Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 102 – ‘Acceptance’

The emperor’s clothes

The scene everyone remembers from “Acceptance” is the one where the grieving Miss Ellie goes on a rampage in the Southfork kitchen, smashing every dish in sight before tearfully collapsing onto the floor. This is a big, dramatic moment and it never fails to give me chills, but it’s not the only great performance we get from Barbara Bel Geddes in this episode. The quiet moments that come before Ellie’s breakdown are just as moving. They deserve to be remembered too.

More than anything, “Acceptance” is about the journey Ellie takes before she comes to terms with Jock’s death. It begins when Ray visits Ellie on another rainy night at Southfork and suggests she forgive Donna for wanting to write an unflattering book about Jock. Steve Kanaly’s monologue consists of more than 350 words, and he delivers every one beautifully. I also love how Bel Geddes holds her own against Kanaly, even though she is almost completely silent. The look on Bel Geddes’ face tells us everything we need to know. Ellie isn’t really mad at Donna. She’s angry because the husband she loved has died and left her alone.

Virtually every scene that follows demonstrates how Bel Geddes can say more with a smile or a furrowed brow than most actors can with a script full of dialogue. Watch how her expression changes in the scene where Punk invites Ellie to accompany him and Mavis to the Oil Barons Ball. Bel Geddes is so sweet in the way Ellie politely declines Punk’s invitation, but once he tells her about the plan to introduce a memorial scholarship in Jock’s name, her expression shifts to shock, hurt and sadness, all within a matter of seconds. How does she do that?

The poignant moments keep coming. A pensive Ellie strolls around the Southfork grounds, recalling the walk she takes in the classic “Ellie Saves the Day.” She visits the stables and lovingly strokes Blazer, Jock’s horse. “You miss him too, don’t you?” she says. And the biggest heartbreaker of all: when Ellie stands in Jock’s bedroom closet and gently touches his clothes. (In a nice touch, the producers appear to have stocked this set with pieces from Jim Davis’s “Dallas” wardrobe, including the powder blue suit he memorably sported in “Runaway” and the white-dotted bathrobe he wore during the third season.)

Of course, as good as Bel Geddes is, she gets plenty of support from director Michael Preece, who always brings out the best in the “Dallas” cast, and Will Lorin, whose script is full of details that ring true. My favorite of these moments comes in the second act, when Lucy enters Ellie’s bedroom to announce Punk’s arrival. “Tell him I’ll be right there. Offer him a drink,” Ellie says. Offer him a drink. It’s a small line, but it tells us so much about Ellie’s devotion to keeping up appearances, even when she’s in mourning. This is exactly what we expect a woman of Ellie’s generation and stature to tell her granddaughter when company arrives.

Ellie’s struggle reaches its crescendo when she has her breakdown in the kitchen. The sequence begins with the Ewings gathered in the Southfork dining room. As the other characters chatter (listen closely and you’ll hear J.R. and Pam being cordial to each other), Preece slowly zooms in on Ellie’s face as she notices Jock’s empty chair at the other end of the table. Quickly and quietly, she excuses herself and goes into the kitchen, where she orders Teresa to leave. Suddenly, Ellie is overcome with emotion and begins smashing the dishes.

When I interviewed the wonderful Michael Preece last month, he told me Bel Geddes didn’t want to do multiple takes because the material was so gut-wrenching. When you watch the scene, you can tell the actress is taking care to hit her marks. In hindsight, her sense of caution works well. Yes, Ellie is a woman exploding with grief, but she’s also someone whose instinct is to always remain composed. Of course she’d hesitate a little before knocking over a stack of plates.

(Watching this scene, I’m also reminded of a famous sequence from the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” when Esther Rolle’s Florida Evans, another matriarch in mourning, slams a glass punchbowl onto her kitchen floor. The dialogue is similar too. Florida: “Damn, damn, damn!” Ellie: “Damn you, Jock!”)

In “Acceptance’s” final scene, Ellie visits the Krebbses and gives Donna’s book her blessing. It brings to mind the final moments in the fourth-season episode “Ewing vs. Ewing,” when Ellie stands in Ray and Donna’s living room and asks Jock to forgive her for almost destroying their marriage. That scene, one of the last times Bel Geddes and Davis appeared together, ends with their characters declaring their love for each other. This time around, the moment of satisfaction comes when Ellie finally acknowledges that her husband is dead. “I know that Jock’s not coming back, but I have my memories of him,” she says. “And my memories are forever.”

So are great performances like this.

Grade: A

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Forever

‘ACCEPTANCE’

Season 5, Episode 25

Airdate: April 2, 1982

Audience: 29.1 million homes, ranking 2nd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Will Lorin

Director: Michael Preece

Synopsis: Miss Ellie accepts Jock’s death and gives Donna’s book her blessing. Afton tries to comfort Cliff after Rebecca fires him. J.R. romances Sue Ellen. Bobby helps the police catch Farraday’s killers. Mitch moves to Atlanta.

Cast: Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Phyllis Flax (Mrs. Chambers), Jonathan Goldsmith (Joe Smith), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Bob Hoy (Detective Howard), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Leigh McCloskey (Dr. Mitch Cooper), Priscilla Pointer (Rebecca Wentworth), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Tom Stern (Detective White), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Cooper), Morgan Woodward (Punk Anderson), H.M. Wynant (Ed Chapman)

“Acceptance” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.