DYNASTY: THE REUNION (Spelling, 1991) Via Vision Entertainment

Nearly 3 years after Aaron Spelling’s zeitgeist, Dynasty (1981-89) went off the air, leaving more unresolved than any prime time soap opera should, network executives at ABC sought to resurrect one of their most prolific dramas of the 1980’s with a 2-part/4-hour ‘reunion’. (Aside: with commercials removed, the miniseries actually plays as two 1½ hour episodes.) The logic behind this endeavor was sound. Indeed, the network secretly hoped to relaunch the franchise – or, at the very least, create interest in perennially revived Dynasty movie-of-week ‘events.’  In its prime, Dynasty had been a ratings bonanza for its creators, Richard and Esther Shapiro, and one of the most prominent ‘feathers’ in Aaron Spelling’s creative cap. This included, among his lucrative offerings up until then, Charlie’s Angels (1976-81), The Love Boat (1977-87), Fantasy Island (1978-84), Hart to Hart (1979-84), T.J. Hooker (1982-87), and, Matt Houston (1982-85). But Dynasty proved to be more than just another hit show. Indeed, it both influenced and fed off the eighties’ ‘me’ generation, indulging in a fantasy lifestyle to push even the uber-wealthy in America to the brink of absurd excess. Moreover, the series that made Joan Collins’ Alexis a household name, and, created a media frenzy during Season 5’s notorious ‘Moldavian Massacre’ cliffhanger seemed, at least in the Fall of 1986, poised for even greater prominence.

Regrettably, while Dynasty hung on for another 3 years, it never again recaptured this excitement as the #1 show on television; its crown of glory usurped by NBC’s runaway smash sit-com: The Cosby Show (1984-92). The Shapiros, having nurtured Dynasty past its infancy, through its growing pains, sustaining its various narrative threads through endless cast changes and story lines, increasingly to tip the scales of sanity and good taste (Fallon being sucked up by an alien space craft at the end of Season 2 of its spin-off, The Colbys, fairly making even most die-hard fans cringe), what remained of Dynasty thereafter was a lot of confusion and regret, as ABC elected to severely prune the high-priced cast to spare a little coin. At the start of Dynasty’s last season, Krystle Carrington (Linda Evans) was put into a coma and whisked away to a clinic in Switzerland from whence her character did not return. Still, it was Dynasty’s Season 9 cliffhanger that truly angered fans and, in hindsight, had a lot of explaining to do; Alexis, along with her ex-husband, Dex Dexter (Michael Nader) plunging over the side of a second story balcony, presumably to their deaths, while Fallon (played by Emma Samms after Pamela Sue Martin departed in Season 3) was caught in an underground cave, littered in priceless artifacts – the spoils of Nazi treasure, smuggled into the U.S. by Blake’s father – as a horrific earthquake threatened to bury Fallon, along with Blake and Krystle’s child, Krystina, alive.

At the time of its cancellation, Spelling, along with the Shapiros, begged ABC to allow them a 2-part finale that would aspire to tie up all of these loose ends. The network refused. But in the early winter of 1991, ABC announced it would indeed be opening the door to future possibilities for the Carringtons and the Colbys. Perhaps their renewed interest had been stirred by the then recent success of the Eight is Enough reunion movie (1987). Like Dynasty, Eight is Enough had been a hit series for ABC, cut down in its prime with no explanation provided. Unlike Dynasty, Eight is Enough had still been among the network’s highest rated shows in the Nielsen’s when the plug was pulled.  That Dynasty: The Reunion – co-scripted by longtime Dynasty alumni, Edward De Blasio, Eileen and Robert Pollock, and, Esther and Richard Shapiro, miserably failed to win its time slot, but also misguidedly chose never to acknowledge Season 9’s cliffhanger – instead, fast-tracking the finale, 3-full-years into the future, proved a narrative miscalculation from which fans have, arguably, never quite forgiven, Spelling, ABC or the Shapiros. Dynasty: The Reunion is such a messy and haphazard affair that, in tandem, it bewilders as much as it desecrates the memory of the original franchise. The real problem with Dynasty: The Reunion is that it remains only a partial reunion. While principles, John Forsythe, Linda Evans, Joan Collins, Emma Samms, John James, and, Heather Locklear returned to reprise the roles they had made famous, other cast members, as integral to the series, were not even referenced. The luminous Diahann Carroll, who had entered Dynasty in Season 3 with an electrifying presence as Blake’s half-sister Dominique Deveraux was never even brought in for consideration. Stephanie Beacham and Tracy Scoggins - as Sable and Monika Colby respectively, who had made the successful transition from the cancelled ‘Colbys’ spinoff to Dynasty proper for Season’s 8 and 9, and, had witnessed Alexis and Dex plummet – seemingly to their deaths in the aforementioned Season 9 finale, were nowhere to be found in ‘the reunion’. Instead, Maxwell Caufield, as Sable’s son, Miles, a formidably jealous lover on The Colbys, who never did return to Dynasty after The Colbys’ cancellation, miraculously re-materialized in ‘the reunion’; again, in hot and bothered romantic pursuit of Fallon as John James’ long-suffering Jeff Colby looked on with mild annoyance.  

Al Corley, who departed Dynasty in Season 2 after an explosion on an oil rig in the South China Seas forever altered his physical appearance via plastic surgery (the character, returning as the hunkier, Jack Coleman) inexplicably replaced Coleman in the reunion. As both Michael Nader – as Dex Dexter, and, Gordon Thomson – who played the devious Adam Carrington – found work on daytime soaps after Dynasty’s cancellation, neither was available to reprise their roles herein. Ultimately, Nader’s Dex was never even mentioned (one can only assume Dex died after he and Alexis tumbled from the balcony – he, breaking her fall), the producers made the utterly disastrous decision to recast Adam with Robin Sachs, who bore no earthly resemblance, either physically or via performance to Thomson’s iconic baddie.  The reunion also chose to introduce several ‘new’ characters into the mix – their purpose diluted to utterly pointless drivel: Michael Brandon as Arlen Marshall, the philandering owner of a fashion company, and, Jeroen Krabbé as Jeremy Van Dorn, the obsequious puppet master of an unlikely ‘Consortium’, hellbent on controlling American business interests from the inside out. Finally, Kathleen Beller, having played Kirby Anders in Season 2, the daughter of the Carrington’s majordomo, Joseph, later to be raped by Adam and then, unceremoniously ejected from the household by Alexis’ well-timed blackmail about her prostitute/mother in Season 5, resurfaced in ‘the reunion’ as a glorified accountant, working in Switzerland for the Consortium, but coming to Adam’s aid to rescue Jeff, who had already been taken hostage in the Consortium’s Swiss stronghold.  

As all of the opulent sets expressly built for Dynasty were on sound stages at 2oth Century-Fox, convincingly to pass for the interiors of the real Fioli Mansion (located in California, not Denver… and used only for exteriors) but long-since dismantled and/or destroyed, to maintain a more streamlined budget, the producers of Dynasty: The Reunion chose to shoot both exteriors and interiors at the real Fioli. Alas, the interiors of the real house bore not even a passing resemblance to their fictional facsimile. Thus, the whole notion of Blake and Krystle’s homecoming, having lost everything at the end of Season 8, became moot, as audiences, along with Blake and Krystle, had never before seen these unfamiliar surroundings. Also, for budgetary reasons, no attempt was made to recapture the former opulence of the series that, in its prime, boasted a $1 million per episode allocation.  When Dynasty was cancelled, John Forsythe wasted no time airing his public displeasure with the way the much-beloved series had been sacked, calling it ‘a disgrace!’ And while Spelling concurred that Dynasty fans deserved a ‘real finish’ for their 9 years of investment in the comings and goings of the Carrington/Colby clan – the resultant ‘reunion’ proved even less fulfilling than Season 9’s unresolved cliffhanger. Begrudgingly, Forsythe returned to the fold, encouraging Linda Evans and Joan Collins to follow suit. But when negotiations with Gordon Thomson stalled, due to his contractual obligations on the daytime soap, Santa Barbara (1984-93), Thomson sued Spelling for breach of contract.

Dynasty: The Reunion opens on a dour note. Jeff attends Blake, who has been in prison for 3 years. When last we glimpsed the former, disgraced oil tycoon in Season 9 he was lying in a pool of blood on the floor of his beloved mansion, having been shot by a corrupt cop. A few brief lines of dialogue between Jeff and Blake attend to what followed in a distressingly matter-of-fact and connect-the-dots ennui that, alas, comes to symbolize the reunion’s tempo and story pacing thereafter. It seems the Governor is on the verge of offering Blake a reprieve for having fatally shot the police captain who wounded him. But Blake is gravely concerned the autonomy of American business is on the threshold of ruin from an international Consortium, since threatening to permanently silence him for speaking out against their devious political interests. Having freed Blake from the big house, Jeff – doubtful of Blake’s claim, and, Blake are nearly run off the road by a man passing himself off as a reporter. While Blake elects to depart for Washington to stay with Steven and his gay lover, political activist, Bart Fallmont (Cameron Watson), Blake’s child, Krystina is living with Fallon at a beach house in California with Miles Colby, who is her frequent guest. Blake implores Jeff to fly to Switzerland to check in on Krystle, who, according to her physician, Dr. Jobinet (Tony Jay) remains in an unresponsive coma. The truth is far more disturbing. Jobinet is part of the infamous Consortium and has been programming Krystle with mind-control in a diabolical plot to trigger her to murder Blake after they are reunited and make love.  Suspecting foul play, Nurse Lin (Emily Kuroda) smuggles Krystle from the clinic under the cover of night. Alas, Krystle’s return to Denver proves devastating. She arrives at her former home to discover its prized possessions being auctioned off; her accidental run-in with Alexis, leading to more crass confusion than clarity.

Gradually finding her way to California, Krystal is reunited with Blake. Having accepted his son’s gay lifestyle, Blake and Steven form a solid bond. Steven, an environmental lobbyist, with connections in Washington, petitions the Attorney General to reopen the case that cost Blake his company. In the interim, Fallon, having split from Jeff, and also her lover in Season 9, John Zorelli, is now entertaining a reconciliation with Miles while raising her two children as well as looking after Krystina. Meanwhile, Krystle's niece, Sammy Jo, having squandered her fortune, has again turned to ‘modeling’ to pay the rent; taking up with sleazy Arlen Marshall, who owns a premiere designer’s house, Fashion Fury. On the catwalk for Fashion Fury, Sammy Jo soon encounters the company’s newest investor – none other than Alexis, who, venomous and vengeful, is determined as ever to wreck her chances.  Alexis appoints Arlen’s wife, Carol (Wendie Malick) as the new CEO of Fashion Fury and orders Carol to fire Sammy Jo. But Sammy Jo’s contract is exclusive. Only Arlen can fire her. Refusing to do so, because he is having an affair with her, Alexis instead presses Carol to let her husband go from the company. His line of credit suspended and his livelihood on the rocks, Arlen chooses creature comforts over Sammy Jo – who is sent packing promptly.

Meanwhile, Blake has unearthed the downfall of Denver-Carrington was orchestrated by the Consortium. As Blake and Krystle rekindle their love, she is stirred to react to Dr. Jobinet’s programming, reaching for a gun hidden in one of the nightstands. At the last possible moment, Krystle’s love for Blake proves stronger than her brainwashing. She succumbs to a complete breakdown, but is thereafter quickly restored to health. Adam is reunited with Kirby. And although he raped her in Season 4, she somehow is able to look beyond this terrible act now – engage Adam for dinner and conversation, and finally, to align herself with his plan to break Jeff free from the Consortium’s Swiss stronghold. Disguised inside a barrel of wine, Miles attempt to be carried down to the cellar where Jeff, having earlier witnessed the death of Nurse Lin and since been chloroformed and repeatedly tortured, continues to be held prisoner, is botched as the Consortium’s Mrs. Litton (Alphonsia Emmanuel) realizes the barrel is too heavy to contain actual wine. Ambushed in their breakout, Kirby, Adam, Miles and Jeff do battle with the Consortium’s goon squad and eventually manage a daring escape.

In Washington, Blake is afforded a hearing against the Consortium, attended by Mrs. Litton and Mr. Woo (Keone Young). Jeremy Van Dorn is conspicuously absent from the hearing. However, when the Attorney General believes there is not enough evidence to support Blake’s case, Adam steps forward to confess he was used as a mole on the Consortium’s behalf to infiltrate and destroy Denver-Carrington from the inside out. Faced with this irrefutable truth, the Attorney General sides with Blake. Denver-Carrington is restored to him, and he and Krystle return to their home to begin anew. Kirby and Adam reconcile.  In a vain and thoroughly unnecessary stab to recapture the one-time magic of all those magnificent catfights Krystle and Alexis had on Dynasty, Krystle flies to New York and confronts Alexis, who is overseeing new sketches for Fashion Fury’s fall line-up. Instead, the two engage in a knock down/drag out fight that ends only after Krystle has effectively demolished Alexis’ workroom, leaving her old arch nemesis lying half-unconscious on the floor. Elated at their good fortune, the Carringtons assemble at the mansion for dinner. Alexis arrives on Jeremy Van Dorn’s arm, having previously been promised by Van Dorn that Blake will be made to bend to her demands once more. Instead, it becomes clear to Alexis Van Dorn has never met Blake before, but has also played her for the fool in exchange to get a toehold on her company, ColbyCo. Departing the mansion, Alexis is taken prisoner by Van Dorn, who now feebly attempts to smother her in the compound shed by starting a gas generator. Meanwhile, Blake reasons Van Dorn is the head of the Consortium. Van Dorn miserably fails to assassinate Blake in the drawing room. Now, Blake, Adam, Steven and Jeff make chase on the grounds. Adam discovers and saves Alexis from certain asphyxiation. However, Steven, Blake and Jeff witness a police cruiser arresting Van Dorn near the gates of the family compound, unaware the two posing as officers are actually Mr. Woo and Mrs. Litton. Thus, Van Dorn, promised earlier grave reprisals if he failed to murder Blake, now likely will face the Consortium’s wrath, or, perhaps remain in some capacity to pursue his organization’s master plan of world-wide domination. It makes no difference, as Blake toasts his family before engaging Krystle in a romantic dance.

Dynasty: The Reunion is a mangled hodgepodge of half-baked scenarios, surreptitiously to avoid any tie-ins as per the whereabouts of missing cast members or even basic plot points left dangling at the end of Season 9. At least half of the regulars we came to know and love – or love to hate as it were, from Dynasty proper are MIA in the reunion, and their absence is most definitely felt. Dynasty’s past was riddled with too many good solid characters, prematurely discarded; any number of whom might have resurfaced herein to create havoc again; James Farantino’s Nick Toscano or Kate O’Mara’s Caress Morrel or Christopher Cazenove’s Ben Carrington. And what of Catherine Oxenburg’s Amanda Carrington? Alas, no – the reunion instead grows this already top-heavy roster of stars outward, and, introduces even more half-cocked narratives, unsustainable within this 4-hour miniseries. Perhaps worst of all – time seems to have altered each of the actors who did return for this series’ wrap up. Apart from John Forsythe and Joan Collins – who ably resurrect their alter egos with spot on clarity, the others assembled herein have arguably moved on from the roles that made them famous. The worst of the lot is Emma Samms, who appears to have lost all traces of her British accent. Lest we forget the original Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin) was neither British nor as buxom as Samms’ reincarnation after an absence of an entire season. But when Samms did emerge as Fallon at the end of Season 5, she decidedly had a British accent as the amnesiac, Randall Adams. Samms, in the reunion, has no accent at all. Linda Evans, Krystle is neither as doe-eyed or as fawning as she once was, while John James, having added some girth and aged somewhat in these scant 3-years, is just different as Jeff. Robin Sachs’ Adam is an atrocity. Despite his origination in the part of Steven, it makes absolutely NO sense – dramatically or otherwise – to have Al Corley reprise the part in this reunion, unless one chooses to erase all memory of Seasons 4 through 9, after Steven’s reconstructive surgery made him into Jack Coleman.

One sincerely wonders what costume designer; Nolan Miller’s budget was for Dynasty: The Reunion. Renowned as Dynasty proper’s couturier, who dressed virtually the entire cast in gowns that frequently cost upwards of $6,000 to $15,000 and were barely seen on the screen for a few minutes at a time, Miller’s outfits for the reunion are a down-played affair. Fair enough, ‘the reunion’ offers few – if any – opportunities to really glam up the scenery. And fairer still; by the time of its debut, the spend/spend excess of the eighties was over. So, so long to football player-sized shoulder pads, diamonds, sequins and pearls. Alexis’ wardrobe remains appropriately flamboyant. But the resulting lineup of clothes for the remaining cast lacks the ole Dynasty oomph that made the series iconic at a glance. Practical wardrobes belong on a rack at Kmart. The truly outlandish runway fluff was frequently sported as every day wear by Dynasty’s glamour gals. Yet, even the one opportunity Miller gets to be truly outlandish – a staged fashion show at Fashion Fury – becomes more garish than grand as Miller drapes every model in gaudy spangles, debuting Sammy Jo in a violent flamingo pink wedding gown, more reminiscent of something Culture Club’s Boy George, in his heyday, or Ru-Paul on a bad hair-day might sport to shock, rather than punctuate their presence. In the final analysis, Dynasty: The Reunion is a poor cousin to the iconic eighties pop-u-tainment that endures, despite its various misfires.

Dynasty: The Reunion was casually overlooked for inclusion as part of CBS/Paramount’s Dynasty: The Complete Series DVD box set, along with Dynasty’s sister series, The Colbys. Mercifully, both appendages have emerged on home video since; The Reunion, looking fairly spiffy and released in Australia only from Via Vision Home Entertainment. The good news for fans: this Australian import is ‘region free’ – meaning, it will play anywhere in the world. Better still, much of the image here is spot-on spectacular. The oddities are worth mentioning, beginning with the main titles. While Dynasty proper’s main titles were frequently marred by crude optical printing methods that rendered them thick, dark, grainy, and, riddled in a barrage of age-related artifacts, their reproduction herein is relatively clean and perfectly contrasted. Only the inserts of actors new to this reunion suffer from that aforementioned excessively grain-riddled quality. Robin Sachs credit, as example, is woefully thick and plagued by some curious floating marks that resemble (but are not) water damage. Overall, image quality is solid. Colors are bright and refined. Fine detail is impressive. Contrast is spot on. There are several inserts that appear more softly focused, and, a couple of stock shots contain substantial damage to the original camera negative. Otherwise, this is a more than competent rendering that will surely not disappoint. The mono audio is adequately represented. A tad disappointing: no allocated chapter stops. Via Vision has separated the miniseries across two discs, assuring no compression artifacts plague this transfer. There are no extra features. Bottom line: dramatically, Dynasty: The Reunion is a real fizzle and let down. It neither fulfills the cliffhanger requirements from Season 9, nor successfully launches the old franchise on a new and exciting reboot. Evidently, poor ratings convinced ABC to scrap plans for another miniseries movie or reinvestment to re-launch the series. The quality of this DVD is wonderful – mostly. Judge and buy accordingly.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

2

VIDEO/AUDIO

4.5

EXTRAS

0