August 11, 2025 • 50 mins
The placid suburban streets of Knots Landing erupt into chaos when Richard Avery's mental health spirals out of control in one of the most gripping episodes of the series. What begins as a seemingly innocent dinner between Richard and Abby quickly reveals the depth of his deterioration when he misinterprets her intentions and becomes aggressive, earning himself a stinging slap across the face. Desperate to reclaim his former life, Richard orchestrates a scenario to bring his estranged wife Laura and their son Jason to his home. Using an elaborate train set as both bait and cover, he creates a disturbing hostage situation when he refuses to let them leave. The psychological tension builds masterfully as we witness Richard's transformation from a hurt, lonely man into someone genuinely dangerous. His sudden brandishing of a gun when neighbor Gary attempts to intervene pushes this domestic drama into terrifying territory. The episode brilliantly showcases the community dynamics of the cul-de-sac as neighbors react to the crisis. Karen's determination to reach Richard through their friendship provides the emotional anchor, while police negotiate from outside. The contrast between Richard's unraveling mental state and the pristine suburban setting creates a dissonance that heightens every moment. When he finally allows Laura to leave but turns the unloaded gun on himself, we see the true nature of his breakdown – not a desire to hurt others but a dramatic externalization of his internal pain. "Night" stands as a testament to what made Knots Landing different from other primetime soaps of its era – its willingness to explore the darker undercurrents of suburban life with nuance and psychological depth. By the episode's end, as Richard's belongings are packed away and he begins treatment in a psychiatric facility, viewers are left wondering about the fate of this complex character and the community forever changed by this night of reckoning. Subscribe to Soap Lore for more deep dives into these golden age primetime classics that still resonate with surprising relevance today.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
because I'm a big, strong man and if that little
mofo steps to me I'm gonna goahead and squash him like a bug.
I know I can take it.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys andgirls, welcome and welcome back
to soap floor, the officialgathering place for newbies,
novices and og diehard fans ofthe golden age of primetime.
I'm your host, jed.
I'm viewing and reviewing theSophia Sudsia's primetime
(00:21):
storylines of 1981.
So, whether you're new to thisor true to this, sit back and
enjoy.
Tell the kids it's time to playoutside or out of sight.
Tell them there's no questions,suggestions or concerns for the
next 25 to 35 minutes.
Everyone else in Ayrshire, youneed to be cool, quiet or kicked
out because we are watching ourstories.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys andgirls, this is Soap Lore.
(00:44):
Hello, gorgeous, welcome andwelcome back to another
fun-filled edition of Soap Lore.
I hope you are having the mostfantastic day ever.
I hope I am too, because, if Icalculated this just right, this
(01:08):
is on or right before mybirthday.
I have something very specialplanned for you guys too.
Stay tuned for a very fun bonusepisode.
I need you to listen.
Let that be your gift to me.
Listen to the next episode.
I promise you.
You're either going tosubscribe or you're going to
(01:30):
unsubscribe.
One way or the other.
Either way we're going to havea good time regardless.
But today we're going to have aserious time.
Today I was completelyblindsided.
So go ahead and pour yourselfup.
Pour yourself of somethingbubbly and bright, maybe
something a little stronger thanusual, as we jump into season
(01:50):
four lies?
Not at all.
What am I doing?
This is Nance Landing.
So we're on the West Coast.
Baby, they really are doing theabsolute most.
I am very concerned with theproperty value in this
neighborhood at this pointBecause after this little stunt
pull tonight, I don't know whatto do.
(02:10):
Season 3, episode 19 of Knott'sLanding Night.
The freaks come out at night.
The freaks come out at night.
The freaks also stay home atnight.
Sometimes regular people becomefreaks in the middle of the day
.
I don't think this is asituation of any sort of
(02:32):
freak-dom.
I think this is a perfect stormand this is a recipe for Gosh.
I don't even know.
I gotta tell you what NodsLanding.
I have waxed poetic about thisshow time and time again.
I don't see that stoppinganytime soon, but I've noticed
probably the last three or four,maybe a little more episodes.
(02:56):
It's getting harder and harderto come to a definite conclusion
, which I love because that isreal life.
There's so much nuance toeverything and this situation
feels like the clues should havebeen there but nobody was
really paying attention.
(03:16):
Or you know what?
Let's just get into it.
When last we left, our goodfriend Richard and our girl
Vidalia the Onion Queen, whenlast we left, our good friend
Richard and our girl Vidalia theOnion Queen was going through
it, richard standing up forhimself saying hey, I'm not
trying to book hookers, I'mtrying to win court cases.
I want to do my job, which is anoble endeavor, should always
be celebrated.
(03:36):
Unfortunately, that ended up indisaster.
Richard was fired and basicallyhad his business put all out in
the street.
This is the part of that lastepisode that kind of irritated
me.
I thought about it later.
So the expose happens Marnie isbehind a silkscreen.
We don't know who she is.
We don't really know who theperson the Joe or the John or
(03:58):
whatever they call him, who thatis, while it's on the news,
it's just put out in the greaterLos Angeles area, unless it was
picked up nationally.
Nobody knows who these peopleare.
When his firm, who wasidentified on the tape, who was
identified on television, putout their message.
They named Richard specifically.
(04:19):
I really wish he had a littlebit more anonymity.
Valene, on the other hand,discovered that she might be the
next Daniel Steele, the nextStephen King, the next RL Stine.
I don't know.
I'm sure that novel's somewhatof a horror.
She might be that girl in theliterary world, only the subject
matter is so scandalous, sointense, that her husband says
(04:44):
listen, baby, make sure thatnever seems the light of day and
I'll do anything your preciouslittle onion, loving heart
desires.
She's like cool, stop spendingso much time with that lady who
don't mind if a husband has awife or not.
Could you not hang out with thegirl we know sleeps around?
Could you not do that please?
He's like sure, only to 14 anda half seconds later be like no,
(05:04):
no, no, we got business to doand it's at night.
She's like okay, bet, guesswhat, I'm signing this book deal
.
Now I'm going to celebrate.
I didn't really expect thisepisode to be about that, but I
definitely.
There's no realm of myimagination that I think this
episode was about what it isabout.
Imagination, did I think thisepisode was about what it is
about.
So let's start from the top.
(05:25):
So at the top of the show wesee it's night and Richard is
pulling into the driveway, Iguess, of his house.
We all know he's lonely.
He hates night, even at this.
Okay.
So even with these clues, Ididn't really know this episode
was going to be about Richard.
But he's in the car.
He's in the car with Abby.
Apparently they've gone out todinner.
(05:46):
I don't think that's unusual,since they're neighbors, they're
single.
But she makes a comment fromthe car.
We can't actually see insidethe car, we just hear their
voices.
We see the car pull into oneplace.
She goes oh, and this is thewrong house.
He reverses and pulls intoanother.
I don't think Abby has adriveway, though we'll get to
that at the end of the episode.
(06:06):
So they go into Abby's house andit's very clear she's kind of
tired, but she's not necessarilytired of him, she's just
exhausted, thinking okay, wewent out to eat, let's go on and
get this over with.
But he's like oh, can I have adrink?
Give me a drink and I promiseI'll leave.
Okay, dance with me and Ipromise I'll leave.
Well, as they Dance with me andI promise I'll leave.
Well, as they start dancing,she keeps saying Richard, I'm
(06:27):
really tired, let's just wrapthis up.
He starts to try to neck her.
She's like yo, what are youdoing?
He's like what do you think I'mdoing?
What do you think this is allabout?
She says I thought we haddinner.
That's what I thought this wasabout.
He's like you think I spent ahundred plus bucks for dinner.
I kind of laughed when he saidthat, because I'm like obviously
(06:50):
everybody knows if Abby goes toa restaurant she's going to eat
.
She's not ashamed, she eatslike a 300 pound woman, despite
being a little wisp of a thing.
But he thought he spent allthis money for a good time and
she was like well, if you want agood time, why don't you call
(07:10):
them hookers?
I don't even think that's a lowblow.
Normally I would say that is,but it's not.
It's A accurate and not a badidea.
If that's what he was lookingfor, he gets mad like I can't
believe you think I'd spend thismuch money on you Also accurate
, on you, also accurate.
So maybe the pot calling thekettle black got their feelings
(07:31):
hurt, but I'm team abby on thishomie.
I thought we was having dinner.
I didn't know this was, I'd eatdifferent people all the time.
When he starts gettingaggressive and when I tell you
abby cunningham comes from theslap a hoe tribe like crystal
and them.
I don't know where abby's from.
She might be from the bay area,from what I heard I know.
Judgment, california.
I'm not slap a whole tribe likeCrystal and them.
I don't know where Abby's from.
She might be from the Bay Area,from what I heard I know.
(07:52):
Judgment, california.
I'm not.
I watched a lot of Boys in theHood and stuff like that back in
the day.
But anybody can be fromanywhere.
Abby seems like wherever she'sfrom.
She learned to slap real good,I mean she's from.
She learned to slap real good.
I mean ain't no way.
That was a stage slap.
She slapped every taste bud,every molecule of moisture out
of Richard's mouth and hedeserved every piece of that
(08:16):
palm and all five fingers thatconnected with his face.
She did what she had to do andas he throws her back down you
could tell she was genuinelyfreaked out like okay, I bet
rich was really embarrassed.
Honestly, he storms out of herhouse, walks to 50 or so feet to
his own front door.
House is dark and the house isa mess.
The house looks like someonewho has kind of given up a
(08:39):
little bit.
It's quite messy for him to bethe only person and like all the
mess is concentrated downstairs, he must be thinking the same
thing.
He don't seem like he likes it.
He he starts to pour himself adrink.
I thought he turned on hislaptop and then I remember what
year it was.
Suddenly the tv is much, muchcloser.
I don't know if he got like asmaller tv or what, but he
(09:01):
starts to sort of settle in foryet another night doing things
that he already hates doing, andhe just kind of looks at
himself like what am I doingwith myself?
Let me get my life together.
He decides he's going to cleanup the house on a whim.
It ain't like he got to get upand go to work tomorrow.
It ain't like he has a warmbody waiting for him in bed, so
he might as well spend the nightbeing productive.
(09:22):
Let me go and get myselftogether.
He works through the night andgets his house spick and span
clean.
Side note, I feel like, eventhough I'm watching this 40 plus
years later, I feel like theproducers are listening to me
because Richard goes into hiswallet and he starts looking at
(09:45):
pictures.
There's a picture of Jason, whois absolutely the cutest
freaking child.
I don't know who he is.
I hope that kid grew up, has awonderful, happy life and I hope
he has 10 kids that look justlike him, just precious,
adorable little boy.
But there's a picture of Jason.
There's a picture of Richardand Jason.
(10:06):
There's a closeup of, I think,laura.
That kind of don't look likeher to me, but I guess it could
be.
But that's my point.
Richard may or may not havebeen taking a real picture with
Jason.
That could just be a littledark headed boy that he has a
picture with, but it looksnatural.
So maybe on TV.
If it's a wallet size photoit's easier to do, but for some
reason when it's a big photo allthey can do is find headshots.
(10:28):
It makes it really unnatural,doesn't matter.
Speaking of unnatural, nextmorning house is all cleaned up
or whatever.
Richard's in his car.
It looks like he got to keepthe coupe that he gave Laura for
Christmas.
She kept Scooter's car becauseit's the Benz and I mean she is
a real estate agent.
She needs the image.
But Kenny and Ginger are headedto San Francisco.
I forgot Ginger was stillsinging.
(10:49):
She's got a singing gig.
Tell me why she walks out of thehouse with baby two names.
Kenny is going on and on about.
Is this turned off?
Is this turned on?
I'm not buying him as DannyTanner, I'm just not buying it.
But he's going on about that.
Ginger gets into the front seatwith baby two names and I can
see the car seat in the backseat.
I just it just blows my mind.
(11:10):
It blows my mind.
You could ride all the way tosan francisco holding a baby in
the front seat.
That is wild.
That's neither here nor there.
Kenny and jenner will be gonefor the rest of this episode.
We won't see them until theclosing credits.
Richard goes to to Jason'skarate class.
You don't really notice it atfirst, but eventually you start
to hear who this woman isclearly not the sensei.
(11:32):
I don't know what she's doing.
She looks like she's about togo solve a mystery in Britain,
or she's about to go talk to herhomegirl, angela Lansbury.
They're going to write up somemurder, but she seems to be the
class mother or whatever.
Her kids are getting on hernerves.
Her kids are arguing in thebackground, so maybe she's a
parent waiting for her kidsclass, because there's already
kids in class doing their thingand we sort of see Jason and
(11:54):
this woman and Richard in thebackground having a conversation
.
The woman says oh, this is MrsAvery's day.
I didn't know you were coming.
I'm only supposed to releaseJason to her.
Richard's like well, I mean,she must've forgot to tell you.
I guess she got her wirescrossed.
I'm here to get him.
Do you want to call her?
I'll wait.
The first time I saw this Ididn't really think too much of
(12:17):
it.
I'm like okay, maybe there's amix up on days or maybe he's not
respecting a boundary.
Surprise, surprise, surprise, Iclocked the sweater and I'm
like I didn't.
Again, I didn't think anythingof it.
I will have an opinion on ithere in a minute.
But as I'm watching his bodylanguage to her, he seems
perfectly natural, perfectlynormal.
Although he seems perfectlynatural and perfectly normal, I
(12:39):
just kept staring like what issomething about?
The way he looks is reminding meof something and I thought, as
I stammer through this, Irewound it now to look at it
again and I know exactly what itis, because it really shows up
later on.
He has a frame of somebody whomight be able to fight.
(13:02):
Hear me out.
He's wearing this sort of maybelight kind of gray, creamish,
brown, creamish, I don't know alight colored sweater which kind
of reminds me of a sweater fromScream.
Maybe that was the bodylanguage I was picking up on,
but I noticed you might thinkthat he's slouching, like his
back seems to be bowed over, butit's that same stance people
(13:26):
take when they start to flex andI even noticed later on I'm
like dang Richard kind of haspecs Like Richard might be built
like Bruce Lee under all that.
That's what I'm saying.
Picture Bruce Lee in a sweater.
You're going to start.
You'll see the kind of the backmuscles.
I guess that's what that is asI look at it again.
But I was like he looksdifferent but maybe stronger,
(13:50):
even though his body language isbowed over like he should be in
a I don't know.
Watch it and you'll see what Imean.
You'll look at him and be like,okay, yeah, he kind of has a
frame of someone who might be alittle stronger and as the show
progresses I noticed it reallybig time.
I noticed his chest in thekitchen in a scene or two from
here.
(14:10):
Anyway, he takes Jason fromkarate class.
The woman who's supposed to bewatching him is just so
distracted because her kids areacting up that she's like, okay,
we'll just take him Fine.
So when we see Richard at hishouse, he's cleaned up
everything.
He has an amazing layout.
I love it, but he's cleared allthe furniture out of the way
(14:30):
because he bought the world'smost giant train set.
Jason is elated.
Is this for me?
Yes for you, it's for us.
So he gets on the floor, heturns on the train.
The train is quite loud, butthe phone rings and of course
it's Laura.
Laura is big pissed because,again, this is 1982.
No cell phones.
Murder.
(14:51):
She wrote, didn't get up anduse the karate studio's phone to
reach her at work.
And even if she tried, it isvery possible that Laura would
have been on her way.
I am team Laura in this scenebecause I would be so pissed if
I drove all the way across townto go pick up my son only to
find out his dad snuck in.
Didn't I tell you not to showup unannounced?
Didn't we have an agreement?
(15:12):
Didn't we have a schedule?
This is exactly what I'mtalking about, richard.
She's furious over the phone,but rich was like well, just
come over.
Just come over, I got somepaperwork I want you to look at.
He says look at, not sign.
She here sign, probablythinking this is going to put
the final nail in the coffin.
Absolutely, I'll drive overthere, pick up my baby, sign
this and gone about my day.
Only it's just not that.
(15:33):
So when she comes over, richardhas smooth talked her into
sailing, sailing into staying.
By way of delicious treats, thisman makes a home cooked meal,
he lays out this beautifulquiche.
He's got a bucket of champagnein the middle of the table.
Again, baby two names is ridingaround the California coast
(15:54):
loose leaf, not in her car seat,and Richard and his pregnant
soon to be ex wife are enjoyingglasses of champagne.
Because, you know, babies arenot important Millennials.
I know this is hard to look at,but no one cared.
Maybe that's why we act up theway we do now.
We act up the way we do now.
(16:16):
Do y'all remember college powerhours?
Let's move on.
Anyway.
Richard talks about how much heloves cooking.
I don't think he cooked a lotwhen he was there, when she was
there.
I remember Lorde making lamband all that kind of stuff, but
he goes to the oven, I think ala Carrie Bradshaw pulls out a
huge box and he has thisgorgeous fur coat inside.
(16:38):
Lord, do you like it?
Now, all of a sudden, thisquiche tastes a little weird.
The champagne seems a littleflat.
Richard, why don't I have a gift?
He's like I want you to baby.
Come on, please, please, please.
I'm ready to do things your way.
We can have our relationshipcompletely on your terms and she
goes cool, my terms arenon-existent.
(17:00):
It's a full factory reset.
I don't know you, you don'tknow me.
We have a kid together, we havetwo kids together, but we don't
live together.
I hate coming over here,because when I'm here, I just I
mean, all we do is fight Richard.
I don't want to do this.
Please let it be.
He doesn't.
He's not accepting this, he'sgetting pissed off.
Okay, I've ran that scene backAt this point in the show.
(17:20):
You still think everything'scool.
They're just having an argument.
Laura is able to keep her cool,but it's.
You can feel her frustrationbecause even this season, how
many times have we had thisconversation?
How many times have we donethis?
He just can't let it go, and Ithink it's the fact that she's
(17:42):
pregnant.
I really do wonder if thisconversation will be totally,
totally different if thereweren't a baby.
Okay, so she getting tired ofall this jaw jacking.
She's pregnant, she's tired,she's had a long day.
She had to drive an extra sixmiles out of her way.
She ain't fooling with Richard,no more, so gets up in that.
You know, cool Laura face, soI'm gonna go home.
He's like you're not leaving.
She goes to to walk around himbecause, again, who, who ain't
(18:05):
leaving?
I'm leaving.
No, no, no.
He blocks her and then hestarts arching his eyebrow and
I'm like, oh, okay, okay, stillnot really thinking too much of
it.
He's just, he's just upset.
I also sort of clocked his frameat this point I guess that was
probably what really did it forme, because he was blocking her
way and I'm like, okay, yes,she's pregnant, she has a couple
(18:26):
inches on him and now she's gota little bit of baby weight.
Yes, I'm not condoning pregnantwomen bulldozing people over,
however, oh yeah, and pregnantwomen don't have really great
balance, that's true.
Something about carrying a babythrows off your equilibrium.
You run into things all thetime.
It is very strange, but Ithought she looks like if she
(18:50):
needed to, she could take him Ifshe absolutely needed to.
That's what I thought before,but as I'm watching him in this,
it's more of a tan.
It's a very, very light tansweater.
I'm like, oh, he's a little,he's stronger than I thought he
was physically.
I wonder if the sweater was aspecific choice.
(19:11):
So while this is going on, overat Karen's house, karen's got
the family and Lily Mae over andthey are doing something I've
never seen done.
I absolutely will incorporatethis into family time, fun time,
hanging out with friends time.
This is so cool to me.
Not all of my friends arebookish.
I think my family will kind ofbe into it, but they're all
(19:31):
sitting around reading eitherfrom a play, from playbooks or
from a poetry book.
It feels more like a play To me.
Everybody has an assignedcharacter or two and they're
reading them in different voicesand they're having a good old
time.
Lily Mae is playing withMichael's toes and this little
piggy went to market.
(19:51):
This little piggy went home.
Don't call me an unculturedswine, but I had no idea that
that was a real poem.
I thought it was just somethingyou said to chubby little
babies Do you have an excuse toplay with their cute little feet
?
But apparently it's part of areal play.
Michael, I have an eighth Likemy God.
Can I please do anything else?
Can I go?
Karen's like cool, you can goupstairs, but you bet not turn
(20:12):
on your TV.
Turn on your TV, tell me you'rewealthy without telling me
you're wealthy.
Kids in 1982, did you have TVsin your room?
Most of the kids I knew in the90s did not have a TV in their
room until later, like rightaround 2000-ish.
Okay, I'm lying.
I definitely had a TV, I thinkI inherited.
(20:34):
So my sister graduated, I think, 95 and I inherited her.
No, we built another like partof the house on.
So my parents got this reallywonderful master suite and my
brother and I got our own room.
So, yes, late nineties, I got atelevision, you telling me in
(20:55):
1982, but I was not.
Everybody had one In 1982, theyhad their own TV.
And what was he going to watchupstairs?
Seriously, either way.
He sits back down.
He wants to read, but suddenlyyou can hear voices.
They hear yelling and he's likewell, somebody's yelling across
the street.
He's smart because he knows hismama is nosy.
This ish is not going down inKaren's neighborhood mark
(21:17):
because he knows his mama isnosy.
This ish is not going down inKaren's neighborhood.
So Karen goes walking outside,joe follows her to protect his
sister and right as she's comingoutside it looks like Val and
Gary are coming back fromsomewhere.
So they pull up and I guessthey can.
They see her face, they see howurgently she's running out of
the house heading over toRichard and Laura's, and so Gary
jumps out too, val jumps outand Karen's like they're
(21:39):
screaming in there, we need togo in there and interrupt.
Joe's like no, mind yourbusinesses.
Gary agrees with him, valagrees with Karen no, no, no, if
Laura's over there, they needto go in the house.
And Karen's like, yeah, andJason's there, they don't need
to be yelling in front of Jason.
This is one of those situationswhere it's like everybody has
their own rules and regulationsin their house.
Sometimes things get heated.
(21:59):
Yes, you should not, are you infront of children?
Sometimes things get out ofhand.
But it must've been an unusualoccurrence, despite their
previous relationship, despiteLaura and Richard being there
all this time before.
This must be very unusual,because her heckles, karen's are
completely up.
She is thoroughly freaked outand a little bit later on
(22:22):
there's more of a revelation.
But the first thing I thoughtwas like this isn't a man.
Is this a man versus womanthing?
Like men are like hey, just letthem work it out.
Men can punch each other in theface at breakfast and be cool
by lunch.
That will never happen withwomen.
It's not happening.
Not that we aren't involved,but it's like a fight is so much
bigger.
It means something wherethere's something we need to
(22:43):
heal there.
But I think the reality is likeyou don't know for certain,
please don't go bursting inthere, cause you could maybe
blow this out of proportion.
Karen ain't trying to hear noneof that.
She is dressed like what's'sher name?
Daphne from Scooby-Doo.
She's got on the the burgundycolorway whatever.
(23:04):
I'm going up here.
She's matching.
She's monochrome, her hair isflipped.
She's hauling ass up that uhdriveway up the sidewalk.
Well, inside, karen's instinctsare right.
It is getting ugly.
Mind you, jason is stillplaying with the train, so it's
super, super loud, loud enoughto just muffle the voices.
(23:25):
Think about that, though.
They could hear the argumentfrom Karen's house, but as she
gets to the door you can stillhear it, but she hears the train
as well, so I guess it's moreconcentrated volume there.
And Laura and Richard had movedfrom the kitchen to the living
room so it was probably easierto hear in the kitchen.
(23:45):
I don't know.
I got to make it make sense.
You know I am.
She knocks on the door andLaura says Karen, she definitely
yells out.
So Karen's like oh no, hell, no, richard grabs this woman by
her mouth and covers it.
Sorry, I almost covered mymouth.
I just realized that Richardgrabs Laura, covers her mouth
(24:11):
and he says Laura in a very calmvoice Laura, if you keep making
noise I'm going to have to hurtyou.
Karen's at the door.
I'm painting the picture foryou.
On just on the other side ofthat door is Richard.
There is Laura with her mouthclamped and there is Jason
playing on the floor with thetrain.
Karen says Richard, can I comein?
I'd rather you not.
(24:31):
I thought I heard Laura.
Yeah, she's here.
She just went upstairs.
What are you guys doing?
We're arguing, do you mind?
Basically tells her to scram,just go away.
It's not happening.
Yeah, she's here.
She just went upstairs.
What are you guys doing?
We're arguing, do you mind?
Basically tells her to scram,just go away.
It's not happening, go away.
And she's like Richard.
I really wish you would justlet me come in, let me talk to
you.
Not happening, karen, we'lltalk tomorrow.
Karen and Richard are friends atthis point.
You know they've been hangingout quite a bit ever since Sid
died, so I'm not really surewhat she was thinking right at
(24:54):
first.
I don't know if she knewsomething was up for real, for
real and maybe she's the onlyone who did, because she's the
only person who has been talkingto him frequently.
This is a thing I didn't reallypick up on and this is why I
love this show.
Because there are severalcouples.
We get to see their lives ascouples.
We also get to see themindividually sometimes, and
(25:17):
because this is a regularneighborhood, the reality is,
yeah, you're not going to alwaysknow what's going on with
everybody all the time.
There's going to be certainseasons where you're probably a
little more in tune with oneneighbor or one friend more than
the other.
But I hadn't really noticedthat since Sid died.
The guys don't really gettogether like that.
I thought things were cool.
Kenny and Richard aredefinitely cool enough.
(25:39):
You know they order hookerstogether.
They were perfect.
Ginger and Kenny were perfectlyfine.
With Richard coming over, theyinvited him over for dinner.
Come and sit down, but him andGary don't like each other.
They tolerate each other.
Karen is his friend.
Val doesn't really seem to dealwith him and that could be Val
being respectful of Gary,knowing that's not his friend
like that, so she don't reallyinteract with him like that.
(26:01):
I don't know, cutie pie, jasondoes look kind of terrified.
But also, what do you do?
You're a little kid, you can'tbreak up a fight and also it's a
worst position to ever be in,to be a child in that situation,
because, no matter what you do,you're going to hurt one parent
(26:22):
and that's exactly what youdon't want to do.
Richard has not thought thisthrough, but he is serious
enough to be like you are notleaving this place until we
resolve this law.
We got to talk all night andall day, which is where the
title comes from night.
That's what it's going to haveto be.
When he goes to lock the door,you can you see his frame again.
Yes, he's slight, yes, he'skind of unassuming, but look at
that back, look at his chest.
He could do something.
(26:43):
He doesn't have a crappyposture back.
He has a.
I might lift a weight or two atone point in my life.
I'm probably a little athleticunderneath clothes.
I'm not checking out Richard,I'm just saying he is definitely
giving Stu from Scream vibes.
Now Laura has a choice to make.
Richard tells Jason to goupstairs.
He wants to talk to him.
We're going to chatter, chatter, chit, chit.
(27:05):
Let me explain this to you.
He tells Jason mommy and I justneed to talk.
We're going to get our familyback together and the baby's
like but she don't want a familywith you, like that dad.
He's like I know, but if wetalk we can work it out.
Promise me, you'll stay in yourroom all night.
The baby says, yes, he'll stayin his room all night.
I hope he has an en suitebecause, like what if he has to
pee?
He's a little kid.
He didn't bring any snacks oranything upstairs and he also
(27:30):
has a TV in his room.
So maybe California, a littlemore standard, I guess on TV
it's more standard anyway.
Laura then can't leave.
Think about that.
She can't run out of the housebecause the baby's there.
She must not be afraid thathe'll really hurt her, but it is
very uncomfortable.
He does not seem like he'sdoing well when he talks to her.
So she goes downstairs.
(27:51):
She starts cleaning the dishes.
Meanwhile Karen goes to Val andGary's house and she starts
calling.
The phone is ringing andringing, and ringing, ringing.
Then she'll hang up.
So Lily Mae's there, val'sthere, you know she's French,
she's making coffee and snacksand do whatever in the
background.
But Gary at this point is likewait, I don't like that.
(28:11):
So you sure Laura's there.
She's like yeah, laura's there.
I swear I heard her voice.
Then he says she went upstairs.
Gary doesn't like that.
Something about that is justnot sitting well with him.
So he's like okay, I'm justgoing to go over there because
I'm a big, strong man and ifthat little mofo steps to me I'm
going to go ahead and squashhim like a bug.
I know I can take him if itcomes to that.
(28:33):
So Gary is very smart.
He goes around and back, hegoes through the backyard and he
gets over to the.
He can see Laura through thewindow.
She like the phone isincessantly ringing.
It is so annoying.
I'm so grateful that we cansilence our phones.
Now she finally picks up andshe tells Karen everything's
fine, everything's fine she's.
Her voice doesn't sound likeeverything's fine, but she's
(28:55):
trying.
I'm okay, girl, don't worryabout me.
Well, she hangs up the phonebut Richard is upstairs.
Richard had picked up the phoneand say yeah, she's fine, don't
worry about it, everything'scool, just let it be.
Laura hangs up first and thenKaren's like well, richard, are
you still there?
He suddenly drops the phone.
Now you see him in his room.
See him in his room.
(29:17):
He's rubbing his neck like he'sgot a lot of tension.
He goes into the bathroom andhe takes two pills I'm assuming
they're aspirin.
He didn't have any sort ofmanic episode later, or this
could all be a manic episode, Idon't really know.
Well, by this point gary hasmade it to the sliding glass
door.
As soon as laura sees, he opensand she just starts crying in
his arm.
She's hugging him like oh mygod, gary, he's going crazy.
He got trained.
(29:38):
He's blowing money like he'snot buying hookers and stuff
anymore.
He won't let me leave, gary.
Gary, he said I can't leave thehouse.
He said me and Jason can'tleave.
We're scared, help us.
He grabbed me and Karen triedto call.
So Gary's hearing this and he'sgetting progressive.
He's like what the he did, whathe said, what who can't leave?
Yo, richard.
(29:58):
I love this.
I love this scene because Ithink Gary has been secretly
wanting to put a North Texas asswhooping on Richard for quite a
little bit.
He's like I've grown, I'm goingto be a good man.
So he goes around and he's likeyo, richard, he's at the bottom
(30:22):
of the stairs, just come down,let's talk to me, please, please
, talk to me.
Laura said you won't let herleave.
She wants to go home.
So Richard comes down thestairs and he okay.
So maybe he's not Bruce Lee,but he is more built than she
would think.
I guarantee you he is.
He's got his hands behind hisback and as Gary tries to
proceed, he's seen up the stairs.
After he threatens to listen, Iwill open a can of whoop ass on
you.
He starts to walk up the stairs.
After he threatens to listen, Iwill open a can of hoolfass on
you.
He starts to walk up the stairsand richard pulls out the
blicky.
Richard's got a pistola andhe's got that same exact look on
(30:46):
his face, the same look thatwhen laura was in the kitchen
and she wanted to leave.
It's this sort of very resolved.
I'm calm, I'm a littledisturbed and I mean when I say,
gary, I will pump you full oflead if you interrupt us.
I'm paraphrasing.
But just know, richard islooking at that door like I wish
you would, laura, you and yourprayer dress, get over there and
(31:08):
lock that door so all the womenfolk are outside.
Gary's like y'all not gonnabelieve.
This month this mother loverpulled a gun on me.
A gun, everybody's A gun,everybody's like in California.
Now this was Dallas.
Yeah, he definitely.
He would have pulled a shotgunon you 1982, 100%.
So by this point Joe has comeout the house and he's like wait
(31:29):
, what gary's like?
Yo, this fool pulled a gun onme.
I was like you got a gun thatdon't even sound like him.
So karen was like no, no, letme go over there, let me talk to
him.
Joseph, are you nuts?
Did you not hear the gun part?
You're not going over there?
Well, they insist on callingthe police.
I was like let's just, let'scall the cops.
Joe agrees, they do just that.
(31:50):
And, ladies and gentlemen,night has finally befalled upon
us.
If my calculations are correct,in season one on the United we
Stand or United we Fall, aka theDirtbags on Dirtbikes episode,
I do believe the police wascalled for this little coldest
thing.
Refresh my memory there was aB&E when.
(32:14):
God bless America.
These people love slapping upchildren and pregnant kids,
pregnant women on this show.
So the dirtbags on dirt bikesbeat up Sid and Karen's youngest
boy.
On season two with the B&E theykidnapped everybody at Ginger's
baby showers.
We had a good pregnant woman.
(32:35):
There was also a slap there.
Laura slapped Abby because shewas boning Richard, you know
what I'm saying.
So now I got to worry about onMott's Landing.
When you get a slap across theface or a child gets hit in the
head, I'm going to expect thecops to flood their cul-de-sac
again.
At what point does a propertyvalue drop, laura?
Could you answer that?
At what point?
We've had the SWAT team twicein two seasons on this
(32:59):
cul-de-sac in behind the two ofy'all.
If I was the rest of theneighbors, there's got to be at
least two on the street we mighthave a little meeting.
I know Karen is theneighborhood watch leader, but
listen, you and your friends arekind of a problem.
Seems like every time theAvery's show up or involved in
something, there seems to besort of you know, police
(33:20):
presence in a way that we don'treally enjoy.
This is a cul-de-sac, so youcan imagine if it's filled with
coppers nobody can get to theirhouse.
It's quite annoying, anyway,it's stressful.
But we get to meet a woman copnamed Sanchez.
She's there there, and thenthey have a negotiator come
throughout the rest of thisepisode, despite there being a
(33:42):
police presence, despite therebeing a threat outside the house
.
It's not that Richard is notaware of it, he just doesn't
care.
It is, without a shadow of adoubt, so intense and the worst
part is he's so focused on Laurathat he's not able to really
think clearly about anythingelse.
It is Laura, laura, laura, youwere the missing piece.
(34:03):
Why don't you want to come backto Laura, please?
We just have to talk to this.
I'm asking you what do you wantme to do?
For three months?
I'll be exactly the man youwant me to be.
I'll do whatever you need me tobe.
They're back at Karen's.
So meanwhile, at Karen's, Ithought I'm like how the heck
did Abby get there?
She was there reading thepoetry, so she was staying with
the kids.
She never actually went outside.
(34:24):
They ran to Val's house andthen everybody met back at
Karen's and now they kind of gotto stick around there because
the cops are there.
The cops told Karen to find aplace for her kids.
But now I'm wondering where areAbby's kids?
I thought their daddy is therestraining order just against
Abby, or is it the kids too?
That doesn't seem like a goodidea, is it?
He can't possibly be gettingvisitations after he kidnapped
(34:46):
them, and that's another thing.
Kidnap, kidnap two wholechildren no SWAT.
Okay, so the negotiator gets onthe phone.
He's trying to call, but he'salso calling someone who was a
professional negotiator, despitebeing unceremoniously dumped
for doing the work he was askedto do.
I hope he pursues that lawsuit.
(35:07):
Richard ignores the first fewcalls and throughout the episode
there's just a lot of phoneringing.
So if you can block that partout and watch this, wow, he's so
intense, but he's also this iswhat I'm saying, not slamming,
what the hell?
What are you doing?
To me, this is they understandnuance, so okay.
(35:30):
So you see Richard and you seethese little glimpses of him
being broken Like honey.
Please, I miss you, can we justdo this?
But then you see, I am fullyoff my rocker because he's just
sort of flipping the gun backand forth in his hands.
He's sweating, he's not well.
(35:51):
It's almost as if you think aloud noise could set him off.
A loud noise could end Laura,and I think if he did something
to Laura he'd do somethinghimself.
That's just my thoughts as I'mwatching this, like, oh my God,
is this necessary?
There's also the thought like,do we need all the cops?
I say yes, but it's not reallyhelping anything.
At this point it's really not.
Karen asked to be on the phoneto talk to him and that's not
(36:13):
really helping anything.
At this point it's really not.
Karen asked to be on the phoneto talk to him and that's not
really happening.
So okay, let's just kind ofwrap this up Ten's environment.
It is very much giving nocountry for old men.
Javier Bardero I've said thismany times before he is the
scariest part of that movie.
Not because he's a killer, it'sbecause he's so resolved, he's
(36:37):
so trained on the job at hand.
He doesn't really show anyemotions one way or another.
He is going to kill you becauseit is on his to-do list.
It feels like that is onRichard's to-do list.
Not necessarily kill you, but,laura, you literally are not
leaving this house until you sayyes, I don't care if a hundred
people are outside waiting toblow me away.
(36:59):
You're going to say yes to this.
So Laura flips.
You know.
She's like okay, let me playalong with this.
He offers her some wine.
He offers a pregnant lady yetanother glass of wine to chase
the champagne.
She's like cool, yeah, oh, isthis that wine we got at that
one place.
She starts to initiate theconversation and you see him
(37:20):
start to melt a little.
We start to see less no countryfor old men and more Richard.
I think that movie was also setin 1982 or 1980, I can't
remember.
I'll have to go back and look.
This is working, working.
So on the other side of allthis, you have Karen advocating
with every fiber of her beingfor Richard.
(37:42):
She is begging the cops to lether call.
They're like no, ma'am, we havethis professional.
She's like professional is nothis friend, he's too smart for
that.
He's not going to believe youanyway.
Well, in all the commotion,someone on the police force has
decided to pull up theblueprints for the house.
They decide that you know onlyso many rooms could be the kids
room and they decide they'regoing to get used an aluminum
(38:05):
ladder, which is the mostterrifying part of this whole
episode.
Honestly, god, I hate thosethings.
And they climb up and they,they extract jason.
He is very brave.
He climbs down the daggonealuminum ladder with a person he
doesn't know and they extractJason.
He is very brave.
He climbs down the daggonealuminum ladder with a person he
doesn't know and they take himover to Val's, which is the very
best place for him.
She's going to make him somehot chocolate.
(38:25):
She's going to do X, y and Z,but she sort of gets on to Gary
for not being more supportive ofRichard.
She's like remember when youwere acting a teetotal fool?
You were dribbling drunk forthree weeks all up and down
Knott's Landing Coast.
You know how embarrassed I was.
Do you remember that?
Do you remember that Richardwas a person who came to get you
(38:45):
?
And Gary's like don't come.
I mean, did he save me?
No, did he show up andthreatened to sue me?
Yes, val thing is like you wentover there for laura, you
didn't even go over there forhim.
They don't like each other.
And gary says as much richarddon't even like me, like that.
She's like well, when you was adrunk, skunk all up and down
knots landing avenue, drinkingbackwash, booze fist, fighting
(39:08):
people over two dollar bottlesof wine, who helped you?
Did he help you or did he comehelp me.
He went to help help you.
He's like I mean, damn, youwant me to get shot.
What you want me to do, I'msorry.
What do you?
This is a little bit ofrevisionist history.
I understand the point beingmade here.
The point being made is thatit's not just Laura's life in
danger, which she to me.
(39:30):
I'm sorry, she's a priority,her and Jason.
Jason's out of the the house.
Laura is pregnant with a manwho was obsessed with her with a
gun.
We should be concerned, even ifit's out of character for him.
I think that's why you shouldbe concerned.
This is not the person you know.
This is not the guy you love,and and kiki with this is
(39:50):
somebody who was on the edge.
Once he hears hears a commotion,richard that is.
He runs upstairs and he figuresout that Jason is no longer in
his room and he cracks Shout outto Laura for keeping it cool.
Also, her real name, her realgovernment name Constance
McCashen.
What that needs to be a superpimp or a super villain name
(40:16):
somewhere.
Constant McCashen, I getconstant McCashen.
I love it.
Anyway, she is being Laura.
She's as cool as she could be.
Phone's ringing off the hook.
She's like let me just answerit, richard.
Richard, I just don't thinkthis is going to work out.
Finally he picks up the phone.
Richard's like okay, you havemy kid.
I really don't think this isgoing to work out.
(40:39):
Finally he picks up the phone.
Richard's like okay, you havemy kid.
I really don't have anythingelse to lose, so just let me go
ahead and get this done.
You might as well go home.
I'm not going over there.
Well, karen pulls a Richard, shegoes and she picks up the phone
and she's talking to him.
Swat guy tries to go in thekitchen and bust her up, but Joe
steps in because he's a goodbrother and he's like listen,
you're going to kill him 20minutes from now.
Why are you going to do itright now?
We just let her talk to him.
What's the worst?
Are we going to blow him away?
Anyway?
Let her talk to him, let herget his mind right.
(41:01):
The negotiator's like he mustsort of agree with this.
Plus, he'd probably like to gethome to his bed.
So he goes into the kitchen.
He's like Karen, just make sureyou don't lie to him.
Richard seems to think this hasbeen blown out of proportion.
I can't say I agree, I'm that.
But he and karen share thisreally intimate moment where she
(41:21):
talks about how much she caresabout him.
But richard is just saying it.
(41:42):
So the SWAT team already hasorders to basically kind of bust
up in there.
They have like five minutes todo it while richard is
distracted.
This is the first time lord'shad some real breathing room
since he went upstairs to talkto Jason.
Richard is being very honest.
He's being very vulnerable.
Like none of the cops can helpme.
The only person who can help meright now is Laura and Karen's.
(42:03):
Like no baby.
You got to help you.
First you got to get thismental state under control and
then then you can figure outwhat's next.
And she she compares the breakupof their marriage to a death.
It kind of throws him off.
He's like what are you saying?
Like why are you talking aboutdeath?
I don't know, maybe becauseyou're wielding a gun around,
you're wielding a pistol aroundin front of everybody.
(42:23):
But she's basically telling himboy, it's over.
You need to, you need to allowyourself to mourn this marriage.
This is too much.
It is you, baby.
It's you.
You were the only personbrandishing a weapon.
You were the only person notallowing people you love to move
forward and grow and dowhatever and I swear to you his
beard grows tenfold over thisnight in this scene.
(42:46):
But also baby boy is acting.
I love it that he's not reallyoverdoing it.
You still see pieces of Richard,but then you see not well
Richard.
You see two versions of himkind of battling each other.
And then he stands up and thatlook that same look, the look
(43:07):
that he started the show with,like I'm going, you're gonna
stay here.
The look he gave Gary when hewas brandishing the weapon at
the top of the stairs is thesame look he gives Laura.
He arches that eyebrow, startslurching towards her.
She had her hands behind herback.
I thought she picked up a vaseor something.
It was going to come across hishead.
But she doesn't even have tobecause he tells her she can
leave.
(43:27):
She's like, are you sure?
Yeah, you can leave.
She was very smart.
She moonwalks out of there.
Don't you dare turn your back.
She moonwalks out of there.
She feels for the door, sheopens it and I was terrified.
I know this is TV.
I don't know in real life howthis would go, but I thought
that the SWAT team might havestarted shooting at her.
(43:48):
But maybe they're.
I mean, they're trained, theyunderstand that there's a slight
possibility that the hostagecould be released.
Luckily she was.
Richard comes out of the houseafter this and this is where the
show is a little bitunrealistic.
Based on, this is me growing upand living in the times we live
in now.
I don't think he would have gotvery far with the pistol
(44:10):
outside.
So he comes out slowly.
Nobody rushes him.
He's still brandishing theweapon.
Well, he's holding the weapon.
He starts to sort of cock itand raise it up.
He gets to raise it all the wayup to his head.
Nobody shoots at him, not oneperson.
That feels very.
This is why this is a soapopera, ain't no way, because
(44:35):
he's pointing it out firstbefore he points it up.
Oh, this scene is hard, hard,hard to watch.
I was literally holding mybreath this entire episode.
Oh my god, ever since what?
Not even in the kitchen wherehe goes to grab laura did I
think okay.
I still kind of had the thoughtthat this is going to be okay.
He's just tripping, they'regoing to cast each other out and
(44:57):
then she'll leave.
When he put his hand over herface as she tried to leave.
I was like, oh my god, held mybreath the entire time.
Richard gets the gun all the wayup to his head and he pulls the
trigger.
He looks like he's about toburst out crying, but he just
keeps clicking it like one, two,three.
(45:17):
You realize it was never loadedby episodes in which this is
karen's task with boxing up thetrain set, joe has to load it
all in the back of laura's carand richard is in the psych ward
for a little bit.
No shame in getting a littlebit of help, but she talks about
keeping the water on and alittle bit of electricity.
(45:40):
But the house appears to becleared out.
It would seem that Laura andRichard are leaving.
I don't know if Richard's goingto come back.
Are they gone?
It just hit me.
This literally hit me in themoment I put it back on, so I
could really like watch this.
So this show is about the cityor this cul-de-sac.
This is the first time I everconsidered.
(46:01):
You know, I know people leavethe show.
But is he he's?
Is he gone now?
Don't tell me.
But tell me, don't tell me.
I hope not.
Oh, man, and she's a real okay,I mean, well, hell, I feel like
they set all that up.
She's a real estate agent.
He's gone.
It's a big.
He did say the house was toobig.
(46:21):
At one point I forgot who Iguess he was talking to karen.
He said the house was just sobig and it's so empty and it
echoes off of everything.
Dang, I don't know.
Laura kind of leaves it open.
It led me to believe that hemay not move back into the house
.
Kenny and ginger come and babytwo names is just nobody cared
about us.
I'm telling you, baby two namesis holding on for dear life as
(46:45):
ginger lets her dangle like arag doll.
I literally thought it was adoll, like a prop doll, when
they walked up.
But they were like, hey, wewere at the grocery store and
they said something about somecops in the neighborhood and
karen's like let's go to yourhouse and I'll tell you all
about it.
Okay, I love this last scenebecause they're outside Anytime
they're outside.
I just love to orient myself tothe neighborhood layout and
(47:07):
Abby does have a driveway.
I've always admired her steps.
Like I really, really like thefront of Abby's house.
I didn't think she had adriveway, but she does.
Fantastic episode.
What the actual?
What the actual I don't knowwhat I thought it was going to
be about.
I don't know.
(47:31):
I don't know how I feel aboutthat.
Like he's still brandish yourweapon.
It's hard to get.
Listen, I live in a differenttime.
I live in a very different timewhere we take gun threats in a
psych ward, like maybe the factthat there were no bullets gives
(47:57):
him an opportunity to okay,there was never any real threat
to violence, maybe that's thething.
But wow, I don't know, I don'tknow.
Very good episode, richard,richard, richard.
I hope he's okay and I hopehe's still on the show.
I hope they don't just moveaway.
(48:19):
I suppose laura would show upfrom time to time.
Maybe she'll buy the house.
I don't know, I can't believeit.
We got to talk about thisproperty value, though.
I mean, at what point is there?
A neighborhood no longer safe?
I would say at the SWAT?
Is there more than a few timesa year?
(48:41):
That's, it's, it's concerning.
We might need to up the uh, themembership of the neighborhood
watch.
Might be time to add a coupleextra locks to the doors.
I don't really know.
All right, guys, that's it.
That's all for this episode.
Join me next time as I jumpback into some fun-filled soap
opera debauchery in the meantime.
(49:02):
In between time, don'tunderestimate a slight man who
works in corporate america.
He could be lifting weights,pumping iron, doing god knows
what behind the scenes, fillingout the murder me sweater like
stew from scream.
Stay, stay hydrated, staymoisturized, mind your own
business unless you think yourfriend is being held hostage and
keep all of your drama on TV.
Bye, thank you, bye, bye, bye.
because I'm a big, strong man and if that little
mofo steps to me I'm gonna goahead and squash him like a bug.
I know I can take it.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys andgirls, welcome and welcome back
to soap floor, the officialgathering place for newbies,
novices and og diehard fans ofthe golden age of primetime.
I'm your host, jed.
I'm viewing and reviewing theSophia Sudsia's primetime
(00:21):
storylines of 1981.
So, whether you're new to thisor true to this, sit back and
enjoy.
Tell the kids it's time to playoutside or out of sight.
Tell them there's no questions,suggestions or concerns for the
next 25 to 35 minutes.
Everyone else in Ayrshire, youneed to be cool, quiet or kicked
out because we are watching ourstories.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys andgirls, this is Soap Lore.
(00:44):
Hello, gorgeous, welcome andwelcome back to another
fun-filled edition of Soap Lore.
I hope you are having the mostfantastic day ever.
I hope I am too, because, if Icalculated this just right, this
(01:08):
is on or right before mybirthday.
I have something very specialplanned for you guys too.
Stay tuned for a very fun bonusepisode.
I need you to listen.
Let that be your gift to me.
Listen to the next episode.
I promise you.
You're either going tosubscribe or you're going to
(01:30):
unsubscribe.
One way or the other.
Either way we're going to havea good time regardless.
But today we're going to have aserious time.
Today I was completelyblindsided.
So go ahead and pour yourselfup.
Pour yourself of somethingbubbly and bright, maybe
something a little stronger thanusual, as we jump into season
(01:50):
four lies?
Not at all.
What am I doing?
This is Nance Landing.
So we're on the West Coast.
Baby, they really are doing theabsolute most.
I am very concerned with theproperty value in this
neighborhood at this pointBecause after this little stunt
pull tonight, I don't know whatto do.
(02:10):
Season 3, episode 19 of Knott'sLanding Night.
The freaks come out at night.
The freaks come out at night.
The freaks also stay home atnight.
Sometimes regular people becomefreaks in the middle of the day
.
I don't think this is asituation of any sort of
(02:32):
freak-dom.
I think this is a perfect stormand this is a recipe for Gosh.
I don't even know.
I gotta tell you what NodsLanding.
I have waxed poetic about thisshow time and time again.
I don't see that stoppinganytime soon, but I've noticed
probably the last three or four,maybe a little more episodes.
(02:56):
It's getting harder and harderto come to a definite conclusion
, which I love because that isreal life.
There's so much nuance toeverything and this situation
feels like the clues should havebeen there but nobody was
really paying attention.
(03:16):
Or you know what?
Let's just get into it.
When last we left, our goodfriend Richard and our girl
Vidalia the Onion Queen, whenlast we left, our good friend
Richard and our girl Vidalia theOnion Queen was going through
it, richard standing up forhimself saying hey, I'm not
trying to book hookers, I'mtrying to win court cases.
I want to do my job, which is anoble endeavor, should always
be celebrated.
(03:36):
Unfortunately, that ended up indisaster.
Richard was fired and basicallyhad his business put all out in
the street.
This is the part of that lastepisode that kind of irritated
me.
I thought about it later.
So the expose happens Marnie isbehind a silkscreen.
We don't know who she is.
We don't really know who theperson the Joe or the John or
(03:58):
whatever they call him, who thatis, while it's on the news,
it's just put out in the greaterLos Angeles area, unless it was
picked up nationally.
Nobody knows who these peopleare.
When his firm, who wasidentified on the tape, who was
identified on television, putout their message.
They named Richard specifically.
(04:19):
I really wish he had a littlebit more anonymity.
Valene, on the other hand,discovered that she might be the
next Daniel Steele, the nextStephen King, the next RL Stine.
I don't know.
I'm sure that novel's somewhatof a horror.
She might be that girl in theliterary world, only the subject
matter is so scandalous, sointense, that her husband says
(04:44):
listen, baby, make sure thatnever seems the light of day and
I'll do anything your preciouslittle onion, loving heart
desires.
She's like cool, stop spendingso much time with that lady who
don't mind if a husband has awife or not.
Could you not hang out with thegirl we know sleeps around?
Could you not do that please?
He's like sure, only to 14 anda half seconds later be like no,
(05:04):
no, no, we got business to doand it's at night.
She's like okay, bet, guesswhat, I'm signing this book deal
.
Now I'm going to celebrate.
I didn't really expect thisepisode to be about that, but I
definitely.
There's no realm of myimagination that I think this
episode was about what it isabout.
Imagination, did I think thisepisode was about what it is
about.
So let's start from the top.
(05:25):
So at the top of the show wesee it's night and Richard is
pulling into the driveway, Iguess, of his house.
We all know he's lonely.
He hates night, even at this.
Okay.
So even with these clues, Ididn't really know this episode
was going to be about Richard.
But he's in the car.
He's in the car with Abby.
Apparently they've gone out todinner.
(05:46):
I don't think that's unusual,since they're neighbors, they're
single.
But she makes a comment fromthe car.
We can't actually see insidethe car, we just hear their
voices.
We see the car pull into oneplace.
She goes oh, and this is thewrong house.
He reverses and pulls intoanother.
I don't think Abby has adriveway, though we'll get to
that at the end of the episode.
(06:06):
So they go into Abby's house andit's very clear she's kind of
tired, but she's not necessarilytired of him, she's just
exhausted, thinking okay, wewent out to eat, let's go on and
get this over with.
But he's like oh, can I have adrink?
Give me a drink and I promiseI'll leave.
Okay, dance with me and Ipromise I'll leave.
Well, as they Dance with me andI promise I'll leave.
Well, as they start dancing,she keeps saying Richard, I'm
(06:27):
really tired, let's just wrapthis up.
He starts to try to neck her.
She's like yo, what are youdoing?
He's like what do you think I'mdoing?
What do you think this is allabout?
She says I thought we haddinner.
That's what I thought this wasabout.
He's like you think I spent ahundred plus bucks for dinner.
I kind of laughed when he saidthat, because I'm like obviously
(06:50):
everybody knows if Abby goes toa restaurant she's going to eat
.
She's not ashamed, she eatslike a 300 pound woman, despite
being a little wisp of a thing.
But he thought he spent allthis money for a good time and
she was like well, if you want agood time, why don't you call
(07:10):
them hookers?
I don't even think that's a lowblow.
Normally I would say that is,but it's not.
It's A accurate and not a badidea.
If that's what he was lookingfor, he gets mad like I can't
believe you think I'd spend thismuch money on you Also accurate
, on you, also accurate.
So maybe the pot calling thekettle black got their feelings
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hurt, but I'm team abby on thishomie.
I thought we was having dinner.
I didn't know this was, I'd eatdifferent people all the time.
When he starts gettingaggressive and when I tell you
abby cunningham comes from theslap a hoe tribe like crystal
and them.
I don't know where abby's from.
She might be from the bay area,from what I heard I know.
Judgment, california.
I'm not slap a whole tribe likeCrystal and them.
I don't know where Abby's from.
She might be from the Bay Area,from what I heard I know.
(07:52):
Judgment, california.
I'm not.
I watched a lot of Boys in theHood and stuff like that back in
the day.
But anybody can be fromanywhere.
Abby seems like wherever she'sfrom.
She learned to slap real good,I mean she's from.
She learned to slap real good.
I mean ain't no way.
That was a stage slap.
She slapped every taste bud,every molecule of moisture out
of Richard's mouth and hedeserved every piece of that
(08:16):
palm and all five fingers thatconnected with his face.
She did what she had to do andas he throws her back down you
could tell she was genuinelyfreaked out like okay, I bet
rich was really embarrassed.
Honestly, he storms out of herhouse, walks to 50 or so feet to
his own front door.
House is dark and the house isa mess.
The house looks like someonewho has kind of given up a
(08:39):
little bit.
It's quite messy for him to bethe only person and like all the
mess is concentrated downstairs, he must be thinking the same
thing.
He don't seem like he likes it.
He he starts to pour himself adrink.
I thought he turned on hislaptop and then I remember what
year it was.
Suddenly the tv is much, muchcloser.
I don't know if he got like asmaller tv or what, but he
(09:01):
starts to sort of settle in foryet another night doing things
that he already hates doing, andhe just kind of looks at
himself like what am I doingwith myself?
Let me get my life together.
He decides he's going to cleanup the house on a whim.
It ain't like he got to get upand go to work tomorrow.
It ain't like he has a warmbody waiting for him in bed, so
he might as well spend the nightbeing productive.
(09:22):
Let me go and get myselftogether.
He works through the night andgets his house spick and span
clean.
Side note, I feel like, eventhough I'm watching this 40 plus
years later, I feel like theproducers are listening to me
because Richard goes into hiswallet and he starts looking at
(09:45):
pictures.
There's a picture of Jason, whois absolutely the cutest
freaking child.
I don't know who he is.
I hope that kid grew up, has awonderful, happy life and I hope
he has 10 kids that look justlike him, just precious,
adorable little boy.
But there's a picture of Jason.
There's a picture of Richardand Jason.
(10:06):
There's a closeup of, I think,laura.
That kind of don't look likeher to me, but I guess it could
be.
But that's my point.
Richard may or may not havebeen taking a real picture with
Jason.
That could just be a littledark headed boy that he has a
picture with, but it looksnatural.
So maybe on TV.
If it's a wallet size photoit's easier to do, but for some
reason when it's a big photo allthey can do is find headshots.
(10:28):
It makes it really unnatural,doesn't matter.
Speaking of unnatural, nextmorning house is all cleaned up
or whatever.
Richard's in his car.
It looks like he got to keepthe coupe that he gave Laura for
Christmas.
She kept Scooter's car becauseit's the Benz and I mean she is
a real estate agent.
She needs the image.
But Kenny and Ginger are headedto San Francisco.
I forgot Ginger was stillsinging.
(10:49):
She's got a singing gig.
Tell me why she walks out of thehouse with baby two names.
Kenny is going on and on about.
Is this turned off?
Is this turned on?
I'm not buying him as DannyTanner, I'm just not buying it.
But he's going on about that.
Ginger gets into the front seatwith baby two names and I can
see the car seat in the backseat.
I just it just blows my mind.
(11:10):
It blows my mind.
You could ride all the way tosan francisco holding a baby in
the front seat.
That is wild.
That's neither here nor there.
Kenny and jenner will be gonefor the rest of this episode.
We won't see them until theclosing credits.
Richard goes to to Jason'skarate class.
You don't really notice it atfirst, but eventually you start
to hear who this woman isclearly not the sensei.
(11:32):
I don't know what she's doing.
She looks like she's about togo solve a mystery in Britain,
or she's about to go talk to herhomegirl, angela Lansbury.
They're going to write up somemurder, but she seems to be the
class mother or whatever.
Her kids are getting on hernerves.
Her kids are arguing in thebackground, so maybe she's a
parent waiting for her kidsclass, because there's already
kids in class doing their thingand we sort of see Jason and
(11:54):
this woman and Richard in thebackground having a conversation
.
The woman says oh, this is MrsAvery's day.
I didn't know you were coming.
I'm only supposed to releaseJason to her.
Richard's like well, I mean,she must've forgot to tell you.
I guess she got her wirescrossed.
I'm here to get him.
Do you want to call her?
I'll wait.
The first time I saw this Ididn't really think too much of
(12:17):
it.
I'm like okay, maybe there's amix up on days or maybe he's not
respecting a boundary.
Surprise, surprise, surprise, Iclocked the sweater and I'm
like I didn't.
Again, I didn't think anythingof it.
I will have an opinion on ithere in a minute.
But as I'm watching his bodylanguage to her, he seems
perfectly natural, perfectlynormal.
Although he seems perfectlynatural and perfectly normal, I
(12:39):
just kept staring like what issomething about?
The way he looks is reminding meof something and I thought, as
I stammer through this, Irewound it now to look at it
again and I know exactly what itis, because it really shows up
later on.
He has a frame of somebody whomight be able to fight.
(13:02):
Hear me out.
He's wearing this sort of maybelight kind of gray, creamish,
brown, creamish, I don't know alight colored sweater which kind
of reminds me of a sweater fromScream.
Maybe that was the bodylanguage I was picking up on,
but I noticed you might thinkthat he's slouching, like his
back seems to be bowed over, butit's that same stance people
(13:26):
take when they start to flex andI even noticed later on I'm
like dang Richard kind of haspecs Like Richard might be built
like Bruce Lee under all that.
That's what I'm saying.
Picture Bruce Lee in a sweater.
You're going to start.
You'll see the kind of the backmuscles.
I guess that's what that is asI look at it again.
But I was like he looksdifferent but maybe stronger,
(13:50):
even though his body language isbowed over like he should be in
a I don't know.
Watch it and you'll see what Imean.
You'll look at him and be like,okay, yeah, he kind of has a
frame of someone who might be alittle stronger and as the show
progresses I noticed it reallybig time.
I noticed his chest in thekitchen in a scene or two from
here.
(14:10):
Anyway, he takes Jason fromkarate class.
The woman who's supposed to bewatching him is just so
distracted because her kids areacting up that she's like, okay,
we'll just take him Fine.
So when we see Richard at hishouse, he's cleaned up
everything.
He has an amazing layout.
I love it, but he's cleared allthe furniture out of the way
(14:30):
because he bought the world'smost giant train set.
Jason is elated.
Is this for me?
Yes for you, it's for us.
So he gets on the floor, heturns on the train.
The train is quite loud, butthe phone rings and of course
it's Laura.
Laura is big pissed because,again, this is 1982.
No cell phones.
Murder.
(14:51):
She wrote, didn't get up anduse the karate studio's phone to
reach her at work.
And even if she tried, it isvery possible that Laura would
have been on her way.
I am team Laura in this scenebecause I would be so pissed if
I drove all the way across townto go pick up my son only to
find out his dad snuck in.
Didn't I tell you not to showup unannounced?
Didn't we have an agreement?
(15:12):
Didn't we have a schedule?
This is exactly what I'mtalking about, richard.
She's furious over the phone,but rich was like well, just
come over.
Just come over, I got somepaperwork I want you to look at.
He says look at, not sign.
She here sign, probablythinking this is going to put
the final nail in the coffin.
Absolutely, I'll drive overthere, pick up my baby, sign
this and gone about my day.
Only it's just not that.
(15:33):
So when she comes over, richardhas smooth talked her into
sailing, sailing into staying.
By way of delicious treats, thisman makes a home cooked meal,
he lays out this beautifulquiche.
He's got a bucket of champagnein the middle of the table.
Again, baby two names is ridingaround the California coast
(15:54):
loose leaf, not in her car seat,and Richard and his pregnant
soon to be ex wife are enjoyingglasses of champagne.
Because, you know, babies arenot important Millennials.
I know this is hard to look at,but no one cared.
Maybe that's why we act up theway we do now.
We act up the way we do now.
(16:16):
Do y'all remember college powerhours?
Let's move on.
Anyway.
Richard talks about how much heloves cooking.
I don't think he cooked a lotwhen he was there, when she was
there.
I remember Lorde making lamband all that kind of stuff, but
he goes to the oven, I think ala Carrie Bradshaw pulls out a
huge box and he has thisgorgeous fur coat inside.
(16:38):
Lord, do you like it?
Now, all of a sudden, thisquiche tastes a little weird.
The champagne seems a littleflat.
Richard, why don't I have a gift?
He's like I want you to baby.
Come on, please, please, please.
I'm ready to do things your way.
We can have our relationshipcompletely on your terms and she
goes cool, my terms arenon-existent.
(17:00):
It's a full factory reset.
I don't know you, you don'tknow me.
We have a kid together, we havetwo kids together, but we don't
live together.
I hate coming over here,because when I'm here, I just I
mean, all we do is fight Richard.
I don't want to do this.
Please let it be.
He doesn't.
He's not accepting this, he'sgetting pissed off.
Okay, I've ran that scene backAt this point in the show.
(17:20):
You still think everything'scool.
They're just having an argument.
Laura is able to keep her cool,but it's.
You can feel her frustrationbecause even this season, how
many times have we had thisconversation?
How many times have we donethis?
He just can't let it go, and Ithink it's the fact that she's
(17:42):
pregnant.
I really do wonder if thisconversation will be totally,
totally different if thereweren't a baby.
Okay, so she getting tired ofall this jaw jacking.
She's pregnant, she's tired,she's had a long day.
She had to drive an extra sixmiles out of her way.
She ain't fooling with Richard,no more, so gets up in that.
You know, cool Laura face, soI'm gonna go home.
He's like you're not leaving.
She goes to to walk around himbecause, again, who, who ain't
(18:05):
leaving?
I'm leaving.
No, no, no.
He blocks her and then hestarts arching his eyebrow and
I'm like, oh, okay, okay, stillnot really thinking too much of
it.
He's just, he's just upset.
I also sort of clocked his frameat this point I guess that was
probably what really did it forme, because he was blocking her
way and I'm like, okay, yes,she's pregnant, she has a couple
(18:26):
inches on him and now she's gota little bit of baby weight.
Yes, I'm not condoning pregnantwomen bulldozing people over,
however, oh yeah, and pregnantwomen don't have really great
balance, that's true.
Something about carrying a babythrows off your equilibrium.
You run into things all thetime.
It is very strange, but Ithought she looks like if she
(18:50):
needed to, she could take him Ifshe absolutely needed to.
That's what I thought before,but as I'm watching him in this,
it's more of a tan.
It's a very, very light tansweater.
I'm like, oh, he's a little,he's stronger than I thought he
was physically.
I wonder if the sweater was aspecific choice.
(19:11):
So while this is going on, overat Karen's house, karen's got
the family and Lily Mae over andthey are doing something I've
never seen done.
I absolutely will incorporatethis into family time, fun time,
hanging out with friends time.
This is so cool to me.
Not all of my friends arebookish.
I think my family will kind ofbe into it, but they're all
(19:31):
sitting around reading eitherfrom a play, from playbooks or
from a poetry book.
It feels more like a play To me.
Everybody has an assignedcharacter or two and they're
reading them in different voicesand they're having a good old
time.
Lily Mae is playing withMichael's toes and this little
piggy went to market.
(19:51):
This little piggy went home.
Don't call me an unculturedswine, but I had no idea that
that was a real poem.
I thought it was just somethingyou said to chubby little
babies Do you have an excuse toplay with their cute little feet
?
But apparently it's part of areal play.
Michael, I have an eighth Likemy God.
Can I please do anything else?
Can I go?
Karen's like cool, you can goupstairs, but you bet not turn
(20:12):
on your TV.
Turn on your TV, tell me you'rewealthy without telling me
you're wealthy.
Kids in 1982, did you have TVsin your room?
Most of the kids I knew in the90s did not have a TV in their
room until later, like rightaround 2000-ish.
Okay, I'm lying.
I definitely had a TV, I thinkI inherited.
(20:34):
So my sister graduated, I think, 95 and I inherited her.
No, we built another like partof the house on.
So my parents got this reallywonderful master suite and my
brother and I got our own room.
So, yes, late nineties, I got atelevision, you telling me in
(20:55):
1982, but I was not.
Everybody had one In 1982, theyhad their own TV.
And what was he going to watchupstairs?
Seriously, either way.
He sits back down.
He wants to read, but suddenlyyou can hear voices.
They hear yelling and he's likewell, somebody's yelling across
the street.
He's smart because he knows hismama is nosy.
This ish is not going down inKaren's neighborhood mark
(21:17):
because he knows his mama isnosy.
This ish is not going down inKaren's neighborhood.
So Karen goes walking outside,joe follows her to protect his
sister and right as she's comingoutside it looks like Val and
Gary are coming back fromsomewhere.
So they pull up and I guessthey can.
They see her face, they see howurgently she's running out of
the house heading over toRichard and Laura's, and so Gary
jumps out too, val jumps outand Karen's like they're
(21:39):
screaming in there, we need togo in there and interrupt.
Joe's like no, mind yourbusinesses.
Gary agrees with him, valagrees with Karen no, no, no, if
Laura's over there, they needto go in the house.
And Karen's like, yeah, andJason's there, they don't need
to be yelling in front of Jason.
This is one of those situationswhere it's like everybody has
their own rules and regulationsin their house.
Sometimes things get heated.
(21:59):
Yes, you should not, are you infront of children?
Sometimes things get out ofhand.
But it must've been an unusualoccurrence, despite their
previous relationship, despiteLaura and Richard being there
all this time before.
This must be very unusual,because her heckles, karen's are
completely up.
She is thoroughly freaked outand a little bit later on
(22:22):
there's more of a revelation.
But the first thing I thoughtwas like this isn't a man.
Is this a man versus womanthing?
Like men are like hey, just letthem work it out.
Men can punch each other in theface at breakfast and be cool
by lunch.
That will never happen withwomen.
It's not happening.
Not that we aren't involved,but it's like a fight is so much
bigger.
It means something wherethere's something we need to
(22:43):
heal there.
But I think the reality is likeyou don't know for certain,
please don't go bursting inthere, cause you could maybe
blow this out of proportion.
Karen ain't trying to hear noneof that.
She is dressed like what's'sher name?
Daphne from Scooby-Doo.
She's got on the the burgundycolorway whatever.
(23:04):
I'm going up here.
She's matching.
She's monochrome, her hair isflipped.
She's hauling ass up that uhdriveway up the sidewalk.
Well, inside, karen's instinctsare right.
It is getting ugly.
Mind you, jason is stillplaying with the train, so it's
super, super loud, loud enoughto just muffle the voices.
(23:25):
Think about that, though.
They could hear the argumentfrom Karen's house, but as she
gets to the door you can stillhear it, but she hears the train
as well, so I guess it's moreconcentrated volume there.
And Laura and Richard had movedfrom the kitchen to the living
room so it was probably easierto hear in the kitchen.
(23:45):
I don't know.
I got to make it make sense.
You know I am.
She knocks on the door andLaura says Karen, she definitely
yells out.
So Karen's like oh no, hell, no, richard grabs this woman by
her mouth and covers it.
Sorry, I almost covered mymouth.
I just realized that Richardgrabs Laura, covers her mouth
(24:11):
and he says Laura in a very calmvoice Laura, if you keep making
noise I'm going to have to hurtyou.
Karen's at the door.
I'm painting the picture foryou.
On just on the other side ofthat door is Richard.
There is Laura with her mouthclamped and there is Jason
playing on the floor with thetrain.
Karen says Richard, can I comein?
I'd rather you not.
(24:31):
I thought I heard Laura.
Yeah, she's here.
She just went upstairs.
What are you guys doing?
We're arguing, do you mind?
Basically tells her to scram,just go away.
It's not happening.
Yeah, she's here.
She just went upstairs.
What are you guys doing?
We're arguing, do you mind?
Basically tells her to scram,just go away.
It's not happening, go away.
And she's like Richard.
I really wish you would justlet me come in, let me talk to
you.
Not happening, karen, we'lltalk tomorrow.
Karen and Richard are friends atthis point.
You know they've been hangingout quite a bit ever since Sid
died, so I'm not really surewhat she was thinking right at
(24:54):
first.
I don't know if she knewsomething was up for real, for
real and maybe she's the onlyone who did, because she's the
only person who has been talkingto him frequently.
This is a thing I didn't reallypick up on and this is why I
love this show.
Because there are severalcouples.
We get to see their lives ascouples.
We also get to see themindividually sometimes, and
(25:17):
because this is a regularneighborhood, the reality is,
yeah, you're not going to alwaysknow what's going on with
everybody all the time.
There's going to be certainseasons where you're probably a
little more in tune with oneneighbor or one friend more than
the other.
But I hadn't really noticedthat since Sid died.
The guys don't really gettogether like that.
I thought things were cool.
Kenny and Richard aredefinitely cool enough.
(25:39):
You know they order hookerstogether.
They were perfect.
Ginger and Kenny were perfectlyfine.
With Richard coming over, theyinvited him over for dinner.
Come and sit down, but him andGary don't like each other.
They tolerate each other.
Karen is his friend.
Val doesn't really seem to dealwith him and that could be Val
being respectful of Gary,knowing that's not his friend
like that, so she don't reallyinteract with him like that.
(26:01):
I don't know, cutie pie, jasondoes look kind of terrified.
But also, what do you do?
You're a little kid, you can'tbreak up a fight and also it's a
worst position to ever be in,to be a child in that situation,
because, no matter what you do,you're going to hurt one parent
(26:22):
and that's exactly what youdon't want to do.
Richard has not thought thisthrough, but he is serious
enough to be like you are notleaving this place until we
resolve this law.
We got to talk all night andall day, which is where the
title comes from night.
That's what it's going to haveto be.
When he goes to lock the door,you can you see his frame again.
Yes, he's slight, yes, he'skind of unassuming, but look at
that back, look at his chest.
He could do something.
(26:43):
He doesn't have a crappyposture back.
He has a.
I might lift a weight or two atone point in my life.
I'm probably a little athleticunderneath clothes.
I'm not checking out Richard,I'm just saying he is definitely
giving Stu from Scream vibes.
Now Laura has a choice to make.
Richard tells Jason to goupstairs.
He wants to talk to him.
We're going to chatter, chatter, chit, chit.
(27:05):
Let me explain this to you.
He tells Jason mommy and I justneed to talk.
We're going to get our familyback together and the baby's
like but she don't want a familywith you, like that dad.
He's like I know, but if wetalk we can work it out.
Promise me, you'll stay in yourroom all night.
The baby says, yes, he'll stayin his room all night.
I hope he has an en suitebecause, like what if he has to
pee?
He's a little kid.
He didn't bring any snacks oranything upstairs and he also
(27:30):
has a TV in his room.
So maybe California, a littlemore standard, I guess on TV
it's more standard anyway.
Laura then can't leave.
Think about that.
She can't run out of the housebecause the baby's there.
She must not be afraid thathe'll really hurt her, but it is
very uncomfortable.
He does not seem like he'sdoing well when he talks to her.
So she goes downstairs.
(27:51):
She starts cleaning the dishes.
Meanwhile Karen goes to Val andGary's house and she starts
calling.
The phone is ringing andringing, and ringing, ringing.
Then she'll hang up.
So Lily Mae's there, val'sthere, you know she's French,
she's making coffee and snacksand do whatever in the
background.
But Gary at this point is likewait, I don't like that.
(28:11):
So you sure Laura's there.
She's like yeah, laura's there.
I swear I heard her voice.
Then he says she went upstairs.
Gary doesn't like that.
Something about that is justnot sitting well with him.
So he's like okay, I'm justgoing to go over there because
I'm a big, strong man and ifthat little mofo steps to me I'm
going to go ahead and squashhim like a bug.
I know I can take him if itcomes to that.
(28:33):
So Gary is very smart.
He goes around and back, hegoes through the backyard and he
gets over to the.
He can see Laura through thewindow.
She like the phone isincessantly ringing.
It is so annoying.
I'm so grateful that we cansilence our phones.
Now she finally picks up andshe tells Karen everything's
fine, everything's fine she's.
Her voice doesn't sound likeeverything's fine, but she's
(28:55):
trying.
I'm okay, girl, don't worryabout me.
Well, she hangs up the phonebut Richard is upstairs.
Richard had picked up the phoneand say yeah, she's fine, don't
worry about it, everything'scool, just let it be.
Laura hangs up first and thenKaren's like well, richard, are
you still there?
He suddenly drops the phone.
Now you see him in his room.
See him in his room.
(29:17):
He's rubbing his neck like he'sgot a lot of tension.
He goes into the bathroom andhe takes two pills I'm assuming
they're aspirin.
He didn't have any sort ofmanic episode later, or this
could all be a manic episode, Idon't really know.
Well, by this point gary hasmade it to the sliding glass
door.
As soon as laura sees, he opensand she just starts crying in
his arm.
She's hugging him like oh mygod, gary, he's going crazy.
He got trained.
(29:38):
He's blowing money like he'snot buying hookers and stuff
anymore.
He won't let me leave, gary.
Gary, he said I can't leave thehouse.
He said me and Jason can'tleave.
We're scared, help us.
He grabbed me and Karen triedto call.
So Gary's hearing this and he'sgetting progressive.
He's like what the he did, whathe said, what who can't leave?
Yo, richard.
(29:58):
I love this.
I love this scene because Ithink Gary has been secretly
wanting to put a North Texas asswhooping on Richard for quite a
little bit.
He's like I've grown, I'm goingto be a good man.
So he goes around and he's likeyo, richard, he's at the bottom
(30:22):
of the stairs, just come down,let's talk to me, please, please
, talk to me.
Laura said you won't let herleave.
She wants to go home.
So Richard comes down thestairs and he okay.
So maybe he's not Bruce Lee,but he is more built than she
would think.
I guarantee you he is.
He's got his hands behind hisback and as Gary tries to
proceed, he's seen up the stairs.
After he threatens to listen, Iwill open a can of whoop ass on
you.
He starts to walk up the stairs.
After he threatens to listen, Iwill open a can of hoolfass on
you.
He starts to walk up the stairsand richard pulls out the
blicky.
Richard's got a pistola andhe's got that same exact look on
(30:46):
his face, the same look thatwhen laura was in the kitchen
and she wanted to leave.
It's this sort of very resolved.
I'm calm, I'm a littledisturbed and I mean when I say,
gary, I will pump you full oflead if you interrupt us.
I'm paraphrasing.
But just know, richard islooking at that door like I wish
you would, laura, you and yourprayer dress, get over there and
(31:08):
lock that door so all the womenfolk are outside.
Gary's like y'all not gonnabelieve.
This month this mother loverpulled a gun on me.
A gun, everybody's A gun,everybody's like in California.
Now this was Dallas.
Yeah, he definitely.
He would have pulled a shotgunon you 1982, 100%.
So by this point Joe has comeout the house and he's like wait
(31:29):
, what gary's like?
Yo, this fool pulled a gun onme.
I was like you got a gun thatdon't even sound like him.
So karen was like no, no, letme go over there, let me talk to
him.
Joseph, are you nuts?
Did you not hear the gun part?
You're not going over there?
Well, they insist on callingthe police.
I was like let's just, let'scall the cops.
Joe agrees, they do just that.
(31:50):
And, ladies and gentlemen,night has finally befalled upon
us.
If my calculations are correct,in season one on the United we
Stand or United we Fall, aka theDirtbags on Dirtbikes episode,
I do believe the police wascalled for this little coldest
thing.
Refresh my memory there was aB&E when.
(32:14):
God bless America.
These people love slapping upchildren and pregnant kids,
pregnant women on this show.
So the dirtbags on dirt bikesbeat up Sid and Karen's youngest
boy.
On season two with the B&E theykidnapped everybody at Ginger's
baby showers.
We had a good pregnant woman.
(32:35):
There was also a slap there.
Laura slapped Abby because shewas boning Richard, you know
what I'm saying.
So now I got to worry about onMott's Landing.
When you get a slap across theface or a child gets hit in the
head, I'm going to expect thecops to flood their cul-de-sac
again.
At what point does a propertyvalue drop, laura?
Could you answer that?
At what point?
We've had the SWAT team twicein two seasons on this
(32:59):
cul-de-sac in behind the two ofy'all.
If I was the rest of theneighbors, there's got to be at
least two on the street we mighthave a little meeting.
I know Karen is theneighborhood watch leader, but
listen, you and your friends arekind of a problem.
Seems like every time theAvery's show up or involved in
something, there seems to besort of you know, police
(33:20):
presence in a way that we don'treally enjoy.
This is a cul-de-sac, so youcan imagine if it's filled with
coppers nobody can get to theirhouse.
It's quite annoying, anyway,it's stressful.
But we get to meet a woman copnamed Sanchez.
She's there there, and thenthey have a negotiator come
throughout the rest of thisepisode, despite there being a
(33:42):
police presence, despite therebeing a threat outside the house
.
It's not that Richard is notaware of it, he just doesn't
care.
It is, without a shadow of adoubt, so intense and the worst
part is he's so focused on Laurathat he's not able to really
think clearly about anythingelse.
It is Laura, laura, laura, youwere the missing piece.
(34:03):
Why don't you want to come backto Laura, please?
We just have to talk to this.
I'm asking you what do you wantme to do?
For three months?
I'll be exactly the man youwant me to be.
I'll do whatever you need me tobe.
They're back at Karen's.
So meanwhile, at Karen's, Ithought I'm like how the heck
did Abby get there?
She was there reading thepoetry, so she was staying with
the kids.
She never actually went outside.
(34:24):
They ran to Val's house andthen everybody met back at
Karen's and now they kind of gotto stick around there because
the cops are there.
The cops told Karen to find aplace for her kids.
But now I'm wondering where areAbby's kids?
I thought their daddy is therestraining order just against
Abby, or is it the kids too?
That doesn't seem like a goodidea, is it?
He can't possibly be gettingvisitations after he kidnapped
(34:46):
them, and that's another thing.
Kidnap, kidnap two wholechildren no SWAT.
Okay, so the negotiator gets onthe phone.
He's trying to call, but he'salso calling someone who was a
professional negotiator, despitebeing unceremoniously dumped
for doing the work he was askedto do.
I hope he pursues that lawsuit.
(35:07):
Richard ignores the first fewcalls and throughout the episode
there's just a lot of phoneringing.
So if you can block that partout and watch this, wow, he's so
intense, but he's also this iswhat I'm saying, not slamming,
what the hell?
What are you doing?
To me, this is they understandnuance, so okay.
(35:30):
So you see Richard and you seethese little glimpses of him
being broken Like honey.
Please, I miss you, can we justdo this?
But then you see, I am fullyoff my rocker because he's just
sort of flipping the gun backand forth in his hands.
He's sweating, he's not well.
(35:51):
It's almost as if you think aloud noise could set him off.
A loud noise could end Laura,and I think if he did something
to Laura he'd do somethinghimself.
That's just my thoughts as I'mwatching this, like, oh my God,
is this necessary?
There's also the thought like,do we need all the cops?
I say yes, but it's not reallyhelping anything.
At this point it's really not.
Karen asked to be on the phoneto talk to him and that's not
(36:13):
really helping anything.
At this point it's really not.
Karen asked to be on the phoneto talk to him and that's not
really happening.
So okay, let's just kind ofwrap this up Ten's environment.
It is very much giving nocountry for old men.
Javier Bardero I've said thismany times before he is the
scariest part of that movie.
Not because he's a killer, it'sbecause he's so resolved, he's
(36:37):
so trained on the job at hand.
He doesn't really show anyemotions one way or another.
He is going to kill you becauseit is on his to-do list.
It feels like that is onRichard's to-do list.
Not necessarily kill you, but,laura, you literally are not
leaving this house until you sayyes, I don't care if a hundred
people are outside waiting toblow me away.
(36:59):
You're going to say yes to this.
So Laura flips.
You know.
She's like okay, let me playalong with this.
He offers her some wine.
He offers a pregnant lady yetanother glass of wine to chase
the champagne.
She's like cool, yeah, oh, isthis that wine we got at that
one place.
She starts to initiate theconversation and you see him
(37:20):
start to melt a little.
We start to see less no countryfor old men and more Richard.
I think that movie was also setin 1982 or 1980, I can't
remember.
I'll have to go back and look.
This is working, working.
So on the other side of allthis, you have Karen advocating
with every fiber of her beingfor Richard.
(37:42):
She is begging the cops to lether call.
They're like no, ma'am, we havethis professional.
She's like professional is nothis friend, he's too smart for
that.
He's not going to believe youanyway.
Well, in all the commotion,someone on the police force has
decided to pull up theblueprints for the house.
They decide that you know onlyso many rooms could be the kids
room and they decide they'regoing to get used an aluminum
(38:05):
ladder, which is the mostterrifying part of this whole
episode.
Honestly, god, I hate thosethings.
And they climb up and they,they extract jason.
He is very brave.
He climbs down the daggonealuminum ladder with a person he
doesn't know and they extractJason.
He is very brave.
He climbs down the daggonealuminum ladder with a person he
doesn't know and they take himover to Val's, which is the very
best place for him.
She's going to make him somehot chocolate.
(38:25):
She's going to do X, y and Z,but she sort of gets on to Gary
for not being more supportive ofRichard.
She's like remember when youwere acting a teetotal fool?
You were dribbling drunk forthree weeks all up and down
Knott's Landing Coast.
You know how embarrassed I was.
Do you remember that?
Do you remember that Richardwas a person who came to get you
(38:45):
?
And Gary's like don't come.
I mean, did he save me?
No, did he show up andthreatened to sue me?
Yes, val thing is like you wentover there for laura, you
didn't even go over there forhim.
They don't like each other.
And gary says as much richarddon't even like me, like that.
She's like well, when you was adrunk, skunk all up and down
knots landing avenue, drinkingbackwash, booze fist, fighting
(39:08):
people over two dollar bottlesof wine, who helped you?
Did he help you or did he comehelp me.
He went to help help you.
He's like I mean, damn, youwant me to get shot.
What you want me to do, I'msorry.
What do you?
This is a little bit ofrevisionist history.
I understand the point beingmade here.
The point being made is thatit's not just Laura's life in
danger, which she to me.
(39:30):
I'm sorry, she's a priority,her and Jason.
Jason's out of the the house.
Laura is pregnant with a manwho was obsessed with her with a
gun.
We should be concerned, even ifit's out of character for him.
I think that's why you shouldbe concerned.
This is not the person you know.
This is not the guy you love,and and kiki with this is
(39:50):
somebody who was on the edge.
Once he hears hears a commotion,richard that is.
He runs upstairs and he figuresout that Jason is no longer in
his room and he cracks Shout outto Laura for keeping it cool.
Also, her real name, her realgovernment name Constance
McCashen.
What that needs to be a superpimp or a super villain name
(40:16):
somewhere.
Constant McCashen, I getconstant McCashen.
I love it.
Anyway, she is being Laura.
She's as cool as she could be.
Phone's ringing off the hook.
She's like let me just answerit, richard.
Richard, I just don't thinkthis is going to work out.
Finally he picks up the phone.
Richard's like okay, you havemy kid.
I really don't think this isgoing to work out.
(40:39):
Finally he picks up the phone.
Richard's like okay, you havemy kid.
I really don't have anythingelse to lose, so just let me go
ahead and get this done.
You might as well go home.
I'm not going over there.
Well, karen pulls a Richard, shegoes and she picks up the phone
and she's talking to him.
Swat guy tries to go in thekitchen and bust her up, but Joe
steps in because he's a goodbrother and he's like listen,
you're going to kill him 20minutes from now.
Why are you going to do itright now?
We just let her talk to him.
What's the worst?
Are we going to blow him away?
Anyway?
Let her talk to him, let herget his mind right.
(41:01):
The negotiator's like he mustsort of agree with this.
Plus, he'd probably like to gethome to his bed.
So he goes into the kitchen.
He's like Karen, just make sureyou don't lie to him.
Richard seems to think this hasbeen blown out of proportion.
I can't say I agree, I'm that.
But he and karen share thisreally intimate moment where she
(41:21):
talks about how much she caresabout him.
But richard is just saying it.
(41:42):
So the SWAT team already hasorders to basically kind of bust
up in there.
They have like five minutes todo it while richard is
distracted.
This is the first time lord'shad some real breathing room
since he went upstairs to talkto Jason.
Richard is being very honest.
He's being very vulnerable.
Like none of the cops can helpme.
The only person who can help meright now is Laura and Karen's.
(42:03):
Like no baby.
You got to help you.
First you got to get thismental state under control and
then then you can figure outwhat's next.
And she she compares the breakupof their marriage to a death.
It kind of throws him off.
He's like what are you saying?
Like why are you talking aboutdeath?
I don't know, maybe becauseyou're wielding a gun around,
you're wielding a pistol aroundin front of everybody.
(42:23):
But she's basically telling himboy, it's over.
You need to, you need to allowyourself to mourn this marriage.
This is too much.
It is you, baby.
It's you.
You were the only personbrandishing a weapon.
You were the only person notallowing people you love to move
forward and grow and dowhatever and I swear to you his
beard grows tenfold over thisnight in this scene.
(42:46):
But also baby boy is acting.
I love it that he's not reallyoverdoing it.
You still see pieces of Richard,but then you see not well
Richard.
You see two versions of himkind of battling each other.
And then he stands up and thatlook that same look, the look
(43:07):
that he started the show with,like I'm going, you're gonna
stay here.
The look he gave Gary when hewas brandishing the weapon at
the top of the stairs is thesame look he gives Laura.
He arches that eyebrow, startslurching towards her.
She had her hands behind herback.
I thought she picked up a vaseor something.
It was going to come across hishead.
But she doesn't even have tobecause he tells her she can
leave.
(43:27):
She's like, are you sure?
Yeah, you can leave.
She was very smart.
She moonwalks out of there.
Don't you dare turn your back.
She moonwalks out of there.
She feels for the door, sheopens it and I was terrified.
I know this is TV.
I don't know in real life howthis would go, but I thought
that the SWAT team might havestarted shooting at her.
(43:48):
But maybe they're.
I mean, they're trained, theyunderstand that there's a slight
possibility that the hostagecould be released.
Luckily she was.
Richard comes out of the houseafter this and this is where the
show is a little bitunrealistic.
Based on, this is me growing upand living in the times we live
in now.
I don't think he would have gotvery far with the pistol
(44:10):
outside.
So he comes out slowly.
Nobody rushes him.
He's still brandishing theweapon.
Well, he's holding the weapon.
He starts to sort of cock itand raise it up.
He gets to raise it all the wayup to his head.
Nobody shoots at him, not oneperson.
That feels very.
This is why this is a soapopera, ain't no way, because
(44:35):
he's pointing it out firstbefore he points it up.
Oh, this scene is hard, hard,hard to watch.
I was literally holding mybreath this entire episode.
Oh my god, ever since what?
Not even in the kitchen wherehe goes to grab laura did I
think okay.
I still kind of had the thoughtthat this is going to be okay.
He's just tripping, they'regoing to cast each other out and
(44:57):
then she'll leave.
When he put his hand over herface as she tried to leave.
I was like, oh my god, held mybreath the entire time.
Richard gets the gun all the wayup to his head and he pulls the
trigger.
He looks like he's about toburst out crying, but he just
keeps clicking it like one, two,three.
(45:17):
You realize it was never loadedby episodes in which this is
karen's task with boxing up thetrain set, joe has to load it
all in the back of laura's carand richard is in the psych ward
for a little bit.
No shame in getting a littlebit of help, but she talks about
keeping the water on and alittle bit of electricity.
(45:40):
But the house appears to becleared out.
It would seem that Laura andRichard are leaving.
I don't know if Richard's goingto come back.
Are they gone?
It just hit me.
This literally hit me in themoment I put it back on, so I
could really like watch this.
So this show is about the cityor this cul-de-sac.
This is the first time I everconsidered.
(46:01):
You know, I know people leavethe show.
But is he he's?
Is he gone now?
Don't tell me.
But tell me, don't tell me.
I hope not.
Oh, man, and she's a real okay,I mean, well, hell, I feel like
they set all that up.
She's a real estate agent.
He's gone.
It's a big.
He did say the house was toobig.
(46:21):
At one point I forgot who Iguess he was talking to karen.
He said the house was just sobig and it's so empty and it
echoes off of everything.
Dang, I don't know.
Laura kind of leaves it open.
It led me to believe that hemay not move back into the house
.
Kenny and ginger come and babytwo names is just nobody cared
about us.
I'm telling you, baby two namesis holding on for dear life as
(46:45):
ginger lets her dangle like arag doll.
I literally thought it was adoll, like a prop doll, when
they walked up.
But they were like, hey, wewere at the grocery store and
they said something about somecops in the neighborhood and
karen's like let's go to yourhouse and I'll tell you all
about it.
Okay, I love this last scenebecause they're outside Anytime
they're outside.
I just love to orient myself tothe neighborhood layout and
(47:07):
Abby does have a driveway.
I've always admired her steps.
Like I really, really like thefront of Abby's house.
I didn't think she had adriveway, but she does.
Fantastic episode.
What the actual?
What the actual I don't knowwhat I thought it was going to
be about.
I don't know.
(47:31):
I don't know how I feel aboutthat.
Like he's still brandish yourweapon.
It's hard to get.
Listen, I live in a differenttime.
I live in a very different timewhere we take gun threats in a
psych ward, like maybe the factthat there were no bullets gives
(47:57):
him an opportunity to okay,there was never any real threat
to violence, maybe that's thething.
But wow, I don't know, I don'tknow.
Very good episode, richard,richard, richard.
I hope he's okay and I hopehe's still on the show.
I hope they don't just moveaway.
(48:19):
I suppose laura would show upfrom time to time.
Maybe she'll buy the house.
I don't know, I can't believeit.
We got to talk about thisproperty value, though.
I mean, at what point is there?
A neighborhood no longer safe?
I would say at the SWAT?
Is there more than a few timesa year?
(48:41):
That's, it's, it's concerning.
We might need to up the uh, themembership of the neighborhood
watch.
Might be time to add a coupleextra locks to the doors.
I don't really know.
All right, guys, that's it.
That's all for this episode.
Join me next time as I jumpback into some fun-filled soap
opera debauchery in the meantime.
(49:02):
In between time, don'tunderestimate a slight man who
works in corporate america.
He could be lifting weights,pumping iron, doing god knows
what behind the scenes, fillingout the murder me sweater like
stew from scream.
Stay, stay hydrated, staymoisturized, mind your own
business unless you think yourfriend is being held hostage and
keep all of your drama on TV.
Bye, thank you, bye, bye, bye.
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