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Moonlighting: Maddie Hayes Got Married (1988)
Left at the Altar
Walter Bishop, the man Maddie met on the train home from Chicago and impulsively married, visits the office for the first time. The staff, including David, is expecting Walter to be handsome and charming. Sam, her previous boyfriend, was an astronaut and was played by the ridiculously good looking Mark Harmon. When the average but pleasant Walter arrives, David is delighted. He can hardly contain himself as he immediately knows that Walter is no competition. David, calling Maddie's bluff, arranges to throw the newlyweds a church wedding. Maddie is furious. Meanwhile, David invites Terri, the woman he has been attending Lamaze classes with. In an earlier episode David and Terri admitted having feelings for each other. Now that Maddie is back, David is growing distant from Terri. At the wedding as Walter and Maddie are at the altar Terri goes into labor. Maddie can't help herself and demands to know who Terri is and how is she connected to David. She abandons Walter at the altar and runs after David as he rushes Terri to the hospital. In a frustrating scene, Maddie and David bicker and scream in Terri's hospital room. At this point in season 4 the writers have made Maddie into a complete lunatic. The fighting has lost its charm and the show is stuck in a tedious rut.
Moonlighting: Fetal Attraction (1988)
One of the Better Season 4 Episodes
David decides to prepare for Maddie's upcoming baby by signing up for Lamaze class. The teacher tells him that while she appreciates his enthusiasm he can't take the class alone. Brooke Adams plays a single mother who is in need of a partner for the class so the teacher teams the two together. David agrees to not only help Adams through the class but to be with her in the delivery room. Willis and Adams have a nice easy chemistry. It's a refreshing break from the Viola and DiPesto show that Season 4 has become. Adams' character tells David that she has developed feelings for him. David admits that he feels the same. He says that it's so much easier than his relationship with Maddie who is 2,000 miles away, won't even talk with him on the phone, and doesn't even know who is the father of her baby. I agree. The writers have turned Maddie into an indecisive, selfish, one note character.
Brothers & Sisters: Walker Down the Aisle (2011)
Goodbye Walkers
I watched this series for the first time in 2023. Unlike the previous reviewer, I think it was time to say goodbye to the Walkers. Ending it on a wedding with the family gathered happily together felt like an appropriate way to go out. I could see that they had set up storylines in anticipation of a possible sixth season. For me, some of the 5th season veered into heavy As the Stomach Turns soap opera story lines especially discovering that Kevin and Scotty's surrogate lied, actually had the baby, and was raising it on her own. Also, finding out that Sarah was Brody's daughter. This to me, this puts the whole plot of William cheating on Nora for 20 years in a different perspective. Overall, I enjoyed the show, the ensemble cast, and the familiar faces who guest starred.
Boston Legal: The Good Lawyer (2007)
A Tough Lesson
My favorite storyline is Alan Shore's case defending a professor for wrongful termination. The opposing council is Jerry Espenson, aka "Hands." Alan is delighted to see his friend doing so well. They embrace and quickly catch up much to the irritation of the judge. Jerry has a new coping device, a wooden cigarette, which has given him a new found confidence. As the trial progresses, Jerry interrupts Alan with glib remarks, playing to the jury who are eating it up. Alan realizes that going against his friend won't be as easy as he might have thought. After court the two discuss the case in the hallway. Jerry, still chomping on the wooden cigarette, confidently tells Alan what's wrong with his case despite Alan's usual bag of tricks. Jerry is giddy thinking he's speaking to Alan as a colleague rather than as someone coming to him for help. In a chilling exchange, Alan cuts Jerry down reminding him that he knows who he really is. Jerry, stunned, immediately returns to his quirky awkward ticks and scurries away. It's a powerful scene. Later, the two lawyers meet to negotiate a settlement. Alan tells Jerry that being lawyer is a dirty business and that he's not cut out for it. I wonder what this means for Alan and Jerry's friendship going forward. Alan himself is often quite quirky but he is also a brilliant trial lawyer. It was a bit of a shock to see Alan act so cutthroat with Jerry but it added a complex layer to his character.
Project Runway: Project Redemption (2023)
Redemption
This all-star season has a good collection of returning players, including two players from season 1. There's also a contestant who participated the season Christian won so that could be possibly awkward. It's interesting to see what some of the participants from the earlier seasons have been up to including designing for tv and movies. One contestant works as an executive in the fashion industry but admits to not having sewed a dress in several years. The group's first challenge is to take the design that they lost on their original season and redeem it with a new design. It's a great idea and some of the old designs will be very familiar to longtime viewers. The contestants don't have to use the original fabric which is a blessing because some of them are dated or just plain ugly. One player says he's been playing over in his mind how he'd redo his design ever since he lost. Some re-dos are a definite improvement but the bottom two designs are pretty bad. Unfortunately, both people are likeable but I think the person with the worst design left.
Eight Is Enough: The Graduates (1979)
Joannie and Elizabeth Graduate
Elizabeth is graduating from high school. Tom is slated to give the commencement speech. She and her friends play a senior prank by dropping a water balloon on a strict teacher. The principal bans the group from the graduation ceremony. Elizabeth asks Abby to intervene with the principal on her behalf. Abby learns that there is more to the story. The elderly teacher slipped, broke her ankle and is in the hospital. Abby agrees with punishment and urges Elizabeth to think of someone besides herself. Eventually, Elizabeth does visit the teacher, truly sorry for what happened. Meanwhile, Joannie is graduating college. She's questioning whether she wasted the last four years: Should she continue on with school and get an advanced degree, should be take some time off, or can she get work as an actress? Joannie tries to talk to Abby who is preoccupied with Elizabeth 's immediate problem. Abby dismisses Joannie's concerns as being overly dramatic. Feeling rejected, Joannie lashes out at her step-mother. She says Abby has always avoided her because she reminds her of her mother, Joan. Joannie says her mother would have been there for her, unlike Abby. It's a realistic, raw moment. At the end of the third season it's nice to hear someone mention the children's mother. During life's milestones like graduation, the children would be missing their mother no matter how much they care for Abby.
Eight Is Enough: Best of Friends (1979)
Tommy grows up
Rosanna Arquette guest stars as Lori, a friend of Tommy's. They are friends, studying and doing homework together, no romance. She reveals that she is pregnant and that her boyfriend is long gone, only sending her a $300 check to help her "take care" of the problem. Lori is understandably upset and not sure what to do. She's afraid to tell her parents. In an effort to help his friend, Tommy proposes marriage and tells his father that the baby is his. Lori eventually tells Tom the truth that Tommy is not the father but just trying to help. She doesn't want to marry him but loves him for caring. It is a nice change seeing Tommy trying to be responsible and compassionate for a change. In previous episodes he's gotten in trouble for making a peep hole into the girls locker room, tried to scalp tickets for a living only to blow the profits on gambling. Lori tells her parents and decides to go to a special school for girls in her situation. Other plots lines are much lighter: Nicholas and Irving run a lemonade stand; David and Janet move in while their apartment is being fumigated.
Falcon Crest: Home Again (1990)
A toast to you, Falcon Crest, and long may you live
I just finished watching all 9 seasons of Falcon Crest. I saw it when it originally aired and remembered it as one of my favorite shows of the time. The earlier seasons were elegant and entertaining with characters and actors you really loved or loved to hate. It was really fun to revisit the show. By season eight, many of the familiar actors were gone. This final season was a particular chore to get though with Jane Wyman's absence, unlikable characters taking the focus, and ridiculous plotlines. Angela leaves Falcon Crest to Emma. Emma?!? The whole storyline of her marriage to the slimy Brit, so frustrating. Frank Agretti's son and grandson are just gone, no explanation. A new Agretti nephew is added ( where did he come from?) just to be quickly killed off. Frank is carted away for murdering his wife years ago, his character completely changed from earlier seasons, and not mentioned again until the final episode when Angela says he's getting out. Pilar's infidelity with the sleazy chess master with a photographic memory. Don't ask. Wouldn't Lance call Peter Stavros, one of the world's wealthiest and most powerful men, for help getting Falcon Crest back while Angela is in a coma? There's too many ridiculous things to mention. While I understand why they added characters in Angela's absence, I didn't find Michael Sharpe to be very compelling. His sister Lauren became tiresome and by the end was hoping Richard would break up with her. Jane Wyman reappears in the last few episodes and it is wonderful to have her back. The series ends with Richard and Lauren's wedding. Angela gets Falcon Crest back. "A toast to you, Falcon Crest, and long may you live."
Falcon Crest: Charley (1989)
Sorry Wrong Number
Emma is painfully stupid and pathetic making another bad mistake in her lovelife. Charley, the slimy boyfriend who gave Emma a black eye from the previous episode, turns up in Tuscany. He accompanies Emma to Maggie's funeral and steals the diamond ring off her hand during the viewing. Later he gives Maggie's ring to Emma. He moves into Falcon Crest and makes himself at home much to the frustration of the rest of the family. The episode ends with Angela in bed while the rest of the family is out of the house. She gets a series of phone calls with no one on the other end. The lights flicker and Charley appears. As he approaches her bed Angela grabs a gun from her bedside table only to discover that he has removed the bullets. Charley then puts a pillow over her face to smother her. (The scene is reminiscent of Sorry Wrong Number for which Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress the same year Wyman won for Johnny Belinda.)
Falcon Crest: The Price of Freedom (1989)
Last episode
The first episode of the last season starts with workers and Lance in the vineyard where they find a dead falcon. A bad omen. Then the opening credits role with new music and new clips. It's not nearly as polished or classy as the earlier seasons. Susan Sullivan is noticeably absent from the main cast, getting a guest appearance credit later with no picture. Richard is in jail. We hear a voice over of a judge sentencing him to three years but not in a white collar prison but in a state prison. Gregory Harrison is a new addition to the cast looking like small time Gordon Geikko with slicked back hair. He visits Richard in jail where he is blackmailed into helping Channing. Richard sends Maggie a gift through his lawyer, a large diamond ring. Maggie visits him in jail for a conjugal visit. He plans to testify and fears for his life.
Angela hires a PI to investigate Pilar hoping to break up her marriage to Lance. The guy's incompetent and Pilar is on to him. Angela leaves for Greece leaving Lance in charge. Emma has a black eye from Charlie, a man she is having an affair with behind her Daniel's back. Maggie with a new much shorter haircut, drowns in a swimming pool when the ring Richard gave her gets caught in the drain. RIP Maggie.
Falcon Crest: The Last Laugh (1989)
Don't Count Angela Out
Richard continues to destroy anything or anyone in his way. A man comes into Maggie's newspaper to cancel his ads based on rumors, spread by Richard, that she is having an affair with Tommy Ortega. Meanwhile, the competency hearing for Angela continues. Richard takes the stand and lies saying he only has her best interest at heart. He wants Angela to live with him while he would take over her affairs and Falcon Crest. Surely, they could have people testify as to how Richard really feels about his mother. If anyone should have conservatorship over Angela, it should be Lance. He testifies that he believes his grandmother. The judge ultimately rules in Richard's favor. But wait! Angela comes up with a plan to help her with since no one else can. The judge awards consevatorship to her husband ... Frank Agretti!
Falcon Crest: Ties That Bind (1989)
The Snake Pit
Richard has sunk to a new low having Angela sent to a mental institution for psychiatric evaluation. After discovering that his grandmother was carted away from her home, Lance goes to the hospital to demand her release. He's told that they can hold her for 72 hours. The hospital is pretty bleak, with Angela being accosted by other patients and the patronizing doctor who clearly believe that she is ill. It's very frustrating. While Richard has connections, Angela is equally, if not more, influential. Surely, Lance could get some strings pulled to get her out. Richard has filed to become her conservator in the event she is deemed incompetent. It's ruled that Angela must stay another two weeks for further evaluation. Richard pays Samantha (fake Melissa) a million dollars for her sevices. He sends her to Paris escorted by Garth. However, Samantha is not ready to get out of Richard's life. Garth plants drugs in her luggage leading to her arrest. Richard has ruined nearly very one in his personal life. Meeting with Angela's lawyer in San Francisco, Lance sees Melissa's doppelganger. Will he finally believe what Angela has been saying?!? Meanwhile, Nick continues to try to prove that Angela had the deed to Falcon Crest forged. Ben feels ignored. They continue to be the least interesting storyline. Maggie publishes an investigative series on the local hospital following Gabriel's treatment.
Falcon Crest: Grand Delusions (1989)
Gaslighting
After holding Angela captive in the penthouse suite of the New Globe, Richard lets her leave accompanied by the Melissa look lookalike. Angela calls Lance to pick her up. When he arrives, the fake Melissa is nowhere to be found. Back home at Falcon Crest, Angela tells Frank, Maggie, and Lance what happened. No one believes her. Richard denies everything, accusing her of being in Greece this whole time. It's very frustrating. Angela has never had any history of mental illness while Richard has been known to do all sorts of horrible schemes. It shouldn't be so hard to believe that Richard is gaslighting her. Samantha (fake Melissa) could ruin everything for Richard. Realizing no one believes her, Angela finally hires a detectIve to follow Richard. Pilar tells Angela that she got Richard to give her shares of Glen Braddock, hoping to work together against him. Richard however has recordings of Pilar talking to Sinclair, blackmailing her to support him on the board. Meanwhile, Tommy Ortega has been called to testify at Richard and Maggie's custody trial. Richard 's lawyers fight dirty accusing Maggie of having an affair with Tommy, bringing up her past alcoholism. Richard blames Maggie for the breakup and he gets sole custody. The cliffhanger, Richard arranges to have Angela held for psychiatric evaluation. Richard is despicable throughout this episode.
Falcon Crest: Resurrection (1989)
Who's that girl
In Chicago, Richard meets a woman, a high class call girl, who is a dead ringer for Melissa. After spending the night together, Richard offers to pay her to impersonate Melissa back in Tuscany. She agrees and Richard brings her to meet Angela, still being held captive by Richard. The Melissa doppelganger tells Angela that she escaped the fire at Falcon Crest and is back to claim it. Is Richard hoping to drive Angela crazy? He'll eventually have to let her go. What was his plan had he not met a Melissa doppelganger? Richard and Maggie continue to screw up their kids with their messy breakup. After talking to a understandably upset Michael on the phone, Maggie resolves into tears. Tommy is there to console her. The two briefly kiss before Maggie comes to her senses. Meanwhile in the least interesting storyline, Ben's mother is still dying. She asks Nick to help her when the pain gets too much, by helping her overdose on morphine. Soon one hopes.
Falcon Crest: Missing Links (1989)
The boy in the well
Michael, missing Maggie, runs away from home. He falls into an old well. The nanny tells Richard that she can't find Michael. The police send out a search party. Eventually, Richard finds his son. The search party helps lower him into the well. After several attempts they get father and son out right before the well collapses. Richard and Maggie should take this as a sign to put their differences aside for the sake of their kids. But no, they each want sole custody. The fight goes on. Rod Taylor returns as Frank Agretti. Ben finds out his mother is dying. Angela gets a telegram that Peter Stavros is very ill in Greece and wants to see her. But wait! It turns out that the message is really from Richard. Richard then kidnaps Angela to prevent her from going to Chicago for a Glen Braddock board meeting that could interfere with his plans for the valley. What is going on?!? What is his plan after he lets her go?
Falcon Crest: The Vigil (1989)
The Vigil
I can't help it, I really like Richard. David Selby is just so charming that I enjoy his character no matter what trouble Richard stirs up. When he comes to Falcon Crest with a court order to take his boys home and gleefully calls out, "Michael, Kevin! Daddy's here!" it's perfect. It's believable that Richard really loves those boys, and still loves Maggie. He also hates losing. In the real world, he and Maggie would be doing some real emotional damage to those kids, taking them from the other parent. Maggie knew what she was getting into by marrying Richard just as he knew that Maggie would object if she knew of his scheming and backroom dealings. It would have been more interesting having them stay married but we know no one can stay happy for long on Falcon Crest.
The other story line of the boys getting into a car crash after being run off the road isn't that compelling. Frankly, many of the new characters this season aren't that interesting. Meanwhile, Lance and Pilar are back after eloping. Jane Wyman continues to look thin and frail this season but ever the professional her Angela Channing is still feisty.
Locke & Key: Five Minutes Past (2022)
I might be done after this episode
I find myself talking to the television when character after character continues to do stupid thing on this show. Granted, Bode is the youngest but what was he thinking?!? Why, of all the points in time to go back to he chooses the time their plan failed. Rather than helping his family, he tells Dodge how they defeated it allowing Dodge to escape and change the past. Did it not occur to him that since he can interact with the people in the past that he can also change the outcome? Ugh. Also, if Uncle Duncan knows about the time travel key and how dangerous it can be why give him It to Nina to keep safe? Nina then puts the dangerous key in an easy to find bag in her closet. Really frustrating ending to this episode. Do I want to keep watching?
Falcon Crest: Sharps & Flats (1985)
Too Much Apollonia
Lance helps Apollonia with her musical career. There's even a music video-ish sequence with Lance pounding the streets to get her music some air play. Of course the two start dating. There is way too much Apollonia in this episode. Cole continues to be a jerk. Creepy cousin Robin, carrying Cole's baby after a drunken one night stand, is going to Lamaz class. Cole drops everything, including a dinner with Melissa, to take her. He really has no sense of how hard it is for her that Robin is carrying his child. Melissa continues counseling with hunky Father Christopher. The two obviously are attracted to each other. Very Thorn Birds vibe. Connie turns up again. The shock knocks Maggie out of her amnesia. She and Chase reconcile. Cassandra is still hanging around after selling her share of Falcon Crest to Peter Stravos. Stravos leverages his share of Falcon Crest to try and force Angela into marrying him. Richard, desperate for money, plans to skim money off the take of the race track.
Falcon Crest: Judge and Jury (1983)
The hearing, the will
Emma tells Maggie that Julia "needs a friend" and that she should visit her in jail. What the ?!? Julia framed Maggie 's son for murder. Julia shot Chase, leaving him unable to walk. Julia killed Chase's mother. But sure, Maggie should visit Julia in jail. Julia has completely changed from earlier seasons, she's out of control. She vows revenge against Lance and Maggie. Maggie visits and Julia tries to attack her. Melissa visits Julia trying to turn her against Angela. Julia wants to represent herself at the trial pleading guilty.
Meanwhile, Chase struggles to walk. There are several scenes of him throwing his crutches aside, falling and finally walking. Lance continues to try to sabotage Chase at the winery. Lance's actions not only endanger Chase 's health but the success of the winery. It seems counterproductive. Chase and Richard should join forces, put their differences behind them, and fight Angela. Melissa is pregnant again thinking it is Richards baby. But wait! Richard, unbeknownst to Melissa, had a vasectomy years ago, making the baby Lance's.
Cliff Robertson continues as Chase 's cousin, Dr. Michael Ranson. He was named executor of Jacqueline 's will. Surprisingly, Angela is named in the will. Robertson is a good addition to the cast looking and sounding like Robert Foxworthy.
Falcon Crest: Victims (1982)
Oh, Emma
Emma is pregnant by Turner Bates. The same Turner Bates who earlier in the season tried to abduct Emma, slapped her around, locked her in a cabin in an effort to blackmail Angela about Jason's death. Emma is floating around in a romantic haze, writing poems to Turner. When she returns home after wandering off, yet again, her sister Julia calls a doctor. The doctor says Emma's fine and oh, by the way, she's pregnant. Lance is concerned that a grandchild will interfere with his inheritance. Angela thinks the baby would be good for Emma and could be an option if Lance proved to be an unworthy heir. What kind of mother would Emma be? She can't even take care of herself. It's strange that the family never considered this possibility. Emma, with her breathy dreamy voice, constant wandering off, and living in a fantasy world is increasingly annoying. Emma goes back to the winery, reliving the night that Jason died. Lance follows her, concerned but Emma takes a tumble down the stairs.
Another annoying character is Vickie. She's is a whiny, privileged, brat. There's also a side story about the vineyard workers being extorted.
Take a Girl Like You (1970)
Worth a look for Mills fans
As a Hayley Mills fan I was curious about the pairing of her with Oliver Reed. It's like putting a little lamb with a hungry wolf. Mills comes to town to take a teaching position. She moves into a boarding house run by a local boozy politician and his unhappy wife. She meets Oliver Reed who comes by to visit another young woman who lives in there. He takes Mills out to dinner and back to his place only to discover that she is a virgin. One of the few left. She tells him she wants to wait until she's in love. Reed delivers her back home. He's intrigued but is distracted by other more available women. Reed and Mills have an interesting chemistry, he's intense and slightly dangerous and she's innocent and inexperienced. The ending had a little twist that I found myself rooting against, before arriving at a more conventional finale. Worth a look.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022)
Glad it's over
Well, Jodie Whittaker 's time as the Doctor is finally over. As with her other recent specials, this one has a lot going on with Cybermen, daleks, the Master, cameos from past companions and Doctors. There's lots of action and special effects. There's missing volcanologists and master paintings. But you'll be hard pressed to retell the actual plot after watching this mess. Dan is quickly dropped off so Yaz can accompany the Doctor alone. There is a heartfelt goodbye with the two perched on top of the tardis eating ice cream but I just didn't care. The best part of the episode, for me, was the ending and the surprise regeneration. Looking forward to the new episodes. Allons-y!
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays: The Great Christmas Baking Show (2022)
Who?
I was disappointed to find that the "stars" of something called "It's a Sin" are the bakers on this holiday episode. They admittedly aren't bakers but manage to come up with dishes for all three challenges. The judges have lowered their expectations and are suitably positive and supportive to the novice bakers. Maybe this would appeal to people familiar with the actors but I miss the former Great British Baking contestants coming back for this holiday episode. There is a second holiday episode after this. Viewers can just skip this one and go to the second holiday episode that features four returning bakers.
Hill Street Blues: Das Blues (1986)
Ridiculous plotline
The whole plot of Hunter going into the boiler room looking for his weights, falling and hitting his head then thinking he's on a Russian submarine is ridiculous. As people come downstairs, Hunter hits them on the head and ties them up, basically holding them hostage. He thinks they have been compromised, brainwashed by the Russians. Finally, Lucy Bates and Goldblum come down and discover a confused Hunter and his hostages. This is by far, the silliest plotline ever on Hill Street Blues. The fact that Hunter is allowed to just go back to work and no one seems too concerned that he just snapped is hard to believe. It seems like they have run out of credible ideas for Hunter.
The Great British Bake Off: The Final (2022)
The Final
Not the most successful finale bakes. The final three, while all likeable, are not the most skilled we have seen at the end. They each struggled in various ways. To me, the showstopper from the previous episode was more impressive. I think the judges were very kind in their comments but the technical challenge results were pretty abysmal. For the last show I'm sure that the judges would have hoped for more polished bakes. As the other reviewer here stated, viewers have a pretty good idea who will win even before they start this episode. Some likeable bakers on this season but not the most successful finale bakes. GBBS is still delightful and highly watchable.