There is a feeling that the soap opera is a low brow form of entertainment that panders to the lowest common denominator of our society. While there is some evidence in favor of this hypothesis it has to be stated there is a reason why the humble soap opera is the most popular form of entertainment around; it is addictive. People throughout history in almost every culture have come up with continuing stories with a tendency towards the melodramatic. In ancient Greece they were called epic poems; now they are referred to as soap operas. All those who would denounce this format have to come to grips with the simple fact that when it comes to longevity nothing beats the soaps. Some of the ones on day time television have been around since the days of radio with one continuous story threading through the decades. It took awhile but eventually the format migrated to night time and television was never the same. There have been countless prime time soap operas but one stands out at the apex of the genre; Dynasty. It ran for nine years encompassing most the eighties and not only re-imagined the television drama it helped to define the decade. It was well known for its cat fights, brawls and deceptive characters and the audiences loved it. Throughout its run it remained high up in ratings but the height of the show’s popular occurred towards the middle of the decade. CBS Paramount has been releasing the series to DVD slowly but surely splitting each season into two volumes. We are now up to the first fifteen episodes of season four and for those that remember this show this was when things got really interesting.

The basis of the success of ‘Dynasty’ is simple. Everyone wants to be rich and powerful but since few of us can achieve that goal we just love to seem them torn down and shown to have the same petty problems as those of us in the common throng. Most of the characters in this series have it made. They are rich and powerful beyond imagination. The women are all beautiful and the men ruggedly handsome. They drive around in cars worth more than most middle class houses and most important of all they are completely messed up emotionally and psychologically. To use a common modern phrase they have unresolved issues in dealing with life. There was just something about coming home after another hard day at and sitting back watching those with all the money in the world fighting and bickering. Over course one of the main stays of the soap opera is the complexity of the relationships. You just about need a score card to keep track of who is sleeping with whom and marriages happen so often that most women have multiple hyphens to their names. While this is pretty standard fair now back then this was salacious and daring television programming.

At the center of all the action is Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) is the co-founder and CEO of the multinational Denver-Carrington oil company. He runs both his business and his rather large family with an iron hand; there is one way to do things, his. His second wife Krystle (Linda Evans) may have started out has the typical trophy wife but she has found life in the fast lane high appealing and will fight to maintain her social standing. Krystle has few close friend but at least one enemy that is a match for her strong willed disposition; Blake’s first wife Alexis Morell (Joan Collins). The degree of hatred between these tow women is legendary; when they are in the same room it would be safer at ground zero of a nuclear testing site. At the end of the previous season both Krystle and Alexis were trapped in a cabin in the remote woods. In the truest style of a soap opera the cliffhanger had the cabin set ablaze and the audience wondering how and if they would get out. One other added detail; the door was locked from the outside so there is somebody who wants both of these lovely women dead. You might think that a man with a wife and ex-wife like this would have enough excitement in his life but Alexia gave Blake four now adult children that always bring on the drama; Adam (Gordon Thomson), Steven (Jack Coleman), Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin) and later on the requisite hidden child Amanda (Catherine Oxenberg). Now it was common place to have characters in this type of series to depict a multitude of sexual relationships but these characters went farther than any previous show ever. First of all Steven was homosexual. It may be almost a requirement now to have a gay character but back in the eighties it was a first. In this season Blake and Steven argue over the still current topic of whether a gay person can be a good parent. It isn’t as if Blake can find any comfort with his other children. Fallon is known to be rather morally loose, say we say. In this season there is an attempt to have her settle down by having her get engaged but life gets complicated when she is paralyzed although the doctors are sure that it is psychosomatic.

All of this has an effect on the relationship between Blake and Kystle who become estranged. Blake, trying to get his second wife back offers her a job in his company in public relations. Meanwhile Steven is plotting against Alexia tricking her into signing incriminating documents. One of Fallon’s many boyfriends Jeff Colby (John James) has it in for Alexia when he comes to suspect that she tried to poison him and forces her to sign back all her shares of his family’s corporation. This part of the season also has all the usual plot lines one has come to expect for a soap opera including custody battles, illicit affairs and illegal corporate dealings. In all it is a season that does not disappoint in any fashion.

I do admit that when the show was first on the air I wasn’t a fan. When I had to review the first set I figured I would give it a try since millions of fans can’t be all wrong. I found myself instantly addicted. I went from one episode to the next truly needing to find out what happens next. This is the nature of a true soap opera; you can’t pull away. Even if you don’t have the previous DVD sets youl will stil enjoy this one. The dialogue is such that exposition comes along making sure even those new to the story will know all the gritty details of the back stories.