The singer, filmmaker and visionary Prince once wrote, “U don’t have 2 watch Dynasty / 2 have an attitude.” An attitude comes easy while watching the saga of Denver’s Carrington family. Many viewers have to fight the urge to stuff Klennex in their suit jackets to get that ’80s shoulder pads effect. This series was a peak inside the rich and famous before Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Although none of those ladies were are fierce and messed up as Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystle (Linda Evans) as they fought over the love and money of Blake (John Forsythe). Even in its 7th season the producers and writers came up with even more twists to make this primetime soap opera must see freakiness. Dynasty: The Seventh Season, Volume One and Volume Two.
Alexis finally has Blake completely on the ropes. She’s called in a billion dollar loan that he can’t cover. He gets booted out of his mega-mansion since he’s now a pauper. Adding to his woes is a hotel fire that kills Claudia (Pamela Bellwood). Sure Amanda gets rescued from the flames, but she entered the hotel as Catherine Oxenberg, but leaves in the body of Karen Cellini. Alexis buys a paper and uses it to paint Blake as an arsonist and murderer. Can he ever recover? Of course the recovery gets physical when his limo wrecks and Krystle ends up in the hospital. Her health is in jeopardy as Alexis prepares to dance on Blake’s grave. The guy does get cuffed and booked for the fire. But can she really win it all by destroying him? Ted McGinley (Happy Days) must play a vital role in getting a key witness back to the states. That witness turns out to be ready to take out her anger on Alexis.
Things get more complicated when Blake barely survives an oil rig explosion. His memory is scrambled as he recovers. Alexis take advantage of his condition and acts like they never got a divorce. But how long can she play nice around Blake? And what will happen when Krystle pops into his mind and life? Turns out that Blake isn’t the only one with medical issues. A family member needs major surgery to live. Can they find a donor in time? Will they take organs out of Ted McGinley? The season cliff hanger once more involves a hostage situation at a wedding. The Carringtons set the bar for how Game of Thrones weddings play out.
Dynasty: The Seventh Season, Volume One and Volume Two mark the time that the primetime soap opera began to slip in the ratings. It was no longer in the Top 10 and some weeks it dipped below the Top 20. This means there’s a chance that you missed these episodes. A casual viewer can now catch up on the Carrington chaos as Alexis gave her worst to Blake. A lesser billionaire would have staged his own death to escape her clutches. You have to have a bit of an attitude to survive this show.
The Episodes
“The Victory,” “Sideswiped,” “Focus,” “Reward,” “The Arraignment,” “Romance,” “The Mission,” “The Choice,” “The Secret,” “The Letter,” “The Ball,” “Fear,” “The Rig,” “A Love Remembered” (two-parter), “The Portrait,” “The Birthday,” “The Test,” “The Mothers,” “The Surgery,” “The Garage,” “The Shower,” “The Dress,” “Valez,” “The Sublet,” “The Confession,” “The Affair” and “Shadow Play.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers look fine enough to pic out the details in 1986 fashions. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. You’ll hear a lot of gasping as secrets are revealed. The episodes are subtitled.
There are no bonus features.
Dynasty: The Seventh Season, Volume One and Volume Two takes Blake to the edge of disaster in three ways: going broke, murder charges and an industrial accident. Is this curtains for him? Of course not since there’s two more seasons. Both volumes can be bought together at a discount price.
CBS DVD presents Dynasty: The Seventh Season, Volume One and Volume Two. Starring: John Forsythe, Joan Collins, Linda Evans and Ted McGinley. Boxset contents: 28 episodes on 7 DVDs. Released: July 9, 2013. Available at Amazon.com.
