OMG I go out of town for a couple of days and all hell breaks loose!!!! LOL
So much drama hinted at behind the scenes! One thing is very clear, Nathalie Kelley was NOT a happy team player when she gave that interview at the end of June announcing her departure, with good reason it seems. And I chuckled at Mark Pedowitz's "surprise" at Nathalie giving away the spoiler of her character's possible demise. Buddy, you just fired her, and from the sounds of it, you are in part blaming her for problems with the show, considering you were talking of recasting her character as far back as mid-season!! Nathalie took control of a potentially bad situation for herself and her career as best she felt she could. I give Nathalie props for that.
Seriously tho, I am intrigued with this turn of events. I can only speak for myself, but for me Celia/Cristal just did not work. Weak execution of the character initially, a miscast actress, inconsistent writing and changes to the character as things went along, all added up to a miscalculation on the part of the producers and writers on what the character of Cristal should be to the show.
I am intrigued now because the show gets a chance to "reimagine" Cristal and hopefully they have learned from their mistakes from Season 1 and can give us a Cristal that can be the heroine, the moral compass of the show if you will, that the show desperately needs. In a way, it is a reversal of original Dynasty. Season 2 of Original Dynasty gave the show the villain it desperately needed, whereas NuDynasty is possibly getting the heroine it desperately needs in it's second season.
The introduction of Real Cristal to the Carringtons does open up many possible storylines and asks many questions, like where has Real Cristal been for the last few years while Celia was working her way up the corporate ladder at Carrington Atlantic using her name?? Is Real Cristal a Public Relations executive? What brings her into the Carrington's lives?? Is she friend or foe to the Carringtons?? Will Real Cristal and Blake start a relationship that turns into "The Love That Lives Forever??" Personally I think that could be fun to see Blake and Cristal actually date and romance each other, something both the original show and NuDynasty never showed us. What will Sam think of the real Cristal??? I can see it initially being a relationship full of animosity on Sam's part, very original Dynasty's Krystle/Sammy Jo in the early seasons. And ultimately, what will be the relationships be between Real Cristal and Alexis, and or course with Fallon.
Anyway, just a few random thoughts......