Season 1 Discussion

[stormborn]

Well my theory of Liam and Alexis working together was shot to hell this week lol. And I gotta say that Elizabeth Gilles and Adam Huber sold me on their chemistry tonight during Liam and Fallon's fight by the car. They do have that natural spark. She also has it with the actor who plays Jeff. Unfortunately, I don't see it much with the actor who plays Cullhane. 

In any case, Liam has fallen for Fallon that much is certain. 

But I still think it's VERY possible that Liam is Adam or if he's got siblings then maybe one of them is Adam. He alluded to how messed up his family is and we still don't know why he tracked down Fallon specifically. I don't know why but I totally see Steven's search for Adam landing him right at Liam's door. 

Also I think Liam Jack Ridley Lowden's (really???) manuscript might have contained some clues about all this if Alexis had bothered to read it before she torched it. 

As for everything else, I really need Cristal to team up with Fallon and help take both Alexis AND Blake down. Blake is a good duplicitous shady soap husband but Cristal clearly isn't the shady duplicitous soap wife. He's gonna end back up with Alexis by the time this is all over. I enjoy them both as characters but I do wanna see a good take down of them both. 

 

As much as the show is framing Cullhane and Fallon as THE SHIP, there's no doubt in my mind that things will break apart the second Cullhane finds about CA's role in his father's illness. Cullhane might decide to part ways with the Carringtons for good over that. And who could blame him? 

[SmithW6079]

I thought the Adam storyline was stupid in the original "Dynasty," and I think it's even more stupid now. A child no ever, ever mentioned? And neither Fallon nor Steven ever googled their family? Seems like something Fallon would do as soon as she was able. (When I was watching this season of "American Crime Story," after each episode, I wanted more background information, so I was reading 20-year-old news stories about Andrew Cunanan and his victims. Surely there was media coverage of the kidnapping of a the first-born son of a prominent Atlanta family.)

Every time Cristal says, "I'm the COO," I laugh out loud, because she comes across as a little girl playing dress-up with Mommy's clothes. It would have been better to have left her the head of PR -- the few times she's had to act in that role, she's been somewhat believable. I love that Blake bests her at every turn. I wonder if he really loves her or if he believes she's a gold digger so he's going to make her work for the money.

I never thought I'd say this, but Sam is one of my favorite characters. Now that he's not the requisite hunk (he didn't have the abs for it), I like him as the goofy, charming comic relief, almost like the Greek chorus to the tragedy that is the Carringtons. His friendship with Anders is unexpected but enjoyable. 

The introduction of Alexis had me rolling, and I think Nicollette Sheridan is a hoot. As others have mentioned, she doesn't have the class that Joan Collins brought to Alexis, but Nicollette plays the bitch oh so well. At the fashion show, I did find it unbelievable that a 20-something designer was designing clothes for a 50-something woman. I think it would have played better if the designer had been an older woman looking to revamp her brand, then the comments about Fallon being the "face" of the line would have been more appropriate. (They kind of glossed over it, but the designer was clearly uncomfortable that 50-something Alexis said she should have been the face of the fashion line.)

Don't get the Jack Liam Ridley Lowden fake-out. He's a well-know writer using his real first and last name (and fabulously wealthy too), but he chooses to "disappear" using his middle names? Kind of idiotic.

I like how with Fallon's relationship with Culhane, race has never seemed to be an issue (I would think the bigger issue would be the daughter of the manor consorting with the hired help). The only thing that bothers me a little is that when LIz Gillies played Jade on "Victorious," she was a high school student and in one episode, James Mackay played a security guard, presumably an adult to the teenagers.

Steven is still has no real personality of his own; there's nothing that makes him stand out compared to his father, mother, sister, and lover. I'm not sure what they can do to fix that. Maybe it's just the actor himself.

I can't ever not see Urkel when I see Jeff Colby, so it's hard to take him seriously, although I was intrigued when Alexis showed up at Jeff's door. At first it didn't make sense, but then I figured that at some point, she must have known him, before she left her family.

[Bec]

About Alexis burning the manuscript - we're well into the digital age. That manuscript is backed up to the cloud, unless he's one of those writers who insist on using an old-school typewriter. But of course he would only hand out a hard copy because he wouldn't want it to be super easy to make copies and spread it around. He should have given the manuscript to Anders!

12 hours ago, ursula said:

On 4/18/2018 at 5:13 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Adam or not, they'd be stupid to let him go because Liam seems to be the first male character the the fans have had any kind of reaction to. They tried giving Sammy Joe the hunk treatment and it didn't quite work.

Big surprise. He's white and straight. 

Come on, Blake has been white and straight this whole time and he is the worst.

Of course Liam (or whatever his name is now) would get a good reaction from fans. The character is a nice person, yet intriguingly mysterious, and he's played by a charming actor. His looks - definitely a plus. And he gets to be funny, too! The show hit on a good combination here.

The rest of the guys?

I guess Blake is supposed to be a magnificent bastard but he just comes off detestable. Weird because I've liked Grant Show in other roles.

Maybe we're meant to side with Steven's good heart but he just comes off kind of stupid. When a guy's not conventionally handsome on a TV show like this, he better bring something to the table that makes up for it. This guy doesn't.

Jeff Colby - similar problem with Blake, we're probably supposed to find him magnificent, but nope, he just comes off detestable.

Culhane is a boring character. Maybe it's just me - I never seem to like the "salt of the earth" guy on this type of show. I was also bored by Jack on Revenge and Dan on Gossip Girl. Maybe because this kind of guy is always at least low-key judging the rich girl they're "in love" with - wanting her to change her personality, wanting her to have a different life that mets his approval more, and so on - it's irritating.

Sammy Jo is growing on me, and he looked damn fine in a serious black suit with a team of lawyers behind him, but the association with stupid Steven actually drags him down a bit at this point. Though I wouldn't want to lose the only gay couple on the show, and their wedding is going to be fabulous!

Anders is awesome but I'm not in the demographic that would find him attractive in that way. Not a knock against the guy though. It's better for there to be something for everybody!

[LakeGal]

Steven and Jeff are the miscasts to me.  I don't find either attractive or charming.  If they are not going to hire attractive actors they should at least have charisma.  I keep hoping they will both be in an explosion that makes plastic surgery necessary.  

I do enjoy most of the other characters/actors.  In fact I am glad this show was renewed.  It is usually campy fun to watch.  

[ursula]

2 hours ago, Bec said:

Come on, Blake has been white and straight this whole time and he is the worst.

Fallon is the white girl self-insert so unless fans are into father/daughter incest, Blake doesn't qualify. Anders too for obvious reasons. 

[KaveDweller]

On 4/21/2018 at 12:07 PM, nilyank said:

Dumb move of Alexis burning up the manuscript which would have given her some clues about the guy that she is super-suspicious of. 

She may have read it and didn't want Fallon to learn what was in it. Maybe it would get her to forgive Liam, which Alexis doesn't want. Maybe Alexis is connected to Liam's family and it makes her look bad. I can't believe she would have burned it without reading any of it. 

[sugarbaker design]

On 4/21/2018 at 2:46 PM, Lady Calypso said:

For me, Michael was the first man on this show I actually liked, but Liam is the second. All the other men suck, mostly because of the actors who play them. I wouldn't mind if they got rid of a couple of the men and replaced them for season two. Mostly, Jeff and Sam. Unfortunately for me, we're likely not getting rid of Steven, though I do wish for a recast. 

Totally agree, this is what I meant when I posted the show desperately needs some testosterone.  The show has many male characters, but most of them are milquetoasts, wimps and losers.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Maybe we're meant to side with Steven's good heart but he just comes off kind of stupid. When a guy's not conventionally handsome on a TV show like this, he better bring something to the table that makes up for it. This guy doesn't.

I feel like Steven is a huge idiot.  He's running around a strange city knocking on random people's doors.  He has no clue what he is going to find, or whether the people he is dealing with are dangerous.  Has he even verified that Adam actually existed?  Has he said a word about any of this to Sammy Jo, Fallon or Anders?  What exactly is his end game?   

I also don't pretend to understand why Blake and Kristal are even still together.  They've spent a good portion of the season lying to one another, and neither really seems to like the other person. 

[sarkygal]

My biggest gripe is still with Cristal and the actress playing her. With this version of the character being an executive at CA prior to marrying Blake, she seems too naive to even have gotten her job. I don’t understand how she was head of PR but seems to keep throwing herself into poorly thought out schemes that will destroy the business. All in the name of some convenient morality. What exactly does she think big business is? A kumbaya circle?

 

It doesn’t help that the actress just isn’t very good IMO and looks like she’s playing dress up in Alexis’ closet. Even Steven seems more attuned to corporate shilling than Cristal. 

[SanDiegoInExile]

8 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I thought the Adam storyline was stupid in the original "Dynasty," and I think it's even more stupid now. A child no ever, ever mentioned? And neither Fallon nor Steven ever googled their family?.....

The show does seem to be in an age time-warp.  After all, Steven and Fallon were born in the 1990s. They never googled their family? Or their parents? Or grandparents?  It is possible that a *kidnapped child* could have been kept out of the news if the Carringtons had yet to strike it rich.  Maybe Adam was born more than a few years before Steven, perhaps in the mid-1980s.  That would put him comfortably into his 30s.  His disappearance could have been successfully kept under wraps in a world of 30 cable channels, landlines, and pre-AOL dial up service.  Especially if at the time, his grandfather was just another regular run-of-the-mill millionaire.

Much of the music/soundtrack seems to be 80s-ish, which doesnt jibe much with the main cast of twenty-somethings --- all born in the 90s.  It recalls the 1980s glory of the Original, but only seems to make sense for Blake+Alexis, who presumably are hovering around their early 50s.

It will be interesting how they re-tool Season Two.  I haven't seen anywhere whether part of the renewal involves a change in show-runners or producers.  They have whipped through storylines way too fast for my taste.

[txhorns79]

Quote

My biggest gripe is still with Cristal and the actress playing her. With this version of the character being an executive at CA prior to marrying Blake, she seems too naive to even have gotten her job. I don’t understand how she was head of PR but seems to keep throwing herself into poorly thought out schemes that will destroy the business. All in the name of some convenient morality. What exactly does she think big business is? A kumbaya circle?

I thought Blake was right. They should actually study the issue before they rush in and accept blame for a situation they may or may not have caused.  It's very possible everything is their fault, but it's also possible something else is to blame.  Why accept liability prematurely?   

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I thought Blake was right. They should actually study the issue before they rush in and accept blame for a situation they may or may not have caused.  It's very possible everything is their fault, but it's also possible something else is to blame.  Why accept liability prematurely?   

I agree they should do a study before they accept blame, but it may be a good idea to announce they are doing the study? Or that there is a high rate of cancer in that area. Regardless of whose to blame, people have a right to know if they are living somewhere dangerous.

I don't really get what Crystal is thinking most of the time though. She sometimes plays the moral high card and sometimes is lying/cheating. At least Blake is consistent.

[ursula]

Cristal is a good hearted pragmatist. While not a saint, she has a conscience and there are clear lines she won't cross.

Edited April 24, 2018 by ursula

[SmithW6079]

15 hours ago, ursula said:

Cristal is a good hearted pragmatist. While not a saint, she has a conscience and there are clear lines she won't cross.

 

I disagree. I think she has a conscience only when it suits her to be high and mighty. Killing a man was a line she was OK to cross (even if he did turn up alive); sleeping with a married man was a line she was OK to cross; engaging in cover-ups (killing bad CA stories) were lines she was OK to cross. They've been so inconsistent with Cristal, and it doesn't help that the actress is terrible.

 

On 4/23/2018 at 3:38 PM, txhorns79 said:

I thought Blake was right. They should actually study the issue before they rush in and accept blame for a situation they may or may not have caused.  It's very possible everything is their fault, but it's also possible something else is to blame.  Why accept liability prematurely?   

 

16 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I agree they should do a study before they accept blame, but it may be a good idea to announce they are doing the study? Or that there is a high rate of cancer in that area. Regardless of whose to blame, people have a right to know if they are living somewhere dangerous.

I don't really get what Crystal is thinking most of the time though. She sometimes plays the moral high card and sometimes is lying/cheating. At least Blake is consistent.

They could have announced a study, but that might have intrigued reporters to do more digging, and the reporter whose story was killed originally might realize he was on the right track. The cover-up is still wrong, and that's going to bite them in the ass. 

Edited April 24, 2018 by SmithW6079

[ursula]

10 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I disagree. I think she has a conscience only when it suits her to be high and mighty. Killing a man was a line she was OK to cross (even if he did turn up alive); sleeping with a married man was a line she was OK to cross; engaging in cover-ups (killing bad CA stories) were lines she was OK to cross. They've been so inconsistent with Cristal, and it doesn't help that the actress is terrible.

None of these examples are as black-and-white as you've described them. 1. Alehandro's "murder" was in self-defense - or technically in defense of someone else, his own abused wife and a fair trial would never have found her guilty.  2. Matthew's marriage was over - probably because he was married to a psychopath. 3. Cover-ups are part of the package with working in a large Energy company. Definitely not ethical but I'm not arguing that Cristal is a saint. I will point out in turn that: 1. she felt bad about Alehandro during the time she thought he was dead - overkill in my opinion because the only mistake she made was not killing him properly; 2. While sleeping with a married man isn't a good look, it's not like if there weren't extenuating circumstances and she felt bad enough about the affair to look out for Matthew's widow. She wasn't a stone-cold bitch about it; and 3. While willing to make stories about corrupt Judges go away, isn't comfortable with letting CA get away with literally killing people for profit. 

Further more, we've seen that despite Cristal's irritation/feud with Fallon, she's looked out for her step-daughter several times in the course of the series - from trying to negotiate her release when she felt Blake was being too cynical about it, to first threatening to, them helping Fallon call off her forced wedding to Jeff Colby. We've seen her handle the snobby put-downs of the so-called white elite with more grace than they deserved, while at the same time trying to do the right thing even though that often involves her walking a tight-rope. 

None of what you said refutes the statement I made:  While not a saint, she has a conscience and there are clear lines she won't cross.  I expressly did not argue that she was flawless. Imagine that: an imperfect character. There's nothing inconsistent or hypocritical about Cristal if you're not holding her up to the frankly unrealistic expectation that people are only "good" when they are flawless. 

Edited April 25, 2018 by ursula

[txhorns79]

Quote

3. Cover-ups are part of the package with working in a large Energy company.

I'm pretty sure if you have a problem with covering up information to protect your company, you stop working for that company.  You don't offer a swiss cheese rationalization like "well I'm personally against cover ups, but I was fine with engaging in them as part of my job because that was just something I signed up for by working there."   My main point being that I think Cristal's morality, as portrayed by the show, is kind of all over the place.   

[ursula]

8 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I'm pretty sure if you have a problem with covering up information to protect your company, you stop working for that company.  You don't offer a swiss cheese rationalization like "well I'm personally against cover ups, but I was fine with engaging in them as part of my job because that was just something I signed up for by working there."

I don't think the show's ever portrayed Cristal as against cover-ups for the sake of being against cover-ups. 

[txhorns79]

Quote

I don't think the show's ever portrayed Cristal as against cover-ups for the sake of being against cover-ups. 

My point was that her ethics appear mostly situational.   

[SmithW6079]

On 4/24/2018 at 11:59 PM, ursula said:

Matthew's marriage was over - probably because he was married to a psychopath. 

Adultery is black and white to me. He wasn't divorced. Cristal knew that, but she still had sex with him. "My wife doesn't understand me" or whatever rationalizations adulterers use to justify their actions are just lies to excuse breaking their marriage vows. Let them get divorced before they start sleeping around.

[ursula]

3 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

My point was that her ethics appear mostly situational.   

Most people's ethics are situational. Heck, most societal justice systems are based on the concept of situational ethics. The world isn't black and white. 

 

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

Adultery is black and white to me.

Nothing is Black and White. The only reason why Matthew didn't divorce his psychopath wife was because she entrapped him. She's hardly an innocent victim in this and I'm loathe to compare her to an innocent wife who was hood-winked by her lecherous husband and her best friend.

For the record, I'm not saying Cristal was blameless. Heck, Cristal herself didn't regard her actions as blameless. But if the show wanted to portray her as a heartless home wrecker then they did a poor job of it.

[SmithW6079]

45 minutes ago, ursula said:

Nothing is Black and White. The only reason why Matthew didn't divorce his psychopath wife was because she entrapped him. She's hardly an innocent victim in this and I'm loathe to compare her to an innocent wife who was hood-winked by her lecherous husband and her best friend.

Well, actually, adultery is black and white. Even God said so. It's one of the things He forbids in the 10 Commandments; there are no qualifiers about crazy wives. But, hey, I can see you just want to argue, and since I can also see how pointless further discussion about this point will be, I'm going to get off the ride now. Besides, they're just a bunch of fictional characters that I'm not really invested in.

[ursula]

17 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

But, hey, I can see you just want to argue, and since I can also see how pointless further discussion about this point will be, I'm going to get off the ride now. Besides, they're just a bunch of fictional characters that I'm not really invested in.

You are literally quoting Judeo-Christian Scripture (with the rather arrogant assumption that it's binding on all and sundry, if I might add) as if it's law  ----  but you're not invested? If you say so...

[Big Blue Plate]

A question, as I ff through this show a lot so I may have missed or misinterpreted something... but did Fallon and Jeff have sex?  I thought they did.  I surely must be wrong because given Alexis' reveal to him in the 1 x 20 ... this show isn't well enough or sensitively enough written to do an accidental incest storyline.   I'd be done with it but maybe they didn't actually have sex.  Assuming Tom Carrington is Jeff's father, that makes him a half uncle?  Whatever, the familial connection, it is a line that should only be explored by serious dramas and not for shock value.  I hope I am incorrect. 

[Lady Calypso]

38 minutes ago, Big Blue Plate said:

A question, as I ff through this show a lot so I may have missed or misinterpreted something... but did Fallon and Jeff have sex?  I thought they did.  I surely must be wrong because given Alexis' reveal to him in the 1 x 20 ... this show isn't well enough or sensitively enough written to do an accidental incest storyline.   I'd be done with it but maybe they didn't actually have sex.  Assuming Tom Carrington is Jeff's father, that makes him a half uncle?  Whatever, the familial connection, it is a line that should only be explored by serious dramas and not for shock value.  I hope I am incorrect. 

I'm not sure. They never showed it onscreen, at least, but I thought they implied that they had at least slept together once. 

I honestly don't buy this Jeff is a Carrington that they're selling. Even with the flashbacks, it would be too much for two secret brothers, or a secret brother and a secret half-uncle, or whatever they're planning to do. Also, Alexis is shady; she has some other plans up her sleeve, and I feel like using Jeff and then seemingly interested in Fallon and Michael being a thing is part of it. I'm just trying to factor in what it could be. The flashbacks really did heavily imply that Alexis and Blake kept Jeff and Fallon apart for a reason. I think we're supposed to sympathize with Alexis as we see more of her POV, but I'm also not sure. I get throwing Blake to the wolves since he's a despicable man, but I'm not sure if they're also trying to make Alexis look better than she actually is. I hope not; I much prefer shady Alexis than a seemingly good one. 

The Anders/Sam stuff was good. I'm interesting in perhaps seeing Anders' daughter at some point.

As much as Michael keeps stating that he's done with the family, I just feel like they're going to throw Michael and Fallon together anyway....though are they potentially hinting toward something with Michael and Cristal? Since this is still very much a soap, I doubt the two will just stay as allies.

As for the supposed Adam appearing at the end, I'm going to bet that he's lying. 

[ursula]

1 hour ago, Big Blue Plate said:

but did Fallon and Jeff have sex?

They had sex repeatedly. 

 

10 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I honestly don't buy this Jeff is a Carrington that they're selling. Even with the flashbacks, it would be too much for two secret brothers, or a secret brother and a secret half-uncle, or whatever they're planning to do. Also, Alexis is shady; she has some other plans up her sleeve, and I feel like using Jeff and then seemingly interested in Fallon and Michael being a thing is part of it. I'm just trying to factor in what it could be. The flashbacks really did heavily imply that Alexis and Blake kept Jeff and Fallon apart for a reason.

I mean... where to start? The incest that Blake never once seemed concerned/bothered about even though the flashbacks indicate that he knew all along. The fact that of all the African-Americans they could have cast to play Jeff, they cast the one guy who's Nigerian on both sides of his parents and looks it.

Maybe they'll head-wank that Blake later found out that Monica is the secret Carrington, not Jeff. It really doesn't make sense for Blake not to have found a way of confirming this. Both children apparently lived with the Carringtons for a long time, and he had enough access to them to run the required DNA tests.

Incest revelation aside, I was surprised/impressed with the flashbacks and the way they showed the history behind the Colbys and the Carringtons. The show's said many times that the Carringtons took in the Colby kids and sponsored/raised them... but I never expected them to actually show this happening. It adds an extra layer of complexity to their relationship/history together. 

 

9 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

As for the supposed Adam appearing at the end, I'm going to bet that he's lying. 

Steven gave his "sister" an envelope of what looks like 5 grand and then he suddenly shows up, suddenly Adam. So I'm guessing no. Obvious con is obvious con. My money is still on FauxHusband.

 

 

Disappointed in Fallon giving into the father's obvious bribe of COO --- but Kudos to Blake for knowing just which buttons to press to win her over. I'm not sure if the show wants us to root for MichaelxFallon overcoming all these obstacles constantly hurled their way --- or if the obstacles are meant to turn us off the pairing. I still think that thematically, Jeff and Fallon make the most sense, both professionally and personally, but if it's really incest, then that ship has definitely sunk for good. 

[sugarbaker design]

Isn't it more likely Alexis is lying about Jeff's parentage?

I'm way more interested in Kirby coming to Atlanta.  Will she be third side of a Jeff/Adam triangle like classic Dynasty?  Has her part already been cast with an Australian actress?

[Big Blue Plate]

On reflection, this must be a red herring on Alexis' part... she's playing Jeff, the hater, to manipulate him into doing something.  (After all, the season ender is a few episodes away and the hate storm heading toward Blake couldn't be more obvious.  Plus we saw his gun in the safe. Anvils, anvils...) Tom did have an affair with the Colby mother, that's established in Tom's dying last words... seems unlikely Blake wouldn't know if Tom fathered a Colby, but most of all, Blake, scheme notwithstanding, did not panic fight the pending marriage between Jeff and Fallon.  Even on a badly thought out show like this, no way they'd actually let a marriage go through that was incest.  Plus, Alexis presumably had knowledge of that impending marriage through Steven... they'd been in contact for at least year.  So hat's off to whoever said Alexis is lying... that's probably exactly what she is up to. 

[sugarbaker design]

Thanks for the hats off, but saying Alexis is lying is like saying Steven is attracted to men.  Obvious.

[Big Blue Plate]

Actually I think it was someone upthread first... you posted just as I did.  I have a hard time figuring this out because in my view they haven't yet made plain what Alexis' motivation is.  Originally it was pure revenge, followed quickly by a rekindled love for Blake.  No idea what this one is about, yet she's doing random stuff. 

[ursula]

1 hour ago, Big Blue Plate said:

but most of all, Blake, scheme notwithstanding, did not panic fight the pending marriage between Jeff and Fallon.  Even on a badly thought out show like this, no way they'd actually let a marriage go through that was incest.

Marriage? They'd already been repeatedly depicted as having sex. If it's truly incest, the Squick Meter has already been broken.

If a Colby is the secret Carrington, it makes far more sense that it's Monica. Maybe Blake initially suspected Jeff and that's why he was anti-high school-Jallon (because of course racism has nothing to do with that!) but a man like Blake won't let himself remain uncertain about something like that. And with the children living in his house, it's the easiest thing to find out which or any of them was his half-sibling.

[Lady Calypso]

3 hours ago, ursula said:

Marriage? They'd already been repeatedly depicted as having sex. If it's truly incest, the Squick Meter has already been broken.

If a Colby is the secret Carrington, it makes far more sense that it's Monica. Maybe Blake initially suspected Jeff and that's why he was anti-high school-Jallon (because of course racism has nothing to do with that!) but a man like Blake won't let himself remain uncertain about something like that. And with the children living in his house, it's the easiest thing to find out which or any of them was his half-sibling.

I don't really believe any of them are secret Carringtons, but if a Colby is also a Carrington, it's 90% not Jeff. This is a show filled with fast paced plots and lightning quick twists. We also never saw Blake and Alexis actually talk about why the hesitation with Jeff in the flashbacks, and Blake wasn't super squicked out by Fallon/Jeff in the present day scenes besides just minor disapproval, so everything is just implied, besides Alexis' reveal to Jeff at the end of the episode. I do think that Alexis is using Jeff to get to Blake in some way, likely for revenge reasons. I just haven't pinpointed how Jeff is a part of her plan. Maybe Alexis is trying to get through to Cecil and get him to actually shoot Blake by the season finale, so she can have her kids all to herself? But would she really be that sloppy?  I just don't buy that Alexis is that concerned with Jeff, but maybe because everyone on this show is shady and narcissistic that I don't want to believe it. I mean, I even suspect Alexis has something up her sleeve when it comes to pushing Fallon toward Michael, and I also can't figure her reasons for that! 

Monica is definitely far more likely to be the Carrington, especially with Alexis telling her in last night's episode that she's like family. Just like "Adam" in the episode coming to Steven is obviously not Adam. They'll likely leave the real Adam reveal to the season finale as a cliffhanger, especially since I think the showrunners knew that there's a second season at this point (I assume they must have been close to done filming the season when the renewal news came out). 

[nilyank]

I think that when Blake set up Cecil to go to prison, it most likely had to do with his father and secret Carrington. At the time, he believed it was Jeff but he found out later that it was Monica. However the damage was done because by this time Jeff think that Blake is a racist who didn't want his daughter involved with him.

That is a fake Adam but I do believe that he is related to Adam's original kidnappers. Even Steven isn't naive enough to let the people he suspects of being kidnapper that he is looking for his long lost brother Adam. I would hope.

Kirby cannot come to the show until they first establish who Adam really is. I definitely think it is Liam still. I think the kidnappers sold him to a very rich family that couldn't have their own biological children.

Alexis is a lying, lying liar. She wants Jeff to be on her side and I imagine she is going to use him to make a play for Colby so that she can go after Blake and his company.

[JAYJAY1979]

Thank gosh Alexis is on.. she's the only interesting part.  Sadly, they will probably have her married, widowed, owning a company, and remarried all in season 2 since these writers don't understand a slow burn.

[stormborn]

Well the Alexis web keeps on spinning. It's so hard to figure out her motivations and what exactly she has planned at the end of all this. I mean, it obviously has something to do with Blake and her kids but I'm confused about the path they're taking with her. But I'm not mad at it. It's keeping me on my toes. 

As far as the episode in general, I gotta admit it only really started to pick up for me towards the end. Speaking of the end, I think we can comfortably rule out Jeff being a secret Carrington since this show is on the CW, not on HBO. Fallon and Jeff have had sex more than once, there's no way the show is going full on consummated incest here. But it was a jaw dropper of an ending, I'll give them that. Cause even though I know Alexis is lying, I was still stunned.

But as others have said earlier, I put my money on Monica being Blake's little sister and Fallon's aunt. In fact, I hope she is because I believe it'd give the actress more to do on this show and she's far too beautiful to be as underused as she is. There's definitely something up with the Carringtons and the Colbys that go much further than business and backstabbing. They wouldn't have introduced the idea of one of the Colbys being a Carrington if it wasn't leading somewhere imo. 

That "Adam" is also clearly a fake too. God, Steven is as savvy as a baby bunny. You leave 5K at a stranger's door and all of a sudden a secret brother you've been tracking for what I assume has been weeks now just happens to pop up. That doesn't seem strange to you, Steven??

 But, I admit I'm beginning to grow weary of the Adam story-line in general to be honest. There are now so many possible secret Carringtons about (Jeff, Fake-Adam, LiamJack, Monica) it's becoming overkill. I think the one you'd least expect (Monica) should be the one secret Carrington left standing. 

Also I see the Cullhane/Cristal affair being telegraphed from a mile away. Maybe not a full-on affair but I definitely see a kiss and almost shag-sesh in their future.

She'll do it to get back at Blake, he'll do it to get back at Fallon and Alexis will somehow find out, she'll use her knowledge as leverage to gain Blake's and Fallon's trust and presto chango she's back in their good graces. And they'd have no reason to not trust her since she can't be accused of never supporting Fallon/Cullhane because she's pretended to be in favor of that relationship (there's no way her interest in Fallon's happiness is genuine) and for all her plotting and scheming she has yet to go after Cristal head-on. 

Loved all the Anders and Sam stuff. That's an unlikely friendship that really warms my heart. 

[tabularasa]

This was the first episode that I was like Michael is too old for Fallon and has always a tortured face. Liam was a breath of fresh air. If he turns out to be her brother I don't see anyone right for Fallon. Let's be honest, a nice love story never hurts a show. It's a pity Crystal and Fallon can't team up against Blake. Crystal and Michael look more age-appropriate though. I love Sam and Anders. This show is really going full speed but I have no idea what Alexis' intentions are and am disappointed the actress. She doesn't make this show interesting any more which is a pity.

[ursula]

I had to rewatch because of all the comments but I still don't see the shipper vibes between Cristal and Michael...

[Lady Calypso]

18 minutes ago, ursula said:

I had to rewatch because of all the comments but I still don't see the shipper vibes between Cristal and Michael...

For me, it's more an assumption based off of previous TV experiences and subtle clues that Cristal and Blake with have further marital problems that make me feel like something might happen. I mean, Cristal/Fallon are already at odds, but they also have their moments where they could form a more neutral relationship. Cristal and Michael starting something, even if it's just one kiss, would certainly make for a mini arc with them. Cristal's also cheated on Blake once, so she could easily do it again, especially since Michael and Cristal are likely closer in age than Cristal/Blake, which would make Blake feel insecure. Alexis has already pushed Fallon toward Michael, so if something happened between Cristal and Michael, she could certainly also use that to her advantage. But the end of the last episode with Cristal/Michael kind of made me feel like they could very easily go that route. Plus, still somewhat of a soap opera; since Steven is already engaged to Sam, the nephew of his new stepmother, who's to say that Cristal won't start something with her stepdaughter's on-and-off boyfriend? 

Not a guarantee of anything happening, of course, but the possibility is there. 

[ursula]

I still don't see it, and not even the melodramatic potential of it. If anything, I find Jeff/Alexis a far more believable/ set-up arc. When watching the flashbacks, I half-expected a shock!reveal! of Alexis seducing a broken-hearted young!Jeff at the end (and spent half of the episode cringing in anticipation for that). The flashbacks could have been building up to that revelation as easily as the Secret!Carrington one (and I was frankly relieved it was the latter).

Flashback affair or no, the present-day Jeff/Alexis relationship could take a sexual bend with very little tweaking. Now that would make twisted, melodramatic soap-opera sense to me in a way that Michael/Cristal don't. 

Anyway, it's just interesting the way different people pick up different possibilities from the watching same episode/show.

Edited April 29, 2018 by ursula

[Joimiaroxeu]

Yeah, about Alexis' throwaway comment on how Monica is practically her daughter. If Blake had an affair with Monica's mother might she be actually be Alexis' former stepdaughter? Or SIL if it was Blake's father who had the affair with Monica's mother? I've been betting that Monica and Fallon are sisters for a while now so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. It's odd though that Alexis would be tip-toeing around letting the cat out of bag now. Not sure what purpose it would serve other than to get everyone upset and distracted for a minute while she pulls something big.

Were those linebacker-eque shoulder pads like Alexis was wearing in the flashbacks a fashion thing 11 years ago? I don't remember that.

I don't see a Michael/Cristal vibe at all. I doubt Cristal would want to take Fallon's sloppy seconds, plus I think Michael is truly in love with Fallon and wouldn't betray her by sleeping with her stepmother. But then again, there's always the tried-and-true soap opera grief sex. Ugh.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Marriage? They'd already been repeatedly depicted as having sex. If it's truly incest, the Squick Meter has already been broken.

Yeah, I'd have trouble believing Blake would sit idly by while his kid unknowingly commits incest.  I have to think Alexis is full of it. 

As for Adam, it may be asking too much, because Stephen appears to be pretty dumb, but let's at least hope that he verifies all this with a DNA test.     

[methodwriter85]

5 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

As for Adam, it may be asking too much, because Stephen appears to be pretty dumb, but let's at least hope that he verifies all this with a DNA test.

Oh, you know he won't. T.V. shows seem to loathe using DNA tests whenever long-lost relatives show up, at least initially.  I did think that "Adam" did look very similar to Liam, which made me go, "Hmm."

I was hopeful this show was going to dump Jeff but it doesn't look like we're going that way. Damn it.

If I were Cristal I would have packed my bags and moved out. I'm still baffled at how exactly we're supposed to take Blake/Cristal in this version- they were truly the OTP in Dynasty OG, but in this version I can't see how this is ending anywhere but divorce.

Kirby is showing up. Can they cast Vanessa Marano? I think she's a dead-ringer for OG Kirby.

Edited April 30, 2018 by methodwriter85

[SanDiegoInExile]

On 4/28/2018 at 8:14 AM, Lady Calypso said:

The Anders/Sam stuff was good. I'm interesting in perhaps seeing Anders' daughter at some point.

I am crushed that they didn't make Kirby Anders a guy.    Sam and Steven need an interloper to make The World's Most Boring Couple rootable.  I guess the CW isn't as cutting edge as I expected.  Especially since Steven has banged the Senator's wife twice -- one of which is bound to be revealed to have led to Blake Carrington's first grandchild.

On 4/28/2018 at 8:14 AM, Lady Calypso said:

As for the supposed Adam appearing at the end, I'm going to bet that he's lying. 

Based on the Valerie's (?) reaction to the envelope of Carrington Cash slid under her door, she no doubt sent an impostor to score more dinero.

I could be all in on this storyline evolving into a constant stream of Fake Adam Carringtons.

[Kaiju Ballet]

On 4/30/2018 at 10:09 PM, SanDiegoInExile said:

I could be all in on this storyline evolving into a constant stream of Fake Adam Carringtons.

Show, please make this happen!

[Lady Calypso]

Well, that was a fairly quick reveal. Also...ew to fake Adam and Alexis. I figured Hank was lying his ass off and that Blake would be convinced somehow. I also kind of figured that Alexis was in on it, but the how was the part that took me by surprise. So, Alexis found a guy with a missing finger and paid him to be fake Adam, while also getting to have sex with him? Yep, she's messed up.

I see that they've turned this more into the Alexis show, with how much screentime she's getting compared to other characters. They're capitalizing on Nicolette Sheridan for all they can. 

So, at least the Jeff (AND Monica!) Colby stuff is that they're cousins to Fallon due to Thomas and their grandmother being romantically involved. That's still icky, but for me, a little less so.

Cristal really needs to leave Blake. Girl got herself into some deep trouble here. Now she's literally trapped in her marriage, but a lot of it is really on her. I do fully expect a reignition of Blake/Alexis at some point next season, if Cristal finds a way out of her marriage. 

I will say, Fallon is a damn good businesswoman...and much better at it than Cristal. If she successfully gets Blake fired from his own company, I'd be happy.

Oh whoa, Matthew is alive? Hot damn. I mean, I had a feeling since you don't hire a semi-well known actor for only one episode, but I didn't expect the reveal when it was.

[JAYJAY1979]

13 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Well, that was a fairly quick reveal. Also...ew to fake Adam and Alexis. I figured Hank was lying his ass off and that Blake would be convinced somehow. I also kind of figured that Alexis was in on it, but the how was the part that took me by surprise. So, Alexis found a guy with a missing finger and paid him to be fake Adam, while also getting to have sex with him? Yep, she's messed up.

I see that they've turned this more into the Alexis show, with how much screentime she's getting compared to other characters. They're capitalizing on Nicolette Sheridan for all they can. 

So, at least the Jeff (AND Monica!) Colby stuff is that they're cousins to Fallon due to Thomas and their grandmother being romantically involved. That's still icky, but for me, a little less so.

Cristal really needs to leave Blake. Girl got herself into some deep trouble here. Now she's literally trapped in her marriage, but a lot of it is really on her. I do fully expect a reignition of Blake/Alexis at some point next season, if Cristal finds a way out of her marriage. 

I will say, Fallon is a damn good businesswoman...and much better at it than Cristal. If she successfully gets Blake fired from his own company, I'd be happy.

Oh whoa, Matthew is alive? Hot damn. I mean, I had a feeling since you don't hire a semi-well known actor for only one episode, but I didn't expect the reveal when it was.

I'm guessing the Matthew being alive came about because of the backlash from viewers.  Since Claudia didn't kill him, then maybe she can eventually be released and come back to the show.

I also wish the show would slow down its pacing a bit.. to let the fall out from plot twists play out so that there is more meaning and substance.  

[ursula]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Oh whoa, Matthew is alive?

I thought he was a hallucination?

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

So, at least the Jeff (AND Monica!) Colby stuff is that they're cousins to Fallon due to Thomas and their grandmother being romantically involved. That's still icky, but for me, a little less so.

Still icky. And it still doesn't explain Blake being aware of this enough to stop Jeff from dating Fallon as a teenager, but being indifferent about them dating as adults. 

Alexis/fakeAdam is seriously disturbing and seriously stretching the limits of plausibility. So they're literally doing the nasty in a cottage that's accessible to everyone they're trying to deceive?

[nilyank]

8 hours ago, ursula said:

Still icky. And it still doesn't explain Blake being aware of this enough to stop Jeff from dating Fallon as a teenager, but being indifferent about them dating as adults. 

 

I not saying that Blake is not capable of going after the Colbys to protect Carrington for himself and his family, but we only have Alexis' word for it that Blake knew the truth. Alexis who is using the memory of kidnapped baby to insert a fake Adam with her current lover all in order so he can get shares of the company. Him along with Jeff, Monica and easily fooled Steven all against Blake and Fallon.

I don't think Matthew is alive. Claudia is cray-cray. She is probably talking to herself.

Well the marriage between Blake and Crystal just turn super creepy.

[Lady Calypso]

13 minutes ago, nilyank said:

I don't think Matthew is alive. Claudia is cray-cray. She is probably talking to herself.

That makes a lot more sense.

[Joimiaroxeu]

So, they addressed the incest issue between Jeff and Colby head on. Stand back, GoT. Dynasty is stepping in your lane.

In the age of almost instant DNA tests why would anyone try to pull a fake "I'm your son/brother" scam? I guess, like on daytime soaps, Alexis will arrange to have test results altered.

Interesting how Adam/Hank stiff-armed Sammy Jo when they first met. Wonder what that was all about?

Poor Culhane. Fired before he even got his first fat paycheck.

Alexis is playing 3D chess. Her hair is pathetic but her Machiavellian scheming game is on point.

Wait what? Matthew is still alive? How is that possible? He got blowed up real good.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Joimiaroxeu

[Big Blue Plate]

On 2018-04-29 at 1:39 AM, stormborn said:

 

Spoiler

 

Sorry for above if there's empty spoiler and quote boxes... I messed up.

I think Matthew being alive, if he really is as suggested upthread, 

Spoiler

is just a sped up revisit of Matthew being alive and wanting his revenge that came later in the original series when he took them all hostage after a wedding.  They seem to be picking their favourite stories and twists from the original at will, rather than in sequencer.  Spoilered this for those who haven't seen the original, of which there seem to be a few.
 

I also think - but pure speculation - Steven and Sammy Joe's wedding is going to be a version of 

Spoiler

Moldavia... a strategic choice aimed at generating entertainment media coverage to goose season two.... even though originally Moldavia got pretty mixed reviews given the volume of bullets to lack of dead people ratio.  Still, it only matters they spell your name right and they want better ratings, so buzz is buzz.  And in fairness they can, in fact, find some people to kill if they try.  

 

The Blake character is so interesting to me because he's such a bizarre character.  In original Blake, John Forsythe was softened over the years (sickeningly, in my view) from the occasionally frightening, ruthless but self-made millionaire who was captivated by his younger second wife (perhaps because he saw in her the qualities he knew were lacking in himself.)  This Blake is going from bland to worse but he inherited it all... he didn't have to sacrifice or risk to build what he's got - or shape or inform his character.  So, really, this Blake is just kind of a sociopathic asshole who seems indifferent to Cristal as anything other than a possession/problem.  Which is pretty hard to redeem.   I don't see design here.  I just see really bad writing that created one of the most unlikeable characters I've seen on a show in a long time - which wouldn't be a problem if the character were entertaining. But he isn't.  He's just kind of a sociopathic asshole.