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Ditto, why too. (Or maybe the how answers the why.) The 'Netflix Original' label confuses folk. I've seen messages left on YT asking Netflix to do this, that or the other about a programme, only for others to say that the programme isn't Netflix's production, it only leases the license to stream it internationally. Go figure.
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Sammy Jo is the only one who knows how to enjoy the Dynasty life.
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They ‘needed’ a foreign country because this episode is made up of ideas drawn from their Netflix brethren The Rise of Phoenixes. I’ve no absolute proof of this, but believe it to be true on the balance of probabilities. The signs are there, no piñata:
In TRoP, the main kingdom of focus is Tiansheng Kingdom. There’s some action also in two neighbouring kingdoms: Jinshi Kingdom & Dayue Kingdom. ...Think of the USA as a stand-in for Tiansheng.
Why does the action move to Jinshi & Dayue? The Princess Shengying, a Tiansheng woman, moves to Jinshi to marry its king. Then she falls into the hands of a prince from Dayue – who takes her to a place called Puyuan, which is in the border city of Pucheng, in Dayue. …Think Paraguay as the stand-in for Puyuan/Pucheng.
Three men work independently to locate her, then find they need to band together in an uneasy truce/alliance to try and get her back.
One of the men is her personal bodyguard, a young man who’s never known his family who becomes her family. He’s repeatedly vowed: “Whereever you go, I go.” …Think Sam & Steven. Or, Fallon insisting on following her brother to Paraguay.
The other two men are the Jinshi king and a prince from Tiansheng who is sent to Jinshi as an envoy. Both are in love with Shengying. The wound: While the queen thinks kindly/fondly of the king, the king knows his queen is in love with the prince from her homeland. …Think Blake-Alexis-Joseph, and the simmering tensions after ‘the reveal’.
Excluding the devilish prince of Dayue, the 5th person in the set-piece is the right-hand man to the Tiansheng prince; the two have been companions since childhood. And the 6th is the warrior pirate woman befriended by Shengying. Collectively all their stories may be summed up by these subtitles from the Mandarin-language TRoP: “Those who sound the same sing together. Those who think the same befriend each other.” ….Think of the 6 people who went to Paraguay as “family”. Think, in particular, of the relationships between Fallon & Steven, and between Blake & Joseph. Think also of the statement Blake makes to Joseph.
The word “devil” has been used a number of times throughout TRoP. An early use is in the sentence “…and the devil take the hindmost”. Another time, the Tiansheng prince says: “I’ll strike a deal with any crazy man, even the devil.” …Think Michael and his deal with Ada Stone.
There was one time when the Tiansheng prince needed to do something in a guarded place in foreign (potentially enemy) territory. He got the help of some of the guards. But the rest of the guards had to be knocked out, perhaps fatally, with poisoned air. The helpful guards drank the antidote. But since the prince needed to not look like one of the conspirators, he took the risk and refused the offer, saying: “If I do, I’ll be walking alongside the devils.” Meanwhile, the poisoned guards were dropping to the floor like flies – hopefully they were deeply unconscious, as though in deep sleep. …Think Joseph saying he couldn’t sleep a wink all night, and Blake retorting “the devil never sleeps”. Perhaps, also think of Michael & Ada and the expanding complications.
At some point after an imperial order gets forged, the Tiansheng prince grows weary of his (mis)adventures and ‘resigns’. …Think the forged contract from elementary school, think Joseph.
To return to Shengying’s rescue – everything has to be properly planned and the getaway finely timed or else it’s curtains for all, but another event complicates things. …Think Michael timing his get-away and finding Jeff to be his eleventh-hour complication.
Puyuan is built over water, and the rescue plan results in flooding Puyuan’s vast compound, destroying all the buildings there. (Here's a YT video about the wooden miniature buildings made for the Pucheng/Puyuan sets, including shots of the wooden framework housing the contraption that was used to flood Puyuan.
Yeah, Sam, it takes a village.) …Think of Fallon’s thoughts of flooding Alexis’s land, and Steven’s desire to have his foundation bring piped water to folk in poor nations & build houses in Paraguay (and also think of the wooden framework Steven & Co can’t leave standing).
In the telling of the TRoP tale, Puyuan is a place the Tiansheng prince has visited before. But he also makes a return trip to Jinshi’s capital, the latter time alone. …Think of Steven’s decision to make a return visit alone.
Also, in TRoP, there’s much grief over those who get taken on dark nights, and there are lucky ones among them. …Think Alexis’s statement and Fallon’s response about Adam. …Think about the drowning in sorrow & Scotch …Joseph saying he’d failed in his duties… Blake saying he’d lost his only child …Alexis saying she’d fudged the conception date. …And somehow, it was all for Steven’s own good. …Think Steven’s childhood identity. No wonder Steven has so much to process and has to go away!
And there’s the personal stories of the chief of the royal guards & someone else. …Think Blake and his thoughts about his wife and child.
TRoP has its nippy raccoon, friendly amenable rabbits and a species of raggedly camel seen in Jinshi. …Think Sam being nipped by an adorable well-groomed alpaca who’s co-operative up to a point.
The bodyguard, in early scenes, wears a peasant’s hat, and later on, one with a veil. …Think Fallon’s straw sun hat in Paraguay might it be a combo of the two?
When the warrior pirate comes from afar to visit Shengying, she brings only a sword and a sling bag. …Think what a double-edged sword the handbag Alexis receives in Paraguay really is.
Then there’s Princess Shaoning, a nuisance of a sister to the Tiansheng prince. …Think Kirby and what she does this episode. …And Steven’s early worry over Alexis’s fate.
Recall the colours and décor in TRoP, then take a good look at the carpeting and tablecloth in the nosh marquee in Paraguay.
There are lots of behind-the-scenes videos about TRoP’s costumes to be found online, check them out, especially the designs of the battle outfits and the wardrobe for the lead actor Chen Kun, who's mostly photographed for stills in black, and take a look at TRoP’s opening credits; then think of Sam kitted out in black, the designs of his shirts, especially that fringed one in which he gets photographed for a new passport.
Recall too, the innumerable pourings of tea and wine sessions in TRoP, alongside the battle camp tents and the Jinshi king in his, then think of Sam’s dry run in an ute tent, preparing for his expat marriage.
The other two men are the Jinshi king and a prince from Tiansheng who is sent to Jinshi as an envoy. Both are in love with Shengying. The wound: While the queen thinks kindly/fondly of the king, the king knows his queen is in love with the prince from her homeland. …Think Blake-Alexis-Joseph, and the simmering tensions after ‘the reveal’.
Excluding the devilish prince of Dayue, the 5th person in the set-piece is the right-hand man to the Tiansheng prince; the two have been companions since childhood. And the 6th is the warrior pirate woman befriended by Shengying. Collectively all their stories may be summed up by these subtitles from the Mandarin-language TRoP: “Those who sound the same sing together. Those who think the same befriend each other.” ….Think of the 6 people who went to Paraguay as “family”. Think, in particular, of the relationships between Fallon & Steven, and between Blake & Joseph. Think also of the statement Blake makes to Joseph.
The word “devil” has been used a number of times throughout TRoP. An early use is in the sentence “…and the devil take the hindmost”. Another time, the Tiansheng prince says: “I’ll strike a deal with any crazy man, even the devil.” …Think Michael and his deal with Ada Stone.
There was one time when the Tiansheng prince needed to do something in a guarded place in foreign (potentially enemy) territory. He got the help of some of the guards. But the rest of the guards had to be knocked out, perhaps fatally, with poisoned air. The helpful guards drank the antidote. But since the prince needed to not look like one of the conspirators, he took the risk and refused the offer, saying: “If I do, I’ll be walking alongside the devils.” Meanwhile, the poisoned guards were dropping to the floor like flies – hopefully they were deeply unconscious, as though in deep sleep. …Think Joseph saying he couldn’t sleep a wink all night, and Blake retorting “the devil never sleeps”. Perhaps, also think of Michael & Ada and the expanding complications.
At some point after an imperial order gets forged, the Tiansheng prince grows weary of his (mis)adventures and ‘resigns’. …Think the forged contract from elementary school, think Joseph.
To return to Shengying’s rescue – everything has to be properly planned and the getaway finely timed or else it’s curtains for all, but another event complicates things. …Think Michael timing his get-away and finding Jeff to be his eleventh-hour complication.
Puyuan is built over water, and the rescue plan results in flooding Puyuan’s vast compound, destroying all the buildings there. (Here's a YT video about the wooden miniature buildings made for the Pucheng/Puyuan sets, including shots of the wooden framework housing the contraption that was used to flood Puyuan.
In the telling of the TRoP tale, Puyuan is a place the Tiansheng prince has visited before. But he also makes a return trip to Jinshi’s capital, the latter time alone. …Think of Steven’s decision to make a return visit alone.
Also, in TRoP, there’s much grief over those who get taken on dark nights, and there are lucky ones among them. …Think Alexis’s statement and Fallon’s response about Adam. …Think about the drowning in sorrow & Scotch …Joseph saying he’d failed in his duties… Blake saying he’d lost his only child …Alexis saying she’d fudged the conception date. …And somehow, it was all for Steven’s own good. …Think Steven’s childhood identity. No wonder Steven has so much to process and has to go away!
And there’s the personal stories of the chief of the royal guards & someone else. …Think Blake and his thoughts about his wife and child.
TRoP has its nippy raccoon, friendly amenable rabbits and a species of raggedly camel seen in Jinshi. …Think Sam being nipped by an adorable well-groomed alpaca who’s co-operative up to a point.
The bodyguard, in early scenes, wears a peasant’s hat, and later on, one with a veil. …Think Fallon’s straw sun hat in Paraguay might it be a combo of the two?
When the warrior pirate comes from afar to visit Shengying, she brings only a sword and a sling bag. …Think what a double-edged sword the handbag Alexis receives in Paraguay really is.
Then there’s Princess Shaoning, a nuisance of a sister to the Tiansheng prince. …Think Kirby and what she does this episode. …And Steven’s early worry over Alexis’s fate.
Recall the colours and décor in TRoP, then take a good look at the carpeting and tablecloth in the nosh marquee in Paraguay.
There are lots of behind-the-scenes videos about TRoP’s costumes to be found online, check them out, especially the designs of the battle outfits and the wardrobe for the lead actor Chen Kun, who's mostly photographed for stills in black, and take a look at TRoP’s opening credits; then think of Sam kitted out in black, the designs of his shirts, especially that fringed one in which he gets photographed for a new passport.
Recall too, the innumerable pourings of tea and wine sessions in TRoP, alongside the battle camp tents and the Jinshi king in his, then think of Sam’s dry run in an ute tent, preparing for his expat marriage.
No worries. Blake is whoever and whatever the showrunners want him to be in any given episode. Ditto for the rest of the cast. In a few episodes or less his personality will be different.
Even here, he’s a choirboy compared to some of the princes in TRoP, notably the 1st & another of the princes of Tiansheng.
Hair in top-knots, angry mommas & princes, broken pottery & cut arrows, injured officials & servants, bowed and shuffling eunuchs, all are part of the TRoP landscape. …Think Blake & his “mad” hair; the things he threw and broke; the bleeding Tony. (That last possibly could have been a nod to James McKay, who was sent to hospital after being injured on set from a falling camera; or possibly an idea inspired by those folk who were left bleeding from the arm in TRoP.)
Speaking of injuries – there is danger from needles and hairpins to hidden knives in TRoP. ….Think Blake saying he’d rather stick needles in his eyes & helpfully pointing out where the knives are kept.
Blake must really trust Cristal II. But, for how long?
In TRoP’s royal circles, poison pill popping is almost a way of life when palace intrigues are afoot, not just for dispensing death but also for faking illnesses and ensuring compliance in some scheme. Trust runs high, perhaps naively, that there are antidote pills to be had. In Puyuan, poison pills, patients, doctors, nanny and nursemaid-servants all play a part. …Think Blake, his ‘condition’ and his newfound nursemaid-nanny & pill supplier.
Wonder what Cristal II will be next week.
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As was pointed out by Michael T, it was O.Dynasty which first used the phrase “snowflakes in hell”; in S4E05 in a conversation between Alexis & Blake:
And there are zingers of home truths, coming mostly from Steven.
Similarly too, truth gets discussed in The Rise of Phoenixes.
The Tiansheng prince comments: “That’s the truth you wanted to hear. There are so many truths in this world. Are we really happier when we know the truth?”
About how truly original the cwDynasty team is being in clobbering together its simple story? Speaking for myself, no.
Only this time on cwDynasty S2E04, it’s said by Blake to Joe.
And there are zingers of home truths, coming mostly from Steven.
Similarly too, truth gets discussed in The Rise of Phoenixes.
The Tiansheng prince comments: “That’s the truth you wanted to hear. There are so many truths in this world. Are we really happier when we know the truth?”
About how truly original the cwDynasty team is being in clobbering together its simple story? Speaking for myself, no.
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Wooo! Woooo!
Alexis can be such a hoot sometimes. I'm beginning to like her more and more.
The humour on NuDynasty has improved massively. Just think of that annoying, not-so-funny magazine photoshoot with Fallon and Cristal.
Alexis can be such a hoot sometimes. I'm beginning to like her more and more.
The humour on NuDynasty has improved massively. Just think of that annoying, not-so-funny magazine photoshoot with Fallon and Cristal.
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Aw, so sweet.
I hope he's coming back, I don't want another Steven.
I hope he's coming back, I don't want another Steven.
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I'm wondering if the other posters see the chemistry both Fallon (Elizabeth) and Steven (James) share on-screen. Between season 1 and 2 the producers discussed exploring the relationship between Fallon and Alexis. So far I don't think it's working but on the few occasions when it's just Fallon and Steven there is something innocent and sweet on display. Perhaps if the writers further explored this relationship in the difficulty both had without Alexis and preoccupied Blake in their lives, would be something the audience could warm to. Viewers often like to feel empathy for a character, someone to root for. It looks like the couple Dynasty should have been focusing on was right under their nose all along.
Now that Steven has mysteriously disappeared until Christmas I'm going to miss these two together. Another oddity. Steven has just learned who is father really is. Anders and Steven didn't really get to explore that fully.
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Kirby’s returned to the manor after a long time exiled. She and Anders need time and space to really reconnect. Better, I think, that Steven not be here now. Time enough for them to explore their relationship later. Hopefully, nothing happens to Steven (and it’s James Mackay who returns). As it is, Sam’s got a 2nd father-in-law to better get to know too.
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Oh, Anders....you don't know where that earring has been. 
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Oh, Anders....you don't know where that earring has been.
Linda Evans once said in an interview that, during a time when fans were being given a tour of the set while filming was going on, John Forsythe took her earrings and put them on himself as a joke.
History repeats itself yet again (kinda)!
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They politely left out a minor detail: Forsythe clipped her earrings on his nipples and did that whole "twirling tassels" thing for the shocked fans. After that, there were fewer and fewer set tours.
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True, but the relationship between them is no longer that of the nice/kindly house-help and the relative of the employer. It remains to be seen whether the new status of their relationship will translate meaningfully to the screen.And he already has a good relationship with Anders anyway, so at least there's that.
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Alan Dale reminds me of Yul Brynner playing the King of Siam in The King and I, outdoing Brynner by the size of his bling.Oh, Anders....you don't know where that earring has been.
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Up until "Snowflakes In Hell" I liked the character of Sam. But the writers did something to the character in this episode which worried me. The character doesn't work, for a living. He is just there, roaming the halls of the Carrington mansion, enjoying the spoils and smooching off the Carrington family. The scene where he employed an army of people to have a passport photo just reeked of desperation from the writers to create another funny scene. Surely most here on Soapchat understand the requirements in securing a passport photograph. I mean, this is not even escapism entertainment, or better still, guilty viewing, it's just silly nonsense. This is where the writers are failing the viewer. Don't treat me like an idiot or I'll return serve with kind.
So. What now for Sam? His former bestie Celia is gone and now his husband. I'm kind of interested what the writers will do with Sam but at the moment he is in limbo.
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I think antics like that "passport photo shoot" are what he gets up to when he is in limbo. Sam, who grew up in grinding poverty and uncertainty, would obviously be reluctant to return to a similar situation, even if he is only visiting and is a 'have' rather than a 'have not' now. The photo shoot nonsense looked like his "palate cleanser," something to shake off the unhappiness that may have been dredged up when/if he saw people in Paraguay living like he did in Venezuela. Yes, it was self-indulgent and wasteful, but it looks as if the Carringtons don't care about his extravagances.
But yes, it does irritate me that Sam does not exhibit any kind of career ambitions. He spends all that money frivolously and makes no effort to appear as if he's pulling his weight around there. I can't stand a mooch. His brief (but productive) turn as Fallon's assistant was an attempt at giving him a job, but that went nowhere. The whole "living off the Carringtons" thing was charming for a while, but it's wearing thin now that he is one of them.
But yes, it does irritate me that Sam does not exhibit any kind of career ambitions. He spends all that money frivolously and makes no effort to appear as if he's pulling his weight around there. I can't stand a mooch. His brief (but productive) turn as Fallon's assistant was an attempt at giving him a job, but that went nowhere. The whole "living off the Carringtons" thing was charming for a while, but it's wearing thin now that he is one of them.
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And as long as they get paid, they won't bother to tell him that those pictures are not eligible for passports.
I didn't see it as a joke, I like Daniel's explanation but maybe it doesn't go that deep.
I think this show is a lot about displaying eye candy and extravagance that may or may not be relevant to a storyline.
Like the characters on ODynasty wore ballgowns and tiaras for dinner, they didn't need a special event for that.
Yes, well, that's what Sammy Joes do.
Buying fur coats and putting peanuts in the cola.
He's sexy, cute, self-indulgent, lazy...oh I could eat him up!
