It has been one fight after another for the fan-favorite couple of Fallon Carrington (Elizabeth Gillies) and Liam Ridley (Adam Huber) since the latter was introduced in late Season 1 of The CW’s Dynasty reboot. From fake dating, his memory loss after being brutally hit over the head by Fallon’s long-lost brother Adam, to the kid that was believed to be Liam’s (but, instead, turned out to be his father’s), it warranted a sigh of relief when the two finally tied the knot at the beginning of Season 4. Of course, in the true fashion of the soap opera genre, not before the man obsessed with Fallon nearly killed the two of them.
Why we’ve been rooting for Fallon and Liam
It’s undeniable that the romantic relationship between Fallon and Liam has been a little unbalanced over the seasons. Dynasty is Fallon’s show, of course, but it has really proven just how strong this fictional couple is… or could be, with the proper writing. (It helps that Gillies and Huber have incredible chemistry, too.)
The duo challenge each other on such a deep level. With Fallon, it’s nearly impossible for her to accept when she doesn’t have control over something or someone. We saw her, many times over the years, try to regain control of what was going on with Liam in or out of their relationship. For Liam, it’s sometimes a challenge to love Fallon, given her personality that would cause many to run away, screaming. The attention she commands also gives him some issues as a writer, limiting the time spent on honing his craft.
Their relationship has been rife with issues since its inception. Fallon’s made mistakes, made things right, and life goes on. Liam has, on the other hand, been more submissive and understood that Fallon’s mistakes were, often, made out of love. She just has an interesting way of showing it. But, if there’s one thing the show has proven, it’s how big their love is. They’ve faced incredible and unbelievable odds, but always found their way back to each other.
Even amidst all of the ridiculous and chaotic things they've faced, their relationship has always kept the show and the characters grounded. Liam is much less of a soap-y character than Fallon, which really brings the real world element that the show has needed to be successful, and it has worked. That is, until Season 4, which has taken things too far.
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The couple’s current issues
Perhaps it was silly to think that the “Falliam” marriage would give this couple more solid footing, but it seemed like a great chance to shake things up on the show. We’ve been waiting for years to see this power couple have the chance to conquer Atlanta and the business world to reign together. In fact, it did the complete opposite, and instead tore the couple asunder.
The initial conflict between Fallon and Liam on Dynasty Season 4, with Liam putting his life at risk to find out the truth about his father’s death and Fallon’s interference, showed how much they loved each other. The issue with this conflict was that it immediately followed their wedding, which was the time to see Fallon and Liam in their marital bliss. However, that quickly evaporated, and Liam was written out of the show for several episodes as he investigated the truth.
But Season 4 has recently posed issues that aren’t quite as easily “fixed” as the others we’ve seen explored. As a result of the widening gap between them, Fallon cheated on Liam with a colleague, Colin. Sure, she thought that Liam, in his absence, had consulted a prominent divorce attorney to officially end their marriage, but as Fallon said herself, she can’t “Ross and Rachel” her way out of this mess.
She lashed out, took comfort with someone else, and now their relationship is in arguably the lowest place we’ve seen it over the course of Dynasty. On television, it can likely be fixed, for sure. However, this creative choice will forever taint their relationship, taking a bit of the joy out of watching the couple, and things will never be the same. They won’t be as easy to root for after such a deep, unnecessary wedge has ripped them apart.
The Eva of it all
Would the couple be experiencing such strife if it was not for the devious Eva (Kara Royster)? Fallon’s new assistant has been working their unfortunate situation to her advantage to, as revealed at the end of Season 4, Episode 21, cozy up with Liam to steal him for herself. The scrapbook with their heads plastered onto wedding photos and placing a veil on her head made it clear that this was much darker than originally anticipated.
It’s debatable how much of their separation was caused by Eva’s misgivings, but it’s not solely to blame. As described a bit above, Fallon and Liam’s relationship is unbalanced. The events unfolding this season have only increased this, as Fallon’s focus on work and Liam’s complete absence for multiple episodes throughout the season have brought underlying issues to the surface. They’re facing a fight for each other in a new way, and the characters are really going to have to change if this is going to work. Eva has only doubled the cracks that were already there, preying on the deep-seeded conflict between them that needed to be explored after the writers worked all season to make this relationship seem weak, completely the opposite of what we’ve been watching unfold.
Aside from the cheating and the repetitive story (within the same season) of a disturbed individual wanting one of the spouses for themselves, this wouldn’t be a terrible story. For their relationship to survive and the characters to be on even ground, it was inevitable that Fallon’s obsession with her career would begin to derail the relationship. And, it would’ve been possible to see them enjoy their wedded bliss for the entirety of Season 4 as these issues slowly festered and rose to the surface. There was no need for the couple to wed if the plan was always to separate them almost immediately after.
The primary problem is that the route the writers chose to explore this was possibly the worst route. Surely there were less relationship shattering ways for the two to discuss and work through what’s going on between them, and the cheating could’ve been left with Blake (Grant Show) and Crystal’s (Daniella Alonso) marriage.
Overall, Dynasty Season 4 has been an incredibly enjoyable season, arguably the series’ best. Having to cut down on the theatrics and focus on the characters has really made for interesting content, character exploration, and some of the series’ best stories. The biggest mistake was the unfortunate choice to split the strongest (and most beloved) relationship on the show. While Eva’s nefarious actions will likely be exposed in the upcoming season finale, the rift is too deep. The actions taken to show how “fragile” Fallon and Liam are were too severe to ever really undo, leaving a bitter aftertaste, just like with Ross and Rachel and the entire “break” story on Friends. Even after years apart and growth, Ross and Rachel’s reconciliation didn’t feel great and the relationship was never the same.
Given that Dynasty is not likely to go on for much longer, there’s even less time to repair what has been broken. This writing mistake is unfixable, and it’s frankly disappointing to see a fan-favorite relationship be treated in such a poor manner. How much can you expect fans to forgive?
The CW’s Dynasty is currently streaming on Netflix with Season 4 dropping on October 22, 2021.
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