Why didn't Dynasty do anything with Dominique?

tommie

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I dunno
Again - being Blake's bank teller is not a storyline.
 

Alexis

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She wanted to be written as a rich white man so they did. Boring.
I think they were a little afraid to have her do too much as it would ruin what they had going on with Joan and Alexis. That and the fact that the writing was just like shockingly bad anyway.
 

Willie Oleson

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Initially, it was a clever way to expand the dynasty family and have a unique (as in: non-white) main character on the show, which Dallas didn't have. So far so good.
But at that point they had stopped writing for the original characters, the last thing they needed was another character that would require...character and intriguing storylines.
The only one who benefited from the situation was Nolan Miller.

I'm not stating this as a fact, but based on what I've read on this very forum, it was partially done to please the many afro-american Dynasty fans - but would they want to see "their" character as a truly horrible bitch like Alexis? I don't think so, and I guess that's why all she got to do was throw shade. Which is fine, I guess, but she was nothing but a mild nuisance so it only makes sense that Alexis would roll her eyes.

It would have been more interesting if she had been playing Blake off against Alexis, those "fascinating people". I could totally see her in the Sean Rowan role. But she just desperately wanted to be one of those fascinating people, which is kinda insulting towards those very afro-american fans, eventhough they seem to love her. Maybe they just wanted to see a black actress in the same outfits.
 

Snarky Oracle!

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Dominique got the same treatment as the caucasian characters: explain how they came to arrive in Denver, then lose interest in them and give them nothing else to do even if they remain on the show for another five years.

That's real diversity.
 

Michael Torrance

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I'm not stating this as a fact, but based on what I've read on this very forum, it was partially done to please the many afro-american Dynasty fans - but would they want to see "their" character as a truly horrible bitch like Alexis? I don't think so, and I guess that's why all she got to do was throw shade. Which is fine, I guess, but she was nothing but a mild nuisance so it only makes sense that Alexis would roll her eyes.

But there are other positions in the range of possibilities between Blake's bank teller (as @tommie mentions) and bitch like Alexis. She could have been someone who wanted to have a say in DC, for instance. She may have insisted they sell all the south china see leases to get back her investment and then some (Brady could have been insisting on that), opposing Blake who wanted to not go for the quick buck since it was her money he was risking. And she could have vetoed Alexis getting any of the leases, much to Blake's and Dex's dismay.
People, even family, do have differences in business without being mortal enemies. That was one thing DYNASTY did well in season 8, when much as you knew Steven and Fallon loved each other, they did not see eye to eye when it came to running Denver Carrington.

But at that point they had stopped writing for the original characters, the last thing they needed was another character that would require...character and intriguing storylines.

That is true. Camille Marchetta's arcs were about Daniel Reece, Lady Ashley and Nicole Simpson, and the guest stars in general. DYNASTY had become the LOVE BOAT IN THE ROCKIES.
 
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Willie Oleson

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Dominique got the same treatment as the caucasian characters: explain how they came to arrive in Denver, then lose interest in them and give them nothing else to do even if they remain on the show for another five years.

That's real diversity.
Touché.
opposing Blake who wanted to not go for the quick buck since it was her money he was risking. And she could have vetoed Alexis getting any of the leases, much to Blake's and Dex's dismay
I agree, a third player could have created some interesting and alternative business storylines with lots of double-crossing and backstabbing (which is de rigueur in modern tv drama).
But it's an optimistic thought, to say the least.
 

Jimmy Todd

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The "plot" for Dominique seemed to be, "Look at us! We have a Black person on our show!" Plot over.
If Dominique is going to be the only Black person on the show then they should not make her a morally reprehensible person. However, that doesn't mean she has to be
a well dressed cypher. She could have been a strong, intelligent woman with basically a heart of gold, but not adverse to using her claws when the situation called for it. @Michael Torrance has some good ideas for putting her at odds with Alexis. Everything the show did in that respect was so forced. The way they had her come in so fascinated by the Carringtons, including Alexis made it a story about a Black woman desperate to be white, imho.
I would have liked if instead of her coming to the Carringtons they came to her. Tom admits to Blake on his deathbed that he has a daughter. Blake seeks her out, but she is somewhat disdainful of him because of his noteriety. She looks down on Alexis even more because of Alexis's reputation via the scandal sheets. She treats Alexis the way Nicole treated Angela over on Falcon Crest. This of course infuriates the first Mrs. Carrington to no end.
It would be great if Blake's prejudice surfaced its head at first, and Krystle has to guide him with her cool wisdom. Dominique and she becomes friends and Krystle, at some point, Krystle tells her about Alexis causing her miscarriage. Dominique is horrified and enraged, and decides that if Blake won't give Alexis her comeuppance, SHE will.
While I'm rewriting Dynasty, more Billy Dee Williams. Maybe he and Claudia could have a flirtatious rapport/affair. Dominique is not amused and her not so nice side comes out.
I also thought the actor John Amos could play a tough businessman who enters the fray at some point and is a formidable opponent for Blake. I always thought John Amos was a good actor and can play "tough, hard-nosed" very well.
 

Michael Torrance

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It would be great if Blake's prejudice surfaced its head at first,

What was weird was that Blake did not accept her at first, but the race issue did not come up. Yet, if Blake knew Tom was a horrible husband to his wife, which he did know, why on earth was it so difficult to believe he had a child out of wedlock? The story screamed denial, on the part of Blake and on the part of the writers and Spelling, who did not want race to be a factor at all. Talk about the elephant (or panther) in the room.
 

tommie

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I dunno
What was weird was that Blake did not accept her at first, but the race issue did not come up. Yet, if Blake knew Tom was a horrible husband to his wife, which he did know, why on earth was it so difficult to believe he had a child out of wedlock? The story screamed denial, on the part of Blake and on the part of the writers and Spelling, who did not want race to be a factor at all. Talk about the elephant (or panther) in the room.

I agree, in another thread I did mention that there was one scene in the Christmas episode where Blake accepts Amanda and Dominique is looking slightly upset/hurt. Would it have been so hard to have her confront Blake about it and asking the obvious question that the reason Blake can't fully accept Dominique is because she's black? He had just accepted a daughter he never heard of until a few weeks ago into the family with ease, so it's not like it's not a valid question? I mean, was a part of Dominique's motivation down to her wanting to be acknowledged as Tom Carrington's daughter or not?
 

colbyco

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(....) I'm not stating this as a fact, but based on what I've read on this very forum, it was partially done to please the many afro-american Dynasty fans - but would they want to see "their" character as a truly horrible bitch like Alexis? (...)

- I don´t think it has to do anything with it. The writers/producers just wanted no real second Alexis on "Dynasty". That´s why Alexis only need one phone call to stop Caress, Leslie, Sammy Jo or whoever there was ...
The "Star" asked in November 1987 "which person did you miss most?" - The most readers voted Sable but someone from the show said "it wouldn´t be good to have another Alexis on the show ..."

Touché.

I agree, a third player could have created some interesting and alternative business storylines with lots of double-crossing and backstabbing (which is de rigueur in modern tv drama). But it's an optimistic thought, to say the least.

- "Falcon Crest" was the best when Richard, Chasen & Angela owned the vineyard and it was great to have this 3 players ... something like this would have been good for "Dynasty" - but instead Dominique was only allowed to sit in Blake´s office (but not in his chair; Ben, Adam, Steven everybody else sat in his chair - but his black sister used a different. Some kind of racism? :eek:) when he was so ill he couldn´t sleep with the actress who played his wife ....
 

Ked

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but instead Dominique was only allowed to sit in Blake´s office (but not in his chair; Ben, Adam, Steven everybody else sat in his chair - but his black sister used a different. Some kind of racism? :eek:) when he was so ill he couldn´t sleep with the actress who played his wife ....

What are you talking about? Dominique sat in Blake's chair.

 

colbyco

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Which show did you watch? ;) Blake always had a red one in this office ...

blake office stuhl.jpg


 

Matthew Blaisdel

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Maybe they thought the grey chair matched better with her warderobe. :D
 

Ked

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- Blake always had the red one ... even Ben, Adam or Steven sat in it.

Actually, I noticed that Blake's red short is a lot shorter than the gray one that Dominique sits in. And for the scene between her and Alexis, the latter is not supposed to realize that it's Dominique in the chair, not Blake. In order for that to work, they needed a higher chair to "hide" Dominique so she could do her dramatic turnaround. But obviously they didn't think to get one that was the same color as Blake's usual chair.
 
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