dynasty episode 174 - ShadowPlay

Finally, we have come to the season finale and what a weird this season this has been.  Long, but weird.  The first part of the season had Alexis continuing to hammer away at Blake until he was finally able to get everything back from Alexis and Ben.  Yes, he could have done it a lot sooner had he not been so soft on Emily.  But, oh well.  After Blake got everything back and all that fun occurred in Singapore, the show dramatically shifted gears into to some family saga that pretty much ignored most of what has happened on this show for the past six and a half years.  Heck, it was a re-boot of the show, and, to be honest, it did not work well.

Anyway, Krystle continues to be haunted by that disappearing workman and strange Inca music that seems to follow her wherever she goes.  Krystle believes someone is following her and swears she sees a shadow on the grounds.  Blake thinks Krystle is just a little edgy.  Heck, Blake is not even phased when security shows him a letter they found which is nothing more than a piece of paper with a symbol shaped like a W with some dots.  Ever astute, Blake tells the guard that if you turn it over it could be the letter M.  At first, Blake's observation seems stupid - but it makes sense later on.  Of course, the fact that someone would leave such a letter makes no sense at all.

One of the major issues this season is how large the cast is, so it is time to get a rid of some dead wood.  First up, Clay.  Clay and Buck barge over to Ben's office as Clay wants a blood test to determine his paternity, once and for all.  Clay gets the results very fast and informs Leslie that either Buck or Clay could be his father.  I guess this is before DNA was really done.  Regardless, Clay needs to leave Denver and will probably go off to Canada and ruin another television show.  Dex at least offers Leslie Clay's old job.

Next up, Ben.  Since Clay decided to leave Leslie, Ben figured he would do the same.  Ben was never meant to be a father and all he seems to do is to hurt his daughter.  Besides, Ben's character really has become pointless.  Maybe he should join Clay in Canada and try to form a father-son relationship.  Oh, just in case anyone was wondering, Emily told Buck right before she died that Clay is his son.  So, this whole thing was a ruse by Buck to prevent a Carrington and a Fallmont from ever having sex.  Pretty dramatic, you would think.  Also, why are we to believe Emily.

Finally, poor Dominique is leaving.  She really was an under utilized character on this show.  So much promise, but she just did not appear often.  Nick proposes to Dominique again at Adam and Dana's wedding and she agrees.  Even better, she tells Nick that they should just skip the rest of the reception and fly off to New York and get married right away.  Sounds crazy, but it actually was a shrewd move by Dominique.  Ciao, for now!

I guess it is only fair to comment that Steven is promising to leave also.  After he gives Danny a Denver Bronco's football helmet (doesn't Blake still own some football team in Denver), he lies and tells Danny that he is moving to another town for work.  Sammy Jo does not understand any of this, and neither do I.  When Steven tells his father that he is planning to leave Denver, Blake does not want his son to go because he might get AIDS in the real world.  It is a very surreal scene (two seasons after the Rock Hudson scare) with Steven claiming he is aware of the risk of AIDS and is willing to be celibate if possible.  Um, isn't Steven pretty much celibate.  

Much of the episode is focused on Dana and Adam's wedding in the mansion which is elaborate, beautiful and kills a lot of time.  Before the wedding, Alexis and Blake formally adopt Michael Torrence and rename him Adam Alexander Carrington.  You can do that?!?  And you can do that without Adam's consent.  Who cares?  They never should have had this story line from the beginning.  At least the Professor from Gilligan's Island makes another appearance as Blake's attorney.

During the reception, Gavin tries to make Dex jealous by kissing Alexis.  Alexis does not stand for that and Dex takes care of Gavin by forcing him to leave after punching him in the jaw.  Alexis does not seem to notice that Gavin left until she is about to leave and Dex tells her what he did.  Alexis, once again, swears she does not need any man and to prove it, she gets upset and steals an ugly car.  Well, I guess she did need a man, for a car. Alexis is so upset by all of this that she does not notice that the bridge she is driving over is closed (the fact there are no signs to that effect does not help) and she drives right off the bridge into a river.  Well, I guess that poor guy working the wedding won't be getting his car back any time soon.

Finally, we learn what all this Inca music is about.  After the reception, Blake and Krystle are interrupted by some Latino gunman who gather the family into the library.  The gunman should have learned just a little English in order to make it easier to boss the family around.  See, if Mrs. Gunnerson, Jannette, and Gerard were not invited, they would not have been held hostage too.  Good thing Fallon did not go to the wedding although she is getting abducted by space aliens, so which is worse?  Who would want to hold the Carrington family hostage?  Why it is Matthew who has come back from the dead (and with a posse) to claim what is his - Krystle.  I don't think it works that way, Matthew.  Now we see why Dominique was smart to leave the reception early.

Memorable Dialogue

Alexis [to Gavin]:  Oh God, what is it with you men?  Is it something that feeds your little ego that you think that a woman isn't complete unless she's either with one of you or pining for one of you.

Dex:  Look in the mirror, Alexis.  Know what you'll see?  A lonely lady, a very lonely lady with nothing and no one in your life.
Alexis:  Damn you, Dex.  Damn you!

Matthew:  I've come back for what belongs to me.  What you stole from me.  I've come back for you, Krystle.

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