Dynasty - Season 6, Episode 25

"Cheers to perjuring ourselves!"

"The Trial, Part 2"
Original airdate: 3/26/1986

Episode summary: The judge rules in favor of Ben, and orders he be paid his inheritance. Bart Fallmont embraces his new life as a non-closeted gay man and accepts a job in Washington D.C. Enraged at losing his court battle, Blake vows to destroy ColbyCo.

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Recap: Blake is informed by his P.I. (Mr. Hall) that he has a solid lead on the whereabouts of Mr. Franklin, but hasn't yet been able to track down the floozy Ben was hitting the sheets with on the day his poor mother burned to death. Blake snarkishly orders Mr. Hall to conduct a hard target search of every flop house and saloon in the area to find her, and that if he can't manage the task he'll hire someone who can, damn it...and Mr. Hall [somehow refrains from telling the wrinkly bully to go pee up a rope and] meekly replies, "Yes sir."

Over at the penthouse, Ben is staring into the crackling fireplace and asking Alexis what she sees when she looks at fire, and she gleefully retorts, "I see Blake...burning at the stake." Ben says that he sees victory rising from the ashes, and the two toast to their impending victory and Ben's potential windfall of $125 million. When she asks him what he's going to do with his new found wealth, he stares dreamily into space and says he could definitely get used to living in a swanky penthouse and having a valet and chauffeur. Alexis contorts her mouth into a pouty expression and reminds Ben that he owes her a token of appreciation for rescuing him from his grim life in the Australian Outback and helping him bring this matter to trial (in extremely speedy fashion), to which he points out that she's not exactly a trustworthy benefactor, given that she so brazenly perjured herself on the witness stand...but then softens his general disgust of her treacherousness by pouring her another glass of champagne. 

Blake commiserates to Krystle about how all the bad press from the trial could be devastating to his reputation and company...and that he could lose everything he's ever fought for. Krystle's like, "Well d'yuh" and says they absolutely have to find the woman Ben was in bed with during the fire so that she can refute Ben's and Alexis' bullcack testimony.

Steven grumbles at Bart Fallmont for getting dropped by the party as a senatorial candidate just 'cause he's gay, then wanks him about being the brightest, most creative candidate the party has ever had. Bart says he's actually really happy to be out of the race, is thrilled to no longer be living his life as a closeted gay man, and has taken a job in the Environmental Agency in Washington D.C. He invites Steven to come along to D.C. with him, but Steven declines and says he'd rather mope around his father's Denver mansion and live the rest of his dull life under a perpetual cloud of gloom. 

Blake storms into Alexis' office and demands to know the identity and whereabouts of the woman who bumped uglies with Ben on the fateful day their mother died. After bickering back and forth about whether or not such a woman even exists, Blake reminds Alexis that just five episodes ago she was begging him to take her back...and when he refused, she framed him by committing perjury. Alexis calls the notion of her begging him to take her back absurd, then says he committed a far greater sin than perjury when he vowed to love and cherish her 'til death do them part, and then threw her out of Carrington manor and their children's lives. She vows to ruin him - just as Blake gets a call from Mr. Hall, who informs him that Mr. Franklin has been located in a seedy motel on the edge of town. After hanging up, Blake smugly tells Alexis that her plot to ruin him might not be successful after all, then hurries out of the office. 

"Five episodes ago you begged me to take you back."

"It wasn't so much begging as it was a polite request."

Mr. Hall tells Blake he found Mr. Franklin living in a motel on the wrong side of the tracks...and the two are about to head over to Skid Row when Blake's secretary informs him that a deflated looking Oscar Goldman has been waiting for him in his office for nearly an hour. Oscar glumly tells Blake he's really bummed that Bart is no longer in the senatorial race, and is worried he's throwing his life away by moving halfway across the country and taking a job with the Environmental Agency. Blake assures him that Bart will be just fine, and points out that taking a fat government job doesn't exactly qualify as 'throwing one's life away' ... and Oscar gets a clue that Blake is busy with Operation Locate a Helpful Trial Witness and says he's ready to shuffle off dejectedly now.

Steven confronts Adam about his role in destroying Bart Fallmont's political career, but Adam says he has zero remorse about doing something that resulted in getting the injunction terminated so that Denver Carrington could resume construction of the pipeline. He adds that whatever personal carnage his gay friend suffered was well worth the reward.

Over at Motel 6, Blake asks Mr. Franklin why he lied in court, so the wino admits he was paid to lie...and that he took the cash fully intending to give it to his long-suffering family, but stupidly used it to buy booze instead. He says he's been sober for the last two days, intends to stay that way (fingers crossed), and that he's totes down with returning to court in a couple of days' time and telling the judge the truth about who was in the oil field the day Ellen Carrington died. Blake squeals happily and shakes Mr. Franklin's hand while smugly predicting that the plaintiff side is going to be in for one helluva surprise - but somehow doesn't think to get Franklin on the record with a signed affidavit...or at least put the man in a more controlled environment, aka not leave him to his own devices in a seedy motel, where he could easily be tempted to fall off the wagon and show up to court drunk (spoiler).

"My entire financial empire rests on your recanted testimony."

"And that notion doesn't frighten you?"

Steven asks Alexis if she was being honest on the witness stand, so she carefully says that whatever she specifically said about Blake was true. When Steven's like, "What about the rest of your testimony?", she chides him for not showing her the kind of loyalty he routinely shows to Blake, and demands that he give her equal love and respect. Steven just stares back at her in stupid muteness instead of insisting she answer his question about the veracity of her entire testimony.  

Jackie calls Dominique from a pay phone to let her know her she's OK, but is still really tearful about being lied to about her bio dad's identity. Dominique begs her to reveal her whereabouts, but Jackie whimpers, "Sorry" and promptly hangs up. This storyline is bringing back traumatic memories of enduring Lindsay Blaisdel's non-stop ugly crying (during Season 1) about being conceived out of wedlock.

Caress bursts into Alexis' office to tell her she knows for a fact she wasn't doinking Blake on the day his mother burned to death, then explains that she checked her diary from twenty years ago (!), which indicated that the two of them were on a shopping trip in Chicago on that day. She smugly tells Alexis she still has the power to hurt her...and after she sashays out of the room, a concerned looking Alexis gets on the phone and frantically tries to call Ben. 

At the La Mirage, Dex manages to persuade Clay Fallmont to take a job as his explosives expert on the pipeline project...and while he's exiting the dining room, he spots Amanda sitting alone and sulkily sipping on a drink. When he tries to say hey to her, she poutishly tells him it's too late for them to be talking, then barks, "Leave me alone." Dex is like, "OK, can do" ... and a few seconds later, Clay wanders over to Amanda and remarks that she was pretty rough on Dex just then. He offers to join her and listen to her First World problems, but she bitchily declines and tells him she's not interested in having him be her sounding board.  

Claudia drops by Steven's office to commiserate about the two of them being forced to testify against Blake in court. Steven sourly points out that she didn't seem to feel bad while she was trashing Blake on the stand, but Claudia insists she did it under duress, and declares Adam to be their shared enemy 'cause he outed Bart Fallmont and - she's pretty sure - is up to something even more nefarious. Steven shrugs unconcernedly and says he'll just deal with his brother face-to-face, so Claudia says she'll find out what Adam is up to by herself, then bitchily storms out of the room. 

"My courtroom testimony was way more irrelevant than yours was."

"I'd agree with you if my completely irrelevant testimony wasn't a rehash of a Season 2 trial."

Blake arrives at the pipeline jobsite by helicopter to check in with Dex and voice his approval for the decision to hire Clay Fallmont as the explosives guru. As they're chatting, Hawkins (the foreman who was fired by Dex during the previous episode and who has sneaked onto the jobsite) loosens the chains holding giant pipes atrop the flatbed truck Blake and Dex are standing beside. Blake sees them begin to topple and grabs Dex, then pulls him to safety beneath the truck. A grateful Dex is all, "Thanks, goat daddy. You saved my life."

Adam finds Claudia sexily lounging in his bedroom at Carrington manor, purring about how much she's missed him this season, then sexily invites him to join her atop the bed. After a half-hearted smooch, Adam coldly reminds her that she abandoned their marriage when she moved to La Mirage, remarks on what a horrendous idea it'd be for them to knock boots, and says he's going downstairs to get himself a drink and doesn't want to see her in his room when he returns.  

The next morning at the courthouse, Caress makes a smug entrance and tells Alexis she's suddenly interested in watching the proceedings. Blake arrives soon after and snarlingly suggests to Ben he head back to Australia...and when Ben worriedly asks Alexis what the penalty for perjury is, she just shrugs and says she has no idea what the word perjury even means.

The judge announces that he's allowing additional testimony...and as Alexis and Ben are all, "Wha-a-a?!", Mr. Franklin ambles into the courtroom and onto the witness stand. Mrs. Davis reminds him that he testified to Ben being at work in the oil field the day Ellen Carrington died and asks him if he'd like to change that testimony...and Franklin, who suddenly looks as though he's been hitting the sauce hard since his 'come to Jesus' moment with Blake earlier, scrunches his face in misery and incoherently natters about how his wife was the only person who'd ever had faith in him. The incredulous judge orders the bailiff to escort the drunkard off the stand, admonishes Blake et. al. for wasting the court's time, and announces that he's ready to make his ruling.

[unintelligible]

"My career is fucked."

"Our case is fucked."

"Fuckin' aye."

The judge weighs all of the superfluously irrelevant evidence that was presented at this ridiculous trial and comes to the conclusion that Ben is entitled to a quarter of his father's estate. As Ben and Alexis woot happily and hug, Dominique assures Blake that this isn't over, and that Alexis won't be allowed to get away with what she's done.

While walking past the press pack, Alexis gaily pronounces that justice has finally been done...while Blake tells reporters that he fully intends to appeal this ruling, and also locate the woman Ben was doinking while their mother succumbed to the flames of a house fire.

In an out-of-the-way restaurant, Ben meets up with Emily Fallmont (trying to look incognito in large sunglasses), who wrings her hands about the ruling against Blake and tells Ben she wants to come forward and tell the world it was she he was boning on that fateful day. Ben tells her that that'd be a horrible idea, points out that she'd only succeed in ruining her reputation and marriage, and asks her if Blake Carrington is really worth destroying her life over. Emily ponders the high cost to her confession as she stares contemplatively into space.

At the penthouse, Alexis and Ben guzzle champagne and toast to "the sweet smell of success". Alexis tells Ben she has great plans for his $125 million, but he makes it clear that he's perfectly capable of spending/investing his own cash windfall and doesn't need any direction from her. He laments Blake stealing a chunk of his life, then declares that in revenge he shall build his own empire and use it to destroy his brother...and Alexis squeals excitedly at that vague, implausible plan and says she'd really like to somehow get in on that. 

Over at Denver Carrington, Blake is working the phones and barking at various flunkies to get a breakdown of ColbyCo's projected revenues, loans, and details on every shareholder. When a puzzled Adam asks what in blazes he's doing, Blake snarls, "I call it 'survival of the fittest'" and says he intends to find ColbyCo's weak spot, and use it to destroy Alexis for once and for all. 

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