There will be mud
In “The Brothers Ewing,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman), Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Ray (Steve Kanaly) stand in the Southfork living room.
J.R.: Well, gentlemen, I don’t know what you two are thinking, but I figure we got a good chance of losing this lawsuit that’s coming up.
RAY: It sure seems like things are going from bad to worse.
BOBBY: Well, I’ve been working with Harv, helping him prepare the case. We still have all those investigators on the payroll, digging into people’s backgrounds. Hopefully they’ll come up with something.
J.R.: I know all about that, Bobby. But what if none of that works? What if all this searching and legal maneuvering comes to nothing? Can you see turning two-thirds of Daddy’s company over to Cliff Barnes and our beloved cousin?
RAY: I just can’t believe it would come to that.
J.R.: Well, I hope not. But if it does, I’m going to be prepared.
BOBBY: What do you mean?
J.R.: I’m going to protect our interests, but I have to know if you two are going to help.
RAY: What do you have in mind?
J.R.: Well, there’s a number of things I can do, but before I tell you about them, I want to know where you stand. Because with you or without you, I’m going to do what has to be done. Of course, it’d be a lot easier if we’re all fighting this thing together.
BOBBY: We are fighting this together. What are you talking about?
J.R.: I’m talking about getting down in the mud and slugging it out. This is no gentlemen’s game. Barnes is not going to pull any punches, and we can’t either. Now I don’t need your answers tonight, but I want you to think about it. And while you’re at it, think about this: You see that painting hanging up there? Daddy’s picture used to hang in that spot before it got shoved off to Ewing Oil. How long do you think his picture’s going to hang at Ewing Oil if Cliff Barnes and Jamie Ewing take over?
Watch this scene in “The Brothers Ewing,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.
Dallas Decoder 
If Brother J.R. was a gentleman, the Ewings wouldn’t be such a power!
Very true, R.J.!
“And while you’re at it, think about this: You see that painting hanging up there? Daddy’s picture used to hang in that spot before it got shoved off to Ewing Oil. How long do you think his picture’s going to hang at Ewing Oil if Cliff Barnes and Jamie Ewing take over?”
Replace the names Cliff and Jamie with Jeremy Windell and we have a pretty prescient statement here.
Good point!