MovieChat Forums > Knots Landing (1979) Discussion > Laura and Ciji

Laura and Ciji

posted 8 years ago by samanthajoneshoney
15 replies | jump to latest

On another site, I read that many people believe the writers were deliberately trying to imply that they really did have a relationship with each over, but because it was the early 80s the writers had to be very, very careful about showing homosexuality on the TV (I would have personally loved to see a full blown affair) and had Knots been made today, they most definitely would be having an explicit affair. I also read a recent interview with Constance McCashin and they asked her what she thought and she herself said she did't know. So what do you guys think?! I honestly just thought they were close friends and Ciji viewed her as a mother figure, but when I think of an affair, it's not implausible 😉

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

I think it was both- they were really good friends who ended up sleeping together. 1982 was not a year where a primetime show could show 2 women actually sleeping together, so the producers played it coy. But this has been a pretty divisive topic, and there's no concrete way to prove they did or didn't have a sexual relationship, so people can believe what they want.

[–] thenakedeye 8 years ago

I missed most of the Ciji-Laura storyline. Can anyone explain how the dynamics of their friendship worked?.. How was a sexual relationship implied, and what if any red flags if any did they try to bring up for the audience?

I would have loved to have seen a full blown romantic relationship blossom between these two characters, like how bisexuality was openly explored a few years later on L.A Law.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] samanthajoneshoney 8 years ago

Ciji was hired to start singing at Richards (Lauras first husband) restaurant and that's where she met Laura. They starting opening up to one another and became friends, and on Cijis 25th birthday, Chip (her boyfriend at the time) bailed on her and she was at home alone so Laura came to visit her with a cake and they celebrated together, making their friendship even stronger and making Ciji in turn look to Laura like a mother figure. Soon, Ciji was always at Laura's house, she would stay with her and look after Laura's kids and everything, she also spent a lot of time in Laura's bedroom and there was a scene where they were looking deeply into each overs eyes which was quite implicit. The whole lesbian/bisexual thing came about when Richard actually accused and was convinced that Laura was cheating on him with Ciji because they spent so much time together .

I would have loved to see a full blown romantic relationship too!!

[–] radrobd 8 years ago

I don't think Laura was a mother-figure to Ciji, considering Laura was only a few years older than her. I never got a lesbian vibe from them, it was just female bonding. Karen and Val were best friends, although Laura was friends with both of them, she wasn't their best friend. She found that in Ciji (and later Cathy). Richard accused them of having a lesbian affair because his marriage to Laura was failing. She took him back because he threatened to kill himself, but she wasn't invested in their marriage. He was jealous and decided to strike back with the accusations.

[–] samanthajoneshoney 8 years ago

Hmm, that's what I thought initially. Laura never really did have much in common with Karen or Val, I think they were just friends because they were neighbours so that's why she could confide in Ciji. The reason I said she was a mother figure was because even though she was only a few years older, Laura was a mother to two kids by this point so I felt naturally she'd have a maternal instinct which Ciji detected.

[–] dancingcoop 8 years ago

They did have a weird scene where CiJi was visiting while Laura was clearly breastfeeding. That was pretty intimate to me. I disagree about Laura Friendships. Laura and Val were great friends (established a bond in Epi. 4 of season 1) and had a lot in common but the writers chose to highlight Karen/Val as the besties. In the beginning, Ginger was karen's val.

[–] samanthajoneshoney 8 years ago

OOOO I'd forgotten about that scene too, that was really telling!!! In the first seasons Laura, Val and Karen were good friends but when Laura become more and more independent and successful, it faltered, especially with the whole Richard saga where Karen defended him and by season 5, Laura would lie to Karen under the guide of Abby. If anyone, it was Gary who Laura seemed to be closest too.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

I agree that Laura and Gary had a strong friendship-- and Laura's marriage to Greg Sumner was built on a strong friendship, too. But Laura was also close to the women-- Ciji, Cathy, Val and Karen. Also, it can be argued that Laura was the only one who understood Abby and treated her on her own terms. But I actually think Laura's best friend was Karen. This is brought home when Laura is dying and she chooses Karen and Mack to be Meg's godparents, and then when she dies, Karen takes over the raising of Meg.

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

Excellent points. I think all of their friendships kind of ebbed and flowed... Laura and Val became very close in season one when Laura told Val the truth about being raped. By season two, Laura was a working woman along with Ginger and Abby, so it made sense that Karen and Val would grow closer. In season three, Laura left Richard, and by then, Karen had become very close to Richard, so it made sense that Laura would back off a little from Karen. In season four, Karen and Val's friendship was cemented due to their mutual feelings for Abby. In season five, Laura worked for Gary and Abby and Ginger left town, leaving Karen and Val to really only have each other. By season six, Laura and Cathy had become as close to each other as Laura and Ciji had been. In season seven, Cathy left town, and that's when Laura became close to Karen and Val again. Season eight is when Ben tried to 'kill' Laura's husband Greg, which caused Laura to shun Val, and she only made peace with her at the beginning of season nine. Otherwise, if it hadn't been for their falling out, it's possible Laura would have asked Val to keep an eye on Meg, and not Karen.

One more comment re Laura and Ciji's 'affair'- actress Constance McCashin said on the Oprah show, when asked about some of her character's stories, that Laura had a lesbian affair with her best friend. If anyone would know, it would be the actress.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

Hi james,

Laura liked Val and understood the star-crossed nature of Val & Gary's relationship-- but I think she realized Val was kind of flighty. She viewed Karen as the more stable neighbor in the cul-de-sac and for Meg's sake, Karen was the best choice to raise her after Laura's death.

As for Laura's friendship/relationship with Ciji-- even if they did have a lesbian affair, there is no suggestion after Ciji's death that Laura ever swung that way again. She had a very strong marriage with Greg.

One aspect of the writers exploring the Laura-Ciji thing was they could show Richard going off the rails. His accusing Laura of being an unfit mother might be substantiated if he could twist Laura's friendship with Ciji into something more than it actually might have been.

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

I think we misspoke a little regarding Laura asking Karen to watch over Meg... I don't think Laura ever imagined that Greg would have given Meg up for adoption,to either Karen or Val. Yes, she knew Val had issues, but Karen had had a drug problem, and that didn't bother Laura. But I'm sure Laura was still resentful of what went down between Ben and Greg, so that's why she named Karen and Mack as godparents over Val.

[–] dancingcoop 8 years ago

James, i thought the same thing regarding Laura leaving Meg under Vals care. Laura always looked out for Val from afar. She is the main reason Gary married abby, when val ran away to become verna laura was the one to go get her begs from the bus station and she have gotten karen's role in finding the babies. I definitely would have found it much more thrilling to see her race against time and Abby.

[–] radrobd 8 years ago

when val ran away to become verna laura was the one to go get her begs from the bus station

No, that's not what happened. When Val left, before assuming the Verna identity, Val assumed a trampy identity, similar to Abby. She left her motel and her belongings (including her trampy clothes behind). The motel forwarded them to Val's home in Seaview Circle, but they were delivered to Laura's house by mistake, so she brought them over to Lilimae. She didn't drive to the bus station to get them, she just walked a few houses over.

[–] dancingcoop 8 years ago

you're right!! i just rewatched. I still would have liked it better if she was the one looking for the information about the twins.