Changes I Would Make Options

[Paige]

Hi all,

Thanks to You Tube and the DVD sets that have been released, I have spent the last month or so re-watching Dynasty. There are still a few episodes that I haven't seen, but, for the most part, I am basically caught up. As I was re-watching the show, there were so many things I saw that I would love to change. Some of them were specific storylines, some were off-screen events. Here, in no particular order, are the changes I'd most like to make if I could go back and be Aaron Spelling.

Off-Screen:

1. I would have done whatever I could to convince Pamela Sue Martin to stay with the show. I have nothing personal against Emma Samms and thought she did an adequate job with the role, but Fallon just wasn't the same after PSM left.

2. I would have never have created The Colbys. It weakened the structure of the show when Jeff and Fallon left. To me, the Blake/Krystle/Alexis dynamic was the focal point, but Jeff and Fallon were an integral part of the production and their absence hurt. I wouldn't have minded if they had added a couple of Jeff's relatives to the mix, but I think it would have been better if they had come to Denver instead.

3. I would have chosen another actress to play Ashley Mitchell. I'm not trying to be mean, but Ali MacGraw was horrible. Her acting was atrocious. In fact, she may have been the worst casting choice they made, and that's saying a lot when you consider some of the duds they had (Michael Praed, Helmut Berger, Karen Cellini, to name just a few).

4. I would have completely changed the reunion movie. There were too many loose ends from the 9th season that were never wrapped up and the whole consortium plot was horrible. No Dex. A fake Adam. Not many shows get a chance to wrap everything up and they should have done a better job with the opportunity. The saving grace for me was that we got to see Blake and Krystle reunited.

5. I would have hired someone to keep track of facts and information about the characters and their backgrounds. Parents' names, birthdays, etc... For example, the fact that Mark had two different middle names (how hard can it be to keep up with something like that?), that the circumstances surrounding Blake's mother's death changed. That kind of stuff. I'm a stickler for details and things like that just drive me crazy.

Plots and Storylines:

1. The UFO fiasco. It made the show a laughing stock.

2. Almost the entire 8th season. It was so boring, and I found the idea of Blake and Alexis running for governor silly. The writers should have focused more on the business and the relationships. There was hardly any romance b/w Blake and Krystle. It was such a waste, and I really can't blame Linda Evans for wanting out. As much as I missed her during the 9th season, it was almost more bearable than the 8th season. At least the plots were more interesting.

3. The return of Matthew Blaisdel. It would have been much more compelling if he'd been brought back more as Blake's equal who was hell-bent on destroying him than as some gun-toting psycho in search of his own utopia.

4. I would have let Blake and Krystle have at least one more child together. And a hell of a lot more romantic scenes. That was the main reason I watched the show, and, while they had some incredibly hot scenes together, there were never enough of them and they always ended way too soon. All that chemistry between them - they really should have taken better advantage of it.

5. The going back and forth as to whether or not Adam was really a Carrington. It should have been settled definitively, and as early on as possible.

Those are just the first things that came to mind. I'm sure I'll think of lots of others after I post this. And my apologies if this has already been discussed. I've gone through the archives, but I really can't remember who has said what and when it was said. I'd love to hear what changes the rest of you would have made if you could go back.

[allegre]

4. I would have let Blake and Krystle have at least one more child together. And a hell of a lot more romantic scenes. That was the main reason I watched the show, and, while they had some incredibly hot scenes together, there were never enough of them and they always ended way too soon. All that chemistry between them - they really should have taken better advantage of it.

I have to say I agree totally 100% with your comments about the show especially N0.4 !!I was so happy when Krystle got pregnant I thought lots of happy romantic scenes but the writers obviously had other ideas & wanted tension & arguments all the time ! I remember thinking to myself at the time, poor Krystle/Linda they won't even allow her to enjoy being pregnant !

Also the Governors Race why not let Krystle instead of Blake run for the position, explore how Blake dealt with her being in the limelight for a change ! Alexis could get jealous of her & join the campaign to spite her. That certainly would have made it a bit more interesting ! Rather just back to the same Blake / Alexis going at it again !

And the Rita/ Krystle story was ridiculous & went on far too long. No wonder Linda was reported to have wanted to quit, delivering the ultimatum Rita goes or I do ! But it could have worked if they played it a bit differently instead of Krystle being kidnapped ! Why didn't they have Rita running around town withdrawing money & maxing out the credit cards. Blake would be informed ask Krystle about it she would deny it ( As it wasn't her ) Then they could up the anti and have Rita seen out with Joel again Blake would find out & become concerned about her & their relationship causing a rift between the two of them. Blake could hire & detective or maybe the bank would send cctv footage for Blake to look at to convince him further that Krystle was doing these things no matter how much she denied it ! Krystle would think maybe she was going nuts or something & not realise she was doing these things. And then maybe Blake in a last ditch attempt to solve the problems between the two of them he could take Krystle away for a romantic " Secret break " away from it all. Then whilst they were away, Joel could get impatient & want faster results, so Rita could over play her card & be seen again withdrawing even more money or something similar, but because the real Krystle is with Blake, their plan will start to un-ravel because Blake will know it's not her, because the real " Krystle was with him !!! So they investigate it together & spring a trap to catch Rita. What do you think ? Maybe I've thought about it way too much ! But you know me anything to protect my favourite couple !!!

[carringtongal]

Hi all,

Thanks to You Tube and the DVD sets that have been released, I have spent the last month or so re-watching Dynasty. There are still a few episodes that I haven't seen, but, for the most part, I am basically caught up. As I was re-watching the show, there were so many things I saw that I would love to change. Some of them were specific storylines, some were off-screen events. Here, in no particular order, are the changes I'd most like to make if I could go back and be Aaron Spelling.

Off-Screen:

1. I would have done whatever I could to convince Pamela Sue Martin to stay with the show. I have nothing personal against Emma Samms and thought she did an adequate job with the role, but Fallon just wasn't the same after PSM left.

2. I would have never have created The Colbys. It weakened the structure of the show when Jeff and Fallon left. To me, the Blake/Krystle/Alexis dynamic was the focal point, but Jeff and Fallon were an integral part of the production and their absence hurt. I wouldn't have minded if they had added a couple of Jeff's relatives to the mix, but I think it would have been better if they had come to Denver instead.

3. I would have chosen another actress to play Ashley Mitchell. I'm not trying to be mean, but Ali MacGraw was horrible. Her acting was atrocious. In fact, she may have been the worst casting choice they made, and that's saying a lot when you consider some of the duds they had (Michael Praed, Helmut Berger, Karen Cellini, to name just a few).

4. I would have completely changed the reunion movie. There were too many loose ends from the 9th season that were never wrapped up and the whole consortium plot was horrible. No Dex. A fake Adam. Not many shows get a chance to wrap everything up and they should have done a better job with the opportunity. The saving grace for me was that we got to see Blake and Krystle reunited.

5. I would have hired someone to keep track of facts and information about the characters and their backgrounds. Parents' names, birthdays, etc... For example, the fact that Mark had two different middle names (how hard can it be to keep up with something like that?), that the circumstances surrounding Blake's mother's death changed. That kind of stuff. I'm a stickler for details and things like that just drive me crazy.

Plots and Storylines:

1. The UFO fiasco. It made the show a laughing stock.

2. Almost the entire 8th season. It was so boring, and I found the idea of Blake and Alexis running for governor silly. The writers should have focused more on the business and the relationships. There was hardly any romance b/w Blake and Krystle. It was such a waste, and I really can't blame Linda Evans for wanting out. As much as I missed her during the 9th season, it was almost more bearable than the 8th season. At least the plots were more interesting.

3. The return of Matthew Blaisdel. It would have been much more compelling if he'd been brought back more as Blake's equal who was hell-bent on destroying him than as some gun-toting psycho in search of his own utopia.

4. I would have let Blake and Krystle have at least one more child together. And a hell of a lot more romantic scenes. That was the main reason I watched the show, and, while they had some incredibly hot scenes together, there were never enough of them and they always ended way too soon. All that chemistry between them - they really should have taken better advantage of it.

5. The going back and forth as to whether or not Adam was really a Carrington. It should have been settled definitively, and as early on as possible.

Those are just the first things that came to mind. I'm sure I'll think of lots of others after I post this. And my apologies if this has already been discussed. I've gone through the archives, but I really can't remember who has said what and when it was said. I'd love to hear what changes the rest of you would have made if you could go back.

Definately would've persuaded PSM to stay, I found Emma Samms too wooden and there was def no chemisrty between her and John James.
The Colbys was a huge mistake, reducing the storylines in Dynasty to the absurd at times, although I liked the character of Sable Colby, I think she was the best thing to come out of that and was a formidable apponent for Alexis after Linda's departure. The UFO incident, wasn't that in the Colbys? Thank God!!! The look on Blake and Krystle's face when Jeff tells them Fallon was abducted just sums up how bloody rediculous that episode was!!!!
I was sad when Linda left and missed her terribly in season 9 and that's when the series found its mojo again and was as good as season 2. The romance between Blake and Krystle there wasn't enough for me!!!
The reunion was to be fair dreadful, the house was different, Adam was different ( why could'nt they have waited for Gordon Thompson to finish Santa Barbara!!!!???) it didn't feel like Dynasty at all. One saving grace was that we got to see Blake and Krysle together again!!!
Matthew Blaisdel was a terriffic character and I thought the writers wasted him. And yes Ali Mcgraw was the wrong choice for Ashley Mitchell, I mean did they really think she was prettier than Linda!!!!??? Maybe they could have gotten Raquel Welch or Sophia Loren to have added glamour and make a play for Blake.
Good discussion!!!!!!

[Paige]

I have to say I agree totally 100% with your comments about the show especially N0.4 !!I was so happy when Krystle got pregnant I thought lots of happy romantic scenes but the writers obviously had other ideas & wanted tension & arguments all the time ! I remember thinking to myself at the time, poor Krystle/Linda they won't even allow her to enjoy being pregnant !

Yes, they went straight from Krystina's health problems to the Daniel/Lady Ashley mess. There were very few romantic scenes between them either before or after Krystina was born, and it felt like we got robbed. We (and they!) had waited so long for them to finally have that baby and then we never got to really enjoy it.

And the Rita/ Krystle story was ridiculous & went on far too long. No wonder Linda was reported to have wanted to quit, delivering the ultimatum Rita goes or I do ! But it could have worked if they played it a bit differently instead of Krystle being kidnapped ! Why didn't they have Rita running around town withdrawing money & maxing out the credit cards. Blake would be informed ask Krystle about it she would deny it ( As it wasn't her ) Then they could up the anti and have Rita seen out with Joel again Blake would find out & become concerned about her & their relationship causing a rift between the two of them. Blake could hire & detective or maybe the bank would send cctv footage for Blake to look at to convince him further that Krystle was doing these things no matter how much she denied it ! Krystle would think maybe she was going nuts or something & not realise she was doing these things. And then maybe Blake in a last ditch attempt to solve the problems between the two of them he could take Krystle away for a romantic " Secret break " away from it all. Then whilst they were away, Joel could get impatient & want faster results, so Rita could over play her card & be seen again withdrawing even more money or something similar, but because the real Krystle is with Blake, their plan will start to un-ravel because Blake will know it's not her, because the real " Krystle was with him !!! So they investigate it together & spring a trap to catch Rita. What do you think ? Maybe I've thought about it way too much ! But you know me anything to protect my favourite couple !!!

That's a really good idea. And it would have solved what was to me that most ludicrous part of the entire storyline - that an imposter could live in the same house with Blake, share every facet of his life (except for sex), and not arouse his suspicions. It would be impossible to pull off, no matter how much Rita and Krystle looked alike. And, with your scenario, it would have been fun to see B&K work together to try to figure out what was going on.

Btw, I love that picture - it's one of my favorites.

[Paige]

Definately would've persuaded PSM to stay, I found Emma Samms too wooden and there was def no chemisrty between her and John James.
The Colbys was a huge mistake, reducing the storylines in Dynasty to the absurd at times, although I liked the character of Sable Colby, I think she was the best thing to come out of that and was a formidable apponent for Alexis after Linda's departure. The UFO incident, wasn't that in the Colbys? Thank God!!! The look on Blake and Krystle's face when Jeff tells them Fallon was abducted just sums up how bloody rediculous that episode was!!!!
I was sad when Linda left and missed her terribly in season 9 and that's when the series found its mojo again and was as good as season 2. The romance between Blake and Krystle there wasn't enough for me!!!
The reunion was to be fair dreadful, the house was different, Adam was different ( why could'nt they have waited for Gordon Thompson to finish Santa Barbara!!!!???) it didn't feel like Dynasty at all. One saving grace was that we got to see Blake and Krysle together again!!!
Matthew Blaisdel was a terriffic character and I thought the writers wasted him. And yes Ali Mcgraw was the wrong choice for Ashley Mitchell, I mean did they really think she was prettier than Linda!!!!??? Maybe they could have gotten Raquel Welch or Sophia Loren to have added glamour and make a play for Blake.
Good discussion!!!!!!

I really enjoyed reading your comments, carringtongal. You made some great points, especially about Emma Samms having no chemistry with John James and Sable being the best thing that came out of The Colbys. I particularly enjoyed her hatred of Alexis and their rivalry. It was pretty clear that they were going to try to pair her with Blake if there had been another season and I just can't imagine accepting that, mainly because I don't think I could ever accept Blake with anyone other than Krystle. It's too bad Linda left the show because there could have really been some good Blake/Krystle scenes during the 9th season, especially with the Roger Grimes storyline. Can you imagine her reaction to Blake being shot and Krystina being trapped? That would have been a fantastic storyline.

[carringtongal]

Thanks Paige, it seems everyone is in total agreement that there wasn't enough romantic scenes between Blake and Krystle, and yeah I wish Linda never left. Ive read somewhere that had Linda had known that season 9 was going to be the last she never would have left!!
As for the idea by Allegre that Rita could've replaced Krystle and continued to dupe Blake, imagine the scene, The moldavian massacre, Rita goes in Krystle's place, gets shot and killed, Blake thinks (and us) he's lost the love of his life, only to find it was Rita all along and Krystle is alive!!!!!!!

[allegre]

The moldavian massacre, Rita goes in Krystle's place, gets shot and killed, Blake thinks (and us) he's lost the love of his life, only to find it was Rita all along and Krystle is alive!!!!!!!

Hey kid not bad, not bad at all !!!!

[Alexis Carringto...]

I read this topic with an enormous pleasure.

Continuing the list:
1. I would have never fired Catherine Oxenberg and hire Caren Cellini instead. The role of Amanda have been wasted totally. It was already clear during season 6 that there was no good ideas about Amanda's further story, but when there was a chance, the actrees shift destroyed everything.
2. Claudia should have died a year earlier in Moldavia. Her existance during Season 6 wasso ennoying...
3. Moving the staircase in the mension at the beginning of Season 3 as well as adding some aqdditional aside entrance, never used before, in Season 9 was completely pointless.
4. Whatever good has Season 9 brought thare was a huge lack of Alexis' presence. Extending her role would have only make some benefit.
...

[Paige]

I read this topic with an enormous pleasure.

Continuing the list:
1. I would have never fired Catherine Oxenberg and hire Caren Cellini instead. The role of Amanda have been wasted totally. It was already clear during season 6 that there was no good ideas about Amanda's further story, but when there was a chance, the actrees shift destroyed everything.

I agree completely. Once they couldn't reach a deal with Oxenberg, they should have just written the character out.

4. Whatever good has Season 9 brought thare was a huge lack of Alexis' presence. Extending her role would have only make some benefit.

I also agree with you about this. As a huge Blake and Krystle fan, I hate Alexis, but there's no denying that the show wasn't the same without her. There has to be conflict to make a story interesting, and Alexis had conflicts with just about every character on the show.