Falcon Crest (Season 6, 1986-7)

STARRING: Jane Wyman (Angela Channing)

Oscar winning actress Wyman was once married to Ronald Regan, the late former president of America. She had been in retirement before taking on her 9 year role as the ruthless Angela Channing, matriarch of Falcon Crest! She ruled the vineyards and her family with an iron fist and would do anything to protect her beloved grapes!

Robert Foxworth (Chase Gioberti)

This was his final season on Falcon Crest, Foxworth most recently starred in Six Feet Under and has appeared in several Star Trek series.

David Selby (Richard Channing)

Also starred in Dark Shadows and Flamingo Road, he can also be seen in several movies, including D3: The Mighty Ducks!

Lorenzo Lamas (Lance Cumson)

You may already be familiar with his first foray onto the big screen in Body Rock from my previous post; he now makes martial arts movies.

Ana Alicia (Melissa Agretti Cumson)

Before starring in Falcon Crest, Ana appeared in Halloween 2, she has since retired from acting.

Margaret Ladd (Emma Channing)

Retired from acting after Falcon Crest.

John Saxon (Tony Cumson)

Easily recognisable from his innumerable TV and movie roles, Nightmare On Elm Street springs to mind.

Dana Sparks (Vicki Gioberti Stavros)

A new face and a new personality, Sparks replaced Jamie Rose as Vicki. She can also be seen in season 3 of L.A. Law and the daytime soap opera Passions.

Brett Cullen (Dan Fixx)

Cullen has recently had recurring roles in The West Wing, Lost and Ugly Betty and has been an in-demand actor for over 20 years.

Kim Novak (Skylar Kimball/Kit Marlowe)

Novak is best known for her performance in Alfred Hichcock’s Vertigo, amongst many other memorable roles.

Jane Badler (Meridith Braxton)

Badler is best known to TV fans across the globe as the villainous Diana from V!

& Susan Sullivan (as Maggie)

Sullivan went on to star in Dharma & Gregg.

With appearances by Melba Moore, Edward Albert, Cesar Romero, and Abby Dalton (as Julia Cumson)

PLOT(S): The season opens after the terrible earthquake which occurred during the final moments of Season 5. Terry (Laura Johnson) has been tragically killed and Angela is in the process of being drowned by her own Cabernet Sauvigion in the flooded winery! Jordan & Greg (Morgan Fairchild & Simon MacCorkindale) have disappeared – last seen being driven off the road by evil rapist Jeff Wainwright (Albert), apart from passing concern, none of the characters seem to be overly concerned.

Meanwhile a mafia moll, Kitt Marlowe (Novak) is on the run from the scene of her mothers murder. She calls up on her old friend Skylar who is on her way to visit her estranged father who just so happens to be Angela’s new beau, Peter Stavros (Romero). Mistaking Skylar for Kitt the mafia murder Skylar. Kitt assumes her identity and makes her way to visit Stavros at Falcon Crest.

Everyone’s favourite couple, Maggie and Chase, see their marriage torn apart by Maggie’s rape and subsequent pregnancy. Is the baby she’s carrying Chase’s, or evil the offspring of evil rapist, Wainwright? As if her brain tumour, shock adoption, and amnesia were not enough...

Their annoying daughter Vicki comes back to live with them family, with a new face and played by Dana Sparks, after failing to make it as a dancer in New York. Their son Cole (William R. Moses) leaves soon after, nations mourn. Vicki begins working as a dance instructor at Angela’s new venture, the Del Oro Spa (nothing at all like La Mirage in Dynasty, honest!). She falls for newcomer Dan Fixx and Eric Stavros. One paticularly memorable storlyline this season involves her getting sold into white slavery!

Tony Cumson (Saxon) returns to the Valley to make amends with Lance (Lamas), he joins forces with Chase to build a viable rival to Falcon Crest! He also visits his ex-wife Julia (Dalton) who is spending the rest of her days in a convent after murdering Carlo Agretti and Chase’s mother (Lana Turner), trying to kill Angela, and then going on the run and shacking up with a Nazi! He is torn between his feelings for Julia and his new love interest, the mysterious Skylar.

A new character, Dan Fixx (Cullen), turns up wanting a job from Angela. Completely out of character she complies, leaving her family to wonder what the young man has over her.

Yet another new character turns up, Angela hires Meridith Braxton (Badler), a spy, to infiltrate Richard’s household. Impressed by her work Richard takes her on as his new assistant and uses her services against the international crime cartel he is in debt to.

The season comes to a close when Melissa kidnaps Maggie and Chase’s new baby as a way to punish them for taking away her own child during season 3. Angela finds out but keeps the secret to herself for her own devious ends. The season ends with Richard and Chase diving into the sea to save the baby.

THOUGHTS: I think this is yet another great season, quite a bit stronger than season 5 and flushing out some of the dead wood – characters like Cole and Gregg, was a great idea. I think they should’ve persuaded the fabulous Morgan Fairchild to stay on the show as her character had really developed by the end of the pervious season. Apparently she was unhappy with the amount of screen time she’d received during season 5 overall.

I think giving Angela a love interest softened her far too much in the previous season and it was a great idea to put some distance between her and Stavros. Visually the cast are great looking this season and the new characters are great. Vicki being sold into white slavery was a stroke of genius! For me Falcon Crest is the ultimate prime time soap opera.

LINK: US residents can view seasons 1-3 and the resolution to the Season 6 cliffhanger courtesy of AOL here.

LINK: FalconCrest.org

LINK: FalconCrest.tv.de

LINK: Falcon Crest Fan Site