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# 209 <9.04> Payback Tentative title: Genele. Original script drafts planned for Genele Erickson (spelled with "ck", but in the final version "Ericson") to be Frank's stepdaughter from his previous marriage with Renée; she was finally modeled into Renée's sister, i.e. Frank's sister-in-law, though. The writers planned for her to still have her own key to the Agretti Residence, which she kept over the years to unlock the Agretti Residence upon her arrival. They also intended her to be even more indelicate and hard-edged than in the final version, e.g. to even throw pieces of furniture out without asking Frank.  Genele Ericson drives a red 1986 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Targa in the first few scenes in this episode (highway and raceway). This is stock footage from a movie library. In all later scenes filmed for the series, it is a 1988 Corvette C4 Convertible, not a Targa.Writer BOB COCHRAN originally wanted her to drive a red yet otherwise unspecified model of a Mercedes-Benz in early script drafts. It seems that the picture car was changed to match it with the selected stock footage of the Corvette. They did not pay attention to the correct top of the picture car though.
Agretti Residence set — inconsistencies:  A faint scenery painting can be seen in the background when the door is opened. What a poor artwork of the set designers!The backing (i.e. background picture on the sound stage) at least matches the real surroundings of the house that was used as the filming location in season 8 (compare # 193) and whose establishing shots will be inserted again now and then this season.
  The living room / study is now partly refurnished and painted in light beige (the blue wallpaper was removed). It now has a bar where the French doors to the patio used to be. The window is now right next to the door; as it will become obvious especially in the following episode in comparison with last season, the element of the wall and the element of the window in the interior set have apparently been switched when the set was rebuilt after the hiatus. Compare the first three screen grabs for the set in the previous season.Across the entrance to the living room, where there used to be closed doors last season, there is now a very small room behind those doors; the room leads to French doors, which lead to a new patio that is, as will be seen in # 213, also accessible from the kitchen.
Omitted was an act 1 scene from early script drafts in Lance and Pilar's bedroom in the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion, in which Lance stands and primps in front of a mirror in his new perfectly tailored suit right before his meeting with bank manager Beeker. Inconsistency: Falcon Crest is said to be close to bankruptcy — the Tuscany Bank threatens to have it managed by a trustee. Considering this is all about a loan of only $ 20 million, this is ridiculous. Giving respect to season 4 when the net worth of Falcon Crest was at least $ 90 million (Francesca's third: $ 30 million) and to the later acquisitions, especially the expansion (tripled in size at the end of season 4) as well as the takeover of several wineries including the Gioberti Winery (net worth: $ 30 million), Falcon Crest must have at least a net worth of over $ 120 million. Even the damages by the fire in season 8 and Michael Sharpe's bribing the bank manager into calling the current loan cannot have caused such a financial disaster. The writers should have studied the old episodes! Sharpe watches a "Roadrunner" and "Wiley E. Coyote" cartoon on TV ("Looney Tunes" characters).
In early script drafts, Murdy & Sampson was called Moody & Gray, with Bill(y) Moody (later renamed Forrest Murdy) being the major shareholder. Jason Sampson was originally not supposed to be one of the senior partners, but one of the associates. According to a CBS press info, actor NICOLAS COSTER was originally cast to play the character of Forrest Murdy. But DENNIS LIPSCOMB finally won the rôle.
 Uncredited extra PAUL VAN appears in his usual rôle as the mustached Tuscany Valley doctor again — first, in the café in San Francisco where Richard meets Lauren. For his second appearance in this episode, see below.Compare # 227 for biographical details about this minor rôle and a list of all his appearances throughout the series. For details about the extra, compare # 014.
  Mistake: The close-ups of Frank and Genele in the Agretti Residence bathroom are from various takes that were combined in the editing process. This becomes apparent when Genele's left hand is out of the camera angle in the first frame, but close to Frank's head in the subsequent frame filmed from across. Furthermore, bathing foam can be seen in Frank's face in one frame, but is gone in the next one. Again, this is the typical mistake caused by the particular close-up filming technique — check # 001 (Chase and Maggie at the Gioberti Family Cemetery) for details.Although the series is still filmed at CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER), a new Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion exterior set (first floor to be seen only) is used for this episode as well as # 210, 213 and 215. This is not identical with the usual veranda set usually built on sound stage 10 at CBS-MTM (RADFORD STUDIO CENTER). But it is the set that used to be the Walton House from EARL HAMNER's previous series, THE WALTONS (compare # 064), built on the backlot of THE BURBANK STUDIOS (nowadays WARNER BROS. STUDIOS), where the first three seasons of "Falcon Crest" were shot. The Walton House underwent major changes to adjust it to the needs for "Falcon Crest". In 1991, the set was destroyed in an electrical fire; for later reunions of "The Waltons", the Walton House was rebuilt on the WARNER RANCH a few blocks north of WARNER BROS. STUDIOS in the 1990's. There are some major inconsistencies in the Victorian Mansion replica compared to the real Villa Miravalle and the usual veranda set:
  The veranda itself is built with pretty much attention to detail. But the set is smaller than the real Villa Miravalle, as it can be noticed easily when tall DAVID SELBY is standing in front of it in # 213.There are fewer balusters in the veranda balustrade than in the real Villa (see yellow mark). Besides, the horizontal beam atop the pillars has little wholes for decorative purposes in the real Villa (see red mark). The set decorators also missed to add the lion statues on either side of the front door as well as the obelisk-like statues they usually brought to Spring Mountain in the previous years to place them on either side of the stairs from the driveway to the front veranda.
  The driveway is a pebble / dirt path rather than the paved driveway in front of the real Villa; beginning with # 213, however, the driveway in front of the set will be paved, too.The circular shape of the driveway is the wrong way round — it should rather be circular around the house. The lawn area adjacent to the veranda, as featured on the show, is not there in real life. The three palm trees are missing. Explanation: The surroundings might have slightly changed when the Victorian Mansion was reconstructed after the fire. This, however, is in contrast to the show still using old exterior footage of the real Villa in many scenes.
  The scenes in downtown Tuscany — Chao-Li shopping on Town Square (where the Founders Day Parade was held in # 030) — are filmed on Midwest Street on the backlot of THE BURBANK STUDIOS although the show is regularly filmed at CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER).Julie and Sandy, the girls Charley meets downtown, mention the rock band Van Halen. The song Charley plays from the tape in the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion is "That's Amore" by DEAN MARTIN.  The painting in the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion living room is an original MONET according to Charley. It is obviously one of the countless Impressionist style paintings (oil on canvas) CLAUDE MONET (1840 – 1926) produced as a part of his series of waterlily pond paintings.While, with almost all artwork in the Victorian Mansion, it remained unanswered throughout the series if they are originals or if they are meant to be reproductions, this picture is definitely an original if Charley is correct — i.e. the picture in the show's universe only, but not the prop, of course. Fictional entity: Sharpe buys Overdyne (originally called Red Mountain in early script drafts) stock.  Props: The assistants' desks in Sharpe's office, including Brian's, are equipped with computers by the fictional Zeith brand. The logo is basically the same as the one of the real computer manufacturer Zenith, just without the "n". It may have been made to avoid commercial identification since Zenith did not sponsor any product placement in this episode, but it seems awkward to change the name only minimally rather than create a fictional logo for this purpose.
Michael Sharpe mentions Richard kidnapped his mother "last year". First, it was earlier this year (1989). Secondly, why do the producers remember now, but did not in Richard's sentence in # 206?
 The scene with Lance and Pilar driving along a country road in his convertible is obviously taken in the studio. It is a cheap blue screen technique — the very same seen as in the scenes with Emma and the Habermans in # 171, with Rosemont in # 181 and with Richard in the police car in # 206. The Tuscany Valley country road seen in the projection is Oak Knoll Avenue outside Napa (driving from northeast at approximately the intersection with Big Ranch Road in southwestern direction); it is stock footage LORIMAR shot during earlier location filming in the Wine Country.
These writers have no idea what a mess they make up: How can Richard be broke? As if he had no private money somewhere! — Next episode, he will suddenly be able to buy Forrest Murdy's share in Murdy & Sampson. Being broke this episode, where will that money come from?
Deleted scene: The director's cut of this episode contained an act 3 scene, in which Chao-Li arrives in a cab in front of the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion and unloads the groceries from the trunk; early script drafts even suggested that he arrive on foot, having carried the groceries all the way to the house from the Town Square. Charley, who had left the Town Square with the two girls in the limo before, feigns innocence since Emma is present while Chao-Li curses, rattling off some Chinese invective. This scene was filmed, but removed in post-production. Early script drafts contained more scenes for act 4, which were omitted in the final version:
  The filming location for the San Francisco restaurant where Richard and Sharpe have lunch is the same one as used for the Washington, D.C. restaurant where Maggie and Peter Ryder had breakfast in # 181 and where Angela and Rosemont had dinner in # 182; it was also used as the San Francisco restaurant where Pilar and Malcolm dined in # 196 (compare the respective episodes). It is at the Registry Hotel (nowadays Universal Hilton) in Universal City, CA  VACHIK MANGASSARIAN, the actor who plays the maître d' in the restaurant where Richard and Sharpe have lunch this episode, portrayed the P.R. director of Liz and Richard's baseball club in season 7 (center of left screen grab).Fictional entity: Richard talks with Sharpe about a deal concerning Wellington Tender. It is estimated that Murdy & Sampson will make a profit of $ 40 million in the Overdyne deal, i.e. their net worth will triple. So their original net worth must have been $ 20 million. In the end, their real profit will be $ 42 million. Strange: Richard mentions Sharpe has children (plural!) of his own. In # 215, Danny will be introduced as Sharpe's alleged son and his only (!) child.  After his first appearance in this episode (see above), uncredited extra PAUL VAN participates again in his usual rôle as the mustached Tuscany Valley doctor — now at the restaurant in San Francisco where Richard meets Sharpe.Compare # 227 for biographical details about this minor rôle and a list of all his appearances throughout the series. For details about the extra, compare # 014.
 SHAHRAD VOSSOUGHI, the actor who has been portraying Sharpe's chauffeur since the beginning of this season (compare # 206), has a speaking rôle now. He is introduced as Nick Massoud this season.He oftentimes appeared in seasons 6 and 7 in a non-speaking part. It seems that he portrayed the same character back then with two different jobs: as a a waiter at The Max nightclub (screen grab 2 from # 181 as an example) and as a chauffeur — for both Peter Stavros (# 155) and Rosemont (# 179; screen capture 1). For a list of his non-speaking appearances, compare # 181.
Another mystery only the writers could answer: Why does George Beeker, CEO of Tuscany Bank, not know Richard Channing? Did he live on the moon the last seven years?!   George Beeker's desk at the Tuscany Bank is the same prop that was used in Richard's Whitewood Industries office in New York in # 019. It is only due to the different lighting that the desk appears brighter in the current scene.
  The executive offices of the Tuscany Bank are portrayed by a room at the Registry Hotel (nowadays Universal Hilton) in Universal City, CA. The parking lot (scene with Genele and Frank) is also situated on that property.The red Volvo 242 DL sedan is used as a prop again; this time, on the Tuscany Bank car park (compare # 055 for details). Season time frame: Day 1 of the current episode (Richard's first day of work at Murdy & Sampson) is Tuesday, 10/17/1989, as it can be concluded from # 210 (see there). A few unseen days or weeks must have gone by both during # 208 — between the power outage in the hospital and Vogel's refusal to do business with Lance; also before the scene when Pilar goes to Vogel to sleep with him — and between # 208 and 209. According to Lance's statement at the beginning of the current episode, he only has three days to raise the money to pay back the loan to the Tuscany Bank, which means the episode closes on Friday, 10/20/1989 (days 2 of the episode). This also makes it clear that the days between night 1 (10/17/1989) and day 2 (10/20/1989) remain unseen in the current episode. ← Previous episode... → Next episode... |
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