It takes something pretty wild to make a viewer think the CW dramatic soap opera Dynasty has gone beyond the pale, given the standard storylines written for the show. This week though, it succeeded.
Just in time to be broadcast on Good Friday, during the episode airing on April 10 titled “She Canceled”, Cristal Carrington (Daniella Alonso) is working with her husband’s son, Adam (Sam Underwood), and Father Caleb Collins (Wil Traval) putting together a gala fundraiser for her charity’s foundation.
The priest and Cristal are beginning to have feelings for each other and it begins slowly but obviously. First Father Collins reaches over and touches her hair. Later in the show, he squeezes her arm while no one else is looking. It’s not racy but it’s icky. Who wants to watch a priest flirt with a parishioner?
Cristal: We can have the gala at the manor then we could save a lot of money. We just need to dress it up a little.
Caleb: Oh, I've seen your house on Lifestyles of the Insanely Wealthy. We might have to dress it down.
Cristal: It's actually pretty homey.
Caleb: Okay, don't you have a whole room just for guns? That's pretty crazy. Even for Georgia.
Cristal: No, it's just functional, really.
Caleb: Mm-hmm.
Cristal: I'll have to give you a tour.
Caleb: I'd love that. Get a chance to see your inner sanctum. Didn't sound right. You got a little... Cristal: We should really finish this.
Caleb: Actually, let's do that later. Um, I forgot that I have to be somewhere.
Did you notice the random shot at having a gun room at the Carrington Manor? Anyway, Cristal is feeling guilty, especially since she has thrown herself into charity work as a way of redeeming herself for her past sins. She arranges for Father Collins to be only listed as a co-host of the event, not a working partner with her and Adam, so she can distance herself from him. Father Collins finds out that Cristal is pushing him away and he asks her about it toward the end of the episode.
Caleb: Hey, did you make up some story about me to tell Adam?
Cristal: I had to explain why I wanted you off this project.Caleb: And why do you?
Cristal: You know why. I am feeling guilty enough. Stop pretending there's not this thing between us.
Caleb: What thing? You're a beautiful woman, obviously, but I thought that we were just... ...Working together.
Cristal: So when you touched my hand at the manor, that meant nothing? Or when you brushed my hair away from my face or told me you were flirting, there was nothing behind any of that?
Caleb: Okay. I guess there's no point adding a lie to my list of sins. Um, yes. I do... Have feelings for you, Cristal.Cristal: Tempting a man of God wasn't exactly in my redemption plan.
Caleb: And being tempted wasn't in mine.
Cristal: Well, what do we do now?
Caleb: This.
Ugh. This is how the episode ends on Good Friday – with Father Collins kissing Cristal? It’s not only a lazy way of trying to bring additional drama to the show, it’s disrespectful to Christians during Easter weekend. There are plenty of other storylines in this show to keep viewers tuned in, this disgraceful addition was certainly not needed at all.
I’d like to think this storyline will end with this episode but I doubt it. It’s perfectly acceptable to the Hollywood left to write stories insulting Christians and now this show is no different than others doing it.
