Julia and Maggies relationship.

[abbyisfc]

Julia was behind trying to kill Maggie but good friends at FC start. Your view on their relationship is?

[adora]

Thats a hard one. I'm trying to remeber their last scene together, just the two of them and I think it might have been while she was is prison but I'm a bit vague on it. I think Julia was full of venom towards Maggie in those scenes, yet they were great friends at the start. It's difficult because when you think about it Julia's murder of Carlos was not the act of a person who was insane; it was pre-meditated and there were two motives(revenge and power; ensuring her son got the Agretti Vinyards), she even took the time to frame someone. She went to great extremes to cover her tracks(e.g. the car crash). I even remember a scene prior to that where she wouldn't give Melissa the loan of her car to drive baby Joseph to town, perhaps because she didn't want them hurt. So was she alway's insane or did she suffer a breakdown after being found out. If she was not always insane, maybe she was always devious and ruthless and never really cared for Maggie. In short I don't really know but it is curious that I don't remember her trying to rebuild that relationship in later appearances.

[Julia's Gun]

I think this was just another of Falcon Crest's inconsistencies. Dramatic plot twists took priority over plausible character relationships.

Julia and Maggie seemed like good friends for the first two seasons, and it seems that even Abby Dalton didn't even know she was the murderer until just before the episode aired. They even wrote in some extra backstory at the start of season 3 to make it look like she had an affair with Carlo. It was all ridicioulous really.

The only explanation I have is that Julia did like Maggie very much, but suffered a breakdown after she failed to leave with Tony in Season 1, and then she decided to become even more devious than her mother, and use murder to try and secure her future. Perhaps she started to envy Maggie and her marriage to Chase? The scene with the barrels being dropped onto Maggie happens just after she has visisted Tony in San Diego and discovered he is about to remarry. (Why she didn't return to Falcon Crest and just murder her cruel and scheming son who sent her there I don't know.)

She then goes to the Embarcadero to get drunk, before returning to wreak havoc at the wedding. In a way it does make sense - Julia was the pulse at the heart of an amoral family - corrupted and driven to murder by a domineering mother, ambitious son and absent husband. Maggie had everything she lacked.

Shame the writers never went further with this, and had them discuss it later on, when she had the charges dropped in Season 5. The quality of the actors deserved more Knots-style emotionally based storylines than we had. I'd have liked her to stay until the end of the series too. She was really missed in Seasons 7-8.

[Jock Og]

Any amicable relationship Julia and Maggie had was understandably soured, when season 3 commenced. Julia with her mixed emotions and cold bloodedness put paid to any friendship. The Giobertis had done nothing wrong, other than wanting their rightful share of the wine empire.

Angela’s occasional use of Cole, as an inheritance pawn also infuriated Julia. Maggie and Emma had a strong relationship that nothing could hinder.


Julia is making plans and wants to make her peace completely this time. She spent a stint at the mansion again, due to her earthquake trauma. Tony shows up into the dining room with her, where Angela, Emma, Kit, Lance, Peter and Eric are seated, (a scene from season 6, 1986-’87):

Emma: “Julia you’ve missed lunch.”

Julia: “I’m not hungry Emma!”

Lance stands beside his mother and father. Tony speaks, “Julia has some plans you should all know about.”

Julia: “I’ve been to see Fr. Bob. He is going to speak to the bishop and mother superior. I’m going back to the convent!”

Angela, Emma, Peter and the rest are shocked as they thought Julia had returned to the valley for good.

[abbylexis]

Falcon Crest had a Knots feel in the beginning. I think Julia being a killer was a last minute twist there was nothing during season 2 that showed her to be that instable. That is why Knots Landing worked better because things flowed naturally even though there were twists and turns.

[Jock Og]

Abbylexis there was a slight Knots Landing feel with the earthy Giobertis (Chase, Maggie and their two children). This IMHO wasn’t intentional. More like a case of how the show needed a balance. I know you had stipulated before that in your opinion Falcon Crest was like a cocktail, of the other three.

As I see it the Tuscany Valley saga had a unique style inspired by Earl Hamner’s vision of a fictional Mondavi two families scenario, for the wine empire control. Let’s get back to Julia. Let’s not forget she knew all along during season 1 that Jason died accidentally but owing to the will was prepared to deprive Chase, of his 50% share.

When the truth did out there was then this mystery of who was trying to bump off Jason’s son and his family. In a way the tangled web did add up because if Julia wasn’t the culprit then Lance or Chao-Li easily could have been. This of course would be to ultimately keep Angela as the main power and within Channing control.


Abby Dalton is being interviewed about her time on Falcon Crest, (‘behind the scenes’, from season 1 – 6, 1981 – ’86):

“I found my return story to be far fetched, after the earth quake. It was supposed to be some sort of psychological blindness. The scenes in jail were the most demand, satisfying stuff for me to do. Playing an insane person is wonderful because you don't have to qualify any of the writers' writing. You get to chew the scenery. I enjoyed doing the nun with the gun. That's what Jane used to call me. I used to zip over on lunch hour to our country club in the habit, sweeping past the members. I remember one man who glanced up at me and I winked at him. I thought he was going to have a cardiac arrest on the spot."

[Chloe-Fusco]

Undoubtedly whenever Chase got some FC power that's when Julia got the sour grapes. A case of holier than thou versus wicked.

Richard arrives with Emma, to Lance and Melissa's wedding reception. Angela isn’t pleased. Falcon Crest 1986:

Richard: "Is the champagne free?"
Emma: "Actually she is pouring Chase's. She won't admit it but I saw her in there scraping off the labels. I'll go get us some."
Angela: "She's letting her imagination run away with her again. I'd rather serve soda pop!"