Have you ever faced the storm of a family reunion, where emotions run as high as the stakes? This episode of "Knotts Landing" revisits the heart of family wounds and the bittersweet dance of healing. As we unravel Lucy's emotionally charged journey back to her family fold, we witness the raw and relatable moments that define our own quests for acceptance and love. When Lucy meets with her parents Gary and Val, the complexities of their relationships are laid bare – from the silence that fostered her feelings of neglect to the hopeful embrace of reconciliation.
Strap in as we navigate the deep waters of Lucy's homecoming, from Val's candid confrontation with her daughter's resentment to Gary's enigmatic distance that keeps us guessing. The episode "Home is for Healing" offers a poignant look at what it means to belong and the courage it takes to confront the past. With neighbor Karen's empathetic ear and Sid's fatherly advice to Gary, we explore the universal longing for connection amidst the trials of day-to-day life, and how even the most fractured bonds can find their way back to a place of understanding.
As we close this chapter on "Knotts Landing," we leave you with a tableau of a beachside family gathering that symbolizes the timeless dance of coming together and drifting apart. Look forward to our next episode, where we continue to peel back the layers of the Ewing family saga. We've shared laughter and tears, opened old wounds and found new strength – and through it all, we discovered that home, indeed, is for healing. Join us as we journey onward, exploring the ties that bind, the love that mends, and the stories that remind us of the resilience of family.
If you love Soaplore, check out
Televisionofyore.com for a blow by blow recap of iconic t.v
Join the Vintage Primetime Soap Opera Social Club on FB
Have you ever faced the storm of a family reunion, where emotions run as high as the stakes? This episode of "Knotts Landing" revisits the heart of family wounds and the bittersweet dance of healing. As we unravel Lucy's emotionally charged journey back to her family fold, we witness the raw and relatable moments that define our own quests for acceptance and love. When Lucy meets with her parents Gary and Val, the complexities of their relationships are laid bare – from the silence that fostered her feelings of neglect to the hopeful embrace of reconciliation.
Strap in as we navigate the deep waters of Lucy's homecoming, from Val's candid confrontation with her daughter's resentment to Gary's enigmatic distance that keeps us guessing. The episode "Home is for Healing" offers a poignant look at what it means to belong and the courage it takes to confront the past. With neighbor Karen's empathetic ear and Sid's fatherly advice to Gary, we explore the universal longing for connection amidst the trials of day-to-day life, and how even the most fractured bonds can find their way back to a place of understanding.
As we close this chapter on "Knotts Landing," we leave you with a tableau of a beachside family gathering that symbolizes the timeless dance of coming together and drifting apart. Look forward to our next episode, where we continue to peel back the layers of the Ewing family saga. We've shared laughter and tears, opened old wounds and found new strength – and through it all, we discovered that home, indeed, is for healing. Join us as we journey onward, exploring the ties that bind, the love that mends, and the stories that remind us of the resilience of family.
If you love Soaplore, check out
Televisionofyore.com for a blow by blow recap of iconic t.v
Join the Vintage Primetime Soap Opera Social Club on FB
Speaker 1:
Now you got lessons and shit. Now you want to teach me how to be a woman. You want to teach me how to shop. You should have been teaching me that when I was three and four years old. Are you trying to be my daddy?
Speaker 1:
Welcome, and welcome back to Soap Lord, the official gathering place for newbies and novices and OG diehard fans of the golden age of prime time. I'm your host, judd. We're back with the Knoth Landing Takeover, season 1, episode 6, and this is yet another crossover third in the series thus far. So, whether you're new to this or true to this, sit back and enjoy. So the kids. It's time to play outside or out of sight. Tell Bay. No questions, suggestions or concerns for the next 25 minutes. Everyone else in Ayrshire, you need to be cool, quiet or get out, because we are discussing one of the most iconic stories in history Knoth Landing. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is Soap Lord. What's up? Party people? Welcome back to another fun, bold edition of Soap Lord, the Knoth Landing Takeover, season 1, episode 6,. This episode is called Home is for Healing. Ain't that the truth? Ain't nothing like coming home, kicking off your shoes, no matter where you call home, and just being comfortable there. That is not fully the case on this episode.
Speaker 1:
We're about halfway through the first season and bad girl Lucy makes a crossover appearance to reunite with her family for the first time ever in her life. I keep forgetting that. Also keep forgetting Lucy Full disclosure. If you have been listening to the show for a while then you would know that I originally thought Knoth Landing was going to be about Lucy. It just made sense to me. She's an interesting character. She is the North Texas Lolita. You know what? Actually, I don't even think I can call her that anymore. She is 18, so she's legal Legal. Lucy is in the street. She will take the wrong man as naturally as she breathes, and I thought what better place to do it than in Southern California? Didn't know it was in SoCal, but surely I thought she'd get a spin off because she kind of fades into the background. Not this time. She is front and center. Lucy is all about that reunion. We're not going to waste any time today, let's jump right in.
Speaker 1:
So the show opens up with Val and Gary in their bedroom getting ready for sexy time. Val has been listening to Karen, you know. Karen's all in everybody's business in the best possible way. She's like girl, put on this negligee, he's not going to be able to resist you. Only he is because he's a little bit obtuse Like Gary. Just, I don't understand Gary. Gary seems very distant all the time, or pissed off. That's all I get from him. Either way, she has on her little back outfit, he makes some remark and she's just like forget it. She goes to the bathroom, she changes into some you know more maternal looking pajamas and that turns him on. That's apparently his button. So they're, you know they're. They're warming up, if you will. When the phone ring to pick it up, it's Bobby. So that means it's something like two AM in Dallas. He wants to give them a heads up.
Speaker 1:
Lucy knows, she knows that they snuck off, she knows that they were seeing each other, she knows that they got married and that they're living in California and she is big, big, big mad about it. So Val immediately goes into crisis mode. She makes arrangements to fly out to Dallas to see Lucy in person. She's going to smooth things over and see if she can't talk Lucy into coming out to live with them. So she shows up to Lucy's college. If memory serves me right, I think Lucy goes to Southern Methodist University, val shows up, lucy sees her and she's super pissed because she had to find out about them. Instead of them telling her face to face or, at the very least, writing her letter, giving her a phone call, she had to find out and she's big mad about it. I totally understand that feeling. Let me know, you know what I mean. Don't let me walk into a room and figure out something versus you telling me, especially if you say you care about me.
Speaker 1:
So Val starts talking fast. She's explaining like baby, I'm so sorry this happened, but your dad just is not as comfortable as I am with you just telling you this. He wanted to make sure that we were going to be a solid couple. He wants to make sure that he and I are going to last before we bring you into it Now. On the surface, this is a good idea. I can totally understand where he's coming from not wanting to stir the boat one more time when he's never been in her life, but at the same time, lucy isn't a toddler. It would be different if she was four or five years old. Then, yeah, give yourself a little bit of time, but at the end of the day, you are Lucy's natural parents. I can't understand why he didn't just say, okay, let's take her, but you know what makes for good TV. So Lucy takes all this in and she's like likely story.
Speaker 1:
Lucy's of the opinion that Gary just isn't as ballsy as her mom. Her mom, basically under the threat of death, still showed up for her. So there's like this little chip that's on her shoulder. She believes that Valene wants her. She knows this. Valene and her have grown very close over the years, or over this year. Val has made all the effort to be in her daughter's life. So she's like you want me. It doesn't really feel like my dad does. And Valene's like girl. No, no, no, no, no, he's just, he's a little difficult to understand, but trust me, he loves you very much and we want you. So Lucy's convinced, you know, because mama came and smooth things over and she says you know what Class is gonna wrap up? I don't know if it's summer or something, but she decides that she's gonna go take about a week or two, fly out to California just to kind of get acclimated to being in that part of the Ewing family.
Speaker 1:
So back in California, gary's at work. He works with that dealership the Sid owns. When Karen stops by looking for Val, she's like, hey, where's your wife? We're supposed to go to lunch today. Gary quickly explains to her that Valene went to Dallas to go talk to Lucy because Lucy found out which only further proves Lucy's point that everybody but her knew about it. She feels like slighted, totally justified. So Karen immediately understands. She's like, oh cool, but why don't you both go as in, why didn't Gary and Valene go? Which is a wonderful question. He admits it's because he's never had a relationship with Lucy. This has to be a really painful confession.
Speaker 1:
Weirdly, I'd forgotten that Lucy didn't even recognize Gary when she met him back on season one of Dallas. Remember he came to the ranch. She didn't even know who he was. She thought he was some random ranch hand. So that means, if I were to believe this storyline, that there are no photos of him at South Fork, which is extremely weird considering how broken up Ellie was about him being gone on that birthday episode. Remember when she tortured the whole family over breakfast by playing that ridiculous song on loop, staring at his old drawings and whatnot. It's very weird that she wouldn't have been able to identify her dad even for you know what I'm saying. It's weird.
Speaker 1:
So Lucy shows up in California and the family is reunited for the first time ever, or united first time in Lucy's adult life. They're all riding in the front seat and they're giddy. It's very clear immediately. You can just see how close Valene and Lucy are. But Gary wants, you know, he's trying to jump in there and he says hey, what do you wanna go do first? You wanna go to the beach. Have you ever been? He thinks she wants to see that because that was the first thing her mom wanted to see when she came out to California.
Speaker 1:
But Lucy, you know she's lived a different life. She's lived a privileged life. So she goes no, no, I wanna see my home, which hits different when you understand. She's never had that with him. She wants to see what her life would be like, get a little glimpse of it. For her this is the first time in her life. That home is where her parents are, not her aunts and uncles, not her grandparents, not her former lover, slash ranch foreman. That's not where they live.
Speaker 1:
She falls in love with the room that Valene has prepared for her. Valene has stepped up, gone out of her way and once again Gary's in the background, valene and Lucy are just kind of giddy, walking around the room looking at everything, looking at the dolls, looking at the drapes, and Valene confesses that this, oh, this house. Finally, finally, it feels like home. I've loved this house but it just never felt right. You being here, lucy, this is the peace Loves it, everybody's happy. But Gary is sulking. Now he's starting to piss me off. At this point in the episode this is all I see from this kid. He's either pissing off and slinking off, which is true to form. I mean, that seems to track. That's his MO. So he slinks out of the house and he takes a long walk. Now, nosey, karen, my girl Karen, she drives up beside him and she's like Gary, why the long face? What's going on? And he explains to me. I don't know how to talk to Lucy. She goes just get in there and handle it, don't worry about it, just step up. So the episode progresses. Everyone in the neighborhood, karen's daughter, whoever's at home, they all kind of come over. Everybody's excited to meet Lucy.
Speaker 1:
Now Kenny and Ginger are also featured in this episode and I'm really glad because we haven't seen a whole lot of Kenny. We've seen him come in and out. We know that he's had an affair with Sid's oldest daughter. We know that Ginger had to have an abortion once upon a time. She wants kids. He doesn't seem to be ready, but we don't really know much else about them. Well, this episode she's talking.
Speaker 1:
Ginger had been talking to Karen about all the partying that Ken has to do. Ken is some sort of he's either a manager, an AR guy, something in the music industry where he has to mix and mingle quite a bit, and she's just kind of tired of that. That's the whole reason they live in Knott's Landing. She wants to have a normal, regular, degolish man of her life and she wants to just. She wants it to be just them. She feels like every time they go out or every time they do anything together, it's basically a party. She's over it. Now she's sitting on a little bit of a secret. She'll talk about that in a little bit, but in the meantime, once Kenny gets home, they go over to the Ewing so that they can meet Lucy.
Speaker 1:
Kenny in his mind, is thinking Lucy is a little girl. Never occurred to him that she is a full grown, legal woman. So the Ewing's are sitting out on the porch and up walks Kenny and Ginger. They stop by to meet Lucy and he immediately invites her to a house party they're having the next night. Now, ginger, you can tell she's looking at Lucy because Lucy goes all slow wide seductress, jazz singer, like you know. She thinks she's Mariah Carey or something. She's all please to meet you, kenny. Ginger clocks this and she sits in between them to make sure it doesn't go any further than that. But Kenny definitely took the bait and he says something to the effect of wow, when you told me I was going to meet Vowzele girl, I wasn't expecting. Miss Dallas invites her over to a party Good old fashioned kickback at their house the next night to meet.
Speaker 1:
Lucy wants to meet Cosmic Steeple, which is a rock band, so she can come out and meet them Once again. Lucy's like nah, she did admit that she wanted to meet some movie stars. You know they live in it. So this is what? Not as lightning as in LA, I know all you OGs know that, but it seems to just be like a suburb of the city. As tempting as it is to meet the hottest man in the world, cosmic Steeple, she would rather spend that time with her mom and dad. She's like we're going to Marine Land and Mariana or something like that.
Speaker 1:
I couldn't understand what she's saying and Gary seems to think that the party might be a better idea. Like well, doesn't she want to hang out with kids her own age? He's trying here and he's not wrong, but again, he don't know her from Adam. She didn't really know him from Adam and it seems like she's a little bit upset with him. Still, ginger and Kenny go home and this is where the truth comes out. This is why I like this show.
Speaker 1:
Although it seems pretty wholesome at first glance, everybody's sitting on a little bit of a secret. Everybody has little things are going through. This couple is not any different. Ginger is not. I repeat, she is not feeling this party that she and Kenny were going to have a movie date, go to an actual theater, grab a box pizza, head down to the beach Like they used to do like when they first met. But it seems like all he does lately is party with these randos and she hates it. She's a kindergarten teacher or some sort of teacher I'm assuming an elementary teacher. He's in the music business, so it's part of his job to have to be out all the time. Only, that's not the full story. The full story is that when they go to these parties, men are putting their hands all up and down her and she's just kind of tired of us, so they don't really clarify this episode. It makes me think it's more like a kind of a Laura situation, where her husband knows her past and occasionally she does stuff she's not proud of, but he's you know, he knows about it. But this seems like Kenny encourages that. I don't know if they're swingers or what it's implied. They never fully say anything. I'm sure maybe we're only six episodes into a series that ran for 15 or 13 or 14 years. So time will tell. Either way, if she don't want to go to the party, he thinks she's overreacting. She's like okay, this is what I hope, this is what I want you to do. Go ahead and throw that party and see if I show up tomorrow. I bet you money I won't be here. He ignores her per usual.
Speaker 1:
Meanwhile, back at the Ewing's, lucy and her mom continue to bond. The reality is they just get each other. You have to think about this. Valene was about 15 years old when she gave birth to Lucy, so they're not only they close in age, but they both want each other. You can tell. You can tell Valene was ripped from her daughter. She didn't walk away so it's easier for her to get in there. They're bonding and Lucy's like you know, I got a young, hot mama. Try on some of my clothes, mom. You're gonna look so goodness. Oh my gosh, try this on, try this on. They're having a good time.
Speaker 1:
Gary's in the room and he sees this. He peeps over Valene's shoulder and he sees a price tag on one of these boxes. He has a nerve to insert himself in this conversation. Granted, that's her father. But listen to me, he goes on and on about how this top costs more than he earns in a week. No, scratch that. It costs more than what he earns in two weeks.
Speaker 1:
You can't be wearing stuff like this, lucy, I can't afford this. Did you buy this with my dad's money? Now Lucy's trying to be cool. She's like well, yes, I did. Granddaddy gave me a credit card. I absolutely purchased it with him. Well, you can't be doing that anymore. You have to kind of live under my means.
Speaker 1:
Okay, ego, ego, ego. Totally know where he's coming from, but who are you to say because I can't afford it. You can't have nice things. It's kind of Lucy's sentiment. She's like you know what grandma wants? Grandma and grandpa gave me a credit card. They clearly want me to look TF good. What do you expect me to do Now?
Speaker 1:
Gary makes just. This is his cardinal sin. Before he knows that, he says Lucy with that kind of thinking that's all, that's it. That's all he gets out of his mouth before she snaps like oh, now you want to tell me how to think. Oh, now you got lessons and shit. Now you want to teach me how to be a woman, you want to teach me how to shop? You should have been teaching me that when I was three and four years old. Are you trying to be my daddy? And what can he say? What can he say? This is the most he's ever spoken to this girl and she's like you absolutely will not tell me what to do. Matter of fact, she decides that the evening is enough. She's had enough of Garrett Ewing. Good old GE. She don't want to look at his face anymore. You know what, mama? I'm not going to Marine Land, I'm going over to this party next door to hang out with Cosmic Steeple Backing up just a little bit. Ginger was not joking.
Speaker 1:
Kenny comes downstairs a few minutes before the party is meant to begin and Ginger is dressed in her. I'm at home casually waiting for everyone to leave. Close. She is not dressed for a party. She's got on my. I'm relaxing, I ain't doing nothing else for the evening. Kenny's like why aren't you dressed? And she's like I told you more than 50 times yesterday I was not going. I will not be in attendance at this little hoodlum, touchy filly party. I hate it. He thinks she's playing, she gets up and she leaves.
Speaker 1:
So at this party we get a peek into Kenny and Ginger's marriage. The women at the party are more than familiar with him. One of them seems to think that he only likes hooking up with other women if his wife is around, which is kind of tracking based on their conversation. Lucy is playing ring around the roses with these guys. Was it Cosmic Steeple? They're a British man or something. But right away they gave me like clockwork orange vibes, very menacing, and finally one of them decides that hey, let's leave.
Speaker 1:
So she ends up leaving with a clockwork odd and coming home the following morning to a well rested valine who fell asleep on the couch and a very concerned Gary. It's not working. She breaks it to both of them. Listen, I can't do this. We're not going to be roommates, y'all don't even worry about it. I'm going to head on home Now. I knew she'd gone out to LA because there is an episode a little earlier in season three, probably around the between like the eight and 14 mark, where Lucy mentions that she visited her parents. So I knew she wasn't gonna be like a permanent fixture, or at least not now. She's not a permanent fixture there. But I didn't expect her to leave so soon.
Speaker 1:
Lucy's pissed, she goes upstairs and she starts packing her clothes and she, her and Val have this whole exchange where Lucy Basically states that Gary is a runner, he ran off and left Valine. He ran off and left Lucy. He ran from JR. She's disgusted by the fact that he doesn't stand up for himself, for anyone, and she's like mama, you stay here with this man, I promise he's gonna run off and leave you again too. Why don't you come back home with me, mama, please? I'm fully expecting belly and to come up with all these excuses, because she does seem to cater to Gary. But do my surprise, she. She doesn't hesitate, she goes okay, baby, I'm coming home with you, shook.
Speaker 1:
So Val goes to the bedroom as she begins packing her teens and Gary's like baby, please don't leave me. Please. I'm slight, I just I don't know, I don't need you to leave. And she goes Gary, I can't, I can't not leave. If she gets on that plane, I won't ever have a relationship with my daughter again and that's not something I'm going to risk. I'll figure this out. I can't see anything past the plane right right now. Let me, just let me figure this out. So Lucy goes downstairs and she's chilling outside.
Speaker 1:
Laura Avery, who missed meeting Lucy the day before she stops her morning jog and she's like oh, my god, you must be Lucy. I'm so happy you're here, I'm so, so excited, it's so good to meet you. Lucy's polite introduces herself and then Laura's like wow, it is just, I'm so in love with your parents love story. And Lucy's like what do you mean? Laura Avery is doing the Cleanup on aisle one Situation where she's kind of fanning the fire of what the storyline is supposed to be. Now I don't remember Lucy hooking up her parents, but apparently she did. And Laura's like it's just so great that after 17 years they were reunited, and reunited by their daughter, and they're so, so in love, so in love. It's so good to see them and I just know you guys are gonna be so happy.
Speaker 1:
Lucy starts feeling bad, like dang. I don't wanna ruin things for my mom, but you know Gary's kind of a dud, that's right. Gary's a full on dud, starts to half-second thoughts. Before you know it, val and her go to the beach. They're walking, they're thinking, and at the same time they confess that you know what? You should probably stay here. Well, what they didn't know is that Gary, with the threat of both these two blonde bombshells walking out of his life for good, or at least for the time being, he runs down the street and he's like Sid, I need your help. And I'd forgotten. Even though Sid had an older daughter and he was married previous, I didn't really think much of it after that.
Speaker 1:
Sid is the perfect person to talk to. He didn't raise his other daughter. So he, you know, he's kind of in a similar situation. But Sid is different, because his daughter actually knew he existed, or Sid actually, you know, had some contact with his daughter. He gives him some advice. He's like listen, the past is the past. You can't expect her to get over it right away. You have to think. That's her entire life. She doesn't know you. You can't come in with all these demands and all this pressure because it's like you're rejecting her all over again. You need to just see her for who she is. Be her dad now. Forget about the past. Basically, man up, shut up, go get your girl. So right when Valene and Lucy decide that you know what, ma, you should probably stay here.
Speaker 1:
Here comes Gary in a free piece suit, running down the beach and he spins Lucy around and he basically apologizes. He's like you know what? I have been a loser, drunk, a thingy, doofy, but yes, you have been. You have been a loser, you have been a drunk, you have been a runaway, but he's like at least I'm not a loser anymore, lucy, I'm sorry. And the whole family goes splashing into the ocean together blonde hair glistening in the California sun, ba da, ba, ba, ba for the ewing. Wonderful. Same sort of reconciliation comes over at Ginger and Kenny's house. Kenny realizes that you know what? If you're not going to be by my side, this isn't really worth it. I'm sorry, I didn't listen to you. I couldn't even enjoy myself. It won't happen again. We'll have a little pizza. I'll take you on the date you want it. Now, okay, that's it. That's all. That's the end of this episode.
Speaker 1:
Lots of questions here. Is nurture versus nature? Is Gary who he is because he, you know, didn't face his life? Or is he who he is because he was conditioned to be that way? He was conditioned to be overlooked? He's like the Prince Harry of the family or whatever. Gary's struggling with his role in Lucy's life. I get that, but he's also struggling with his own role in his own life. I wonder how long they're going to stretch this out. All in all, great episode.
Speaker 1:
Valene though Valene is really impressing me since I learned her name. She's proven to be a powerhouse on the show. Like she's brave, she's patient. She's shown up on the last couple of episodes with this super high emotional IQ. I'm going to stick her patience for Naeva's hay, but there's probably a little bit of some of that there.
Speaker 1:
But Val's life has been one where she's had to be cut off from, like some pretty major relationship, most of her life's relationships. That would have shaped her character in a different way. Remember her mama up in Randolph because she wanted to be a country in Western Star. Her daddy was depressed about it. She ended up taking care of him. She ended up running away, falling into the arms of Gary, who was not prepared to deal with his life, his family or any sort of responsibility. Not because he's a loser, but because he just I don't know, he's gun shy, anxious. I'm sure we have like a diagnosis for that today. But whatever he's dealing with, she's had to deal with it too, because she's been left by everyone who counted in her life. But she still maintains this hope. She deals with Gary with these kid gloves and used to get on my nerves. It still does.
Speaker 1:
So I'm glad Lucy came on this episode. This is some really good writing. Lucy came and made him kind of face that face, those fears that he's been running from all this time. This is the first time I saw him navigate through those hard emotions and work something out for himself Karen and Sid thinking about it. The other episode they actually had to help him Valina is always picking up the slack. I'm so glad that was Lucy that brought that out of him, because with everyone else he can play the oh, my family messed me up because they're so ruthless. He can play that car, but with Lucy, what can he say? My family that I left you with, messed me up and she's like, yeah, and they managed to raise me. Literally everyone in that house, everyone in that house managed to step up when you didn't. My mom came back under the threat of death and managed to be my mama. She stood 10 toes down. I'm glad she was able to face him.
Speaker 1:
I don't know if this show is good. This one was kind of. It seemed to go a little quicker, but I love that they keep crossing over the Dallas characters. I hope this happens far, far, far into these seasons, as happens dance would have it. I've watched Dallas today too, the season opener and of course Gary's on that. So looks like we're gonna have a little bit more back and forth and I really really like that because I think eventually you'll kind of forget that they are related as more characters are introduced, more characters and more of that whack music. The same whack music that was playing in Aunt Terri's car over on Falcon Crest that was playing, that's playing at Kenny and Ginger's party Drives me crazy. You know what he worked with Wookiee God. I remember growing up I didn't know that the actors on the show, when something like that happens, are not actually dancing to real music. They're just kind of dancing and spinning around because every show I watched him like how come nobody's ever on beat? Now would explain why.
Speaker 1:
Alright, guys, that's it. That's all for this episode. I hope you enjoyed it. Join me next time as we jump into season one, episode seven. In the meantime, in between time, take care of yourself. You deserve it. Say hi Dray, to say moist rise, mind your business and keep all of your drama on TV.