Dynasty (1981–1989): Season 1, Episode 13 - The Testimony - full transcript

Steven, how could you say that?

How could you say
what you did in there? That I lied?

It's the truth, isn't it?
Fallon, it's judgment day for all of us.

You trust Blake Carrington's life
to those 12 strangers...

in that box that
could put our father away?

Your lying's not going to help him.
My lying?

Since when
are you so truthful?

You told Daddy you were going to change,
and then you had that guy around again.

His name was Ted.
What did you expect your father to do...

when he walked into your room
and found you and Ted together?

I expected him maybe, just maybe,
for once in his life...



to listen to me and to the truth.

Whose truth? Yours? His?

Tell me something, Steven.
Did you do all this on purpose?

Do you want your revenge
on Blake Carrington that badly...

to see him in that courtroom,
in that chair, facing thatjury?

Is that what you wanted?
No.

I'll tell you something something
I've begun to think and to feel.

You are the guilty one. You're as guilty
as anyone else of Ted Dinard's death.

You allowed him into your father's house.
You practically invited him to die...

your friend, your lover
your dead lover.

I won't allow it, Blake.!
I won't let you do it.! It's suicide.!

I'll take my chances on that.
I'll take my chances on the jury.

After all, it's my right
to get up in front of them...

tell them my side,
what I did or did not do.



You're crazy, you know that?
Because that is not the way it's done!

This isn't your boardroom,
where you can exercise control!

Andrew, you listen to me,
and you listen well!

You are still on my payroll!
You still work for me!

Krystle, will you try
to talk some sense into him?

Defendants have been known to say
one wrong thing and destroy their own case!

I'm sorry, Andrew, but if Blake thinks
that's best, I have to go along with him.

Oh, sure you do. Have my father
screw up his own case.

He ends up in jail. You get everything
you want. Fallon, watch your mouth.

You stay out of this.
You're not part of this family.

I don't need Jeff
to defend me, Fallon.

Tell me something, Krystle.
Why did you come back that night?

You left my father that afternoon.
You were probably off with Matthew Blaisdel.

Fallon! Know what I think? I think
you came back to pick his bones.

This afternoon was a good start.
Big lady at the board meeting.

Gulping down that first bottle of power.
Now, that is enough!

What she did at that meeting was tremendous.
I'm v I'm very proud of her for that.

Well, I'm not so sure she doesn't believe
you did it. What do you believe, Krystle?

Now, stop it, damn it.!
My God.! Look at us.!

We were a family once.

Now... I'm losing my son
because of this.

You're losing your brother.
You two scratching at each other's eyes.

I've just insulted my best friend.

Andrew, I'm sorry.

As for my decision about
whether I'll testify or not,

I'll have to
let you know about that.

Yeah, well Listen, it's late.
I'd better be going.

We'll walk you out.

This afternoon
in that courtroom, did you lie?

I know. I know. That's what
you've been saying all along...

but did you lie
the way Steven said you did?

If I did,
can't you understand why?

Doesn't Steven?

Doesn't he?

Your father's right.

You've lost your brother, Fallon.

Jeff, what am I gonna do?

What am I gonna do?

Does the prosecution rest?
Yes, Your Honor.

Mr. Laird?

Thank you, Your Honor.
I call Joseph Arlington Aynders.

Now, Miss Jeanette Robbins,
a servant who works for you and with you...

has already told this court that she was
with you in the vestibule area...

of the Carrington house
on the night of November 12.

Is that correct?
Yes, it is, Mr. Laird.

She also testified that when
Mr. Carrington entered the house...

and was told that his son, Steven,
was upstairs with his friend...

his former lover,
the deceased Theodore Dinard...

Mr. Carrington turned angry...

and said these words: "I'll kill him.''

Is that true?
No. That is definitely not true.

I see. Will you explain that
to the court, Mr. Aynders?

What Mr. Carrington said was,
"I'll get him.''

You're sure of that?
I'm certain of it, Mr. Laird.

Just as I'm certain that what
Mr. Carrington meant by "I'll get him''...

was that he was going
to get him out of the house.

Objection! The witness
is stating an opinion.

I sustain that objection.
There's no question pending.

Thank you, Mr. Aynders.
No further questions.

Mr. Dunham, crossexamine?
Thank you, Your Honor.

Mr. Aynders...

well, we're into a rather critical verb
right now, aren't we, Mr. Aynders?

The difference between "kill'' and "get''
or even "get out''...

being an exceedingly
crucial difference in this trial.

You do understand that, don't
you, Mr. Aynders? Of course.

And it is your testimony
that what you heard

was the verb "get'' and
not "kill,'' correct?

Yes. That's absolutely correct.
And you're sure that that's what you heard?

Absolutely sure. Approximately how
many feet were you standing...

from the accused when he said
whatever it was he actually said?

I would say about as far as where you
are standing from me right now. Really?

I thought he had turned and was moving
towards the staircase. Is that not a fact?

He'd made a slight turn, yes.
Ah. A slight turn. But let's say...

we can double the distance,
to where I'm standing now.

Is that not correct?
That is approximately correct.

Good. Mr. Aynders, isn't it a fact
that while you were in the army...

serving in the 52nd Artillery,
you suffered a permanent hearing loss...

a condition that persists to this day?

It's true I suffered a hearing loss,
but it's minimal at best.

And yet you're insisting
that on the night of the 12th...

you heard Mr. Carrington
use the word "get'' and not "kill.''

Yes, I am insisting
he said "get,'' not "kill.''

Can you hear me now, Mr. Aynders?
Yes, I can hear you now.

Can you hear me now, Mr. Aynders?
Yes, I can hear you now.

I'll kill him.
Did you hear that, Mr. Aynders?

Yes, I heard that.
You just said, "I'll kill him.''

No further questions.

Witness may step down.

You were
the defendant's secretary for a year...

and then you became his wife
and have been for the last 10 months.

Is that true, Mrs. Carrington?
Yes. That's true.

So it's a fair statement
to make not an assumption...

but a statement of fact that you know
the defendant very well, correct?

He's my husband, and, yes, I know him
I know him very well.

Have you ever, in all the time
you've known the defendant...

known him
to have a violent disposition?

No.

But he does get angry, however,
does he not, from time to time?

Well, he does. Of course.

Would you tell us, Mrs. Carrington,
the extent of his anger...

as you have personally observed it?

Well, he gets moody
and argumentative...

like most people
Mmhmm.

especially when
he's under pressure.

Would you say
overly moody and argumentative?

No.

And never violent.
Is that correct?

That's correct.

Mrs. Carrington, would you say
that Mr. Carrington loves you?

Mrs. Carrington?

Yes, he does.

Does he love his son,
Steven Carrington?

Yes. Very much.

He loves his son very much.

Thank you, Mrs. Carrington.
No further questions.

The witness may step down.

I call Sarah Pat Beecham.

Andrew, is that the girl
you talked about?

Blake, this is not going to work.
She's not a credible witness.

She's a hooker. Please. Let
me call Claudia Blaisdel. No.

Do you solemnly swear that the testimony
you may give before this court...

shall be the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth, so help you God?

I do.

Do you have the Blaisdel subpoena ready?
Yes, but Mr. Carrington said

Never mind what Mr.
Carrington said.

You watch me and you be ready
to go when I tell you.

Yeah.

I work over in Lagorda.
I'm a masseuse there.

I give rubdowns and stuff like that.
"And stuff like that.'' Yes.

Now, Miss Beecham,
prior to your working in Lagorda...

you were a masseuse in Brisas,
is that not a fact?

Yes, it is.
I left a couple of weeks ago.

Just sort of a change
of locations.

Now, while you were working
in Brisas, did you ever...

have a customer
named Steven Carrington?

I did. Yes, that's right.

Now, would you tell us when
he came to you for a massage?

I don't remember the exact date,
but it was summertime.

And during the course of the
excuse me

following the massage,
would you tell us what happened?

I mean, did he thank you
and pay you and leave?

No. Not exactly, sir.

Would you tell the court
and the jury exactly what did happen?

We made love together.

Are you saying that you had
sexual relations with Steven Carrington?

Yes.

Now, Miss Beecham,
at this time...

did it appear to you that
Steven Carrington was a homosexual?

You mean gay? Oh, no.

I mean, not with me he wasn't.
How could he be? I mean

What do you mean, Miss Beecham?

He stayed half an hour
over the time limit...

you know, for the massage?

Miss Beecham, did Mr. Steven Carrington
ever come to see you again in Brisas?

I mean, after that first encounter.

Yes, he did. Quite a few times,
as a matter of fact.

Thank you.
No further questions, Your Honor.

Mr. Dunham, crossexamine?

Oh, yes.

Miss Beecham,
you say that you are a masseuse.

Is that correct?
Yes, that's correct.

Isn't it more correct to say
that you were a prostitute...

that you work in a house
of prostitution?

Objection, Your Honor. The prosecution
Your Honor...

I am merely trying to establish
that the witness is admittedly engaged...

in a line of work which is a felony
in the state of Colorado.

And therefore her testimony in this court
or any other court is virtually worthless.

Please answer the question, Miss Beecham.

Now, Miss Beecham,
would you tell this court and this jury...

what it is
that you do for a living?

I do anything you like.

Thank you.
No more questions.

The witness may step down.

Go now, and fast.
Take a deputy sheriff with you.

I don't wanna give her a chance to run.
Right.

What do they want with me?
I mean, I can't tell them anything.

There's nothing else I can tell
you, ma'am. It's a lawful order...

and you've got to come with us.

May I take my car? Well, it's been
requested that you come with us.

My daughter's still in school, and
That won't be a problem.

You'll be finished
before she gets out.

Can I at least
call my husband?

Sure.

Yeah?
Matthew, it's me.

Claudia, you okay?

I just called
to say that I loved you.

What's the matter?
I know I've always been a problem to you...

ever since the day that we met.

It's gonna be better this way.
Which way? What the hell you talkin' about?

What's goin' on?
I love you.

Claudia? Claudia?

Yeah?
Matthew?

Matthew. Matthew, it's Jake
Jake Dunham. Listen.

I don't have much time. I think
you'd better get down here right away.

Blake Carrington has just
called Claudia as a defense witness.

Now, look, if it's what I think it is,
it's gonna be very rough on her.

I've already talked to the bailiff. They'll
let you through as soon as you get here.

Matthew?
Yeah. I'll be there, Jake.

I call Claudia Blaisdel.

I told you not to do this.
I thought we had an understanding.

Blake, you and I have only
one understanding: to keep you out of jail.

Now, you have two choices:
to go along with me or to fire me.

Do you solemnly swear that the testimony
you may give before this court...

shall be the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

I do.

Do you know the defendant, Blake Carrington?
Yes.

And his son,
Steven Carrington, Mrs. Blaisdel?

Yes.
Did you know the deceased, Ted Dinard?

I met him once.

When was that, Mrs. Blaisdel?

The night before he died.

Would you tell us where, please?

He came to the store
where I was working.

And?
We talked.

About what, Mrs. Blaisdel?

Just things. Things.

Did you talk
about Steven Carrington?

Yes.

What did you talk about?
Did you have an argument of some kind?

Yes.

Will you
describe the argument, please?

Um, more or less...

Mr. Dinard had come out
from New York to Denver.

He wanted to talk Steven
into going back with him.

I said that I didn't think that he should
get involved in such a decision.

You knew Steven Carrington and Ted Dinard
had had a brief homosexual relationship...

in New York in Steven Carrington's past
is that not a fact?

Yes.

So why did you try to discourage
a continuation of their relationship?

Because I knew that Steven was
He was thinking about his life.

Are you talking
about his sexuality...

his choice of lifestyles
concerning his sexuality?

Yes.

Now, this is
a difficult question...

for you to answer,
Mrs. Blaisdel, I know...

but please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

By the time of your meeting
with Ted Dinard...

the night before his death...

how well had you
come to know Steven Carrington?

Very well.
Would you explain that, please?

I don't know how else
to say it. We...

got to know each other
very well... as friends.

Were you not in fact having an affair
with Steven Carrington at this time?

I'll repeat the question.

Were you not in fact having
an affair with Steven at this time?

Please, Mr. Laird...

I'm a married woman.

I have a husband,
and I have a daughter...

and they mean everything to me.

I know that, Mrs. Blaisdel,
and... I'm sorry.

Again, please forgive me,
but you'll have to answer my question.

What are you trying to do?
Sir, sit down.!

No. I wanna know
what you're trying to do.

Mr. Carrington, you
will please sit down,

or I'll have you removed
from this courtroom.

Mrs. Blaisdel, I'll repeat the question:

Did you eventually engage in sexual
relations with the defendant's son?

Yes.

Would you tell the
court on how many occasions...

this occurred
with Steven Carrington?

Several.

Mrs. Blaisdel...

I must remind you
that you are under sworn oath.

How many?

Several.

How many times?

I don't remember
how many times. I just said several.

Uh, where did this occur?

Do you remember where,
Mrs. Blaisdel?

It occurredyes

the first time at his cabin
on Manchester Lake.

And after that?

At his apartment.

He had an apartment.
We met at his apartment.

So you continued to have sexual
relations with him there in his apartment?

Yes.

Now, as has
has already been mentioned...

he admittedly had
a briefhomosexual past...

history.

Now, would you say, Mrs. Blaisdel,
that during your assignations with him...

that he showed any signs
of his past history?

Objection.

Question calls for a conclusion
on the part of the witness. Your Honor...

this entire line
of questioning is irrelevant.

Virtually any homosexual is capable
of a relationship with a woman...

depending upon his frame of mind.

Sustained.

Will you, uh, please rephrase
the question, Mr. Laird?

All right. I'll put it
in more positive terms.

Mrs. Blaisdel, would you say
that Steven Carrington...

is a thoroughly and totally
normal heterosexual partner?

Yes, I would.

Thank you. No further questions.

Sir, would you please
find yourself a seat?

Bailiff, get that man to sit down.

You had to do it,
didn't you, Blake? Didn't you?

You had to do it to her,
didn't you, Blake?

How many more I want that man
arrested. Get him out of here.

Get him out of this courtroom. You had to
do it, didn't you? Why her, Blake? Why her?

How many more, Blake? Get him out
ofhere. Get him out of this courtroom.!

Claudia!
Get him out ofhere.

Claudia!

Claudia, don't. Somebody stop her.
She's liable to do something wrong.!

Don't let her leave.
She's liable to do something! Claudia!

Claudia.!

You all right?
Yes. Yes. II'm all right. I'm fine.

Thank you.

Okay.

Oh, Lindsay.
I'm glad you're back.

Listen, we're going away. Come on.
What?

I'll explain to you later. Don't ask
any questions. I What's happening?

Lindsay, I just need you now.
Get in the car.

Mr. Laird,
will you call your next witness?

Blake, I don't want to do it.

Do it.

I call Blake Carrington.

Yes, I have two children:
my daughter, Fallon, and my son, Steven.

Is it not a fact that
some 16 years ago...

your first wife, their mother,
abandoned her children?

Yes. That's correct.

Would you say that you have ever
neglected your children?

I mean, obviously,
you're a very busy man.

Business concerns
take up much of your time.

Would you say that you've been a good father
to them over these past 16 years?

Is anyone ever good enough? I've tried,
but I wish I'd been a better father.

What kind of work
does your son do?

He works for me
in one of my refineries.

How much does he earn there?

Oh, I think in the neighborhood
of $250 a week.

Isn't it a fact that
you could have given him...

a job at your office
at a much higher salary?

Yes, but I had started at the bottom
and worked my way up...

and that was the way
Steven chose to do it.

I I admired him for that.

Do you love your son,
Mr. Carrington?

Yes. I love Steven very much.

Would it then be correct to say...

that because of your love
for your son...

you tried to protect him from
an abnormal lifea life ofhomosexuality

a life that he had
experimented with briefly...

and was now obviously
turning away from?

Yes. Steven had been involved
with Ted Dinard in New York...

but he'd come home
to straighten out his life

to fulfill himself as a as a man.

And then, uninvited by your son,
Ted Dinard came to Denver is that true?

Yes.
Now, on the night of November 12...

when you learned that Ted Dinard was
in the house, what did you feel?

I, uh I felt angry.

What did you say when
you heard he was in the house?

Well, I think I said that

I believe I said,
"I'll I'll get him.''

But... I might have said, "I'll kill him.''
I don't remember which.

In either case,
what did you have in mind..

when you said
whichever of the two phrases?

Was it to hurt him?
No.

Or was it simply
to get him out of your son's life?

Yes. Yes, that's
exactly what it was.

Would you Would you please
tell us what then happened?

I climbed the stairs, and I...

entered Steven's room, and...

I saw Mr. Dinard...
putting his arms around my son.

Now, according to your son's testimony...

they had decided that Ted Dinard
would leave Denver alone...

and they were saying goodbye
to one another.

Did you have any knowledge
of this at that time?

No. No, I did not.

You did not

did not.

Would you, um,
tell us what happened then?

Well, I ordered Mr. Dinard
to take his hands off my son.

And was there any moment of physical
activity any moment of violence...

between you and Mr. Dinard
after that?

Yes.

Would you explain that, please?

Well, the whole thing is
so confused that, uh

I do remember that I told him
to let go of my son...

and II ordered him out, and...

I saw Mr. Dinard
coming at me, and

And did you try to protect yourself from
this younger and stronger man coming at you?

I don't know. III may have.
I may very well have.

But the whole moment was a moment of an
It was a moment of confusion for me.

I see.

Is that the way it happened?

You brought your hands up
only to defend yourself.

Yes. Yes, that's exactly
the way it happened.

Now, Mr. Carrington,
would you please tell this court...

at that moment,
did you wish Ted Dinard dead?

No. No, I did not.

Mr. Carrington,
you have said that you love your son.

There are those who will imply
that you do not.

Now, Mr. Carrington,
would you try to find it within yourself...

to reveal to us
what a father feels at a time like that

when you entered
your son's room?

Well, may I say this:

That night,
when I walked into Steven's room...

for a moment
an instant really I...

only remember seeing the room

just the room itself.

It was the room...
some 20odd years before...

that my son
when my son was born...

I carried him in
for the first time, into that room.

And II placed him
in his crib in that room.

I spent the night there,
watching my newborn son.

In later years, that room
became crowded with memories.

Uh, it... also became crowded
with toys that I bought Steven.

It was a room
where we talked together...

where we wrestled together, where...
I helped my son with his homework.

It was also a room
where I once sat vigil...

when my son almost died
at age five from pneumonia.

It was a room...

in a house I was going
to give my son one day...

in... which I had dreamed...

that my son's son would grow up...

and and hhis son after that.

Thank you, Mr. Carrington.

I have no further questions,
Your Honor.

Mr. Dunham?

Perhaps Mr. Carrington would like
a brief recess before crossexamination?

No. No.
Thank you very much. I'm fine.

Mom, are you gonna
tell me what's wrong?

Later, baby. Later.

Well, I don't wanna go anyplace...

to leave my school, my friends.
Please, Lindsay...

just know that I'm doing
the right thing.

Just know that, all right?

You may continue.

Mr. Carrington...

well, you'vejust told the court
in a very moving speech...

that you love your son very much.

I wonder, sir, have you talked
to Ted Dinard's parents since his death?

No, I haven't.
Well, that's a pity.

Then they haven't had a chance to tell you
whether or not they find their son's room...

a very special place right now

a very empty room,
of course, Mr. Carrington.

A room that'll be empty Objection,
Your Honor. Immaterial and irrelevant.

Sustained. Mr. Dunham,
please stick to the facts of this case.

Immaterial and irrelevant.

Mr. Carrington,
in your testimony just now...

you admitted that you might
have uttered the phrase, "I'll kill him.''

I'm referring, of course, to the night
of November 12, just before you...

climbed the stairs to your son's room.

Now I have estimated that
from your position in the vestibule area...

where you said
whatever it was you actually said...

you had to walk about 40 steps...

to reach the staircase...

then climb 25 steps
up that staircase...

then walk another 15 steps
in order to reach your son's room.

That's a long walk.
Yes, it is.

Tell us, if you can, Mr. Carrington.

What exactly were your thoughts
as you took all of those steps?

As I explained, I was very angry.

I wanted that young man
out of my house.

But it is your testimony,
Mr. Carrington...

that despite the threat, "I'll kill him...''

that you might have uttered
just a few seconds before

despite your hatred
for the deceased

at no time during that long and angry walk
did it ever enter your thoughts...

that you would now kill Ted Dinard
in order to be finally rid of him?

No. Those were not my thoughts.
Well, whatever your thoughts...

actually were, Mr. Carrington,
a few minutes later, Ted Dinard was dead.

Isn't that correct?
Yes. Yes, he was. But it was an accident.

You see
No. Please, answer the question, yes or no.

Was he dead?
Yes.

Now, despite your alleged
your alleged confusion...

over how
this alleged accident came to pass...

can you recall, Mr. Carrington, seeing
the two menyour son and the deceased

when you first entered the room?
Yes. I can.

Were they in bed together?
No.

Were they dressed at the time?
Yes.

Well, what in fact were they doing
that so inflamed your sensibilities, sir?

I told you earlier that
they were standing there.

Mr. Dinard was
embracing my son.

Well, wasn't your son embracing him back?
Wasn't this a mutual farewell?

I don't remember.
You don't remember.

What do you remember, Mr. Carrington?
Do you remember thinking that your son

who by his own admission was living openly
as a homosexual with this young man

was now somehow
being seduced by him?

I object, Your Honor. This area has already
been covered by my direct examination.

I don't feel that my client
should have to go through this pain again!

I'm going to have to
overrule you, Mr. Laird.

Answer the question, please.
Yes.

I felt he was seducing my son.

Mr. Carrington, are you familiar
with the word "homophobia''?

Yes.

Can you give this court a definition?

I believe it means it
it means dislike of homosexuals.

It means a little bit more
than that. I'll help you out.

It's a pathological hatred
of homosexuals...

of gays.

Aren't you in fact a homophobe?

No.

It was only in relation to my son
that I felt any antagon Homophobic.!

Homophobic enough to kill?
No!

Mr. Carrington, we have had direct,
conflicting testimony in this trial...

from your own children

from your son
and your daughter

and we've had
very oblique testimony from you, sir.

So there is no absolutely
true way that we can

recreate that instant
before Ted Dinard died.

But I ask you. I ask you, sir despite what
you have told this court and this jury

isn't it true, sir,
that in that last instant

before his death, you
wanted to see him dead

you in fact wanted
to kill Ted Dinard

that you took full advantage when you pushed
that young manas your son has testified

as your own son has told
this court and jury

to shove him just as
violently as you could,

to see him hit his head
and to watch him die?

Isn't that what you really wanted?
Isn't that what you really intended, sir?

No! No, that's not true!

I have no further questions.

Mr. Laird, redirect?
No, Your Honor.

The witness is excused.

Does the defense rest?

We rest, Your Honor.

Mr. Dunham, does the state
have any rebuttal witnesses?

Your Honor, the state
does have one rebuttal

witness who should be here
in a few minutes' time.

And this should blow 'em
right out of the water.

Well, can't we at least stop off
at the office and talk to Daddy first?

Can't we at least do that?

We'll call him later. I promise
you, Lindsay. We'll phone him later.

Oh, Mom.!

Oh, my God!

Mr. Blaisdel...

your wife,
your daughter...

What about 'em?

There was a car accident. They're
at Hillside Hospital. Is it serious?

I'm sorry.
Are you gonna let me outta here?

You've got to let me outta here.
Sure. Of course.

Mr. Dunham...

we cannot wait all day.

Yes, Your Honor. I'd like to beg
the indulgence of the court.

If we can have
just a few more minutes.

This is a very important witness.

Your Honor,
our witness has arrived.

What's she doing here?
What's going on?

Oh, my God.
That's my mother.