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Clip description
Peter Mason (Nick Tate) bursts into his father’s office to accuse his brother David (Kevin Miles) of hiring one of his own accountants to spy on him. Jack Mason (John Tate) marvels at the infighting of his sons, but his right-hand man Jacob Goldberg (Owen Weingott) points out he shouldn’t be so surprised.
Curator’s notes
This clip is a good example of the witty, vicious dialogue and characters in Dynasty. The complex characters and dialogue are in stark contrast to more action-based shows of the same era like Homicide. Although Kevin Miles plays David Mason as cold and calculating, he’s not a one-dimensional villain. He shows several faces in this scene – coolly defending himself against brother Peter’s accusations, reasonably explaining his actions, and then turning the tables by provoking his father and exiting with a parting shot. Something in his appearance brings to mind the late media mogul Kerry Packer.
Media dynasty the Masons are fabulously cut-throat in their dealings with one another and obviously don’t let the small matter of being family get in the way. The actors don’t share any physical resemblance, but they convince us they are related through the way they interact. It’s easy to see Peter as the young, hotheaded son trying to prove himself and frustrated by his older brother’s underhanded attempts to check his influence. When patriarch Jack speaks about wanting to continue ‘writing history’ with his newspaper, his reluctance to loosen his grip on power throws light on his sons’ frustrations and infighting. It also suggests the origin of their own thirst for conflict and lust for power.
