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S2 EP15 Knots Landing - Man of the Hour: The "Ruined And Reluctant Hero" Episode

• Jett Shae • Episode 245

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What if you could revisit the golden age of primetime soaps and explore the unforgettable drama of "Knott's Landing"? Join us as we transport you back to season two, episode 15, aptly titled "Man of the Hour." We're kicking things off by tackling a thought-provoking fan question from San Antonio, sparking a lively discussion about the best and worst actors and characters from iconic soap operas like "Dallas," "Dynasty," "Falcon Crest," and of course, "Knots Landing." We're spilling the tea on legendary roles like JR and Sue Ellen, while also shining a light on those who might have missed the mark.

Next, we're diving headfirst into the teenage drama and family dynamics that define this episode. Meet Eric, a mustachioed teen caught up in the whirlwind of questionable weed cigarettes and the strict household rules that complicate his journey. As Abby navigates the tense waters of her uneasy relationship with her ex-husband, the episode paints a vivid picture of youthful rebellion and the nostalgic essence of familial ties. Our conversation captures the tension, the antics, and the heartwarming moments that make this storyline resonate with audiences even today.

As the episode unfolds, we witness the moral consequences of teenage mistakes and the journey toward redemption. Eric grapples with the heavy weight of responsibility after a tragic incident involving a tainted joint, while Sid and Karen undergo significant character growth. The emotional reflection on these events raises poignant questions about the impact of youthful mistakes, set against the backdrop of a community shaken to its core. Wrapping up with some light-hearted advice and encouragement to keep life's drama on the screen, we invite you to grab something bubbly and join us on this captivating exploration of soap opera magic.

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome, or welcome back to Soap Lord, the official gathering place for newbies, novices and OG diehard fans of the golden age of primetime. I'm your host, jeb, viewing and reviewing the soapiest, most popular primetime storylines of 1981. We're back on the West Coast. It is a not-so-neat-type of time. I'm going to go ahead and finish this season off with a book. So, whether you're new to this or true to this, sit back and enjoy, tell the kids to play outside or outside. Now. There's no questions or questions or concerns for the next 25-35 minutes. Everyone else in here, shaquille, quire, kitchow are your only options, because we are watching a very special story. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is Soap Dwarf. Hello, gorgeous, welcome back to the fun-fonditioned episode of. I'm Calling this Naughty. Yes, that's corny, but we're not going to watch 80s soap oper and that'll be a little bit corny. I hope your day is shaping up well. I am elated because I realize there's only a few more episodes left, so why not just push through?

Speaker 1:

Today we're going to talk about episode 15 of season two, man of the Hour. Not a lot to suspect with that title. That could be anything or anyone, so long as they are a man on this show, but this one will surprise you. I'm surprised because I did not expect another very special episode on Knott's Landing so soon. This one reads a little bit more like a back in the day after school special though. So settle in, grab something bubbly, bright or nostalgic and let's jump into season two, episode 15, not Slanding man of the Hour. Before we jump into the show, I have not been reading my texts lately. I got one from San Antonio. There's not a name, but hey, san Antonio, they would like to know.

Speaker 1:

Jet, who do you think the best actor, worst character and vice versa is, on each of the shows, best actor, worst? Ok, that's how I'm going to. That's how I'm going to interpret that. I hope that's correct and let's start with the obvious Play along at home. If you've been listening, you already know it would be if I'm going to do, let's do Dallas first, and if I'm going to do, let's do Dallas first, north Texas. Lolita, in my opinion I'm sure she got better with time is the worst actor on the show and I think the best character on Dallas would be JR, followed very, very closely by Sue Ellen and maybe the second. That's kind of hard.

Speaker 1:

I think Lucy is this season. She's just struggling. She does not seem to remember her lines. She does not seem to know if she's a child or this bombshell in college it's I don't know if it's so much the acting, as it is the character they wrote up, so she would kind of fall for me as the worst character and actor, if that makes any sense, with JR being the best actor, probably. What's her name? Belle Geddes. I can't remember her first name, miss Ellie.

Speaker 1:

I think she might be the actual best actor on the show if they actually let her play out her role as she would like to Everyone else. Sort of falls in the middle. I know some people are probably her role as she would like to everyone else. Sort of falls in the middle. I know some people are probably looking at their phone now like are you serious? What about Ray? There's not a lot to go on, but I feel like Ray has been the most consistent. He has been that yuck, yuck, shucks the whole time. So he's giving me exactly what I expect. I just expect more from Lucy.

Speaker 1:

Let's do Dynasty. Oh, I don't know. I don't know that. I think any of them are just spectacular at acting in this particular arena. I would like to phone a friend or go back in time a little bit and say that original Steven was probably the best actor to me on the show and character. And now Alexis is definitely the best character on the show. Dynasty is kind of a wash. Nobody's bringing a whole lot of heat. Kirby's a great actress and I also like her character. So best character to me, final answer is obviously Alexis. Best actor is original Steven. Worst actor would be Fallon, not just because she's just not. I'm so disappointed that she's not the Fallon from season one, episodes one through like five. She was amazing but she has floated onto the ether. I'm not a real fan of her. Okay, on Falcon Crest, I would say.

Speaker 1:

Now this one, this one and Knott's Landing are going to be a little bit more difficult because I feel like most of the cast is really really good at acting. I love the character. The acting sucks. That would be Lance aka Lorenzo Lamas. He's so much fun to look, but his acting has improved. I will give him that he's definitely the worst actor on the show, with a very, very close second coming in for Cole. But I do enjoy his character. I feel like his character is 100% necessary. Where I don't really feel like Cole's is best actor. Oh, I can never go against the perm rod goddess. And Chase is right up there with her for me. But I think, um, that one's too hard, because Falcon Crest actually has pretty good acting. I think that Chase delivers his lines a little bit better. Chase and Maggie both do. Maggie doesn't emote a lot with her face, which is a little bit distracting, but I would say that Chase is the most intense.

Speaker 1:

And I think that Angela it does feel like she's reading, but she's from the old school, she's from the studio system, so I have a very hard time saying she's not a great actress. She is. She in Barbara Bel Geddes from Dallas. What's her name? I think Angela's name is Jane Wyman Unfadable, I will not go against her. Okay, now Nance Landing.

Speaker 1:

I can't really say that anybody's a terrible actor or actress. I do think if I had to pick, it would definitely be Dirty Diana. She got on my last nerves this entire episode. Dirty Diana is quite obnoxious, this episode, but also she's just doing that annoying teen thing. So I don't know if it's good or bad to me. I feel like a lot of times, teenagers on a more serious soap opera or a serious drama tend to be more of a caricature of what you think an annoying teenager is versus just kind of allowing us to be annoyed by their presence, if that makes any sense. I hope that answers your question. I'd like to know who you think. Who do you think is the best actor, best character, worst actor, worst character on each of the shows? Check the show notes and text me, okay. Okay, it's a little rude to call Diana Dirty Diana, since she's a kid on the show, even though she's older than me in real life.

Speaker 1:

I just, I really love that Michael Jackson song, but this isn't about Michael Jackson, it's not even about Michael Farragate. It is about Eric Farragate. And right place, wrong time, wrong time, wrong place that whole spiel. What we have is a teenager-centered episode, not completely, not entirely, but a majority of this episode centers around not only the teenage Farragate children but around Abby's smaller children and her ex. So let's dive in.

Speaker 1:

At the top of the show, what we find out is that Ginger has a sister, and we remember this because on the we're Basketball and Babies episode, eric, who just happens to be my favorite Farragate child, if I just I must go there. I don't really know why. I think I'm a middle child. Maybe he's a middle child. I just see him as he's not really kicking up a lot of dust. He has great questions. I feel like when he is on the screen, um, the little one is just little, so there's not really a whole lot to to gather from him. But Eric, if you recall, had a thing for Ginger's little sister. Now, when they opened up on the show and it's pretty obvious that she is Ginger's sister, I was thinking, dang, did they switch actresses? Was that this season or was that late last season? I can't really remember when that episode was, but it turns out no, no, no, no, eyes are not deceiving you.

Speaker 1:

Ginger has not one, but two baby sisters and they like to come up from San Francisco to hang out at her house. Or I guess come down from San Francisco to hang out at her house because she's like cool and they're her baby sisters and her husband is a record producer, so you know, it's just a good time. So they're sitting in the living room about to run amok. Their little friend, jamie, is there. So it's Jill, jamie and Eric and his feather duster mustache. I love a mustachioed teen. It is so funny to me Not to make fun of them, but it's just so weird to see a child with a mustache. It's hilarious to me all the time.

Speaker 1:

Jamie is a teenage boy and he wants to have a good time, but you know, he lives in a strict household. We learn later on that Ginger's little sisters also live in a very strict household. Their parents don't approve of smoking. That, mary Jane, not that many parents do. But Jamie's like hey, eric, can you do me a solid and hold these here weed cigarettes for me? And then when he holds them up, they look a little tinged, they looked a little yellow and I thought to myself okay, maybe they're old, maybe he stole them from his dad's pockets from the 60s, I don't know. It reminded me of that scene on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood where Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio decide they're going to go ahead and smoke this cigarette. I guess Brad Pitt does. Leonardo DiCaprio is studying his lines, so he's not really smoking it, but it looks like that. I did not immediately think that it was laced with something.

Speaker 1:

Now Eric and his baby mustachioed face. Eric is a good boy. He just goes home, he takes care of his little brother. He watches out for his sister, he likes to mind his own business and he's also high key paranoid, as he should be. He's carrying around this loose leaf marijuana, cigarettes. So it gets home, don't really recall. There's a little get together, as there always is, on us landing. He wants to go upstairs, through some events, he ends up oh, I know what it is.

Speaker 1:

So y'all remember little brother michael, the one who has to run around all day and all night and have to eat really healthy. Well, he's running out of the kitchen telling his mother he wants to eat in his room. I swear, mom, I'm not going to spill it. She's like you're going to spill it. I'm not going to spill it, you're going to spill it. He and his brother collide on the steps on the staircase and he does indeed spill it. Now part of me is like now, that's just mom's luck. He was not going to spill it until she said that. But of course he does and he smears whatever it is he's carrying on his plate all over Eric's coat. So Eric has to think really quick because his mom's like oh well, just give me that coat, I'll take it to the cleaners, you can wear this other one. So they do the switcheroo and he does a sleight of hand. He grabs the weed from his pocket, he makes a fist, takes off the jacket, puts on the new one, stuffs the sweet, the cigarettes inside.

Speaker 1:

So later on there is a little get together where teenagers get together and of course they drink their wine coolers and stolen booze. I'm not trying to tell on myself, but I'm just saying when you were a teenager, did you ever like hunt and gather old booze bottles? Maybe it was wine coolers, maybe it was leftover beer. I knew several people who did that, not me, of course, obviously.

Speaker 1:

Right around this time, next door, aunt Abby is gathering her children together so that they can go spend the weekend with their dad. Not at all, but forgotten about the ex-husband and his promise to make her life a little bit of a living hell. So when he comes by to pick up the kids, it's no surprise that he's not all kissy, kissy, boo boo in the face because he can't stand her. He wanted her back. She let him on. Now he feels a way about it. But what can he do? He can't show out in front of the children? He can, but what can he do? He can't show out in front of the children. He can't make a scene there and it's probably in his best interest to keep a low profile until all of this custody crap blows over. He picks up the kids. Very little pleasantries are given, but he's like okay, say goodbye to your mom, say goodbye. And he says it in a way that has Abby's heckles up. Mine too. I'm like why is he saying it like that? He's looking at her like if I really wanted to, I could just snatch these kids away.

Speaker 1:

So she, she lets the kids go, but she does spend the rest of the episode just sort of nervous about whether or not they're coming back. She makes a series of phone calls the next day no answer. She leaves messages no answer. Now, this isn't all that odd if you really think about it. If he picked the kids up on a Friday afternoon. If they're out doing something Saturday morning, or even Saturday afternoon, hell, all day Saturday that's not really that unusual, is? It Doesn't matter what you think, it matters what you can prove. She thinks something is up, but there's absolutely no proof. So she spends the majority of the episode just kind of thinking about it, tormenting herself, if you will. It's also worth noting that at the end of the last episode, after the burglars were arrested, all the couples comforted each other and walked back into their respective homes. Abby was left standing on the sidewalk kind of comforting herself.

Speaker 1:

It was the first time I thought to myself hmm, maybe she's lonely, maybe she's longing. She just feels like such a free character. I never thought that about her, but she was definitely kind of looking to and fro like dang, I don't really have anybody home. I also had forgotten that she's a little bit sweet on Gary, so it probably stung a little bit to watch him walk off with Val. We've definitely got to move on. I just had a thought, speaking of obnoxious teenagers and Leonardo DiCaprio, I remember being a kid watching the man in the Iron Mask. You could not tell me that Leonardo DiCaprio was not robbed in that role. I thought he was fantastic, amazing. I literally said this for years that he was so good in that movie. I rewatched it recently and I was like, oh my God, what was I thinking? I don't know what I was thinking, but he definitely wasn't it in that. But look at him now. That's all I'm saying. I hope the same is for Miss Charlene Tilden. I hope she improved. I'll definitely have to find something that she's done recently-ish last 20 years to see how her acting is. You know who's not a bad actress Karen Fairgate.

Speaker 1:

So back at the house, eric is gone and she reaches in his coat pocket for one reason or another and he is unfortunately pulled a very bad slip. He only grabbed two of the three weed cigarettes, so there's one loosely in his pocket. She sees him. She's like oh my God, sid. Sid's in the living room talking to Val and Gary and Diana, and she holds up the joint and he's like oh, his face is disgusted. Gary's face is like oh shit. Val's like oh my, and Diana's like yo dang, I wonder where she's gonna stash that stick. Diana is a mess.

Speaker 1:

So Eric, of course, makes it to the party, but he can't hardly relax because, I mean, he was almost caught. But now it's time to do the distribution, get this party going as they had planned. So you can imagine Eric's surprise when he reaches into his pocket and retrieves only two joints instead of three. It hits him like a ton of bricks. Oh crap.

Speaker 1:

Now by this time Jamie and Sidney not Jill Jill are at his side. Like what happened? Dude, did you smoke the other one. He's like no, worse, my little brother ran into me. He spilled some stuff on in my jackets at home. The other joint is at home in my pocket. I gotta get going. And his friend's like no, no, no, don't do that, because what are you gonna do? You're gonna walk in and go. Oh, I left something in my pocket. Like no, you can't do that Because what are you going to do? You're going to walk in and go. Oh, I left something in my pocket. Like no, you can't do that. Cindy agrees. She's like no, that's just super suspicious. Nobody's going to go in your pocket. Relax. So he semi sort of relaxed.

Speaker 1:

Side note, his feathered layers are unfadable. His haircut is what Fallon's should have been. Not just hating on her, but it's almost like they tried to give her a dancer's haircut and she just does not have that much hair. It does not fall on her the way it falls on Eric. This kid's got a head full of luscious hair. It looks amazing. Unfortunately for him, though, his mother does go through pockets. So back at the house she's already removed the joint and Sid has this totally just over the top reaction. I can't say totally just over the top reaction, I can't say it's over the top. He's freaked out. He's heard, he's read all these things about marijuana and how terrible it is, but it's unusual to see him give that much emotion. He's not the calm, cool and collected type Karen is.

Speaker 1:

Diana, in the meantime, does not understand that she does not pay not now meal in that house. She feeds nobody. She maintains no one other than who are you to ask them anything? She's like I can't believe you went through his pockets, like all I'm saying. I wish I would have said that to my mom. Now I understand defending your brother, but what you do is you be like, oh man, that's crazy. Well, I got to go Go tell him hey, don't come home for a little bit. I got to smooth some things over. Mom and dad know about the joint. Let's get in their face. How dare you look through his stuff? And Karen's like not now, just chill.

Speaker 1:

Sid is like of course I'm gonna look through his stuff. He's doing something illegal. This is wrong. This goes against everything we've taught him. This is a dangerous gateway drug. Diana's like it is not. You're definitely overreacting. Tb rocked your brain way more than marijuana ever could. And Sid I more than marijuana ever could and said I'm paraphrasing this right. So she's like wait a minute. Now you're talking on the side of your neck now I'm suspicious. Have you smoked the marijuana? And she's like of course I did. You know what? I thought it sucked, but other people don't think it sucked and that's their prerogative. He's like what's that got to do with anything here? Before things can escalate too much, gary tries to interject. He's like if I could share my story, valene is probably like oh my god, I'm not in the mood for this tonight. I'm not trying to hear that I was a drunk loser who ran off to Las Vegas. I ain't nobody's trying to hear all that. She says Gary, baby, this is family business. Why don't we just leave? He's like you know you're right, you need me, just call me up.

Speaker 1:

Diana and Sid go back and forth for a little bit and then she decides she's gonna leave because her friends are there. She's gonna go eat some pizza. Please be cool with Eric. When he comes in, like, just give him a chance to explain himself. Well, this turns into a mild argument between Karen and Sid. He can't believe she's being so cavalier about the whole situation. Meanwhile he's freaking out. He's. It'll ruin his chromosomes. It'll slow down his response time. This is not a good thing. This is illegal. I can't believe he's even participating in that. And she's like chill out.

Speaker 1:

When you met me, I'd been arrested 50, 11 times for doing sit-ins and protesting. I was always in trouble. Like this is nothing. He's like no, no, no. This is not the same thing. She disagrees this is the exact same thing. He's like no, no, no. You were fighting for social justice. You were actually trying to make a difference. You, sitting in somewhere to defeat Jim Crow laws is not the same thing as smoking weed, which I would agree. But to her point. I did something that I needed to do to prove a point. Maybe he's doing that too, maybe not. All she's saying is like let's give him the benefit of the doubt and then we'll let the chips fall where they may. After that, sid's not trying to hear all that.

Speaker 1:

Meanwhile, at the party, eric is in a little bit of a conundrum because he's not really into smoking like that, but I mean the joint's about to be passed around. So he's not really into smoking like that, but I mean the joint's about to be passed around. So you can imagine my surprise when I looked up the actor. His name is Eric Stoltz, the guy who was in the first Anaconda, the one with J-Lo the redhead guy. He was also that creepy dad on Butterfly Effect with Ashton. Anyway, that guy is a young man in this. So he comes up to them and he's like, hey, are we going to do this or not? But then he goes around the corner and he does a little something funny to the joint before everyone goes into the room.

Speaker 1:

Next time we see all the kids. Everyone is high. They're talking about how potato chips are screaming and the ocean is the loudest song. And, oh my God, I can see the music. They are high. Everyone except Cindyindy is high, but she looks like she's gonna vomit.

Speaker 1:

She. This is not settling well with her spirit. This is not good for her. She's like yo, I'm hot. Oh my god, I don't feel right, something's off.

Speaker 1:

Next thing, you know, she goes tearing out the front door, freaking out. She's like fluttering and doing all these things. Eric makes chase. Turns out Anaconda J-Lo redhead guy had laced the Mary Jo Wanda with a little angel dust. Now, I'd only heard of this from the movie Friday, if you know. You know, didn't realize that maybe that was a thing back in the day. Maybe it still is a thing. She has a severe adverse reaction to it.

Speaker 1:

So now everybody at the party is in a dilemma. What do we do? Half the crew wants to call parents. The other half doesn't want to do that. Parents, equal police, equal problems. For us, absolutely no go on the parenting. The other half is like she's freaking out. If something happens to her we're all going to be held liable and we would suck to not help her. We're calling somebody's parent.

Speaker 1:

Eventually, the nerdy girl in the class I guess says you know what? Enough is enough. She picks up the phone. She starts calling. She calls Eric's parents. Mrs Farragate, this is what's going on. Karen picks up the phone Not two seconds later, like, oh my god, we got to get over here, eric. Something happened. I don't know what happened, we just got to go.

Speaker 1:

So by the time Sid and Karen get to the house, eric has already chased his baby across the street, cindy has ran off to the ocean and everybody's just sort of piecing together what's happened. Now, on the way to this house I forgot this part Ginger and Kenny are out on a night stroll in their coats and they're all bundled up, which I guess it is cooler by the ocean. But one of the arguments that Abby made when her ex-husband came by was that he kept asking okay, do they have sweaters, do they have coats, do they have this, that and the third. And she's like, well, it's been so warm lately, they don't really need it. They decide to give them the coats and stuff. The little girl goes upstairs and gets it. Eric is also wearing a coat, ginger is also wearing a coat and like a skull cap. So if is it cold or is it not, it don't really matter. The point is ginger, kenny, karen and sid get down to the ocean and they can see eric to resuscitate Cindy on the beach and instead of rushing down to render aid, they just all watch. I can't for the life of me figure out why they felt like that was a good idea. They just sort of watch.

Speaker 1:

Eventually someone goes to call 911. I think it's 1981. So 911 exists. They go call them and she is transported to the hospital, where we later find out that she is in a coma, and they don't know if it's because she ran headfirst into the ocean and almost drowned, or is it the angel dust laced joint the doctor who tells them all this has the most perfect spherical looking afro with the pork chop sideburns. He looks like he could be not in the Jackson 5 but the Jackson 5's cousins, the Jeffersons. But he chose a life of medicine instead. Now his prognosis is Cindy has a better chance than no chance at all. Definitely maybe gonna live, probably likely could pass. You know, you know, we don't know, we don't know, we don't know.

Speaker 1:

Ginger and Kenny and Karen and Sid at the party, once they got there there were only like two or three people left. They deduced that she had been on the marijuana that was laced with something. Now, kenny knew all the drugs he used the PCP, the crackers it was angel dust. So he knew straight away what it was. But I guess that's par for the course with his line of business. She's in the ICU recovering, but it just leaves such a heavy weight on everything. I actually have a beef with Knott's Landing this episode, because I was not expecting to shed tears, but I actually did. Sid and Karen have a problem. Their son, as far as I know, supplied someone with marijuana.

Speaker 1:

This girl is now in a coma. Not just any girl, a teenage girl. It's devastating, no matter who it is, but it's a teenage girl. And it is a teenage girl who happens to be the baby sister of a very, very close friend. Even though Eric ran out and saved her, a lot of the details are a little bit muddled. He's not doing a lot to explain the situation away, because he too is concerned. This is not what he wanted to happen. He's shocked at his first experience with drugs end up with a girl that he likes in a coma. But he also knows how much he has disappointed his family.

Speaker 1:

Now, karen, being a mom, you know moms you would try to swallow things. When it's not easy, you try to appease people. So she's stuck in a rock and a hard place. Obviously, nobody wants this girl to pass away, but we can be honest here and we can. This is a situation that, as far as she knows, her son caught. You want to protect your kids from outside forces, but sometimes it's hard to protect them from themselves, and this is a mistake that no parent wishes on anybody.

Speaker 1:

Sid is not taking it well either. He's so disappointed, he's so pissed off that he can't even look at Eric. He can't even face him. It makes him sick to his stomach. This, of course, creates tension between Sid and Karen for the rest of the episode. She's like your son needs you, he's stressed, he's struggling. Do something, sid, he refuses.

Speaker 1:

Diana, on the other hand, has a totally different approach that I didn't even really think about. So Eric's up in his room Now. He has a little bit of trauma too, because he did jump into the ocean. He didn't really remember a lot of it because he was somewhat high, but I think he's just not only in physical shock, he's mentally shocked, like holy crap, she could have died, she could be dead. I don't know this. So he's in his room just trying to maintain some composure.

Speaker 1:

Diana comes in and she's like I know, good and well, that wasn't her joint. Why don't you tell dad it was Jamie? I want to tell him he has a right to be mad at me. She's like man no, he's not like you're taking responsibility for something that's not your responsibility, but it is so. I said yes to holding the marijuana. I didn't pass it. I passed it along. Unfortunately, something happened in between. That he is, you know, he knows a little bit about the Angel Dust, but he's not all he's worried about is her. It's such a tough place to be in. It's easy to be sympathetic all the way around because they're teenagers, but when you start thinking about the consequences if she is not waking up from this coma, there's going to be hell to pay and it would be a shame to see his life go to waste, to anyone's life go to waste. But he's standing 10 toes down. He's not talking about anybody else, he's taking full responsibility.

Speaker 1:

As admirable as this is, the next scene is when Ginger's mother comes from San Francisco. She comes from the hospital. She's very difficult to reach. She seemed what's the word? She seemed to be in shock to me. That was my first impression. She seemed grateful, she didn't seem upset, just not necessarily stoic, almost as if she's sort of floating through a dream, like she's just handling basic everyday business.

Speaker 1:

So she stops by and Sid and Karen are downstairs and you can immediately feel the temperature in the room drop a little bit because they're nervous. They're having to face the other parent, knowing that their kid is semi sort of responsible for her either way, whether she lives or whether she doesn't. So Eric does come downstairs and he goes and he shakes a woman's hand and she keeps saying oh, you're the man of the hour. From what I understand, you saved my daughter's life. He says yes, ma'am, I want her to be okay. I know you do. I know you do listen, don't, don't worry about entertaining me. So he turns to leave and she says he's a handsome boy. What will he be if she dies?

Speaker 1:

So the Farragates? Just all kind of freeze. Because what do you say to that? And she goes. He's still in the room and she says you're the one who brought the marijuana cigarettes, didn't you? Karen jumps in yes, he did, but it wasn't the marijuana, it was the angel dust that put her in this predicament.

Speaker 1:

And the mom goes well, I mean, yeah, kids are weak kids. It doesn't really matter who brought what Kids are going to do, what they're going to do. She's looking around the room and then she kind of goes back into herself. So what you realize is happening is she's trying to process this all in real time and she talks about how Ginger's father passed on early and Ginger was already in school when that happened. Jill and Cindy were practically babies, so basically she's had more time with them. Jill's a pretty one. She doesn't even talk about Ginger. I don't think she likes Ginger very much and she goes. Cindy and I are the most alike.

Speaker 1:

So you start to see she is very concerned, as any mother would be, about losing the child she has bonded with the most. The fair gates are still kind of gobsmacked. What do you say to that? So she starts walking to the door and she says you'll be the man of the hour. If she survives, you'll be a knight in shining armor who saved the damsel in distress. But if she dies, you're going to be her killer. And as she leaves she says I wish it was you. You deserve that, not her.

Speaker 1:

And Karen's like now, wait a minute, I'm with Karen, because it's like you want to defend. Hey, don't talk to him like that. That's my son. But none of the words she's saying are false. Now, whether how she feels about what happens to him is her thought, it is just such a difficult place to stand in that. So I can feel myself even now. I'm like oh my God, I'm getting upset. So Eric is just kind of staring her. She leaves and he goes. She's right. And I'm like oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God. No, we don't need, we don't need two situations here. Karen runs to him to try to comfort and she's like no, she's not right. No, she is right. But he's like I know who I am, I know what I am. Sid doesn't say anything.

Speaker 1:

Now see, the whole situation with Sid is that he feels like Eric chose to do this. This is a consequence. He deserves to feel bad about this. I'm not going to step in and stop him from feeling anything, karen. I don't think you should either. Let him feel something. Her thing is like okay, but cool.

Speaker 1:

But when does that end? What if this girl never wakes up? Does he have to feel like crap indefinitely? At what point do we get to build our son back up? How long is too long for this punishment? Well, after this, the look on her face God, I'm such a wimp. She's about to cry like oh my god, I'm about to cry. This is this sucks. I hate everything about this, but I also love the writing. This hit so deep. I don't even I mean. What can you say? What can you do? Oh, it's getting a little heavy. So, luckily, the baby girl does wake up. Ginger's sitting with her in the hospital. She eventually comes to. She's thirsty. Physically she's fine. It's going to take a little time for things to come back to her mentally. So she does live.

Speaker 1:

So Kenny ends up coming over to tell everybody how Cindy is doing. And Cindy woke up and told them all about Jamie and the laced, whatever she basically said. It was not Eric's fault. All he did, literally was like hold it. It was passed to him, he held it. That's all he did, and then he saved her life.

Speaker 1:

So Kenny is relaying the message from the mother-in-law. She wants to thank him. She thinks he's a great young man, which I mean you can't really fault her. That's her daughter. I don't expect people to be PC at all points. Kenny does take this time to throw in a little trick. He's like man, she get all by herself. She always in our business, blah, blah, blah. He can't really say anything because he cheats on the daughter. So obviously he's going to be persona non grata, but all is well, the girl's going to live.

Speaker 1:

And Karen says something really poignant, kenny, poignant. Kenny calls Eric a hero and she goes no, he's not a hero, he is a responsible adult, which you just don't see happen. He took responsibility for something even when he didn't have to. And I'm getting choked up. Oh my gosh, I'm going to stop talking about this. I don't know why I'm so emotional. It's just beautiful. I love this. This is a good redemption story. And she's right, he just did the thing that needed to be done, didn't matter if he was going to get in trouble or not. He stood ten toes down and it also sucked, because, sid, his face just falls when he hears all this. He's like dang. I really was being way too hard on him, which just seems unusual for him. But character growth. I'm here for it and this kid remains my favorite child on the show.

Speaker 1:

Oh, speaking of children, remember I told you Abby was a little bit nervous about the kids being gone. She had a feeling that something was going to pop off. So I'll leave. Just, I'm not even going to talk about that. Just know Abby's got her eyes open. Just know that I want to make sure that I leave a little morsel for you guys to enjoy if you so choose to do so.

Speaker 1:

All right, guys, that's it. That's all. I need some tissue and a little something a little stronger than sparkling water. Now I'm going to go recuperate. I want you to join me next time as we jump right back into Knox Landing, season 2, episode 16, whose name. I have no idea what it's going to be In the meantime. In between time, what have we learned today? Don't approach the beach, don't take sepia colored joints, tell your little brother to keep his ass downstairs with this cake or whatever, so you don't run into these situations over and over again. Either way, if you see the guy from anaconda with the red hair or the dad from butterfly effects, turn me up to opposite the red. Stay hydrated, stay moisturized, mind forgiveness and keep all of your drama on TV. Bye.