Falcon Crest: A Tribute | The History of Falcon Crest

The eighth season began with the revelation that Richard had staged his death, in order to escape The Thirteen, who had been assassinated. After initially rejecting him, Maggie reconciled with Richard. Melissa couldn't run Falcon Crest and was lonely by herself. She had a breakdown, doused Falcon Crest in gasoline and torched it. She later died in hospital from smoke inhalation, leaving her uncle Frank's son, Nick, executor of her estate. Angela battled to regain her birthright from Nick and eventually won back the vineyard with a false deed and rebuilt the mansion. It was later revealed that the original deed Melissa held was won when the Agretti's had cheated in the poker match.

Lorenzo Lamas and Kristian Alfonso Lance renewed his relationship with Pilar Ortega, daughter of the Falcon Crest foreman, Cesar. It was revealed the two had a daughter, Lisa, ten years ago and the two subsequently married, to Angela's disgust. After unsuccessfully trying to reclaim their daughter from Pilar's Aunt Mercedes who had fled with Lisa, Lance and Pilar were resigned to not seeing their daughter in the near future. Emma married reclusive mystery writer R. D. Young who Emma was later told comitted suicide.

Jane Wyman and Rod Taylor Pilar allied with Richard in a scheme to industrialise the valley under the cover of a Hispanic-improvement group called the "consortium". Angela discovered it was Richard behind the ploy and told Maggie, who divorced him. Richard used Maggie's history of alcoholism to win custody of their sons. He then kidnapped Angela and brought a dead ringer for Melissa, Samantha Ross, onto the scene. Samantha helped Angela escape, but when Angela told her doubting family about the look-a-like, Lorenzo Lamas and Kristian Alfonso Richard organised for his mother to be declared mentally incompetent. Angela quickly arranged to marry Frank Agretti so that Frank, and not Richard, would be appointed conservator of her affairs.

Samantha showed up on Angela's doorstep to gain revenge on Richard and testified against him. When the news of Richard's dealings hit the stock market, Richard, and Pilar and Lance, who had shares in the consortium, stood to lose millions of dollars as the trade price of the shares fell. Richard was convicted of stock fraud and kidnapping, and as the season ended, was sent to prison.

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