Dynasty (1981 TV series) season 1
Dynasty | |
---|---|
Season 1 | |
No. of episodes | 15 |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | January 12 April 20, 1981 | –
Season chronology | |
The first season of
Season one stars
Development
Aaron Spelling, already well known for his successful ABC series, including
Intended by ABC to be a competitor for
Esther Shapiro later said in the DVD commentary of the first season, "The audience told us almost immediately: All they wanted to do was be in the mansion. [They] couldn't care less about the oil fields. They didn't want to see grubby rooms."[9]
Plot
As Dynasty begins, powerful oil tycoon Blake Carrington is about to marry the younger Krystle Jennings, his former secretary.
In counterpoint to the Carringtons are the Blaisdels; Denver-Carrington geologist Matthew—unhappily married to the emotionally fragile Claudia—is Krystle's ex-lover. Returning from an extended assignment in the Middle East, Matthew quits and goes into business with wildcatter Walter Lankershim. As Blake's behavior begins pushing Krystle toward Matthew, the men are set as both business and romantic rivals.[2] Blake is further enraged when Steven goes to work for longtime friend Matthew, in whom Steven sees qualities lacking in Blake. Though previously in a relationship with another man, Steven finds himself drawn to Claudia, who is putting her life back together after spending time in a psychiatric hospital.[11]
Fallon makes a secret business deal with Blake's old friend and more-powerful business rival Cecil Colby, marrying his nephew Jeff to secure Cecil's financial assistance for her father. When Blake stumbles upon Steven in an innocent goodbye embrace with his former lover
Cast
Main
|
Recurring
Notable guest stars
|
- Cast notes
- ^ Robertson is credited in every episode as "special guest star".
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | Rating/share (households) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Oil - Part 1" | Ralph Senensky | Richard and Esther Shapiro | January 12, 1981[12] | S-001 | 22.2/32[13] |
Wealthy oil tycoon Blake Carrington and his former secretary Krystle Jennings are getting married. Krystle's ex-boyfriend, Matthew Blaisdel, who has been working as a geologist on one of Blake's oil rigs in the Mideast for a year and a half, returns to Denver and accidentally runs into Krystle. They both start thinking that there may be a spark left from their previous relationship, and Krystle begins getting second thoughts about the wedding. Blake's children, Steven and Fallon Carrington, also return to Denver after being away. Fallon is less than excited about her father's impending wedding, and things are icy between Blake and Steven. Note: The three parts of "Oil" originally aired as a three-hour movie.[12] Dynasty aired on Mondays for all of season one.[12] | |||||||
2 | 2 | "Oil - Part 2" | Ralph Senensky | Richard and Esther Shapiro | January 12, 1981[12] | S-001 | 22.2/32[13] |
Matthew has a visit from his old friend, wildcatter Walter Lankershim, who asks for money because his business is in trouble. Walter has lent money from Blake to drill for oil, but he has yet to make any strikes. Matthew goes to visit his wife, Claudia, who has been in a mental institution for 18 months, but learns that she has been released. Matthew, Claudia, and their teenage daughter, Lindsay decide to renew their lives as a family. Blake and Krystle talk about their disagreements, and start planning a big wedding. When Walter's oil rig is sabotaged, he suspects Blake. | |||||||
3 | 3 | "Oil - Part 3" | Ralph Senensky | Richard and Esther Shapiro | January 12, 1981[12] | S-001 | 22.2/32[13] |
When Steven confronts Blake about his business practices, Blake explodes. His conflict with Steven is centered on Blake's difficulty in accepting a homosexual relationship Steven had in New York. Blake and Krystle finally get married at the mansion, and among the guests are millionaire Cecil Colby and his nephew Jeff. Cecil is an oilman like Blake, but his company ColbyCo Oil is much bigger than Blake's company, Denver-Carrington. When Blake and Krystle are leaving the Carrington mansion after the wedding, Walter arrives and accuses Blake. When Matthew takes Walter's side in the argument, Blake fires him. | |||||||
4 | 4 | "The Honeymoon" | Robert C. Thompson | Story by : Chester Krumholz Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio & Chester Krumholz | January 19, 1981[14] | S-002 | 21.0/30[15] |
Blake and Krystle have to abruptly end their honeymoon so that Blake can deal with a work crisis. Walter smooths over his troubles with the workers on his rig, and hires both Matthew and Steven, which Blake does not like. Krystle is having problems adjusting to life as a Carrington, made especially challenging by the imperious majordomo Joseph. Matthew and Claudia are also having difficulty starting their new life. Cecil and Fallon have negotiations of their own; Cecil is willing to help Blake out of his problems if Fallon marries Jeff. | |||||||
5 | 5 | "The Dinner Party" | Don Medford | Chester Krumholz | January 26, 1981[14] | S-003 | 18.4/26[16] |
Blake apologizes to Walter and Matthew, and asks Matthew to come back to his old job. He also invites them to a dinner party at the mansion, during which Steven and Claudia meet and get along very well; Matthew tells Krystle that he is still in love with her, which Fallon overhears; and Cecil and Fallon start realizing their plans as Fallon starts hitting on Jeff. | |||||||
6 | 6 | "Fallon's Wedding" | Philip Leacock | Story by : Richard Shapiro Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio & Norman Katkov | February 2, 1981[14] | S-004 | 20.4/28[17] |
Cecil helps Blake with his money problems. Jeff and Fallon get married in Las vegas. Blake's driver Michael Culhane, who has been sleeping with Fallon, is a bit jealous when she spurns him. Blake hires Michael to do undercover work for Denver-Carrington. Steven is visited by his ex-lover, Ted Dinard, from New York. | |||||||
7 | 7 | "The Chauffeur Tells a Secret" | Ralph Senensky | Edward De Blasio | February 16, 1981[14] | S-005 | 16.0/23[19] |
Michael tells Blake about Fallon's deal with Cecil. Steven and Claudia kiss. Note: Dynasty was preempted by part 2 of East of Eden on February 9, 1981.[18] | |||||||
8 | 8 | "The Bordello" | Philip Leacock | Edward De Blasio | February 23, 1981[14] | S-006 | 15.4/22[20] |
Walter takes Steven to a bordello to "make a man out of him" and put an end to the anti-gay taunts from the other rig workers. Blake puts key holdings in Krystle's name to save his business, and she pawns an expensive necklace Blake gave her to help Matthew. | |||||||
9 | 9 | "Krystle's Lie" | Don Medford | Edward De Blasio | March 2, 1981[14] | S-007 | 18.7/29[21] |
Matthew discovers that Blake paid one of his workers to sabotage the oil rig and blame it on Steven. A furious Blake tries to find out who helped Matthew, and he rages when he discovers Krystle's birth control pills. Note: "Krystle's Lie" and "The Necklace" originally aired as a combined two-hour broadcast. | |||||||
10 | 10 | "The Necklace" | Philip Leacock | Edward De Blasio | March 2, 1981[14] | S-008 | 18.7/29[21] |
Michael tells Fallon that Krystle pawned her necklace and gave the money to Matthew. Steven answers Claudia's call to pick her up from a singles bar, and they sleep together. | |||||||
11 | 11 | "The Beating" | Don Medford | Edward De Blasio | March 9, 1981[14] | S-009 | 17.5/26[22] |
Steven moves out of the mansion and agrees to work for Blake at Denver-Carrington. Lindsay discovers that Claudia slept with Steven. Blake learns that Michael has been sleeping with Fallon, and has the chauffeur brutally beaten. | |||||||
12 | 12 | "The Birthday Party" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Edward De Blasio and Richard Shapiro | March 16, 1981[14] | S-010 | 18.3/28[22] |
Michael tells Blake that Krystle pawned her necklace and gave the money to Matthew. Outraged over Cecil's deal with Fallon, a drunken Jeff makes a scene at Cecil's birthday party. | |||||||
13 | 13 | "The Separation" | Gabrielle Beaumont | Edward De Blasio | March 23, 1981[14] | S-011 | 17.9/26[23] |
Ted returns to Denver and meets Claudia to talk about Steven. Krystle leaves Blake. Steven ends his relationship with Ted, but an irate Blake witnesses their goodbye hug. Blake pulls Ted off of Steven, but Ted hits his head and dies. | |||||||
14 | 14 | "Blake Goes to Jail" | Don Medford | Edward De Blasio | April 13, 1981[14] | S-012 | 16.3/25[26][27] |
Blake is arrested for the murder of Ted Dinard, and Krystle returns to support him. To save Blake from a murder conviction, Fallon testifies that Ted tripped and hit his head. Steven takes the stand and accuses Fallon of lying. Dynasty was preempted respectively by a John Denver and George Burns special called Two of a Kind and by part 2 of Masada on March 30 and April 6, 1981.[24][25] | |||||||
15 | 15 | "The Testimony" | Don Medford | Edward De Blasio | April 20, 1981[14][28] | S-013 | 18.5/28[29] |
Claudia is forced to reveal her affair with Steven on the stand, and an enraged Matthew attacks Blake. Claudia runs away with Lindsay, but they get into a car accident. The prosecution calls a new witness, and a mysterious woman in a white hat and veil enters. Fallon recognizes the woman as her mother. Note: Blake's ex-wife Alexis makes her first appearance near the end of the episode, unnamed and played by uncredited actress Maggie Wickman. "The Testimony" is the last episode to air on a Monday, and Dynasty moves to Wednesdays for season two.[14][28] |
Reception
The first season of Dynasty was "modestly popular" among viewers,
References
- ^ Idato, Michael (September 19, 2005). "The Great Escape". The Sydney Morning Herald. SMH.com.au. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
- ^ Sturges, Fiona (January 24, 2011). "The good, the bad and the wildly bitchy". The Independent. London: Independent.co.uk. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Klein, Joe (September 2, 1985). "The Real Star of Dynasty". New York. pp. 32–39. Retrieved June 1, 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Jacobs, Alexandra (October 6, 2017). "A Dynasty for Generation Gossip Girl (Mom Can Watch, Too)". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (April 3, 2010). "Charlie's an Angel Now: John Forsythe Dies at 92". Time. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
- ^ Hack, Richard. "Portraying of Characters: Casting (Excerpt of Aaron Spelling/Douglas S. Cramer interview)". The Hollywood Reporter. UltimateDynasty.net. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c Rothenberg, Fred (July 24, 1981). "Prime-time soap opera Dynasty trying old whodunnit technique". The Register-Guard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Mar, Alex (May 25, 2011). "The Dynasty That Could Have Been". Slate. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
- ^ a b c Tropiano, Stephen (March 19, 2003). "The Prime Time Closet: Outing TV's Heterosexual Homosexuals". PopMatters.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2003. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Dynasty Episodes Guide: Season One". Shoulderpads.net. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f "TV Listings for January 12, 1981 (Monday)". TV Tango. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ ProQuest 962734054.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Episode List: Dynasty (1981–1983)". TV Tango. p. 1. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ProQuest 962682642.
- ProQuest 2585296688.
- ProQuest 2598134182.
- ^ "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. February 9, 1981.
- ^ Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (February 9–22, 1981) (Report). Nielsen Media Research.
- ^ Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (February 23–March 8, 1981) (Report). Nielsen Media Research.
- ^ ProQuest 2598170999.
- ^ a b Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (March 9–22, 1981) (Report). Nielsen Media Research.
- ^ Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (March 23–April 5, 1981) (Report). Nielsen Media Research.
- ^ "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. March 30, 1981.
- ^ "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. April 6, 1981.
- ^ Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (April 6–19, 1981) (Report). Nielsen Media Research.
- ^ a b c "TV Listings for April 20, 1981 (Monday)". TV Tango. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ProQuest 1438313194.
External links
- Dynasty at IMDb