There's No One Around to Watch You Drown

There's No One Around to Watch You Drown
Season 5, Episode 17

Air date	July 8, 2022
Written by	Liz Sczudlo
Directed by	Grant Show
Viewers	0.28 million (280,000)
Episode Guide
previous "My Family, My Blood"	next "A Writer of Dubious Talent"

“	You should've thought of that before you convinced yourself, and everyone else that I'm the kind of man who would let our mother die. You can go to hell. Take Fallon's spawn with you. You may be better at gin or chess but those are just games. You have no idea what I'm capable of. And if you think you've won, you're dumber than you look.	”
Ben reassuring Blake that the war is not over.

"There's No One Around to Watch You Drown" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season, and the one hundredth and third episode overall of The CW's Dynasty. It aired on July 8, 2022.

Synopsis[]

CHARISMA CARPENTER GUEST STARS - Blake and Ben face off in court. Cristal sees a different side of Blake and Alexis makes a choice. Fallon's former nanny, Heather, makes a surprise visit. Meanwhile, Dominique finds herself in a very exciting position and Liam does a favor for an old friend. Lastly, Kirby returns from her modeling job and found secrets aren't always kept safe.

Plot Summary[]

SPOILERS AHEAD

The bench trial for the dynasty centers on an alleged note Ben left for Blake on the night their mother drowned. Witnesses include Heather (Fallon and Steven's hot nanny who was Blake's mistress), Alexis (produces the note), Fallon (proves Blake never saw it), and Kirby (verifies it was hidden in Anders' files). The will that disinherited Ben is upheld, though he is absolved by Judge Drexel of deliberate negligence. Jeff and Culhane aid Kirby in retrieving her diary, which she burns. Liam ghost-writes an essay for his mentor's nephew. Dominique wins a contract to design airline uniforms. Guilt over Leo Abbott's demise causes Culhane to part with Geneva. Ben rejects Blake's amends and vows reprisal. Fallon finds Adam and Stacey kissing.^[1]

Cast[]

Starring[]

Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon Carrington
Daniella Alonso as Cristal Carrington
Elaine Hendrix as Alexis Dexter
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
Eliza Bennett as Amanda Carrington (credit only)
Grant Show as Blake Carrington

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Selina Kaye as Jane
Walker Russell as Jasper
Peter Hargrave as Walter
Lucia Scarano as Judge Drexel
Israel Vaughan as Bailiff
Hanna Ciubotaru as Young Fallon
Steve Spoon as Young Steven

Uncredited[]

David Aron Damane as Leo Abbott (archive footage)

Trivia[]

This episode reveals that Alexis took Dex's last name hence becoming Alexis Dexter.
On May 24, 2022, TVLine announced that Charisma Carpenter would guest star as Heather, "a former babysitter of Fallon’s who makes a surprise return — and drops a huge bombshell on the Carringtons."^[2]
- On May 28, 2022, Carpenter posted a video from the Dynasty set on her Instagram.^[3]
As part of the main cast, Eliza Bennett is credited although she is absent from this episode.
- Previously, Eliza Bennett confirmed on her Instagram story that she was not in the episode.
This episode includes recycled footage of David Aron Damane (Leo Abbott) from "She Lives in a Showplace Penthouse".
Steven Carrington makes an appearance as a child in the flashbacks. This is the first episode he is in since Parisian Legend Has It... although James Mackay isn't playing him and he is not back in the present time.
This episode presents continuity errors :
- It is stated that Ben and Blake's mother was named Evelyn, while seasons ago, Blake told Fallon he wanted to name her Ellen, after the name of his mother. In the original show, she was named Ellen.
  - Liz Sczudlo confirmed on Twitter that the name of Blake and Ben's mother was change from Ellen to Evelyn to avoid confusion with the character of Ellen, the board member of Fallon Unlimited.^[4]
- In the flashbacks, Alexis is portrayed by Elaine Hendrix, but due to the scene happening before the beginning of the show, Alexis should have Nicollette Sheridan's face.
- Alexis claims that she and Blake were married for 18 years, but it was previously established that they were married for 20 years.
Alexis's black and white outfit in court is most probably a reference to Joan Collins's outfits in the original Dynasty series, and particularly her entrance outfit.
Dominique's line in court "Objection!" is a reference to her line in the Season 3 court episode The Sensational Blake Carrington Trial.
Adam and Stacey being a thing might be a reference to the fact that the surrogacy storyline was Adam's in the original show (with his wife Dana).
Adam mentions having been raised watching soap operas. This might be a reference to the fact that the Original Dynasty was considered as one.
During a Q&A on Twitter, the writer of the episode Liz Sczudlo revealed the following information:
- She revealed that Charisma Carpenter improvised the scene where Heather presents Blake the picture of her nephew.^[5]
- She also stated that Fallon and Liam still possess the Carrington Compound and plan to live there after the birth of their child.^[6]
- As the date this episode was aired, the writers already know the sex of the baby.^[7]
- When asked if Steven would come back, she said she wasn't answering to potential spoilers.^[8]
- She stated that "Fallon love Blake no matter what, that's her biggest weakness but also what makes her human."^[9]
- She said she loves something about each character, that she has the most fun writing for Sam and that as a viewer, her least favorite character is Blake because he is a misogynist.^[10]
- She said that she knew if there would be a time jump before the finale but wasn't allowed to say anything.^[11]
- There was no Falliam in this episode to let Liam leads his own story and shine.^[12]
- She confirmed that Ben was Juliette's dad.^[13]
- Bo, the Carringtons' dog is still around, but he doesn't appear onscreen as they need to restrict the number of people on set (including dog handlers) due to Covid restrictions.^[14]
- She revealed it was a really tough decision to kill Anders in Go Rescue Someone Else, and it was a long and thoughtful conversation.^[15]
Kirby's stuffed wombat, Montgomery, is seen amongst her belongings as she unpacks. Montgomery has previously been seen in "Guilt Trip to Alaska", "Mother? I'm at La Mirage", and "A Public Forum for Her Lies".
In the scene where Geneva Abbott and Michael Culhane are on a date, Geneva is wearing the same earrings Celia Machado wore in episode titled Dead Scratch.
The episode title is a quote from the original Dynasty, said by Alexis Colby to Hamilton Stone in the twelfth episode of the ninth season, "All Hands on Dex."

Quotes[]

Cristal: Blake's called a Carrington family meeting.
Dominique: Then it's a good thing I'm a Deveraux, because I don't have time for a family meeting.

Kirby (groans): Please, no snark. I just got off an eight-hour flight that only had vegan entrees left. And I had to fly alone because Amanda's still in London working on her green card stuff, okay?
Adam: I come snark-free. I just wanted to welcome you home.
Kirby: Oh, God, it's even worse than I thought. What have you done?

Fallon: Oh, look. It's Uncle Bane-of-My-Existence.
Ben: It's nice to see you, Fallon.
Fallon: Sorry I can't say the same.
Ben: You know, once upon a time, we were close. Don't you remember?
Fallon: I try to block out all of my childhood memories, you know, just to be safe.

Heather: Fallon, hello. Look at you, all grown up. I hope this hasn't affected you too much, you know. I do have fond memories.
Fallon: Of me? Or of fondling my father?
Heather: You're as spirited as ever.
(chuckles)
Heather: Blake. This is Trent. Your son.
(laughs)
Heather: I'm just kidding, no. This is, this is my nephew. You remember Genie, my mean sister? You wanted to have a threesome once? It's good seeing you two.
(Heather humming "March of the Toy Soldiers")

Dominique: Objection! To the temperature in this room. No need to wear winter wool in the heat... because Dom-Mystique has created four seasonally appropriate looks for NordicStar.

Blake (to Alexis): Oh, you lying bitch!
Judge Drexel: Order!
Fallon (to Blake): You lying bitch.

Michael: Telling Geneva the truth would have just hurt her, and I couldn't live with the lie and be together, so...
Sam: For what it's worth... I'm really impressed with you.
Michael: Thanks. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. You know, maybe I'm just supposed to be single forever.
Sam: So we're back to not looking for love?
Michael: At this point, if love wants to find me, it's gonna have to hit me in the face.

Cristal: Hearing all of that stuff about Blake in court wasn't easy. He may have done all of those things to... and with other women, but I'm the idiot still married to him.
Dominique: And I'm the idiot living in his carriage house when I swore to myself I wouldn't get six feet from Blake Carrington. People change.
Cristal: Do they? Look at Alexis.
Dominique: I said people, not succubi. I have a beautiful relationship with my children because they were able to see past the woman I was and accept me for the woman I am today. I think you owe it to your marriage to offer Blake the same grace.

Blake: Hey, if Anders believed that I was guilty and was trying to protect me, why didn't he just destroy the note?
Kirby: About that. This is less of a diary and more of a detailed record of all the horrible things you've ever done. He left it for me as insurance. But please don't be mad at him. You were never supposed to find out about it, unless, of course, you turned on me.
Blake: I would expect nothing less from the old goat.

Ben: Blake Carrington as the benevolent benefactor, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks, but I'll be fine. After all, I've had to survive for years without Carrington resources. I'm scrappy.
Blake: I'm just trying to make things right. Wouldn't it be nice if your baby and Fallon's grew up side-by-side, as close as we once were?
Ben: You should've thought of that before you convinced yourself and everyone else that I'm the kind of man who would let our mother die. You can go to hell. Take Fallon's spawn with you. You may be better at gin or chess, but those are just games. You have no idea what I'm capable of. And if you think you've won, you're dumber than you look.