Dynasty power rankings: Sam finds a fitting foil in Kelly Rutherford’s Melissa

It’s Halloween on Dynasty, but nothing’s scarier than community service for Fallon and guest star Kelly Rutherford for Sam.

It’s not a Carrington Halloween party until Fallon has tackled Adam, who’s wearing the Louis XVI costume to her Marie Antoinette, into the cake, and she screams, “Let them eat cake!” You’d think Dynasty had the wildest sequence to air on The CW this week, but Riverdale almost had a cult leader set off a rocket. Still, Adam’s low on the totem pole of Fallon’s problems this week.

Similarly, Sam continues to grapple with an ethical quandary at the hotel that sets him in the crosshairs of the formidable Melissa. Kelly Rutherford’s back to scare up some trouble, and it’s a wicked thrill to have her back in the mix. From powerful to powerless, we’re ranking Carrington manor’s best and brightest on their quest for control.

Here’s how the power struggle stacked up in the latest episode of Dynasty Season 3. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

1. Monica

Well, well, well… Look how the tables have turned. Monica, who isn’t a series regular but seriously should be, rises from the ranks to sniff out Dominique’s BS. She discovers Adam’s cufflink wasn’t at Jeff’s crime scene, which throws a major wrench in their whole plan. Obviously, Monica’s suspicion hits a little too close to home, and Dominique drugs her to make sure she can locate Jeff’s trust and really tank the plan. But Monica’s too smart. She brings Jeff back, and they kick Dominique out. Look at the material! Monica deserves this rightful spot atop the leaderboard.

2. Sam

What’s worse than Sam having to go through with a ceremony honoring an awful homophobe at his hotel? Having to square off against Melissa in the process. Turns out, Melissa — yes, the Melissa that made Steven believe she was pregnant with his child — is the president of the historical alliance. She doesn’t condone McCarty’s beliefs, but she won’t back down on doing her job and hanging the honorific plaque. A tennis match of sabotage nearly forces Sam to throw in the towel and sell the hotel, but he comes to a compromise with Melissa for extra promo. That’s power!

3. Fallon

Our queen remains ranked in the middle, and she has her good intentions to thank. Fallon refuses to take the easy way out of her community service and consequent “atonement tour.” She doesn’t necessarily expect her service to be so labor intensive, but she pulls up her sleeves and puts a little elbow grease into restoring a garden. But she finds it destroyed the next day, hypothesizing Adam was responsible due to his muddy boots. The kicker? It was Trixie’s handsome brother Evan, who wasn’t as forgiving as he’d let on when Fallon bumped into him. (More on Fallon in the honorable mentions.)

4. Cristal

There’s something about this Cristal that just hits different, right? She’s leaning into her villainy, and it’s a blast to watch. First, Cristal concocts a plan to get Blake sprung from jail, and it involves sneaking in a shiv during a conjugal visit and later fabricating an attack. Thus, Blake lands bail and sweet, sweet house arrest. Next, Cristal outsmarts Adam following his ill-time meltdown at the Halloween party, stealing the winery account out from under him. Everything’s coming up Cristal.

5. Culhane

You could argue that Culhane now has the most power after the events of “Wild Ghost Chase,” but the only reason he doesn’t rank higher simply has to do with the lack of importance of his storyline in the episode. While Culhane plays a key role in helping expedite Monica’s come to Jesus moment with Dominique’s schemes, his power comes from Fallon giving him her shares of the Atlantix, making him the majority owner of the team. Oh, Blake’s going to love that one when he catches wind.

Honorable Mentions:

• Liam’s absent for the episode, but Adam informs Fallon that he’s been released from the hospital into Laura’s care, meaning Fallon can’t see him. What’s more, Adam teases that wedding bells are imminent for Liam and Ashley. Hmm… Maybe Fallon will be able to have her fling with Evan after all. What do we think? Falvan or Falliam ’til the end?
• It’s a big week for Fallon because she finally got Blake to admit that Adam’s a hot mess and out to get her. He won’t kick him out of the manor, which makes sense. Keep your enemies closer, and all that. But Blake, too, has had enough of Adam’s twisted games and constant tormenting of Fallon.

What did you think of the latest episode? Sound off in the comments!

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