Falcon Crest (TV Series) A Time for Saboteurs (1981) User Reviews

Be careful of best friends with big offers.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 28 September 2019]

Sure, Cliff Potts is charming here as an old friend of Chase's who causes issues with Chase and Maggie, romances Julia for financial gain and tries to make a deal with Angela to get Chase out of the Tuscany Valley. He's got some rather shady bill collectors on his trail so it's obvious that he's trouble. Maggie tries to warn Julia about his character which angers Julia, obviously dying for a romantic life and sadly desperate. Angela celebrates her anniversary with ex-husband Douglas (Stephen Elliott), showing a different side of her, especially when she finds out the truth about Potts.

There are some interesting details revealed by Julia about the various details on growing a successful vineyard, all storyline devices in Potts' plots. It's a single plot with a few subtle elements of the story which will be utilized more when the show becomes more of a continuing story. Knowing what is down the pike for Julia, it's sad to see her always brought down during the first two seasons. There's very little of Vicki and Cole, no Lance and a nice single scene with Emma that is quite nice in a touching scene with Angela.

"What is this? A Set-up?"

[JasonDanielBaker · 9 March 2012]

Former airline pilot Chase GioBerti (Robert Foxworth) has uprooted his family from New York City to Northern California's Tuscany Valley just outside San Francisco. This, the second episode in the series is a bit of a flash-forward in the back-story.

We haven't seen Chase and his wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) and two nearly grown children move in to his father's old house nor have we seen them tend to the land much yet. We haven't even seen Chase quit the airline he was working for. Nevertheless the dilapidated home of the pilot episode is now fully furnished and comfortable and the vineyard is fully operational ably tended to by Chase, his son Cole (Bill Moses) and his able foreman Gus Nunouz (Nick Ramus).

Paul Salinger (Cliff Potts) an old army buddy of Chase's shows up to visit trying to entice Chase into starting up a small airline charter service. Salinger is being followed by a small army of creditors and is scrounging to the pay them. He first tries to seduce Chase's cousin Julia Cumson (Abby Dalton) so that he can marry her for her money.

When it becomes evident that he will need to make payment sooner he tries to do a deal with Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) wherein she will invest in his airline if he is able to get Chase to leave Tuscany, and sell his land to her.

Angela is still convinced her nephew Chase is a dilettante who deserted Tuscany to become a pilot. She sees a great deal of his mother in him and she very much despised Chase's mother, her sister-in-law. Angela is also convinced her grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), her beloved protégé should run Falcon Crest - all of it including Chase's land which she considers to be part of it, provided he does it exactly the way she instructs him to until her dying day.

Chase's resolve in staying on his vineyard is tested as it will continue to be in future episodes. It is more than a manifestation of mid-life crisis to him. His aunt Angela is generally the source of his difficulty but his old buddy ends up being the real problem. Chase has just his family and his loyal employees to fall back on to save his father's legacy.

What was Falcon Crest? When it was at its best it was a night-time soap retelling of the legend of Odysseus returning home to reclaim his legacy after war overseas and a long voyage back. This early episode reflects that. But like I said the viewer is asked to just assume a lot of things have happened that we have not seen depicted on screen in the pilot episode.