The Colby's - Must See Sci Fi tv !

[sunshineboyuk]

It was with some trepidation and much prejudice having not enjoyed a frame of it first time round , that I put on episode 1 of The Colby's last week.

I love it . It is bizarre in the extreme but it also has an incredible performance by Stephanie Beacham that makes the rest sort of - almost - make sense.
Watching The Colby's is like watching a 1950's B movie at 1 am that for some reason you are really glad you are watching .
Maxwell Cauldfield brings a B movie James Dean sensibilty into the mix and Heston & Stanywick bring old Hollywood into it with interesting results.
Heston's Jason Colby is awkward and lumbering and slightly off key , almost weak , which makes him far more interesting than Blake Carrington at this point in Dynasty's evolution. We find Heston carving out a big performance which drives Jason Colby but the script is often at odds with Heston which in retrospect makes it quite interesting.

Barbara Stanwyck is just giving giving giving til it hurts .. and it obvioulsy gets quite painful for her at times . So The Colby's is a srange mix of auton like robots - Emma Samms Fallon brings the show firmly into Sci Fi territory. I can just imagine Samms in an episode of The Fantastic Journey or season 2 of Space 1999 being not very good but blending into the colourful sets - and earnest big energetic performances . It makes it quite compelling ....

I must point out that The Colby's is dreadful but it's got some really interesting parts to it that make it worthwhile. Namely Stephanie Beacham ... so far I find her scenes and her performance riveting and nothing short of a technical exercise in how to be good on a TV 80's soap.
Incredible....

I shall post more as I continue into the foray of The Colbys. Now pls remember peeps that s2 ends with a space ship coming down does it knot ? NOSPOILERSNOSPOILERS

I know this happens. Therefore I must judge the show as a sci fi show. I am watching it as sci fi... It all works. Blake Carrington keeps arriving and shaking. That works. And it's almost as if most of the women are Robots or Cylons ... It's sort of Stepford Wives in Malibu.

I'm up to around ep 10 , Not so bonkers Old Auntie Connie's been run over by Sable! That scene alone has been worth the ride so far ....

[LoveLaura]

Yes another convert at this rate the Colbys will be emmy worthy!

[sunshineboyuk]

LOL Yes I am a convert , I'm just not sure what I'm watching is legal...

[Matthew Blaisdel]

"Star Trek COLBYS - The empire strikes back!"

[sunshineboyuk]

Its all clear to me now ... This show is mental at the moment . Everyone has letters , letters saying they are not who they say they are , letters burnt , letters retrieved ... Constance wrote a letter , Sable's found a letter , Constance tried to burn a letter , Jeff has asked for a letter , Alexis can't find a letter , Adam finds a letter , Fallon finds out Jeff has a letter , Sable tries to show Jason a letter , Jason wont open a letter , Frankie wont leave a letter , Miles can't write a letter and Barbara Stanwycks agent is preparing a letter - to the producers !

[Dynastie c'est riche]

Everyone has letters , letters saying they are not who they say they are , letters burnt , letters retrieved ... Constance wrote a letter , Sable's found a letter , Constance tried to burn a letter , Jeff has asked for a letter , Alexis can't find a letter , Adam finds a letter , Fallon finds out Jeff has a letter , Sable tries to show Jason a letter , Jason wont open a letter , Frankie wont leave a letter , Miles can't write a letter and Barbara Stanwycks agent is preparing a letter - to the producers !

Nice sum up !

[sunshineboyuk]

Somewhere Far Away On Planet ? ....

[sunshineboyuk]

Oh Bliss ! No not the character , the real deal , the emotion of Bliss .... BritaniaGigantiga Records have signed a Johnny Rourke look a like with as terrible a voice to match ! And the video , which involves him standing infront of some eighties Lionel Richie set while a dancer on a break from The Kids From Fame waves her hands at him, is possibly the funniest thing I have seen this year , he is also blind so I don't see what her hand waving is doing for him , perhaps he can sense it ?
Sable has taken her letter to Arthur , her lawyer , who takes the letter and waves it around in front of her . This gets Sable very excited and she takes it back and waves it in front of him... They talk about the implications of the letter and Arthur takes the letter back and waves it around some more.
I'm a bit worried that this letter will disintegrate before it ever gets used.

Dominique shows up and says she's opening a club and that Johnny Rourke look a like singer can do something with her ...maybe she's gonna sing and wave her arms at him?.... I am so excited !!! I cannot wait.... I know what's coming is gonna be good. It's gonna be very very special.

Thank you God Of Tv for The Colbys.....

[Doug]

Where are you getting to watch it SunshineboyUK? And is it good quality?

[sunshineboyuk]

I'm watching on SunnyNet.TV and its good quality , its fine ...


Joy of all Joys! It happened , I got my wish ... Dominique murdered TWO songs , not just one but TWO ! She went completely over the top and belted out two standards and I had to turn the volume down on the tv . She's so loud , no tone , just volume . I think that means she could be from outer space , she's definately a contender for a Cylon .... Dominique arrives in The Colbys for no reason and then has pointless scene's with a lawyer who keeps trying to have sex with her ... Perhaps thats why she nearly ate Johnny Rourke look a like's microphone during their duet , I'm proud to say he also murdered his half of the song .


Sable tells Jeff she wants them to be honest with each other , which surprises Jeff because he thought they were already being pretty honest . No Sable tells him , they've all been lying when they said they wanted him to be part of The Colbys , they all actually want him to go back to Dynasty and let them Star in their own show without him - Oh but pls leave your robotic wife because she's worth some cash!

Jason can't believe Sable will take the letter to court ( I can ) , Sable says she doesn't want to wave the letter about in court , Jason tells her he doesn't believe in the letter , Sable gives the letter to experts who wave the letter about and return it to Sable telling her its genuine , Sable takes the letter to Jason and waves it in front of him , Jason looks concerned , Sable tells him if he drops the divorce she'll drop the letter...Jason drops his jaw. I drop the remote control....

[sunshineboyuk]

Good God ! Sable showed the letter to Miles , Miles tried to read the letter but couldn't ( he couldn't as he was drunk , though he probably can't read anyway ) , Sable explains content of the letter to Miles and waves it about , Miles tells Sable to use the letter , Sable tells him she can't use the letter because she promised Jason she'd drop the letter if he dropped the divorce, Miles says he can use the letter , Sable drops the letter;into Miles hands , Miles takes the letter back to Arthur Sable's lawyer who's seen the letter already and waves it about , Arthur asks Miles if he really wants to use the letter , Miles says he does want to use the letter , Arthur gets very excited as Miles waves the letter about .

It is worth noting that Miles apparently had the good sense to put the letter in a plastic sleeve to stop it disintegrating ! What a surprising character twist ... Thats why I love The Colby's it is forever surprising you , taking you on unexpected journeys.....

Upon hearing the not at all shocking news that Fallon decided to return to Jeff, Miles fails to drive Fallon and himself off a winding cliff with low fences at 160 mph . What an idiot!

Meanwhile Sable declares all out war on Constance and the show becomes brilliant again. Connie suddenly has a purpose and a reason for being in the show . She isn't just a talking vase ! She goes back to work at Clby Inc or whatever its called to help her incompetent brother Jason who seems unable to to bring in an order for Pizza without messing it up let alone 100 million barrels of oil....

[sunshineboyuk]

Jason comes down the stairs and receives a letter , a different letter . It's a summons. He takes the letter to Sable and waves it about , he says she's used her letter , Sable says she hasn't used the letter , Jason waves his letter and Sable says that Miles is the one who has used her letter, Jason throws his letter on the bed and stroms out of the room and bumps into Jeff who is fuming because he's received a letter. It's a summons. The same summons as Jason Colby's but on different paper , so it's a different letter technically. Jeff says Jason let Miles use the letter , Jason says he doesn't want Miles to use the letter , Jeff says he used to respect Jason but now he doesn't, Jeff waves his letter around and leaves. Jason wonders where his letter is & tries to remember who Jeff is and why he was just talking to him....

[sunshineboyuk]

Just as Battlestar Galactica poses the ever threatening question to its characters - Are you a Cylon ? The Colby's set the ball rolling decades before with the question - Are You A Colby ?


It seems to me that being " A Colby " is a metaphor on a a similair vein albeit it in reverse. The idea of being a Colby is the all important McGuffin but if you are discovered NOT to be a Colby then you are the soap equivilent of a Cylon .

The episode The Trial is the first time the show delivers a collective payoff. It is the first time all the bits and pieces come together to unite as one story , one defining arc for the show.

It doesn't fail , but it doeesn't really succeed either . It seems that everyone has something huge at stake and they do but I dont think the writing is strong enough on this ep for it to really take off...

Bliss tells Sable she feels empty with nothing to offer - finally some emotional truth on this show. Sable lies to her and says she gives everyone more than she will ever know ( A few hours rest in the shooting schedule once a week ?)
...
The letter is finally delivered to a Courtroom where Arthur ,Sable's lawyer ,waves it about in Miles protective plastic sheet, the Judge oredres the letter be placed on a table , Arthur walks over to the table while still waving the letter and finally places it to rest - forever I hope.

Frankie is called to the stand to basically answer the question as to whether Jeff is a Colby and should have 500 million dollars worth of Stock & Cash ..She is asked more and more probing questions but Arhur gets frustrated ***** footing about and loses his rag and asks her " Did you ever cheat on your husband at any time !!??" ( You filthy whore .... is heavily implied and is probably in the shooting script in brackets )
Frankie is stunned. You have to imagine she is stunned as unfortunately nothing actually registers on Katherine Ross's face but the music is going hell for leather so i filled in the dots...
Compare this scene with the excruciatingly brilliant voyeuristic courtroom scene of Dynasty's Season 1 finale where Pamela Bellwood's Claudia is basically forced under oath to destroy her own life and the Colby's attempt at simlair drama is laughable at best . But then something great happens. Frankie doesn't respond. Nor does the show . And there is a silence that just seems to go on forever and you wonder if the show is live and everyone's forgotten what they're doing .... And before anyone can remember Miles bursts in........................ with a letter!!!

A different letter . He shows it to Arthur who waves it around , Arthur calls a witness and waves the letter in front of him and makes the witness ( I have no idea who the hell he is. It doesn't really matter ) tell everyone and us what the letter says...


It says .... that Jeff Colby . Is NOT Philip Colby's Father ( Was he in Dynasty ? Does it matter ?)

Big Music , Big Reactions , Big Hair , Freeze into credits !

[sunshineboyuk]

Oh and if THAT wasn't enough Californian Colbyness , someone is secretly sending messages back to the Mother Ship ....

Ok you don't actually SEE it . But they must be , the ships coming it's on its way , I know I saw it in the 80's , it happens for real , I'm not crazy ...

[SnarkyOracle!]

Its all clear to me now ... This show is mental at the moment . Everyone has letters , letters saying they are not who they say they are , letters burnt , letters retrieved ... Constance wrote a letter , Sable's found a letter , Constance tried to burn a letter , Jeff has asked for a letter , Alexis can't find a letter , Adam finds a letter , Fallon finds out Jeff has a letter , Sable tries to show Jason a letter , Jason wont open a letter , Frankie wont leave a letter , Miles can't write a letter and Barbara Stanwycks agent is preparing a letter - to the producers !

Yes, Sable seems to have come to that realization as well:

http://www.soapchat.net/showpost.php...&postcount=959

[TJames03]

I bet that Falcon flew in from outer space! Ooops, wrong show....

[Matthew Blaisdel]

Star Trek Voyager, Season 5, Epis. 14 :






This is NO fake... !!

[Matthew Blaisdel]

I bet that Falcon flew in from outer space! Ooops, wrong show....

No, you're in the right show.. remember Dynasty Season 9?

Jeff and Sammy Jo on the Couch.
Jeff dreaming : "Hummmh... - Fallon...hmmm.."
Sammy Jo: "What was that?You slept with me and call me FALLON ?!"
Jeff : "N-nooo.., i... i was dreaming about FALCONS !!"
Sammy Jo "Falcons? That's the stupidest lie i've ever heard. GET OUT OF here and go play with your falcons !!!"

[LoveLaura]

sunshineboy that was a blast thanx so much i can't stop laughing and waving i wish i had a letter...

[TJames03]

It is funny - I was just a young child when "The Colbys" premiered and even then I kept thinking "This acting is really bad." I too remember all of the letter waving. But, too me anyway, the best camp was Conny's line "For the love of God, Jason!" I have no idea why that stuck with me all of these years, but I always remember that in particular (the stunt person when Sable ran Conny down was priceless too!).

Unlike DYNASTY that was famous, "The Colbys" were infamous. BTW - that Falcon needed to be stopped....