The whole gang’s back together on Dynasty! And what a sweet, sweet sight it was.  

Who knew that a series about a dysfunctional and wealthy family would somehow find its way to a happy ending for all? Dynasty Season 5 Episode 22 was like a glow-up for some of the most morally corrupt characters on television.  

As Fallon explained when she managed to save her company (and destroy her enemy, Ellen, in the process), they’re all in this together, through the good times and the bad. 

The series has always been about a family legacy, so it was fitting that it ended with Fallon Unlimited turning into Carrington United, the family-owned business that it should have been from the beginning. 

The finale was a solid ending that featured a handful of sweet moments that paid tribute to the first season, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as touching as it was if not for the return of Steven Carrington (played by James Mackay). 

The moment all Dynasty fans have been waiting for finally happened, it’s just a shame that they waited until the last moment to bring him back. Steven had so much to offer, and it would’ve been nice to see a little more from his takedown of Adam, which was condensed to a few short scenes. Admittedly, I did fully enjoy seeing them fight it out because I wasn’t sure whether Steven actually crossed over to the dark side in all his time away. The good news is that he didn’t, but he was still ready for this chapter to be over.

Regardless, the writers did their best to ensure that Steven got his time to shine, crafting heartfelt reunions between the people that mattered to him most: Sammy and Fallon. Their shock felt so real—like seeing a ghost—that I wondered if maybe they weren’t informed that Mackay would be returning for the last episode until it happened. 

Steven eased his way back into the family pretending to be Graham so that he could take on the man that robbed him of so much precious time–Adam Carrington. And it was much deserved.

Adam has gotten away with far too much throughout the past few seasons, so Steven’s return finally held him accountable for all of it. Steven was not only able to get his long-desired revenge, but he was able to clear his name by telling everyone the truth about what happened! He didn’t just ghost them, he was drugged and institutionalized by the very man who has been living in the manor and reaping the benefits of being a Carrington. 

While there were moments where Adam shaped up throughout the seasons, he never deserved a redemption arc, nor did he deserve the family’s sympathy. Good riddance. 

However, I don’t think he really ever paid the price for all the terrible things he’s done. The ability to reinvent himself and become a vet in London isn’t exactly punishment. It’s not as glitzy as a Chief of Staff at a hospital, but there are far worse fates he could have suffered. And he’s still out there able to hurt and manipulate people. Part of me thought that his exit was too convenient; I kept thinking he was going to come back and shoot Steven or something, but that would’ve made for better TV had the series continued on for more seasons. 

Steven’s return coincided with the birth of Fallon and Liam’s baby girl, Lauren Morrell Carrington Ridley, a possible nod to Laura Van Kirk (I doubt it, but may she RIP) and also Lauren Colby in the original series (the daughter of Jeff and Fallon–I’m so glad that didn’t happen in this version!). 

The birth was definitely rushed, and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see Fallon and Liam as parents in any future scenes, including the 6-month time jump. It would have been so sweet if Lauren made the Carrington family photo at the end. We never saw them with the baby aside from when Fallon introduced her to the family and even then, it was interrupted by Steven’s return and Fallon’s need to save the company. 

Fallon’s last scheme wasn’t anything silly or immature; she pulled a classic Carrington move to oust Ellen once and for all and regain control of the company that belonged to her in the first place. And they did it in classic Carrington style by flaunting their wealth! It was nice to see her and Blake team up one last time—they’ve come so far, and the phrase like father like daughter couldn’t ring more true. Now, the private company will stay in the family and ensure a good life for future dynasties and generations to come. 

While there were plenty of happy endings all around, I feel like we could’ve seen a little bit more from Sammy and Steven’s reunion. They seemingly just fell back into old habits, but we didn’t get to see much of their relationship aside from the initial reunion. 

Dynasty — “Catch 22” — Image Number: DYN522_0033r — Pictured (L – R): Grant Show as Blake Carrington and Elaine Hendrix as Alexis Carrington Colby — Photo: The CW — © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Sammy also served as the officiant for Culhane and Nina’s wedding, and I love that Culhane finally found his soulmate. It’s fitting that one of the final scenes of the series would be a wedding at the manor. I mean, there’s no better venue, right?

Sammy and Culhane’s friendship became one of the best parts of the show, so I’m glad that they really capitalized on it till the end, especially with their sweet speech about Culhane leaving his best friend behind and moving to Los Angeles. “Everyone can have a best friend, but not everyone can have a Culhane” was such a memorable line. 

As I mentioned, happy endings were in abundance, which felt pretty weird for a series that has always thrived in the dramatic space. Bad blood was pushed aside, enemies turned into frenemies, and even relationships were salvaged, including Blake’s and Cristal’s.

They were able to put aside their differences and remember that their love is stronger than anything. Blake learned to appreciate what he had when he helped Alexis rescue Dex. The whole Appalachain mountains rescue mission was pretty far-fetched, but it was one of the rare moments where we saw Blake and Alexis work together as a team and acknowledge that despite everything, they are family. It was sweet. 

Alexis somehow found Dex safe and sound in the middle of nowhere during a storm while all other rescue efforts were unsuccessful, but I’ll just let that one slide.

Kirby and Amanda went through a little rough patch, but with a little time apart, they realized that distance makes the heart grow fonder and compromise makes a relationship flourish. Kirby has really matured over the seasons, so when she encouraged Amanda to take her dream job otherwise she’d resent her, it was one of her strongest moments as a character. And, in turn, Amand learned that a dream job isn’t always fulfilling if you don’t have the person you love by your side. Kirby informed Amanda that she would consider moving to London, and my only hope is that they never cross paths with psycho Adam. 

Other Highlights from Dynasty Season 5 Episode 22:

• Sammy would try to sabotage any potential investors in order to keep Culhane around. I’m glad he acknowledged it was mostly his fear of being abandoned bubbling to the surface. 
• Liam finally fessed up to plagiarizing his second novel from his professor and mentor, Kingston. He knew he couldn’t live with it, and he made amends by clearing up the error, publishing Kingston’s manuscript as he left it, writing a forward, and eventually, getting back to a creative space by writing his own children’s novel that redeemed his poor choices. 
• Colby turned a negative into a positive by following his enemy’s lead and releasing all of his projects and codes into the world in an open source format, which allowed him to better tech for future generations and open up headquarter’s in Nigeria. Hats off to Colby for being a better and brighter Elon Musk.
• I love that all these billionaires are turning a corner and making business decisions that will have a positive impact on the world. 
• A Fallon and Steven signing moment at the piano? We are not worthy!
• I think one of the best things was Culhane’s “one last Carrington ride to bring in the new generation.” He’s come so far! But it was a nice touch.
• Kirby and Amanda share a brother, but they are not related! This is important. 
• Dom and Cristal will always love to hate each other, but where would they do without one another?

Dynasty could have pumped out enough storylines to continue for many more seasons, but with the network’s decision to end the adventure, the finale impressively tied up all loose ends and promised that everyone would be just fine. After all, they are Carringtons. 

What did you think of the series finale?

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Dynasty is gearing up for an impressive exit. 

The penultimate episode of the series began tying up loose ends for many of the characters, but what would Dynasty be without a dash of drama along the way? We have to expect that the series is going to go out with a bang. 

Fallon and Liam celebrated their baby shower with their loved ones and surrogate Stacy, who was made an official part of the Carrington family and accidentally revealed that they are expecting a baby girl. It’s clear that the upcoming series finale will end with the family of three happy together as Stacy looks like she’s about ready to give birth. I was honestly expecting her to go into labor while she was being celebrated at the shower.

There was a tender moment between Fallon and Alexis, and boy, they’ve come a long way since their initial pool fight. It’s nice to see Alexis do this for her daughter, even if it was over-the-top with that signature Alexis flair.

Stacy also confronted Adam about having atropine in his bag, finally piecing together that he’s a complete monster. I’m so glad she informed someone about his actions before sharing her theory with him because Adam is a loose cannon. He’s so unpredictable, and when put on the spot and threatened, there’s no telling what he’s capable of. Stacy, however, seems like a pretty put-together person, so she likely acknowledged how much danger she was in when Adam poisoned her, which led to her decision to bring in reinforcements when she confronted him. And I’m loving Cristal embracing her role as the woman of the manor. Gone are the days when she would let people—mostly Blake—walk all over her; Cristal is kicking people out, hiring new staff (she should probably check references first), and standing up to Blake when he dishes out misogynistic statements like “end of discussion.” 

Blake is still Blake at the end of the day, but he’s made some impressive strides in his personal growth and development that need to be acknowledged. He reached out to Colby when his PPA plane went dark, and while things got tense for a moment when he didn’t exactly trust Colby enough to give him full reign, he realized that he needed to put his ego aside for the greater good. It’s a huge moment for Blake—I never thought I’d hear him apologize to Colby let alone admit that he was wrong.

Colby, on the other hand, stood his ground. He helped Blake locate the plane’s locations while acknowledging that they couldn’t remedy a broken relationship overnight… but it was a good start. These two, much like Alexis and Fallon, have come a long way. And the reality that they likely don’t want to confront is that they work really well together. 

I wasn’t exactly certain why the writers introduced a new mystery involving one of PPA’s planes while trying to wrap things up, but it was all made clear in those final moments when Blake got the call that the confidential manifest was revealed and Dex was one of the financier’s on board. Alexis has been so busy planning the baby shower that she likely didn’t even realize Dex wasn’t texting back. 

For Alexis’ sake, I hope Dex survives the ordeal. She’s become a better person because of her relationship with him, and while his appearance has been few and far in between, he always pushes Alexis to own up to the mistakes of her past and do better. Plus, it’s been nice to see her in a happy and healthy relationship for once. The logline for the final episode also notes that Blake and Alexis team up to go on a rescue mission together, which sounds pretty silly but also extremely entertaining. We’ve been cheated of Grant Show and Elaine Hendrix scenes! 

Speaking of someone who deserves a good partner, Culhane is engaged! In the words of Lizzo, “it’s about damn time.” Culhane obviously has the means for an extravagant proposal, but considering his and Nina’s film meet-cute, what he planned was absolutely perfect. I don’t know if we’ll get to see him walk down the aisle in the finale, but I’m content knowing that Culhane is getting his happily ever after and leaving behind his connection to the Carrington family in his dust. 

It’s not entirely ideal for Sammy, who wanted to expand his hotel to another location in Atlanta, and I don’t really understand why Culhane just can’t fly back and forth to help manage the venture from LA, but honestly, Culhane has sacrificed so much for others that it’s about time he puts himself and his wants first. With the possibility of losing his best friend and sidekick (an unexpected but incredible development in the last season), Sammy is forced to put his life into perspective and dig deep when it comes to his future. Simply by witnessing Culhane’s proposal, Sammy realized that he wasn’t completely “in” with Ryan, and neither of them deserved that kind of love. If there’s anyone on this series who deserves happiness more than Culhane and Alexis, it’s Sammy!

It’s a bummer that Colby also hasn’t found a soulmate to rule the world with as he just realized that Gemma, the woman he met at the bachelor auction, was likely responsible for stealing his drives with the company codes on them. And Gemma works for Colby’s biggest adversary Richard Payne, the CEO of Plenexia, so yeah, this might have dire effects on Colby Co.

Colby wouldn’t even know if it wasn’t for the makings of what was to be a steamy hook-up between Dom and her former bodyguard. As most everyone on this series, Dom hasn’t had the best experience when it comes to relationships, so I’m hoping this is the one she doesn’t let slip away. They make a cute couple.

Of course, not everyone deserves a happy ending… like Adam, for instance. We’ve watched him get away with doing utterly terrible things to the people he claims he loves for far too long. It’s boring to see him get away without any true repercussions for his actions—and no, getting kicked out of the manor doesn’t actually count. But Graham stuffing Adam into the back of the trunk and vowing to make him pay up is the kind of plot twist I’m all about. Please, please, please let it be that Graham is working for Steven because if we don’t see Steven in this final episode, well, we march at dawn Dynasty fans. 

The series has never been above a face swap, so could it be possible that Graham is Steven with a new face? Or is he someone Steven met while locked away overseas? Either way, Graham seemed to take kindly to Sam as if he were protecting him. And if Steven’s return is possible in the finale, maybe that’s why Sam could never actually commit to anyone else. His soulmate was always Steven!

I’m just hoping that Adam finally meets his match, whoever Graham may be. It’s satisfying to watch as it’s clear that Adam does not fancy a taste of his own medicine. And he’s on his own because one will even go looking for him now that he’s pretty much burned every bridge possible.

Graham wasn’t the only new person to arrive at the manor ready to cause chaos, which honestly makes you question whether anyone else needs a key to the revolving door of the manor. Just as Amanda and Kirby seemed to get off of shaky footing and established that there is a future for them even if they don’t know what it entails exactly, Florence, Amanda’s uh “friend” from London, came knocking.

Kirby looked threatened, while it simply seemed as though Florence and Amanda had a lot of unfinished business to discuss. Is she here because she wants to reconcile? Or does she have a new opportunity that will pull Amanda back to London?

And lastly, Fallon has entered what will be known as her final and ultimate beef with Ellen, a board member who is adopting all of her tricks of the trade and using them against her. It’s slightly impressive to see just how conniving Ellen is, but then again, she learned from the best. 

Still, Fallon is not one to be played at her own game. She doesn’t get intimated, and she won’t lose the climate-positive company that she’s creating for her daughter to someone whose motivations are beyond questionable. She’ll come in swinging, and if I were Ellen, I’d be afraid. 

As for Liam, well, I want to see how he’s going to dig himself out of this mess. Can he live with what he did by paying off his mentor’s nephew to stay silent? Or will he fess up so that his daughter can have a father she can be proud of? My gut tells me it’s going to be the latter. 

What did you think of the penultimate episode of Dynasty? What predictions do you have for next week’s series finale?

Dynasty is having fun with its final few episodes! 

One of my favorite episodes of One Tree Hill was the Boy Toy auction, and while times have changed since 2003, Dynasty’s take on a “bachelor auction” was just as juicy, even if Fallon struggled to find some eligible bachelors for the gig. 

Auctioning off Liam and Culhane wasn’t a bad idea—it’s just a date, after all—but they aren’t exactly single and ready to mingle.

However, Fallon will never disappoint as she put together pretty neat packages that each winner would win alongside the bachelor. Personally, I’d put all my money on the ride in the Aston Martin and a wine country date, not to mention, Culhane definitely had the best moves out of the trio.

I’m shocked the characters agreed to a little choreographed dance number to open up the auction, but that shows how much power Fallon wields over these men. They’d do anything for her. 

The whole reason behind the auction was charity as Fallon needed to triple donations for Heroic Hooves so that she could get rid of Mandy once and for all and establish a newer process for how things are done.

Heroic Hooves was truly struggling financially, and it’s because Mandy was an old guard who wasn’t open up to new ideas or suggestions to raise funds. The whole charity needed an overhaul, and Fallon was perfect for the job. She isn’t stuffy; she knows how to make people want a life of luxury, she knows how to sell the dream, and she knows how to work the system. 

Not only that, but she’s also passionate about horses, so this is one gig that’s near and dear to her heart. 

Liam was going through it as he considered whether or not to use his mentor’s book and pass it off as his own. The very fact that he had to run it by Sammy using the Tuna Melt Metaphor (and then tried to convince Sammy to steal a competitor’s recipe so that he would feel better about his decision) was proof that he could never live with the lie. 

But when Fallon pushed and told him she read the first few chapters and thought it was genius, Liam did the unthinkable. 

I simply wish he took his mentor’s idea but gave it his own spin and rewrote the whole thing. That way, he’d only be stealing an idea and that’s slightly better to stomach. 

Liam is creative, so even if he has writer’s block, he just needs an idea to get started. He doesn’t actually have to take the whole thing.

However, this isn’t the first morally immoral thing he did as he also wrote his mentor’s nephew’s paper, so one might say this is just who Liam has become now — a fraud faking his way through success.

Sammy knows it’s going to blow back on him, and I think all of us know it too. Liam might actually be quite aware of it as well, but he’s willing to risk his reputation. 

Speaking of reputations,…Alexis’ was almost destroyed because of Adam’s injectables that have been causing terrible side effects for patients. 

When Alexis informed him of the FDA’s involvement, Adam swore that he wasn’t doing anything illegal, which we know isn’t true as he’s using the illegal Bokocho extract in his formula. He immediately ran to daddy for help, and honestly, I’m proud of Blake for shading his son about putting a product on the market that’s “killing” people. For once, Blake seemed to have a moral compass, though he still reached out to his FDA contact to have the samples switched.

In a way, it saved Alexis’ company in the public eye, but thankfully, she’s also being smart about how she conducts her business. And she has Dax to thank for it. While she blindly and wholeheartedly trusted Adam, Dax wasn’t convinced. And for good reason.

Adam framed Alexis for murder — he always protects his own skin, so she can’t blindly believe him and trust him. If Blake hadn’t helped out, Adam would undoubtedly turn on her and her company would take the hit.

It was infuriating to see Alexis take Adam’s side and fight with Dax when he was making all the sense in the world. He surely wanted to be wrong, but he needed to be sure. After everything Adam has pulled, his deception shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore. 

So, I was glad to see that Alexis was done protecting her son. The moment she tested her own samples and realized he was lying, she called the DEA and they walked Adam out in handcuffs. And this doesn’t seem like a situation that Blake can get him out of. Poor Adam is on his own, but he also had it coming for all the pain Alexis has endured because of him!

Even Dom had an interesting storyline. Her meteoric rise to fame via FSN and the Nordic Star contest put a target on her back as creepy and threatening fan mail began pouring in. The network insisted she get a bodyguard, and honestly, I can’t figure out why she was mad about the hella sexy man that they sent. Dom, are you seeing this?

I know she likes her independence, but damn, he was fine! And he was there solely to protect her!

Of course, she didn’t take the threat seriously and sent him away by faking a sickness before sneaking out to Fallon’s charity. He wasn’t fooled, but when she eventually snapped at him again, he left her alone. Her attitude changed when she came home and realized someone was there rummaging through her things. The whole thing could’ve ended really badly. It’s also quite surprising that none of these millionaires have any security! They have a lot of haters in the game. 

Anyway, Dom’s bodyguard was understanding… and when they had a moment, I think she truly realized that this arrangement might not be so bad after all. Plus, it’ll be nice to have around whenever the person who broke into her house reappears again. 

While it does seem like the final few episodes are running out of substance, I appreciate the show for not taking itself too seriously!

What did you think about the episode? Sound off in the comments below!