Dynasty: The Reunion
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Dynasty: The Reunion was a 1991 mini-series which reunited the characters from the popular primetime television soap opera Dynasty, which had aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989. The mini-series, like the series, revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado.
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[edit] Plot
When Dynasty ended, Alexis Colby (Joan Collins) and Dex Dexter (Michael Nader) had fallen over a balcony at The Carlton Hotel, Fallon (Emma Samms) and Krystina (Jessica Player) were trapped in a cave on the Carrington estate with a cache of stolen Nazi war treasure, and Blake (John Forsythe) had shot and been shot by a corrupt policeman.
The Reunion picks up the story three years later, as Blake is pardoned and released from jail.
In the interim, a shadowy organization called The Consortium has taken control of Blake's company, Denver-Carrington. Krystle (Linda Evans) is reunited with Blake after her release from the Swiss hospital where, in the series' final season, she had lapsed into a coma after delicate brain surgery. Fallon is in California, involved again with Miles Colby (Maxwell Caulfield), Steven (Al Corley) is living in Washington, D.C., with his partner Bart Fallmont (Cameron Watson), Sammy Jo (Heather Locklear) is modeling in New York and Alexis is involved with media spin doctor Jeremy Van Dorn (Jeroen Krabbé), who has convinced her to invest in Fashion Fury, a troubled fashion business owned by Arlen (Michael Brandon) and Carol Marshall (Wendie Malick).
Krystle, having been programmed by the sinister Dr. Jobinet (Tony Jay) in Switzerland, tries to kill Blake, but her love for him is too strong and she breaks free from the programming of The Consortium. Jeff Colby (John James) is abducted by The Consortium, and to rescue him Adam Carrington (Robin Sachs) enlists the aid of Jeff's half-brother Miles Colby and Adam's former love Kirby Anders (Kathleen Beller), the latter of whom now lives in Paris and works for The Consortium as a translator. Adam, who had played no small part in The Consortium's takeover of Denver-Carrington, is reunited with his father, Blake, and past sins are forgiven.
A hearing is scheduled for Denver-Carrington v. The Consortium, and the American courts rule in Blake's favor - the takeover of Denver-Carrington was unlawful, and controlling interest is returned to Blake. Adam and Kirby re-establish their relationship, and the family - including Miles and Sammy Jo - reunite for an intimate dinner at the Carrington mansion. Jeremy Van Dorn makes one last attempt to gain control of Alexis' company ColbyCo; he tries to poison Alexis, but she is rescued by Blake, Jeff, Steven and Adam. Fallon finally chooses ex-husband Jeff over Miles. Alexis joins the family dinner, and Blake makes a toast which acknowledges their bond of blood, despite their past rivalries.
[edit] Reception
Only a moderate ratings success, and arguably an outright critical failure, The Reunion was widely regarded as a disappointment, particularly for long-running fans of the series, mainly because of a number of oversights, errors and decisions it made in regard to continuity.
- The mini-series incorrectly uses the Colby Enterprises establishing shot for scenes in the ColbyCo building. The two companies are distinct within Dynasty lore. Colby Enterprises, controlled by Jason Colby (Charlton Heston), is in Los Angeles; ColbyCo, controlled by Alexis Colby, is in Denver.
- The foyer of the Carrington mansion looks much different than it did throughout the run of the original series. By 1991 the original Carrington mansion sets were long gone, and since the project's budget was relatively small the producers chose a different location (and staged little action there) rather than rebuild them.
- The casting was problematic. The decision to cast Al Corley as Steven Carrington, instead of Jack Coleman created a continuity error, as Coleman replaced Corley in the original series, and the change of appearance was explained by plastic surgery after an oil rig explosion (though in the producers' defense, Coleman was unavailable). Further, the decision to cast Robin Sachs instead of Gordon Thomson as Adam Carrington was unpopular. Thomson originated the role in season three and remained until the very end of the original series, but could not get out of a contract with the soap opera Santa Barbara in time for production.
- The character portrayals and dialogue suggested either ignorance or disregard for the series' long-term continuity. The confrontational scenes between Blake and Steven, when they are reunited in Washington, for example, suggest that Blake still disapproves of his son's homosexuality. That issue had been long put to rest in the original series. Similarly, the portrayal of Sammy Jo as money-hungry and ambitious was in tune with the character as she was first written in the early 1980s, but paid little heed to the evolution of the character through the original series (she had eventually inherited her father's horse stud ranch, Delta Rho, and established herself as a businesswoman.)
- More frustratingly, the purpose of the project - to resolve the questions left hanging in the show's famous cliffhanger finale - was not fully realised. Apart from one overheard conversation which implied that Dex Dexter had not fared so well under Alexis when they fell from The Carlton's balcony, there is no mention made of the Nazi treasure, Sable Colby (Stephanie Beacham), who was pregnant with Dex Dexter's child at the time of the series finale, or her daughter Monica Colby (Tracy Scoggins). Both had been series regulars in Dynasty's final season, and on The Colbys during its two seasons on air.
[edit] Behind the scenes
Despite its flaws, the mini-series reunited much of the crew who had worked on the original series, including writer/creators Richard and Esther Shapiro, Edward DeBlasio and Robert and Eileen Pollock, producer Elaine Rich, cinematographer Michel Hugo and costume designer Nolan Miller. It also featured three long-running supporting players, William Beckley as Carrington butler Gerard, Virginia Hawkins as Carrington maid Jeanette Robbins, and Betty Harford as Carrington cook Hilda Gunnerson. All three appeared in the Dynasty original series.
The mini-series was directed by Irving J. Moore. Part one was first broadcast in the USA on October 20, 1991, and part two on October 22, 1991.
