DVDFile

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment / 1983 / 576 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: October 21, 2008

Let’s just get it out of the way; someone in this Dynasty: The Third Season, Volume Two set gets a face transplant. Yes, folks, like something straight out of Soapdish, when Steven Carrington returns to Dynasty, it’s a new actor (Jack Coleman) with a new mug. And it blew me away.

Dynasty has always been wicked, sinful fun, but in this second half of the show’s third go-round, we really hit the ground running. (Did I mention the face replacement?) Joan Collins, John Forsythe, and Linda Evans remain an unholy triptych of smarmy, night-time soap opera terror, but in this season, their trampiness is coupled with storylines and plot reveals that put the dumb in dumb fun.

Steven and his new face return to Denver after discovering that he has a son… only to quickly discover that his dad, Blake (John Forsythe), and his snake-in-the-grass stepmom, Krystle (Linda Evans), are in the processing of adopting the little guy (scandal). And no one should ignore Alexis (Joan Collins), because while all this is happening, this mascara-heavy trollop goes out of her way to bankrupt Blake’s oil business (let’s just say their divorce didn’t leave them on the best of terms).

Then things get sticky. Let’s see if I can get this straight. Blake’s oldest son, Adam (Gordon Thomson) poisons Alexis’ nephew, Jeff (John James), who is marred to Blake’s daughter, Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin). It seems that the poison Adam used causes outbreaks of violence in its victims, so when Jeff abuses Fallon, she immediately files for divorce and runs home. It doesn’t end there, though. When she gets back and washes the stink of her domestic attack out of her system, she gets the hots for her hotel’s tennis pro (Geoffrey Scott), a man who at one point was… Krystle’s husband! See, now this is drama.

I must return to the issue of splitting this season. (Listen up, Paramount!) I had a moderate response to the first volume of the show’s third season on DVD mostly because it didn’t have a payoff. It was all build-up and no cliffhanger. If the episodes from the second volume had been included, though, it would have been a completely different story. Not only does this second volume make good on the ideas and twists and turns of the season’s first chunk, it ranks among the series’ grandest over-the-top moments.

I suppose I understand the studio’s reticence to release full box sets. They don’t want fans to be turned off by a burdensome list price, but they’re marginalizing the effect of their shows on newcomers as a result (not to mention pissing off fans who have to pay almost twice as much for a full season than normal).

Yet even with all this bellyaching, I don’t hesitate to say that Dynasty is worth the big bucks, even at twice the price. It had me at the face transplant.

A face transplant!

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

These latest transfers look just as lovely as the episodes from Dynasty’s previously-released season-by-season editions. Presented in the broadcasts’ original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the quality of the transfers continues to impress. Clarity is just about as fine as TV of this age can get, and the show's opulent visual design is presented with excellent exploitation of chroma, especially the naturalness of flesh tones. Black levels are also consistent. There are the occasional examples of dirt and grime, but it's of little note. Dynasty looks great.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Similarly, the Dolby Digital mono tracks are equivalent in quality to the show’s first seasons on DVD, which is to say that they are not as impressive as their corresponding video transfers. Dialogue has been cleaned up, but is still quite muddy and wobbly. And while the show's immediately recognizable music is bawdy and loud, it all but crackles within a truncated dynamic range. Looking at these episodes of Dynasty is a feast for the eyes, but the audio tracks are calorie deprived.

Included are a Spanish mono track, English and Spanish subtitles, and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

None.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Final Thoughts

It may not be the best DVD value, but I thought Dynasty: The Third Season, Volume Two was just about the most fun he’s had with nighttime TV-on-DVD in many moons. Audio and video qualities aren’t top-notch, and a lack of bonuses is a drag, but if you find yourself with a sweet tooth for Dynasty, you’ll know just how fun it can be. Recommended.