nuDynasty Episode Chat S5E09: A Friendly Kiss Between Friends

Daniel Avery

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Episode Description:
"As Blake and Cristal attend a Yale reunion, Blake runs into an old friend, Sonya, who has more than just the reunion on her mind. Alexis's launch of her 'miracle cream' faces a setback and Sam offers his assistance and Adam scrambles to get what Alexis wants. Amanda grows more suspicious of Charlie (Kirby's agent) and turns to Culhane for help, much to his chagrin. Meanwhile, Jeff wants to get to the truth of recent events and Fallon is dealt some disappointing news."
 

Daniel Avery

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Fallon has to tear herself away from shirtless Liam to go to work. At the office, Jeff announces he's leaving MorellCorp, and Fallon is genuinely disappointed....but then starts looking for replacements. Due to a misunderstanding, Fallon soon thinks Jeff is going to work for a pharmaceutical company. She barges into a meeting Jeff called with a pharma manufacturer, only to find out the "meeting" was Jeff trying to get a job with the company and dig up dirt on them. They are the company that produces the neurotoxicity drugs that his dead friend wanted, but could not afford. He wants the formula for that drug, I assume so he can give it away? Whatever the case, Fallon goes through their meeting like a bull in a china shop.

Blake is upset that his construction loans are hard to come by, so attending his Yale reunion might be a chance to network. Sonya Jackson turns up at the reunion, an "old friend" of Blake's. (The reunion is being held in Atlanta rather than New Haven for some reason). Sonya is married to a noticeably younger man, but is low-key flirting with Blake right in front of Cristal. She then suggests Blake and Cristal join her and her husband in their room that night. :eck: Blake and Cristal actually debate the invitation, eventually coming down on the side of accepting the invitation, worried that turning the invitation down might make them look old-fashioned.

Alexis insists (once again) that nothing can possibly go wrong with the launch of Alexum. Obviously she hasn't watched a single episode of this show. A shipment of the cream ends up at the bottom of the Chatahoochee River, which might put a crimp in the launch party. Sam gives Alexis a crash course on "influencers" and how they advertise things in modern times---hoping to get some free samples of Alexum for some forehead wrinkles that have been bugging him. Maybe if he had some SCUBA gear? At the party, Sam points out that if she doesn't start handing out the free stuff, there will be a riot on their hands. (I think Sam is wearing too much eye makeup, as in "yes, he's wearing eye makeup"). So Alexis hands out empty Alexum bottles, claiming it's part of a contest. The party descends into chaos when people are trying to find the (empty) jar with a green inner lid, which supposedly will win someone $1 million. Sam's influencers take down all their postings, making Alexis think the launch party a failure. Instead, Adam points out people are clamoring for the cream because they can't get it. Why wasn't Dex by her side in all this?

Culhane tells Amanda about Kirby's agent possibly being shady, and Amanda (being a lawyer) confronts Charlie. Kirby, fearing being dumped by her agent, takes Charlie's side and Amanda leaves. Amanda learns that Charlie will be at the Alexum launch party, so she enlists Culhane to help her steal Charlie's phone to get a look at Kirby's contract. Amanda is digging through the phone when Kirby shows up. Then Charlie shows up and raises a big stink. Kirby announces she does read her contracts and tells Amanda to basically go jump in a lake.

Fallon is uncharacteristically bothered by the situation with Jeff, or at least she says that's what is bugging her. Liam, still polishing up the script, doesn't question it too deeply, though he does seem pleased that she is showing any concern for anyone else's problems. She lures an employee of that pharma company (TJ) to the launch party and aims Jeff in her direction. TJ says she is scared of the people she works for and can't help them. Fallon even tries to get TJ on their side by saying she just found out she's pregnant, but TJ is unmoved. Back at the office, Fallon confesses she really isn't, just wishing she was. TJ then calls Fallon's phone.

Blake and Cristal keep trying to talk the other out of "swinging with a strange couple," and eventually chicken out. Actually, they RUN out when Sonya is in the other room. Later (in bed) (at the manor) (just the two of them), Blake confesses he fears he will get "old and boring", but Cristal says he will never be either of those.

Kirby is on her way out the door to a photo shoot in Milan. Amanda confesses she wanted to help Kirby because she cares for her. She wanted to prove Charlie was shady because she was jealous of the relationship Kirby has with Charlie. Kirby kisses her and then hops in the car to head off to the airport, leaving Amanda thunderstruck.
 

tommie

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Eh, an episode that really felt like nothing went anywhere unfortunately. I really wish they would commit to one of Grant's former Melrose Place love interests if they're going to keep bringing them in (first Laura and now Daphne). It feels a bit like they're stalling after the Rita storyline.
 

Daniel Avery

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A shipment of the cream ends up at the bottom of the Chatahoochee River, which might put a crimp in the launch party.
Quoting myself...oh, dear.

The truck ran off the bridge and ended up in the river. Okay, I'll accept that. But given the (assumed) high price of this cream, would a fledgling company with zero sales be able to absorb the loss of what I would assume is hundreds of gallons of this face cream? If a 4 oz. jar of the cream costs $50 to produce and is sold for $100, then a single gallon of it would be $1600 (at cost) and $3200 at retail. One would expect a truck to have hundreds of gallons of the stuff on it, so that's a lot of $$$ in the 'hooch. I guess they'll just overlook the fact that they likely had no insurance against something like that happening to the cream shipment.

And how would self-proclaimed environmentalist Fallon feel about her mother and Adam dumping strange chemicals into the same river that so many people use for drinking water? Well, at least the fish will have smooth, supple scales for months afterward.

In less OCD concerns.....

I like how they've been slowly setting up an issue with Liam and Fallon getting pregnant. At first it was "Oh, we'll have fun trying to get pregnant!". Then it became "Still trying---yay us!" , then "Working hard here, y'know?" and this episode it was "Hey, why isn't this happening?" a recognition from Fallon that something is keeping them from accomplishing their goal. In the next episode it might go into full-blown "Something is wrong here, we need to get checked out." Fallon's stories are usually so front-burner that they never have time to simmer in the background, so it's a nice change. There seems to be a concerted effort to give others a chance to shine this season rather than "What's Fallon up to this week?".
 

tommie

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Apparently there was a cut scene of Kirby dropping the earrings that Amanda ended up returning in Adam's couch so that she could go back and get them per Maddison Brown. Take from that what you will.
 

Daniel Avery

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They've certainly not done Adam's character any favors this season. After his 'framing of Alexis' storyline he's lost almost all of his unbalanced edge. Granted, it might be hard to maintain that level of troublemaking long-term, but we have barely seen him interact with anyone other than Alexis and Amanda. I kind of miss his creepy "touchiness" with Fallon, and I wonder if Blake even remembers Adam exists. It's as if the writers are no longer interested in writing his "borderline personality" exploits, and heaven knows he's not a character anyone would have accused of being boring.
 

tommie

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I'd assume that putting Adam on the back-burner temporarily has been a choice so that Kirby / Amanda's relationship can grow, but also as to not entirely burn out the audience with Adam's sociopathy.
 
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