I am not sure why I waited so long to finally highlight one of the most classic scenes of Dynasty. It is definitely in my Top 5 scenes of all time. Dominique Deveraux arrives in Denver for reasons only she knows (at this point). After asking around about Alexis, Alexis sends for Dominique to learn more about this woman.
The conversation between the two is nothing more than a catty tit-for-tat that ends with Dominique insulting Alexis’s champagne and caviar. Really, does it get any better than that. You can watch this scene over and over and again and be amused on so many levels.
We had to wait until Season 7 for Alexis and Dominique to have it out - but it was worth it. Now that Alexis owns a newspaper, she has nothing better to do than to have her critic write a scathing review of Dominique’s act. Dominique does not take it well and she storms into Alexis’s bedroom demanding a retraction. Like that it is going to happen.
This leads to a quick fight in Alexis’s bedroom with the poor dog watching from the bed until it gets accidentally hit by one of the stunt men fighting. Lin and Adam come in to break up the fight (Amazingly, Dominique managed to re-tuck in her shirt) and Dominique is carried out screaming, “I’ll slap her.” I mean, how great is that.
Most fans of Dynasty know how Diahann Carroll joined the cast of Dynasty. She wanted, and the fans deserved, a black bitch. Someone to battle Alexis. But, how do you fit Carroll into the show? The writers created an air of mystery with Carroll’s arrival as Dominique Deveraux. Who exactly was she? Dominique was more than just a woman who needed a separate room for her clothes and who enjoyed insulting Alexis’ champagne and caviar. (Granted, that was amazing.)
Dominique sure knew how to make an entrance
At the end of Season 4, the viewers learn who Dominque is. And, just to prevent the secret from getting out too soon, a few scenes were shot (including one where Dominique reveals that she is Kirby’s mother - thank goodness that did not happen). In the end, we all learn that Dominique is a Carrington. More specifically, we discover at the beginning of Season 5, that she is Blake’s sister.
Of course, Blake was just not going to accept Dominique as his sister although he would accept her millions of dollars to help him get out of his bankruptcy. No, Dominique had to fight her way to her position as a Carrington and was finally accepted when Tom admitted on his death bed that Dominique was his daughter.
Good thing for Blake that he found his sister when he did - he needed someone to help him battle Alexis now the Ktystle was content just raising their child. Dominique did battle somewhat with Alexis and they had some great scenes together.
At the same time, one can argue that Dominique was underused on the show, and that is true. Making her a Carrington limited her love interests. Also, she only had so many resources to counter Alexis. Still, Carroll does an amazing job as Dominique and has her own style of delivering her lines that just works. That smirk get me every time.
One last thought - and this is definitely positive. No one ever said, “But she’s black.” Carroll and Spelling got their black bitch but her race was never addressed. The closest Dominque’s race was referenced was when she learned that Garrett lied about being married when they first met all those years ago. We never learn why Garrett lied to Dominique, but we cannot say that Dominique’s race did not play a role in that decision.
