Jock Ewing played favorites with his sons, choosing Bobby over J.R. How would he feel about the next generation of Ewing boys?
Your #DallasChat Daily question: If Jock were still around, who would be his favorite grandson — John Ross or Christopher?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Have a great discussion!
Dallas Decoder 
John Ross! He’s the first and he’s a blood Ewing.
He’s not the first grandson. That’s James Richard Beaumont. But I also think it’s John Ross because of your already given cause, he’s a blood Ewing.
Seeing as he choose to favor Bobby over JR and John Ross is becoming almost exactly like JR, I think Jock would favor Christopher even though Chris is not a biological Ewing!
Yes, I don’t think Jock gives a damn about blood though. Jock even liked Pam
Jock began to like Pam after he got to know she’s not a biological Barnes.
I never got the whole Jock favoring Bobby over JR.I know its one of those television tropes where the patriarch favors not the son or daughter who is by at their side helping them run the company and is the first born. Its always the one who did not do those things.
In reality, it would be John Ross since he is the son of his first born and is a blood Ewing but the writers would probably have it be Christopher.
It’s not just a T.V. trope, it’s part of real life. The story of the original Ewing sons is pretty universal among real life families with more than one child. The oldest child is the one who gets all the responsibilities, is the one the parents expect the most from and puts the most pressure on. The youngest child is the one gets more leeway, the baby of the family that everyone dotes on, and spoils, and doesn’t get the same pressure from his or her parents that the oldest child. And if there’s a middle child, that’s the one who basically gets ignored and feels neglected (look up “middle child syndrome”, it’s common).
That describes J.R., Gary, and Bobby Ewing (not to mention Marcia, Jan, and Cindy Brady…), but also how many real siblings feel. I know it was evident with me and my older brother (who is the one who got me into watching Dallas in the first place) growing up. I did get away with more than he did, growing up. I’ve always said this is one of the reasons that Dallas became so iconic and lasted so long. While on the surface the Ewings were this rich White oil family in Texas, underneath the surface they were really just another family, going through the kinds of drama that most families go through. So we could relate to them even if (like my brother and I) we were far removed from them in terms of things like Class and Race. Two brothers fighting. That’s a story as old as Cain and Abel. It’s timeless.
So in that context, the idea that Bobby was always Jock’s favorite, the one he “spoiled rotten, and he turned out the best of the lot”, as he once told Digger, is totally believable. And it helps partially explain why J.R. turned out the way he did. His whole life and all of his accomplishments were based on his desire to please Jock, and that was by acquiring power by any means necessary. And the one thing he felt he had over Bobby was that he was the real oilman, like Jock, and could run Ewing Oil. So when Bobby married Pam and decided he wanted to be more involved in Ewing Oil, J.R.’s childhood jealousy kicked in, and he had to undermine him.
He would go with the blood Ewing and pick John Ross.
There are quatre or 4 wildcards C.B. & Miss Jenny Irons will agree? What about adding in James Richard Beaumont, Jock’s grandson by Vanessa Beaumont & also a “J.R.”, + Son J.R.’s child with Calpernia “Cally” Harper Ewing, & Son Bobby’s boy Lucas who was raised by Half-Brother Ray Krebbs. So there are 5 grandsons potentially in the mix by Jock Ewing to favour. Not 2. And then there’s Little Lucy Ewing Cooper, the granddaughter Jock doted on. Just like a dirty deal at Ewing Oil, Lucy has got to be “in play” for John Ross (“Jock”) Ewing The Ist’s attention. So we have a grandchild 6 pack instead of a 6 pack of J.R. Ewing Beer in play!
LOL, I completely forgot about James Beaumont and Lucas and JR/Cally’s son! Lucy does not count since 1) she is not a grandson and 2) Jock wouldn’t favor her anyway just because she is his loser son Gary’s daughter! haha
Christopher. John Ross less loyalty to his family then JR did, and Jock is more like Christopher than John Ross, JR, and Bobby. Doesn’t always do the right thing but isn’t always scheming
John Ross, JR. At the end of the day, blood is thicker than water.
JR. Was his favorite… He would definitely pick first born grandson ! John Ross !!!!
There are more Ewings in their 20s to show up in the new series, that for sure.
R.J. Koopmans forgot a 2nd granddaughter : Margaret Krebbs, Ray and Donna’s daughter, born in 1986 (1987 in the original series but as 86-86 was a dream, the year 1987 is to be considered as the year 1986 and that’s why Pam died in 1989).
I’d really like to see Lucas and Margaret come to the series. JR’s children at the end of the original series must be forgotten. After all, he forgot them in his will. They are characters of a failing storyline.
I agree with the extra Ewing grandchilden, I would try to bring in as many as I could, when the time is right. Can’t bring them all in at once, just to have them, we have to make sure we have proper storylines for them, and the show can’t just be All Ewings All The Time, there have to be outsiders for them to interact with, and it’s just a one-hour show with short seasons, so we have to make sure there’s time for everyone to be used.
Lucas is the biggest potential new character in my opinion. There’s a bajillion ways you could utilize that character, with the right actor playing him. But also Margaret (the more good female characters, the better) and there’s Cally’s unnamed son (Terrance?) with J.R. Since Cally appeared at the funeral, we know that the new show is acknowledging her marriage, which means that her secret son should exist in this timeline. And I may be in the minority among Dallas fans, but I would like to see James return for an appearance or two, although I think the bigger potential is James’ son Jimmy (J.R. first Great-Grandson), who would be early 20’s right now. He’s also a blank slate that could be utilized.
And if we want to keep going with these 3rd-generation Ewings, there’s Gary and Val’s twins Bobby and Betsey, who should be around 30 now. And Gary’s daughter Molly, who should be early 20’s.
Both in the end Jock loved both of his sons just the same
John Ross hands down! Love it!
I would think it would be john ross bc I have always thought Jock favored JR.
Christopher
John Ross, because JR was his favorite….
John Ross was a man of old fashioned prejudices. He desperately wanted a grandson when Sue Ellen was carrying John Ross. He favored males over females. He would also favor genetically related family members over adopted ones. He also approved of under handed tricks and schemes to get power. He just wouldn’t go as far as JR would. Even though Bobby was his favorite he would favor John Ross over Christopher. He also wouldn’t understand new technology and would not be impressed by Christopher’s now forgotten methane extraction technology.
If we go by the kind of man Jock was when he died, he definitely would have favored John Ross. He’s the first grandson, and Jock had wanted one for so long. He was even ecstatic when Pam was first pregnant, and devastated when she lost it, despite the fact that she was a Barnes. The important thing is that she was going to give birth to what she hoped would be his grandson. And while I think he would have loved Christopher and treated him like family (much like J.R. did during the original series, even if the new series seems to have forgotten that), the fact that John Ross is a blood Ewing, not adopted, would be what made Jock favor him. Blood was important to Jock, as evidenced by the way he immediately accepted Ray, and insisted on publicly acknowledging him as his son, when he found out.
Jock would have loved Christopher the most because he’s just like his daddy Bobby. Jock would love John Ross, too, but he’d also get frustrated with him.
Even though John Ross is a real Ewing, I think that Jock would’ve loved Christopher more. Christopher is just like Bobby, he cares about the ranch and the Southworth legacy of not drilling on Southfork. John Ross didn’t care about his grandmother’s legacy. He just wanted to drill on Southfork and be more like his father, JR.
definitly John Ross