the colbys episode 1 - "The Celebration"

Well, we met most of the Colbys when they paid a visit to Denver to announce the deal with Denver Carrington.  Granted, Krytle did not meet them because she was being held in the attic over at Delta Rho - but I am digressing.  

Back in Los Angeles, Jason fields questions from the press about the pipeline deal.  Miles is still missing as everyone notes he usually spends his time at the polo grounds.  But, Miles is not at the polo grounds.  He is still touring around with Randall (Fallon).  Basically, the two just go from hotel to hotel having sex.  Not a bad life, and definitely not a bad life for Randall.  Of course, none of this is good for Jeff, who rushes his move to Los Angeles so that he can find Miles and Fallon.

Not everyone is excited about Jeff's move to Los Angeles, especially Sable.  She is angry that Constance gave Jeff her shares of Colby Enterprises and gave nothing to her litter.  Jason tells Sable to let it be, which means she will not.  Granted, all of this would make more sense to Sable if Jason just tells Sable that he is dying, but Jason does not think Sable is strong enough to handle the news.  Instead, we are all just going to make things worse.  Great job, Jason.

For reasons beyond me, Constance thinks that Jeff needs his mother in Los Angeles with him.  Yeah, I know, Jeff has a mother, and she lives in London.   Go figure.  Anyway, Constance was going to write Jeff's mother, Francesca, a letter, but then realizes that there are such things as telephones.  She phones Frankie in London and invites her to move to Los Angeles to support Jeff.  Even though Frankie would love nothing more than to support her son she just can't go to Los Angeles.  Apparently, Frankie could also not go to Denver because she didn't seem to care when Cecil died and Jeff inherited half of Colby Co.  As an aside, I should note that Katharine Ross is just horrible as Frankie.  Just watching her on that phone call with Connie was torturous.  She is so wooden.  I will be bitching more and more about Ross as we go through the series.

Frankie reconsiders and does decide to go to Los Angeles, with a stop over in New York first.  Before she leaves for the States, she refuses to give an answer to Roger Langdon as to whether she will marry him.  Yeah, I kind of just said that as an aside - but I just wanted to get the Frankie stuff over with.  Oh, one more awesome note - when Constance calls Frankie, Frankie asks about Jason but not about her own sister, Sable.  Oh yeah, Frankie and Sable are sisters - but I don't think we are supposed to know that just yet.

Back in Los Angeles, Sable refuses to take Jason's advice and questions Constance about why she brought that outsider into the family.  Constance dodges the question because she does not want to mention Jason's condition.  Besides, Constance needs to fly off for another charitable event.  Sable wonders about these charitable events.  And so she should.  It seems, Constance likes to run off to rendezvous with some cowboy, Hutch.  I think it is so adorable that Barbara Stanwyck busts out with her attire from the Big Valley to have a romance with her cowboy.  Hutch has no idea that the woman doing the dishes and cooking him chili is actually a billionaire.  I guess her doesn't read the paper or anything.  

Over at Colby Enterprises, it seems that someone is trying to muscle themselves into the pipeline deal by hinting to the Chinese that Jason is unable to ship all the oil that Denver Carrington will be extracting from the South China Sea.  Jason wants to get to who is spreading these rumors and think it is a perfect job for Jeff.  Jeff, however, refuses to be Jason's errand boy.  Monica, on the other hand, has no problem being the errand girl and she even speaks Chinese.  Jason rejects Monica's initiative because she is a woman and he does not think that the Chinese will want to deal with a woman.  Jason has a lot of sexism of his own though.  Think about it - Monica is clearly more capable to run Colby Enterprises than Miles, but Miles is being groomed to take control once he can get off the polo grounds.

Monica does get some womanly advice from Sable.  It is safe to say that Sable is not what one would term a "modern" woman.  Sable pretty much tells Monica that you have to manipulate men into getting them to do what you want but make them think it is what they want.  Got that?  It's a great scene, nonetheless.

Garrett is able to find out who is trying to muscle his way into the deal - Zach Powers.  So, Jason invites Zach to watch him exercise his second Amendment rights.  Zach plays dumb but Jason warns him that he will not be able to muscle his way into shipping some of that oil.  Time for Zach to move quickly before Jason closes him off.

It would be nice if Miles was around to help over at Colby Enterprises.  He is at another hotel with Randall/Fallon.  At the latest hotel, Randall opens the door to a drunk guy who decides he is going to have his way with Randall.  That seems pretty natural.  What is even more natural, is that after Miles saves Randall from the attack - the two go get married.  But, we don't know that until Miles finally returns home and introduces his family and Jeff to his new bride - Randall.  Oops, I mean Fallon.  Oh, this is going to be great.

Did I mention anything about Bliss (or Rabbit as Jason calls her)?  No, I didn't.  Yeah, she went swimming, and fawned over how sexy her cousin is and how she had a crush on him when she was a child.  Gee, Monica said the same thing to Jeff on Dynasty.  Don't these Colbys get out or something.  That's all for Bliss.

Memorable Dialogue

Jason (to Jeff):  I don't believe you understand what you got yourself into here.  This is not like that cozy little corner grocery store you were used to over at Denver Carrington.

Jason:  The trouble is the Chinese, they're . . well, they're Chinese.

Monica (to Jason): You know it never occurred to me til now but I think maybe you have a bit of Chinese chauvinism in you.

Garrett:  What was that all about?
Jason:  I seemed to have sired a woman of the 80s - God help me.

Monica:  Miles, at the office?  Not very likely.  You try the polo grounds?
Jeff:  I just came from there.

Sable:  There is nothing devious about using your femininity.  
Monica:  Well, I think any woman who resorts to those kind of trick is letting down the team.
Sable:  Team?  This is not a locker room, darling.  It's not us against them.  When it comes to men, no two women are ever on the same team.  Believe me.
Monica:  Mother, I'm talking about sexual equality, not sexual gamesmanship.
Sable:  There is no sexual equality.  There never has been and there never will be.  At least not as far as men are concerned.

Jason:  You'll get used to Sable's humor, Jeff.

Next Episode - Conspiracy of Silence