Spring of ´83. Most of super soaps major
characters are about to die burnt...in one sense or
another...Writers do anything to top ratings. In each universe,
was happening this:
- DYNASTY: Starring
self-assured JOAN COLLINS as bitchy ALEXIS (now COLBY), the
show ended with a 2-part showdown between SHE and her
rival soft KRYSTLE: the physical one happened not long
before the last episode, with a fight at the pond of the
CARRINGTON MANOR, stage for the EX JENNINGS´s supreme
humiliation, by ms. COLLINS. Then, on the cliffhanger, she
tried to buy her out to leave town and eventually both
seemed trapped in a hut in fire, caused by a mysterious
character...who later on would turn out to be major domo JOSEPH
(L. BERGERE). Besides, his daughter, KIRBY (K. BELLER) was
carrying his rapist ADAM CARRINGTON (G. THOMSON)´s baby,
but married to JEFF already, and BLAKE threatened his
renewed son STEVEN (JACK COLEMAN) to get his and infamous
SAMMY JO´s baby´s custody in court and (H. LOCKLEAR, far
from MELROSE PLACE...)
- FALCON CREST: The
writers of the show abandoned the DALLAS pattern and
plagiarized the A. CHRISTIE novels with CARLO AGRETTI´s
mystery murder (he was MELISSA´s (ANA-ALICIA) father. On
the last scene, all the family gathered, including
guest star LANA TURNER as JACQUELINE, an outsider
accused the murderer...who surprisingly turned out to be
JULIA CUMSON (A.DALTON), ANGELA´s older daughter. But
she didn´t only admitted it but also pointed at his
envied CHASE to shoot him...They fought for the gun and
several shots could be heard...and then a funeral. Who
had been shot and killed? Or in another words, who
was completely expendable for JANE WYMAN...? One of
the best ever FC cliffhangers...
- KNOTS
LANDING: DALLAS spin-off was already pure melodrama and
would leave middle-class soon too, when GARY inherited
his part of JOCK´s fortune. On KL 4th cliffhanger,
KAREN found out that her daughter DIANA (C. LONOW) had
ran away with his husband and presumed murderer CHIP.
Abandoned by her spouse, LAURA (C. McCASHIN) accused him of
having killed CIJI (L. HARTMAN) as GARY languishes in
prison charged with the crime, also victimised by his
new wife ABBY. At the same time GINGER & KENNY
finally leave the show after a 4-year fill-in
fights...
- DALLAS: The Big Sister (to say so) of the super
soap world featured the End of the Ewing World Part 1:
BOBBY & PAM about to divorce, SOUTHFORK on fire because
of a fight between JR & RAY, SUE ELLEN drinking
again thanks to JR, LUCY´s boyfriend, RAY´s cousin,
MICKEY (T.P. MURPHY), became a cabagge due to a car
accident and KATHERINE just hallucinated only thinking
about BOBBY...Why didn´t anyone warn the poor girl
against wicked wooden JENNA WADE, a girl who looked very
much like E. PRESLEY´s widow...?
This year the
battle would be won by DALLAS once again, though DYNASTY
came close and F. CREST was preparing big checks for
the next season´s guest stars: CLIFF ROBERTSON, LAURA
JOHNSON & SARAH DOUGLAS.