Dynasty Review: I’ll Settle for a Prayer (Season 5 Episode 11)

Dynasty Season 5 Episode 11, “I’ll Settle for a Prayer,” centers around family and its utmost importance.

The core value of Dynasty is family, and when it takes time to focus on that, it excels. “I’ll Settle for a Prayer” is a magnificent episode that brings forth new revelations, reunification, and goodbyes. It also centers on Sam and Fallon’s friendship and how they’re there for one another even in their darkest hours. And even when one party doesn’t want to accept help.

In Sam’s hour of need, he shies away from putting Daniel’s business in the spotlight, focusing on his family. All he wants before Daniel passes is a way for his mother to be at the hospital with them. But in typical Iris fashion, all Sam gets is a voicemail.

Sam doesn’t want Fallon involved because of her shallowness and ability to make things about her. But at the end of the day, it’s Fallon that makes a miracle come true. Her inability to take no for an answer works out in Sam’s favor as she travels to Idaho, bringing Iris back home.

Dynasty is pushing an important message with “I’ll Settle for a Prayer:” you have to forgive yourself once in a while. Iris is adamant about not returning to Atlanta due to her fear. After all the heinous acts she committed, she believes that nothing she could ever do would make up for it.

Often, we as humans shut ourselves out of our loved ones’ lives for many reasons, fear being the main factor. Fear that our actions towards them, no matter the severity, will never be forgiven. And let’s be honest, families tend to dish out more damage to one another but also tend to forgive the fastest.

At the end of the day, time can heal most things, and it’s a fact that we often forget. Iris and Sam’s relationship is a perfect example of this.

She cannot fathom Sam ever wanting her back in his life, but he doesn’t hold resentment towards her. He’s a grown man and understands how hard life is. Iris’s decisions when he was a kid were reckless, but he knows why she did what she did. All he wants is his family in his life, which he gets when she’s with him. 

It’s a tragic end for Daniel but also a happy one as he gets to live his final moments alongside his family, together once and for all. It’s a bittersweet moment as Sam has his family together in the same room for the first time in a long time, a dream he’s had since he was a child.

In the end, we’re given Fallon and Sam’s reconciliation, which is much needed. After an episode full of situation-related tension between the two, it’s refreshing to see them patch things up.  

With all of that said, there are some complications. 

First and foremost, even with Fallon’s shallowness, it feels out of character for Sam to inform everyone around him BUT Fallon about his father’s diagnosis. After all, she is the one who helped him get the cancer treatments in the first place.

Fallon and Sam have had their ups and downs, but to say they aren’t best friends would be a total lie. And typically, best friends inform one another when their father is dying. The two have been through so many monumental moments together, so it’s off-brand for Sam to keep Fallon in the dark. 

Secondly, no matter how much I may love Amanda’s presence and adore her, she will never be a replacement for Steven. And that’s the position that Dynasty tries to encase her in on “I’ll Settle for a Prayer.”

Steven will forever be one of Dynasty‘s most significant plot holes, and they never fail to remind the audience of it.

Blake: Since she’s come into our lives, it’s really made me think about how I screwed things up with Steven. I really wasn’t there for him.

Unless I’ve missed something, Blake is still not there for Steven. Steven is not dead! I repeat: Steven is not dead. Why does Dynasty continue to insist on acting as if he is? It’s appalling and is a severe disgrace to the character. 

The plot hole that is Steven Carrington is a storyline fans have been begging for the series to resolve once and for all, with no luck. With the unfortunate news of Dynasty‘s cancellation, I fear we may never see a resolution or happy ending for Steven. If not, it’ll be the biggest mistake the series ever made.

Other than my apparent issues with the disregard of Fallon’s character progression throughout the season and the pretending that Steven is dead, it’s a solid episode.

Other Thoughts:

• Blake and Alexis’ cat-fights over Amanda are laughable. However, I am glad that Amanda finally sees part of the real Alexis. 
• Iris needs to stick around a bit for Sam’s storyline’s sake before leaving back for Idaho. To pull her away from him so quickly after Daniel’s death would be catastrophic for him.
• Adam and Jeff are an unlikely pairing that I hope we never have to see again. They succeed in their mission of getting Plenexia’s hard drive, but I don’t want Adam near Jeff ever again. He cannot be trusted.
• I am excited to see what’s in store for Jeff after Plenexia’s CEO leaves him a threatening voicemail. I am ecstatic that he successfully pulls one over on Plenexia and crashes their stock. I pray Plenexia is not the only company to have the rug pulled out from under them.
• Nina and Culhane’s chemistry is unmatched, and I absolutely cannot wait until they decide to try things again.

What did you think of this episode of Dynasty? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Dynasty airs Fridays at 9/8c on The CW.

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