Dynasty Season 2 Premiere Review: “Twenty-Three Skidoo”

The mighty Carrington empire on The CW’s Dynasty has survived to reign another day. After a fire raged through their farmhouse during the first season finale, the lives of Steven, Michael Culhane, and Cristal were left hanging in the balance. Well, after a summer away, we finally got our answers: only Cristal bit the dust, so to speak. Cristal ultimately died in the fire, and the rest of the family was left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the tragedy. Suffice it to say, the lifestyles of the rich and the famous went to complete hell in “Twenty-Three Skidoo.”

Blake Carrington’s outlook on life has completely changed since the last time we saw him. Taking the time away to reflect on his life and honor his late wife provided a new perspective on the family drama. Whereas Blake used to fight tooth and nail to protect his money/legacy during Dynasty’s first season, his solution now is to throw money at everything. Fallon, Steven, and Alexis were more concerned about their own drama and the fortune than Blake’s well-being. Now, none of his children will see a dime when he passes away. If this decision comes to be, everyone will have a hard time adjusting.

I don’t think Blake will stick to cutting off the children. Blake is a tough businessman, but when push comes to shove, he does love his children and will give them an inheritance. Though, he did have a point about the lack of love from his family. Beyond Sam, someone really should have asked how he was feeling since Cristal’s death. Even tough-as-nails Blake needs to talk it out. His new excessive lifestyle is purely to spite his loved ones and he’ll do whatever he wants with no regrets, including hooking up with his ex, Alexis.

Blake gave Steven the right advice for his relationship. Telling Sam the truth about the pregnancy would’ve been so much better than keeping it hidden until the right time. Sure, Sam was in mourning over Cristal’s death, but the longer the truth stayed hidden, the more hurt he would’ve been by his husband. Blake’s drunken confession in front of everyone was the best thing to happen to Steven. He wasn’t going to tell Sam for a long while. The truth is out there now and Sam is going to help parent the kid too.

Do you think the baby could belong to someone else? The scene of Sam looking at the ultrasound photo gave a subtle nod that both he and Alexis don’t quite believe Melissa’s story. Anything is a possibility, especially with Carrington money on the line.

Fallon made the big mistake of mixing business with romance. For such a shrewd and savvy businesswoman, she let her personal life interfere with her career moves. Fallon from Dynasty’s first season wouldn’t have given up such an advantageous business deal worth millions of dollars over something as simple as relationship woes. The Van Kirks had the better offer and pretending to be Liam’s wife would ensure her dynasty for the future of Carrington Atlantic. Fallon might want her New York love story, but she can’t deny her ambitious side forever.

The problem here is that Fallon does love Liam. She does and she can’t deny it, even by accepting Michael’s marriage proposal. Fallon is in love with two men, as evidenced by the threesome shower dream. She’ll have to come to terms with her true feelings soon before she walks to the altar yet again. I’m excited about this plot because Fallon has amazing romantic chemistry with both Michael and Liam–there’s a lot of passion between them. You can feel Fallon’s desire for both men and the conflict she’s going through. The battle between #TeamCulhane and #TeamLiam is going to heat up!

A meeting I am equally excited to see is the reunion between Kirby and Fallon. What evils did Fallon do to the poor girl? Kirby’s tone made it seem like she’s out for revenge if she ever comes into contact with Fallon again. The Carrington heiress should be afraid of this returning enemy.

Alexis is in hot water over her lies with Hank. It was revealed that Hank started the fire that destroyed the farmhouse, and now he’s in hiding because of it. Hopefully, this plot subsides for a while now that Alexis got money from Blake during their fling for the blackmail. With so much going on, more attention should be on the main characters getting their lives back together. And, also some of the new people who will play a bigger part in the mix like the “real Cristal,” for instance, who will be making her way to the Carrington estate. From what was shown of her, the new twist created a devious motivation for the iconic character and a reason why we shouldn’t trust her. The knowledge Cristal Jennings has on the family will most likely come into play as she tries to integrate herself into their lives. This Cristal might not be as nice as the original Cristal… and that’s fine, they don’t need to be the same.

The season two premiere of Dynasty brought back all the opulence, excess, and soapy drama that we love about the series. The characters moved back into their manipulative and complex ways for new problems that changed their lives. Cristal may be gone, but the returning characters are ready to cause even more conflict than before, and the new faces are just as devious. Just like Fallon, we should get our champagne glasses ready because the drama looks too delicious.