Rewatching Season 5 (and other surprising things)

JROG

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For no reason other than I cannot stop myself, I decided to rewatch Season 5. I do not know how far I'll take it, but so far I'm 8 episodes in.

There is a lot of stupidity and bad plotting everywhere you turn but it's been fun (re)discovering some things that work -- not to mention surprising:

Mark's murder and Alexis' trial:
The bad parts:
It starts nonsensical and just gets worse and worse. Firing her lawyer, firing Adam, Alexis eating caviar in jail!!!, those trial episodes, Steven's surprise witness testimony, Alexis going full-on crazy diva on steroids.

The good parts:
Alexis stupidly leaving the country and then being arrested for it, that stuck-up neighbor Hartley who somehow managed to invoke such a strong essence of old, snooty money, Dex calling Steven a fag and one of the few fights I can recall that doesn't feel homoerotic when it shouldn't, Neal McVane in drag (yes, it was ridiculous but my GOD what an audacious move from the show. There was really nothing like it).

Dominique Devereaux:

The good parts:
I've found myself enjoying the story quite a lot. Dominique and Brady work nicely together. There is a sense the writers know where this is going. There's potential. The reveal Dominique is Blake's sister. Dominique wanting to be accepted/recognized as a Carrington.

The bad parts:
Dominique talking the way she does and making constant random speeches. Blake, a white man, using her as a cash cow. Dominique making a random proclamation that she wants to make Blake pay. What/huh?

Fallon's Death:

The good parts:
Jeff's drinking/whoring around is done competently enough (but nothing to write home about). Krystle and Claudia finding out and comforting each other. Peter deVilbis somehow being involved. Nicole coming to get revenge (as a storyline idea).

The bad parts:
Fallon's emotionally-dead funeral: All these people crying and suffering; it should be a tearjerker. I feel nothing. Fallon seems to be forgotten as soon as she dies; no real sense of grieving or tragedy occurring. The whole stupidity of her disappearance and lazy writing. Nicole.

Amanda:
The good parts:
Fun introduction having her snoop around Alexis' penthouse etc. and that ending: Mother! Catherine's casting. Amanda showing up at Alexis' party to tell everyone she's her daughter. Alexis slapping her and calling her a little bitch.

The bad parts:
Why is Amanda calling Alexis "mummy" when she's just found out she's her mom? Why doesn't Blake seem to suspect Amanda could maybe possibly be his until it's beyond obvious?

Steven is gay again:
The good parts:
Steven and Claudia arguing for the 25th time in 8 episodes and Steven suddenly yelling "he was just straightening my tie!" and walking away. Wow. An entire argument based on subtext. They didn't even discuss it before this. Why can't they do more of this all the time? Luke is cute.

The bad parts:
Claudia the robot. Steven's acting. Horrid dialogue. Just... nothing clicks. I sat through this week by week and it was so painful.

Sammy Jo Kidnaps Danny:
The good parts:
Sammy Jo taking him, trying to extort money, Adam tying her up and taking the baby back.

The bad parts:
The show killing/not exploring the very promising Adam/Sammy Jo relationship. A match made in hell! Instead, Adam is left trying to be a good boy.

Blake and Krystle's Marriage Rift:
No bad parts. Perhaps the most surprising and shockingly competent aspect of the season so far. Written with, dare I say, subtlety, emotional honesty, and with the characters in mind. Not great dialogue or acting but a sense of these peoples' personalities and history exists. Mounting tension. Foreshadowing. Krystle has also had a lot of jabs about Alexis this season and a couple of bitchy scenes with her -- one of the only times she comes alive. The rift is believable and deepening. Ah, as long as it doesn't lead to a chemistry-free affair or something....

Saving Denver-Carrington:
Another rather competent part of the season: Blake's efforts to get money, the brief Alexis mortgage, Billy Waite, Hal Lombard, Dominique being brought into it, how it informs/affects the marriage problems Blake is having with Krystle, and a believable return to status quo. This isn't DALLAS level detailing and logic but it's much, much more than this show has given in a long time.

Random observations:

Steven and Dex are celebrating in Alexis' penthouse but there seems to be no memory of their truly nasty fight.

Insane plotting: Three new relationships/affairs introduced one after the other in the same episode.

Dex being just random and beyond pompous: He's a hero! Then he's an asshole! Then he's a lover! Picking fights clearly because the writers want to fill time. No direction/purpose.
 

Zara

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When the pictures of Daniel/Krystle and Blake/Ashley begin to turn up, Blake tells K: "Krystle, since when do pictures lie?"

When Blake's little rendezvous with Alexis in Rome turns up in the gossip columns, Blake tells K: "I'm sorry you had to see it, but it's all trash you know."

This is something K should have brought up when arguing with Blake (his rather smugness about it), and it's even hinted at it (the episode) when K thinks Alexis is behind it remembering Rome.
 

JROG

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I'm up to "Circumstantial Evidence" (I like the occassional decent title they throw our way).

It's a real shame Rashid Ahmed was killed. The show did try something different with that Turkey shootout but still.

I liked the resolution of the Dominique storyline with Tom Carrington's brief appearance and her acceptance into the family. It didn't set the soap world on fire but it was mostly a nice story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Anything with Kristina's (yet to be spelled Krystina) birth (top 5 worst scenes of the show?) to her hospital stay to her arrival at the Carrington estate like a baby Jesus is cringeworthy to say the least. Just utterly terrible.

On the other hand, Blake and Krystle's marital problems, Amanda and Dex, and the Daniel Reece storyline come together to form a very interesting 2nd third of the season. If only Evans would stop with the breathy acting and wake up. Amanda, Dex, and Alexis have an interesting dynamic. And it feels like the Reece storyline (minus that crap about the horses) knows where it's going and is thought out. I love how the pictures are folded into the story as well. It's clear the show is invested. The Dex/Daniel stuff, of course, is a total, ridiculous bore. I don't remember what comes of it but I don't think it'll be good.

Everything - everything - with Nicole/Jeff is horrid. Painful.

The Steven/Claudia/Adam/Luke story could be so much better if Steven wasn't totally a corpse pretending to be alive (and, sadly, Claudia isn't far behind).

Things take a turn when we get to the arrival of Lady Ashley and Prince Michael. Watching Adam's toxic paint dry would be more interesting than Mac Graw's attempts at being witty, sultry, and bitchy. Her line delivery is spastic, like she's running out of batteries but is not quite there yet. And Michael is so stiff he might as well have a forgotten dildo up his *ss. I don't remember much that happens next (Dominique's sudden illness? Samms' arrival... the beginning of Rita I think) so this should be ... interesting or something.
 

JROG

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Once you are firmly in the last third of the season -- the part that's mostly all about Amanda/Michael, Dex and Daniel's jungle adventures, Dominique's ultra boring defective heart, and that damn Lady Ashley -- the show gets very close to insufferable.

Blake/Krystle continue to be a bright spot and her taking Kristina and leaving the mansion is thrilling, but Evans does a beyond horrid job in the scene prior, where she finally confronts Blake for always assigning blame to her while acting like his dalliance with Ashley is innocent, and it kills it.

I cannot imagine what people must've thought in 1985 when Sammy Jo (looking gorgeous) first spotted Rita. That must've been quite the shock (unless it was spoiled beforehand).

Adam and Claudia just have no chemistry. I guess I'm glad the story is keeping Claudia around (who always felt on the verge of leaving every season lol and that's why I was surprised when she finally did) and it's good to see a return to Adam's scheming, evil self.
 

JROG

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Side note: Someone decided to take a break from the constant 80s hair for Claudia that always makes her look like a cross between a teletubby and a pencil topper troll. Bless them! A simple ponytail and she's suddenly gorgeous and much more human again.
 

Alexis

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Side note: Someone decided to take a break from the constant 80s hair for Claudia that always makes her look like a cross between a teletubby and a pencil topper troll. Bless them! A simple ponytail and she's suddenly gorgeous and much more human again.
She really never suited the big '80s drag hair. And her hairline seemed to suffer for it. She looked her best the first two seasons when it was softer or when, like you say, it was simply tied back.
 

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Everything - everything - with Nicole/Jeff is horrid. Painful.
I sometimes dream that that woman they are chasing in South America is actually Fallon and when they catch her in the hotel room she reveals herself (played by Kim Lankford) and beats Nicole to the floor, then returns to Denver with Jeff.
 

JROG

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"Reconciliation" is a perfect example of DYNASTY's schizophrenic nature. It's an utterly bad episode with the boring plane crash, Alexis literally trying to sell Amanda to Michael, more Dominique/Ashley foolishness...

but THEN the show hits you with two of the greatest scenes it's done in years: Krystle walking in on Alexis harassing a weak Blake, grabbing her by the arm, and escorting her out. Throwing Alexis' flowers at Alexis is a classic Krystle moment and it's the character finally being the badass fighter she used to be. And the ending is an unexpected, artsy delight: Adam overhears Blake telling Jeff he'll make him his Denver-Carrington heir. We then see Adam through his bedroom mirror as he loses his mind and vows to never let that happen. It's soapy, it's unexpected, it's good. Ah, if only it'd go somewhere...

PS. I like Ashley admitting she came to win Blake, Alexis' buried love for Blake resurfacing, Alexis dispensing motherly advice. All that, however, is lost in the general I-can't-believe-all-this-is-happening.... and I do wish Alexis had been just a little more defeated by Krystle's gesture.
 

Ked

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Side note: Someone decided to take a break from the constant 80s hair for Claudia that always makes her look like a cross between a teletubby and a pencil topper troll. Bless them! A simple ponytail and she's suddenly gorgeous and much more human again.
She really never suited the big '80s drag hair. And her hairline seemed to suffer for it. She looked her best the first two seasons when it was softer or when, like you say, it was simply tied back.

Meh, I don't know. I mean, I liked how her hair looked in Season 4 when she had her slapfest with Sammy Jo.


This is actually one of my favorite looks for her.
 

thomaswak

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Meh, I don't know. I mean, I liked how her hair looked in Season 4 when she had her slapfest with Sammy Jo.


This is actually one of my favorite looks for her.


As a coincidence, I am watching for the first time season 4 in english language version. It's been more than 20 years that I didn't watch season 4 anyway. At the time it was in a french dubbed version.

I can't believe how much I love Adam. He's so evil, so manipulative and brillant. Out-smarting Alexis many time. This apple didn't fell far from the tree.
Gordon Thomson is amazing. I hated so much at the time. I love him now lol

Kirby is annoying as f... From her endless black hair to her cringy face, nothing works. And the actress had to bear this awful character. The character is stupid, has no guts, and is crying all the time. You just want to drive her far away from Denver and abandon her on the road.

I watched episode 8 today, and Dexter was nicely introduce. Good to know that the character will last till season's 9 finale.
I am planning to watch episode 9 today. Pray for me. The name of the episode is "Peter de Vilbis"...
 
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Snarky Oracle!

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Mark's murder and Alexis' trial:
The bad parts:
It starts nonsensical and just gets worse and worse. Firing her lawyer, firing Adam, Alexis eating caviar in jail!!!, those trial episodes, Steven's surprise witness testimony, Alexis going full-on crazy diva on steroids.

I always want Krystle arrested just an episode or so after Alexis is arrested -- only Krystle is charged with Tracey Kendall's death (she's found dismembered in a trash bag on the edge of town) and Alexis saw, through the crack in the Denver-Carrington door, Krystle slap Tracey (near the end of S4, of course). So Blake winds up testifying in a way that helps Alexis, but Alexis testifies against Krystle.

Ultimately, at one of their trials (probably Alexis') both women -- even though Krystle is pregnant -- and the jury and entire gallery wind up in a mêlée on the floor of the courtroom for some reason.

I just feel like it's necessary.

Also: Alexis should have taken much longer before forgiving Steven#2 for testifying against her.

 
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Ked

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I can't believe how much I love Adam. He's so evil, so manipulative and brillant. Out smattering Alexis many time. This apple didn't fell off far from the tree.
Gordon Thomson is amazing. I hated so much at the time. I love him now lol

Yup. :D

Kirby is annoying as f... From her endless black hair to her cringy face, nothing works. And the actress had to bear this awful character. The character is stupid, has no guts, and is crying all the time. You just want to drive her far away from Denver and abandon her on the road.

She had the potential to be one of the more intriguing characters, but they messed her up so badly.

Pray for me. The name of the episode is "Peter de Vilbis"...

God be with you.
 

Ked

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Ultimately, at one of their trials (probably Alexis') both women -- even though Krystle is pregnant -- and the jury and entire gallery wind up in a mêlée on the floor of the courtroom for some reason.

Add that to Alexis getting strangled by Kirby in S4, and brawling with Sable in S9... Alexis sure liked to fight with pregnant women. ^^
 

Snarky Oracle!

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Blake/Krystle continue to be a bright spot and her taking Kristina and leaving the mansion is thrilling, but Evans does a beyond horrid job in the scene prior, where she finally confronts Blake for always assigning blame to her while acting like his dalliance with Ashley is innocent, and it kills it.
I remember thinking how knuckleheaded the show was getting in Season 3 and how shrill Linda's acting was becoming --- today, I almost can't even see it. Not because I was wrong, but because the deterioration over time changes one's standards.

Linda would get much worse after Season 3... They say Joan Crawford would advise young actresses to read the phonebook aloud and do so in as deep a voice as they could contrive in order to eliminate their thin, girlish, vapid intonation to sound more womanly and focused.

Somebody seemed to give Linda the opposite advice.

 
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Michael Torrance

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On the other hand, Blake and Krystle's marital problems, Amanda and Dex, and the Daniel Reece storyline come together to form a very interesting 2nd third of the season. If only Evans would stop with the breathy acting and wake up. Amanda, Dex, and Alexis have an interesting dynamic. And it feels like the Reece storyline (minus that crap about the horses) knows where it's going and is thought out. I love how the pictures are folded into the story as well. It's clear the show is invested. The Dex/Daniel stuff, of course, is a total, ridiculous bore. I don't remember what comes of it but I don't think it'll be good.

Things take a turn when we get to the arrival of Lady Ashley and Prince Michael. Watching Adam's toxic paint dry would be more interesting than Mac Graw's attempts at being witty, sultry, and bitchy. Her line delivery is spastic, like she's running out of batteries but is not quite there yet. And Michael is so stiff he might as well have a forgotten dildo up his *ss. I don't remember much that happens next (Dominique's sudden illness? Samms' arrival... the beginning of Rita I think) so this should be ... interesting or something.

In the end, the only arc Marchetta had fleshed out and did not rewrite was the Amanda one, from appearance to complications with Dex to being paired with Prince Michael to Moldavia. As an arc, that is the most thoughtful the show had done since after the first two seasons. But everything else is completely pointless: the inane resolution of the China sea oil leases mess; Reece and Lady Ashley (in competition over who will do most damage to the role but McGraw a clear winner); the discarding of Brady and wasting of Dominique and Tom (two core family characters rendered useless at lighting speed); everything about the Fallon wild goose chase; the little demon taking the form of Kristina; and last but not least, the plot that would bring an end to Dynasty as a ratings hit: Rita.

I think it is funny that Amanda's/Oxenberg's plot is the reason the show got a famous cliffhanger (nobody really had discussed DYNASTY extensively in the tabloids over the summer before) and yet a season later she was recast and then cast aside altogether. Ingratitude, thy name is DYNASTY.
 

JROG

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I thought I was done, but I want to rewatch Season 6. Somebody stop me.
 

JROG

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The last few episodes of Season 5 are the worst of the worst. Amanda kidnapped for five seconds, all that emphasis on Moldavia, Adam and Claudia talking about taking over everything around them just because. It feels stretched out: the plane crash, the kidnapping, almost episodic, so they can fill out time until the wedding.

The massacre scene, of course, is excellently executed. Save for some silly dubbed lines or Ashley photographing while people are shooting at her, it really is marvelously shot, edited, and scored. Those bells at the end and the iconic freeze frame!

If ONLY it had gone somewhere from there.
 
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