Going down
Throughout “Dallas’s” third season, John Ross strives to honor J.R. without becoming him. He wears Daddy’s wristwatch and belt buckle and embarks on one ambitious scheme after another, hoping to emulate J.R.’s business successes without repeating his personal failures. Nothing goes according to plan, of course, and by the end of the season’s final hour, “Brave New World,” John Ross has lost his company, his wife and his family’s goodwill. In a climactic scene, the young man who was so eager to be a better man than J.R. — the son who previously slammed his hand on Sue Ellen’s kitchen counter and insisted he wasn’t his father — stands before her and Uncle Bobby and repeats this assertion, this time with a caveat. “I’m not just like my father,” John Ross says. “I’m worse.”
Chilling? Yes, but also poignant. The truth is, John Ross isn’t worse than J.R. Not by a long shot. John Ross is more heroic than his father, as we see at the beginning of “Brave New World,” when he defeats the drug cartel and tries to avenge Emma’s rape by nearly killing Luis. John Ross is also much more emotional than J.R., which we witness during this episode’s elevator scene, when — having lost it all — he collapses in tears and listens to an old voice mail in which J.R. says he’s proud of him. How could anyone this sensitive be worse than J.R.? Maybe the setbacks John Ross experienced this season will harden him and make him as cruel and as calculating as his father, but he’s not there yet.
Regardless of how bad John Ross becomes, there’s no denying how good Josh Henderson is at articulating his character’s complexities. Henderson allows us to feel John Ross’s vein-popping rage in “Brave New World’s” opening scene, when John Ross slams Luis to the floor, digs a gun barrel into his face and screams, “You regret what you did to her now? Huh?” Henderson offers a different kind of anger in the scene with Bobby and Sue Ellen, when he doesn’t deliver the “I’m worse” line as much as he growls it. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the elevator scene, which is moving not just because we hear Larry Hagman’s voice, but also because we see Henderson’s tears. (By the way: J.R.’s voice mail comes from a phone conversation between him and John Ross in the first-season episode “The Price You Pay,” and the song that plays when John Ross begins weeping was written and performed by Henderson. Is there anything he can’t do?)
If John Ross’s elevator breakdown supplies “Brave New World” with its emotional high point, what is there to say about Christopher’s death at the end of the episode? Even though TNT’s promos warned us a Ewing would die, this is still a shocking moment. Much of the credit goes to Jordana Brewster, whose anguish is palpable when Elena sees Christopher’s car blow up with him inside. (And yes, that is supposed to be Christopher, even though we don’t actually see Jesse Metcalfe get behind the wheel.) Nevertheless, this doesn’t feel like the blaze-of-glory exit the heroic Christopher deserves. Is the audience supposed to admire him for dying while helping Elena? Sorry, but I can’t fathom why he remains so devoted to her after all the terrible choices she’s made. I recognize killing off Metcalfe opens lots of new storytelling avenues for this series, but I can’t help but wish Elena had been the one to blow up instead.
Christopher’s death puts a grisly punctuation mark on this season’s better-than-expected drug cartel storyline. There’s also a nifty musical montage in which the braided henchman Jacobo kills Luis and El Pozolero in their jail cell before a cane-wielding Nicolas is revealed as the mastermind behind the murders. (The cool song that powers this sequence: Eric Church’s “Devil, Devil.”) Other highlights include Mitch Pileggi’s beautiful performance when Harris professes his love for Ann, as well as Elena and Nicolas’s dramatic showdown, although I wish she hadn’t shot him. Now virtually every leading lady on this show has plugged someone. Likewise, I could do without Judith Light’s mugging when John Ross tells Bobby and Sue Ellen he’s worse than J.R. — a scene that should’ve been reserved for Ewings only. (And isn’t it funny how the elevator doors open and reveal Judith at the precise moment John Ross announces she’s the new railroad commissioner?)
Criticisms aside, “Brave New World,” which comes from scriptwriter Robert Rovner and director Steve Robin, brings the third season to a satisfying conclusion and resets the table for “Dallas’s” fourth year — and TNT willing, there’ll be one. The scene where Bobby and Sue Ellen foil Pamela’s plan to reclaim Ewing Global is heartening because it suggests the Barnes/Ewing feud isn’t over, despite what Pamela told Cliff a few episodes ago. I especially like how Pamela accuses her in-laws of screwing her over like Jock cheated Digger. (Is she wrong?) The other promising development: the addition of Tracey McKay to the Bobby/Ann/Harris triangle — especially if it means Tracey and Harris will join forces against the newly reconciled couple.
“Dallas’s” most intriguing new storyline, of course, is John Ross’s discovery that J.R. has a secret daughter. Like all “Dallas” fans, I have lots of questions about this one, beginning with the obvious: Who’s the mama? I figured the young woman would turn out to be the product of J.R.’s marriage to Cally, although executive producer Cynthia Cidre tells Dallas Decoder the daughter’s mother is dead. (Cally is still alive in this “Dallas” universe, or at least she was when she showed up at J.R.’s funeral last season.) Will the mother turn out to be J.R.’s longtime secretary Sly, who slept with him shortly before he fired her at the end of the original series? What if Kristin Shepard didn’t suffer a miscarriage after J.R. impregnated her in 1980? Could the daughter be the product of J.R.’s romp with Katherine Wentworth, who may or may not be lurking around somewhere? The mind reels.
More questions: How is John Ross going to use the existence of a half-sister to his advantage? You might think someone like him wouldn’t want other siblings hanging around, especially if there’s a possibility they could stake a claim on his inheritance. On the other hand, he must have something up his sleeve. How else to explain his toast to J.R. and his “Thank you, Daddy” line in the final shot? (Is this a nod to the classic scene where J.R. gazes at the heavens and thanks Jock after sneaking a peek at his will?) There’s also the question of where John Ross’s sister will fit into “Dallas’s” romantic sphere. If she likes guys, she doesn’t have a lot of options among the show’s main cast members, does she? If, however, she likes gals, there are a few tantalizing possibilities. This could be fertile new storytelling terrain for “Dallas,” although I’m not sure the show would want to go that route after the uproar over John Ross, Pamela and Emma’s threesome this year.
Then again, maybe that’s all the more reason to do it.
Grade: B
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Hot wheel
‘BRAVE NEW WORLD’
Season 3, Episode 15
Telecast: September 22, 2014
Audience: 1.72 million viewers on September 22
Writer: Robert Rovner
Director: Steve Robin
Synopsis: John Ross’s commandos rescue him and the Mexican police arrest El Pozolero and Luis, who are later murdered in their jail cells by Nicolas’s henchman. When the government seizes the cartel’s Ewing Global assets, Pamela plans to buy them back, but Bobby and Sue Ellen beat her to the punch, infuriating both John Ross and Pamela. Bobby and Ann reconcile, but she becomes alarmed when she finds him comforting a grieving Tracey. Elena realizes Nicolas is responsible for Drew’s death and shoots Nicolas in a fit of anger, but he escapes. John Ross walks in on Pamela and Nasir in bed and later forms an alliance with Judith, who returns Candace’s blue dress to him, replaces Bobby on the railroad commission, and gets her hands on Harris’s tape of her drug deals. Emma gives one of Harris’s secret files to John Ross, who discovers J.R. has a daughter and tells Bum to find her. Elena learns she’s pregnant and is getting ready to leave a gas station when a car bomb planted by another one of Nicolas’s henchmen goes off, killing Christopher.
Cast: Emma Bell (Emma Ryland), Jordana Brewster (Elena Ramos), Melinda Clarke (Tracey McKay), Juan Pablo Di Pace (Nicolas Treviño), Akari Draco (Sheriff Derrick), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Julie Gonzalo (Pamela Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Josh Henderson (John Ross Ewing), Antonio Jaramillo (Luis), Judith Light (Judith Ryland), Jesse Metcalfe (Christopher Ewing), Kevin Page (Bum), Pete Partida (Jacobo), Gino Anthony Pesi (George Tatangelo), Mitch Pileggi (Harris Ryland), Carlos Sandoval (El Pozolero), Brenda Strong (Ann Ewing), Mikal Vega (Walter)
“Brave New World” is available at DallasTNT.com, Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.
Dallas Decoder 
The more I think about it the more I think killing Christopher was a mistake. He’s just too integral to the Dallas mythos, as much as John Ross is. Sure, the series floundered with what to do with him, especially in this season, but that’s the fault of the writers, not the character or the actor playing him. They should have just worked harder to make him compelling.
And then another part of me says that if they HAD to kill him, then they should have given him a more heroic death, where he accomplished something, or saved someone. Like Bobby dying by saving Pam from Katherine. Christopher just seemed to get killed as an afterthought. It was weak. Then again at least with an explosion, and not seeing the body, that does leave open the possibility of the character’s survival, either with Metcalfe or a recast, at some point in the future.
Even though I didn’t like the Ramos family storyline this season, I’m glad that they didn’t kill Elena, I think she needs to remain on the show just for practical reasons. Jordana Brewster is still the most recognizable member of the younger cast on this show, thanks to her participation in the Fast and Furious films, with at least one more coming out, so I’d keep her on the show just for the publicity. But they do need to find something interesting for her, beyond just being someone’s “baby mama”.
I still don’t like what they’ve done to Pamela this season. Breaking up her and John Ross so quickly was a mistake, in my opinion, and now having her hate the Ewings again just feels like a regression.
Likewise with John Ross. Isn’t this how we ended Season 1? After trying to be good, John Ross gives up and decides he’s going to bad like his dad. Season 1 ended with him telling J.R. to teach him every dirty trick that he knows, and this season ends with him telling Bobby he’s worse than J.R. So it’s a regression for him too.
But the thing is, if they really want John Ross to be “the new J.R.” then there’s something very important that they need to do with his character: he needs to start WINNING. Seriously, think about it, from the beginning of this show, his schemes always fail in the end. They need to remember what we loved about J.R. in the glory days of Dallas, he was a master manipulator and backstabber who was always one step ahead of everybody else. In later seasons they forgot that formula, and suddenly J.R. was always losing, getting outsmarted by everyone from Carter McKay to Michelle friggin’ Stevens! That’s not what we wanted to see. Now they’re making the same mistake here. John Ross should be on top.
As for the mysterious daughter of J.R. I guess I’m somewhat intrigued, specifically I want to see why John Ross seems so happy about this and the rest of the info in the red file, and why he thinks this is so good for him. But as I said before, the impact of that revelation wasn’t as a great as it could have been to me since we already know that J.R. has two long-lost sons, and at least one grandson, that this series has so far refused to acknowledge. I guess they think the idea of a daughter of J.R. instead of just another son is more intriguing, specifically because of J.R.’s attitude towards women, so I guess we’ll see. But they better cast a fantastic actress.
And by the way yesterday I ordered a bottle of J.R. Ewing bourbon. Can’t wait to try it. ^_^
J.R. LeMar, I agree that killing off Christopher was a mistake. He was a legacy character and the only child of 80s super couple Bobby and Pam. Even if they bring Lucas to Dallas, it’s just not the same; he was raised by Ray and Jenna. When Christopher and Heather split, I thought the writers might repair Christopher and Pamela. She would have appreciated being with an honorable man like Christopher after everything John Ross and Cliff put her through. Instead, they seem to be taking Pamela down a dark path. The same goes for Elena – can she be redeemed after indirectly causing Christopher’s death? Will she give birth to a Ewing? That might be her saving grace. Having John Ross go darker is not to my liking either. And who cares about this new half-sister? Some Dallas fans are hoping that her mother will turn out to be Katherine Wentworth. That would be a brilliant – which is why that won’t happen. The half-sister’s mother will probably be a character made up by Cidre who seems much more interested in characters that she herself created. I know that a lot of viewers hate the Ramoses, but I’m sick of the Rylands. I suspect they killed off Christopher to pay for Judith’s salary.
I’m not sure putting Christopher back with Pamela would have worked. Folks have already complained about the “bed-hopping” that has gone on between the younger cast. Elena went from Christopher, to John Ross, to back to Christopher, and then John Ross again. So having Pamela go from Christopher to John Ross to back to Christopher might have been too much. I probably would have kept the Heather character around as Christopher’s romantic interest, and just worked harder to come up with a good storyline for him.
After all these years I still don’t think of Christopher as Bobby and Pam’s. I think of him as Kristen’s and Jeff Farraday’s, adopted by Bobby and Pam. That was just such a big storyline. Elena will definitely give birth to a Ewing, otherwise what is the point of keeping her on the show now that Christopher is dead? As for the whole Heather thing, I didn’t know what the point of that was. It ended as abruptly as it started. It’s almost as if the writers found out mid season that Jesse wanted off the show and had to scramble to figure out a way to tie that storyline up. I was hoping maybe she’d stick around and he would stay with her, maybe eventually marry her and adopt her son. I never liked him with Elena at all. The more I think about him, the more I think the character was miscast or something or maybe wasn’t needed at all because to me he was just another Bobby. He was never all that interesting to me.
Chris, I am glad you brought up the possibility that Kristen could be the girl’s mother. I always wondered whether or not there was another Kristen kid out there, Dallas’ sense of time was always weird…as are most serial dramas. But the fact remans that Sue Ellen got the call from Kristen that She had just gave birth to JR’s kid. Sue Ellen believed her, so that meant that the time of birth matched how pregnant she was when she left Dallas. I always thought the timeline was wonky. So there is that possibility.
Katherine could be another one…but I hope not since that would confirm that Katherine is dead and can’t come back on the show….
Sly is a good possibility. And it would explain why she didn’t come back for JR’s funeral…since Cidre told you that the mother is dead.
Also, what about the lady who owned the Oil Baron’s club, Dora Mae? She was beautiful and friendly with JR.
Oh so many options. ;)))))
Regarding the killing of Christopher….I am in the camp of it was a very sad day…but I am fine with the decision. His loss of his character will drive just as much story as his actual character. The emotional turmoil of Bobby and Elena…as well as the impact on John Ross and Sue Ellen..will be huge. The impact of Bobby now being childless…and, yes, I am very aware of Lucas…..but Bobby has always honored Jenna desire for him to give up any parental claim to Lucas. Moving forward, as Bobby contemplates the future of his legacy, will he contact Lucas to make him his heir? Chris’ story has been limited. I think as the character of John Ross has risen, it eclipsed Chris. Plus, due to the demands of the fans, Bobby and Sue Ellen have been given more focus. One of the main stories of the entire show was to be the rivalry between Chris and John Ross. Over the 40 episodes, that story has became a very minor one. His role, frankly, had been relegated to a much more diminished one. In addition, Chris WAS killed because he was helping someone. Even though Elena had made mistakes and wrongly sought vengeance against the family, Chris, of course, forgave her and was helping her and was killed as a result. So yes, Chris did die a hero.
Btw…how ironic was it that Bobby was comforting Sue Ellen over John Ross and made the comment about Ewings always surviving terrorists just a short time before Nicholas had Chris killed?
As far as Elena goes, I am glad they are keeping her around. I like the character a lot. I was not terribly happy with her seeking retribution against all the Ewings…but I am glad that she did recognize the mistake in her actions and expressed remorse. I am glad that Chris told her that he still cared for her and was on her side before he died. And while the others are not happy with her…ultimately, they do care about her. I really, really, really hope that the baby turns out to be John Ross’. THAT would be outstanding!
I might argue the nuance that Chris died being noble as opposed to being a hero but both are certainly positive. He he just didn’t die an action hero and that is fine too. It might have been too cliche if it played out that way.
Plus i wonder if Dallas had continued if the show might have kept people wondering if Christopher was still alive because we the viewers never saw who was in the car when it blew up.So maybe someone grabbed Christopher and someone else died in his place.Then just as Bobby and others have moved on with their lives Christopher could show up alive.
Dora Mae?
J.R. Ewing having a BLACK daughter?
That would be unexpected.
I guess that might explain why he had her shipped off to Morocco all this time and never told anyone about her…
Here’s a posibility for an out there pick for the mother of this mystery offspring should they decide to use an existing character: How about JR’s favorite prostitute Serena Wald?
That could also work. Might also explain why J.R. shipped her off and never told anyone, perhaps being ashamed of having a child with a prostitute. Plus, it’s important to note that the revelation of the daughter was in a secret file that Harris was going to use as blackmail information against J.R., and Emma said she was originally planning to hold it over John Ross, so something about this daughter has to be scandalous in some way. And if I recall, in one of Serena’s last appearances, she had quit the business and gotten engaged to some man, so she could have passed the child off as her husband’s all this time. Really, any ex of J.R.’s that we saw in the original series could fit as the mother. But, going by Cidre’s track record, I’m 99% certain that the mother will be revealed to be some brand new original character that she created for the show and will claim that J.R. had an affair with her sometime in the past that we just never saw.
And yes, before any NuDallas defenders jump in, I’m aware that’s what the original series did when they introduced Vanessa as J.R.’s “first love” and had her be the mother of J.R.’s long-lost son James. That doesn’t make it any better that the new show is making the same mistakes that the original did in its declining years.
Can’t believe Elena didn’t even flush the toilet after she threw up in it !!! NASTY !!
I don’t watch this Dallas, so I can’t comment on the episodes, but I enjoy reading all the updates and following along on this amazing blog. Though I really miss your reviews of the original Dallas.
But I like the idea that killing Christopher might be a red-herring. He may not be dead at all. But then I also agree with the thought that they got rid of Metcalf to pay for Judith’s salary. LOL. One thing that disturbs me is how sad it is to know the outcome of poor baby Christopher, after all the drama on the original Dallas. If he is indeed dead, you can never watch the originals the same way again. And IMO they might as well prepare for another Ewing funeral in season 4, because I don’t think Bobby’s heart can handle anymore stress and pain. Particularly when he was plagued by those problems in season 1.
Everyone knows I’m a pretty big Cidre critic so it even suprises myself that I don’t have a problem with the death of Christopher. Yes he’s a legacy character and an important one at that. But as many point out he had nothing going right now. In fact I feel sorry for the way he pines over someone who bed hops and beat up the family over the sins of a deceased family member. Also I’d say it was between Christopher and Elena for an original TNT character which has the most polarized appeal. (On the other side of the coin nobody has had much bad to say about the performances of Henderson for example or said that character has outlived its usefullness. Many have commented that Metcalfe whines too much in his delivery and I can see that. As for being the only son of Romeo and Juliet, well that is a setimental arguement which won’t resonate with me since I’m no fan of Pam. If someone is going to die this really is about the best choice because of the story possibilites it opens up with an original CBS character. In the hands of good writers this can be gold. We’ll see what Cidre and company do with it.
For me the most disheartening part of the episode was Joaquin rising to the head of the cartel. This means we aren’t done with the drug storyline yet. Things change and I get that but just can’t see how Dallas should be about anything but energy industry (preferably oil) business. Instead we have a company which has changes its name and ownership every other week and has resided almost entirely in the shadows this season. On CBS we always knew the ownership breakdown of Ewing Oil at any given point. Here I don’t think it is possible to do that. It changed so often and when it did it wasn’t always fully documented on screen. At times it got a throw away half mention at best. I cheered when Bobby and Sue Ellen get Ewing Global at the end of the episode. This made it feel more like my Dallas. But that was short lived when I realized what Joaquin at the top of Mendez-Ochoa means for future storylines.
John Ross: JR LeMar nailed it above. He is not his father because he never wins. Now in fairness if someone ever made a TV movie JR The Early Years we might find de didn’t fare any better in his formative years. I’ve said before that John Ross is way too impulsive. His father was the type who fully formed a plan before he acted most of the time and that is why he succeeded. John Ross spends way too much time on defense and thus shooting from the hip. You just aren’t going to win that often that way. I’ll also echo the setiment that this season finale felt way too much like the season 1 finale. Granted a character like John Ross is going to have runs as both face and heal but he is swinging back and forth a little too quickly. Finally much like Emma was way out of her league trying to deal with the cartel, I’m not sure John Ross has enough experience yet to handle Judith. That is an alliance I think he’ll come to regret.
They’ve already hinted that the John Ross/Judith alliance might not be so smooth. Remember when she told Bobby and Sue Ellen “You’ll have to deal with me” and John Ross gets this annoyed look on his face and says “I think she means US”?
Exactly. The question is who comes out on top? I’m straight up saying this will be John Ross’ latest loss because I think Judith will eat him up and spit him out.
But hey at least this story line has the potential to be about something other than drugs.
Yes, going by the track record this looks to be another alliance that John Ross makes that blows up in his face. Hopefully that won’t be the case and if, judging by the last scene of the finale, John Ross will finally start being smarter, like J.R. As you say, it could be argued that John Ross’ problem up til now was being too emotional. And he’s young and still learning. But if we get a Season 4 now is the time for him to become the same kind of chessmaster that J.R. was.
Not only did Christopher not have anything going on, he never did for quite some time. In my opinion, J.R.’s funeral was as much Christopher’s funeral because he did nothing after that.
But, again, that’s the fault of the writers, not the character (or actor). With the loss of Larry Hagman they decided to give Patrick Duffy a greater role on the show, so the focus switched from being John Ross vs. Christopher to John Ross vs. Bobby. Now, I love Patrick Duffy and he’s a great and underrated actor, so I don’t blame them for that, but that didn’t mean Christopher had to be pushed to the wayside either. They should have brainstormed a way to keep him integral to the show. What happened to the storyline of his experimental methane extraction technology? That was supposed to be a threat to the whole oil industry. There was lots of story potential there that could have kept Christopher occupied.
To me, this death now puts a sort of shadow on the original series now, when watching the appearances of young Christopher. That whole storyline when Bobby first brought him home and it snapped Pam out of her depression, and then Bobby had to go to Sue Ellen to get the right to legally adopt him, and J.R. blackmailing Bobby with the knowledge that Christopher was really his son, so then Bobby and Pam searched out the truth. And then the storyline after Pam went away, where Farraday’s sister came along and made a claim on Christopher and Bobby had to fight that. All those dramatic stories seems kinda pointless now, knowing how Christopher is just going to die for nothing, after not really accomplishing anything.
J.R. Lemar – What they did with Christopher is my single most complaint and issue that I have with the show. You are absolutely correct with every point you bring up. I know you are a huge fan of the show, including Dallas TNT, and have been on this site a very long time. I do not like to complain for the sake of complaining. I know you do not criticize the show either, unless you have a legitimate valid point. I do not know what is supposed to be so “SHOCKING!!!” about Christopher’s death. He was already written out of the show.
I think you guys are exactly correct regarding Judith and John Ross. … She us going to be trouble for him. Her own son had difficulty dealing with her and he is much older than jR3.
I don’t have a problem with John Ross suffering losses. He actually has had some wins in there as well… But let’s be fair… He quit college to learn the oil business ground up. He refused to have anything to do with JR for numerous years until he bit off more than he could chew and went to him for help. He is only been dealing on the large scale business for a short time. He is trying desperately to live up to JR style of trouble. … He is going to falter. JR was a college graduate and spent every waking hour learning about the oil business and about running a company. When we met him
The first time he was about 10 years older than JR3 was when we met him.
So let’s give JohnRoss a chance . And be honest JR got shut down as well…. Jr would take a loss and laugh and grin and then take credit for then on win! That was his charm.
I think John Ross has a strong chance of becoming a goofball like Cliff Barnes. He does this every story, 1. has ambitious plan, 2. goes after someone or something via a scheme 3. ruins everything and causes problem 4. gets bailed out by someone else.
This is John Ross. J.R. was his own worse enemy. John Ross is the worst enemy of everything Ewing. It was John Ross’s idea to go make Ewing Global a public traded company which allowed the Mexican drug cartel to take over Ewing Global in the first place. Yes he did save Emma, so what. Just because Emma did not die after she was raped because of a situation John Ross created does not make him a hero for saving her. It only limited the damage he created. I especially liked the scene when Elena shot Nicolas, it was by far the best I saw from her in quite some time. I think Nicolas is going to be the “New J.R.” and John Ross will be a split between J.R. and Cliff Barnes. I could see John Ross trying to kill himself because he is such a failure. He saw another man with his wife in his own house and could not do anything about it. Ouch! Now John Ross has a sister and we won’t know who she is until next season. I am sorry but this reminds me way too much of “Dynasty” and the way Alexis Carrington was introduced.
Well, let me just correct a few statements you made about me. I am a huge fan of the original series, but I’m not really a fan of the new series. I think the cast is great, but the writing is just too uneven and I don’t like several choices they’ve made with some of the longtime characters (like starting the series with J.R. being broke and in a Nursing Home, while that idiot Cliff Barnes become some powerful and ruthless billionaire), and I would have preferred if they’d kept the continuity of the two reunion movies, especially J.R. Returns.
Nevertheless I keep watching it, because I just can’t help myself. It’s “Dallas”, so I just kind of HAVE to see it as long as it’s on (same way I stuck with the crappy last 2 or 3 years of the original series), and it’s not like there’s anything else on Monday nights as 6pm (I’m on the West Coast). Plus I’m not a Nielson home nor have DVR so I know that my viewing has no affect on the ratings either way. So the show will be continued or canceled whether I watch it or not. So I might as well watch it. But because I already know I don’t like it that’s why I avoid coming here to just complain about it all the time (I figure y’all already have Dan in WI for that…wink wink), that’s why I don’t comment on every post about each episode, like I see some folks here or on the Ultimate Dallas forums doing, I figure that’s a waste of time. And I’m really not trying to anger the folks like Chris B. who do like it, even if I don’t always understand why they like it. So I just tell myself that the “real” Dallas ended with J.R. Returns, and this series is an alternate universe version of the show (sort of like the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies).
So that’s why I try to only join in the discussions of big events in the series, like this finale. And I stick with what I consider to be legitimate criticisms of the show and its direction when I do, and usually offer alternatives of what I think could make it better. There are some fans whom I think nitpick over minor stuff, like whining about whether Bobby’s real name is Robert or not. I don’t care about that, nor am I a super-stickler for continuity. I always point out that the original Dallas wrote off an entire season as a dream, and I happen to think that was a brilliant idea. Sure, it was over-the-top, and stretched credibility, but in my opinion the next couple of seasons right after that with Bobby back were some of Dallas’ best years, so that’s the bottom line. I’ll accept almost anything, as long as the story is good. And that’s been my problem with the new show, it often has some good ideas, but the execution is flawed. And if they’re going to contradict the original show, then at least explain it. We all saw Cliff give up his feud with the Ewings, and we know he always loved his nephew Christopher (he was even friendly to John Ross when he was a kid), and he had beaten J.R.in the end. So WHY is he now back to being so filled with hatred for them that he’s willing to risk his own daughter’s life just to hurt them?!? When did he become the kind of man that’s willing to kill people? All of that is just so out of character, that it bugs me. And I LOVED the pairing of John Ross and Pamela in Season 2. I wanted to see them as a power couple, scheming together. Sure I knew they couldn’t be happy forever, because that’s not how soap opera’s work, but I think this show blew it by immediately having John Ross start cheating and then broke them up way too soon. And as I’ve said, if they wanted to bring in a long-lost other child of J.R., they could have just used one of the two sons, or one grandson, that we already know about it, instead of creating a brand new daughter.
So those are the kind of things that I will complain about it, occasionally.
Sigh…
I think you didn’t mean anything by calling me out but is is probably deserved non-the-less. I do try not to be negative all the time. See my post for the Duffy directed episode. So I guess that makes me 75/25 in favor of negative and that does rub many the wrong way. I apologize to all you for that.
Just to show there is no hard feelings I have to agree with most of what you just said. You’ve always said it best on why we watch even if we aren’t completely pleased with this new show. To sum up we are this passionate because we love the show and the characters. If we didn’t care we’d leave. I know I brought up the Robert James thing recently but that in and of itself doesn’t bug me. It was the Cidre reaction the criticism brought by another fan that bugs me. It is the Cliff character assasination you just recounted that bugs me. In the end it is Dallas and I do intend to go down with the ship.
Hey, I added the “wink wink” for a reason. Just messin’ with ya. Nothing personal.
And at least you’re not one of those older fans who keeps insisting that the show needs to bring back Victoria Principle as Pam. Now those people do get on my damn nerves. No matter how many times she’s clearly said that she’s not interested (& she certainly doesn’t need the money), they insist that TNT needs to get her back. I’m like, give it a rest already!
I do think there are some folks, particularly on the Ultimate Dallas forums, which I lurk on but stopped posting on last year, who do seem to watch it just to complain about every single little thing. And that can be annoying. So I personally try to avoid doing that and focus on the major stuff. And like I said, I know I’m going to be mostly disappointed when I watch it, and that I’m just sticking with it out of habit, so I almost feel like I have no right to complain. Any other show when I stop liking it I stop watching it. If I’m going to keep watching this show, well, that’s on me. I’ve gotta accept that it is what it is. I think my major frustration is that in my opinion this show has all the tools to make an excellent show. I think the entire cast (including Metcalfe and Brewster) is good, they just need better material to work with it. And occasionally the writers do have moments of greatness (like the episode of J.R.’s funeral, and Season 1 was mostly okay), just not consistently. Just a few tweaks here and there and I think it could be better. That’s what bugs me. If the show was a complete irredeemable mess, then I could just stop watching it, reading about it, and completely ignore it, but this show still has potential. So as long as it’s on I still hold out hope (very small hope) that it will change direction and get back on track.
It pretty much has too. At the rate it’s going, if they get a season 4 it’s sure to be the last one if the ratings don’t significantly increase. And I doubt we’ll get a reunion movie in 5 years, or another continuation in 20 years, so this will be the end of Dallas for good.
From my understanding, the original plan was for J.R. to take over Ewing Global. We can’t fault anyone for that. It would be a repeat of old storylines if JR died and the “youg guns” would have to duel it out to see who would take over. It seemed like Victoria Principal said “no” to even making a brief cameo. After it was clear Pam is not ever coming back, the focus on Christopher disappeared. This show has an incredible cast. I respect your critical views of the show because they are based on solid examples. I did not mean to misrepresent what you said and I apologize for doing so. I criticize the show with great reluctance. For all of the faults, I feel that the show, even without Larry Hagman, is the best hour on television. Yes the show can be better. I think something happened to the entire television industry. I do not think there is the talent to create good television programming as there was from around 1965 to 1995. Once reality t.v. became cheaper to produce and avoided all the problems of hiring actors and writters, television went into the toilet. Every show that is not “reality” is just another hour or half hour of tried and true formulas. I could care less about HBO shows now because they all are just plain lousy. I like my monsters scary and mean. I got a peek of the new shows out this Fall and I am willing to bet over 90% of them will not be around next Fall.
No apology necessary, I didn’t take it as a deliberate misconception, I just wanted to be honest and admit that I’m not that big of a fan of the new show.
I do remember Cidre claiming that the original plan for the end of Season 2 was for them all to walk into the Ewing Global (& for the record, I liked Ewing ENERGIES much better) building and find J.R. there, with him having somehow taken over the company. Who knows if that’s what was really going to happen or she’s just saying so after the fact? I’m still disappointed that we never got the promised poker match between J.R. and Cliff that they were leading to in season 1. Remember that? I wanted to see a one on one showdown between them, with J.R. beating Cliff like the good ol days. But then they just dropped that subplot and it was never mentioned again. I know Larry Hagman was having health problems during the filming of season 1, so it’s possible they had to cancel the plans, but it’s still a disappointment.
I remember bringing up the poker game on this website. It reminded me of the poker game in the T.V. Movie “Dallas: The Early Years” and I thought there was going to be a a game too and it went away, just like Christopher’s mining technology. Frank, Cliff’s son and Pamela’s brother, was supposed to set that up. Yeah, there was clearly some odd things that could not be avoided as a result of Larry Hagman’s health and passing away. I would have loved that more than anything. Two warriors, both carry the scars and the memories of all those years, and both wanting to defeat the other with every thing inside of them that makes them the people they are. Cliff thinks he has JR beat and has the fix on him and of course JR already won before the first card is ever dealt. I remember the last thing JR said to him “You go to hell Barnes!” Barnes is in a Mexican prison which is not technically “Hell” but it is pretty close and it is J.R. that put him there.
Dan in WI and J.R. LeMar – I always like reading what both of you have to say. I am down with “Dallas” no matter what and I too am sticking with this show even if they launch the Ewings into outer space!!!!
The Ewings in space?
DON’T GIVE THEM ANY CRAZY IDEAS!!!
Now lets deal with the sister first. She would be legally entitled to a certain % of the shares Uncle Bobby & Miss Texas bought as an outright child, if her DNA can be proved. As a result, John Ross owns a% of the 48% with Pamela, I believe 24% each. So he could team with Pam conceivably & his 1/2 sister in a triumvate to beat Uncle Bob out of majority ctrl. of the firm (Ewing Global) once again. You don’t think he’s given up do u boy? Not by a long shot!
There’s also the question if Christopher Ewing died with a will or “in-testate.” If he had no will, arguably, John Ross & the half sister could make a claim to a % of his shares with the differential being given back in terms of ownership to his Father Bobby.
As for John Ross being worse than his daddy. He’s not better or worse, just different!
This goes back to my complaint of feeling like the writers are playing fast and loose with the ownership percentages and not keeping us up to date.
That said, now that it has been purchased from the Justice Department by Bobby and Sue Ellen (with financing from Carlos Del Sol) with that same preemptive bid that Pamela was planning I believe any previous ownership claims are null and void. The Justice Department seized it and sold it outright. Bobby and Sue Ellen should be the sole owners at this point unless I’m misunderstanding something. That means JR and his heirs as well as Cliff and his heirs are SOL at this point.
Pamela wanted to do this exact thing (with financing from Nasir) to become the sole owner. Bobby and Sue Ellen just beat her to it.
I just re-watched the scene. Ewing Global was purchased from the Treasury Department, not the Justice Department. The rest seems accurate. The past is now irrelevant. Bobby and Sue Ellen now own the company lock stock and barrel. So John Ross would have to first find a way to prove the Treasury’s seizure was invalid before any he could reshuffle the ownership deck under a pre-seizure structure.
Jr ‘a daughter would have no claim whatsoever to Ewing global shares owned by Bobby and Sue Ellen. Why would she? They borrowed money from Carlos Del Sol and made the buy of the shares. John Ross was planning to do this hisself with Nassar’s money. Pam preempted his deal with Nassar. And then Bob&SE beat her to the punch.
2) legally, this kid has no right to JR’s estate. Jr spelled out in detail who he wanted to inherit what. Children are not automatically entitled to inherit the parents estate. Now, she can contest anything she wants…. But there is not legal backing on this. If JR had died intestate, this would be different. Parents are not obligated to include their children in their will.
3) now, Dan and Chris will have to correct me if I am wrong… But Jock did set aside money for grandchildren… I don’t know if it was an amount to be equally divided among all living and all future grand kids?? Or just those existing when he died.?! I actually think that it might have been vague.
4). Regarding Chris, if he died intestate, Bobby would be his heir…because he is Chris’ sole surviving parent. Texas has pretty cut and dry rules to when single people without children die.
I’m not sure what Jock did for future grandchildren. There my memory is going to fail me. He spent much time spoiling Lucy and I’m pretty sure he did something for John Ross. I just don’t remember if he did anything for future grandchildren or not.
Eitherway I’d imagine if he did it would be awarded at age 21 at the latest and thus no longer in play.
And remember, because of the way this series wrote the character, J.R. didn’t really have much of an “estate” when he died anyway. I was hoping that when they read his Will it would reveal that he had a bunch of secret assets hidden aside that he left for John Ross, he was always a master at setting up dummy corporations to hide his deals. But all he had was his 1/3 of the mineral rights to Southfork, which he left half to John Ross and half to Sue Ellen, and that’s only valuable as long as Bobby and Gary both agree to drill the oil under it. So at the most the daughter could fight for 1/3 of J.R.’s 1/3 of the mineral rights, which wouldn’t be good for John Ross, so there’d be no reason for him to be as happy as he was at the end of the show.
Perhaps the idea is that J.R. set the daughter up with some valuable assets, maybe she’s a rich and powerful woman now, and that’s why John Ross wants to find her to get her on his side?
The reading of JR’s will was a joke to me. All he had to give was booze, boots, a book, a hunting rifle and his mineral rights. Really? That’s it? I hated the way Cidre made him into a broken man with nothing to his name, wasting away in a nursing home, while idiot Cliff Barnes was a rich powerful zillionaire, practically running the world. It was an insult to the memory of the original Dallas. Remember Jock’s will? It was thicker than an encyclopedia, and its contents sent shock waves that affected everyone for seasons to follow. Miss Ellie had something more important to say at JR’s will reading than JR. I too was hoping JR had some secret assets stashed away somewhere. He always did in the original series. Perhaps if Cidre had some her homework, she’d have known that. I’m still waiting for her to produce Clayton’s corpse.
Yes! Exactly! I agree with all of that! J.R. ending up like he did just didn’t make any sense, based on J.R.’s history. Even at his lowest, when he lost Ewing Oil to the Justice Department and Westar, he just went right out and formed a new company and got back into business. And when the first series ended J.R. was depressed because he’d lost his company and felt like he’d lost his family, but it wasn’t that he’d lost all his money. He should have had still have several hundred million, if not a billion, at his disposal. When Bobby first sold Ewing Oil to De La Vega, most of the assets were owned by J.R. (which means that Bobby should never have been able to sell it without J.R.’s permission, but nevermind), so J.R. would have made most of the money from that sale. And even in the end after buying the company back and then discovering that Cliff was co-owner, J.R. sold his half to Cliff to go join Westar, which is even more money J.R. would have made from that sale. Plus he sold off his other oil holdings because of conflict of interest, so he that’s more money made. And then even in the end when he got double-crossed by Carter McKay and Dusty Farlowe and didn’t get control of Westar, he still owned stock in the company. So J.R. still should have been a very rich man. So what happened in the intervening years that ended up with him being broke?
Frankly, the same goes for Bobby, who should also be a close to a billionaire. Yet, when Ewing Energies was fined $200 million for that explosion all of the sudden Bobby couldn’t afford that? Not even with Sue Ellen’s help. She should be pretty rich too (she could afford to buy a whole movie studio and then film a movie and never release it), although I guess we could assume that she lost a bunch of money to Don Lockwood when they got divorced (no one ever seems to get pre-nups on Dallas)
And the worse part for me is that they had Cliff rise so high, while J.R. was low. Cliff’s flying around the world in a private jet while J.R. is silently sitting in a Nursing Home? Please! If anything, Cliff’s success would have been exactly the thing that snapped J.R. out of his depression and he’d be working on a scheme to ruin him. I don’t mind the idea of Cliff becoming successful on his own, making him more equal to J.R. now, but they overdid it, making him this mega-powerful mogul whose got minions that cover up crimes and assassinate people for him. That just doesn’t make any sense. That’s why I had hoped that “J.R.’s Masterpiece” would redeem the character in death, show that he had a secret fortune stashed away for John Ross or something like that. Like maybe he put himself in the Nursing Home to make people think he was weak, while he was secretly working on plans to get everything back (he did it before, putting himself in a nuthouse). But they blew that chance.
THAT’S the kind of stuff that pisses me off about this version of Dallas.
I short we have the two main combatants in vastly different positions then when last saw them in 1992. But we have no explanation how that came to be.
I’ve always said if you can give me a well written reason how this happened I’d likely be happy. It drives me nuts that there has be NO attempt to explain this in the least.
Assuming the show is renewed, I think we eventually will learn Cliff put the hit out on Christopher. He is continuing his mission to “Wipe the Ewings off the face of the earth” from behind bars. He might have been hoping to rub out Elena in the process as well…bitterness over her decision to somewhat renege on their partnership by putting the pardon in the hands of his daughter has undoubtedly set in. I know Cidre was noncommittal in the interview here about Cliff even having a future on the show, but that could well have been just to throw viewers off the trail.
Longshot speculation, the mystery sister could be the daughter of Leann De La Vega. I know she claimed JR forced her to get an abortion, which was the whole basis of her revenge mission in the final season of the old show….but no plot twist would shock me.
I know it won’t happen, but I would love it if Tracey actually succeeded in luring Bobby away from Wife Number Three. I think Melinda Clark brings a wonderfully mellow vibe to an otherwise hyper-intense atmosphere on the program…and you can’t spell Annoying without Ann. I’m about done with that scrunched-up-laughing-and-crying-at-the-same-time face she has to make in every frigging scene. No disrespect to Brenda Strong, who did a fine job as television’s OTHER Sue Ellen….Sue Ellen Mischke on Seinfeld, lol.
It is my impression that that Joaquin was behind Christopher. It was simple jealousy there. He wanted to the competitor to the love of his life eliminated. We even had that goon ask he needed to go to Dallas to do it and Joaquin stated that would be taken care of within the day.
I thought about Leann De La Vega for a moment too but, as you point out, the whole basis for her revenge was that she aborted J.R.’s baby and that left her unable to have anymore children after that. So revealing she really had a daughter after all would negate the whole reason for that plot. Plus since her liaison with J.R. happened when they were in college, if they had a daughter she would be in her 60’s by now. And I’m assuming this daughter is going to be younger woman, probably in her 30’s, just a little older than John Ross, Pamela, and Elena.
I just can’t believe the evil turn Cliff has made since Cidre got her hooks into him. What could have caused him to turn this bad that he would kill his unborn grandchildren just because they were Ewings, and risk his daughter’s life. Every time he told Pamela he loved her, I laughed. He was always very quirky, obsessed and bitter, but never a murderer. He is a sick man. So If he really did order the hit on Christopher, I say he goes to the electric chair. As for Ann, I like her but not with Bobby. Those two have zero chemistry. I do think she has a lot of chemistry with her ex, Harris Ryland. So if Tracey McKay rocks that boat I hope she capsizes it. I like Tracey so far (much better than the original actress who played her). Of course she isn’t Victoria Principal. For me it would have been a dream come true if they had managed to get her back on the show. But I’m willing to give Tracey a try.
Ann was my favorite new Dallas character in Season 1. I liked her with Bobby. But ever since they had her shoot Harris in Season 2 the character has been downhill. I still think she can be redeemed, but not if they try to throw Tracey McKay in between them. She shouldn’t be any threat to Bobby and Ann’s marriage. They dated a few months over 20 years ago. That’s ancient history. If Ann feels jealous of her that just makes her look stupid.
But what if Pam’s ghost were to inhabit Tracey’s body? Then should Ann be jealous?
wink wink
I repeat: DON’T GIVE THEM ANY CRAZY IDEAS!
I’m torn about Christopher’s death. On the one hand I’m glad he’s gone because I didn’t like the character or the actor portraying him. I always felt he was a weak link in the cast, and not even remotely likable for a character who is supposed to be the star of the show. He was always so smug and pompous with a chip on his shoulder. Always ranting about something John Ross did. He was really just a mouthpiece for Bobby, always by his side repeating his hateful spew toward John Ross. He wasn’t his own person. Bobby coddled him and fought his own battles for him, and still called this grown man son of his Christopher, not Chris? There was really no depth to Christopher. The show didn’t need two Bobby’s.
Having said all that, I do kind of wish that hadn’t killed Christopher off in case the character of Lucas was ever introduced. Lucas actually should have been on the show from the very beginning, if one can imagine all the possibilities for conflict for the insecure adopted son versus the biological son. Cidre really dropped the ball there. Now that Christopher is dead, that will never happen, not that I think Lucas will ever show up anyway. Like everyone else says, Cidre seems more interested in creating her own characters and rewriting original Dallas history, which is sacrilegious not to mention infuriating to any original Dallas fan. I was a huge cheerleader for a Lucas return from day one, now I don’t care. I do to see the point if Christopher isn’t around for him to foil. It’s amazing to me how this show is supposed to be about the next generation of Ewings, and yet one of the only two next generation Ewings is now gone. We now have more Rylands and Ramoses on the show than actual Ewings, who are supposed to be the main characters of this show. Yes, I am aware that they are introducing a new Ewing next season ( if we get a next season), but it’s too little too late. I guarantee her mother will turn out to be a Cidre creation inserted into the back history, someone we never heard of and won’t care about.
Anyone think we will start to see more Dallas terrain rather than Mexico? The show is called Dallas, right?
Yes, I made that point about Lucas, too. The character had great potential as a source of conflict between Christopher and Bobby. And, since we only saw him as an infant on the original show, introducing him now he would essentially be a brand new character, so the new writers could write him however they want without having to adhere to previous characterization. He could be a good guy, or a bad guy, or in-between. And, unlike with someone like Cliff, no one could complain and say “that’s out of character” because he’s a blank slate. You’d think they’d love that opportunity. And that storyline could possibly revitalize the character of Christopher too. But now with him dead it’s just wasted. So I wouldn’t even want them to bring in Lucas now.
Even though there is so much talk the Christopher really died in the car explosion I still believe it is only for a smidge of time until we see him again. I just cannot believe he is dead forever, especially since we did not see him blow up in the car. I hope John Ross sister is not a lesbian, that threesome is what destroyed the viewing over the last several episodes, I also hope that John Ross sister is not Kathriene Wentworth Daughter because the mother is dead and I hope Kathriene is only dead by hear say and they will bring her back in the next season.
I wouldn’t have a problem with J.R.’s daughter being gay. I’ve suggested that if Lucas or Cally’s son were appear, one of them should be gay, too. It’s 2014. Gay people exist. Why not have them represented on Dallas? Some old homophobes might not like it, but tough s**t.
Hey everyone,
I want you to know how much I’m enjoying this discussion. Thanks for being thoughtful and civil to each other. Y’all make me proud.
CB
The one reason I think they maybe should still bring Lucas back would be for the purpose of protecting Southfork after Bobby has gone on to join his parents, brother, adopted son, and two wives in the afterlife. There needs to be someone to stop JR3 from fracking the joint to Kingdom Come.
I’ll admit though, I’m tired of that old angle being dredged up. I could live with the ranch being drilled, honestly. If Miss Ellie felt that precious about keeping the land pure, she should never have willed half of it to JR3. Also, it’s a bit strange that Bobby is so adamant about not drilling, yet more than once (counting JR Returns) he has given serious consideration to SELLING the ranch. Does he think a new owner wouldn’t tap that oil in a heartbeat?
What I don’t want to learn is that Christopher and Elena worked in a reconciliatory quickie before his death and he is the father of her child. I’m sorry Chris had to go, but let’s not further muddy the waters with another Ewing who isn’t a Ewing. It could well be headed in that direction, given Cidre’s remark that this baby daddy storyline won’t play out the way we expect…which would seem to mean a paternity battle between JR3 and Nicholas is not on the table.
You have some great ideas for bringing Lucas into the mix. It’s too bad Cidre refuses to go that way. There are a million good reasons why he should have been on the show back in season one. He is a next generation Ewing. What if he found out over the years who his real father was and wanted to meet him? Or he could want his piece of the pie, and he could be trouble for John Ross. This is such a huge missed opportunity on so many levels. Instead Cidre would rather rewrite history (and badly at that) and bring in her own characters nobody knows or cares about.
As for Elena’s baby, people are saying it could be Christopher’s, but I don’t see how. Elena has not slept with Christopher at all this season. He had been in a relationship with Heather for most of the season. They seemed like they were headed for a reconciliation in the season finale, but she was already pregnant. The only two men she slept with were Nicolas and John Ross. Of course I wouldn’t put it past Cidre to say Elena and Christopher did have sex, just not on screen. I figure the baby’s got to be either Christopher’s or John Ross’s, in order to give the Elena character a reason to stay on the show, now that Christopher is dead.
It seems most obvious that it should be either Nicholas or John Ross’s baby. It’s only when Cidre made her vague comments in that interview that the possibility of it being someone else’s was raised. I agree that at this point it would seem stupid if they try to make us think it was Christopher’s (which is why I don’t put it past her to do that), that she seems like another after-thought. Once they impulsively decided to kill Christopher, now they want to come up with some way to keep his memory on the show, so let’s have Elena give birth to his son.
It really should be John Ross’. Everyone wants a John Ross Ewing IV on the show. Although I suppose Elena wouldn’t be too keen on naming her son after the man who stole from her father and ruined his life…
But to me, the points you raise about Lucas just once again illuminate what a bad idea it was to kill off Christopher. And there’s no reason to think that Lucas, who wasn’t raised on Southfork and therefor has no emotional connection to it, would share Bobby and Christopher’s determination to never drill on Southfork. And it’s also weird that Bobby has allowed drilling of the oil under Southfork as long as their doing slant-drilling from the neighboring Henderson Ranch, and not directly on Southfork itself. Isn’t that just a technicality? If they’re going to do that they might as well just do it directly.
And as I’ve said before, this show has made claims that there are 2 billion barrels worth of oil under Southfork and as some oil expert once pointed out, in the real world that would be worth like $200 billion, which would make the Ewings the richest family in history, richer than the Rockerfellers or Waltons ever were. If you look at it like that, it’s almost immoral NOT to drill on Southfork. Even if Bobby wasn’t greedy and didn’t need that money for himself, think of much great charity work he could do with his share (he gets 1/3, that’s like $66 billion), and you know Gary would do some good too, and so would Sue Ellen (since she was already doing charity work when this new series started). So even if John Ross was just a greedy pig who kept all of his money for himself (although I’m sure at least if he set up some charitable foundation in his name at least for tax purposes), the rest of the family could practically save the world with that money. It’s like, c’mon guys, I know old Graddy Southworth hated what oil did to the land, but he’s long dead, time to move on and live in the modern world.
“Don’t you think we’re long past caring about Miss Ellie’s precious little wishes?”
Yes, we are.
I know Lucas wouldn’t have an emotional attachment to Southfork, but he may be greedy. Wasn’t it JR who used to say. “Nothing like the smell of money to bring all the relatives out of the woodwork.”
And yes, I do want a John Ross IV, I just don’t want Elena to be the mother!
I have no problem with slant drilling being the answer to the no drilling on Southfork thing. If memory serves Aaron Southworth’s objection was that oil drilling ruins the land. So in a NIMBY sort of way it solves the problem. Granted while it observes the letter of Southworth’s objection it still probably violates the spirit of his objection. But Southworth said not on his land and that is exactly what he is getting to this day. I’m actually impressed Cidre gets that one right.
Well, within the context of the first Season of NuDallas, Bobby was only planning to sell Southfork to a Land Conservancy, specifically because that would be an organization dedicated to preserving the land. So he thought he was protecting Southfork that way (because he didn’t have faith that after he was gone Christopher would have the strength to stop J.R. and John Ross from drilling).
John Ross will turn out to be the father of Elena’s baby – which is another reason why they should have kept Christopher! If Christopher and Elena married and John Ross and Pamela reunited, imagine the fireworks if John Ross and Elena shared a child! It would have been further complicated because Christopher and Pamela were still grieving their own babies. But what do I know? Family saga type storylines are what interest me. The cartel storyline has run much too long for my tastes.
Agreed.
And speaking of J.R.’s estate, I just thought of something, as I checked the tracking number to see that my bottle of J.R. Ewing Reserve Bourbon Whisky is due tomorrow, that Bourbon also exists within the Dallas TV series Universe. John Ross was drinking it at the end of this episode, and I went back and checked, when Sue Ellen was drinking the bourbon in J.R.’s room the night before his funeral it was the same label on the bottle. So it’s been around for awhile. So this is an actual type of bourbon, with J.R.’s name on it. Who owns that company?!? That wasn’t mentioned in J.R.’s Will. But I’d assume John Ross would be the owner now, it’s his father’s name. I think it would be cool if they showed that John Ross owned this company, just as a small little side-business (it’s probably only for sell in Texas, where J.R. was a local celebrity), separate from Ewing Global and Southfork, that he runs to keep his daddy’s name alive. It doesn’t have to be part of a big storyline, just maybe a scene of him meeting with some distributors about the product.
I really don’t think anything was ever said about it on screen. I always just assumed it was something JR bought custom but never got the impression he owned any part of it. But I could be adding 2 + 2 and getting 5 in this case.
I think that’s what I thought when I first noticed in Season 2 that the bottle had J.R.’s name on it, that it was just a custom bottle he made for himself (and which he left to Gary in his Will, just to be ass one last time). But when the shot the close-up on the bottle John Ross was drinking from in the limo it not only has J.R.’s name, but the label of the company, it’s the same type sold in real life.
It’s not a big deal, but wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge the company on the show.
Got my J.R. Ewing Bourbon (check my profile pic)!
Nice! Enjoy.
When are put. Dallas. Back. On tnt Dallas. contued. 4. 2019.
who is. John Ross Ewing. sister. and. her name. Taking. You
so long. Put it. now. big. fan. kamla patty
Please bring this wonderful nail biter of a show back!! It is absolutely awesome,. During the pandemic my husband and myself binge watched all of the original Dallas and then watched the “new” Dallas- we were just enthralled! The performances of all the a tots including the a tots that played John Ross & Christopher were awesome! Stellar performances by everyone in this great show. There is and will never be anything on tv as good this show- it left you clamoring for more!
It would be wonderful to at least ha e a 2hour movie for closure.- it I would much rather hope that somehow it returns to television. There is nothing on television as great as this show.
Please bring it back !
Sincerely
Debbie Tucker
May 16, 2020