Every season of Falcon Crest ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Falcon Crest!

When Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth) learned that he lost his father (Harry Townes), two feuding heads of a California wine-producing family chose to put all their moments behind for Jason Gioberti's funeral. When younger daughter, Emma Channing (Margaret Ladd) was responsible for her uncle's death, Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) tyrannical matriarch and owner of Falcon Crest, protects and calms her. When Chase's family heads back to New York, after the death of his father, he begins to remember all the fun times he had with his father. It was also Chase's call for his wife, Maggie Gioberti (Susan Sullivan) and children, Cole (William R. Moses) and Vicky (Jamie Rose), to move to their own house in California, at Falcon Crest, after a year's sabbatical that has taken a toll on his family. Unhappy with Chase's family moving back to the vineyard, Angela comes up with a way to forsake them, consequently, her grandson, Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas) was shocked to hear about her decision for a competitive family to go back east.

In his Father's House

Paul, an old friend of Chase comes to Falcon Crest, where they spent a great deal thinking of the times they had, while attending the Air Force. After taking a trip down memory lane, the two decided to turn their flying business into action, where they disagreed on where it needed to be located. Angela and her family finds out about this, and that Paul has no intention of doing a flying service, when he lies to Chase about the large sum of money from Chase to cover his gambling debt, this led Angela into kicking Paul out of Falcon Crest. When Paul tries to go with his plan, this made the businesses of Chase, Maggie and Julia, as to how he nearly ruined the vineyard, when they find a way to get this vineyard back.

A Time for Saboteurs

Chase, lacking of staff, needing to owe $50,000 in property taxes, who, tries to sell all his grapes before harvest time, only to get Angela to buy them below their retail price. Chase chooses to sell them, after Gus told him that another buyer is interested in paying above their price for his grapes. When Angela learns about the business deal, she chooses to purchase the man's mortgage from the bank, so he can drop a deal with Chase, around the same time The Giobertis decide to sell their house in New York, to stay on board.

The Tangled Vines

When Angela couldn't tolerate Lance's irresponsible behavior, she prevents her grandson from becoming the proud owner of Falcon Crest, therefore, she kicks him out, much to her contempt. Discovering from him of his grandmother's feelings towards him, he tries to please Angela by blowing up Chase's pump house and cause a fight in the springhouse, and later gets arrested, before he gets grounded by Angela, not Julia (though she told Lance, her mother was under the impression, who also gave Lance to him, away from Julia, as a little boy)! Once grape harvesting begins, Lance tries to please Angela, again, by paying off Chase's staff, afterwards, to make Lance jealous, Angela escorts Cole into becoming the new heir of Falcon Crest, who straightens out with his father about Chase's staff losing pickers. Cole learned about this, he takes the keys and the car back to Angela, returning to his parents' house. Lance told Angela about his actions, and the staff, before Chase confronts Angela about her doings with Cole and about Chase's staff being gone and demanded that the staff returns, early in the morning.

The Harvest

After 12 years of turning Tony's back on Julia and Lance, Lance has a strong dislike about the truth that he can return to the vineyard as if nothing has happened. While Julia tries to please Tony, Angela and Lance become more concerned about their own responsibilities. The truth was revealed when Tony only came back to Falcon Crest to get Julia to make a brand new life, away from the vineyard. When Julia thought about that, she refuses to accept her ex-husband's offer, due to her unwillingness to leave with her family and friends in San Francisco. Also, Chase becomes more concerned about Maggie taking a job in San Francisco, as a newspaper writer, much in fact that she'd be working with his aunt's Angela's ex-husband, Douglas Channing (Stephen Elliott).

Tony Comes Home

Chase and Cole accompany Lance on a trip to examine a remote piece of property that Angela is contemplating buying. As the wilderness property is only accessible by horse, Cole is injured in a riding accident. Chase stays with Cole, while Lance goes for help. After running into some problems, Lance finally leads a rescue team to Cole. After Vicky makes an innocent remark regarding a mental health clinic, Emma runs away from home, believing that she is going to be sent away because people think she's crazy. When Vicky discovers Emma hiding in an old springhouse, she befriends Emma, and ultimately persuades her to return home. Worried, Douglas Channing stays by Angela's side until Emma is found.

Kindred Spirits

When Emma's lover, Turner Bates, who was on the scene when Jason died, returns, Chase informs him that Jason supposedly died in a car crash. Knowing this to be untrue, Turner seeks Emma to learn what happened after he ran from the scene on the night of Jason's death, but Angela throws Turner off her property. Turner sneaks back, steals Emma away and romances her in order to learn the truth. Unable to obtain any straight answers from Emma, Turner tries to blackmail Angela, who in turn calls in the police, and Turner, after a car chase, is accidentally killed. Chase and Lance pull Emma out and save her. When Maggie says that she may be pregnant, the Giobertis try to cope with the effects that it would cause.

The Extortionist

When Angela takes Cole to Rome to attend an important wine-tasting competition, she is surprised to find that Douglas is there, and hopes to rekindle the memory of their honeymoon spent there years ago. Initially, romance flares between Angela and Douglas; however, Angela devastates Douglas when she refuses his proposal to re-marry. Meanwhile, Cole has been given a collection of mysterious letters, which belong to an Italian relative and which underscore the enduring bitterness between Angela and Jason. Angela leaves Lance in charge of Falcon Crest to test him with the family business, but Lance painfully discovers that he's not as shrewd as his grandmother. Chase learns in the end, however, that Lance is not just a spoiled rich kid, but is a very dangerous person as well.

Lord of the Manor

Angry with her parents for their excessive protectiveness, Vicky runs away from home to San Francisco, where she's lured into a wayward street life that she can't escape. Chase and Maggie frantically search for Vicky, unaware that Lance has introduced their vulnerable daughter to a woman connected with pornographic films. The Giobertis become stronger than ever when Chase and Maggie endure a difficult ordeal before locating Vicky. Angela toys with Douglas's emotions, playing him against a renowned painter and making Douglas look like a fool.

Dark Journey

Maggie's news assignment on vineyard worker's lifestyles becomes a personal concern to the Giobertis when Maggie's interviews reveal that an extortionist is terrifying Falcon Crest employees. Puzzled as to why undocumented workers suddenly stop working for him, Chase urges Maggie to find out the reason through her interviews. When Chase learns that a man is blackmailing the vineyard workers with threats of deportation, he, despite Angela's warnings against becoming involved, manages to rout the extortionist. When Emma discovers that she is pregnant, Lance realizes that the last thing he needs is another heir competing for the Falcon Crest fortune. Consequently, Emma tumbles down a flight of stairs and has a miscarriage.

Victims

After a bitter argument with Angela regarding plans for him to marry Melissa Agretti, the wine empire heiress, Lance leaves in a fury. After he nearly runs over a girl, he falls in love with her and decides to move to San Francisco to be close to the girl. However, when Angela attempts to stop him, Lance succumbs and leaves the love of his life. In an old room that Jason had walled up, Chase finds some writings, which lead him to believe that Angela may have been involved in crippling a girl forty years ago. Confronted with the evidence, Angela turns the tables on Chase, playing a small excerpt of a recording that leaves Chase believing that his father hated him.

For Love or Money

Chase's wealthy mother, Jacqueline Perrault (Special Guest Star Lana Turner), mysteriously returns to Falcon Crest. When Jacqueline warns Chase of Angela's treacherous nature and tries to persuade him to leave Falcon Crest, hatred erupts and Jacqueline argues with both Angela and Chase. However, through their conflict, the mother-and-son relationship is strengthened; Jacqueline is convinced that Chase will survive and prosper in the valley.

Family Reunion

After Ed McKay, a member of the County Board of Supervisors, is assassinated, Chase is encouraged to run for the office. When Chase begins campaigning against Angela's virtual monopoly of the water rights in the valley, she does everything in her power to see Chase defeated. Despite this, Chase wins the election. After Emma is caught shoplifting in a jewelry store, Angela threatens the owner that she will destroy him if he decides to prosecute.

The Candidate

Angela, angry that Lance is working for his grandfather's newspaper in San Francisco and determined that he will marry Melissa Agretti (Ana-Alicia), plans to destroy Melissa's budding romance with Cole. Chase and Maggie, concerned about Emma's instability, persuade Julia to take her sister to a local psychiatric clinic. When Angela finds out, she tells Julia the truth about Emma killing Uncle Jason, which turns Julia against Chase and Maggie. At the same time, Chase uses his influence as a county supervisor to discover the real cause of his father's death.

House of Cards

Chase begins to make inquiries into the circumstances surrounding his father's death. Angela, in an attempt to foil Chase, has Philip mislead Chase into believing he might inherit Falcon Crest. However, Chase doesn't fall for her trickery. Following a party at the Giobertis, Cole's friend is killed in an auto accident after Cole refuses to drive him home. Angela attempts to force Lance to marry Melissa, who instead has become deeply involved with Cole. However, when Melissa learns she is pregnant, she tells no one.

Heir Apparent

Pressured by Angela, Lance proposes to Melissa Agretti with the consolation in mind that they dislike one another and that he knows Melissa will reject his proposal. When she surprisingly accepts his offer, Lance is forced to go through with the ceremony. Melissa has her own cunning reasons for marrying Lance, aside from her father and Angela's scheme to merge Falcon Crest with the Agretti Vineyards. When Cole fumes about the arrangement, Melissa assures him that her marriage to Lance won't interfere with their relationship. Another wedding almost takes place as Vicky and Mario decide to elope, but they change their minds at the last minute. Lance discovers that Melissa is pregnant.

The Good, The Bad and the Profane

While Emma draws closer to revealing the truth about Jason's death to outsiders, Chase steadily draws closer to learning the truth through his investigation. No longer speculating over his father's mysterious death, Chase finally gathers enough concrete evidence to go to the D.A., who in turn, calls for a coroner's inquest into Jason's death. While Angela attempts to impede this, she is forced to testify. Following his release from the hospital, Douglas tries to help Emma and escorts her to the inquest. However, before she can testify, Douglas has a fatal seizure and dies. After witnessing this, Emma runs off while Angela blames Chase. Angela learns of Melissa's pregnancy following a disastrous honeymoon and assumes Lance to be the father, despite his denial.

Penultimate Questions

When Douglas is buried, Angela tries to keep Emma sedated to prevent her from testifying. Angela could lose Falcon Crest to Chase if his attorney can prove that Jason died under suspicious circumstances. When the coroner's inquest resumes, the D.A. mounts a circumstantial case that is easily rebutted by Philip when Emma is unable to testify. Defying her mother, Emma manages to escape from Falcon Crest and arrives to take the stand, confessing how she accidentally pushed Jason to his death while he fought with Turner Bates. The jury rules that Jason "died at the hands of another," thereby giving Chase control of Falcon Crest, but he magnanimously offers fifty percent of the vineyard to Angela. Though Angela detests the thought of sharing Falcon Crest with anyone, she has no choice and accepts. Another threat looms as Angela learns of Douglas's illegitimate son, Richard Channing, who has inherited fifty percent of The Globe.

Ultimate Answers

Angela resists Chase's claims to half ownership of Falcon Crest. Lance, already bitter over the prospect of sharing his inheritance with Melissa, gladly accepts the assignment of keeping Chase off the vineyard property. Richard Channing, illegitimate son of Angela's late husband, prepares to take control of The Globe as the new chairman of the board, while Angela looks for a way to block him. The newspaper is only a small part of the vast portfolio called ""The Company,"" held by Henri Denault, Richard's mentor and stepfather. Adopted at a young age, the desire to finally learn his mother's identity has motivated Richard to make the move to California and take over The Globe. When Cole shows up at the Agretti's demanding that Melissa acknowledge that she is carrying Cole's child and not Lance's, Carlo punches him in the face. After Gus dies in a gas explosion, Chase threatens Angela with an affidavit accusing her of complicity in Gus's death. He then forces Angela to agree in sharing the

The Challenge

In his new role on the Tuscany Valley County Board of Supervisors, Chase meets resistance in his efforts to break Angela's grip on county water supplies. When Melissa tells Carlo about her ambitions to control Falcon Crest, Carlo informs his daughter that she faces a powerful rival in Richard Channing, who is rumored to have ties to the C.I.A. and the British Parliament. Richard shows his ruthlessness by firing The Globe's longtime editor-in-chief, Herb Talmadge, who was only a year from retirement and a pension. After Angela tells Richard that he looks nothing like his father Douglas, Richard explodes after she leaves, vowing to ruin her.

The Arrival

When pressured by Richard to sell his winery holdings, Carlo spits in Richard's face, then confronts Angela about Lance's abusiveness toward Melissa and vows that Angela will never get Carlo's land through his daughter's marriage to Lance. Chase wants to distribute Falcon Crest's wine in Canada through a distributor other than Kleeger, which gets a big discount on their wine. Angela secretly owns Kleeger, and she charges Lance with keeping Chase from finding out. To counter Chase's efforts on the County Board of Supervisors to break her monopoly on the valley's water and distribute it to other growers, Angela claims her water is tainted. In turn, Chase orders another test of Falcon Crest's water supply that shows it not to be tainted. Cole gets into a fight with Carlo, who later telephones to apologize to Cole and invite him over to see Melissa. Not knowing that Carlo has leveled a pistol to his own head, Cole arrives to discover Carlo's body and becomes the prime suspect in Carlo's mu

Troubled Waters

Angela threatens Nick Hogan not to vote with Chase against her at the county supervisor meeting. If Nick votes to redistribute Falcon Crest's water to other vineyards, Angela warns that she won't be buying the $17,000 worth of pipes she was going to buy from him. Nick casts his decisive vote with Chase, and Angela warns Chase that he will come to regret his moment of glory. Emma disappears, secretly giving Chase the voting proxy to her twenty percent share of The Globe before she leaves -- the same proxy Angela hoped would give her control of the newspaper's board of directors. Richard prints a sensational article suggesting Cole murdered Carlo Agretti. When Richard asks Melissa to sell her the Agretti house, she suspects that Richard could have had a hand in her father's death. Cole is arrested for Carlo's murder after Cole's fingerprints are found on the statuette used to kill Carlo.

Murder One

Chase and Maggie post Cole's bail, and Cole starts working part-time at the vineyard of a stunningly beautiful single mother, Katherine Demery. Richard's newspaper expose of workers' conditions at Falcon Crest leads Chase to publicly commit to higher wages and benefits for the workers, as well as changes in local labor laws. Lance agrees to take Melissa to child-birthing classes but refuses to attend, opting instead to spend time with Lori Stevens, his former girlfriend. Melissa is jealous of Katherine's attractiveness, and later Cole and Katherine's working relationship turns romantic. Richard tells his reporter, Blair, that he wants Cole convicted.

The Exposé

Against Maggie's wishes, Cole moves in with his new lover, Katherine Demery. Richard finds out and plasters The Globe with clandestine photographs of Cole and Katherine kissing. Jacqueline Perrault, Chase's mother, arrives from Zurich for a surprise visit and gives Chase money for Cole's legal defense, but Richard uses his contacts in Zurich to force Jacqueline to leave town. Angela buys up expensive stock in The Globe and continues tracking Emma to get her proxy. Lori demands that Lance come out in the open about their relationship. Lance is defiant when Melissa confronts him about his late night trysts. After a sudden complication in Melissa's pregnancy confines her to bed, however, Angela pressures Lance to spend more time with his wife.

Home Away From Home

Richard schemes to buy a piece of county property earmarked for a park, on which he plans to build a memorial to Douglas Channing on one small part and plant a vineyard on the rest. While Chase vehemently opposes the plan, Richard plants a bomb in Nick's truck and successfully intimidates Nick to vote his way at the board of supervisors meeting. Leaving her prescribed bed rest in order to win Cole back from Katherine Demery, Melissa collapses and is taken to the hospital, where she delivers an unhealthy, premature baby, whom she names Joseph Angelo Cumson, after Lance's great-great-grandfather. After Cole moves out of Katherine Demery's house, he moves back into his parents' house.

The Namesake

Doctors give Melissa's premature baby, Joseph, who suffers from a host of health problems, a twenty percent chance of survival. Richard uses a lucrative job offer to entice Tony into securing Julia's agreement to sell off her interests in Falcon Crest and The New Globe. However, the plan backfires and Julia is devastated; Tony realizes Richard's job offer wasn't real. When Cole goes on the run to avoid facing trial for the murder of Carlo Agretti, Melissa agrees to a second autopsy of her father's body hoping it will help clear Cole. The autopsy reveals that the killer must have been right-handed, whereas Cole is left-handed, and the charges are therefore dropped.

Choices

Melissa is grateful when Richard flies a neo-natal specialist in from Europe to keep her baby alive. Maggie travels to Los Angeles to meet with producer Darryl Clayton about her screenplay. After Darryl turns the script down, Angela meets Darryl in secret and agrees to invest in the film if he will keep Maggie occupied in Los Angeles. As a romantic relationship develops between Vickie Gioberti and her father's associate, Nick Hogan, Vickie finds out from Cole that Nick is married. Chase discovers that Angela is using all of Falcon Crest's investment funds to buy up stock in The New Globe. After Chase confides with Nick about his war with Angela and her attempt to take over the newspaper, Richard soon finds out and confronts Angela. As Joseph's condition improves, Cole vows to be a loving father. Richard puts a down payment on a house in Tuscany Valley.

The Vigil

Vicky talks Cole into informing their parents that Cole is the father of Melissa's baby, but the opportunity never comes up. Phillip has a romantic dinner with Amanda Croft, a beautiful woman in her fifties. There is chemistry between them, but Amanda is suspicious of Phillip's relationship with Angela. When Darryl seduces Maggie into a passionate kiss at his Malibu home, Maggie panics and flies back home to Chase. Just as Angela has nearly bought up enough New Globe stock to control the company, Richard announces he is going to issue two million dollars more of stock, which is a strategy that Angela and Phillip hadn't foreseen. However, Angela and Phillip secretly arrange for a Wall Street banker named Kenderson to approach the unwitting Richard. Kenderson proposes to underwrite the new stock issue thereby delaying the offer long enough for Angela to get control of the newspaper. Meanwhile, Chase's mother, Jacqueline, has researched Angela's business dealings in Europe and provides Ch

Confrontations

At the winery, Angela plays Lance and Cole against each other. Chase finds out that Richard is planning to use a false company front to buy up grapes at twice the going rate. Despite the threat from Richard, Jacqueline wants Chase to work with Richard against Angela. When Cole wants to tell Lance that he is the father of Melissa's child, Melissa strongly opposes it. Angela offers Darryl more money to maintain Maggie's hopes of getting her script produced. In spite of bribing Richard's banker, Kenderson, into postponing the new stock issue, Angela still needs Chase's votes on The New Globe board to take over the newspaper. When Chase arrives at Richard's office to deliver a construction injunction on his new winery, Jacqueline surprises both of them with news that she gave Richard up for adoption when he was a baby, which means that Richard and Chase are half-brothers.

United We Stand...

Richard rejects Jacqueline's explanation of why she gave him up for adoption. Despite being cleared of charges for Carlo Agretti's murder, Cole is continually harassed by the police and the community. By making an insincere appeal to their brotherly bond, Richard asks Chase to vote against Angela's take-over bid of The New Globe's board. In turn, Chase makes Richard give up construction of his winery, in exchange for his votes. Lance and his date Brenda attend Angela's annual Founder's Day Party at which Angela later becomes furious when she catches them in bed together. Richard and Melissa not only confess their attraction to each other, but Richard also announces to the entire party that he finally has found his mother, Jacqueline. Angela then publicly denounces Jacqueline for ruining her marriage with Douglas.

...Divided We Fall

Angela's Founders' Day Party is in disarray following Richard's announcement that Jacqueline is his mother. When Chase confronts Richard on the veranda, Richard reasons he did not promise to keep Jacqueline's secret, only Chase's. When Angie turns on Jacqueline, Chase suggests taking her home. After Richard calls his mother an adulteress, Chase strikes his half-brother, and subsequently Chase and Maggie whisk Jacqueline away. The next morning, Chase regrets hitting Richard, while Jacqueline believes that the events of the previous night are in the past. She also understands Richard's bitterness, although Chase may never trust Richard again. At Falcon Crest, Melissa overhears Lance making plans to meet Lori. Melissa's attorneys are still evaluating all offers. Nick and Sheila, in their bedroom, share a moment as they dress.

Pas De Deux

At Chase's office, Sheriff Robbins warns Chase to stop interfering with the Agretti investigation or he will be charged with obstruction of justice. Chase informs him that he intends to keep digging for leads. When Chase relates his run-in to Sheriff   Robbins, Maggie pleads with Chase to drop the issue. At Falcon Crest, Angie demands that Lance never mention Joseph's test results again. To Angie, Lance is the child's legal father. Emma has been tracked down somewhere in Texas and her exact location should be verified in about a week. Attempting to avert Angie's anger, Phillip points out that Lance is where Angie wants him, Melissa will soon be forced to sell the Agretti vineyards, Chase is having both personal and political problems (vindicating Cole's complicity), and Jacqueline is finally gone for good. Reconsidering her accomplishments, Angie invites herself to go sailing with Phillip the next day. Later in the lab, Lance complains to his mother about Angie's ignoring   Joseph's te

Above Suspicion

Cole's unconscious body is still limp on the floor as deadly exhaust fumes fill the closed Gioberti garage. Inside the house, Chase, in bed with Maggie, is distracted by a distant sound outside. After ripping open the door, Chase drags Cole out, shouts for Maggie, then desperately administers C.P.R. to his son. After Nick and Vicky make love, he is uncomfortable as he prepares to take her back to their meeting place in town. At Falcon Crest, sirens disrupt the silence of the household. When Nick's Packard instead heads to the Gioberti's to drop Vicky off, vehicles with red lights flashing, whiz past them. Realizing they are headed to the same place, Nick steps on the gas and arrives at the Gioberti's, right behind an ambulance and several vehicles. A team of paramedics revives Cole.

Broken Promises

During breakfast, Lance presents the paper for Melissa to see and thinks he is off the hook. However, Melissa knows that Richard printed this because she would not sell him her father's property. When Angie learns that Richard's evidence is from the paternity results that Lance gave him, Angie denounces Lance's inheritance. At home, Cole, referring to the same article, thinks Melissa finally told the truth about Cole's fatherhood to Joseph. Although Cole's murder charges were dropped, Chase knows they will never hear the end of this until Carlo Agretti's murderer is found. At the hospital, Angie visits Elliot McKay, who, although quite ill, defiantly rejects Angie's offer to buy his vineyard. In town, Vickie meets Nick, who professes his love for her. At The Globe, Melissa confronts Richard about the newspaper article and when Richard refuses to print a retraction, Melissa threatens to sue him for libel. Richard welcomes the extra publicity.

Deliberate Disclosure

At Lori's, Lance tries to delay Lori from getting out of bed. Lori is irritated that Lance keeps procrastinating in looking for work, since it has been a week since Angela threw Lance out of Falcon Crest. Ultimately, Lori gives in, and they make love. At Chase's office, Chase catches heat from Sheriff Robbins about going to the D.A. with Carlo Agretti's letter from Angela. Robbins doesn't believe the letter incriminates Angie in Carlo's murder. In Richard's office, Diana informs Richard that nearly everyone but Angela has accepted the invitation to Richard's housewarming at the McKay place. Richard is confident Angie will be there, since the party will have three of the nation's most respected wine critics. Richard wants his new neighbors to realize that buying the McKay vineyards was just ""the first step of a much longer journey."" At Falcon Crest, Angie not only tells Julia she has decided to go to Richard's party, but that Angie has the ability to be flexible, unlike Lance. Angie thr

Love, Honor and Obey

Early in the morning at the Gioberti house, Chase is cleaning the garage. Vickie appears with a cup of coffee for him, and suggests that he should go see Maggie, but Chase stubbornly refuses because Maggie was the one who abandoned him. Cole arrives later and tells his father if he wants to quit the investigation, he will understand. However, Chase has no intention of quitting. Later that day, Julia meets Maggie for tea at the Tuscany Inn and tries to convince Maggie to return to Chase and not make the mistake that she did. At the jogging track, Vickie argues with Nick about his dealings with Richard Channing. Back at Falcon Crest, Chase confronts Angie about hiring Bitterman. As Chase storms out, Julia stops him to offer her help in his investigation of Carlo's murder. Because there is an injunction against Chase, he accepts Julia's offer as Angie eavesdrops from inside.

Separate Hearts

At Julia's overturned car, as Chase, Cole and Sheriff Robbins help the firemen extinguish the flames, they hear a weak voice calling for help. Chase sees Julia, who was apparently thrown from the car into the brush, and rushes to her. Julia informs Chase that the brakes went out. The paramedics arrive and take her away on a stretcher. Chase tells Robbins that this was not an accident, mentioning the threatening letter to Julia. Cole then reminds Chase that they still must meet Melissa at the Agretti's vineyard. Chase tells Cole to get Melissa while he goes to the hospital. However, when Cole arrives at the Agretti's tool shed, he finds Melissa alone, impatiently waiting for Fong. When Cole tells her of Julia's accident, Melissa asserts that the brakes were functioning properly when she borrowed the car the day before. At the hospital, Angie, Lance, and Chase nervously wait while a few minutes later, Vicky and Maggie arrive. In Richard's San Francisco office, Richard tells Phillip to pe

The Odyssey

In the morning, Melissa and Lance linger in bed at Falcon Crest. Chao-li enters with breakfast and scolds Lance for wasting time in bed when he should be helping Chase with the inventory. After Chao-li exits, Melissa asks Lance if he has found his father. When Lance answers no, Melissa suggests that they ask Richard Channing to help them. Melissa and Lance also realize that they hold the key, the Agretti Vineyard, to getting written back into Angela's will. Back in Paris, in a sidewalk cafe, as Angie and Phillip enjoy the view, Angie invites him to join her in New York, but will not reveal what her business is there. At the Falcon Crest Winery Lab, Cole argues with Chase about continuing with the investigation because Cole is beginning to think that his mother is right. At a Tuscany cafÃ©, Darryl and Maggie are arguing about the changes made in Maggie's script. Darryl then insinuates that Maggie's relationship with Chase is not as strong as she led him to believe. Maggie tells Darryl th

Ultimatums

In the morning, Chase encounters Sheriff Robbins, who is running out of the county building. Robbins has obtained the forensic report on Henri Denault and wants to ask Richard Channing some questions. Chase explains that he has evidence that Carlo Agretti was blackmailing Richard. Richard is dictating Denault's obituary to Diana for the newspaper when Robbins and Chase arrive at Richard's house. After Robbins informs Richard that there were signs of struggle on Denault's body, Robbins wants to examine Richard's clothing from that day. In response, Richard tells them to get search warrants and slams the door in their faces. Later, Richard decides to give Lance all the information on Tony Cumson. At Falcon Crest, Lance tells Melissa that Diana Hunter called to tell him that Tony is working in San Diego as an offshore consultant for an oil company. Lance tells Melissa that if Julia travels to San Diego, she will never be able to show her face at Falcon Crest again. On the veranda, Angie q

Maelstrom

At the Tuscany Hospital, Chase pushes Maggie's wheelchair toward their car. As it has only been a week since Maggie's accident, the doctor orders her to be careful because she had suffered a severe concussion. Chase tells Maggie that he is not taking her to the hotel, but home. At the Falcon Crest meadows, Lance and Melissa ride horses and gaze at the land that they hope will be theirs someday. Lance shows Melissa the divorce papers that he had intercepted before Julia could see them. Over at The Globe office, Phillip discovers that Richard has not been seen for ages, nor has Diana Hunter. Emma sees Phillip leave Richard's office, which piques her curiosity. At the Gioberti's house, Chase tells Maggie that her close call with the barrels was not an accident because he had heard someone running away. Angie arrives and insists on having Vickie's wedding at Falcon Crest, while Chase is still concerned with the accident and Richard Channing's disappearance.

Climax

At the Tuscany Valley Cemetery, a funeral is in progress that will drastically affect the lives of everyone at Falcon Crest. After admitting to the murder of Carlo Agretti, Julia pulls out a gun, critically wounds Chase and fatally wounds his mother Jacqueline. At Jacqueline's funeral, Chase's cousin, Dr. Michael Ranson, appears for the first time and is taken into the Gioberti household. At the prison, Julia fights Angie's attempts to help prove her innocence, believing prison is better than living under Angela's tyrannical control. Lance feverishly pursues Melissa, who is horrified that his mother murdered her father and who vows never to forgive any of the Channings. Back at the hospital, Chase finally comes out of his coma, only to discover that the bullet lodged in his spine has left him paralyzed.

Cimmerean Dawn

Angela jeopardizes Chases recovery by telling him about his mother's death. After Maggie confronts Angela, Angela declares that it's time to go for the jugular. When Angela learns that Dr. Lantry augments his income by illegally selling pills, she uses this information to blackmail the doctor into signing an affidavit about Chase's incompetence to manage Falcon Crest. As Lance helps his grandmother in her scheme, his wife, Melissa, is turning to Richard for affection. Back at Falcon Crest, baby Joseph is rushed to the hospital after swallowing the pills that Lance had procured for Angela's blackmail scheme. With hatred and fear in her eyes, Melissa coldly accuses Lance of trying to destroy her baby.

Penumbra

After their baby's accident, Melissa and Lance agree to a truce, and Lance and Angela are soon thrilled when Melissa announces she's pregnant. Carrying out Angela's plan, Dr. Lantry informs Maggie and Michael that the bullet in Chase's spine has caused an infection, and that he may have to operate. Later, Lantry discreetly injects drugs into Chase's I.V. During this, Richard becomes guilt-ridden when he learns from Philip that Jacqueline was dying of cancer and stepped in front of Richard to spare her son from the gunfire. Richard and Melissa then plan to gain Julia's trust to manipultate her to avenge the deaths of their parents. Meanwhile, Maggie begs Michael to face his fears and take over Chase's case. That night, Dr. Lantry triumphantly announces to Angela that Chase has a raging fever and could die whenever she wants. Angela is horrified, but Lantry coolly informs her that it's too late and reminds her she's an accomplice to murder.

Conspiracy

Michael frantically races against time to stop Dr. Lantry from operating on Chase, which could leave Chase paralyzed for life. Angela then sets a court date to have Chase declared legally incompetent to manage Falcon Crest. Chase regains some feeling in his legs, and through physical therapy, begins to recover. At the hearing, just as the judge appears ready to rule in Angela's favor, Chase hobbles in on crutches, and the judge denies her petition. While Julia is declared not to be criminally insane, jail inmates continually torment her. At the Gioberti's house, Maggie convinces Michael to take a staff position at the hospital, but is shocked when he tells her he's the executor of Jacqueline's estate.

Partners

While Chase returns to Falcon Crest, Angela orders Lance to make his homecoming difficult. Lance, in an attempt to undermine the Giobertis, sends home Chase's crew and sabotages one of the vats. As the Giobertis attempt to do all the work themselves, a drainage lid breaks loose, spilling thousands of gallons of wine. After controlling the leak, Chase collapses from exhaustion. At Julia's trial, Philip motions to have Julia placed under psychiatric observation, but before the judge can rule, Julia pleads guilty on all counts. The Channings and Giobertis sit stunned, but Melissa sits smugly, knowing her mission has been accomplished by convincing Julia to lash out against Angela through her prison sentence. Alarmed, Philip warns Angela that Julia could receive the death penalty.

Judge and Jury

Melissa helps push Julia closer to the gas chamber as she faces sentencing for two murders. As the judge prepares to pronounce sentence, Julia announces she'd rather die than spend her life in prison. The judge, however, sentences her to life   behind bars. Michael Ranson accuses Dr. Lantry of malpractice, but Lantry tells Angela he will implicate her if she doesn't stop Michael. Meanwhile, Richard Channing spins a malicious web using Emma to lure Maggie to work for his newspaper as a feature writer while he fights Chase by delaying the reading of Jacqueline's will. Philip returns the original contract to Melissa that Angela had forced her to sign that would have given the Agretti harvest to Falcon Crest.

The Wages of Sin

Julia enters prison where she meets up with a tough matron who has a personal vendetta against the Channings, while Angela works to get her sentence commuted. After making love, Melissa offers the Agretti harvest to Richard, which he eagerly accepts in order to keep it from Angela. In Jacqueline's will, she has left fifty million dollars to be split between Chase and his brother, but, only if after one year, Chase believes Richard to be trustworthy. This reveals the motive for Richard's brotherly actions. Jacqueline also leaves Angela a hotel suite key with instructions that Philip must accompany her there. Jacqueline has the last laugh when Angela finds an unmade bed with a note from Jacqueline stating that she and Philip made love at that very spot.

The Last Laugh

Julia breaks down to beg Angela for protection against the ruthless inmates and prison matron who are out to kill her. Angela pays the matron off to make things easier on Julia. Maggie uncovers evidence that Dr. Lantry's paychecks are supplemented by a mysterious and handsome additional income. Dr. Lantry is feeling the heat from Chase and Michael's investigation into his competency and ethics as a doctor. Afraid of being implicated by Lantry, Angela threatens Dr. Hooks into dropping any inquiries. Maggie's sister, Terry Hartford, discovers that Maggie has become wealthy and heads for Falcon Crest.

Solitary Confinement

Angela desperately protects herself when she discovers that Chase and Michael's investigation into Dr. Lantry's underhanded past points to her. After Angela reveals to Lance that Melissa and Richard Channing are having an affair, Lance, boiling with anger, sets out to find them. Melissa covers by telling Lance that she's trying to maintain Richard as an ally, while Richard has his eyes set on Pamela. Linda's father refuses to acknowledge Cole as part of his family, while the newlyweds start a custody battle for baby Joseph with Melissa and Lance. Maggie's sister Terry seeks her fortune in Tuscany Valley by manipulating her way into the Gioberti's home.

Chameleon Charades

Railroaded by Angela, Dr. Lantry is jailed, but now he poses a bigger threat to the wine baroness who fears he will turn the state's evidence against her in court, implicating her in the attempted murder of Chase. Philip arranges Lantry's bail and plans to have him sent out of the county, but Chase and Michael are determined to prove that Lantry is allied with Angela. Angela investigates Terry's dark past with plans of using her to destroy the Gioberti family. After discovering that Terry had been a prostitute in New York, Angela uses this fact to force her into stopping Cole's custody suit. Meanwhile, Terry, scheming to gain wealth, plans to overtly flirt with the men of Falcon Crest. At the same time Richard is incensed to learn that the cartel demands 100 percent control of his racetrack and will stop at nothing to get it.

The Double Dealing

Lance betrays Angela by revealing to Chase where Dr. Lantry is hiding. Chase accuses Angela of having arranged Lantry's bail and tells her that he found out from Lance. Angela denies everything but can barely control her fury over Lance's betrayal. Chase locates Lantry, who confesses that Angela had blackmailed him into signing the affidavit concerning Chase's incompetency. Before Chase can stop him, Lantry injects himself with a lethal dose of morphine. When Osborne's dead body is found on Richard's property, this not only further tarnishes his already scandalous reputation, but poses a threat to Richard's own life. Meanwhile, Michael warns Richard that his inheritance is in jeopardy, and Philip is exposed as the publisher's business associate.

The Betrayal

As Dr. Lantry nears death, Chase realizes that he may lose his only opportunity to see Angela behind bars. Lance boldly threatens Angela and Melissa with blackmail, and at the same time, Angela works with Philip to admit Julia into a mental institution. Terry slithers her way into Michael's heart, while Angela blackmails her for devotion. Vince Caproni, bitter about Linda's marriage to Cole, tells Linda that Angela's cruelty to migrant workers caused Linda's mother's death. Angela forces Terry to spy on the Giobertis, or else Angela will reveal Terry's seedy past. Chase discovers a clause in his grandfather's will that gives him the legal right to oust Angela from Falcon Crest.

Coup d'Etat

Chase fights a vicious public battle against Richard Channing, who is trying to build a racetrack that could destroy the wine industry, however, the final decision rests with the valley residents who are about to vote after the men's muckraking campaigns. Angela vows that she will not allow Chase to run Falcon Crest without her and thwarts his efforts to obtain the accounting records. Vince Caproni becomes seriously ill after Lance threatens him over Joseph's paternity suit. Angela makes a fiery attack on her nephew to strip him of his Falcon Crest powers. Meanwhile, Terry moves in with Michael, despite the Giobertis' warning that she is treacherous.

No Trespassing

Richard has won the election to build his racetrack while Chase is madly driven to stop him, which results in an explosive disaster. In the mental institution, Julia becomes hysterical when Richard malevolently tells her Melissa's baby is his, thus pushing her into a catatonic state. Angela promises Lance that they will be kicked out of Falcon Crest if they lose Joseph's custody suit to Cole. However, when Melissa is grilled on Lance's affair with Terry while giving her deposition to Cole's attorney, she explodes and admits that their marriage is a farce. Angela attempts to stop Chase's plans to market a line of champagne by buying up the grape harvest he needs.

Sport of Kings

Michael Ranson must face his fears from a dark past and perform surgery on Sheriff Robbins to save his life. In the operating room, Michael is unable to perform the surgery and later confesses to Terry about the guilt he's felt ever since his wife died. The floodgates open as Michael tells Terry how his wife was in an accident and died when Michael had attempted to operate on her. Meanwhile, Terry spies on Maggie for Angela and at the same time, makes plans to marry Michael. A cartel gangster attacks Richard Channing while Angela plans to crush Chase with the help of Calvin Kleeger, the Falcon Crest wine distributor. Kleeger informs Chase that with Angela out of Falcon Crest, he will no longer serve as distributor unless Chase offers the winery as collateral.

Queen's Gambit

Melissa loses control over her wicked power game when Philip intervenes and forces her to sell the Agretti harvest to him. Richard is nearly run down by a hit man as the cartel becomes even more determined to take over his racetrack. When Maggie interviews Sister Jeanette, an old acquaintance of Chase's mother, she overhears the startling news that Jacqueline had an affair with the head of the Nazi Gestapo in Paris, Johann Riebmann. When Cole  returns home to find Melissa waiting for him seductively posed in his bed, he throws her out, but not before Linda enters, who witnesses the ugly scene.

Bitter Harvest

Melissa and Lance resort to blackmail when Joseph's custody case goes to court. After enticing Cole into assaulting him in front of a witness, Lance shows up in court badly bruised claiming that Cole had beaten him. After hearing the corroborating story of the blackmailed witness, the judge dismisses Cole and Linda's suit. At the Gioberti's house, Maggie and Chase realize that Jacqueline's relationship with Johann Riebmann and Henri Denault made her a war criminal. Maggie decides not to submit her article to The New Globe, but Emma surprisingly turns out to be just as conniving as Angela when she has the story printed on the front page behind Maggie and Richard's backs. Richard fears for his life when Spheeris calls to convey the cartel's displeasure about the story.

Power Play

Angela plans to bargain with the Giobertis for control of Falcon Crest; in return, Melissa must give Cole custody of Joseph. Melissa is at first horrified at the thought of giving up her baby for a piece of land, but later reconsiders the offer. Terry follows Angela's orders when she pits Michael against Chase, and Richard is at the mercy of the cartel's gangsters in opening his racetrack. Meanwhile, Maggie's article uncovering Jacqueline Perrault's crimes cuts through the valley with a razor's edge.

Changing Times

Death looms over Melissa after her argument with Linda culminates in a fatal car accident. Lance spends the night with Terry while Melissa has a miscarriage at the hospital. Lance is overcome with shame and tries to apologize to Angela, but she is unforgiving. At the hospital, Melissa informs Angela that she refuses to give up Joseph and wants the signed agreement returned. Philip proposes to Angela but she is preoccupied with driving Terry out of Tuscany with the hope that Lance will then act more like a husband to Melissa. Richard and Pamela's relationship extends past their work, but she fears he will be killed after defying the cartel.

The Aftermath

Terry's dark, sordid past is exposed to Michael when Angela goes to extravagant lengths to run her out of Tuscany Valley. Angela pays Kate Mars, a former call girl buddy of Terry, to tell Michael the truth about Terry's past. Angela also exposes Philip's past indiscretions, producing a cuff link she found by the bed in the hotel room where Jacqueline claimed to have slept with Philip. Phillip denies everything and quits, fed up with Angela's manipulation. Chase seeks out another wine distributor and discovers that Calvin Kleeger served as a front for Angela. At the mental hospital, Julia, disguised as a janitor, escapes and starts hitchhiking her way back to Falcon Crest. Maggie discovers that the horrifying cause of her dizzy spells and headaches is a brain tumor. When Richard refuses to give the cartel control of his racetrack, hit men kidnap Pamela and force her to choose between loyalty to Richard and her life. Meanwhile, Lance stalks Richard, seeking revenge for his mother's menta

Tests of Faith

The New Globe publishes news of Julia's escape, while Julia steals a wallet and buys a wig from a waitress at a roadside coffee shop. Melissa pays a heavy price for trading her son for power. Chase meets with Philip to determine how serious Angela is about trading Joseph for half of Falcon Crest. When Philip produces Angela's custody contract, Chase is appalled, but is pleased to know that he can pry Joseph out of Angela's clutches. Melissa begs Angela to call off the deal with Chase, but Angela tells her that it's too late. As Chase and Cole come to take her child, Melissa is overwhelmed by guilt. Later, Chase gets an anonymous tip that Richard bribed a county geologist to approve construction of the racetrack. At the cartel's behest, Pamela plants bugs in Richard's office and home. Terry remorsefully suffers the backlash from her sordid past, but surprisingly, Michael still asks her to stay in Tuscany. Julia uses her disguise to slip past a police checkpoint, then assumes the identit

Little Boy Blue

Lance flies into a rage when he hears that Melissa sold Joseph to Angela for her half of Falcon Crest. Angela later warns Lance that he must mend things with Melissa since she is now Pamela's heir and if he doesn't, he'll be left penniless. Richard finds the bugs planted by Pamela, leading him to believe the cartel is closing in on him. Angela ignites a romance with Carter St. John, which makes Philip jealous. Maggie is running out of time as her tumor rapidly grows and must decide between risky surgery and radiation treatment. Her eyesight soon starts to fail, and Michael warns that if they don't operate on Maggie soon, her loss of sight could be irreversible. However, questions about Michael's surgical abilities still linger. Claiming she is afraid for her safety, Julia has Lucas teach her how to shoot a gun.

The Gathering Storm

Michael convinces Chase to let him operate on Maggie's tumor, which has already taken her sight and may take her life. Michael enlists his former lover, anesthesiologist Lillian Heller, for helping with Maggie's operation. Lillian is a houseguest, which arouses Terry's jealousy. As Maggie is wheeled into the operating room, Chase wonders if he will ever see his wife again. At Falcon Crest, Angela urges Lance to reconcile with Melissa in order to produce a true heir to Falcon Crest. However, when Lance begs Melissa to give their marriage a second chance, she sees through his insincerity and coldly reminds him that she is the sole beneficiary to Falcon Crest and has no intention of sharing her empire with him. Philip adds to his winery staff by hiring away Angela's best people. Meanwhile, Pamela carries out Spheeris's orders to help destroy Richard, while Richard is preoccupied with trying to win over Chase to obtain his inheritance for the completion of the racetrack.

The Final Countdown

Just as Michael and Dr. Heller remove the last of Maggie's tumor, her heart stops. Working quickly, Michael and Dr. Heller manage to get a weak pulse, but Maggie is left in a coma. As Michael humbly admits that Maggie's fate is up to God, Angela prays for Maggie, Julia and Falcon Crest, and reunites with Philip, whom she believes she will be able to trust again some day. Meanwhile, Richard is crazed when he learns that Chase has turned over Jacqueline's fifty million dollar trust fund to St. Martha's convent in Paris at a time when Richard desperately needs the money. On top of this, the cartel's plot against Richard threatens Pamela's life. After Pamela is abducted by the cartel, Richard realizes that though he may have retained control of the racetrack, the cartel has the one thing he cares most about: Pamela.

Love's Triumph

When the cartel begins to carry out its plans to make a public spectacle of Richard's assassination at the grand opening of the racetrack, Richard, making a switch with the bomb, causes the cartel to explode its own limousine. Eager to please Angela, Lance promises that he and Melissa will produce a grandchild. Melissa learns, however, that she can no longer have children because of injuries sustained from the car accident. While the Giobertis believe that Michael and Terry are traveling to Mexico, they are surprised when the two announce their marriage. At Falcon Crest, Angela agrees to marry Philip. As detectives discover Julia's hideout, Lucas discovers Julia's true identity and murderous acts as she heads for Tuscany. Meanwhile, Lance secretly executes his plan for power using The Globe as his tool.

Win, Place and Show

As Angela's wedding day draws near, Julia prepares to murder her mother. The wedding ceremony begins as Julia, dressed in a nun's habit, heads towards the church. Chase notices her, but Julia manages to lock him in a closet. As he feverishly tries to work his way out, Julia misses her chance to shoot Angela and leaves for Falcon Crest and the wedding reception. As the reception begins, Julia, hiding upstairs, crouches at the railing and aims her gun at Angela. The sound of sirens distracts Angela, and she moves out of range. As Julia realizes she's lost her chance, Joseph comes to her. Chase bursts in with the police, warning Angela that Julia intends to kill her. Cole dashes upstairs to check on Joseph, but it is too late: Julia has taken the child hostage.

For Better, For Worse

Emma and Lance discover Julia hiding out at the springhouse with her hostage Joseph. Terry receives a disturbing letter, dredging up more of her sordid past and forcing her to lie to Michael again. As Angela reads a letter that Julia had sent her while in college, she regrets having been too busy with her business career to spend time with Julia. In the springhouse, Julia agrees to release Joseph if Angela is brought to her. The police surround the house as Angela enters in exchange for Joseph. Angela admits to Julia that she has failed her as a mother and finally says what Julia has been waiting to hear, that she loves her. As Julia breaks down and hands Angela the gun, the deputy prematurely opens fire, igniting a kerosene lamp and setting the house on fire. Braving the flames, Lance and Chase dash into the house. Chase pulls Angela to safety, but Lance is knocked out by a falling beam and must be rescued from the fire. As the springhouse erupts in flames, Angela watches helplessly,

The Avenger

At the charred springhouse, the coroner, after inspecting a ring and bone fragments, positively identifies the remains as Julia's. In a note to Lance, Julia's last request is to have her ashes scattered in Italy. Angela asks the Channing and Gioberti families to travel to Italy in hopes that Julia's death can somehow reunite them. Richard is heartened to learn that Pamela may be alive in Europe. Melissa informs Lance that when he returns from Italy, she will have already moved out of Falcon Crest. Angela discovers that Melissa has filed for a divorce and is unable to have children. As everyone prepares to leave, Melissa pays one of the workers to stage an accident at the winery so that Cole will have to stay behind with her. As Chase inspects the airplane, he fails to recognize one of the cartel's men posing as a mechanic. As Angela, Philip, Lance, Emma, Richard, Maggie, Michael, Terry, Linda and Joseph take off in the plane with Chase as the pilot, the emergency buzzer sounds indicati

Ashes to Ashes

At first light, Melissa and Cole wait at the rescue base as the helicopters arrive with the survivors of the crashed plane. Angela disembarks, relaying the news that Philip Erikson is dead. The co-pilot and Michael Ranson were also killed in the crash. Richard insists that the cartel was responsible for the crash, while Chase maintains it was sabotage. Angela blames Chase and swears she will make him pay. At the hospital, Angela comforts Emma, and Cole watches over Linda, who is in critical condition. They talk of Joseph and their future together. As Linda professes her love to Cole, she dies in his arms. Terry, although distraught, realizes that she has received a sizable inheritance upon Michael Ranson's death. As members of the cartel meet in Buenos Aires, Johann, disappointed that the crash was not a total success, reveals that their ultimate goal is to reclaim a valuable Third Reich treasure, which lies buried in Falcon Crest property.

Requiem

Chase still has nightmares about the crash and worries that he should have done more to land safely. Angela surprises Greg Reardon at his stables and offers him the lawyer position left vacant by Philip's death. She promises to launch his political  career in one year if he takes it. Cole and Maggie pack Linda's belongings. As Richard climbs into his limousine, Spheeris levels a pistol at him. The cartel members want him to acquire some property for them, but Richard flatly refuses. Angela, Lance and Alan Caldwell of the F.A.A. plan a fuel leak story that will place the blame for the crash on Chase. Cole and Melissa begin a friendly relationship again. In Buenos Aires, as Johann steps into his limousine, it instantly explodes while Gustav stands by, mercilessly watching his father die.

Father's Day

Angela and Lance team up against Chase in the FAA's investigation of the crash. Angela bribes Buzz Whitehead, the airplane mechanic, to lie and claim that Chase had been drinking prior to the flight and had ignored the fuel leak warning. Chase is determined to discover who sabotaged the plane and swears that if the cartel was involved, Richard will pay. Gustav arrives in Tuscany Valley to obtain the Falcon Crest secret. Angela, Lance and Greg plot to take The Globe from Richard. Maggie's father, Paul Hartford, arrives for a visit. The Giobertis throw a party to introduce their new champagne, but the celebration turns into a nightmare for Maggie when Angela reveals that Maggie is adopted and her father is unable to deny the painful truth.

Strangers

The cartel gives Angela a falcon statue containing a listening device, which the cartel uses to eavesdrop on her discussions about The New Globe. Terry receives an unwelcome visit from her ex-husband Joel McCarthy, who claims that they were never divorced. He demands $25,000 to keep their marital status a secret, but Terry refuses to support his drug habit. Angela reports evidence to the plane crash investigators implicating Chase, then calls in a favor with Senator Silverlake to put her spin on the F.A.A.'s report. The F.A.A. releases its report on the plane accident, and Chase learns that he's suspected to be responsible and his license has been suspended. Emma gives her stock in The New Globe to Angela, helping her take over the newspaper.

The Outcasts

Pamela is surprised to discover that Richard's attacker is Padgett who pulls back the covers to find only pillows where Richard's body should have been. Padgett tries to flee the town, and Gustav is furious that Richard Channing has not been eliminated properly. At The Globe, Lance becomes publisher to the dismay of many of his new employees. The Board of Supervisors removes Chase as head of the airport authority. Joel McCarthy, out of money and desperate to support his drug habit, mugs Maggie at Tuscany Downs. She never sees her attacker, and later, Cole unwittingly hires Joel as the new transportation foreman for the vineyards. Emma hears Julia call out to her in the vineyards, but when Angela arrives, Julia disappears again.

Shadows

In his quest for land adjoining Falcon Crest, Gustav Riebmann approaches Sam Giannini and when he refuses to sell, Gustav has Spheeris pay Giannini a special visit that night. Richard acquires the radio station KRDC, promptly fires the entire staff and makes Frank Taggert the new general manager. Chase and Maggie travel to New York, trying to uncover her past. Joel gives Terry written proof that they are still married, and it takes another $10,000 check to keep him quiet. Lorraine Prescott, Richard's stepdaughter from a previous marriage, re-enters his life, which is news that leaves Pamela stunned. Angela believes Richard's fierce protectiveness of Lorraine may be the weakness she's been looking for in him. Julia appears to Emma again on the porch, asking for money, but insists that Angela mustn't know.

Lord of the Valley

Sheriff Robbins notifies Chase, Maggie and Cole that Sam Giannini has been murdered, apparently during a robbery. Lance uses his new power to exploit Sam's death in The Globe. Maggie starts work writing copy at Richard's new radio station. Stephanie, Richard's ex-wife, comes to town and enlightens her daughter about Richard's past behavior, warning her that he may try to use her too. Gustav offers Mary Giannini his condolences and threatens to kill her if she does not sell her property to him. Chase has obtained a copy of the F.A.A. report and is enraged that someone is lying to frame him. In Italy, after Francesca Gioberti faces disaster at her vineyards, she travels to Falcon Crest, surprising Angela and seeking assistance from her cousins.

The Intruder

Angela is horrified when she learns that Francesca has evidence that she is Angela's half-sister and legal heir to one third of Falcon Crest. Angela then uses it to her advantage by making a deal with her to buy Francesca's third in order to control more of Falcon Crest than Chase. At Lucas Crosby's home, Julia tells him she is tired of running and being afraid someone will recognize her. However, when she goes to the police to turn herself in, they do not believe she is really Julia Cumson. Emma helps Chase obtain evidence that Buzz Whitehead was bribed into lying to the F.A.A. investigator, and Senator Silverlake was pressured into suspending Chase's license. Cole revives his love for Melissa, maintaining that they will have an open relationship, but Greg promises to destroy their relationship.

Pain and Pleasure

Chase uses Emma's findings and confronts Senator Silverlake in Washington, D.C. with the evidence that he was bribed into faking the F.A.A. reports. Senator Silverlake confesses, absolving Chase of all blame in the crash. Lorraine demands that Lance print a retraction to an article that ties Richard Channing to the criminal underworld. Lance is more interested in seduction than retractions, but Lorraine strives to ignore his advances. Both Richard and Gustav court Francesca in order to get closer to her share of Falcon Crest. However, Angela and Greg persuade her to sign a contract for her share of the vineyards. Private Investigator Mike Harris informs Maggie that her real father was killed in World War II. Melissa tells Greg she cannot see him anymore as it will jeopardize her relationship with Cole, but Greg is persistent in pursuing her.

The Trump Card

When Chase hears that Jasper's will is being re-opened, he becomes suspicious of Angela's motives and confronts her. Chase discovers that Francesca is selling her third of Falcon Crest to Angela in order to save her vineyards in Italy, but Francesca is confused since Angela told her that Chase would be pleased. Cole decides he loves Melissa enough to move in with her, even against his parents' warning. Richard tries unsuccessfully to keep Lance from seeing Lorraine and warns him not to hurt his stepdaughter. Francesca decides to throw a farewell party before returning to Italy. She performs the tarantella and berates her family for their greed and hatred. Jean-Louis helps Francesca by pilfering her agreement from Angela's safe. During the night, Gustav's henchmen tail Julia, seize her and drive off.

Tarentella

Julia has been taken to Reibmann's estate, where she is confined in what resembles a hospital room. When she comes to, the nurse informs her that Lucas has been arrested for harboring a criminal, and then turns on the TV to a newscast, which covers the arrest of Julia Cumson! How did they find out she was alive? Julia wants to know. Angela found out about her phone calls to Emma, the doctor explains, as Julia becomes hysterical. ""How could you do this to me?"" Julia cries. Things are working perfectly, Reibmann comments, watching from behind a two-way mirror. He's staged the whole scenario! Meanwhile, Angela has enough troubles of her own-both Francesca and the agreement have disappeared. As if that weren't enough, Chase turns over his notes to the U.S. Attorney's office to bring a case against her for libel, perjury, and whatever else she may have done to frame him with the FAA. Chase, too, is preoccupied with Francesca and her agreement with Angela. Melissa takes advantage to score a

Going Once, Going Twice

Richard, thrilled with his one-third ownership of Falcon Crest, makes plans to acquire more harvests. He reveals to Terry that he knows Joel is blackmailing her and promises to help her if she sells him her harvest. In the fake hospital, Spheeris and Riebmann continue to torment Julia, telling her that Angela has granted them permission to perform a frontal lobotomy on her. Ben Landale, claiming to work for the U.S. Government, arrives at Falcon Crest with orders to look for Johann Riebmann. With Melissa and Lance's divorce finalized, Melissa agrees to marry Cole. Mike Harris, who is secretly working with Angela, finds Maggie's mother, Charlotte Pershing, and takes her to the radio station. Angela informs Greg that she located Maggie's mother because her compulsive gambling habits will create major problems for Chase and Maggie.

The Triumvirate

Angela reinstates Lance as her sole heir, cutting Melissa out of the will. Posing as her psychiatrist, Gustav manipulates Julia into trusting him. Ben and Chase check Falcon Crest for surveillance devices and when Gustav hears them discuss Henri DeNault with Angela, he orders Spheeris to investigate Ben immediately. Greg's advances towards Melissa are putting a strain on Cole's trust in Melissa. Joel returns the necklace he stole from Terry and presents her with an engagement ring. She hesitantly agrees to marry him in two weeks. At the Turf Club, Angela tries to make Charlotte succumb to her weakness for gambling. Chase keeps Maggie in the dark about his plans with Ben to search for Johann Riebmann in Europe.

Winner Take All

Melissa, enraged over being written out of Angela's will, solicits Joel's help by offering him $50,000 to discredit Lance in Angela's eyes. Joel tricks Lance into meeting him privately and locks him in a deserted warehouse. Disguising himself as Lance, he uses Lance's Porsche to drive Angela off the road. As the real Lance is released from the warehouse, he is promptly arrested for the attempted murder of Angela Channing. Angela reveals her plan to Reardon to ally with Richard in order to get Chase to cease his champagne operation. Gustav orders Spheeris to follow Chase and Ben to Paris, where they are searching for clues to Johann Riebmann's whereabouts. When Ben and Chase are trapped in a set-up, Ben is killed. At Richard's racetrack, Charlotte begins to lose control over her gambling impulses.

Suitable for Framing

Lance calls Falcon Crest to get bailed out, but Angela grabs the phone and tells him that he can rot in jail. Ralph Delaney arrives and says that The New Globe will pay Lance's bail. Richard wants Maggie to do a story on Lance and exploit his situation. When Lorraine hears this, she is furious and accuses Richard of slanting the news. Chase tightens security at home and purchases a gun. He learns from Herb Boutilier in Washington, D.C. that Ben never worked for the government and receives a phone call warning him to stop looking for Ben. Charlotte and her old gambling partner meet and begin to lose money at the track. Richard sends Joel to a drug rehabilitation center in order to get him away from Terry. Although Lance insists he was framed, Angela refuses to believe him, and he is again disinherited. Lance moves in with Lorraine at the Tuscany Inn.

Vicious Circle

Maggie may be Lance's only hope to prove his innocence as she investigates his case for her story. She goes to Angela with the evidence in support of Lance, and to his amazement, Angela admits that she now believes his story and promises to help him by letting Greg Reardon defend him, provided that he stop seeing Lorraine. Lance and Lorraine part miserably, planning to reunite after he is acquitted. Charlotte is unsuccessful in retrieving Maggie's pearls from the pawnshop, and Maggie cries when she discovers them missing. From his surveillance room, Riebmann hears Angela's plans to make Lorraine her heir, and soon begins to court her. Cole and Chase discover a shocking plan to undermine their champagne production.

Insult and Injury

After years of hard work, Chase and Cole dump hundreds of gallons of tainted champagne as Richard and Angela look on. Chase is convinced one of them is responsible for the poisoning. Richard's obsession with trying to destroy Lance prompts Maggie to quit her job at the radio station. Shaken over her mother's sudden disappearance, Maggie travels to Los Angeles to find her. Upon meeting with his stepfather, Alexander Nicolau, Chase uncovers his mother's dangerous connections with the cartel and is determined to uncover why Riebmann so fervently wants Tuscany Valley. Back in Tuscany Valley, reporters and spectators jam the courthouse for Lance's preliminary hearing. Richard is immensely pleased with Judge Holder's ruling that Lance must still stand trial for attempted murder.

Acid Tests

As Richard's first shipment of Francesca's wine is delivered for bottling, the truck is hijacked and the tanker is drained. Richard suspects both Chase and Cole, and after Richard and Chase fight, Chase concludes that the saboteur may be Riebmann and the cartel. He also details his suspicions that DeBercy may actually be Riebmann. Richard is surprised at the extent of Chase's knowledge about the cartel and so is Riebmann, who is listening from his surveillance room and realizes he must act quickly before his identity is revealed. He continues to use Emma to gather more useful information to further his plot. Meanwhile, Lorraine discovers that she is pregnant with Lance's baby. While Chase, Richard and Greg go to the authorities, Angela receives an invitation at gunpoint to visit Mr. Riebmann and his houseguest, Julia.

The Showdown

Angela's kidnapping brings her face to face with Julia at Riebmann's house, while Chase, Richard and Greg plan a mission to save her. They play into Riebmann's hands, gain control of the guards at his house and escape. Richard follows Riebmann into  the old mineshaft where the treasure has been buried. As the mine begins to collapse, Chase, Pamela and Chao-Li stand by in horror. Richard manages to escape, but Gustav and Renee are buried with the treasure. Lorraine reveals to Lance that she is planning an abortion procedure to avoid further complicating his life, but Lance adamantly opposes the idea. Father Bob provides disappointing news for Melissa and Cole when he mentions that the annulment of her marriage to Lance could take up to two years. They decide to plan for a civil ceremony the following week.

Retribution

At Falcon Crest, Lance is dumbfounded when he sees Julia appear on the stairs. Greg and Angela manage to persuade Judge Leeds to transfer Julia's sentence to a convent in Oregon. Meanwhile, Angela plans to buy Sam Giannini's estate. Richard meets Cassandra Wilder, who attracts both Richard and his advertising account for Francesca wine. Greg continues to pursue Melissa until the day of the wedding. Dr. Mitchell informs Melissa that her auto accident has rendered her unable to bear any more children and Melissa fails to build the courage to tell Cole, who wants more children. However, Cole learns this in the worst possible way, through Angela. Feeling that Melissa has deceived him, Cole decides at the last minute that he cannot go through with the wedding and abandons Melissa at the altar in tears.

Forsaking All Others

Melissa confronts Angela when she realizes that Angela had provoked Cole into walking out on their wedding. Although Melissa tries to seek comfort with Greg, she cannot put Cole out of her mind. After arguing with Melissa, Cole swallows his pride, reunites with her and marries her in a meadow in a small private ceremony. Lance proposes to Lorraine and surprisingly receives Angela's support. Unfortunately, Judge Holder has denied a change of venue for Lance's trial. Before Lorraine has a chance to discuss her pregnancy and engagement with Richard, Angela deviously provides him with the  information. In turn, Richard confronts Lorraine, who begs him to be happy for her. Instead, Richard throws her out of the house, telling her that, as far as he's concerned, she is dead.

Recriminations

Greg coaches Lance on his trial testimony as they nervously wait to hear whether the trial will be postponed. Cole and Melissa happily honeymoon in Tahiti. Chase convinces Connie Giannini to keep the land she inherited upon her mother's death rather than sell it to Angela. At KRDC, Pamela advises Richard not to reject Lorraine just when she really needs him. When Richard resists Lorraine's attempt to reconcile, she has no choice but to remain at Falcon Crest, where she is quickly learning that Angela cares only about heirs. The next day at breakfast, Greg soberly announces to the family that the trial extension was denied. Horrified, Lance and Lorraine realize that he will go on trial that Monday.

House Divided

Lance stands trial for the attempted murder of Angela, but his real court battle is against Richard Channing, who has secretly bribed the judge. Richard discovers that Greg and the prosecutor, Caroline Earle, have agreed to a deal that would considerably lighten his Lance's sentence. He passes this information to Judge Holder, who, on instruction, rejects such an arrangement. Cole and Melissa consider hiring a surrogate mother to bear them a child. Chase decides to hire Connie to help Cole with their champagne production. Cassandra and Damon come closer to an opportunity for revenge on Angela. Cassandra must keep their identity and plan hidden from Richard, who finds Cassandra intriguing. Melissa's cousin, Robin, arrives at the Gioberti household for an extended visit and hungrily sets her sights on Cole and the mansion.

The Trial

Cole battles with Connie, resenting her interference in his champagne operation. However, Chase convinces her to stay on, not realizing she is thrilled to be working near him. In court, after the foreman announces that the jury cannot reach a verdict in Lance's case, Judge Holder orders the jury to deliberate again. After Maggie observes Richard and Holder meeting in the parking lot, she becomes determined to discover if they are conspiring against Lance. While Melissa fears the outcome if anyone discovers that she was responsible for Lance's arrest, her cousin Robin sees Melissa's search for a surrogate mother as the perfect opportunity to move closer to Cole. Cassandra and Damon use Richard and Cole to further establish themselves at Falcon Crest. After the foreman reads the verdict, Lance and his family hear Judge Holder sentence him to seven years in state prison.

Justice For All

Angela takes advantage of Lance's conviction to assume his job as publisher of The New Globe. Richard provokes Lance into a fight at a restaurant, forcing Lance into hiding to avoid being returned to custody. Angela realizes that if Falcon Crest expands to accommodate a contract with Helios Foods, Richard and Chase will fall heavily into debt, and she will once again be the sole owner of the wine empire. She pushes them to agree to bid on the contract. Maggie prefers that Chase sell out and get away from Angela, but he refuses. Cassandra and Damon push the Helios deal to advance their own plans for a takeover. Late that night, Robin tries to seduce Cole with the idea that they could give Melissa the child she wants.

Devil's Harvest

Richard and Chase decide to go along with Angela and bid on the Helios deal. Chase looks to Maggie for support in his decision not to sell out, but she offers none. Melissa reluctantly pays Pamela $100,000 to keep silent about the hiring of Joel McCarthy to frame Lance. Terry not only confesses her past connections with Joel to Greg, but also tells Greg where to find him. Moreover, Terry suspects that it was Joel who ran Angela off the road. When Emma and Lorraine team up against Angela to find Lance, they discover that Angela and Chao-Li have him hidden in Chinatown. Angela's wicked plan to break up the Gioberti marriage unfolds when she offers Maggie the position of acting publisher for The Globe. Chase vehemently objects to the idea, but Maggie welcomes the challenge.

The Decline

At the winery, Chase joins Connie and hugs her, announcing that he has received the loan necessary to bid with Angela. However, Connie's former suitor, Larry Michaelson, could threaten the bank deal. Cole realizes that Connie may be a threat of another kind. Greg hunts for Joel McCarthy and finds that he died at Camp Mary Jane of a drug overdose. He confronts Richard with his suspicions about Lance's framing, hoping he can force him to reveal his involvement. In Chinatown, Lance insists that Lorraine be included in Angela's plans to send him to Italy, and she makes the arrangements for them to meet at the boat. Pamela warns Angela that Richard and the police are on their way to Lance's hideout and Lance manages to escape. When Lorraine arrives and discovers that Lance is already gone, she rushes to the fire escape before her stepfather can detain her, and in a hurry, slips and plummets two stories to the street.

And the Fall

Lance ardently resists Angela's orders to board the ship until he gets an answer to why Lorraine is not there. Telephoning Falcon Crest, Lance learns that Lorraine is in the hospital, where she lies in a coma. Risking everything, he speeds off in Angela's car to see her. Lance is recognized at the hospital, but gets a chance to see Lorraine and encourages her to keep fighting before two policemen take him away. Awakening from her coma the next day, Lorraine begs Richard to get Lance out of jail. On a tip from a Turf Club bartender, Greg digs up the proof needed to convict Melissa. He confronts her, insisting she turn herself in within 48 hours. Cole is once again kept in the dark as to his wife's dealings. He receives shocking news about his own past actions, however, when Melissa's cousin, Robin, arrives again at their doorstep.

Cold Comfort

In the hospital, Lorraine, depressed, misses Lance and laments her lost baby. In his jail cell, Lance reveals to Angela his fears about Lorraine's survival. Angela reassures him and promises that Greg is working on freeing him. At The New Globe, Pamela hands Maggie a cassette, explaining that Richard had taped all his conversations, and she had decided to validate his mistrust in her. When Maggie and Greg play the tape, they hear Richard and Judge Holder plot against Lance. Melissa breaks the news to Cole that she hired Joel McCarthy to frame Lance. Cole strikes back by informing her that her surrogate mother idea worked because Robin is pregnant. Due to the overwhelming evidence against him, Judge Holder is forced to release Lance. Ecstatic, Lance rushes to the hospital, where a judge marries him and Lorraine.

Confessions

Angela's scheme to regain control of Falcon Crest falls through when she assumes Chase and Richard will be bankrupt after a competitor wins the Helios bid. However, she is unaware that Cassandra Wilder holds the liens on their shares. Cassandra's mother, Anna Rossini, has come for long-awaited vengeance against Angela, now that her daughter owns two-thirds of Falcon Crest. At the winery, Connie offers to make Chase a partner in Giannini Winery. Maggie walks in and catches them in a celebratory embrace. Enraged, she announces she will be moving out that evening. Angela testifies on Melissa's behalf, which gives her a lenient sentence of 60 days in jail, in return for the Agretti harvest. As Lorraine's condition deteriorates rapidly due to brain damage, Lance must sign the release to remove her from life-support systems. As Maggie and Richard comfort each other that evening, an explosion rips through his house, trapping them.

The Avenging Angel

Richard and Maggie survive the explosion, but Maggie suffers from amnesia. Chase takes Maggie home from the hospital to try to rebuild their marriage. Angela Channing is forced into revealing a long-kept secret in her fight to save her wine empire from the encroachments of a vengeful mother and daughter who intend to take over the historic estate. Julia had Dominic Rossini's child, but was told it was stillborn. In order to save Falcon Crest, Angela reveals that the child was raised in an orphanage and is Father Christopher. Meanwhile, Richard Channing sets himself up as a target to flush out the killer who was responsible for his and Maggie's injuries from the explosion. He also hires an attorney, Jordan Jennifer Roberts, to help him rescue his empire.

The Phoenix

Angela reluctantly welcomes Father Christopher to the Tuscany Valley, knowing that he presents an added obstacle in her efforts to keep her wine empire intact. In his attempts to help Angela, Greg Reardon investigates Anna's past history, including her record of hospitalization. Richard Channing is the subject of further threats. Melissa is released from jail and returns home to find a disturbing situation between her husband and Robin. Lance finds solace in Terry's wiles. When Chase gets an unexpected windfall from Connie, Maggie questions her relationships at the time of the explosion.

The Best Seasons of Falcon Crest

The Best Seasons of Falcon Crest

Season 6

Season 4

Season 3

Season 7

Season 5

Season 1

Season 2

Season 8

Season 9