Dynasty Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

 

I agree. I think she was very beautiful on Dynasty and Doctor Who, even if the styling sometimes wasn't there. That was also when she was most clearly confident in her abilities and her star power. 

[Lust4Life76]

Question, watching season 5, and intrigued with the Nikki Simpson character. Was she originally slated to be Peter DeVilbis' wife, or were producers hoping Susan Scannell would catch on so she could be a Fallon replacement as it looked like Pamela Sue Martin was not returning. Has Susan Scannell ever spoken about her time on DYNASTY? I'd be curious as to her experience? Thank you! Erik

[j swift]

I just read an excerpt of Helmet Burger's memoir in one of the British tabloids (he played De Vilibis).  He noted being miserable playing the role that he felt was too melodramatic.  He was having addiction issues that plagued him until his death and Joan Collins later wrote in one of her memoirs that she did not like working with him.  So, I wonder if that put the kibosh on the whole storyline including Ms. Scannell's part? 

 

Structurally, Nicole felt more like a temporary barrier to ease the transition for Jeff from Fallon to Kirby.

Edited December 10, 2020 by j swift

[Lust4Life76]

Thanks for the response...confused, wasn't Kirby long gone, and Fallon "dead", so Nikki was more of an "in between", along with Lady Ashley, from Fallon back to Fallon... Though I appreciate Joan Collins and the work she did on DYNASTY, I don't know why she would comment on working with Berger...she barely had any scenes with him except for group scenes, none of which even showed them together. The only ones who seemed to share time with Berger the most was Fallon, Jeff, Blake, Krystal and Claudia. Only actors experiences there was Pamela Sue Martin (Fallon) was shocked when Berger thought they did their bed scenes naked, and Pamela Bellwood (Claudia) was esteemed by Berger as one of the nicer cast members. 

[Bill Bauer]

 

He's not dead.

[All My Shadows]

Helmut Berger was obviously checked out in most of his scenes. A character that should have had that typical Dynasty flare but gave absolutely nothing.

[DRW50]

1989 Dynasty TV Promo - YouTube

[j swift]

So, I just saw this image on Instagram, and while I can't name every character off the top of my head, it begs the question: Was Alexis's true love Dex Dexter?  I would argue that his betrayal of Alexis by sleeping with her daughter Amanda and cousin Sable disqualified him.  But, maybe his independence made him more appealing to her?

 

Furthermore, I would argue that Blake was far more into Alexis than she was into him.  Why else would he have kept the mansion exactly as she decorated it with all of her belongings and her art studio intact?  I believe Alexis flirted with the idea of loving Blake when he had amnesia, but ultimately decided that he never appreciated her intelligence, so she moved on to other lovers.

 

I think we can all agree that creepy Cecil was never in contention.

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[Franko]

Let's see if I can name them all:

1st row, L to R: King Galen of Moldavia, Roger Grimes, Blake Carrington, Congressman Neil McVane

2nd row: Cecil Colby, Jason Colby, Mark Jennings, Dex Dexter

3rd row: Ben Carrington, Sean Rowan, Zach Powers, Rashid Ahmed

4th row: Free space, Gavin Maurier, Andrew Laird, Jeremy Van Dorn

 

To answer your questions:

1. I'm not sure Alexis was really capable of love between two people. I think she was too damaged. Whether it was by nature or nurture is debatable.

2. Oh, certainly, but I don't know if it was so much romantic as it was a need for (early) Blake to control things. Maybe on some level, he thought she'd come back and be under his thumb.

 

"A Love Remembered" (the one where Blake has amnesia) is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. And you're right, Cecil was a stepping stone.

[FrenchBug82]

Yeah. That's where I am at too.
Her true love was herself. She enjoyed the company of men and their attention/adoration and even the games Dex and her played with each other but I doubt it ever resembled anything we would recognize as "love".

 

The one thing that I think was missing for the entire run of the show IMO was a proper look at what really united those two in the past. At no point whatsoever did it seem plausible for me that Blake could have been in love with her - even if she was softer when she was younger - and it struck me that Forsythe chose never to play even a hint of lost affection or regret - probably because he was so committed to K/B that he didn't want to open a door there.
The amnesia story was an attempt to go around that but even then it never quite made sense as it seemed more based on nostalgia than feelings. 
All in all it was a pretty massive question mark considering how much revolved around their defunct marriage.

[j swift]

If you are looking for guilty pleasures I recommend following the Carrington_Colby account on Instagram, they repost classic lines and outfits from the show.

 

I think Blake's pathology is evident in his relationship with Krystal; he wanted to be admired.  Young Alexis probably enjoyed his assent to power, but Young Blake needed her to educate him on the finer things in life.  He didn't know how to staff a mansion or when the champagne was burnt.  She reminded him of everything he had yet to understand, so he tried to erase her from his life the first time she did anything to go against his wishes. That's why his secretary became the love of his life, she already knew how to service his needs (so to speak).  It is also why he was closer to Fallon, who lived for Blake's approval, than Steven, who wanted an identity that was different from Blake. 

 

Alexis versus Krystal really played on the feminist ideals of the time about women not being satisfied with only serving as objects of desire.  Krystal, like her namesake, was a pretty thing to be observed, polished, and put away.  Whereas Alexis, like the origin of her name, was a defender, a fighter, not content to just be looked at in a pretty dress, she wanted to own the dress factory and design it herself.   I don't think that makes her incapable of love, it just makes her less of a romantic heroine than soaps usually exalt.  I would further argue that guys like Dex seduced her with the promise of being partners and then tried to control her which ended the relationship.

 

With regard to how Forsythe chose to play the part, Joan Collins mentioned their animosity on Watch What Happens Live.   Perhaps they were both too limited as actors to be able to play subtext beyond how they felt about each other in real life?

Edited February 8, 2021 by j swift

[Franko]

Feels like a missed opportunity, not exploring the baggage of marrying too young. I want to say Alexis was supposed to be in her late teens when she met Blake. Then again, times were different. (I don't watch the reboot, so I don't know if they attempted to do this with Sheridan 'n' Show.)

 

Sounds like a blast! Thanks for the tip.

 

I'm thinking Adam would skew closer to Fallon (although, really, I think he wanted either of his parents' approval). And now I wish Amanda had hung around, so we'd get a better idea of where she landed. The jury's out whether or not little Krystina having Krystle's genes was better or worse than having Alexis'.

 

Ah, nicely put.

[FrenchBug82]

I love Joan Collins and all but her version of her relationships with her co-stars always seem to vary with time and goes back and forth depending om whom she is talking to. And she likes to say everyone she has ever worked with hated her.
Not to say JF may not have disliked her, who knows, but considering how he reacted every time writers tried to shake up Krystle and Blake, I really feel he was very invested in making sure that relationships was never challenged. So part of me continues to think it was mostly an acting choice.
But I do love your psychological explanation of Blake - which ironically buttresses up his choice to play him without any lingering affection for Alexis because she reminded him of his initial inadequacies.

 

I don't agree with this because I think this gives too much credit to what Alexis represented - that you describe beautifully - and not enough to her real character flaws. She was a narcissist and that means I don't think she ever fell in love in a traditional romantic sense.
But the idea of her looking for a partner is ironically closer to what I had in mind - almost as if she was looking for a deal. A deal that might be rooted in affection and enjoyment of each other, sure, but not the kind you find in through-thick-and-thin passion traditional soap opera love. More a community of interests. 
I don't think she was madly in love; she saw him as a worthy partner and pleasurable companion which is more based on her assessment of her own needs and wants - as fitting for a narcissist for whom success is more important than emotional relationships (see: her children)

So I agree with your assessment of why it didn't work with Dex: because the deal she had in mind didn't fit his behavior after they got together.

Edited February 8, 2021 by FrenchBug82

[titan1978]

When I watched the show again about a decade ago I felt differently about Blake than I had when I was a kid watching.  I think there is ample evidence that Blake could be as ruthless as Alexis, and they probably had much more in common when they were married.

 

I got the feeling that the children and Blake tiring of a home life as competitive as his business life did more to change the dynamic of what he wanted from a marriage.  It even plays into how often he was shady and would repent because he needed to be a better man for Krystal.  Alexis wanted to be an equal in all aspects of his life, and Krystal often deferred to him.

[Khan]

I think we're reading much too much into these paper-thin characters with their equally paper-thin motivations for doing anything.  Blake dumped Alexis, because Alexis was carrying on with Roger Grimes; and Alexis was carrying on with Roger Grimes, because his penis was hot and ready.  The end.