SoapLand - The Battle Of Bribery and Blackmail - The Result

[Richard Channing]

If you're one of Soapland's more shady characters two of the best ways to get what you want were bribery and blackmail. If one doesn't work the other usually will. Whether you wanted to get someone out of town or get them to do your bidding, these two techniques were often just the nudge in the right direction that was needed to ensure someone's cooperation.

So what were you're favourite plots involving bribery or blackmail?

 

[Daniel Avery]

Okay, I was hoping someone else would post first to give me more ideas, but no such luck. So here goes...

1. Olivia blackmails Abby, KL. Abby had been involved in the kidnapping of Val's babies, and when Olivia found out, she used the information to get Abby to allow her to move out (and in with the MacKenzies). This one sticks out in my mind because of how Abby was more heartbroken than angry at the blackmailer, and because Olivia's demands were such small potatoes in comparison to the demands typically made by blackmailers with sensitive information. A handful of others used the same info to blackmail Abby, but the situation with Olivia was the one most representative of how Knots handled plot twists like this.

2. Laura blackmails Abby, KL. Abby had created a shell company and was secretly building a high-rise hotel and resort on sensitive wetlands, and when Laura discovered the scheme, she demanded 10% of the project, or she would tell environmentalists Karen and Gary about Abby's misuse of Gary's money. Laura's brief turn to the dark side (keeping the Apolune/Wolfbridge secrets) allowed her to be a player in of one of KL's best stories, and when it all blew up everyone forgave her anyway. Best of all, she got to keep the 10%, too.

3. Ruth bribes and/or blackmails Abby, KL. Ruth found the missing pages from Scott Easton's notebook that implicated Abby in the kidnapping of the twins, so she offered the pages to Abby if she would break up Greg and Laura's romance. I can't tell if Ruth was blackmailing Abby ("Break them up or I give the pages to Mack") or if she was bribing Abby ("Break them up and here's what I'll give you as a reward"). That was part of what made every one of Ruth's scenes to much fun--she was always working multiple angles.

4. Alex blackmails Claudia, KL. Alex knew that Claudia, while caring for terminally-ill Ruth, had withheld medication that hastened Ruth's death. He held the info over Claudia's head to sponge off her and to flirt with Kate, but you never knew just what the end-game with him was. Was he after her daughter? Did he have the hots for Claudia instead? Did he think Greg would pay him big bucks to go away? Did he really want Claudia to be punished for euthanizing Ruth? His motives changed from day to day, keeping us (and Claudia) guessing.

5. Mack tries to bribe Mary, KL. Mack sought to pay off Mary to make her go away, securing $500,000 from Claudia via the Sumner Foundation. He thought he could film the bribe to have her arrested, but Gary's camera malfunctioned; Mary got her payoff but decided to stick around for more money. Worse still, Claudia actually took $1 million from the foundation, told Mack she only got 500k and kept the other half for herself! Mack ought to have left such crimes to the criminals.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Tip: type the word "blackmail" in the soapchat search (not surprisingly, lots of links to the Sons & Daughters thread).

 

[Toni]

1- Kristin to J.R. re her pregnancy (Dallas Season 3) ("Now wouldn't that be a scandal? Jock Ewing's grandson. Jail baby.")

2- Olivia to Abby re the babies´ existence and kidnapping (KL Season 7) ("If you force me to go back with you, I will tell any court in the world that you knew that Gary was the father of Val's twins, and you knew that they were alive and kidnapped, and you didn't do anything about it.")

3- Chase to Angela (Falcon Crest Season 2) ("Fight? I haven´t even begun to fight!")

4- Alexis to Krystle (Dynasty Season 3 Cliffhanger) ("Krystle, life is a market place - people buy, people sell. I am a master of both.")

5- Pam to J.R. after the Caribbean Wild Goose Chase (Dallas Season 7) ("You have no heart. You have no feelings. You can’t be hurt like other people. But you have one soft spot, one weakness — and that’s Ewing Oil, the only thing you’ve ever really loved. Well, I’m going to join Cliff, and I’m going to back him up all the way.") (Yes, I know it was an empty threat and lead nowhere but it was delightful to watch!)

To be honest, I wasn´t going to post the exact quotes, but I happened to find all of them in my little website. Because after all, where else can you find stuff from the 4 major soaps?

Voilà the inspiration to every bribe or blackmail out there...​

 

[Jock Og]

1) J.R. wants more Ewing Oil voting shares and uses Christopher in his plan: J.R. uses Christopher's adoption records to wrangle more voting shares from Bobby, or else he will tell Pam who their new baby's father really is - DALLAS.

2) Alexis gets one over on Sammy Jo: The first Mrs. Carrington pays Sammy Jo $20,000 to get out of Steven's life because Alexis claims the marriage of Sammy Jo to the youngest Carrington son was never consummated - DYNASTY.

3) Edgar Randolph blackmailed by J.R.: Ray and Donna found out about J.R.'s antics after Edgar tried to kill himself. They go to the office and they confront J.R. about the whole offshore oil leases business, which Edgar was involved in - DALLAS.

4) Richard bribes Judge Holder, to put Lance behind bars: Melissa done the deed with the help of Joel to make it look as if Lance forced Angela off the road but it was Richard who was bribing the judge, to send Lance down for a long time - FALCON CREST.

5) Sean wants a deal with Dana: Sean Rowan will keep quiet about Dana's past, in return for all the Denver Carrington board meeting minutes. Dana had an unsuccessful abortion when she was a teenager, resulting in her inability to have future children. The father was Adam, her current husband - DYNASTY.

 

[Willie Oleson]

1. Sue Ellen Ewing vs. Medical Examiner Varuz - DALLAS

In order to get John Ross off the hook, she asks the medical examiner to report Veronica's death as a suicide. When he protests, she bribes him with the position of chief medical examiner which she can provide as the new governor of Texas. He still doesn't want to cooperate, and that's when the bribery becomes blackmail as she happens to know that he writes prescriptions for people who are already dead.
All of this turns out to be completely unnecessary since John Ross is released from prison anyway, however, Harris Ryland gets wind of her little blackmail scheme and then uses it to blackmail her. This goes from Sue Ellen to Ann and then back to Harris, and Sue Ellen ends up with incriminating recordings which she can use to blackmail Harris in case he tries to stir up trouble again.

2. Angela Channing vs. Dr. Lantry - FALCON CREST

She wants him to sign a declaration that, well, declares that Chase is physically and mentally incompetent of co-running Falcon Crest, or any business for that matter.
He refuses, but then she blackmails him with his private prescription business - and she had Lance fake an anxiety to get those drugs from him - not the legal ones, of course.
But Dr. Lantry also knows that a second opinion would easily contradict Phillip Erickson's declaration, signed by him, which would also ruin his reputation.
So, the only way to make that declaration correct and legal is to make sure that Chase is indeed physically and mentally incompetent.
On top of that, the Falcon toddler eats the pills and is rushed to the hospital.
Two people almost died, Dr. Lantry ends up very, very dead. Well done, Mrs. Channing.

3. Caress Morell vs. Emily Fallmont - DYNASTY

Emily, nothing in this world is impossible. It took me five miserable years, but I learned that. Now you have to learn it too.
Or Buck will find out everything.
What I like the most about this blackmail is the scene itself. Caress is obviously feeling sorry for Emily, but that's not going to stop her. Does that make it worse or not?

4. Sable Colby vs. Fritz Heath - DYNASTY

Another lovely soap diva in action. She buys his gambling debts and now it's time to pay. Currency: ColbyCo Dirt. If he doesn't deliver she will also expose his embezzlement of company funds. Eventually, Fritz loses it and threatens to shoot her.
Don't underestimate the little people, Mrs. Colby.

5. Alexis Colby vs. Joseph Anders - DYNASTY

About an earring she lost during the lily pond fight. It's torture, blackmail for the fun of it. But the thing about blackmail, especially emotional blackmail like this one, is that you don't know when or if it's going to stop. So the only way to stop it is to orchestrate a fabulous season finale cliffhanger.

 

[James from London]

In order to get John Ross off the hook, she asks the medical examiner to report Veronica's death as a suicide. When he protests, she bribes him with the position of chief medical examiner which she can provide as the new governor of Texas. He still doesn't want to cooperate, and that's when the bribery becomes blackmail as she happens to know that he writes prescriptions for people who are already dead.
All of this turns out to be completely unnecessary since John Ross is released from prison anyway, however, Harris Ryland gets wind of her little blackmail scheme and then uses it to blackmail her. This goes from Sue Ellen to Ann and then back to Harris, and Sue Ellen ends up with incriminating recordings which she can use to blackmail Harris in case he tries to stir up trouble again.

... and at some point, Harris manages to get the recording back from Sue Ellen by blackmailing Ann that he will otherwise withhold the whereabouts of their long lost daughter, Emma, from her. Phew!

 

[Jimmy Todd]

1. JR tries to blackmail Bobby with Christopher. My favorite season of Dallas is 6, but 5(especially the second half is runner up). This story arc bridged the two seasons as it was part of the season 5 finale, and also picked up a dangling plot thread from two seasons prior. What I liked about it was the complexity of the relationships here, and that it was a preview of the moral ambiguity to come in season 6. Bobby brings home baby Christopher to give to JR. Pam sees him first, assumes this is a baby Bobby brought home for her. Bobby acquiesces because if Pam's precarious mental state. JR figures the whole thing out, and uses this to try and get Bobby to vote his way regarding Ewing Oil. Bobby comes clean to Pam, they decide to fight to keep the baby and act morally superior to JR. The thing is, as far as they all know, JR's son. They have no right to keep them apart. The sort of deus ex machina that Kristin miscarried JR's actial baby, ties that up, but it was still intriguing. Dallas

2. Sammy Joe pulls the rug out from under Alexis. Alexis tries to buy off Sammy Joe to amscray the heck out of Dynasty and her son's life. SJ takes the money and the paper Alexis wanted her to sign, saying she could show it to Steven. So, if I recall correctly, she doesn't sign the annulment papers and can come back to Denver. So basically Alexis was doing to SJ what she claims Blake did to her, only SJ was a little smarter than Alexis. I love the scenes between the first and third Mrs. Carringtons. The latter got under the skin of the former like no other. Dynasty

3. Lillimae blackmails Gary. Gary refuses to go to the release party for Valene's Capricorn Crude because it's about his family. Unfortunately for him, Lillimae saw him leaving a motel after a little afternoon delight with Abby. So she uses that as leverage to get him to support his wife. Lillimae may not be on Abby's level, but she was still a sly, grey-haired rascal to be reckoned with. Two reasons I liked this little bit o' blackmail: plot and character. The Abby/Gary affair had been simmering for a while and as it's reaching it's crescendo it is pulling in more characters, hence the "knots" of Seaview Circle. It's also reveals another interesting aspect of Gary's character. All his life he seems to have been enmeshed in the wants, desires or manipulations of women. His mother's undivided devotion to him and her Southworth blood in his veins put him at odds with Jock and JR, an opposition that seemed to inform every decision he ever made. His relationship with Valene began when they were teenagers and continued to elicit extreme reactions from other women whether he was with Val or not. Abby had been manipulating him behind the scenes for over a year before they got together. Now his mother-in-law is taking her turn at Gary, the human slot machine. An entire Feminist Studies college department could be based around your life, Gary. Knots Landing

4. Abby blackmails Karen by not blackmailing her! Karen and Abby are up for the same position for an environmental committee. Abby thinks Karen's past drug addiction is her Achilles heel, so she broaches the subject with her. Karen is appalled that Abby would use that against her and reveal it to the commissioner. Wait, would Abby stoop so low. Of course not! Abby just needles Karen ever so slightly that Karen's ethical nature would compel Karen herself to come clean to the commissioner. Technically, Abby didn't blackmail her, which is what makes it so brilliant. I'm going to borrow a line from the old Carol Burnett Show: Abby, you can make indecent seem decent and indecent PRETTY decent. Knots Landing

5. JR blackmails Edgar Randolph. Edgar has a pedophile incident in his past, for which JR blackmails him. As the pressure becomes too much, he attempts suicide. JR is not amused. He visits him in the hospital with a most malevolent warning. If he tries to off himself again, JR will release the info, smear his name, and humiliate his family. Not even death can save someone from JR's wrath. This shows how truly cruel JR can be. Dallas.

 

[Alexis]

I cant really remember the details but doesn't Alexis blackmail Neil McVain in season 3 of Dynasty? Maybe about have an underage mistress? A Washington Lolita?
Does anyone remember that?

 

[Angela Channing]

1. Angela blackmails Dr Lantry into signing a statement saying Chase isn't physically and mentally competent so she can remain in control of Falcon Crest. - FALCON CREST

2. JR bribes Sue Ellen's private investigator to rewrite all his reports to say he spent his evenings having business meetings and thereby scuppering Sue Ellen's plan to humiliate him to his family and in their divorce and custody proceedings. - DALLAS

3. Titus blackmails Elmo to withdraw from the election for Truro sheriff with information suggesting he assisted his wife's suicide when she was dying in pain of cancer. - FLAMINGO ROAD

4. Jilly blackmails Jake to make her general manager of his company using a sworn affidavit from the woman he paid to kill Stephanie. - RETURN TO EDEN

5. At one point it seemed as if just about everyone was blackmailing Abby over her involvement with Val's babies being kidnapped but I'm going to go for Olivia blackmailing her mother into letting her stay at Aunt Karen's. - KNOTS LANDING

 

[Falcon Crest I]

1. Angela's blackmailing of Dr. Lantry involving Chase, in Falcon Crest.
2. JR regarding Christopher's paternity and using this as a hold over Bobby with the shares, in Dallas.
3. Jacqueline and Douglas' bribe to Peter, shortly after Richard was born, in Falcon Crest.
4. Alexis and the earring incident with Joseph, in Dynasty.
5. Olivia telling Abby she knows that the Abster had knowledge of the twins kidnapping and it is time for payback, in Knots Landing.

 

[Victoriafan3]

1. Jilly blackmails Jake making her general manager. RTE could fill this category for me

2. JR blackmails Edgar Randolph

3. JR blackmails Bobby about telling Pam about Christopher

4. Alexis earring with Joseph

5. Sean blackmails Dana about Adams child

 

[Richard Channing]

Sorry this thread has been in limbo for a while. Last day to vote.

 

[Richard Channing]

1. Alexis bribes Sammy Jo who then blackmails Alexis.

2. Olivia blackmails Abby over her involvement with the kidnapping.

3. JR blackmails Edgar Randolf driving him to attempt suicide.

4. Angela blackmails Terry to do her bidding and threatens to expose her seedy past.

5. JR blackmails Katherine with a tape of them having sex.

 

[Richard Channing]

And the winner is....



1. JR blackmails Bobby over Christopher's origins. (17 points)

2. Olivia blackmails Abby over her involvement with the twins kidnapping. (15 points)

3. Angela blackmails Dr.Lantry into signing a declaration about Chase's health. (14 points)

4. Alexis bribes Sammy Jo who then blackmails Alexis. (13 points)

5. JR blackmails Edgar Randolf with a dark secret from his past. (11 points)

 

[Alexis]

I totally forgot about this one. Too busy watching DYNASTY.