Dynasty - Season 4, Episode 18

"Can you hear me? Blink once for yes. Twice for no."

"The Vigil"
Original airdate: 2/29/1984

Episode summary: Fallon regains consciousness after being hit by a car, and is freaked out when she appears to be paralyzed from the waist down. Blake agrees to become State Chairman for the Party. Kirby agrees to marry Adam...again.

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Recap: After the moment of impact between Fallon and the belligerent drunk driver, we get a short replay from the scene in the previous episode where an ashen Blake mutters, "My God.." as Fallon lays unconscious on the ground. Jeff is anxiously hovering over her, and a bunch of other people rush over and gasp at the horror of what they've just witnessed. The intoxicated driver says she appeared out of nowhere, then drunkenly natters about how the accident wasn't his fault. Blake kneels beside Fallon and tells her she'll be OK, and that an ambulance is on its way.

Back at Carrington manor, Kirby is moping in the conservatory while being served coffee. Krystle enters the room to check up on her and bring her some sheet music to encourage some recreational piano playing, then suggests she take a walk in the garden and get some fresh air. Kirby thanks her for her kindness and concern, then snarkishly says she really doesn't want to be bugged right now. Krystle says she totally gets what she's going through - having lost a child herself - and that the best remedy for her depression is to open up and talk about her feelings. Kirby snarks that it's all fine for her, 'cause she has a rich husband and a mansion...then self-piteously calls herself "a downstairs girl" who is expected to keep her feelings to herself. Krystle assures Miss Mopey Pants that she's loved for who she is, not what she is, then hastily excuses herself when Adam bounds into the room. He gushes about how super happy he is that she's home from the hospital...and when she glumly asks if this is home, he says yes, and that she belongs here with him. She asks him if it's OK that she's marrying him even though she doesn't love him, and he grins and says, "You will!" and insists that however long it takes, eventually she'll get so beaten down by his relentless smothering that she'll have no choice but to resign herself to loving him as much as he loves her. Kirby mulls that over and decides, "Ah...what the hell" and Adam's like, "Woo hoo!" and gives her a grabby hug. He gabbles excitedly about all the children they're going to have - ew - and Kirby looks less than thrilled at the horror of what that will entail, then makes a blech face as she snarks, "Carrington children. Only the best." Adam frowns concernedly and says it doesn't sound like her to be so hard and calculating, and she bitterly retorts, "Watch me. I learn fast" and he's just like, "Whatever" and leans in for a smooch.

"Yeah, I'll marry you...even though the sight of you still fills me with utter revulsion."

"Hurray!"

Blake paces the waiting room of the hospital while Fallon remains unresponsive. When Dr. Walker finally appears, Blake snaps, "What's going on, damn it?! I want to know what's wrong!" then bitchily reminds him that he hired him 'cause he's the best neurosurgeon in the country. Dr. Walker coldly retorts that he wasn't hired to babysit anxious family members who question his credibility, then informs Blake and Jeff that after examining Fallon, he has determined that her only injury is a skull fracture...and that even though she's in a coma, it doesn't look like she suffered any brain damage​. Blake apologizes for his dickish behavior and sheepishly thanks the doctor for the update, then mutters to Jeff that he's off to the La Mirage 'cause there's someone he needs to see. Peter!

Blake is irked when Peter's lawyer informs him that the scoundrel is fleeing town...and when Blake demands more details, the lawyer reveals that Peter is due to catch the next flight to New York any minute now, and then is off to Morocco 'cause it has no extradition treaty with the United States. Blake vows to track down the con artist and snarls that he'll personally see to it that he rots in jail. He storms over to Fallon's office, calls the airport, and barks at whoever answers the phone to hold all planes scheduled to leave for New York, then bellows, "I don't care what it takes! Do it!" - LOL - and the airport staffer he's talking to refrains from telling him to go pee up a fucking rope since he has absolutely no authority to be barking orders at him.

Peter is going through the security gates at the airport when an x-ray of his briefcase reveals something suspicious. The guard orders him to open it for inspection, and inside is a giant bag of cocaine. Smooth move, Peter. Blake arrives at the airport with two police officers in tow. He quickly spots Peter, bolts through the security gate without any alarms going off, and lunges at him...then steps aside so his stunt double (whose hair lacks the limp greyness of Blake's 'do) can give him a few solid punches while yelling, "This is for my daughter!" The police officers eventually grab the old goat and restrain him from continuing the implausible beat-down of a man half his age...and as Peter is being handcuffed, Blake snarls, "You're lucky. I would have killed you!" which seems like a very bad thing to utter out loud when you've already been on trial for manslaughtering your son's lover and then accused of almost killing the man you caught schtupping your slutty ex-wife.

"Oh crap. It's zee old goat."

"Not zee face!"

Blake's stunt double gives Peter a can of whoop-ass

"If I weren't being held back, that whuppin' would have degenerated into another manslaughter trial!"

Alexis and Dex are canoodling in her ginormous bathtub which is filled with foamy white bubbles, and sexy music is playing in the background. Alexis marvels at how strange it is that the more she rebuffs him, the more interested in her he becomes. Dex cockily says he refuses to take no for an answer - but she cautions him to never overstep his boundaries or criticize her family. Dex asks her if that includes Blake, and she's like, "Hell no" but adds that her past relationship with Blake is none of his business. Dex argues that if someone makes her unhappy, it is his business...and she's like, "Uh, OK" and the two start going at it amid the bubbles.​

Later, the two lounge in the penthouse living room in their robes, feeding each other sushi and oysters. Dex remarks on all the passion, bitterness, and hatred she expends on Blake and worries that one day he'll lose her to her ex-husband...but Alexis just chuckles and sassily says he can't lose what he doesn't have in the first place. A few seconds later, Krystle phones the penthouse to give Alexis the news about Fallon's accident, and she's all, "Wha-a? OMG!"

Alexis rushes over to the hospital and gets an update on Fallon's condition from Krystle...and then the two rush around to find the doctor.

Blake is meeting with some guy named Eric, who wants to install Blake as State Chairman of the Party. (Which party, the show doesn't specify...but I have my suspicions.) Eric wanks him about how the party needs a big man who wields power, influence, and respect on its side so they can win back the state house and start passing legislation. Dex suddenly barges into Blake's office and snarks that he just heard about his meeting with Eric, then adds that he's very involved with Colorado politics and doesn't think it's a good idea to appoint Blake as State Chairman of the Party. Eric disagrees and insists that Blake is the best man for the job, and Blake hems and haws about taking on this responsibility while he's currently got the Fallon Comatose Situation to contend with...but then mulls it over for a few more minutes and agrees to give the chairmanship a shot.

Steven, Krystle, and Jeff are in Fallon's hospital room, pacing and wringing their hands. When Steven and Krystle step out of the room to get some coffee, Jeff sits by her bedside, holds her hand, and has a series of flashbacks from their Season 1 elopement, and their recent doink in a Montana motel room. When he's jolted back to the present, he coos to Fallon about how much he and their son love and need her.

Claudia stares at the most recent Lancelot card she received, stares contemplatively into space for a few seconds, then puts the card back in her drawer. She calls up her former mother-in-law and tells her that something strange has been happening involving Matthew and their past life, then asks if she could drive out to the house and have a chat...and Mother Blaisdel's like, "Sure! Come on over!"

Claudia thanks Mother Blaisdel for agreeing to see her - even though she hated her not so long ago - and Mother Blaisdel says they share a great loss and is glad that the bad blood between them finally got smoothed out off-camera. Claudia tells her about the Lancelot cards/violets, then asks her if she can think of anyone who hates her and also knew that she nicknamed Matthew Lancelot. Mother Blaisdel says she can't think of a single person who would say an unkind thing about her, much less play cruel tricks on her...and the two women clutch hands and smile wistfully at each other.

Alexis is on the phone, railing at Krystle because of how Blake stubbornly refused to listen to her about Peter being a shady mofo...and while she's railing, she's dramatically shaking her head from side to side. Krystle stares pensively into space, then decides she doesn't feel like being yelled at anymore and abruptly hangs up on Alexis. LOL. A few seconds later, Mark arrives at the penthouse and generously helps himself to the caviar that Alexis has laid out. He smugly tells her that if she hadn't come between him and Fallon, none of this would be happening right now, and Alexis snarls at him to take his caviar sandwich to his room. A few seconds later, Adam enters the penthouse, looking irked at being summoned there to explain himself after proposing to Kirby. Alexis says she doesn't want him to throw his life away by marrying a commoner, then bewilderedly asks, "What is to love?" Adam insists he loves Kirby...and that when they canoodle, all the years of loneliness he endured as a kidnapped baby/boy/grown man melt away. Alexis reminds him that he's heir to a vast fortune, and Adam says she has no right to live his life for him, then stalks out of the penthouse. Alexis strides over to the phone and calls up Morgan Hess and says she has a job for him: contact The Chronicle and dig up all the dirt he can on Alicia Anders. She nonsensically blurts out, "The crime was murder!" 

"I love Kirby with the intensity that only a total psychopath could muster."

"Drats."

Tracy and Eric are enjoying a romp in her apartment. He thanks her for suggesting that he ask Blake to be State Chairman of the Party, and she giggles and says, "You're welcome" and tells him that in return she wants to be in charge of the PR so she can hit the campaign trail with Blake. Eric's like, "Whoa, I already have a man in the job", but Tracy orders him to get rid of his man and snaps, "You owe me" and threatens to reveal their affair to his wife if he refuses to do her bidding.  

Back at Carrington manor, Adam confesses to Jeff that he was the person behind his poisoning last season. Jeff's all, "Wha-a-a?!" then bellows, "You're asking me to forgive you? Are you out of your mind?" and Adam's like, "Well d'yuh" and retroactively pleads temporary insanity. Jeff doesn't buy it and says the poisoning was obviously premeditated and threatens to go to the authorities, but Adam reminds him that he just lost his child and sadly asks, "Isn't that punishment enough?" Jeff's like, "Uh no" so Adam gets all snarky and tells him that if he presses charges, he'll just deny that he confessed the crime to Blake (along with his confession of a few seconds earlier, I assume) then stalks out of the study.

Adam enters the dining room, where Steven is glumly eating breakfast. Steven informs Adam that Jeff just told him he confessed to poisoning him and framing Alexis. Adam scoffs that Alexis isn't as innocent as she'd like everyone to believe, then urges Steven to look at their mother as an adult would, not a baby boy. It's interesting how quickly Adam's contriteness about his dastardly crimes is starting to wear off.

Jeff runs into Kirby as she ambles down the upstairs hall, looking pale. He ushers her back to her room and cautions her not to push herself too hard or rush into anything - like marry a creepy psychopath, for example. He doesn't get how on earth she can marry Adam, and she cryptically says they all get what they deserve in life, and that she can live with that. Whatever, Kirby.

Blake is sitting at Fallon's bedside, repeatedly barking her name and asking if she can hear him...but she doesn't stir. Jeff enters the room and says he'll take over the next sitting vigil shift, and Blake agrees and says there's something he needs to take care of.

Blake meets again with Eric at his Denver-Carrington office to discuss the state chairmainship. Eric tells him he has a press conference lined up, and that he needs a PR person and has the perfect candidate in mind: Krystle! He then pretends to rethink that dumb suggestion and says that since she's his wife, it may cause the press to look unfavorably on that...then decides it can't possibly be Krystle. Smooth, Eric. He asks Blake if there's anyone else on staff he trusts, and Blake smiles knowingly as he buzzes Marsha and asks her to summon Tracy. In the next scene, Tracy looks fake surprised and reminds Blake that she already has a job at Denver-Carrington...but when he urges her to accept the position, she gushes, "I could never say no to you!" Blake leaves her to "get acquainted" with Eric...and once he's out of earshot, the two make arrangements to get together later for another romp.

At the hospital, Jeff apologizes to Alexis for all the terrible things he said to her when he thought she was the mastermind behind his poisoning, and she assures him that all is forgiven. A nurse rushes over to the waiting room to excitedly announce that Fallon is regaining consciousness! Alexis and Jeff rush after the nurse and hover over Fallon anxiously as she stirs and mumbles, "Peter.." but when she sees her mother, she gets agitated and barks, "Get out of here!" A miffed looking Alexis dejectedly exits the room.

"Peetuh?"

"She's still delirious."

Neil McVane enters Alexis' office to inform her that Blake has been named State Chairman of the Party. He gleefully points out that it means Blake will be privy to whatever political decisions are made in Colorado, which in turn spells success for Denver-Carrington...but doesn't mean anything good for ColbyCo. Alexis breezily tells him she's not going to sweat it, then buzzes Mark to escort "the unemployed congressman" out of the building. LOL. Once McVane is out of earshot, she tells Mark about Blake's new political appointment, then vows to do everything within her power to ensure that he doesn't get that seat.

McVane orders Mark to watch over Alexis like a hawk, 'cause he'd like to blackmail her once she's put her plan to destroy Blake in motion. He cackles about how desperate she'll be to pay him for his silence once her plot has been blown wide open. Sounds like the ex-congressman is in desperate need of a life.

Dr. Walker is examining Fallon. She tells him she doesn't remember much from the accident, and he says she seems fine, save for a slight skull fracture. He checks the reflexes of her arms, and everything seems A-OK in her upper body region...but when he does a reflex check of her feet, she tells him she can't feel anything. She then looks alarmed and cries, "OMG! I can't move my legs!" and Jeff concernedly furrows his caterpillar eyebrows.

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