After a lengthy hiatus, Dynasty Season 3 Episode 15 returned with a mediocre episode. 

I'll be honest, the weekly parties have started to lose their pizazz. Even Blake Carrington wasn't in the mood for one. 

It didn't make sense why Vanessa chose to host her single release party at the Manor instead of at Sammy's hotel, which would have been great promo for him.

But I guess they needed to emphasize that Dominique and Vanessa are living large now even if no one wants them around. 

I'd fall into that same boat as Dominique's storyline has never felt exciting to me. I thought that Vanessa would at least challenge her mother with her independent and fiery personality, but instead, she was a let down proving that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

The fact that she would stick by her mother, who purposefully slept with her boyfriend and released the sex tape, says everything you need to know about Vanessa. 

Unless she's simply trying to get back at her mother and Culhane at the same time by pretending to be all in. It's hard to figure out her motives. 

For now, it seems like all Vanessa cares about is advancing her career, but is that her ultimate goal?

While Culhane messed up by sleeping with her mother, a part of me feels for him because he continues to be a pawn in everyone's twisted little game. He can't get himself out of this toxic lifestyle to save his life. 

The whole "wanting to be a Kardashian" reality TV storyline also seems forced and like the little engine that could is running out of ideas. 

Though I'll admit, it was fun to see Sammy working it for the camera. 

The only downside is that they've reduced Sammy's character to once again being nothing more than a prop. 

The only redeemable part of the episode was Liam and Fallon slowly coming to terms with the idea of being Connor's parents.  

Initially, I didn't think I'd be a fan of the Connor storyline, but it's such a joy to watch Fallon tap into her maternal instinct. 

She was worried she wouldn't be a good mother because she didn't have one growing up, but the fact that her mother also ran away was a bonding moment for her and Connor and allowed her to connect with him. 

Fallon knows what constitutes a bad mother and when it comes down to it, that has taught her what kind of mother she doesn't want to be. 

After spending a day with Liam's kid while he was out looking for Heidi, she went from yelling at Connor for getting mud on her peacoat to accepting that he spilled hot cocoa all over her outfit. 

She was enjoying the responsibility of caring for someone other than herself. 

So, understandably, when they spotted Heidi at the hotel, Fallon was ready to bring out the claws. 

Look, there's a chance Heidi has been a great mother, but there's no denying that she abandoned her child with virtually two strangers.

Liam may be Connor's biological son, but Heidi had no idea whether they would take care of him. The excuse that they "have a good life" doesn't equate to loving a child that was sprung on them. 

No one would have blamed Heidi if she told Liam she just needed some time to herself after 10-years and asked him to watch his son for a few days, but she essentially left him without so much as an explanation. 

For that reason, I have to agree with Fallon that they need to fight for Connor and protect him. At the very least, they need joint custody. 

Dominique: We're calling it House of Deveraux. What do you think?
Blake: I think this is the house of me, not some movie set.

• Permalink: I think this is the house of me, not some movie set.

Connor learned the truth and felt like he wasn't wanted, which explains why it seemed like he didn't want to go back home with his mother when she offered. 

He realized that while Fallon and Liam lied to him, they did it to protect him and truly cared about him. 

I wish Heidi all the best in this fight because Fallon is a woman who goes after what she wants with everything she has. And she usually wins. 

Having Connor stick around, even on a part-time basis, would be beneficial to the series.

It allows Fallon and Liam's relationship to grow and deepen since it's not just them anymore, they have a child they need to consider. 

And it also allows their characters to grow in a way that wasn't possible before becoming parents. 

It brings a whole new layer to the show that's fun to explore and filled with possibilities that aren't stale or forced. 

On a side-note: can anyone tell me why Liam didn't grab a ladder to get Connor down from the tree? Or why Fallon didn't call the staff for help? They live in a mansion for goodness sake! 

Blake and Cristal decided they wanted to turn over a new leaf and become more community-oriented, but we'll see how that goes. 

It's one thing to want to become better, it's another thing to continuously be surrounded by toxic people that bring out the worst version of you. 

Even if Cristal truly wants to change, she still has to deal with Alexis and all the drama that comes from the other family members. 

She'll never be free unless she leaves the Carrington family. If she's not willing to leave Blake, she'll never break the cycle. 

Fallon: But if your guy doesn't find him, we are gonna need a lot more than room service. Like a nanny, and a really good shrink.
Liam: Kids are pretty resilient.
Fallon: The shrink was for me.

• Permalink: The shrink was for me.

Alexis tried to help Jeff Colby, whose condition is worsening. She wasn't impressed with his desire to pursue holistic medicine instead of Western medicine, so she took matters into her own hands. 

Unfortunately, her way of dealing with Colby's problem was by doing the same thing that got him into this mess -- drugging him without his consent. 

It's basically the same thing as poisoning him, especially because she slipped him the pills at a party after Adam explicitly said they couldn't be mixed with alcohol. 

We all saw that coming from miles away, so the question is, why didn't Alexis? Adam emphasized that the side effects were too risky for a human trial, and Alexis was like "sounds great, let me slip it in his drink and hope nothing happens."

She wants to make things right, but her approach is careless and puts Colby's life even more at risk. 

And don't get me started on Adam working in a hospital and being considered a "good guy." None of us have forgotten the insane and sociopathic things he's done.

The fact that he helped Connor after he fell into the pool and Colby with his symptoms doesn't erase the fact that he's deranged and can snap at any moment. He is not redeemable. 

I'm hoping there's a big twist coming for his character again because otherwise, his prior actions are kind of a waste. Maybe that will happen when everyone finds out what he did to Steven, if he ever returns! 

Other Manor Musings

• Beto may be in Mexico, but the cops aren't done investigating just yet. They'll likely be concerned that he skipped town. How will this play out?

• I love that Blake didn't even show any shock or concern that his wife tried to kill his ex-wife by planting a bomb in her car. Just another day in the Carrington fam! 

• What was Alexis wearing during this episode? She needs a makeover, stat. 

Share your thoughts about the episode. What did you like and dislike?

Do you want Connor to stick around so that Fallon and Liam can be "mom and dad."

Be sure to watch Dynasty online and comment below! 

Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..