14 hours ago, kalbir said:

Aaron Spelling went all out to the biggest and best, mainly by cashing in on Diana-mania.

I agree.

16 hours ago, Khan said:

When you compare S9 to the five or six seasons that came before, I would agree. There's a sense of purpose in the storytelling that those previous years woefully lacked. On the other hand, as good as S9 was overall, I still feel it falls short, due to budget cuts and the toll that years of bad or non-existent storytelling have taken on the characters.

But I definitely agree with you about Matthew and Lindsay Blaisdel. Once again, as I've said in the past, it really comes down to the casting of those two roles. If they had hired better actors, I feel like that component would've lasted much longer on the show and maintained the "rich vs. poor" element (with Krystle caught in the middle) that DYNASTY was built upon.

I think it's during the commentary on the Season 1 DVD (that I bought in...Lord knows when - 2005?!) where either the Shapiros or the Pollocks said that the first season hadn't done as well as the network had wanted. So they did focus groups and the biggest thing they discovered was that no one cared about the middle-class family. They wanted to "see what was going on behind the doors of that mansion!" So they changed the show and, people will always debate its quality, but between that change and the addition of Joan Collins, the show became a hit.

Y’all really triggered me with these talks about the show… and since I’m off work today, I somehow ended up binging season 3 from the very beginning. Totally unplanned... I just wanted to remind myself what the first episode was about. Next thing I know, I’m opening a second box of chocolate biscuits, it's snowing outside, and in the breaks between episodes I'm strutting to the kitchen like a drag queen, turning my head dramatically as if I were Alexis storming into Krystle’s kitchen uninvited!

First impression - it’s A LOT better than I remembered. Either I’ve matured with age or completely degraded mentally... probably the latter... 😁 but now I find unintentional comedy in every single scene. One thing that makes it different... back then... I was watching bad TV-VHS rips... Now watching in 4K. WOW. The entire show is Gooooorgeous. Alexis’s apartment after Cecil’s death is pure fantasy. Made me wish I was married to a billionaire for 15 minutes before getting half his fortune. If my husband reads this - I'm just joking! And that scene where she talked to him through the hole while he’s on his deathbed... CHILE... I nearly choked on a biscuit from laughter. The great quality enhances the experience, but it also exposes everything, like Alexis's grey around the mouth - bad makeup. YIKES. This is not a dig. She is flawless 95 percent of the time, but those other 5 percent... High‑definition was not planned in the early 1980s.

Storyline-wise, I’m somewhere around episode 6 or 7... and wow, these crazy people and storylines were scandalous for their time. A brother and sister kissing romantically without knowing they are related? Yikes. Adam is still a mess, but I don’t despise him like I used to. Back then I thought he was written in too fast, too harsh. Now it’s hilarious how Alexis instantly accepts him as her son. He waves around a dusty rattle and she’s like, “Yes, my child has returned!” No tears, no doubts. And of course, no DNA tests... turns out those weren’t even around yet.

I had forgotten almost everything except the core of it and whether I liked it or not. Krystle’s ex, CHILE... this daddy is stealing every scene with the mustache and... they keep showing him in shirtless flashbacks. The 80s gays were having a lot of fun watching this show!

So here I am, shocked at how different season 3 feels compared to when I watched it as a teenager. I used to dislike it after season 2. Now? I kinda VIBE with it. It’s chaotic, manic energy... if you’re not in the mood, it’s unbearable, but if you lean into the camp, it’s fun. Maybe I’ll binge the whole season today. One last note - Krystle. My teenage self adored her, but now? Bland, boring, insufferable. Somewhere in the past 10–15 years, my liking for her has disappeared. LORD.