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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James from London" data-source="post: 211837" data-attributes="member: 22">A Brand New Day (KNOTS, 30 Sep 82) v Breach of Faith (KNOTS, 08 Jan 81)Two episodes about adulterous shenanigans, both involving Gary and Abby. In Breach of Faith, he starts an affair with Judy Trent while she continues one with Richard Avery. In A Brand New Day, they’re with each other.What stands out the most in Breach of Faith is what dutiful wives Laura and Val are. Even with Richard and Abby more or less making out in front of the entire neighbourhood, Laura just puts up and shuts up. Likewise, Val seems to suspect something’s going on with Gary and Judy from the beginning, but rather than confront him, her instinct is to cling to and dote on him — even making him breakfast in bed after he’s been out all night. It's as if their primary function is to be a devoted wife and their ability to deny and/or forgive their husbands’ transgressions is what defines their worth. Maybe that’s part of what gave KNOTS such a strong foundation — each of the wives, save Karen, is as dysfunctionally loyal to her husband as the Ewing brothers were to Jock on DALLAS. And maybe that’s why the first shot of A Brand New Day (the opening ep of Season 4) — a grimly determined Val running alone along the beach before heading up to her single motel room — feels weirdly poignant and liberating at the same time. It’s ambiguous — by staying away from the cul-de-sac, is Val asserting her independence or avoiding reality? Or both?Things have changed back at Seaview Circle too. Instead of everyone keeping up appearances and pretending not to notice what's going on underneath their noses the way they did in Breach of Faith, societal norms have all but broken down — Gary is openly conducting an affair with the woman across the street while continuing to live under the same roof as his mother-in-law with whom he is barely on speaking terms (an estrangement which will continue for the next three seasons).If Laura and Val are reluctant to confront their errant husbands, Karen isn’t. In Breach of Faith, she tells Richard he's making a complete ass of himself and then in Brand New Day, she fires Gary from Knots Landing Motors (the start of another long-lasting estrangement). Both confrontations are enjoyably ugly.Remarkably, Gary and Richard are not the only cheating husbands in Breach of Faith. Kenny is shacked up with Sylvie. She and Judy Trent are pretty similar: needy, demanding and totally unconcerned with the timid little wife left at home. Whereas Sylvie is mischievous and little girly, deep-voiced Judy is drama with a capital D.The most melodramatic scene of both episodes involves a husband who has no right to be jealous but is. In Breach, Kenny turns up at Ginger’s in the early hours after seeing her on a date with boring Carl. In Brand, Gary turns up at likeable Rusty’s place late at night after hearing that Val is staying there. “You are my wife!!” shouts Kenny/Gary angrily. While Ginger slaps Kenny across the face, Gary and Rusty trade cartoon punches. For both wives, this is the last straw. While Ginger tells Kenny to leave his keys on the table and never come back, Val returns to the cul-de-sac, ditches Miss Ellie’s furniture and tells Gary to take a hike.Each episode ends with Gary getting in deeper — in '81, he agrees to keep seeing Judy; eighteen months later, he's snogging Abby's face off after being evicted by Val.And the winner is ... A Brand New DayBONUS BEATS:[MEDIA=youtube]PlOhR8NV5WY[/MEDIA]</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?