Back in the 80's, Dynasty was where it was at. I used to watch it with my mom every week and we jokingly called it Die-nasty. Lots of drama, extravagant wealth, beautiful clothes and most of all deceit were the name of the game with this show and Dynasty: The Third Season, Volume Two is certainly no exception. In fact, this volume contains two of the most memorable episodes in Dynasty history. The first is when Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins) makes a bid to wrest control from Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) and she goes up against the members of the board of Denver Carrington. This clip was also used in the comedy Big Business where Bette Midler's character took her inspiration from Alexis. It was great to see the actual episode again after all these years. The second is the most infamous as it's the one where Krystal Carrington (Linda Evans) and Alexis battle it out physically and end up fighting like street hoodlums in the lily pond. Good stuff. But more on all of this later.

So much happens in this volume. Adam Colby (Gordon Thomson), firstborn son of Alexis and Blake, connives with his mother to get control of Denver Carrington Industries by poisoning the paint in the office of Jeff Colby (John James), son-in-law to Alexis and nephew of her late husband, and making him crazy so that he will turn over his stock control and that of his infant son's to Alexis. Based on the poison fumes, Jeff becomes convinced that his wife and the daughter of Blake Carrington, Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin), is cheating on him with Mark Jennings (Geoffrey Scott), her tennis pro employee at the La Mirage, the hotel Fallon runs. Jeff actually strangles her at one point, with Mark saving her in the nick of time. But Jeff isn't too far off the mark since Mark does have designs on Fallon, all the while sleeping with Alexis. The Tennis Match of Doom is how Jeff decides to settle his spat with Jennings. Hysterical.

Jeff ends up in the hospital from his poisoning and it is in this state that he and Kirby Aynders (Kathleen Bellar), his infant's nanny, discover their love for one another. Fortunately, Fallon has run off to Haiti to get a quickie divorce from Jeff, so he is free to run off to Reno with Kirby. Of course, their marriage has plenty of complications since she is the daughter of a servant and is constantly fending off the advances of Adam. When she discovers she is pregnant, she is thrilled; but is it Jeff's or Adam's?

Steven Carrington (Jack Coleman of Heroes fame), gay son of Alexis and Blake who was missing and presumed dead after an oil rig explosion, pops back up with a new face after spending time recuperating in Singapore. Before that, his greedy and conniving wife, Sammy Jo (Heather Locklear), tries to use their baby as a bartering chip since everyone knows how desperately Krystal wants a child. Sammy Jo agrees to let them adopt little Danny, but when Steven comes home, he wants to raise the child himself, breaking Krystal's heart.

Alexis is successful in getting Jeff to sign over the stocks and she is able to gain control of ColbyCo and Denver Carrington, which causes a huge power struggle between she and Blake throughout the season. It is this and Alexis's snide remarks about Krystal losing little Danny that cause the two wildcats to battle it out in the pond. Punching and all! The season ends with a cliffhanger finding Alexis and Krystal trapped together in a burning cabin, when someone tries to murder Alexis.

Dynasty is all about the cheesy 80's drama, complete with over-the-top acting and intense music. It reminds me of a 50's drama, actually, because you just don't see stuff like that these days. If you want a bit of nostalgia, then rent Dynasty, but I don't know if it's worth a purchase. There are no special features and rather than holding up to the test of time, it is more laughable. But like I said, there are some memorable moments to be seen here and what's really funny is seeing Steven (Jack Coleman) as a young man, since he plays Claire Bennett's father on Heroes these days and its funny to see him in this role.