1. Southfork on fire. Everything built up to the fight between JR and Ray masterfully. Nothing felt forced or contrived. JR is alone downstairs after a vicious confrontation with Sue Ellen and Ray comes in as poor Mickey"s avenging angel. JR wins by fighting dirty, and the last scene is him running deeper into the house calling, "John Ross! Sue Ellen!" The immoral, villainous Ewing is now risking his life for his family, not running for the nearest exit. Perfect finale for my favorite season that exposed the bad in the heroes and the good in the villain. Dallas
2. Krystle and Alexis trapped in a burning cabin. This finale aired in the same year as the above mentioned Dallas inferno, yet it was the opposite in that it was completely contrived, came pretty much out of left field, and had plot holes Fallon could drive her Clenet through. Yet, I still love it(just nowhere near as much as the fire over in Texas). Linda Evans and Collins are still so great together that even the kind of soapy dialogue doesn't dampen their sparks. It also has one of my favorite Alexis lines, "This is all your fault! Every time you come into my life something terrible happens!" Joan utters it in such a way that it shows Alexis really believes that, which conveys how she views herself and the world. Mow we understand how such a woman can do the things she does and still sleep at night. The music and the cutting between the dialogue and mysterious figure pouring and lighting the gasoline add to the flammable fun. Oh, and that fire above Krystle as she holds an unconscious Mrs. Colby looked seriously intense. Dynasty
3. Alexis lights a cigarette in her first scene with Krystle. The two here are sublime, and the way Alexis lights it so casually after being slapped down with just a look from Krystle shows how quick she is to regain her composure. Alexis is tough and will be a formidable opponent for the lady of the manor. All conveyed by simply lighting, smoking, and pausing at the right moments with her European cigarettes. Dynasty.
4. Mary Robison walks into her apartment and finds Greg there, smoking a cigar. This little scene was perfectly placed at the end of the episode, and I loved how calm, cool, collected Greg said, "Mar, we gotta talk" as he lights one of his stogies. It added the right amount of urgency to the plot of Mary trying to take Meg from Mack and Karen. It was also nice that Laura may have been gone, but her legacy still hangs over those she left behind. Knots Landing
5. Valene watches as Laura lets a man light her cigarette in last scene of "The Lie." Everything is conveyed through the looks they give each other: Laura's infidelity, the serial rapist cover-up story, the unhappy Avery marriage, and Val knowing about it. This is also a reference to Laura's cigarette being lit by that artist she met in the bar earlier in the episode. Knots knows how to do scenes without dialogue so well, and these two actresses are excellent in that area. I wish Knots had done an entire episode without dialogue. Seriously, just once. Knots Landing.