DYNASTY: SEASON 8 (1987-1988)

 

It’s official. DYNASTY is back on track, thanks to a kinder eighth season. If you recall, season seven was almost abysmal. It was mainly about Kristina’s heart disease and her eventual recovery. Very, very boring, if you ask me. Sure, the remaining storylines were more watchable, especially in the first half of the season, but not enough to grant the overall season a must-see. Anyway, enough about that; let’s move on to season eight. 

Three well-known characters return: Fallon, Jeff and Matthew Blaisdel, the latter with a mission in mind, to take back what’s his: Krystle. Hurray for women’s lib. In the meantime, he holds the Carringtons hostage with the help of some Peruvian mercenaries, one of which is a fine specimen, but I digress. So, to recap this two-episode arc, Matthew fails to win back Krystle. He is instead killed by gay ambivalent Steven who, for the next few episodes, has a hard time dealing with it (not his sexual preference—well, that too—but Matthew’s death). He starts burying his feelings in work, like taking over his dad’s football team which is exactly what one should do when also struggling with his own sexuality. 

As for Fallon and Jeff, well, after being left stranded near the LA desert by a UFO, a comatose Fallon is found by Jeff who does not believe that she had been abducted by aliens (which happened during the second season ender of THE COLBYS which by then had been cancelled, hence Jeff and Fallon’s return to DYNASTY). Back in Denver to recuperate, and in between UFO survivor sessions (which end up going nowhere plot-wise), Fallon hardly gives a damn about Jeff’s feelings. She much prefers mentioning divorce but Jeff is adamant that they stay married, even though he winds up in bed with Leslie. You remember Leslie, Blake’s niece and troublemaker in the making? More on her later.

 

Newlywed Adam wants his bride Dana to give him a child but she’s unable to, on account of complications from an abortion as a teen. But get this: the father at the time had been the same Adam, who, back then, was just Michael Torrence: troubled, drugged up Michael Torrence. She keeps this all on the hush-hush for a few episodes while they hire a surrogate (Stephanie Dunnam). When the cat is finally out of the bag, instead of comforting his bereft wife, he blames her for killing his child, which is so much like Adam. However, he soon comes to forgive her and embarks on a custody battle with the surrogate mother who, having given birth to a baby boy, wants to keep the child. He loses the case but not before promising the world that’ll he’ll get his son back.

 

Blake is on a mission: to become governor of Colorado. With Krystle and Jeff (as campaign manager) at his side he sets out to achieve this, even if it means stepping away as chairman of Denver-Carrington (which he gives to Steven) and running against Alexis. Sabotaged by her on numerous occasions, he still manages to come on top, thanks mostly to his faithful wife who, despite experiencing some impromptu splitting headaches which she tries to hide, has become Nancy Drew in dishing out dirt from Alexis’ past. But in the end both candidates loose against a meatier opponent.

 

As for Sammy Jo, well, having a platonic in-house relationship with her ex, Steven, for the sake of their kid sure does not help her libido. In comes hot footballer Josh (Tom Schanley) who, in between many lines of cocaine, tries to sweep her off her feet but fails miserably. Oh, she still lets him ravish her (who wouldn’t?) but in the end nothing comes of it (the same regarding this plotline, I would say) and he winds up overdosing in his apartment, where a devastated Sammy Jo eventually finds him.

 

Speaking of Sammy Jo, Jeff is hardly indifferent to her plight. Let’s face it, he’s a good guy. A little slutty but a good guy. He’s also tall, dark and handsome, not to mention filthy rich and, more importantly, divorced from Fallon—finally. So no one is really surprised when he goes about setting his eyes on Sammy Jo. Of course, he ends up having a meaningful romantic relationship with her. They even end up hearing wedding bells on the horizon. But old habits are hard to break for him when Fallon is around.

 

Now Alexis. After leaving Adam’s wedding celebration in a borrowed car, and not to mention in despair, over a spat with Dex, she is saved by a total stranger—or so we think—when she suddenly drives off a bridge. This stranger turns out to be the cuckoo brother of—wait for it—Kirby. Yes, season three and four Kirby, boring Kirby, hysterical Kirby, glad she’s not around anymore Kirby. Anyway, to make a long story short, Sean, that’s his name, wants to avenge sis and dad from all the trouble Alexis caused, dad being Joseph, the then majordomo who committed suicide after setting a cabin on fire with Alexis and Krystle in it. So what does Sean do? He courts Alexis, marries her, cheats on her with Leslie (You remember Leslie, Blake’s niece and troublemaker in the making? More on her later) and screws up his wife’s business. Then it all comes down to Alexis finding out how rotten Sean is (kind of like her real-life ex-husband Peter Holm) and watching Dex fighting him off until a gun goes off as a season ender.

 

The season also ends with Blake learning of Krystle’s sudden disappearance from the mansion which forces him to recognize the severity of her health issues; Jeff taking over Denver-Carrington and putting himself in a compromising situation when he sleeps with both Sammy Jo and Fallon; Leslie being saved by Steven and Adam from troubled Sean (you remember Leslie, don’t you? Blake’s niece and... oh never mind.); Steven leaving a letter to bid farewell to his family (in real life the actor wanted out of the series); and Adam discovering he‘s really been a Carrington all along which, despite that happy fact, does not save his crumbling marriage. All in all a pretty good season, even though it dropped to #41 in the Nielsen ratings. Yes, I agree, the entire Sean storyline was a tad comical but the end result still managed to glue me to my seat. I even rushed to season 9 to check out the outcome of his faith, even though I had a hunch where it was going. But that, dear readers, is for another blog entry.

 

 

So until next post—Martin

 

 

JOAN COLLINS IN ‘THE BRAVADOS’

Who doesn’t love Joan Collins? A lot of people I imagine. But in the gay community she is adored. Ever since her DYNASTY days she has become a permanent fixture in our lives thanks mostly to her riveting performance of scheming Alexis Carrington. Consequently, I’ve always enjoyed watching her in anything that has her name on it, whether it’s a guest spot on some ill-fated TV show, or a starring role in some TV-movie or miniseries; heck, even a simple TV commercial like that Cinzano one which has become a classic in its hilariousness will do. In our eyes, she always makes everything interesting. So of course when I had the chance to catch her again in the 1958 revenge western film THE BRAVADOS, playing the love interest of Gregory Peck, I immediately thought of ‘blog entry’ since, like I said, we do love our Joan.

So here she is in a western playing against type and I couldn’t be happier. Not exactly true, for she is little seen and the picture should belong to her. What we have instead is a second billing performance of a female Mexican rancher who is the former flame of the star. She is all young but still recognizable with those sultry eyes. Named Josefa, she is the voice of reason for a man who is mind-set on killing the 4^th and last fugitive who he thinks murdered his wife. Not an easy task for her, since he is one heck of a vindictive avenger. Nonetheless she succeeds at it and ends up running off into the sunset with him. Or it is led to believe that she will.

The film reminds me of the Steve McQueen vehicle NEVADA SMITH which is based on the character in THE CARPETBAGGERS by Harold Robbins. This one is from 1966 and has the same revenge theme. Despite both westerns being not exactly my cup of tea I got to say they are still quite fetching in their deliveries. Gregory Peck certainly manages to hold his own and though I’ve never seen him in anything else, I doubt that he is just one trick pony of an actor. As for Joan Collins, well, the lack of chemistry with Peck barely helps matters but looking pretty or having presence does, so there’s that. And besides, if nothing else it got her to do next the funny RALLY ‘ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS in which she plays a sexy married neighbour who has the hots for Paul Newman (who wouldn’t?). If you guys have yet to see this one I suggest you check it out, as you should THE BRAVADOS if only to support our Joan in a tamer role.

I’ve never heard of her talk about this film in interviews. I’m sure it’s mentioned in her autobiography PAST IMPERFECT which I’m ashamed to say I have yet to read. I always feel like I’ve never seen enough films to venture into one’s biography.  At the rate that I’m going right now I should probably scratch that idea. I don’t want to miss the party before my time comes. And we all know how fast time passes by nowadays.

Until next post—Martin

SINS, THE MINISERIES

When we prematurely had to return home from Paris because of the COVID-19 growing epidemic, my hubby and I had to self-isolate for 14 days. So suffice to say, we watched a lot of TV during that time. One of the titles we caught was the spectacular miniseries SINS based on the 1982 novel by Judith Gould and starring Joan Collins. I talked about this adaptation before in another post, so for me it was a re-visiting thing. It wasn’t for my husband, but since he had enjoyed Joan before in DYNASTY I felt that showing him this one would certainly be a slam dunk. Not so much, as it turned out.  

Basically, what he disliked most about SINS was exactly the same reason why I love it so: the over-the-topness of it all. Love, glamour, revenge...  And Dame Joan Collins to boost. Not one iota of film reel is wasted on this seven-hour miniseries. I even watched it twice that faithful day, since my hubby retired to bed early. I just popped in the disc again and voila, I was back with Hélène Junot in Paris during the Second World War.   

I don’t really need to recap the plot but if I had to I would say that SINS is all about Miss Collins and her insane changing wardrobe. Actress Catherine Mary Stewart may portray a young Joan in flashbacks but it’s Collins who really steals the show with her gowns, suits and dresses (85 of them in total), all led by costume designer Michael Fresmay. Many were sketched by Valentino himself.

As much of a sight for sore eyes she ends up being I must confess that it barely compensates for her limited acting ability. Whether in this miniseries or other highly-sought visual avenues, I usually find that Miss Collins is all looks but little substance. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she does have this star power about her that makes her must-see TV and her icon status is rightfully deserved, but an impressive thespian she is not. But in the end does it really matter when one stars in silly but highly-addictive miniseries such as this one?  

In fact, seeing her in action in SINS is almost as rewarding as catching her in DYNASTY. It’s probably the reason why the miniseries was such a smash to begin with when it aired in 1986. It was clear that Collins swam in known territory. And since she was already being held as the queen of night time television, well, you do the math. When she made another miniseries, MONTE CARLO, later in the same year, however—as DYNASTY began to slip in the ratings—it barely made the same waves when it aired and she never ventured into another miniseries after that. 

A bummer, really, for I certainly find miniseries like SINS to be quite joyful despite their imperfectness. Truth be told, they probably work as a security blanket from reality. And I’m more than OK with that. With all the shit that is going on nowadays what better way to cocoon yourself with than watching an over-produced, over-written, overact piece of fluff that delivers exactly what it sets out to do: entertain the heck out of you. 

Until next post—Martin

DYNASTY, THE SEVENTH SEASON

I’ve been dreading writing this blog entry for many weeks now. Still, I feel I should do so since I’m still a fan of DYNASTY despite finding the seventh season the worse of them all—so far. Don’t get me wrong, I had high hopes for this one since it involved yet again one of my favorite characters, Caress (Alexis’ sister), played by the dearly departed Kate O’Mara. But like her short involvement in the many storylines this season, the continuous tribulations of the Carringtons ended up being not that exciting after all.

If you recall, Alexis is literally left speechless when a crazed Blake attempts to choke her to death over the fact that she has stolen his estate under his nose. Thankfully she is saved at the last minute by the sweet words of Krystle who clearly does not want to see her hubby end up in jail. We would, but that would mean the demise of our beloved nemesis and we sure wouldn’t want that, would we? Over at La Mirage, firestarter Claudia finally perishes in the flames, as some other bit players do, but not the new Amanda (Karen Cellini) who is suddenly rescued by a stranger. In real life Catherine Oxenberg, who played the first Amanda, wanted more cash, so out she went to be replaced by this unknown person who seems to have little talent even when uttering a few words—but more on that later. 

Blake is soon accused of arson, thanks to—whom else—Alexis. He finally goes to the slammer (yes!) but not for too long (a pity): Dominique’s adult daughter, who, BTW, always acts as if she’s 12, comes quickly to the rescue when she remembers seeing the flames starting up in Claudia’s room back at La Mirage, thus making Blake a free man. 

In the meantime, Krystle is the victim of a car accident which leaves her with a migraine or two, but she turns out to be just fine. Not so for little Krystina, however, who later on contracts this heart-related disease. She needs a heart transplant, STAT. It so happens that Dex’s newly widowed woman friend (Cassie Yates) has one for her, her recent dead daughter’s. So in it goes into little Krystina who’s finally safe and sound but spends the remaining episodes being stalked by this Good Samaritan who just can’t get over the fact that her actual daughter is gone. The woman finally does come to her senses and is sent away forever by the Carringtons.

Now onto the crucial episodes involving Alexis’ sis, Caress. Crucial for many of us but, as it turns out, not so much for the producers of DYNASTY since the character ends up barely making waves. A few scenes here and there, and off she goes abroad where we never hear from her again. She will be missed. 

Back to Denver, the new Amanda finds out that her rescuer from the flames at La Mirage is none other than Michael Culhane, Blake’s two-timing, Fallon humping limousine chauffeur who has got the hots for Amanda now. The two go at it like bunnies (not really; just in this one scene where Wayne Northrop shows his muscular form) at the expense of a worried Blake who clearly wants to end this union. He finally gets his wishes when Amanda disappears forever, never to be seen or mentioned again (besides this one quick line of her being in Paris). In reality, things didn’t work out for the actress and she was yanked during mid-season. I personally didn’t mind her being around. She had that Pia Zadora quality about her that I found quite endearing. Oh well, she will be missed.  

OK, we need some Alexis time again so here it goes. After Blake suffers memory loss due to an oil ring explosion in Singapore (from which he was saved by his brother Ben, played by the late Christopher Cazenove) Alexis leads him to believe that they are still married so she can use him for—what else—business reasons. They stay oh-so happy for a minute ‘til she finally has a conscience (what?!) and comes clean, causing him to regain his memory and reunite with Krystle.  Speaking reuniting, after a night of hot sex with her ex, Dex, Alexis ends up rejecting Dex’s proposition of getting hitched again, causing a major rift between the two. As for I, I can’t help but sigh in despair at all that is going on, causing me to turn off the TV for a while and take a break. As it turns out, a long break. Don’t misunderstand me, I love la Collins and all, but this seventh season is the pits. Thank Heavens for the catfight between Alexis and Dominique which finally happened when I checked back in, for I would have checked out for good. 

Adam, who is still a scheming little turd (love him) falls in love with Blake’s secretary, played by none other than DAYS OF OUR LIVES Leann Hunley. He asks her hand in marriage. She accepts, and Mama Alexis plans the wedding. The couple’s happy bubble is soon burst, however, when recently prison free Neil McVane, Alexis long time nemesis and cross dresser (remember when he passed for Alexis and pushed Mark Jenkins off the balcony to incriminate her in Jenkins death?) has proof that Adam is not a Carrington. Finally, something worth our while. So Adam gets bribed, drinks heavily, gets into bar fights, calls off his wedding, then finally comes clean. As a reward for being, well, the bastard that he is, he gets adopted by Blake and Alexis, such an easy task when you’re on night time soaps, isn’t it?  

That leaves us Sammy Jo. After fighting Amanda off (for the second time since they had to reshoot due to Cellini’s involvement) in the La Mirage pool, Sammy is left heartbroken—twice. First her marriage to Clay (Ted McGinley) is annulled after inventing a false pregnancy and being rejected by her in-laws, the Fallmonts; then Steven wants nothing but a platonic relationship with her when he moves in and the two end up getting intimate. What a girl to do next? Easy: cling to the past. Still, she soon realizes she’d rather have a non-sexual relationship with Steven than deprive their son of a father. In the meantime, Clay begins a relationship with Leslie (Terri Garber), Ben’s estranged daughter who strangely looks like Pagan from LACE. After finding out he probably is Ben’s son from an affair with his mom, he breaks up with Leslie and leaves Denver, never to be seen again.  

This season all comes down to Adam and Dana finally getting a lavish wedding at the mansion, Ben leaving Denver for good, lonely and hurt Alexis plunging her car into the river, and get this, Matthew (Bo Hopkins) coming back from the dead as the Carringtons’ kidnapper to reclaim once and for all his rightly due: Krystle. And I can clearly see women’s lib going down the drain. 

Besides the return of Michael and Matthew, clearly this season is all about getting rid of some characters. I would have pushed even further and added Sammy Jo and Steven to the list; Sammy Jo, because, as much fun as she was in previous seasons, she has become a bore to watch in this one. As for our resident homo, take out his hook up with hot Luke (may he rest in peace) in season four, his storylines just don’t go anywhere. This thing about him questioning his sexuality again this season, I mean, c’mon. Enough already. Make him gay once and for all. Although, I heard through the grapevine that the reason the producers stalled on this was because the sponsors where still threatening to backlash the soap if the character ended being up a full-time ‘mo. Figures, but it barely explains this lackluster of a season. Some insiders believe it is largely due to the fact that most of the original writers had left to go to THE COLBYS. Perhaps, but mark my words on this: if season eight resembles anything like this one, I’m out for good. OK, maybe not. We’ll see.

Until next post—Martin

‘PRIME TIME’ BY JOAN COLLINS

When Joan Collins decided to put out this fiction number in the late ‘80s I remember thinking, oh here we go, another actress who thinks she can write, forgetting that she had already proven her skills with a few highly successful autobiographies a decade or so earlier. Furthermore, to me, moving into her sister’s established turf seemed, well, very shady. Remember, I had been (and still am) a die-hard Jackie Collins fan and I just couldn’t see anyone else doing it just as well, even if it’s her wildly successful sibling. But curiosity won me over and I just had to take at least a peek. Turns out I did more than that, finishing the novel in a record time. Now, was this title just as good as a Jackie Collins novel? Read on.

The thing about PRIME TIME (Pocket) is that you have to avoid comparing it to any other work to truly enjoy it, and I did enjoy it, make no mistake about that. It may not be the sharpest book to come out but, boy, it sure is one of the sleaziest. And I say that with all the genuine love I have for this type of efforts, because what we have here is a fun, no holds bar romp of the rich and the rotten that highly deserves the accolades from seekers of trash fiction. It sorts of remind me of THE DEBUTANTES by June Flaum Singer which reached the top of the best-seller list in 1982 despite being considered unreadable by many insiders. Both narratives have little substance but a whole lot of scandals to compensate.

In a nutshell PRIME TIME centers around five women who vow for a spot on a top-rated TV series à la Dynasty. There are many secrets and sins already attached to their names and half the fun is trying to figure out who will eventually overcome them to win the coveted part as, what else, the wife of a business tycoon. The other half is trying not to smirk too much at all of the silliness of the bed-hopping, demoralized urgings, crazy antics that fill the pages of this juicy best-seller.

Not once did I find the book boring and say what you want, Joan Collins is a great storyteller. She may not have the opus operandi of say, her dear departed sister, but boy does she know how to make a scene sparkle. The last time I uttered those exact words were in reference to Jacqueline Susann’s body of work. Not too shabby a compliment, if I may say so myself. 

Collins has written many other novels since PRIME TIME. All have been international best-sellers. If you want a go at them you can easily use a Kindle or a Kobo. As for I, I will stick with my physical paperbacks and hardbacks ‘cause, hey, that’s the kind of crazy dude that I am. 

Until next post—Martin

THE STUD (1978)

So here I am about to discuss yet again an earlier screen adaptation from the late Jackie Collins and I still have a hard time dealing with her passing. It’s not like I knew her or anything but, damn, how I miss that lady. I never had the chance to meet her in person but her many responses to my silly emails proved just how devoted she really was to her readers. Some say that it was probably just her assistant substituting for Collins but I don’t care. If one of my emails, tweets, handwritten letters, did manage to reach her in any way, shape, or form than I’m more than a happy trooper. Besides, I still have my TWO signed pics hanging in my house.

Now let’s move on to THE STUD. I think I read the novel before seeing the British film but I’m not 100% sure. One thing I’m positive, however, is that it was right after reading HOLLYWOOD WIVES since for me this was the one that started it all. I vaguely remember catching glimpses of THE STUD on TV years before but it was only much later that I came to associate it with Jackie’s work. Strangely enough, though, the author must have had ESP or something, for watching Joan Collins in this film is almost like watching the character of Alexis doing her thing before joining TV’s DYNASTY. It’s as if 90 minutes are spent test-screening the actress for her next big gig in America.

THE STUD in question is Oliver Tobias, a social climbing hottie, whom Joan can’t get enough of. So much so that they’re doing it all over the place: in lifts, in limousines, in water where he almost makes it with another guy but manages to escape just in time (darn!). He also has an eye for Joan’s step daughter which ultimately ruins his sexual relationship with the older woman as he starts questioning his lifestyle. When Joan gets tired of him and learns of his plans to open a discotheque of his own (he is the manager of Collins’ highly-sought nightclub), she gives him the boot—not before getting him roughed up by some bodyguards in the club’s bathroom, leaving him with a messed-up face and a broken dream (no new discotheque for him, as it turns out). Disillusioned with everything (including his would-be relationship with the step daughter which doesn’t go anywhere) he then rushes out of the establishment before the clock strikes midnight on the New Year to start anew. The end credits roll.

What’s still cool about THE STUD, besides the club scene and all the sexual situations that come with it, is finally being able to see a central male character regarded solely as a sex object. Not an innovation per se but one seldom used in cinema. But that’s Jackie Collins for you, always pushing the envelope. Plus, the soundtrack is a must for ‘70s disco fans. From K C & the Sunshine Band to Tina Charles to Rod Stewart, it’s all here for your ears to enjoy. I recently purchased the DVD copy of THE STUD (and its sequel, THE BITCH) from KL Studio Classics and re-watched it and, suffice to say, I still had a good time. I’m up to the audio commentary by film historians David Del Valle and Nick Redman (who?). It should probably be interesting. Supposedly co-star Oliver Tobias believes the film ruined his career. Too bad for him but he sure is tasty in it. If you have yet to see him (and Joan of course) in action take the plunge and catch this film. Being a Jackie Collins fan sure does help but if you’re in it solely for the boobies of her sis or the hot bod (without the schlong reveal) of Tobias, I’m sure you’ll have plenty to sink your teeth into.

Until next post—Martin

‘DYNASTY’, SEASON SIX (1985-86)

After witnessing the infamous Moldavian Massacre at the end of the fifth season of DYNASTY, you’d think there’d be more on-screen fatalities with all that shooting and screaming. Turns out the real victims were the 28.1 million TV viewers who had fallen for such far-fetched but highly-entertaining crap. Handing them only two deaths (Billy Campbell’s Luke and Ali McGraw’s Lady Ashley) kind of made a sham out of the whole thing. But who am I to judge, I, who spew all this filth for your enjoyment on this little blog. It’s not like I’m an expert in the field or anything. Though in my head I believe I am. Like I believe the actor who plays Dexter is really this macho don’t-bend-for-anyone kind of a dude who would break me if he ever got close. It’s all an illusion, folks. And judging by what we got from that cliff-hanger, a very bad one at that.  

But let’s move on. After being held captive by the bad guys for a couple of episodes, one of which actress Joan Collins is a no-show on account of a salary dispute, the Carringtons finally fly back to Denver to bury Luke (but not Lady Ashley who seems completely forgotten by then). Soon afterwards Blake receives the visit from his cousin Jason Colby (the so-lovable Republican Charlton Heston) who wants to merge their businesses but Blake wants none of that. When he changes his mind later on we bid adieu to Jeff who moves to California with Jason to star in his own series THE COLBYS (more on that one in an eventual blog entry).   

Krystle finds herself in a bind when she’s kidnapped by Sammy Jo’s posse which really consists only of debonair Joel played by a much tanned George Hamilton. The other member is none other than Evans herself portraying Krystle’s doppelganger Rita; so we have a solo act here if not counting Sammy Jo. The plan is for Rita to impersonate Krystle who’s the executor of the will from which Sammy Jo has inherited tons of cash left by her late dad Rock Hudson. Of course the plan goes awry and we are treated to a final showdown of the two Krystles going at it in a catfight. My reaction to this overall storyline: I’m sure it was better on paper than what we got on screen.   

Ever since Amanda got hitched to prince Michael of Moldovia (“Amannndaaa!”) everything else is all sunshine and roses—not. She’s still as gloomy and wooden as ever and still holds a torch for Dex whom she finally beds. When Mama Alexis catches them in action, well, let’s just say that a three way is out of the question. Besides, it just gives her more reasons to focus on destroying Blake, with the help this time from his little brother Ben who despises him as much as she does.

Speaking of love-hate relationship, Steven is stuck between a rock and a hard face when he meets rugged but oh-so dull Bart, a senatorial candidate who secretly has the hots for him. It takes a few more episodes for Bart to finally admit his attraction. Those hoping for a man on man action between the two (besides a rumble) will be highly disappointed however since the producers of DYNASTY still refuse to make Steven a total ‘mo. Instead the storyline goes kind of nowhere and we are left with a boring subplot involving politics and the many schemes of one Adam Carrington.  

Now that Dominique Devereaux is truly accepted as a Carrington (she is Blake and Ben’s illegitimate sis) she is rarely seen until the writers make her fall for Garrett, Jason Colby’s lawyer. The two had a fling back in the day and now that he’s a widower they’re more than ready to rekindle their relationship. When he finds out he’s also a dad to Dominique’s teen daughter he proposes, but on the night of their engagement party Dominique breaks off with him when she learns (from Alexis whom she gladly slaps) that he has lied about being married before. To that I say, boohoo, but frankly, we don’t need him. Not when someone else is just right around the corner, someone who has little to do with Dominique but is ten times the show-stopper. I give you…

Caress Morell. She’s Alexis’ younger sister and she’s the best thing to happen to season six. Her presence is like hearing angels singing. In fact, I would have had no problem had they changed the series name to The Alexis and Caress Show because they’re the only ones in this season who make it all worthwhile. As is, however, her addition to the cast is solely on destroying Alexis who of course has made her life a living hell.

 

Besides a mud wrestling bit between Alexis and Krystle, an in-pool wrestling bit between Sammy Jo and Amanda, a hall and stairs wrestling bit between Stephen and Adam, and Fallon who wrestles quite a bit with her amnesia (yeah she’s back and she’s got a different accent), this uneven season concludes with cuckoo Claudia playing FIRESTARTER with La Mirage hotel, Alexis taking over Blake’s mansion and getting her neck squeezed by him, and nothing else worth mentioning really except the possible return of Caress in season seven if the producers play their cards right. They better if they know what’s good for them.

 

 

Until next post—Martin