Oil Parts 1 & 2

Dynasty

Season 1 Episode 1

Air Date: January 12, 1981

Recap:  The show begins and we meet Blake Carrington, he's off to work in his chauffeured limo, he's very busy and important because he has a desk in the limo so he look at important papers for work.  He tells the driver that they need to stop at Miss Jennings house before going to the office.  There's a wedding shower going on at Krystle Jennings house.  She gets a copy of The Joy of Sex, everyone thinks it's funny, expect for one of her friends, who doesn't understand why anyone needed to write an instruction manual.  Blake's driver comes and delivers a gift, all the women go look out the window and go on about how handsome and how rich Blake Carrington is, then one of the ladies begins to cry. She says that they are going to miss Krystle, I guess they all assume that as soon as she gets married she's going to drop them like that.  But she tells them that they'll always be friends and they will come over all the time, I suspect that we won't see or hear about anymore girls nights.  They make her open the gift, it's diamond earrings, then Doris the one who made the comment about the book, says that the other guy wouldn't have given her diamonds.  This obviously is something she shouldn't have said out loud, but I'm pretty sure the other ladies were probably thinking it too. 
We cut to an explosion at an oil field, in the Middle East.  Matthew Blaisdale gets into a fight with one of the soldiers, but loses the fight pretty quickly.  It's the next day or a couple days later, and they are walking to a plane, there's an angry mob on the other side of the fence, they want want the Americans out of the country, because it's their oil.  Matthew looks back one last time, which kind of reminded me of Miss Saigon, except one on is trying to pull in into the plane, but who knows maybe there is some girl out there trying to get to him. 
Back in Denver, Blake is talking to his lawyer about the mess that went on in the Middle East.  He wants to know why the government wasn't there to help get their equipment and people out.  We also learn that he doesn't want Matthew to come back to Denver. 
Matthew is on a plane back, and comes across a very drunk, Steven Carrington, he begins to complain to Matthew about his father, who didn't call to tell him about his wedding, he just sent the invitation.  He asks Matthew if he knows who his father is going to marry, but before he can tell him he gets into a fight a flight attendant who won't give him another drink, because he's had enough.  After the plane lands Steven finds Matthew again, and doesn't seem drunk anymore.  He offers Matthew a ride, but Matthew says no.  Steven goes to the car and finds out that the car is for Matthew not for him, his father wants him to take a cab home, the driver tells him.  At Blake's office Matthew runs into Krystle, there's a history with them. (so he's the guy who wouldn't give her diamonds)  Blake takes Matthew into his office, and Krystle leaves in a huff.  Blake and Matthew talk about what happened in the Middle East, and tells him that he'll have to talk to reporters and to congress.  Matthew tells Blake that they should start looking for oil in the US.  Blake wants to know about his relationship with Krystle.  Matthew goes home, everything is covered, so his wife and daughter are somewhere else. 
Krystle is late for a meeting with the wedding planner, he's a dick about her being late, and is really condescending, but Steven comes to the rescue and sends her to lie down.  He tells the wedding planner that he should apologize to Krystle, the wedding planner thinks he's apart of the same class as the Carringtons, but Steven lets him know he's even lower than where the wedding planner thinks Krystle is. 
Blake is on the way home and gets a call on his car phone, it's his daughter Fallon, they go off for a horse back ride, she gets thrown from her horse, and while Blake goes after her horse, she strips out of her wet clothes and puts on his jacket he left for her.  On the way back to the house, they talk about his plans for her future, which are for her to marry into a family that will increase the Carrington empire.  She makes a comment about his marriage to Krystle then rides off.  Michael the chauffeur is cleaning the car when the phone rings, it's Fallon.  They met in the carriage house, (I would say garage, but there are actually carriages there, that's how rich Blake is).  They kiss and the jacket falls to the floor, Steven is watching from an upstairs window. 
Blake sees Krystle leaving and stops her, she thinks he brought Matthew to the office on purpose, and accuses him of thinking she'd leave him if she knew that Matthew was back. 
Matthew and Krystle meet up later and talk, he wants to know if she loves Blake, she says yes, then says she thought she did.  Matthew seems like a real prize, and Krystle doesn't seem to mind that he's married, and won't divorce his wife, I'm pretty sure Krystle wouldn't like it if it were her. 
Later Matthew is at the gym and an old friend comes in they box a bit, while talking about going into business together.  Matthew wants to put his life back together and bring home his wife and daughter.  Matthew picks up daughter and they go to the mental hospital where his wife Claudia is, their daughter doesn't want to go in, so he goes in alone and finds out she checked out awhile ago, not sure why no one was notified, even if he was in the Middle East and couldn't be reached I would think that they would let other relatives know.  They find her at the diner, and Matthew makes her sit down even though she tells him that she has to work, she agrees to come back home with them after the daughter hugs her. 
At Krystle's apartment, she gets a whole flower shop delivered to her house, she thinks it's great, check out the pictures below for a blooper:

This is kind of creepy

Blake comes and tells her that some lovesick fool bought out the flower shop and gives her a droopy bunch of flowers, he apologizes and asks her to go to dinner, and wants to know what she would like, she says nothing expensive.  So he takes her to San Francisco to the best Chinese in town.  On the plane ride back they make up and the wedding is back on.  It's the day of the wedding and the house is a buzz with activity. 
At the oil rig somethings gone wrong and it falls apart, someone gets hurt bad, but the guys don't carry him very well, so he's probably hurt more on the way to the truck.
Blake's lawyer brings Krystle the pre-nup to sign.  If she doesn't sign it then their won't be a wedding Fallon tells her, she signs it after asking the lawyer if it's true. 
Walter, Matthew's friend from the oil rig thinks Blake caused the accident, after they discover it was tampered with.  He drives off to Blake's, he's got a gun in the glove compartment. 
Blake finally wants to talk to Steven, he lectures him about what his plans are for him after he come back from the honeymoon.  Steven doesn't want to work for his father, they argue and we learn why Blake has been putting his son off, he's gay, Blake isn't very sensitive, but does try to apologize, but doesn't do a great job.  The episode ends with a shot of Krystal staring pensively out the window.

Final Thoughts:  Lots of drama, there's a lot going on, but the story pulls you in.  I don't know if the they want us to like Matthew, but right away I don't like him, he mumbles like his got marbles in his mouth, and looking at him I don't see what the appeal is, but maybe it's an 80's thing. 

Best Outfit:  This one was a bit tough, I was going to pick Matthew's corduroys jacket and tight tan pants, but I thought the pattern on this dress was pretty bad.

Fight Count: 3 (Matthew and Walter, Blake and Fallon, Blake and Steven)

 (1981-01

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