Dynasty Discussion Thread

[j swift]

in a dramatic turn of events, youmiserablebitch blog ranked Season 9 as their favorite.

https://youmiserablebitch.com/blog

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Edited November 26, 2023 by j swift

[soapfan770]

There was well written opinion piece about Dynasty’s Season 9 under David Paulsen several years back I may need to dig it up if I can.

Obviously having Sable and Monica on the show was definitely a shot in the arm for the show as Beacham stole the show as was the Roger Grimes mystery as it directly involved all the characters.

There were some downsides; for me Adam became a complete caricature if he wasn’t already. Sammy Jo became very isolated and her final story with Tanner was cute but felt like an afterthought. 

Finally, I found it a bit much that as the glitzy 80’s era were over Dallas, FC, and KL chose to have low-key cliffhangers to end the 88-89 season, Dynasty went out in a full blaze of glory with all the over the top Cliffhangers in the series finale.

 

[Khan]

An online blogger named Jackson Upperco (http://www.jacksonupperco.com) put it best:

Talk about a wretched storyline! Where does the show go from here? Either she’s crazy or the show is now supernatural — and true to form, Dynasty refuses to commit to either. 

I, myself, would have explained it away as a brain tumor.

 

[j swift]

Or, heat exposure - she was in the desert

Meanwhile, I had forgotten the loose end in S9's finale of the woman in the luxury car who controlled Fallon's boyfriend/cop's partner.

The speculation that it was Dominique doesn't make much sense, unless her plan went awry

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(credit youmiserablebitch blog)

Overall, I think there was too much emphasis on the McGuffin of "The Collection" (aka the least creative name for an assemblage of  N^*! Art) .  For example, I still don't know what a South China Sea Oil Lease is, but it made no difference in the story.

Edited November 26, 2023 by j swift

[Khan]

Once Steven left Denver, Sammy Jo no longer had any real purpose on this show other than she was the mother of one of Blake's grandchildren.

Maybe it was Abby Ewing?  ("Donna Mills is back - and DYNASTY's got her!")

[kalbir]

1988/89 the CBS primetime soaps were in budget mode. I don't know if 1988/89 Dynasty went into budget mode to the same degree as the CBS primetime soaps. I'm sure Linda Evans departure halfway through the season and Joan Collins episodes being cut freed up a good amount of cash.

Edited November 26, 2023 by kalbir

[j swift]

I wonder if Nolan Miller did all the costumes in Season 9, because Alexis is wearing a lot of Chanel (and I don't think Mr. Miller did knock offs).

[soapfan770]

Frankly it was a major misstep on the part of Paulsen for allowing Dynasty to end the way it did. First, Paulsen should have been very familiar of how a similar Nazi treasure story flopped at FC during his Lorimar days. Second I know there were Season 10 plans with JC not being included and wanting to bring back Dominique, but Dynasty was flailing in the wind in the ratings; no one got a hint to at least a season finale that settled everything but also left open ended? 

[kalbir]

1988/89 ABC moved Dynasty to Thursday 9 pm, head-to-head w/ Cheers. That time slot had been a dead zone for ABC since Fall 1982. Forget tank job, that was straight up sabotage by Brandon Stoddard.

[soapfan770]

I remember Brandon Stoddard (under a an anagram pseudonym of course) was made a nasty antagonist executive in that Making of A Guilty pleasure TV movie in 2005

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 FWIW, when Dex and Alexis fall off the balcony you can see the stage team’s hands ready to catch them below

[Khan]

By the 1988-89 season, ABC had begun to carve out a new reputation for itself as a serious challenger to NBC and its' upscale, quality programming.  The network wanted to be known as something other than "Aaron's Broadcasting Company."  DYNASTY was seen as a tired, useless relic of that period.  Unless the show had miraculously clawed its way back into the Top 10, it was a goner.

I agree.  Like you said, @soapfan770, DYNASTY was flailing in the ratings.  "Cheers" was their main competitor, and it was handing them their ass every week.  No way was ABC going to renew DYNASTY for another season.

David Paulsen's efforts to turn DYNASTY around and bring it into the post-Reagan era were commendable, but he and the rest of the team should have crafted a series finale that would have tied up all loose ends.

[Chris 2]

Paulsen did a decent job and the final season was much better than the final seasons of Dallas and Falcon Crest. And it was better than the seasons that immediately preceded it. But it was still a tired show. Its two leading ladies had a reduced presence. The younger female lead was still miscast (yeah, she had improved but still wasn’t right for the role). And the main family had shrunk. I agree that Paulsen should have created a real series finale.

[Khan]

I agree.

Watching it again on Pluto TV, I think there is much about the final season that I like.  The storytelling is more focused, with everything built toward one main goal.  Characters have real, understandable motivations.  The dialogue isn't as cringey and actors are being directed to ACT rather than just pose and make OTT pronouncements.  And while it's obvious that the budget has been reduced - as one poster said in the Primetime Soaps thread, Joan Collins seems to be wearing a lot of Chanel (or Chanel-like) outfits this season - there's still enough glamour there, I think, in the wardrobe and sets to satisfy those who watched mostly for that stuff.  I, myself, would have gone further with the revamp, making scenes shorter and switching out the old, orchestrations for synthesized music.  Overall, though, I would agree that David Paulsen did a decent job.

However, at the same time, you're right, @Chris 2, in that it was a tired show, and not just because Linda Evans was gone and Joan Collins was reduced to nominal special guest star.  (Frankly, as iconic as JC and Alexis were, both on the show and in the '80's, I think Alexis wore out her welcome long before the last season).  IMO, DYNASTY was tired, because its' excessiveness had taken so much out of the show and its' characters.  For all the things that David Paulsen did right with the last season, it still felt like coming down after snorting a yacht full of cocaine.  Paulsen probably needed to take a page from Bill Bell's Y&R playbook, phase out the Carringtons and Colbys and rebuild the show around a new family or two, but obviously, that wasn't feasible.

[kalbir]

That excessiveness was because Aaron Spelling's entire goal was to be bigger and better than Dallas and that goal was reached at the expense of storytelling logic and acting ability.

[Khan]

ICAM, @kalbir.  For awhile, however, he succeeded.  Even DALLAS flirted with becoming more like DYNASTY during the "dream season."