Now he’s done it
In “Goodbye, Cliff Barnes,” “Dallas’s” fifth-season finale, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) is in the Southfork living room when Rebecca (Priscilla Pointer) arrives.
ELLIE: Rebecca, what a surprise.
REBECCA: This is not a social call, Ellie.
ELLIE: Rebecca, what’s the matter?
REBECCA: Maybe Digger was right. When I was married to him, I was too young or too stupid to realize it.
ELLIE: What are you talking about?
REBECCA: Digger never had a chance. Jock was too shrewd, too strong and too fast. And now it’s happening between J.R. and Cliff. It’s the same fight all over again.
ELLIE: Rebecca, will you please calm down and tell me what’s happened?
REBECCA: When I found out that Cliff was using Wentworth funds, I fired him. I think it’s time you did the same with J.R. He used Ewing funds to destroy my son. Cliff is in Dallas Memorial, in a coma.
J.R. and Sue Ellen (Larry Hagman, Linda Gray) enter.
SUE ELLEN: [Steps toward Rebecca] My God.
REBECCA: J.R. set him up. He lost everything. Last night, he tried to kill himself.
SUE ELLEN: No.
ELLIE: Rebecca, I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do.
REBECCA: I don’t want your help. I’m here to warn you: The Barnes-Ewing feud is still going on! It’s always been an uneven fight. The rich Ewings against the poor Barneses. Well, now it’s even. I swear I’ll break the Ewing family – and I have the money to do it. [Leaves]
SUE ELLEN: I have to go the hospital and see Cliff.
J.R.: [Grabs her arm] No, Sue Ellen.
SUE ELLEN: I have to! [Leaves]
ELLIE: [Steps toward J.R.] I want to hear it from you, J.R. Did Rebecca tell me the truth?
J.R.: Yes, she did.
ELLIE: And you drove Cliff to attempt suicide?
J.R.: How was I to know he was going to do a dumb thing like that?
ELLIE: You don’t care, do you?
J.R.: I told you before, Mama. I couldn’t stand the idea of him being with Sue Ellen. Now I didn’t force him to embezzle from Wentworth Tool and Die. I didn’t force him to get into a deal that he didn’t check and double check. If that man is dying, it’s because of his own greed. Not me.
ELLIE: You’re a cold and insensitive man, J.R. And I’m going to remove you as president of Ewing Oil just as soon as Bobby gets back.
J.R.: Well, you don’t know it yet, but you won’t be able to do that. I’m going to go find Sue Ellen and talk some sense into her. [Leaves]
Dallas Decoder 
I realize I am in the minority in that I actually liked the vote sharing story- I think it showed that Jock valued family more than the business (at least in his later years) but otherwise I agree with Lloyd’s comments. I never understood why people (on the show or in life) felt sorry for Cliff. He was never JR’s victim, he was a willing player in the game. He just wasn’t a good player.
I don’t mind the voting shares story, although I prefer Season 6’s contest for Ewing Oil. As far as Cliff, I see what you mean. He’s often his own worst enemy, but I can’t help but feel sorry for the poor slob.
Thanks for commenting!
Direct reply to the title..
1) Well, duh, Miss Ellie.
2) Jock’s “You JACKASS!” was much more entertaining. 🙂
Agreed, Joe. “You jackass” is one of the great “Dallas” lines.
That line from Jock was in the miniseries, wasn’t it?
Yes indeed. “Digger’s Daughter.” The scene where J.R. and Jock are on the front porch of Southfork, right before Ray emerges from the shadows and J.R. tells him the two of them are going to “bust” up Bobby and Pam’s marriage.
Jock also makes some remark about Bobby & Pam getting a head start on the first grandchild, I think? Been awhile since I watched that.
What bothered me about that was the family’s short memory at the hell that Clif put them through over the years. They all seemed to have forgotten Cliff attacking them at will, having sex with Sue Ellen to stick it to JR and hope that she would reveal secrets on the Ewings that he could use, publicly calling John Ross his son and of course trying to convict Jock of murder.
If it were me, after all of that, I would be OK with anything that JR did to him.
Finally the whole voting shares plotline was dumb to begin with.