Some (okay many) may not agree with my belief that Season 9 of Dynasty was its best. Linda Evans had left the season early and Joan Collins only appeared in half of the episodes. Still, the season was compelling, well written and provided so many great bitchy moments that we all love.

In a weird sense, Season 9 showed that Dynasty could move past its formula of centering around Blake-Krystle-Alexis - which was tried in Season 8 but with less success. Granted, it was too late to save the show from cancellation.

Season 9 saw the arrival of Sable to take on her cousin Alexis - and actually get the best of her for the most part. There was a compelling murder mystery as it appeared that poor Roger Grimes was actually killed and not maimed when Blake caught him with Alexis all those years ago. Fallon returned to her own self (Emma Samms finally appeared comfortable in the role). Adam, as well, returned to psychopathic self.

The season was fast paced and there never seemed to be a filler moment. Finally, the last few episodes set up many possibilities for a Season 10 (the mystery woman in the car, Monica and Jeff learning they are not siblings, Sable’s pregnancy, even Sammy Jo and the priest.) Alas, we didn’t get the pleasure of a Season 10. Still, it was great that Dynasty ended on a high note as Seasons 7-8 were pretty lackluster.

Highlights

Sable vs. Alexis - Probably my favorite storyline of the series. Yes, Alexis battled with Krystle and Dominique, but Sable almost always seemed to get the best of her. It was great to finally see Alexis on the ropes. Alexis was able to win a few battles, but it is hard to argue that Sable did not win the war by getting Dex. Every scene between the two was gold which we should have known based on the brief interaction between the two in Season 6.

Who Killed Roger Grimes - I have to give credit to the writers for allowing this storyline to span the entire season. You have Fallon’s obsession with the crime, Alexis’s determination to prove Blake did it, and Blake’s determination to prevent everyone from learning the truth (not about the murder but about what was buried under the Carrington estate). In the end, there was a great twist of who killed him (a very young Fallon) even if Alexis somehow forgot that.

Adam Returns to Form - With Dana sneaking off in the middle of the night, Adam lacked that individual to control his darker impulses and they came out to full form during the season. This lead to Blake kicking him out of the mansion. In fact, it is hard to count how many people took a shot at Adam during the season (Dex, Blake and Jeff - heck even Monica slapped him hard).

Fallon, Sammy Jo and Jeff - The love triangle took a cute turn as Sammy Jo and Fallon realize, after a fight in the mud, that there is no reason they should fight over Jeff. Heck, the two actually became friends as Fallon partnered up with Zorelli and Sammy Jo fell for a priest. This left Jeff out in the cold (somewhat) which was a good thing since Jeff probably should have cooled it with the ladies. That said, while the writers hinted at pairing Jeff with Monica, I am glad it never happened (and will pretend that would not have happened in a Season 10).

Lowlights

Virginia - Okay, I feel the need to always find some sort of lowlight for each season. Virginia, Krystle’s cousin, is an interesting character. We meet her when Krystle runs off to Dayton and she brings her cousin back to the mansion. Now, we have the classic middle class interacting with the very wealthy. Fine and all that. Then, we learn that Virginia was a teen street walker who had known Dex at the time. That was a bit too much. I always got the impression that the writers had more plans for Virginia but then pulled back and sent her home to Dayton - which was for the best.