Dynasty - Season 8, Episode 4

Something is very wrong with this man

"The Announcement"
Original airdate: 10/14/1987

Episode summary: Alexis hooks up with Sean Rowan, aka the handsome young man who rescued her from drowning. Dana learns that she's unable to have children. Blake announces his bid to become Colorado's next governor.

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Recap: Inside the screening room, the handsome young man irritably asks Alexis what this intrusion is all about, so she explains that she wanted to properly thank him for saving her life. He mutters that she's "something else", which she decides to interpret as a compliment...and he suddenly looks less wooden and visibly softens at her flirty brazenness.

At Carrington manor, Adam rants and raves to Dana about the unfavorable treatment he's been getting from Blake tonight, specifically that..

• Blake summoned Steven (and not him!) to the study for a private conversation
• Fallon (and not he!) was seated next to Blake at dinner

Dana tells her man-child of a husband that surely he's making more of this than any reasonable man should - but Adam continues to whine about not being treated as an equal by his father...then pauses for a few seconds before wondering aloud if it's 'cause Steven and Fallon have given him grandchildren. As he strides off, Dana stares worriedly into space while literally wringing her hands. 

Blake tells Steven he'd like him to be his campaign manager for the governor's race - but Steven's like 'no can do' and says he has zero desire to be involved in politics, further explaining, "I have no interest in serving a society that brands me a misfit" and that he wants to direct his entire focus on his family. Blake says it sounds like there's no room for negotiation, and Steven confirms there isn't, but assures Blake that he supports his bid for governor and will definitely vote for him.
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Leslie is ambling down the mansion's second floor corridor when she overhears Jeff snarking to Fallon that, yeah, he definitely thinks she's two clowns short of a circus after claiming that she rode around in a spaceship the other night. Fallon says if the situation were reversed she'd be listening to him with an open mind, to which he sarcastically-dickishly retorts, "I believe you. Let's just end it...get on with our lives" and then storms out of the room. 

Blake reports to Krystle that Steven isn't interested in being his campaign manager, and admits that it's making him have second thoughts about entering the political race. Krystle reminds him it's his dream to run for office, and that she's totes into the idea of sharing the experience - not as the campaign manager, but as an adoring trophy wife who'd be more than happy to help out with logistics. Blake chews on that for a few seconds, then abruptly re-decides that, yep, he's going to stay in the race...and gushes about how he can't imagine his life without her tender loving sereneness. 

"Do it! Pursue the dream you've had ever since the season premiere."

"What ever would I do without your serene wisdom?"

Leslie tiptoes into Dex's hospital room with a sumptuous looking peach-apple pie, and he perks up at the sight of food and says he's famished. As she hand-feeds him pie pieces, she asks him whassup with Fallon...then blabs about how she overheard a conversation in which it was revealed that she claimed to have gone riding in a spaceship. Dex is all, "The fuuuuck?", then tells her that Fallon has gone through some rough times, but insists that overall "she's good people".

Back in the screening room, the handsome young man finally reveals his name to Alexis: Sean Rowan. He describes himself as a Renaissance Man, says he's never been married, and that he's the only surviving member of his family. When Alexis murmurs a sorry, he snappishly retorts, "Why? It wasn't your fault, was it?" Alexis looks weirded out by that odd response - or maybe that was just me, projecting - then thanks him again for saving her life, bids him good night, and says if he ever needs a place to stay, she'd be more than happy to provide him with a luxury suite at the Carlton Hotel (aka her official home this season). Sean brusquely makes it clear he has no interest in that, and Alexis looks put off by his blunt rudeness, then hands him the bucket of popcorn before sashaying out. Once she's safely out of hearing range, he barks at the projectionist to continue playing whatever film he had been watching...which turns out to be a news clip of Alexis testifying against Blake during his Season 2 manslaughter trial: 

Alexis continues with her testimony and describes how Blake entered the bedroom, discovered her riding Roger's baloney pony, and started shouting "hideous words" at her. He then picked up a large candlestick and started beating Roger with it, nearly killing the guy. This sparks more tittering from the spectators. Alexis says that, unfortunately, the violent incident was never reported to police 'cause Blake bought off all the witnesses - in particular, a servant who was rewarded with "a lifetime membership in the Carrington household". The camera pans over to Joseph, who glances around shiftily and then smirks at Alexis.

The testimony prompts Sean to contort his face in disgust while sneering, "The sins of the father."

Fallon is sitting in the mansion's conservatory, looking sad as she flashes back to when the alien motioned her to approach the spaceship, then prodded her with weird looking tools and needles. Eeeeek! Steven ambles inside the room and remarks on how unhappy she looked during the dinner party and offers to be a sounding board...and she tells him she'd like to take him up on it, but is worried that he won't believe her wild, otherworldly tale. 

Alexis arrives at the Carlton Hotel and is immediately confronted by an aggressive reporter from Q&A Magazine, requesting a comment about 1) how support for her candidacy for the governor's race instantly tanked after her car accident, and 2) all the tittering that she had been driven to suicide 'cause of problems in her personal life. [Apparently she and Blake had the same dream of running for governor.] Alexis growls at the reporter to take her vile accusations and get out of her sight, and the reporter wryly mutters that she'll take that hostile response as a no comment.

After learning of Fallon's encounter with the space alien, Steven stares back at her incredulously and says he totally gets that Jeff would have a hard time believing it. He advises her to pack it all up, agree to disagree about it happening/not happening, and never speak of it again...and amen to that.

Sammy Jo is tidying up the living room when Danny runs into the room and cries that he had a bad dream. He asks where his daddy is - just as Steven returns home from the mansion, scoops him up and comforts him, then whisks him off to bed. When Steven returns to the living room, Sammy Jo says they need to talk, on account of she's still somehow extremely confused about the status of their re-coupling. She cites as a case in point their outing at Blake's dinner party, which they attended as a couple - but then didn't leave as a couple. She further frets about not being able to make heads or tails out of their relationship, e.g. should she abruptly turn off all sense of care and concern for him? In response to her confounding cluelessness, Steven calmly explains the following..

• He stayed late at the mansion tonight 'cause he wanted to speak privately with Fallon
• He doesn't want her to not care or be concerned about him, 'cause they're co-parenting Danny and it'd be nice if they liked each other
• He hopes she won't continue to be personally disappointed about them never hitting the sheets again, given that he's made no secret of the fact that he's now a fully outed gay man and therefore no longer into the idea of having sex with women

Sammy Jo mulls that over and tells him she's expending her limited brain power to do her best to grasp the uncomplicated reality that he's gay, and Steven's all, "OK, whatever. Let's go in the kitchen and make ourselves a snack." Lol..

"I'm somehow still not sure how to interpret our possibly but maybe not romantic relationship."

"Maybe this will clear it up: I'm gay. We're platonic."

Alexis calls her editor at The Denver Mirror and warns about Q&A Magazine potentially writing libellous stuff about her, and that she intends to be ready with a lawsuit. A few seconds later, Sean Rowan unexpectedly shows up at her door and asks her if the offer of a luxury suite still stands. She says it does, then hands him a key and tells him that the suite is just down the hall. 

At dawn the next morning, Sean is thrashing around his bed while having a dream that involves gunshots. He wakes up in a sweat and stares moodily into space.

Over at Carrington manor, politico Bill Cochrane express how utterly thrilled he is that Blake has firmly decided to run for governor, then goes on to wank Krystle about what a fine First Lady she'll make. He advises Blake to hold a press conference this afternoon to formally announce his candidacy (his Denver Carrington office is deemed a good enough venue), then delicately asks Blake if there's anything scandalous that could ever come to light. Blake assures him that, as far as anything resembling a sex scandal (ew), he only has one woman in his life. Krystle smiles serenely and assures Bill that she's in no way offended by the candid question, then rushes off to Denver Carrington to set up for the press conference.

Dr. Davis calls Dana to reschedule her appointment from 2pm to 4pm - just as Adam bounds into her office to giddily announce that Blake has invited them to attend his 'I'm running for governor' announcement at 4pm. He saucily suggests they go home and hit the sheets until 4pm, then gets weirdly excited at the prospect of her conceiving a child on the day of the big announcement, 'cause it might cement that grandchild as Blake's favorite. Dana shoots him an irritated stink-eye and asks if he mostly wants a child 'cause of his unresolved daddy issues, and Adam refrains from admitting that, yep, that's exactly why he wants her to produce their spawn...and instead hugs her and says he merely wants their children to be equal members of the Carrington family's next generation.

"It sounds like you mostly want to have a child in order to please your daddy."

"Yes it does."

Blake asks Jeff if he'd like to serve as his campaign manager, and Jeff says he'd be delighted - but can't help wondering if Steven or Adam might be more appropriate choices. Blake admits that Steven turned him down flat, and that he doesn't want to burden Adam 'cause of his job/allegiance to ColbyCo. Jeff says he's definitely interested in the gig, but that he should prolly talk it over with Fallon before he accepts.

Back at the Carlton Hotel, a manservant enters Sean's suite to deliver a newly laundered outfit for him to wear while he lunches with Alexis. Sean asks where his other clothes are, and the manservant calmly explains that Alexis had ordered him to dispose of the ratty wardrobe...and Sean gets really pissy-bitchy about her presumptuousness, which is probably not an entirely unreasonable reaction.

Sean storms into Alexis's (unlocked!) suite and yells that he doesn't like being manipulated...or having all of his clothes tossed into the garbage. He rails that she comes on so strong 'cause of how rich and powerful she is - but makes clear, "I'm nobody's puppet!" while also conceding that she intrigues him. When he says he doesn't want her gratitude for having saved her life, she asks him what he does want, so he leans in for a smooch, barks, "Look at me!" (eeeek) and plants her lips with a hard kiss. The two then stare at each other in fascinated horniness before feverishly undressing one another.

Later, while sprawled naked atop the bed, Alexis coos about how much she loooooves his aggressive grab-handsy-ness. He tells her he once had an aunt who only wore sleeveless clothes so her husband could stroke her arms "whenever the mood struck", and Alexis doesn't find that anecdote at all troubling and says she really digs his deranged sensuality (a trait he apparently inherited from his father). Alexis gets a call from her paper's editor, who informs her that Blake is holding a press conference at Denver Carrington in less than an hour - but has no idea what it's regarding. Alexis orders him to get over there asap, and that she'll throw on some clothes and get there soon too. She then tells Sean she's off to see what Blake Carrington is up to - but hopes that he'll hang around her suite and eagerly await her return.

Alexis arrives at Denver Carrington and asks what in blazes is going on, so Krystle amiably tells her that Blake called a press conference to announce his candidacy for the governor's race. Alexis snaps, "Blake? Governor?!" and bitchily reminds Krystle that she doesn't like surprises. Krystle politely points out that it wouldn't be a surprise had she not left the dinner party so early, and Alexis pretends that she did so 'cause the champagne was flat, the caviar mushy, and the company dull. She then whirls around on her heel and storms out, running into Adam in the reception area. She rails to him about Bill Cochrane cutting her loose (as a mayoral candidate) in favor of Blake, and Adam's like, "Sucks to be you" and wonders aloud where Dana is. Alexis says that maybe she's at her appointment with Dr. Davis, and Adam perks up at the mention of the fertility specialist and dashes into the next available elevator.

"Surprise! Blake's running for governor."

"I hate surprises...almost as much as I hate your third-rate champagne and caviar."

Leslie helps Dex hobble into his apartment, and in the process the two "accidentally" fall atop the bed. They stare at each other hungrily for several seconds, then engage in a smoochfest. When they unlock their lips, Leslie makes it clear that she's not looking for any kind of deep commitment, but that's she's totes on board with a titillating entanglement...and Dex is like, "Fair 'nuff", grinningly predicts that they're going to miss Blake's press conference, and continue kissing.

Dr. Davis tells Dana he has the results of her bloodwork, X-rays, and sonogram...and that the verdict is in: no way in hell can she ever birth a live human baby. Dana looks as though she's about to choke and asks him if he's absolutely truly 100% sure about this, so he clarifies, "From what I can see, you cannot have a baby" - just as the camera pans over to a shocked looking Adam, who's standing in the [for some reason open] doorway of the exam room crying, "Wha-a-a-at?!" Incidentally, his reaction probably shouldn't have made me laugh as hard as I did.

Press conference! Bill Cochrane introduces Blake to the press as "a man who will do great things for Colorado", and then Blake drones on about how the people are the soul of the state, blah blah. Sean, meanwhile, is watching the speech on TV in Alexis's hotel suite...and when she returns looking all out of sorts, she pouts, "They dumped me for him!" He asks her what she wants with politics when she has power and, well, everything...and when she complains, "Not everything", he roughly yanks her towards him again and growls, "You're right. This is" before rough smooching her. He then suggests they go out for dinner, and says he's decided to hang around Denver so he can enjoy her retaliation against Blake et. al. ... and she giddily gushes about how glad she is that she didn't let him get away. As she sashays over to the en suite to change, he continues to watch the end of Blake's press conference and angrily mutters, "Nobody gets away. Nobody."

​Oh dear.

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