Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro, Dynasty revolved around the Carrington’s, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado. When the series premiered on January 12, 1981 on ABC, Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) was preparing to marry the younger Krystle Jennings (Linda Evans). Krystle was beautiful, but lacked the cultured upbringing that many in the Carrington household thought any wife of Blake should possess. The couple met when she took a job as a secretary at his large company, Denver-Carrington. Blake’s daughter Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin) resented her and the household staff was openly patronizing. The only support she received was from Blake’s homosexual son Steven (Al Corley), who felt adrift in the family despite his position as heir to his father’s position.
While Dynasty ended its first season a respectable #19, in the Neilsen ratings, it was no indication of the phenomenon the show would later become. In what turned out to be one of the best casting coups in modern television history, British actress Joan Collins joined the series as Blake Carrington’s first wife, Alexis. Collins’ white-hot portrayal of Alexis blazed a trail across the nighttime soap opera landscape that hadn’t been seen before. Alexis had unbridled sex appeal, possessed an understanding of the wealthy lifestyle that Krystle didn’t and first and she was the mother of Blake’s children. The legendary rivalry between Krystle and Alexis was born.
Aside from the arrival of Joan Collins, when discussing the Dynasty phenomenon it’s important not to forget the addition of writers Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock, the team that brought daytime soap opera The Doctors its highest ratings in the 1970’s, are widely credited with turning Dynasty from an also-ran to a phenomenon. According to The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, the Pollocks “soft-pedaled the business angle” of the show and “bombarded viewers with every soap opera staple in the book, presented at such a fast clip that a new tragedy seemed to befall the Carrington family every five minutes.”
Certainly the Pollocks took everything they knew about writing for soap operas and transferred it to a nighttime forum. Given the late time slot, the writers were free to add more bed hoping fighting and over the top dramatics to the pot and stir it all up. By Dynasty’s third season in 1983-1984 the series was #3 in the ratings and by the next season the series would hit #1 in the Neilsen ratings.
Paramount recently released a three DVD set, Dynasty – The Third Season, Volume One which contains the first twelve episodes of the season. Now, Dynasty wasn’t really about the acting or the heart tugging storylines; it was about the power, greed, scheming and the fast paced drama. On that score, Dynasty – The Third Season, Volume One delivers in spades. Kidnapping, deathbed marriages, poisoned paint, infidelity and Heather Locklear as Sammy Jo!
Here’s a rundown of the twelve episodes included on this three disc set.
1.) “The Plea.” Krystle finds Blake in the mountains and gets him to the hospital. Nick Toscanni disappears. Cecil is also brought to the hospital, and he’s very weak. A police investigation is started to find the baby. The suspects are: Farouk Ahmed, Nick Toscanni, nurse Susan, and an old cemetery worker called Alfred Grimes. Alexis wants to marry Cecil at the hospital when he’s better. Blake recovers and to help with finding the baby he goes on TV with the whole family, and says he’s give a reward to the one who can find little Blake. Alexis also stand forward and tells about their son, Adam, who was kidnapped when he was a baby. In Montana, Michael Torrance suddenly is told by his dying grandmother, that he really is Adam Alexander Carrington.
2.) “The Roof.” Michael goes to Denver in search of who he really is. Alexis and Cecil plan a wedding in the hospital. Claudia disappears and Blake believes she may have kidnapped the baby. Claudia throws a baby off the roof, but it turns out to be a doll.
3.) “The Wedding.” The baby is recovered from the real kidnapper, Roger Grimes. Claudia is sent to a sanitarium. Cecil and Alexis get married in the hospital, but Cecil dies a few minutes after the “ceremony”. Blake gives Fallon his hotel to run.
4.) “The Will.” Cecil leaves his estate and ColbyCo to Jeff and Alexis. He also reveals his “Rhinewood-game” in his will. Blake suspects Alexis of being a part of it. Adam finds Alexis and shows her the silver rattle he had when he was kidnapped. Alexis believes him.
5.) “The Siblings.” Blake starts believing Adam is his real son. Fallon and Adam keep flirting with each other, not knowing they are siblings.
6.) “Mark.” Alexis tells Mark that he’s still married to Krystle. Joseph wants to quit his job at the mansion and go to his daughter, Kirby Alicia Aynders, in France, but Blake talks him into staying. Jeff quits his job at ColbyCo and starts working for Alexis, and Adam doesn’t like it.
7.) “Kirby” Kirby comes to stay with the Carrington’s after breaking up with her fiancé in France. Joseph tries to persuade her to go back. Jeff and Adam have problems working together. Adam gets the hold of a toxic chemical mixture.
8.) “La Mirage.” Fallon gets a letter from Steven informing her that he’s on an oil rig in the Java Sea, Indonesia. Adam mixes the toxic compound in the paint for Jeff’s new office. Fallon throws a grand opening party for her hotel she now calls “La Mirage.”
9.) “Acapulco” Jeff starts feeling the effects of the paint in his office. Joseph tells Kirby to stay away from Jeff. Krystle goes to Acapulco to find out what really happened when she and Mark were supposedly divorced. Blake comes after her to be supportive. Blake and Krystle are eventually able to legalize their marriage. The oil rig Steven works on explodes.
10.) “The Locket” Everyone fears Steven is dead, but Blake goes to search for him. Jeff continues to get sicker from the paint in his office. Sammy Jo’s father comes to Krystle to collect his daughter’s share of Steven’s inheritance, but Krystle throws him out. Joseph comes to Jeff’s office and tells him to stay away from Kirby; Jeff, infected by the toxic paint, attacks Joseph.
11.) “The Search” Alexis and Blake continue the search for Steven. Unfortunately, things continue to suggest Steven is dead. Jeff gets progressively sicker from the paint in his office. Adam rapes Kirby.
12.) “Samantha” Back in Denver, Blake continues his frantic search for Steven with the help of psychic Jason Dehner. Krystle is worried about his erratic behavior. Blake refuses to attend the memorial service Alexis has arranged for their son. Alexis seduces Mark. Sammy Jo, now preferring to be called Samantha, appears at the Carrington household with a baby. She claims the child is Steven’s son.
The twelve episodes on this set are presented in 1.33:1. The audio is in Dolby digital, English mono and Spanish mono. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish and the approximate runtime is 9hrs, 30 mins.
Dynasty – The Third Season, Volume One offers no special features.
