The January 31 episode of CW’s Dynasty, titled “Promises You Can’t Keep,” really outdid itself in making a conservative running for office into the worst sort of man.
Blake Carrington (Grant Show) and his Venezuelan born-wife Cristal (Nathalie Kelley) are preparing to host a fundraiser for Senator Paul Daniels’ (Rick Hearst) campaign. In order to win the election, the senator decides to go "anti-immigration" in hopes of playing to the party’s base.
Cristal meets the senator and his wife, Melissa (Kelly Rutherford) when they pay a visit to Blake’s office. While Melissa and Cristal get to know each other, a jaded Melissa makes sure to paint her husband in the worst possible way by telling Cristal that he has mistresses and then drops the bomb. He will be announcing his new position on immigration soon.
Melissa: May I pour you one?
Cristal: Ha. My husband is also my boss, and he might not approve of his COO day-drinking.
Melissa: Well, you two are just so adorable. I remember when I used to care what Paul thought of me. That's what's so nice about the honeymoon period that you and Blake are in.
Cristal: Well, we've definitely had our ups and downs, but I'm making sure the honeymoon keeps on going.
Melissa: You seem very smart, Cristal.
Cristal: Hmm.
Melissa: I'm gonna give you some advice. Being married to someone as powerful as Blake can wipe out your identity. It is up to you to be true to yourself.
Cristal: Well, with all due respect, you and I are very different that way. Blake married me for who I am.
Melissa: Oh, of course. It's just... I didn't notice it at first, either. I just started making small compromises and looking the other way to support my husband. The next thing you know, I was in too deep. But what's integrity when you can have this bracelet? It cost more than the home I grew up in.
Cristal: Well, I'm never gonna be anything like that.
Melissa: Well, you probably won't feel that way after my husband's speech tonight.
Cristal: Why is that?
Melissa: Nobody knows this, but Paul is taking a new anti-immigration stance. Build the wall, SB 1070 kind of stuff. Surely, for someone like you, that's a hard pill to swallow just to support your husband.
Cristal: Hmm.
Cristal is visited by her old friend, an investigative reporter, Rick Morales (J.R. Cacia) who is working on a bribery story on Senator Daniels. During his days as a judge, Daniels took bribes and one person paying the bribes was Blake. Cristal confronts Blake about this and he tells her it was only once and during his divorce from his first wife. He did it, he said, to guarantee he received custody of his children. Blake asks Cristal to ask Rick to scrape the story. Naturally, Rick scoffs at this idea but Cristal doesn’t tell Blake.
When the time for Senator Daniels’ fundraiser comes, Cristal confronts Blake about the new anti-immigrant message. Blake blows it off by telling her it’s just meant to fire up the base and won’t really be turned into policy. “Sometimes you have to compromise your values for the greater good.” That was quite a loaded conversation. Not only are voters stupid but a man’s values go out the window in order to get what he really wants.
Blake: You look gorgeous and right on time. Before I forget, you killed your friend's story, right?
Cristal: Don't worry, I'm handling it. What I'm not handling is the fact that we're supporting someone who would have had me deported at the border.
Blake: You heard about the speech. It's meant to fire up the base, not be turned into policy. Sometimes you have to compromise your values for the greater good.
Cristal: And what's greater than your values?
Blake: Well... Try to put your personal views aside for the night. The senator and his wife are here. We'll need to greet them.
Cristal: I'll let you handle that honor. You're good enough at compromising for the both of us.
Needless to say, it turns out there was more than one time Blake paid the former judge-turned-senator for favors. Blake explains to Cristal that he often faces lawsuits against Carrington Atlantic and it was good to have a judge in his pocket.
Cristal decides to take care of Senator Daniels' campaign by talking to Rick about the senator’s extramarital affairs. He publishes this story instead and Daniels is forced to end his campaign.
So, in other words, just another story about how horrible conservative men are, written by liberal Hollywood writers. And, along the way, painting conservative voters as bigoted rubes instead of people desiring the rule of law to be enforced and America’s sovereign border protected.
