Dynasty Season 1 Episode 20 Review: A Line From the Past
Lizzy Buczak
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No one is a match for Blake Carrington, but on Dynasty Season 1 Episode 20, everyone surely tries to be.
There are so many arrangements and alliances forming; it's getting hard to keep up with them all.
And it's getting even harder to keep everyone's motives straight.
I'm having the hardest time grasping what Alexis' game plan is. What is she trying to accomplish?
First, she pushed Fallon towards Culhane which is questionable because why is she so eager to have her daughter get back in his good graces?
Then she befriended Jeff Colby to right some wrongs from her past and attempted to repair his relationship with Monica and his family.
If that's where her efforts ended, I'd say she was doing some good.
Is this what happens when you marry a rich guy? Does he just assume that you're gonna be his house-husband? Him away on business trips while I'm stuck with the twins' runny noses and gossipy private school moms until eventually, I get my real estate license just to feel some sort of purpose.
Sammy
But then she turned around and told Blake that she needed him to pay for her security detail because both Jeff and Cecil are a threat, which ensured that Cecil's house arrest would get extended.
And she admitted to being the one who leaked the Clarke County findings so it would look like Cristal's doing! Was her goal to sabotage Fallon and Culhane all along?
Why is she playing for all the teams?
Her motives for Jeff may be altruistic, but telling him that he's a Carrington when he's in such a negative headspace probably wasn't the best idea.
Now that it is out there, though, was that why Blake always detested him but also felt compelled to help him?
Does that mean Blake had an affair with Jeff's mother? Is that why Alexis made a face when Jeff assured her that his mother was in New York? Was she pushed out of their lives much like Alexis got pushed out of her children's lives?
Fallon really dodged a bullet -- the only thing worse than marrying a stranger for business reasons is marrying your half-brother.
Jeff may have just struck gold because being a Carrington gives him a stake in the company; that's likely Blake's worst nightmare.
Moving onto the second bomb that got dropped: Steven found his brother.
Part of me feels like his quest was too easy. He knocked on some doors, paid off some people and voila, Adam was at his door.
Cristal: Blackmail shouldn't be the foundation of a working relationship. We're supposed to be partners. This is supposed to be a marriage.
Blake: Or what's left of one.
Why did it take Alexis so long? Did she even look for him? Why did she need Steven to spearhead the mission? Was it her way of getting him out of town?
And how do we know the guy is Adam? He could be a gold-digger willing to say anything to get some more cash.
Although, the resemblance is uncanny.
Jeff and Adam make two illegitimate children on Blake's doorstep that will undoubtedly be vying for a piece of his vast empire.
Much like the first lady Carrington, Fallon and Cristal formed a woman's movement against Blake with one goal in mind -- not allowing him to win.
Fallon wanted to do right by Culhane after she discovered Blake was responsible for the water contamination that led to his father's illness.
They always say "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." In this case, Blake is the enemy and Cristal becomes the friend.
Unlikely alliances are forming everywhere, but this one is my favorite because Fallon has finally come around to her step-mother and even offers to put herself in the line of fire to save Cristal's marriage.
It was a bit unfair of Cristal to say Fallon only cared about herself when all she's done was prove herself.
I heard on the radio this morning that you killed some people. Is the dog to protect you from angry villagers wielding pitchforks?
Alexis
None of that mattered much because, as we already realized, no one measures up to Blake; he's always one step ahead.
In one fell swoop, he silenced them both. He fired Cristal to put her in her place and then handed the dream COO job to Fallon. Does he want them to remain rivals?
He did all of that HR maneuvering during a press conference, of all places, so they had to play along with his narrative.
I'm going to be the bearer of bad news and say it -- Blake and Cristal's marriage is over. It's canceled.
The only time they were remotely affectionate was when Cristal was trying to seduce him so she could get the combination to his safe.
And now, Blake has taken away the last drop of power. Or at least he thinks so.
Cristal is slick and has aligned herself with someone else who wants to see Blake's demise -- Culhane.
Blake's always wanted to tear your family apart and now he's done exactly that. We can't let him win.
Alexis
Much like Fallon who graciously accepted the position to "remain on the inside," Culhane agreed to work for the Carringtons again so he could take them down internally.
You can't blame him. He sacrificed so much for the company, and everyone took it for granted. Blake never showed any emotion after killing his father. All he cared about was finding a way to cover up what they did so his company would stay afloat.
A look into the Carrington past allowed us to better understand just how much Colby meant to Fallon and vice versa.
It's not surprising that he's so hurt by everything as he's been in her life since the school dance days. Although, he did it to himself by wanting to beat Blake.
It also revealed that there was a point when the Carringtons were one big, slightly happy family.
Sammy's wedding planning storyline fell flat amidst all the other drama. I wish they'd give him something more to do other than worrying about getting a crepe wedding cake as suggested by Oprah. Whatever happened to just enjoying the engagement?
I've always pictured you like a nun. But instead of Jesus, you swore yourself to the Carringtons.
Sammy Jo
A promising development came with Anders' revelation that he was once married and has a daughter named Kirby.
On the original Dynasty, Kirby studied abroad in Paris where she worked as a nanny and had a romantic relationship with her married employer. Upon returning to Denver, she reconnected with Fallon, her childhood friend, and put her nanny-ing services to use watching Fallon and Jeff's kids.
As you see, things will be slightly different considering Fallon and Jeff never got married nor did they have kids, thank god.
Kirby also had eyes for Jeff, who eventually divorced Fallon. Adam also pursued her but in a less charming and more predatory nature.
Basically, if Kirby does return, there are a few ways to loop her into the story.
There were a few mentions of Fallon's faux husband Liam but nothing major. Considering his storyline shaped several episodes, there should be some development soon.
If you watched the original series, the shocking revelations may have been expected, but it's entertaining to see how they weave the characters of the past into a more modern narrative while also delivering popular soap tropes.
Catch up on all the Carrington drama and watch Dynasty online right now!
Let me know what you thought of the episode! Is Adam to be trusted? What's your take on Alexis? Where does Cristal go from here?
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
