Newly elected state senator Fielding Carlyle (Mark Harmon) narrowly got elected whilst drinking virtually non-stop and having an affair with Lane Ballou (Cristina Raines) a woman who works in a brothel and who used to be stripper. Pretty much the whole town knew about the affair before his wife Constance (Morgan Fairchild) did.
With Carlyle busy at making Florida better in trips to the state capital as well as getting tanked and sniffing around Lane, Constance feels neglected and jealous. Crooked town sheriff Titus Semple (Howard Duff) attempts to assure Constance that he is at work trying to figure out how to get rid of Lane. They aren't the only ones out to get her either.
The trouble is Carlyle isn't the only one who wants Lane to stay. Wealthy playboy construction magnate Sam Curtis (John Beck) continues to bond with Lane (friends very much with benefits) and Curtis is far too powerful for Titus or anyone else in Truro County to cross. Yet again Sam makes it clear that he has his friend Lane's back.
Ultimately Lane remains the belle of the ball because she is an adult. Earthy and erudite she is comfortable in herself. As sexy as Constance is she remains a temperamental brat and a colossal snob.
The actors look like they found their footing by this point in the series in recognition of improvements to the script. The material itself begins to mine its potential for a Tennessee Williams/Faulkneresque interpretation of a prime time soap that would maximize its critical and commercial appeal.
With Carlyle busy at making Florida better in trips to the state capital as well as getting tanked and sniffing around Lane, Constance feels neglected and jealous. Crooked town sheriff Titus Semple (Howard Duff) attempts to assure Constance that he is at work trying to figure out how to get rid of Lane. They aren't the only ones out to get her either.
The trouble is Carlyle isn't the only one who wants Lane to stay. Wealthy playboy construction magnate Sam Curtis (John Beck) continues to bond with Lane (friends very much with benefits) and Curtis is far too powerful for Titus or anyone else in Truro County to cross. Yet again Sam makes it clear that he has his friend Lane's back.
Ultimately Lane remains the belle of the ball because she is an adult. Earthy and erudite she is comfortable in herself. As sexy as Constance is she remains a temperamental brat and a colossal snob.
The actors look like they found their footing by this point in the series in recognition of improvements to the script. The material itself begins to mine its potential for a Tennessee Williams/Faulkneresque interpretation of a prime time soap that would maximize its critical and commercial appeal.