MovieChat Forums > Falcon Crest (1981) Discussion > Jordan Roberts in season 5

Jordan Roberts in season 5

posted 8 years ago by engle_james
6 replies | jump to latest

I really enjoyed this character, and Morgan Fairchild's portrayal of her. She really played against type here, coming off of Flamingo Road from a few years before. Instead of playing another villainous sex kitten, Fairchild played a brilliant lawyer and a bit of a prude, the reason which we find out later in the season.

I also found the storyline to be quite brave and a nice change for the show. The only disappointment for me was that Jordan was only involved with Greg Reardon and Richard Channing. It would have been neat to see Jordan interact with Emma, who most certainly would have suggested counseling for her, or Maggie. And I wish the show had brought Julia back earlier so Jordan could have actually represented her in court. Anyway I was wondering what other people thought about the actress and character during her season long stint on the show and if anyone else liked her as much as I did.

[–] radrobd 8 years ago

I liked Morgan Fairchild, but thought the character was wasted. Morgan Fairchild even complained that she was promised a meaty role, but for the first half of the season, she was only given one to scenes per episode, mostly giving legal advice to Richard. She wasn't the only one to complain though, there was a cast revolt when producers gave the majority of scenes per episode to guest star Apollonia. Producers hoped to capitalize on her success off of the film, Purple Rain, and counter the MTV audience of its rival, Miami Vice.

As for Jordan's storyline, it was basically a rip-off of the ABC daytime soap, One Life to Live. The year prior to Fairchild's story, Erika Slezak won an Emmy (one of many) for playing prudish uptight newspaper publisher, Victoria Lord Buchanan, and her slutty alter ego, Nikki Smith. Jordan's alter, Monica Smith, was basically a rip-off of Nikki Smith.

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

I wasn't thinking so much of Jordan's alter-ego as her relationship with her father. Sexual abuse was certainly a rare topic for primetime soaps, and I appreciated that the show didn't chicken out by making the elder JJ her step-father, for example. Morgan Fairchild really did a good job as Jordan, but anyone cast as Richard's assistant seemed to have a short run (Diana Hunter, Jordan Roberts, and Meredith Braxton lasted one season, while Pamela Lynch lasted two), so maybe she would have fared better in a different role with the same storyline.

[–] radrobd 8 years ago

I think Morgan might have done better as Maggie's sister, Terry, a role that lasted 3 seasons.

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

True, but I think the actress was trying to avoid typecasting. Laura Johnson was just ok to me as Terry, but didn't really grow on me until season 5. Maybe if Jordan had been a friend of Maggie and Chase's from NYC, then she wouldn't have been so isolated from the rest of the cast. She could have still been Richard's lawyer but a relationship with Maggie and Chase would have given her scenes with someone other than Richard or Greg.

[–] paranoja 8 years ago

First of all: huge fan of Morgan.

But her character was wasted.

[–] doubledragon-19441 7 years ago

I think Morgan Fairchild had some very tough and very emotional scenes in Season 5 but she pulled them off quite well, and the incest storyline was really pushing what the network censors would allow on television at the time.

Anybody else notice how the name of her father keeps changing in the episodes? In one episode he is referred to "John J Roberts" and another episode he is referred to "Julian J Roberts."