Battle Lines

Battle Lines
Season 03, Episode 12

Air date	February 7, 2020
Written by	Christopher Fife
Directed by	Matt Earl Beesley
Viewers	0.31 million (310,000)^[1]
Episode Guide
previous "A Wound That May Never Heal"	next "You See Most Things in Terms of Black & White"

“	I'm renting them. They're Tony the gardener's kids, and let's just say I made a very generous donation to their college fund. Oh! Don't forget, kids. You get 20 bucks for every time you call me Mommy. Okay? {...} Mrs. Winslow will just assume that you're the father. And I, of course, am the very loving mother. {...} I told you, it only counts when you're in front of the old woman.	”
Fallon on renting children to win a bid for the house she wants

"Battle Lines" is the twelfth episode of the third season and the fifty-sixth episode overall of The CW's Dynasty. It aired on February 7, 2020.

Synopsis[]

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR AND REAL ESTATE – Blake finds himself all alone in the mansion. Fallon's search for her new abode brings out her competitive side. Sam hosts a Valentine's Day event at the La Mirage. Having returned to town, Dominique quickly entwines herself in a few questionable situations.^[2]

Plot Summary[]

SPOILERS AHEAD

Blake is served the usual extravagant breakfast at the Carrington Manor but finds himself eating alone. He tells Anders of his plan to take back Carrington Atlantic, but Van Kirk Industries just received an offer from Oakley Corp, a company either man has heard of. Blake asks Anders to look into the company and what the offer is. He then invites Anders to join him for breakfast, as Cristal is in Mexico, Sam is at La Mirage, and Fallon moved out. The attempt to catch up becomes awkward almost instantly and Anders is excused.

Liam and Fallon are staying at La Mirage where they have been having plenty of sex. Liam still can’t believe he saw the day Fallon left the manor and she admits that hotel life has become mundane. He invites her to his place but she doesn’t want to sleep in the same bed as Ashley did and reveals her decision to buy a house. She wants to buy a house for herself as she’s never lived alone and wants to experience it. He thought they were on the path of living together but assures him this is just a stop, not a permanent destination. She asks for his help to which he agrees and they kiss.

Alexis returns home from shopping to find Jeff receiving another treatment, despite already having one earlier that week. He wants to stay alert and Dr. Hadley tells him that his toxic metal levels are still high. Dr. Hadley then excuses herself and leaves. Alexis expresses concern for Jeff's well-being, but the only pharmaceutical company that is working on a cure for neuro-toxicity is years away from having anything substantial for the FDA. She suggests buying the company and making the cure a priority. He thanks her for caring especially since their marriage is only a business arrangement. She invites him to stay in her room and possibly expand their arrangement, but he needs to focus on his health while they wait for Van Kirk. Dominique arrives and comments on them buying a business already. She is back from New York and wants to stay at Jeff’s for a while to look after him. Alexis is against the idea so Jeff supports her very adamant decision and tells Dom to find another place to stay.

Adam is going through his things and finds his vision cane and remembers his time with Nadia. Kirby arrives looking for her earring which Adam found on the couch. He interrupts her story about the earrings as he has a meeting wtih Atlanta General to get his privileges back so he can practice medicine again. She tells him she had a great time at dinner the night before and he did too. He tells her has to go but will see her around.

Fallon is going through virtual reality open houses with her realtor. Liam arrives and Fallon explains what she’s doing and is unimpressed by the house she’s looking at. She runs into the coffee table and Liam moves her away from it. The realtor tells her that one listing isn’t online and fits all of her criteria. Fallon realizes it’s her dream house that she’s wanted since a child but she has to go look at it to acquire the house, as the owner isn’t taking bids yet.

Blake is petting Bo when Anders enters the study to tell him what he found out about the bid. The bid is sealed but Anders recommends asking the owner of Oakley Corp - Jeff Colby. He thinks that Alexis and Jeff want the company as revenge. Blake promises to give them war.

Sam is planning a Valentine’s Day celebration for La Mirage but isn’t feeling festive. He lies to Kirby about Fletcher being out of town and then tells her about the “Secret Admirer” party at the hotel. People send out anonymous letters to someone special, hoping that person will show up to meet their admirer. The couple will meet, fall in love, and proceed to book a hotel room for the evening. When someone has found their admirer they take a red paper heart with a rose pin and wear it. Kirby is into the idea and wants to send an invite to Adam, which Sam thinks is a crazy idea as Adam is, in fact, crazy. He warns her against the relationship and advises her to follow the warning signs. Kirby decides to do it any way but keep it a secret from Sam.

Culhane is drinking at the bar when Dom walks up to him. After Monica and Jeff discovered Vanessa was their stepsister Dom got rid of the blackmail she had on Jeff. Culhane hasn’t heard from Vanessa lately which doesn’t surprise Dom as Vanessa is moving on and doing great in New York. She offers to buy the next round as her day has been bad too.

Fallon and Liam arrive at the house and he comments on the size. The house has brought her a lot of happiness and she brings two men in suits behind her that carry the briefcases full of her cash offer. The realtor warns her that she has a lot of competition in there which she is confident won’t be an issue.

Blake and Alexis chat at the Colby house and he is surprised she is still there as he thought her marriage with Jeff was just a scheme to imprison him. She tells him they share a deep love but Blake knows it’s a lie. He also knows that Jeff is planning to buy CA and while he doesn’t know what the offer was, he is planning to buy it back with interest, and if Alexis helps broker a deal she might get a commission. She refuses his offer and calls him sad, as he’s alienated himself from the entire family and groveling by himself. He tells her she made an error aligning herself with Jeff because Colby’s always lost against Carrington’s and she’ll be a casualty of their war. He then leaves.

At the open house, Fallon thins out the competition by scaring each one away with lies that are diabolically chosen to horrify people. She is about to woo the owner when she sees the owner, Esther Winslow, hugging a family. Esther wants to sell the house to a family. Fallon decides to destroy the family.

Blake and Cristal catch-up during a phone call and she mentions including Fallon as she has a good relationship with Jeff. Blake isn’t sure about the idea and Cristal tells him not to let his pride get in the way.

Adam fills Alexis in on his meeting with Atlanta General. They have a spot for Adam and he could be practicing medicine again in no time. They discuss Jeff buying a pharmaceutical company, which Alexis lies about being just a sound investment. She decides it’s time for her to leave and takes her mail. She notices a piece is for Adam and he sees the invitation to the Valentine’s Party at La Mirage. They are both intrigued and he decides to go as he thinks he knows who sent the invite.

Culhane and Dom are drunk at the bar and are talking and laughing while telling stories. She pours another shot to celebrate their single status, but while he drinks it she tosses it into a nearly full glass next to her. He starts to leave but she keeps him as the party is just starting. She flirts with him and insinuates that they should have sex. They go upstairs and proceed to make out and remove their clothing before falling onto a bed.

Liam wants to go to dinner but Fallon isn’t ready to leave as she has to pick out the perfect present for Mrs. Winslow. He suggests she do something personal like write a letter about what the house means to her as a kid. She likes the idea and decides to write it and meet him at the restaurant. Jax comes in and tells her that Winslow only wants to sell to a family. Ja wants to move on but Fallon isn’t ready to give up.

Dom visits Blake later that evening per Blake's summons. He wants her to do him a favor in exchange for money. He needs access to Jeff’s office so he can find information regarding the sale of CA. Dom agrees to help him get past security but will need something more than money in exchange for her efforts.

The letter to Mrs. Winslow worked, but Fallon tells Liam her letter to Mrs. Winslow worked, but she had to embellish a little. Fallon told Esther she has a husband and children. Liam and Fallon argue over what she calls the “technicalities” of their dinner with Esther that evening. He wants to know why the house is so important and she tells him that when Alexis and Blake were fighting she would peak in the window and see what a normal family was like. It made her realize that things could be different or better. He recommends telling Mrs. Winslow the truth which she agrees to do with his help.

Blake and Dom break into Jeff’s office and Blake begins searching through the desk. Dom is interrupted by a security guard who tells her the office door alarm went off. She apologizes saying she only went in to get a bottle off Jeff’s shelf. She threatens to tell Jeff that Dwayne was the one in Jeff’s office and throws the glass of champagne on his shirt to help sell the idea. The guard leaves. Blake finds Jeff’s medical records and Anders calls to tell Blake that Alexis and Jeff went to Chlorctye Health but are leaving, so Blake should leave the premises.

At the Secret Admirer party, Kirby and Adam chat about him receiving an invite. He thinks the invite came from Nadia which shocks Kirby. She covers and lies about it possibly being Nadia and Adam leaves to search for her.

Fallon arrives at the Winslow house with a minivan after deciding the truth wasn’t good enough. She goes as far as renting Tony the gardener’s children for the night to pretend to be her daughter and son. She made a generous donation to their college funds in return for their cooperation. They get an extra twenty dollars for calling her “mommy”. Liam thinks the idea won’t work but she begs him to help her as they won’t be lying, Mrs. Winslow, will merely assume that they are the parents.

Adam still hasn’t found Nadia and assures Kirby that the guy she sent her invite too is an idiot for not showing up. She invites him to dance while he’s waiting and he happily accepts. The song changes to a slow one and he’s surprised that she’s leading. They make small talk about dancing until Adam notices the heart board behind her. She explains the concept of the heart pins to Adam, who takes a pin since once Nadia arrives he’ll be spoken for. She starts to tell him the truth but he leaves to check the lobby before she can finish.

Vanessa arrives at Culhane’s door to tell him she’s been missing him. He’s surprised as she hasn’t been returning his texts but she thought he wasn’t responding to her. She thought he was upset but it’s behind them now because she’s moving back to Atlanta. She can pursue her music from Atlanta but can’t pursue him. He agrees to pick up where they left off so they hug.

Jeff makes Alexis a martini when she gets a letter from Blake inviting the couple to dinner so they can celebrate together. Moments later, Jeff receives a call from his lawyer, then angrily calls Blake a bastard.

At La Mirage, Sam is ignoring Fletcher’s numerous texts when he spots Adam, who tells Sam he was invited. Sam warns Adam not to hurt Kirby because despite her not seeing the psycho that he is, she still cares for him. Adam is confused that Kirby was the one who invited him. She asks if he found Nadia and Adam pieces together the truth. Sam leaves sensing the awkwardness of the situation. She admits to Adam that she likes him but he is hurt that she didn’t just tell him the invite was from her. She defends herself by saying that he didn’t feel the same way and was too embarrassed to tell him the truth. He’s hurt that she lied and he was made a fool by looking for someone who was never going to show up. He walks away from her.

Fallon is elated that Esther loves the family but Liam isn’t so thrilled and wants to leave. They soon start arguing when Liam isn’t happy with this being their future as he doesn’t want children while she does.

Sam apologizes to Kirby about accidentally telling Adam the invite was from her. He’s sorry for how it went down but isn’t sorry that it’s over. He tells her again that dating Adam isn’t a good idea. She wants to make her own mistakes but he doesn’t want her to get hurt as he did. He then tells her what happened with Fletcher. She hugs him but says that just because Fletcher hurt him, doesn’t mean Adam will hurt her. She decides to follow her heart and walks away from him. Sam takes out his phone and finally texts Fletcher back, agreeing to have a conversation.

Blake and Anders are making small talk when the front door opens and slams shut. Alexis and Jeff arrive and Jeff calls Blake a son of a bitch for stealing Chylorcyte. Blake reveals that he discovered Jeff’s neurotoxicity and the coincidence that Chylorcyte is developing the only known cure - which he has stopped the development of. He offers to give Jeff Chylorcyte in exchange for CA. Jeff declines the deal as there are plenty of other pharma companies he can buy, but there is only one CA, which is why their war is far from over.

Fallon and Liam fight in front of Esther under the guise of arguing about wanting trees. Esther says she has a gardener but he doesn’t work at night, as Fallon thinks she might need a “night gardener” to help care for the “trees”. Liam tells Esther that it isn’t about the trees themselves as much as the assumption that they both want trees. The children rush into the room wanting to leave. The girl says she wants her money for calling Fallon “mommy” and Fallon’s plan quickly unravels as the truth is revealed to Esther, who angrily tells Fallon to get the hell out of her house.

Culhane tells Dom that Vanessa came back to town and is staying. He wants to make sure that what happened between him and Dom will stay a secret, and she agrees to forget it happened. He thanks her and leaves. Once he’s gone she calls Vanessa asking if she got back to Atlanta safely and agrees to talk to her tomorrow. She then opens a video she recorded. When Culhane wasn’t looking, Dom set up her phone and recorded the pair having sex.

Kirby visits a distraught Adam at the loft. She apologizes for not being honest but he isn’t mad at her - he’s mad at himself for not letting go of Nadia. He trusted her and she betrayed him. He begins breaking things with his vision cane before sitting in the chair emotionally. She approaches him and they kiss. He isn’t sure if it’s a bad idea, but she tells him that’s what she’s in the mood for.

Fallon and Liam discuss their future, their relationship, and having children. She assures him that if it comes down to Liam or children she chooses him. They decide to see where life takes them before making decisions on children or a house.

Cristal arrives earlier from her trip to Mexico to surprise Blake. They hug but the moment is quickly ruined when Dominique waltzes in and announces she’s moving into the manor.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon Carrington
Daniella Alonso as Cristal Carrington
Elaine Hendrix as Alexis Carrington Colby
Rafael de La Fuente as Sam Jones
Sam Underwood as Adam Carrington
Michael Michele as Dominique Deveraux
Robert Christopher Riley as Michael Culhane
Sam Adegoke as Jeff Colby
Maddison Brown as Kirby Anders
Adam Huber as Liam Ridley
Alan Dale as Joseph Anders
Grant Show as Blake Carrington

Guest Starring[]

Jade Payton as Vanessa
Keller Wortham as Jax Davis

Co-Starring[]

Joan Q. Scott as Esther Winslow
Holly Morris as Dr. Danielle Hadley
Michael Anthony as Duane
Eden Harper as Betsy
Hudson James Gasper as Bobby
Marcia Harvey as Colby House Staffer

Uncredited[]

Aiden as Bo
Kelli Barrett as Nadia (archive footage)

Trivia[]

"Battle Lines" is one of Elizabeth Gillies' favorite episodes.^[3]
The episode title is the only one to be featured as a line of the episode in this season. The last time the episode title was also a line in the episode was Deception, Jealousy, and Lies.
This is the first time a reboot episode is titled after an original one and doesn't feature the arrival of a character.
This episode celebrates Valentine's Day.

Quotes[]

Blake: Actually, there is something I need. I've decided to take control of my life once again, Anders, which means getting Carrington Atlantic back.
Joseph: You mentioned that. #Goals, as they say.

Dominique: Oh, Jeff's buying you companies already? Is that the typical two weeks of marriage gift? I figured it would be a set of knives or something.
Alexis: No, Dominique, no knives, though I do wish one was handy right now.

Dominique (to Jeff): And I was also thinking that maybe I would stay here for a while, to look after you.
Alexis: Here? In this house? (forced laugh) Dominique, your wit knows no bounds.
Dominique: I wasn't joking.
Alexis: Neither am I. You and your bargain basement wig collection can go find a one-bedroom in Norcross because you are not staying here.
Jeff: Okay, okay, uh, you heard her. Happy wife, happy life, right? It's best you find someplace else to go, Mom.

Kirby: If you must know, I'm crushing a little on Adam.
Sam: Please tell me you mean Adam Levine or Adam Sandler. I'll even accept a misguided attempt at Adam Lambert.

Sam: Kirby, what exactly happened to you in that cult? Did Joel brainwash you into only liking crazy people?
Kirby: First of all, not a cult.

Alexis: How sad is this, Blake? In the past, you would have sent Fallon or Adam to do your dirty work. Clearly you've alienated yourself from the entire family 'cause here you are, groveling all alone.
Blake: I'm hardly groveling.
Alexis: I understand, though. You alienated me from my family for years. Only I didn't have a choice. You did this to yourself.
Blake: You made a tactical error, aligning your forces with Jeff. Colbys always lose to Carringtons. You'll be nothing but a casualty of war.

Fallon: Wait, who are these Town & Country-looking newcomers, and why are they hugging that old lady?
Jax: Because that old lady is Esther Winslow, the owner. She must know that family... and love them.
Fallon: You have got to be kidding me. Well, I guess I'll just have to destroy a family of four.
Liam: Whoa. You know those kids are, like, six years old.
Fallon: All is fair in love and real estate.

Michael: (laughs) And I watch a $1,500 bottle of champagne fly out of Blake's hands and shatter. The poor bastard never got to take a sip.
Dominique: I haven't laughed this much in years. Vanessa is crazy to let you go. Because you, sir, are an amazing man.
Michael: Why, thank you, kind lady. And you are a lot more fun when you're not blackmailing me.

Blake (to Dominique): You could have removed the spare tire before forcing me in the trunk.

Fallon: I decided that the truth just wasn't the best way to play this.
Liam: (chuckling) So you think that showing up in a minivan dressed as a soccer mom's gonna convince her you have a family?
Fallon: Of course not. But you and the two kids will.
Liam: What two ki...? Oh, my God, what did you do? Did you buy two kids from someone?
Fallon: What? No. Don't be ridiculous. I'm renting them.

Sam: Look, I'm sorry for how it all went down, but I'm not sorry it ended, okay? I told you, dating him is a huge mistake.
Kirby: I'm a grown woman. Let me make my own mistakes.
Sam: I did... you joined a cult, remember?
Kirby: It wasn't a cult!

Blake: Well, I'm guessing that you will change your mind soon enough. I mean, how bare are the symptoms anyway? You look a little shaky?
Jeff: You think this is over? See, there are plenty of other pharma companies I can buy. But there's only one C.A. And it will be mine.
Blake: We'll see.

Fallon: So, you were saying this house gets a lot of south-facing light?
Esther: Get the hell out of my house, you crazy bitch.

Kirby: Hi. Look, I'm really sorry. I should have been honest with my feelings from the start. You have every reason to be mad at me.
Adam: I'm not mad at you, Kirby. I'm mad at myself. For not letting go of Nadia. I gave her my trust. And she destroyed that trust. I mean, she just got away with it. She never had to pay for all those lies.
(Glass shattering, Kirby kisses Adam.)
Adam: (panting) Wait, wait, wait. Is this a bad idea?
Kirby: I'm in the mood for a bad idea.

Fallon: Moving out of the manor. I think it made me reexamine my life and... made me think about what I wanted my life to be, and... I thought it was about the house, but... it wasn't. It was more about what the house represented. And I decided I liked that future.
Liam: Well, Fallon, that's the problem. You. You decided. You make all the decisions in our life. When we go to dinner, where we vacation, whose place we stay at, and... you know, look, most of the time I don't really care. But on the big things, I do. And there's never a compromise.
Fallon: That's not true.
Liam: Really? Fallon, we went from dating to married with children, and I didn't even know about it.
Fallon: Well... I didn't realize how serious you were about this whole "no kids" thing.
Liam: It's just... we both come from pretty messed-up families. I guess I was just kind of hoping to break the cycle.
Fallon: Yeah, well, me, too. Just the other way around. I've always wanted kids, and I think that you and I could do it right. But if it's a choice between you and children, I mean... Liam, I choose you.

Cristal: Dominique? What the hell are you doing here?
Dominique: Didn't Blake tell you? I'm moving in, dear.
Blake: Yeah, that's the something I need to talk to you about.
Dominique: Don't look so surprised, Cristal. After all, I am a Carrington. This is where I belong. See you at breakfast.