God Save the Queen...

...and I am the queen. In fact, the biggest one of all. Not to mention the biggest pop culture obsessed loser ever to grace the sagging cushions of an over-used sofa. At least this weekend it was abused.
Let me first set the stage for this tale, and get a cup of hot cocoa, cuz this will be a long journey through my weekend sensory overload. Not interested? Log off now.
Friday night, the other half and I went off to our usual joint for some dinner, and stopped @ Reckless Records to do some shopping. Those not in the know, Reckless sells used DVDs, videos, cds, etc. I have often heard the other half talk about Dynasty, and how much he loved it when it originally ran. We found the entire first season for 17 bucks @ Reckless, so the other half made it his problem purchase of the shopping evening. We agreed to watch a couple of episodes that evening, to see if it would suit my tastes.
13 episodes and 2 days later, I can certainly see what all the fuss was about. Yes, ladies and gents, we watched the entire 1st season over the expanse of the weekend. Here we have hard evidence that I am indeed gay.
Where do I start? Well, I am impressed that we sat down and did it. We actually watched a whole season of television in a weekend. Not that anything could have kept me away. I knew I had an addictive personality, but jeez!
I am impressed by the details of this show, and find it interesting that they were able to put so much into it, cuz this is the first season. They had to have known that it would succeed, cuz everything was developed very slowly. Details such as Michael pulling the limo around to allow Blake to exit the car on the house side, when every other time they approached, they would take the opposite route. Incredible!
Let's break it down, somewhat...
John Forsythe: Handsome, devilish, and sympathetic. I was amazed that he was able to portray such strength and control, but still be real. I really believed that Blake loved Krystal, despite his need to lord over her. She defied him and I think that is why he found her so appetizing. His best moments were the introductions between Krystal and the staff, his "murder" of Ted, and the rape scene. That was unexpected! I had only previously known him as the voice of "Charlie". He has immense presence, and even though he can be villianous, I found myself rooting for him.
Linda Evans: Those eyes. She has such interesting features, and I found her to be a very good actress. Let me pause here to say that although it was a soap opera, I did not find it as cheesy as expected. This included the performances. Linda's Krystal was a joy to watch, and everytime she would exert some control or actually stand up for something, I would cheer her on. Her quiet moments were equally good, and she did a tremendous job showing her fear and frustration about her new husband and lifestyle. And ooooh, those shoulder pads. Wow. The other half and I also loved to comment on that hair. "The hair you could see from a mile away."
John James: The other half remembered him as the hottie of the show. At first I was not so sure, but as the season went on, I began to agree. And the shirtless scenes were a great bonus. That nice furry sixpack and chest were oh-so tasty. I digress. I thought his portrayal of Jeff Colby was a bit tongue in cheek. He seemed to be the only character/actor that didn't take it all so seriously. It was a nice change from the complete and total drama of everyone else.
Al Corley: Steven Carrington was someone I was really rooting for, until he slept w/ Claudia. I understood the confusion he was experiencing, and I appreciated how the show dealt w/ it, especially since this was the early 80's. There was talk that it is all inborn (which it is) Nature, not nurture. But we still had the usual ballyhoo that it was a choice, and the right woman would "cure" him of his sickness. Corley's performance throughout remained very one note, but his character was in the middle of this confusion, so I will chalk it up to writing and direction. He was also eye candy. The only real emotion I saw him show, beyond his extreme melancholy, was the moment that Ted died. His wide eyed look to his father was impressive. Finally, for Godssake, Ted, he wanted to leave you mostly cuz you were a needy, pushy man. That would have pissed me off too!
Pamela Sue Martin: Nice, sweet Susan from The Poseidon Adventure is now a raving, underhanded bitch. She does this part so well, and I loooooved to hate her, which I am sure is the point. She is not beautiful, but there is something about her that is so appealing. Basically, the only real moment she let down her guard was when Jeff asked her if she had lied on the stand. It was a very real moment for her. Let me break away again. All of the women in this show are able to cry @ the drop of a hat. I have never seen so many moist eyes on any program past or present. Fallon (what a kick ass name, sounds like a bird of prey...nice job writers...if the shoe fits) was one of the most interesting characters, if also a bit one note. I guess stereotypes sell, and when a cast is this large, each character gets their own drum to beat. At lease everyone gets a bit of each type, just not all in one package.
Katy something or other (Lindsey): Not much to say, cuz by the end of the season, I disliked this character very much. Cried all the time, and was the biggest drama queen in the entire show. How the hell did she such billing in the opening credits. Whatever.
****random warning: If you live in a world like Dynasty, don't say anything anywhere about anyone. At any given moment, there will be a person listening to your conversation, eavesdropping on your phone calls, watching your lips move and spying on you for their own personal gain. So watch out!
**random thought: The whole time we were watching, I kept asking, "Where's Joan Collins?"
That final moment of the season had me cheering, screaming and jumping up and down, when Brian Dennehey's rebuttal witness entered the court room. The big problem here is that we have no idea when season two will be released. How long will I have to wait for the continuation of this addictive, ridiculous scandal-filled mess?
Claudia (I can't remember the actress name, which is sad, cuz I saw it 13 times in a row. We had to watch the credits each time, cuz the theme is also addictive.) I did not like her @ first, but she grew on me. The character was just so bipolar. Of course, she started the show @ the tail end of her "hospital" stay. She was the best cryer in the season, and her moment on the stand, when she realized that Mathew was present, was heartwrenching. It was a nice touch for the writers to always have me, the audience on edge. I waited every moment she was on screen for some wretched breakdown scene. When season two starts up, I hope she is ok, but Lindsey can be done w/. Sorry.
Matthew (this is a sucky "review", I cannot remember the names and I am too lazy to look it all up.) was an interesting character. When we started this show, I expected all high profile socialites, and no working class folk. There was a nice mixture, but I have to admit that I generally liked the moments when we would return to the Carrington House. Anyway, Mathew was kind of sexy, and I found myself looking @ his butt alot. Don't ask my why. He was believable, and it was his few moments of fiery passion that were his most memorable scenes. When he finally told off wife Claudia it was a great show of force. Kind of sexy.
I have no idea what else or who else I am forgetting. This kind of whirlwind tour is such a mind-f*** that alot of details are lost. Let's just say that I was w/ it the whole way, and have found yet another pop culture phenom to waste my precious time on. Only thing is, I am over 20 years late. Better late than never? I guess. I will gladly visit the Carrington's, the Blaisdel's and the Filoli Mansion again, and now, let the infamous cat fights begin.

ps: this entry is one big mess of thoughts. Please forgive my disorganization, but my mind is weak, and my shoulder pads need to be adjusted.