SEASON 1 or SEASON 2 ? - Dynasty (1981) Discussion

[–] bens33 8 years ago

S.2--no contest! S.1 was boring.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

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[–] PrometheusTree64 8 years ago

Season 1 was an intelligent and well-structured season, and it's a myth that it bombed. But it needed more zip. And that zip came with Season 2, when Alexis and the high-fashion showed up, and the pacing increased.

Season 2 will always remain the defining year of DYNASTY because it was the only year which got the balance right: it maintained the quality plot and character elements from the previous year, but became more commercial, too.

The magic of Season 2, the wit and sparkle, was never recaptured, despite all the sequins and baubles to come, because the writing started getting too shlocky after that. (Only Season 9 managed to get that balance back, but it was much too late).

--

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[–] theromanempire-1 8 years ago

........."It's a myth season 1 bombed".............

Season 1 was no 40 in ratings the lowest ranking of any dynasty season eccept of course an even worst season 9 was which was even a bigger bomb at no 57.

Prometheus please be my guest. keep posting BULL and INSULT THE FANS AND I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE HUMILATE YOU AND EXPOSE YOU TO THE TROLL U ARE.....LIER.....LIER.

NO MATTER WHAT U DO U LOSE............DYNASTY IS MY LIFE U BEEP AND I WILL GIVE MY LIFE TO RELIVE THOSE MAGIC MOMENTS I LIVED DURING THE 80S SO U DON'T KNOW WHO U ARE MESSING WITH TROLL.

"U DYNASTY HATER...........GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE....TAKE THAT JUNK.....YOUR BLON TRAMP....AND GET THE HELL OUT..............."

Oh dear dynasty fans how I really missed those good old SEASON 6 ENDING EPISODES.

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[–] Stratego (30533) 2 months ago

Season 9 was complete shit.

"it maintained the quality plot"

Utter nonsense. Steven's entire storyline from beginning to end was absolute BS and you know it. And most of the plotlines, like Rhinewood and Blake's blindness, go nowhere. Dr. Nick bursts onto the scene looking for revenge, but soon becomes the stud hero whose psychotic personality doesn't pop until the last episode. Your favourite girl Fallon acts absolutely pathetic, just whining and crying all the time. PSM being stoned and a limited actress doesn't help that either. Claudia is literally all over the place. Alexis is completely underutilized and instead of extending the most interesting storyline, Blake's paternity, over a good part of the season and giving Cecil something to do, it all starts and ends within 2 episodes. All we got was Stephen acting all weird for a few moments. The writing sucks big time, only the witty exchanges between Alexis and Joseph are great.

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[–] paranoja 8 years ago

Season One is amazing.

It's something that would make you put your clipboard down. The more I re-watch season one the more I realise that... why not?

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[–] theromanempire-1 8 years ago

Oh c'mon paranoja u don't want this believe me.....but since u asked for it here it is.

How about seasons 3-8 ?

aren't amazing too ?

Solet's hear you....u love season 1...ok.....i'm sure u love also season 9 and 2.....how bout the rest ?

which other dynasty seasons u love ?

there are seasons 3,4,5,6,7,8

do u love any of those seasons ? or u agree with that dynasty hater Prometheus is.

CLEAR SKY AFRAIDS NO THUNDERS.

I LOVE ALL DYNASTY SEASONS AND THE REUNION AND THE COLBYS BUT MOSTLY I LOVED SEASONS 2,5,6,7 then seasons 3,4,8 then THE COLBYS AND THE REUNION and last I loved SEASONS 1 and 9.

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[–] theworldastage 8 years ago

On a personal level:

The last episodes of Season 1 is what hooked me to the show (though Alexis's walk into the courtroom definitely contributed).

On first watch, Season 2 seems more enjoyable. I like the introduction of Alexis and Sammy Jo, the Logan Rhinewood storyline, and so on. However, I said this before: I dislike the Toscanni storyline. It felt cliche and overacted - and not in an enjoyable "soapy" way because it was too glaring and distracting, to the point where it almost overshadows the season for me.

On second and several rewatches, probably Season 1. In part, I like the classic/regal? feel, almost akin to reading a good book. Denver also feels like a real place. But yes - the show needed a bit more "speed".

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[–] Noirdame79 8 years ago

On a personal level:

The last episodes of Season 1 is what hooked me to the show (though Alexis's walk into the courtroom definitely contributed).

On first watch, Season 2 seems more enjoyable. I like the introduction of Alexis and Sammy Jo, the Logan Rhinewood storyline, and so on. However, I said this before: I dislike the Toscanni storyline. It felt cliche and overacted - and not in an enjoyable "soapy" way because it was too glaring and distracting, to the point where it almost overshadows the season for me.

On second and several rewatches, probably Season 1. In part, I like the classic/regal? feel, almost akin to reading a good book. Denver also feels like a real place. But yes - the show needed a bit more "speed".

I like both seasons, but Season 2 has more of an edge. However, the more authentic-looking locales and sets in Season 1 (the interiors are noticeably darker in the first season), make it seem more real, I agree. Also, it is important to watch as it lays the groundwork for the series and establishes the characters and their relationships with one another (I'm thinking particularly of Fallon, Steven and Jeff, as PSM, AC and JJ are my three favorite actors on the show). Fallon really is a commanding presence and it's easy to see why the character was intended to be the "bad girl". Steven's issues with his father and his sexuality is another reason to give the first season a look - this was the first openly gay character on TV at the time, although his relationship with Ted Dinard is not displayed in an obvious way. The Blaisdel family drama seems out of place, so it's not surprising that Bo Hopkins and Katy Kurtzman were dropped from the cast (although Hopkins would make an appearance later in the series) and Michael didn't seem to fit in either, but like Hopkins, Wayne Northrop would make a later return. I really disliked Blake in most of the first season; he treated Krystle like a possession.

I can see why Season 2 is a favorite, and while I like James Farentino, Nick Toscanni and his vendetta did become redundant. I feel though, that his send-off was extremely anti-climatic and I wouldn't have minded a few more episodes to wrap it up better, considering he was behind the kidnapping of little Blake. I view Season 2 with a bit of sadness as Al Corley was not happy with the writing for Steven (he did, after all, sign on to play an openly gay character), and his departure was hard to take. Jack Coleman did eventually make the role his own but Al Corley will always be Steven to me, ditto Pamela Sue Martin will always be the one and only Fallon, IMO.

The catfights between Krystle and Alexis are always fun to watch, especially the long shots featuring obvious stunt doubles in very bad wigs, LOL.

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[–] theworldastage 8 years ago

I can see why Season 2 is a favorite, and while I like James Farentino, Nick Toscanni and his vendetta did become redundant. I feel though, that his send-off was extremely anti-climatic and I wouldn't have minded a few more episodes to wrap it up better, considering he was behind the kidnapping of little Blake.

Thanks for your input!

And yes, I agree. Or at least have him mentioned or seen again later in the series.

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[–] Stratego (30533) 2 months ago

"while I like James Farentino"

How is that possible? Were you also mesmerized by his squinty dark eyes like every lady in the show? He was awful in every way.

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[–] Stratego (30533) 15 days ago

" I dislike the Toscanni storyline. It felt cliche and overacted"

I don't mind overacting so much (it's Farentino's aggressive acting I hate) and if only it was cliche! The thing is, the storyline was introduced with the expectation that this Nick guy was going to stir things up or create havoc. But nothing ever happened! All of a sudden he was simply Mr. Perfect who kept lecturing everybody and they only showed us a flashback once in a while to remind us why this guy was even there in the first place.

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[–] paranoja 8 years ago

Season 2.

Season one would actually work today as a cable drama and I'll argue that to death, but season two took everything that was appealing about season one and added "umphf" to it.

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[–] Stratego (30533) 2 months ago

Alexis is great, but so much is wrong with this season. Nick Toscanni is an annoying fuck inserting himself in every storyline, Fallon is a hypocritical bitch instead of an entertaining bitch, Stephen's storyline is ridiculous, Claudia is useless, the writing is all over the place. I really don't understand why everybody raves about this season.

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[–] CalvinJarrett (458) 3 days ago

I can answer your question as to why everyone raves about Season 2 in four words: Alexis Morel Carrington Colby.

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[–] Stratego (30533) 3 days ago

Like I said, she's great, but a lot about it is not good at all. She's also in season 3 and put to much better use.

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[–] CalvinJarrett (458) 3 days ago

I too loved her in Season 3. However, there was a more human quality to Alexis in Season 2 that I think people really liked. Think back to her lunch at the St. Denis with District Attorney Dunham (Brian Dennehey) after the unsatisfying result in Blake's murder trial. He presses her for more dirt on Blake that she alluded to in their earlier conversations. As much as she despises Blake for estranging her from her children she can't allow herself to further betray him.

You also see an Alexis who is not filthy rich in Season 2. That's the only time that happens during the whole series. She has to live in the artist studio Blake deeded to her when they were married. Yes, it allows her to 'f' with Krystal and Joseph, but she really has no other place to live (rent free) while in Denver. She must use all her feminine wiles to woo Cecil Colby because she really needs the money and would be perfectly happy to take a backseat to the boardroom brawls and simply play Lady MacBeth and allow Cecil to ruin Blake.

She has a very tender rapport with Steven. She understands him only as a mother can and with her bon vivant lifestyle in Acapulco, she has a sensitivity toward homosexuals and the judgment they faced in the '70's - early '80's.

As I recall, Season 2 was the only time we see Alexis in jeans. Granted, they were designer jeans - Gloria Vanderbilt or Calvin Klein by the look of them. But we never see her dressed as shabbily (save when she was incarcerated on first the belief and then the conviction of the murder of Mark Jennings).

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[–] Stratego (30533) 2 days ago

I loved how she was in season 2 (the ruthless business woman stick in later seasons did become too much OTT). I think she's the best thing about it, but like I said, I think she was kind of underutilized. Most of the season she just walked into a scene to make a snarky comment.

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