The Carrington clan on The CW’s Dynasty has had a wild five seasons, led by Elizabeth Gillies and Grant Show as Fallon and Blake Carrington, respectively. Marriages, pregnancies, kidnappings, long-lost children, and repeated felonies are just a few of the unusual activities we’ve witnessed from this group of people.
However, the end of the fifth season also means the end of the show — yet another casualty of The CW’s mass cancellation earlier this year. Thankfully, there was enough time to turn this into a makeshift series finale and tie up a lot of loose ends, allowing this incarnation of the Carrington family (and those who surround them) to end things with some closure.
In the previous episode, we left off with the majordomo-in-training Graham (Dan Amboyer) knocking Adam (Sam Underwood) out and stuffing him in the trunk of his car, but not before promising vengeance for everyone Adam has hurt. Meanwhile, Sam (Rafael de la Fuente) officially ends his relationship with Ryan (Lachlan Buchanan), Jeff (Sam Adegoke) discovers his research has been stolen, Liam (Adam Huber) is being blackmailed over the manuscript he stole, and Fallon is in danger of losing her company as a result of the Morell Green Energy debacle.
Oh, and Blake and Cristal (Daniella Alonso) are feuding, which is exacerbated by the disappearance of one of their planes, and Alexis (Elaine Hendrix) has no idea her husband was one of those unlucky passengers on Blake’s plane. Finally, Kirby’s (Maddison Brown) and Amanda’s (Eliza Bennett) reconciliation is complicated by Amanda’s ex appearing on the Carrington doorstep. Obviously, there are a lot of backstories for this finale to cover, demonstrating how last-minute this cancellation was. Let’s dissect it.
Adam was kidnapped
Following on from the previous episode, Adam is imprisoned in a shed on the Carrington property, with his captor — the interim majordomo — taunting him. However, Graham removes a mask to reveal that he is actually long-lost brother Steven Carrington (James Mackay), who has been missing since Adam convinced him he was losing his mind and had him locked away in a sanitarium back in Dynasty Season 2.
So Adam’s kidnapping isn’t about the millions of terrible things he’s done since moving to Atlanta; it’s about the first terrible thing he did when he first appeared on the show. Adam had paid a nurse to keep Steven drugged up and hold all of his letters, while Adam had sent letters to the family as Steven told them not to contact him again. That is, Steven was effectively alone for years until the sanitarium burned down while the nurse was still inside.
Fallon’s Next Steps
Ellen (Grace Junot), a member of the Fallon Unlimited board, masterminded a plot to depose Fallon as CEO of the company at the end of the previous episode. This season, Fallon’s goal has been to leave a legacy for her soon-to-be-born child, which came to fruition when Fallon reinvested in Morell Green Energy and brought it into the Fallon Unlimited sphere.
Ellen is now attempting to strip her of all of this, and the vote to remove her as CEO is only a day away. So Fallon is desperately trying to come up with new ways to win this unwinnable battle. To begin, Dominique (Michael Michele) leaves her show on Fallon’s shopping network in an attempt to entice Fallon to bring her back and demonstrate how valuable she is as CEO.
Unfortunately, this does not go as planned, and Dominique’s departure only gives the board an excuse to get rid of the shopping network entirely, which has already suffered since Alexis’ departure. What should Fallon do?
Fortunately, she finds some clarity when she returns home to find Steven playing the piano, a reunion that has been far too long in the making. Fallon assuages Steven’s fears of being forgotten by telling him that she thinks of him every day.
Though we don’t get to see the would-be satisfying reveal of Adam’s betrayal, Fallon recognizes right away that Adam had a hand in what happened to Steven. The two sing a song, displaying their beautiful bond that we didn’t see nearly enough of, and are then interrupted by the long-awaited moment: Fallon and Liam’s surrogate is in labor.
Culhane, Sam, Kirby, Amanda, and Jeff
Changes are afoot at the hotel as Culhane (Robert Christopher Riley) prepares to marry. Culhane and Nina (Felisha Terrell) are relocating to Los Angeles, so he must sell his stake in Sam’s hotel, putting a crimp in Sam’s plans to franchise.
However, Sam panics and purposefully cancels meetings with potential investors, causing some drama before receiving a much-needed visit from Steven. While Sam still believes Steven is Graham, he confides in him about his abandonment issues as a result of his ex-departure. husband’s After Steven tells Sam what Adam did to him, he gives some advice and reveals himself to Sam, rekindling the spark between them.
Amanda’s relationship with Kirby is on shaky ground. Things don’t get any better when Amanda’s ex Florence offers her a dream job back in London, sending Kirby into a tailspin because the two couldn’t agree on their future together. Kirby, on the other hand, encourages Amanda to pursue her dreams no matter what the cost.
Elsewhere, information from Jeff’s stolen hard drives is leaked, but he also tells Dominique that he leaked other information. His objective? Examine how people use and improve on his projects in order to attract the best people to work for his company.
Alexis, Blake, and Cristal
Dex (Pej Vahdat) goes missing in the Appalachian Mountains after one of Blake’s planes crashes and loses contact, so Blake and Alexis set out to find him. However, Blake’s separation from Cristal is tense, and it appears that a breakup is imminent if they don’t start working together instead of against one another.
Blake and Alexis are having no luck in the mountains when night falls and an intense storm arrives, but Alexis isn’t giving up on her new husband. Despite the thunder and lightning, she continues to search with Blake close behind her as the rest of the search party returns to camp.
After Six Months
We resume in the future, with several changes for the Carringtons and those around them. Fallon Unlimited is now fully owned by the family, and a name change is in the works. Carrington United would thus be the name of the company.
But, before we can see that, Fallon, Blake, and Liam must rush home from work to prepare for a wedding. Back at the manor, Steven and Sam are reuniting and getting ready for the big day… Sam officiating the wedding. What a deception! Although Steven and Sam will not be walking down the aisle again (for the time being), everyone has gathered for Culhane and Nina’s wedding.
Before the wedding, we learn that Amanda accepted the job offer and returned to London to pursue her dream, breaking up with Kirby to make things easier. However, nothing is easier when the two women see each other again.
While they couldn’t get their separate lives on the same track before, six months apart has changed things, at least for Kirby. She declares her love for Amanda and reveals that she doesn’t want to be in Atlanta if Amanda isn’t there, so the two arrange for Kirby to visit London and then share a tender kiss.
