Oh, how the rich can get into mischief. This DVD set is smack dab in the middle of Dynasty’s successful nine season run. The mudslinging, both literal and figurative, was at its height in this fifth season, and no $200 haircut or $1000 outfit was left unruffled by the various scandals and plots set into the web of these wealthy Denver residents. In fact, this season was the one and only time this series won a Golden Globe for best TV drama.
Both my age and lack of interest from the time I was between the ages of 1 to 5, when this show originally aired, betray any memories I may have of this program. Approaching it these days, I can clearly see how it was derivative of Dallas, its CBS rival (Dynasty having aired on ABC). If these wealthy folk are not in each other’s faces, they’re in each other’s beds.
Each episode is jam-packed with enormous stories, as any good soap opera should be, be it daytime or primetime. The final episode alone contains the end of the family business, a wedding, a death, arrests, and “Holy Cliffhangers Batman!”; there are mysterious family members popping up, murder charges, and tons of other unanswered questions lingering for season six. So, be you a long time fan looking to reconnect or a curious newcomer, you will be eager for the next batch of stories to pull up in a stretch limo and tantalize you with their noses held quite high.
Most of the pleasure in watching this series comes from the “so bad it’s good” school of execution. Nevertheless, the gutsy handling of taboo topics within a stricter national code of morality gave this nighttime soap opera an admirable, rebellious quality. Add to it the guilty pleasure of watching Linda Evans occasionally beat the crap out of Joan Collins, and you’ve got the early days of “must-see TV.”
Video
Presented in the 4:3 fullscreen it was originally broadcast in. The picture quality transferred very well onto DVD. Little aging is visible in the film, which is very nice considering it is over 25 years in age.
Audio
Paramount provides two audio tracks, both monaural (one English, one Spanish). Action and dialog play out with equal volume, and speaking of volume, levels stay high throughout the whole of the presentation with no washing out for intimate scenes, or low talkers. Shouldn’t give viewers any problems.
Special Features
Nothing
Final Thoughts:
With stories as big as the ladies’ hair in this program, it is easy to see how one can be sucked into this world of luxury cars, diamond-encrusted everything, a teenage Heather Locklear, and men whose hair looks freshly cut after “working out” in their private gym. The devil may wear Prada, but something all the more conniving is wearing items from the “Dynasty collection” (an actual fashion line from the 80s, based on the show).
