189. <8.06> Liars Anonymous

After Angela blackmails Nick with incriminating information about his past, Nick surrenders Falcon Crest to Angela. While Angela makes plans to rebuild the house, Nick regrets his deference to her and warns that he will not bend in the future. Nick decides to tell Ben the truth about his mother, which enrages the young man. Richard's newspaper prints the fact that Melissa had placed a phone call after Lance's departure, proving that Lance is innocent of her death. Richard warns Pilar not to let her affair with Lance interfere with Richard's takeover of the valley. When Frank's old friend Libby appears, Nick and Ben are surprised. Libby requests Frank to join her in Columbia to mine emeralds, which is an offer that disturbs Angela. As Emma and Cabot begin an intimate relationship, Cabot questions her true identity.

190. <8.07> Life with Father

As Christmas arrives in Tuscany Valley, Frank agonizes over whether or not to leave his family to mine emeralds with Libby. Ben turns against Nick for lying to him about his mother. Unaware of Richard's assistance, Maggie is delighted with the overwhelming response to her special advertising offer. Richard offers to back Pilar's failing consortium through a blind company for a controlling interest. When Daniel Cabot discovers Emma's true identity, he abandons her. Although Angela celebrates the holiday by surrounding herself with family, Pilar's holiday is spoiled when she spots her brothers Tommy and Paco being chased by security officers. However, Christmas dinner at Pilar's home brings Nick and Ben closer together and Nick to admit his love for his father.

193. <8.10> There Goes the Bride

Angela's hands-on approach to Emma's forthcoming wedding may prove futile when the bride and groom call the festivities off. After Emma breaks the news to Angela that the wedding is off, her prospective bridegroom, R.D. Young, apologizes for his behavior and announces that the wedding is on schedule again. During the wedding rehearsals, Young's nervousness escalates and he convinces Emma to elope. After Pilar accepts Lance's apology about Cookie Nash, their romance resumes. Nick fails to persuade Ben to curtail his relations with the Cellini family, despite his warning that the family is dangerous. An unannounced visitor adds turmoil to Tuscany Valley.

194. <8.11> True Confessions

In the continuing battle to keep Angela off balance, Pilar placates her about the consortium, while continuing to plot with Richard. Despite the stir created by her return from Italy, Anna Cellini is delighted to be reunited with Ben, but afraid that her father will ruin everything by insisting that his only surviving grandchild and heir be brought to Italy. When Richard tells Maggie he is in New York, he is really in Chicago with Pilar for meetings with financier Malcolm Sinclair. Cookie reveals to Lance that she is pregnant with his child.

197. <8.14> Uneasy Allies

Despite Angela's obvious opposition, Lance and Pilar decide to marry. Maggie, appalled at Richard's plans for the valley, leaves him. Hoping to prevent Lance and Pilar's marriage, Angela, who has made a deal with Sinclair, tells Lance that Pilar was well aware of Richard's business dealings; however, Pilar convinces him otherwise, and the wedding is definitely on. After Nick learns the seriousness of Anna's condition, he convinces her to allow him and Ben to care for her, provided that Ben not be told of her illness. After Raoul and his gang run Ben and Gabriel off the road, the gang leaves them unconscious on the roadside.

198. <8.15> The Vigil

Maggie's rebuff of Richard's attempts at reconciliation cause unexpected results. Upon hearing news of the car accident, Lance and Pilar immediately return home. With Ben and Gabriel in serious condition, Anna feels guilty over having given Ben the car. While the hospital staff quibbles about accepting Gabriel, he goes into convulsions, requiring immediate surgery. Angela, though not approving of the marriage, invites the newlyweds to make their home at Falcon Crest. In response to Maggie's rebuff, Richard pressures a judge for a court order that transfers custody of the boys to him. Accompanied by the Sheriff, Richard removes the children from Falcon Crest.

201. <8.18> Enquiring Minds

As Pilar and Sinclair plot against Richard, Samantha and Richard continue to scheme against Angela, while Nick Agretti investigates the background of a forged document. When Lance discovers one deed too many in Angela's safe and burns the document, he is unaware that he has been observed by Pilar, who has joined forces with Sinclair to undermine Richard in his upcoming investigation by the S.E.C. Richard misunderstands Tommy's presence in Maggie's hotel suite. Samantha helps Angela to escape from one of Richard's ploys.

202. <8.19> Grand Delusions

Having escaped with Samantha's help, Angela finds her family doubting her kidnapping story, but Pilar gains Angela's confidence with her plan to help her regain control of the Glenbraddoch stock. At the court hearing, Richard wins custody of the children. Angela agrees to protect Samantha from Richard's wrath and calls Lance to pick her up in San Francisco. However, Samantha disappears before he arrives. When Richard warns Pilar about opposing him, he plays a tape that has been edited to indict both her and Sinclair and which will exonerate Richard. Richard also obtains a warrant ordering Angela into custody for a psychiatric evaluation to determine her mental competency.

205. <8.22> Decline and Fall

Having successfully frustrated Richard's plans by marrying Frank Agretti, Angela returns to Falcon Crest, where her family rallies to her side and plans are devised for Richard's total downfall. When Samantha returns to Chicago from Paris, Richard tells her to forget their association or she will have to pay consequences. Nonetheless, when Samantha arrives at Falcon Crest, she provides evidence that Richard was involved in Angela's kidnapping. Consequently, Pilar and Angela work with the S.E.C. to facilitate Richard's financial ruin.

206. <9.01> The Price of Freedom

As Angela prepares to travel to Greece, she leaves her grandson Lance in charge, though under the strict supervision of her reliable foreman, Frank Agretti. Since Daniel, an unsuccessful author, has turned to gambling, drinking and brutality, Emma has become a battered wife. To escape her troubles, Emma turns to another man, Charley, for much-needed affection. In an effort to get out of prison, Richard decides to testify against his co-conspirator, Michael Sharpe. Richard evades an attempt on his life meant to stop his testimony. Accidentally getting her finger stuck in a pool drain, Maggie drowns. Angela hires a private investigator to tail Pilar.

207. <9.02> Charley

Emma's old friend Charley arrives just in time for Maggie's funeral. Although Angela disapproves of Charley and changes her vacation plans, Emma stands by Charley despite Angela's interference. Michael Sharpe takes his revenge on Richard for his testimony against him by having Richard's children removed from his custody. Aware that Angela is trying to break up his relationship with Emma, Charley places a pillow over Angela's face and suffocates her.

211. <9.06> God of the Grape

Charley hires his brother Ian and his young, child-like wife, Sidney, to help run the winery. Since the new arrivals put Charley at odds with Lance, the two fight. After Lance soundly beats Charley, Charley immediately fires him. After rescuing his sons, Richard learns that they liked Lauren and returns them to Lauren's care, despite the fact that she is Sharpe's sister. After Pilar and Lance confront Emma about Charley, he throws a bacchanal party, which is crashed by bikers. Ned Vogel, who has taped evidence of Pilar securing his distribution contract through sexual favors, blackmails her. At Angela's bedside, Emma thinks she hears her comatose mother command her to get rid of Charley, but Emma isn't sure whether or not she imagined it.

212. <9.07> Doctor Dollars

As Michael Sharpe arranges for Richard to be killed, the contract eventually goes to Sal, Richard's acquaintance from prison. Instead of killing Richard, Sal offers to help him get back at Sharpe, but later pays with his life when Sharpe learns that Sal double-crossed him. After Sydney defies her husband and befriends Emma, Ian beats her. In order to get rid of Lance, Charley shows him a videotape of Pilar's liaison with Ned Vogel. Despite Pilar's pleas, Lance leaves enraged, just as Charley had hoped.

213. <9.08> Luck Wave

Michael Sharpe convinces Ian and Charley to sell Falcon Crest to him, but Emma backs out. When Sharpe informs Ian and Charley that he has information on them that could put them in jail, Charley agrees to kill Emma and forge her signature. Charley is stopped in his tracks, however, when an unsuspecting Emma informs him that she is pregnant. Lance becomes embroiled in a deadly game of Russian roulette involving scorpions.

217. <9.12> Madness Descending

When Genele forces Frank out of his own home in order to entertain her lover Sharpe, Frank delivers the remains of Genele's sister and Frank's ex-wife Renee to the police, informing them that Genele killed her ten years before. Sydney tries to push Pilar and Lance back together. Sharpe is displeased when Lauren moves in with Richard after her ordeal with Walker. Sharpe tries to act as a business mentor for Danny.

218. <9.13> Four Women

Haunted by the memory of her husband's death, Lauren moves out of Richard's place and in with Genele. When Danny invites Sydney for a romantic night on his father's yacht, Sydney maneuvers to put Lance and Pilar on the boat together instead. When Sharpe uses sensitive information about Richard's business dealings, he makes $300 million and Richard loses $52 million. Richard wrongfully accuses Lauren of leaking the information. After showing up at Richard's door, Genele removes her clothes.

219. <9.14> Brotherly Love

Danny fights Sharpe's attempts to control his life and to make him break up with Sydney. After Sydney brings them back together, Lance and Pilar make plans to retake control of Falcon Crest. When Richard learns through Pilar that Genele was responsible for delivering his business secrets to Sharpe, he throws Genele out and attempts to reconcile with Lauren. Realizing that her brother's affection for her is more than just brotherly, Lauren decides she has to leave Sharpe's house.

223. <9.18> Dark Streets

Lauren tries to persuade Anne to reconcile with Sharpe. Anne and Lauren work to create an understanding between Sharpe and Richard, but once the women leave, Sharpe and Richard each vow to find the mechanic Sharpe hired to tamper with Sydney's car. Pilar disguises herself as a homeless woman to win the trust of Sacco's girlfriend, who leads Pilar to Sacco. Sharpe's henchman, Nick, follows both of them. However, when Nick is about to shoot Sacco, Lance disarms him from behind. With the informant they need to wrest Falcon Crest from Sharpe, Pilar and Lance call Richard.

224. <9.19> Crimes of the Past

Richard knows that Sharpe was behind the sabotage that almost killed his son, Danny, and he has Johnny Sacco, the mechanic paid to tamper with Sydney's car, to prove it. In order to keep Danny and his estranged wife Anne from knowing his involvement in the accident, Sharpe transfers ownership of Falcon Crest to Richard. After Anne agrees to give her marriage with Sharpe a second chance, she changes her mind when Johnny Sacco arrives intoxicated at the Sharpe residence and tells Anne everything. Anne lets Sharpe in on a secret she's kept for 21 years: Richard is Danny's real father. After several months in a coma, Angela revives.