain that Cecil Colby was, one could argue that the Russians were The Colbys answer to the Moldavians, the Carters The Colbys answer to the Fallmonts and crazy Phillip The Colbys answer to crazy jungle Matthew Blaisdel.
That's fine for a 6th or 7th season but when that "outsider trouble" is already happening in its second season then maybe the most important stuff has already been told.
It's not exactly a secret that I love The Colbys but to me it doesn't feel "cancelled", in a strange way it feels complete the way it is.


Sable's war against Jeff and how she tried to stamp him out of the FAMILY was truly epic.

The man sitting over there.....is NOT a Colby!

Aw, poor Jeff

Perhaps the sci-fi theme should have started earlier, as a result of Jason's corporate meddling in outer-space. THE COLBYS writers had mastered the technique of "backfire" story telling therefore it makes perfect sense to me that Jason Colby was inadvertently responsible for the kidnapping of his precious daughter-in-law.
Cash Cassidy could have been an alien and little Scott Cassidy a half-alien. Something that Sable would learn the hard way when she kidnapped her half-alien grandson.
I'm not saying that it would be brilliant soap but at least it would be a game changer in the OTT SoapLand that was already dying out.
Like you said Richard, it wouldn't be something we wanted but maybe it could have been something that we needed.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I would have to go with season 2 because I just love the cliffhanger. As over the top as it is, it’s one of my favorite cliffhangers ever!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I'm a bit torn but I'm going to go with season one. It was messy. I thought Jason's near death computer error was a cop-out, I never bought the great romance between him & Frankie, I thought Miles' behaviour over Fallon was creepy and while I know the reasons behind it, I didn't like the diminishing screentime that Connie had as the season progressed. In saying that, there was a chaotic energy to season one that I felt was lacking in season two. I loved Sable's feverish attempts to unseat Connie & Jeff and how they blew up in her face. I loved her battles with Connie. This season had some amazing standout scenes including the trial, Sable & Frankie's "You slut!!" face off at the ambassador's residence and the finale scene on the airport tarmac.

The storylines in season two were better paced and settled into a better rhythm where all characters were being served but the season still felt a bit flat. The sparks from the Sable vs Connie war were much missed as her confrontations with Frankie never quite matched them (bar the aforementioned embassy face-off and maybe the one where Sable cracked the riding crop in the poolhouse). Sable herself almost felt sidelined in season two, with her directionless relationship with Zach being her main storyline for most of the season. I enjoyed the Bliss & Kolya storyline and the Hoyt Parker intrigue and subsequent re-emergence of Phillip but for all of it's fault, I still think season one was the more vibrant and exciting of the two.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I prefer season one because I'm a big fan of Barbara Stanwych as Constance.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Just because an actor is elderly doesn't mean they're not a great actor.

Barbara Stanwych outshines many of the younger actors on The Colby's season one.

She's great to watch & makes you feel for her.

The Colby's was lucky to have an actress of Stanwych's calibre on the show.

May she Rest In Peace.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Well, she's been dead for 32 years.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Well, she's been dead for 32 years.

In peace?

Those filthy whores and their faggot friends!

 

[colbyco]

It´s hard to choose. I prefer Channing over Conny, Kolya over Sean, Phillip over Hutch ...
but S1 seamed more fun when Sable tried to take down Jeff, Conny, Francesca and (sometimes) Jason.
fav S1 scenes:

*the first heli scene which showed how to use a heli the most impressive way (much better than Dallas did it in their cowboy style)
*Sable runs away out of court, fires the big gun, Jason brooks off the bedroom door
*Miles gets arrested after HIS Fallon married his half brother
*Sable gets shot down
*the finale airport scene

fav S2 scenes:

*Sable vows against Jason at the boardroom
*the "Scarecrow & Mrs King" like KGB scene of Kolya at Zach´s hotel
*Sable´s nightmare beeing not longer the lady of the house
*Jeff & Miles fighting on the Colby tower
*Fallon/Jeff and Miles/Channing together in the hills
*Cash gets shot in a JFK style
*Franky collapse at the wedding after Phillip showed up

 

[shaqattaq32]

Season 1 had higher highs and lower lows. Overall, I think they tried to do too much in season 1 and a lot of it really doesn’t work, but what does work is terrific.

Season 2 was more consistent with its storytelling but less ambitious.

Overall, I found season 2 more enjoyable.