Mama drama
Here are the questions we’re pondering as we await tonight’s telecast of “The Furious and the Fast,” TNT’s latest “Dallas” episode.
• Will Ewing Energies survive? In “Blame Game,” last week’s episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) finally seized Elena’s share of Ewing Energies. Meanwhile, Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) agreed to give Pamela (Julie Gonzalo) 10 percent of the company as part of their annulment. This means Bobby, Sue Ellen and John Ross each own a quarter of Ewing Energies, Christopher has 15 percent and Pamela owns the rest. Will this team of rivals be able to set aside their squabbles and do business, like helping Christopher win the contract to fuel the city’s municipal fleet?
• Can Gary help Bobby? Tonight’s episode features a special guest star: Ted Shackelford, who’ll reprise his role from the original “Dallas” and “Knots Landing” as Gary Ewing, J.R. and Bobby’s middle brother. Each man controls one-third of the Southfork mineral rights, and in my recent interview with Shackelford, he revealed Bobby summons Gary to Dallas to form a voting bloc against J.R.’s wing of the family. In the past, Gary hasn’t always been the most reliable Ewing (his big weaknesses: booze and beautiful women). Will he come through for Bobby this time?
• Who does Pamela love? After Pamela snagged her piece of Ewing Energies, she reneged on her deal to give a portion to John Ross (Josh Henderson). Pamela cited her unborn twins as the reason for her change of heart. “I don’t want to be at war with their father again,” she said. John Ross vowed revenge, but when Vicente (Carlos Bernard) took the Ewings hostage at Southfork, Pamela and John Ross opened up to each other and seemed to reconnect. So who does her heart really belong to: John Ross, Christopher … or daddy Cliff?
• Are the Rylands out for blood? Bobby visited Emma (Emma Bell) and reminded her she has another family at Southfork. “If you ever need anything, we’re there,” he said. Later, Emma paid a surprise jailhouse visit to Ann (Brenda Strong), who finally began to bond with her daughter. But the biggest surprise was yet to come: During the penalty phase of Ann’s trial, the jury sentenced her to probation, which outraged Harris and Judith (Mitch Pileggi, Judith Light). Should Ann watch her back?
• Will Drew catch a break? And now, let us consider the plight of poor Drew Ramos (Kuno Becker). A few episodes ago, he returned to Southfork after a long absence, eager to drill his dead father’s land, only to find out his family sold it to Bobby. So Drew went to work for his kid sister Elena (Jordana Brewster), discovered her foreman was up to no good and fired him, only to catch hell from her. To earn extra cash, Drew took a job driving a truck, only to get arrested for transporting stolen goods. He tried to do “the right thing” and signed a confession, only to discover John Ross was behind his arrest. As if all this wasn’t bad enough, Drew came home to Elena’s cottage after what was probably another bad day, only to find her in the process of being kidnapped by Vicente. So Drew did what comes naturally to people on “Dallas”: He reached for a gun and shot Vicente, killing him. This probably won’t please Drew’s parole officer, but will it at least prompt Elena to be nicer to him?
• Where’s J.R.? Before Vicente ambushed Southfork, Bobby determined J.R. (Larry Hagman) was behind Sue Ellen and John Ross’s coup at Ewing Energies and went to question his brother, only to find his bedroom empty. Where did J.R. go, and how will it figure into the end of his legendary run on “Dallas”?
What “Dallas Burning Questions” are on your mind? Share your comments below and watch TNT’s “Dallas” tonight.
Dallas Decoder 
What arguement will Bobby use to turn Gary against JR & family? He can’t just use the excuse that Miss Ellie wouldn’t like it. Or maybe he can…but someone would have to inform Gary of Bobby’s hypocrisy on the topic. Gary will be flat out giving up a lot of money to side with Bobby…so interesting .
How far will Bobby take the war within the family? How will Ann react to Bobby going to war with Sue Ellen? Now we know why Brenda hinted that the friendship would be tried.
How far will Sue Ellen go in the fight?
I really want to know what JR has been up to. What is his masterpiece?
I don’t see Bobby needing to “turn” Gary against the family. The two have traditionally been allies in the intra-family wars.
Very correct, Dan.
Good questions, one and all. I want to know what this “masterpiece” is all about too.
What will happen to Ann & Sue Ellens friendship? In the original Dallas Sue Ellen and Pam had an on again off again friendship depending on just how hard Bobby and JR were going at it at any given moment? With Sue Ellen seemingly at open war with Christopher and Bobby one has to think that will not sit well with Ann. Then again Ann is the one “Ewing” how as defended Pamela pretty much throughout. Would she actually defend Sue Ellen now and create friction in her own marriage?
Now to comment on Chris B’s burning questions:
If Gary is coming to Dallas to form a voting bloc what exactly does he bring to that table? He has no piece of Ewing Energies and Bobby already had his Southfork mineral rights proxy anyway.
Personally I’ve never got into Knotts Landing and as such I have little personal investment in Gary. I see bringing him to Dallas as a ratings boosting ploy. I think Cidre sees it as a way to (hopefully) bring in some old Knotts Landing fans. I have no idea if it will work or not.
Who does Pamela love? I honestly don’t think even she can answer that question at this point.
Are the Ryland’s out for blood? If there aren’t I don’t see a reason to keep them around. They pretty much have to be.
Will Drew catch a break? I’ve stated elsewhere I still think he’s dirty as hell. There is more to come out about his past and his present. I believe he is his own worst enemy so only he can give himself a break.
It seems like everyone is interested in what’s going to happen to Ann and Sue Ellen. I’ll be eager to see how that will play out too.
Good points on my questions. I like your take on Drew. Perhaps you’re correct: Maybe he is his own worst enemy!
Thanks so much for your comments, Dan.
CB
This question was tweeted last Monday – Where was Carmen during the hostage scene? Did she have the day off? I am not sure if Maria absent from the scene has any signifigance.
Is the battle line Bobby, Christopher, and Elana vs John Ross, Sue Ellen and Pamela?
Is J.R. going to have one more trick pulled out? Is JR going to deliver one more “punch to the gut” to someone? Will JR go out on top? What will Cliff Barnes’ reaction be to J.R. Ewing passing away? What will Gary Ewing’s reaction be?
actually, Carmen was in Mexico with her sister. During the Drew fiasco, Elena made the comment ‘thank god mommy is in Mexico with tia’
I hope JR has a big scheme afloat. We know he has been up to something involving the Rylands. He told Bobby he would. Plus, he has been snooping on Ryland and we still don’t know why his Bum was at the courthouse with him during Ann’s trial.
The Ann/Sue Ellen issue. You know, one would hope that Ann would be the voice of reason. Sue Ellen stuck in there for Ann during the whole shooting mess.
The photos from tonight’s episode make it look as if PR is siding with Chris. But the photos can be deceiving. We’ll see.
Reaction to JR……Cliff is going to dance for joy. I would totally expect him to be happy. Gary will be sad. He and JR didn’t always get along…but I think the two did love one another. They were not close.
“PR” I like that!
I think Cliff will want to be happy. I just think he will not be filled with joy about JR’s death because their is too much history between the two that only them two know about. I think Cliff would be the obvious suspect #1 in the #WHoKilledJR drama.
I’d love to see Cliff become a suspect. That would be a fitting nod to the past. Cliff was questioned during J.R.’s shooting, arrested for Bobby’s and charged in Julie’s murder.
I think you’re right about Cliff and Gary, Hel. And thanks for answering the questions about Carmen’s whereabouts. Recall that in “Winds of Vengeance,” the servants had the day off. (They were attending some festival, I believe.) Also, remember how the Southfork fire occurred when Teresa and Raoul went into town to see a movie? Bad things happen when the Ewings allow their servants to have personal lives!
Hopefully we’ll get answers to all of these during the next two episodes.
What will be the ending for J.R.
That’s one question I wish we didn’t have to ask!
I my self like Sue Ellen’s stand for her son .I think Ann will understand after losing Emma for so long .My self I do not see what Gary can do to help Bobby J.R ‘s master piece I believe has something to do with Harris.
I sure Christopher will win the race cause he seems to be the Golden Boy on new Dallas J.R is going to come on on top by the end of the season and I think from the grave J.R will get Cliff . Of course Cliff will be happy J.R is dead .My self I believe Cliff has some thing to do with J.R death .
I like the way you think Ellen! I think Christopher will win too. Sue Ellen has to do right by her son and I think Ann should understand that. I think the reason Sue Ellen is the most despised female character in television history is because you can emphasize with her and expect her to do the “right” thing. She usually ends up serving her own self-interests.
Aack! That’s kind of harsh, Jump. I love Sue Ellen! I’d hate to think she was despised by the masses.
I love Sue Ellen too! She is such a wonderful character!.
She was a hoot tonight!
I hope Cliff isn’t responsible for J.R.’s death. That would make Cliff truly evil. But you might turn out to be right, Ellen. Hopefully we’ll know before the season is over.
There is one more thing. There is something JR says in the promo for tonight’s episode http://youtu.be/JG1kCd-rk-Q – “Real Power is something you take.” Compare that to what Jock Ewing says to Bobby in this scene http://youtu.be/dGdfPtW56fo
Oh, yes. I know both those scenes well. I compared them last year: https://dallasdecoder.com/2012/10/15/dallas-parallels-power-tips/
Great comparison of the two scenes. Thanks. I should read more of the “Parallels” section of this site.
Thanks Jump!
Omg… That episode was intense. Wonderful integration of JR scenes. We got love letters to Sue Ellen. We got JR telling John Ross how proud he was of him. Wonderful scenes with Gary….nice bro bonding with Bobby. Gary and Sue Ellen scene was nice..they do have good chemistry….Lol….even if shewas working him….very cute to see her flirting. The race scenes were intense. I really had no idea who was going to win. Crazy creepy but really good Ryland family scenes. Wow we learned a lot about that family tonite. And we got a good interaction with Drew and Elena. And another sweet scene with Ann and Emma.
That was fantastic episode.
That ending…OMG. I am still crying…next week is going to be so hard.
Ditto, Hel.
I was surprised at the amount of J.R. footage that was used that actually related to the plot, though I did recognize a couple of Larry Hagman’s lines from earlier episodes. I figured all this time J.R.’s death would be off camera, which it technically was, but we were still there in a way. There is only so much you can do with a death scene now that Larry Hagman is gone. I think most fans have pumped themselves up so much for the funeral episode that it may potentially be a disappointment. I hope I’m wrong, but we may have to just accept it for what it is. As J.R. would probably say, “It’s always best to underestimate than overestimate.” But, it may just be the ultimate episode of Dallas!
The footage surprised me too, Robbie. Some of it was recycled, but it was nicely done. Next week is going to be a make or break episode for the series.
my biggest problem with this episode was the dang commercials..it felt like the show was 30 minutes and the ads were 30 minutes. i know TNT has to make money off the show but come on… and also, im not thrilled with the methane storyline..i know clean energy is the big thing right now but it doesnt mean its exciting.to me the whole race event felt like filler… if the writers cant come up with something better than that then i have something that may help: Ewings vs. Barnes + oil = DALLAS! the Ryland family is interesting but the Ramos family is not.maybe theyre trying to set Drew up as the new Cliff figure? with his father being the Digger whose property was scooped up by those hateful Ewings..
I know what you mean about the commercials Todd!
I thought this episode has the best integration of all the families. I am starting to appreciate that the show is more than Barnes and Ewings. I like the Rylands and Ramoses. It really is setting up the show to have some great stories as the families intertwine and/ or battle…with the Ewings being at the core. Both of the new families are tied to the Ewings.
The direction tonite was good….very good!
Btw…the commission lady was totally coming on to Chris. So what kind of Ewing is he? Will he or will he not be a cheater? It is a valid question. He was all over Elena last year while be married to Rebecca.
The commission lady is something else, isn’t she? Good point about Christopher’s past flirtations with Elena while he was married to Rebecca. Will history repeat itself with this new woman?
I agree, Hel. Very good episode all around.
My burning questions: why has Sue Ellen forgotton that Chris is her blood nephew? Why has she become mean and greedy like JR? When and why did she become an advocate for John Ross acting like his daddy? When he was little Sue Ellen tried to be a good mom and I don’t think she ever wanted him to turn out to be as conniving as his daddy. PS: whatever happened to her marriage with Don Lockwood? If the Dallas movies are “off the table” then Sue Ellen should still be Mrs Lockwood.
Good questions all around, Wendy. Hopefully we’ll get answers one day.
Last week’s episode was pretty tense in terms of who was stabbing who in the back. I think it’s crazy that Sue Ellen holds her son in such high esteem that she will excuse whatever he does, no matter how underhanded or hurtful. Then again this is the Ewing family and they are better than anyone at hurting those they love. I was a little angry that Pamela decided she should pursue anything with John Ross, simply because she has hurt the family enough and bringing her dad into the mix isn’t really helping anyone. I watched a clip of everyone being held hostage by Vicente and his men at Southfork. I was thinking that in the real world there’s no way he’d be walking free if he’s being extradited to another country but this is TV.
Good points, Soledad. And you’re very correct: The justice system on “Dallas” bears little resemblance to the one we have in the real world. That’s a good thing … I think.