Fallon Carrington

Original series

Characterization

Fallon is introduced in 1981 as a fiery heiress as intelligent and business savvy as her millionaire father Blake Carrington, but not taken seriously by him because she is a woman. With a place at the family company Denver-Carrington unavailable to her, Fallon instead indulges herself with multiple lovers and torturing her new stepmother Krystle (Linda Evans). David Hofstede described Martin's Fallon as "a spoiled bitch with an acid tongue whose idea of fun was to sleep with her father's chauffeur". Martin told People in 1982, "Fallon has lovers, but they don't mean anything to her". Actor John James said of the relationship between Fallon and his character, her "loving-but-unloved" husband Jeff Colby, "There's an attraction there in two people who know they're wrong for each other".

Alex Mar wrote for Slate:

The idea of Fallon as a stifled modern woman had no place in the series once Joan Collins joined the cast. With the introduction of Collins as Blake's exuberantly wicked, two-faced ex-wife Alexis, potentially nuanced female characters were reduced to a Madonna/whore dichotomy: You can either be a Krystle (gentle, soft-spoken, essentially good) or an Alexis (scheming, sexual, essentially evil).

Emma Samms said at the time of her hiring, "I'm always going for the sympathetic aspect of a character." She also noted, "I'm not going to sit and watch hours of Pamela Sue so I can reproduce the kind of performance she gave. I want to be accepted as me." According to Samms, before Dynasty's final season, producer David Paulsen asked her what she would like to do with Fallon. She explained in 1989, "I said, 'I'd like to do more humorous stuff and be a bit more realistic character, not always the victim.' And that`s what he did. This year I was allowed to be a more real character."

Casting

Dynasty debuted in January 1981, with Pamela Sue Martin portraying Fallon. In 2006, she said of Forsythe, "He really was like a father to me. I asked John to walk me down the aisle when I got married in real life, but he said, 'I think maybe you should ask your real dad.' I was just so attached to him." Martin left the series at the end of the fourth season in May 1984. In the storyline, a troubled Fallon leaves Jeff at the altar, and is later presumed dead in an offscreen plane crash. At the time, New York quoted Martin as calling television "limiting". USA Today reported in 2006 that Martin "left Dynasty and acting when she felt her 'glib' character ... had been reduced to 'a victim'." In 2011, she said "I became extremely famous during that time, and it was a little discomforting". Executive producer Aaron Spelling wrote in his 1996 autobiography, "After three seasons, Pamela Sue Martin wanted to leave Dynasty to get married and we didn't stand in her way."

The role was later recast with British actress Emma Samms, and Fallon reappears with amnesia at the end of the fifth season in the April 1985 episode "Kidnapped". In his 2004 television history book What Were They Thinking?, David Hofstede recounted that Samms had been suggested to Spelling by his young daughter, Tori, who was a fan of Samms in her role of Holly Scorpio on the daytime soap opera General Hospital. Samms, who had appeared in two episodes of Spelling's drama series Hotel in 1984 and 1985, met with Dynasty co-creator Esther Shapiro for a non-specific role, which led to her casting as Fallon. Samms said, "The audience was so fond of the character that they were willing to accept a new actress playing the role." She added that the cast was welcoming, explaining "It wasn't as if Pamela Sue had been fired. She left of her own volition, so there were no hard feelings." Samms appeared in eight episodes of the sixth season of Dynasty, and the character was spun off onto a separate series called The Colbys. A main character on The Colbys, Fallon continued to guest star on Dynasty, with Samms appearing in one episode at the end of the sixth season and two episodes of the seventh season. After the cancellation of The Colbys, Fallon (played by Samms) returned to Dynasty for its eighth season in the September 1987 season premiere episode "The Siege". Screening old episodes while developing the ninth season, new executive producer Paulsen felt that Samms was beautiful, but came across as "stiff". He considered trying to bring back Martin, but wanted to first meet with Samms. He said in 2008:

[Samms] came into my office and I said, "My God, this is a beautiful, charming young woman. Bright, intelligent, funny. But none of that's on the screen." ... I asked her why. She said she didn't have anything to work with. And I thought she was right. I thought "If we can capture who Emma really is, then we have a character people will like." So I made some changes in her wardrobe, brought in a coach to get rid of her accent. And decided to give her a love interest who would kind of bring her character down to earth ... So we created the character of [New York cop] Zorelli who came in to investigate the murder of Roger Grimes ... it brought her to a reality that the audience had not seen ... It wasn't very long before she started getting some terrific fan mail. People were starting to love her.

Storylines

As Dynasty begins, spoiled Carrington heiress Fallon is underestimated by—and considered little more than a trophy to—her father, oil baron Blake. Though she is as cunning and intelligent as he is, there are no women in the family business. Still, Fallon is devoted to Blake and is wary and disdainful of his new wife (and former secretary) Krystle. Fallon is also close to her younger brother Steven, who is struggling with his sexual orientation. A promiscuous Fallon resumes her past affair with her father's chauffeur Michael Culhane. She has a flirtatious relationship with Blake's friend and business rival, Cecil Colby, and later agrees to marry Cecil's nephew, Jeff, to secure Cecil's assistance when her father's company runs into financial trouble. A jealous Michael tells Blake about Fallon's arrangement, causing friction between father and daughter. When Jeff learns that his marriage is just part of a business deal, he embarrasses Fallon by drunkenly broadcasting the details to a room full of party guests. Fallon is sympathetic to Jeff, but still does not feel she can return his love. Trying to protect Steven from Blake's wrath, she tries to keep Steven's ex-boyfriend Ted Dinard from contacting him but is unable to keep them apart. When Blake comes upon the two men in an embrace, he pushes Ted away from Steven. Ted falls, hits his head, and dies. Blake is arrested and charged with murder. Fallon lies about her father's mental state on the witness stand, in an attempt to protect him. When a mysterious woman is called into the courtroom, Fallon recognizes the witness as her mother.

The surprise witness for the prosecution is Fallon's long-absent mother, Alexis. Fallon is furious as Alexis testifies against Blake, who is found guilty but does not have to serve jail time. Fallon is icy and, jealous of her daughter's love for Blake, a spiteful Alexis begins to spread the rumor that he is not Fallon's father. When Krystle announces she is pregnant, Fallon decides that she and Jeff should have a baby as well. Fallon begins an affair with Dr. Nick Toscanni, and Krystle is thrown from a horse in "Viva Las Vegas" and loses her baby. Fallon learns that she is pregnant in "The Mid-East Meeting", but decides to divorce Jeff and have an abortion. Blake finds out and rushes to stop her, but when he arrives he learns that she could not go through with it. Hiding a longstanding grudge against Blake, Nick tries to seduce Krystle while he romances Fallon. His overtures toward Krystle do not go unnoticed by Fallon, who becomes petulant and jealous. She continues to rebuff Alexis despite their mutual dislike of Krystle. In "The Party", Fallon confronts her mother about the rumor that Blake is not her father. While driving together, Alexis reveals that she believes Cecil Colby is Fallon's father, and a horrified Fallon crashes the car. At the hospital, Fallon goes into premature labor and delivers a boy in "The Baby". In "The Gun", Blake demands a blood test which proves that he, not Cecil, is Fallon's father. Fallon and Jeff name their son Blake Carrington Colby, called "Little Blake", but in the 1982 season finale "The Cliff", Fallon discovers that the baby has been kidnapped.

Reception

People praised Samms as a successful replacement in 1985, but David Hofstede called her the "Worst. Recast. Ever." in 2004, blaming the producers rather than Samms. A 1985 article in The Hollywood Reporter criticized the recast, and a spokesman for the show told Redbook, "People have gotten hung up on the fact that Emma doesn't look anything like Pamela Sue. But the creators said, 'Look, that's not what we wanted to do. We needed someone who could capture the character.'" Hofstede wrote that "Samms never settled into the role, and could only make the best of a bad situation as her character was dropped into one ridiculous plotline after another."

Reboot

A pilot for a Dynasty reboot for The CW was announced in September 2016. Elizabeth Gillies was cast as Fallon in February 2017, and the series premiered on October 11, 2017. In the new Dynasty, Fallon meets—and immediately loathes—her billionaire father Blake's fiancée Cristal, a rival employee at the family company. The reboot establishes the character's full name as Fallon Morell Carrington.

Characterization and development

Executive producer Josh Schwartz said of Fallon:

Even when you watch the original, Fallon is a character who feels as if she can exist in 2017. She just pops off the screen, and she can take on Krystle, who, in the original, was pure and the moral center of the show. With this new Cristal, we liked the idea of not letting her be quite as pure and raising some questions about her past and having her stir the pot—making her more formidable. That really let us lean into this rivalry between Fallon and Cristal.

Alexandra Jacobs of The New York Times noted that in the new series, "Fallon has been upgraded from a somewhat lost soul, climbing in and out of beds and winsomely up trees...to an ambitious businesswoman, still sleeping with the chauffeur but now also leaning in with a steely glare." Gillies said, "I'm not playing Alexis but Fallon has inherited a lot of her gusto...She's less passive than at least Pamela Sue Martin was—she had a relaxed nature. I wouldn’t say that my Fallon is as relaxed, for better or for worse. I think she's got a lot more bite." She said, "I wanted to bring my own thing to her. I think she's feisty as ever." Calling Fallon "strong-willed" and "ambitious", Gillies later added, "She's a force of nature...Fallon will go as far as she needs to go to get exactly what she wants. She's her father's daughter, so she's a master manipulator. But I do believe she has a conscience." Ahead of season two, Executive producer Sallie Patrick said, "Pamela Sue Martin was fantastic on the original series, and I always loved her character, but at the same time there wasn’t much there [for her to do]. She was promiscuous, and Daddy's girl, and a troublemaker for sure, but we've really enjoyed adding layers to that character in our first season, and this season, especially, she's become more complex and flawed, and the glue of the family."

Gillies received the script for Dynasty while in the hospital having her appendix removed, and was offered the role of Fallon Carrington during her screen test. Gillies said of her character in an interview with Euphoria, "Fallon is almost like a caricature, and I play her really big, and I don't think I get to do that on any other show. I'm aware of what show I'm on. I'm hyper-aware of it."

Storylines

In the premiere episode "I Hardly Recognized You", heiress Fallon Carrington is unhappy to find her billionaire father Blake engaged to Cristal Flores. Fallon's plan to drive a wedge between them backfires, pushing up the wedding and securing Cristal the promotion to chief operating officer Fallon wanted for herself. Feeling underappreciated by Blake, Fallon sets herself up as his business rival, backed by Blake's nemesis, Jeff Colby. She is also sexually involved with the Carrington chauffeur, Michael Culhane. In "Guilt is for Insecure People", Blake blocks Fallon's use of the Carrington name for her new business venture, so she looks for leverage over him. She leaks a sex video of Cristal and her former lover Matthew Blaisdel to the press in "Private as a Circus". After her overconfidence costs her a lucrative contract, Fallon realizes she has to accept Jeff's input as well as his money. Blake learns that Fallon leaked Cristal's video in "Company Slut", and kicks her out of the mansion. In "I Exist Only for Me", Fallon is jealous that Michael is dating Kori Rucks, but their relationship withstands Fallon's meddling. Exiled from the Carrington Thanksgiving celebration by Blake, Fallon appears at Michael's church congregation dinner and meets his parents in "A Taste of Your Own Medicine". In "The Best Things in Life", Michael's relationship with Kori implodes over his lingering feelings for Fallon, who rebounds with Jeff. Fallon has a falling out with her best friend, Jeff's sister Monica Colby, in "Rotten Things". In "A Well-Dressed Tarantula", Fallon overcomes her reluctance to fully commit herself and her money to Jeff, but he is only marrying Fallon to secure her assets—especially her shares in Carrington Atlantic—for himself. Fallon helps Blake and Cristal turn the tables on Cristal's criminal brother-in-law Alejandro Raya, but is in turn abducted by Cristal's sister, Iris. Alejandro and Iris hold Fallon for ransom in "I Answer to No Man", and a captive Cristal helps Fallon escape.

In "Nothing but Trouble", Monica manipulates Fallon into accepting Jeff's marriage proposal, but Fallon discovers Jeff's duplicity and enlists Michael to help her against the Colbys. Their attempt to erase the data Jeff has stolen from the Carrington server fails in "The Gospel According to Blake Carrington", and Jeff's father Cesil Colby reveals to Fallon the crimes that Blake has committed against the Colbys. In "Our Turn Now", the Carringtons proceed with preparations for Fallon's wedding to Jeff as a distraction from their second attempt to erase Jeff's server. Jeff presents Fallon with full ownership of their company Morell Co and a plan for them to exchange 25% of Carrington Atlantic and Colby. On the eve of the wedding, Fallon asks Michael to marry her at the city hall, but he refuses, not wanting something so important to be part of a Carrington plot. With Fallon and Jeff at the altar and the server still not breached, Blake tries to stop the ceremony, but Fallon shuts him down. Afterward, she reveals to the stunned Colbys and her family that the marriage is invalid because she married someone else, Liam Ridley, the night before. Jeff's claim to 25% of Carrington Atlantic is therefore null and void, but Fallon now owns 25% of Colby. Jeff and Fallon's feud goes public in "Poor Little Rich Girl". Blake apologizes to Fallon and Steven for manipulating them, and his long-absent ex-wife Alexis—Fallon and Steven's mother—reappears. Fallon makes overtures to connect with her mother in "Enter Alexis", and Alexis tells Fallon that Blake bribed a judge to seize custody and exile her. Fallon soon discovers, however, that Alexis has not been living a life of luxury abroad, but is housed in a trailer nearby, and has stayed in touch with Steven. A furious Fallon confronts Alexis, and their catfight takes them into the pool. In "Don't Con a Con Artist", Steven refuses to believe Fallon's claim that Alexis is trying to sabotage Steven's engagement until Fallon manipulates Alexis into confessing. Fallon agrees to a date with Liam in "Use or Be Used", but cuts him loose when Alexis reveals that Liam is a journalist named Jack Lowden writing a tell-all. Fallon and Cristal work together to secure leverage over Blake in "A Line from the Past". Intending to publicly force her father to take responsibility for an environmental scandal he covered up, Fallon is dumbstruck when Blake announces her promotion to COO in Cristal's place. In "Trashy Little Tramp", Blake thwarts Fallon's plans for Carrington Atlantic. She visits Claudia looking for incriminating information on Blake, which she uses in a secret meeting with the Carrington Atlantic board. In "Dead Scratch", Fallon is named Carrington Atlantic's CEO, while Jeff and Monica reveal their Carrington heritage as the children of Blake's half-sister, and declare their intention to force a sale of the company. The Carringtons are trapped in the burning stable house during Steven and Sam's wedding, but Michael rescues Blake, Fallon, and Sam.

Reception

James Poniewozik of The New York Times wrote that "Gillies seizes the screen as the lusty, ambitious Fallon." Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly noted that "Elizabeth Gillies channels [Joan] Collins' carnivorous ambition and Leighton Meester's imperial pout."

Hedy Phillips of Euphoria wrote, "Though the whole cast has come together to put a new spin on this campy classic, it's star Liz Gillies who has brought Fallon Carrington to life and made this reboot into something truly special."