Checkmate (1986)

“Checkmate”
	;
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 24
Directed by	Harry Falk
Written by	William Bast & Paul Huson (story & teleplay)
Production no.	TC-024
Original airdate	1986-05-22 (ABC)
Ratings	18th (15.9)
Episode chronology
"Anniversary Waltz"	"The Gathering Storm"
	Season Guide
	Season 1
Spin-off continuity
"The Vendetta"	"The Victory"

Plot Overview[]

Sable is brought to hospital, she's got a subdoral hematoma and might lose her sight. Jason suffers from terrible remorse.

Fallon tells Jeff that she might be pregnant, but then Monica barges in and notifies them about Sable's accident.

Zach reproaches Jason with what has happened, he admits that he loves Sable, but also that she had refused sleeping with him up to now. Meanwhile the police starts investigating the case, although Jason and Zach tell them it was an accident. The worried family gathers in the hospital and is deeply relieved to hear that Sable is out of danger and going to be all right again. Jason visits her and, under the emotional pressure of his remorse, says she is his girl and nobody else's and gives her the tape. Sable takes this for the final reconciliation. She says good bye to Zach again and refuses to believe that Jason didn’t come for her but for the Miles and Jeff.

Zach is indignant when he finds Bliss with his stepson Spiro, he orders him to stay away from the girl.

Jason presents the proof of Miles’ innocence to Moretti and warns him ever to attack him again. But the district attorney tends right to the next case: Sable's accident. Conny, who has returned because of the incident, tells Sable she's living in a "fool's paradise" if she believes she can save her marriage with Jason, but Sable is completely convinced that she has won.

Miles confesses to his twin sister that he is still in love with Fallon.

Zach has found out that Spiro had set up the wrong witness in Athens in order to get Zach into suspicion, he throws him out.

Monica catches Neil with his wife in bed. Hurt and confused, she flies off with her plane and crashes only little later in the mountains when she runs out of fuel.

Fallon must face the fact that the baby she's expecting might be Miles’.

Conny pushes Jason to fight Sable, who is already having his things moved back into her bedroom. Jason asks Frankie to get ready for a trip to the Dominion Republic to get divorced. Sable is shocked when he announces again to leave her for good, she follows him hastily in order to stop him, trips on the stairs and falls. Carried away by her anger and hurt pride, she tells Moretti Jason had beaten her up and tried to kill her on purpose. Before he and Frankie can enter the plane, Jason is arrested by Moretti for attempted murder at the airport.

Cast[]

rest of cast listed by end credits order:

Vincent Baggetta ... Asst. Dist. Atty. John Moretti
Philip Brown ... Neil Kittredge
Georgann Johnson ... Dr. Waverly
Tom Fuccello ... Surgeon
Ray Wise ... Spiro Koralis
Christopher Lofton ... Lt. Gilman
June Christopher ... Night Nurse
Helen Funai ... Min
Steven Dart ... Officer
Lisa Aliff ... Gail Kittredge

Crew[]

Produced by

William Bast .... developer / producer
Paul Huson .... developer / producer
Eileen Pollock .... creator / supervising producer
Robert Pollock .... creator / supervising producer
Esther Shapiro .... creator / executive producer
Richard Shapiro .... creator / executive producer
Douglas S. Cramer .... executive producer
Aaron Spelling .... executive producer
E. Duke Vincent .... executive producer
Marko Joelson .... associate producer
Christopher Morgan .... producer
Stephen K. Rose .... associate producer

Original Music by

Ken Harrison

Cinematography by

Tony Askins

Film Editing by

Richard M. Burlatsky

Casting By

Marc Schwartz

Art Direction by

Tracy Bousman

Set Decoration by

Deborah Siegel

Costume Design by

Nolan Miller

Makeup Department

Jeffrey Fetzer .... makeup artist
Robin LaVigne .... makeup artist
Lynn Masters .... hair stylist
Norman Page .... makeup artist
Barbara Ronci .... hair stylist

Production Management

Robert Della Santina .... assistant supervising production manager
Joseph Dervin Jr. .... executive in charge of post-production
Norman Henry .... executive production manager
Al Kraus .... supervising production manager
Catherine McCabe .... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

Chip Chalmers .... first assistant director
Robert J. Metoyer .... second assistant director
Wendy Shear .... second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

Earl Capello .... construction coordinator
Douglas M. Keenan .... property master
Gordon Kirschbaum .... superintendent studio operations
Olga Lehmann .... set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department'

Bud Maffett .... sound mixer

Special Effects by

Bruce Minkus .... special effects

Visual Effects by

Jay Roth .... model maker (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

Marty Dobkousky .... grip (uncredited)
Scott Hamilton .... assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department

Vicki Huff .... casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department

Jan Kemp .... wardrobe: men
Rachael Stanley .... wardrobe: women
Eilish Zebrasky .... wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department

John Woodcock .... supervising film editor

Music Department

Bill Conti .... composer: theme music
Rocky Moriana .... music supervisor
Tom Boyd .... oboe soloist (uncredited)

Other crew

Adell Aldrich ... script supervisor
Bret Garwood .... executive coordinator
Bridget Hedison .... assistant to producer
Phill Norman .... title designer
Elaine Rich .... special consultant
Don Roos .... executive script consultant
Larry Luttrell .... location manager (uncredited)

Info Alert[]

Ken Howard (Garrett) does not appear in this episode. Barbara Stanwyck (Constance) departs the cast and makes her final appearance on the series in this episode. It was reported that Barbara Stanwyck, who had been very vocal about her disappointment with the scripts, was reluctant to do more than 7 episodes in season 2 (some episodes in mid season and others at the end of it). Stanwyck ended up quitting the show completely in June of 1986, before season 2 began filming.

Production details[]

Shooting Dates: From April 10, 1986 to April 18, 1986.
Filming locations: Paramount studios; Burbank Airport - 2627 Hollywood Way (Burbank).
Deleted scenes: Fallon tells Jeff that she is going to have the results of her pregnancy test; Jeff brings Fallon to a toy store; Monica returns to her office, listens to Wayne's song and remembers what Jason told her about lonely business women.
Trimmed scenes: After Jason has left his office, Moretti phones to some sheriff and asks him to give him Sable's report quickly; Miles and Monica mention the charges against him being dropped; Before Spiro comes into Zach's office, Zach talks to some contact in Greece.

Quotes[]

Zach Powers: Think, Jason, think. You imagine it's easy for Zach Powers to admit that there's a woman, any woman, he couldn't have?
Monica Colby: Miles, all you need is some time.
Miles Colby: Time isn't gonna help either. There was nothing else before Randall. Then all there was was Randall. Now there's nothing.
Zach Powers: For your mothers sake I tollerated you. But all that is over now. Make all the threats you want, my hands are clean. But you're not moving in on me and you're not moving in on the Colby girl. I'll risk sharing a prison cell with you first.
Spiro Koralis: I got a better idea, Zach: You take the mother, I'll take the daugher, we'll share the Colby fortune instead.
Monica Colby: [entering Neil's bedroom] Knock knock, nurse Colby to the rescue with chicken soup.
Neil Kittredge: [instead of being sick, Neil is bed with a woman] Monica, I... this is my wife, Gail.
Gail Kittredge: And this is the bedroom. The kitchen's down the hall.
Monica Colby: Excuse me. I must have the wrong house. I certainly have the wrong man.
Francesca Langdon: I've lived in the shadows so long, I'm... I'm afraid to come out in the light.
Jason Colby: Welcome to the sunshine, sweetheart. Ten minutes after my divorce is final, we will be married.