Knots Landing characters through the years

I swear, every year or two, Val would talk about "the new Val" and how fearless and independent she had become (telling us, not showing us). Maybe she was referring to the loss of her accent circa 1987. Without the accent, she seemed a completely different character who just happened to be named Val. Inevitably, she'd get victimized or do something dumb or go fuck Gary again and then we'd get the same speech a again. Maybe that was her character, though, all that codependency. For the record, I was a Val fan but after about 1986/87, that character really lost her essence and it never came back. I blame the Lechowicks, not JVA or even the character of Val, but it did prevent the character from growing, their "village idiot" treatment of Valene.

Laura evolved the most. Evolved right into her grave. Gary also really completed an arc over 14 years and I think Ted is underappreciated. Unlike Linda Gray's Sue Ellen on Dallas, Gary remained compelling even when sober! I'm watching the 1983-84 season of Dallas and Sue Ellen is sober and putting me to sleep! Have a drink, bitch!

Karen lost her gutsy nature and became a Mary Sue figure in later years. I really hated the "Raising Meg MacKenzie" years.

Good idea for a topic, OP/HH.

Well said, R2. I think you’re right that Val’s accent just sort of disappeared (around season 8 maybe?).

The Lechowicks were an abomination to the Knots that I knew and loved. David Jacobs was the soul of Knots Landing.

By the time of Laura’s death in 1987, it’s hard to believe she’s the same person who was raped in that 1980 episode “The Lie.” There is a scene toward the end of that episode where Constance actually whimpers to Val. I’d say that the character of Laura had grown and changed the most.

I’ve always felt it was a terrible move to get rid of John Pleshette as Richard. John’s character was complicated, and John was one of the best actors of the entire run of the show. John also wrote and directed some episodes in the first few seasons. John and Constance portrayed the most interesting and realistic characters of the series.

There can never be too many discussions/dissections of KL!

I wonder if the majority of viewers (when the show was airing) were as enthralled with Laura? I know I was. Most underrated character/performance, in my estimation.

Loved Laura as the antidote to Abby and Val. She was the GG-Dorothy of Knots Landing. When Val's or Abby's stories turned over the top at times, I could always count on Laura just rolling her eyes about Abby's antics, and I was good. She grounded the stories in a way that even practical Karen couldn't do.

Diana Fairgate was the character that's change seemed bizarre to me. I liked the actress but once they made her go crazy, she had to go.

I liked that Laura wasn't 'one of the girls.' She was their neighbor and a good friend, but always more reserved, more solitary, an outsider. Less likely to hug it out. For me, when I rewatch the series, I tend to stop when Laura and Lilimae are each written out. It becomes a different show and for me, Knots Landing means "Momma" at Val's house and those great Val-Lilimae scenes. Without that and without Laura, the show loses its heart (although there are good things, many, it's just a different show at that point).

Soaps need that Laura character to ground the wacky. On Dallas, that was probably Donna Culver (Donna always just reminded me of "a nice neighbor lady," she didn't seem like a soap character). Not sure who would fit that on Falcon Crest. Possibly Maggie, who always expressed a weariness and bafflement with the antics around her in the valley. Dat pivot, though.