Dream on
Dallas Decoder will soon begin critiquing the original show’s ninth season, which aired from 1985 to 1986. Here are 19 reasons to love it.
True blue
19. Mama returns. We never needed her more.
Mourning in America
18. J.R. says goodbye. Does anyone do the single tear thing better than Larry Hagman?
Blitzed
17. Sue Ellen relapses. Linda Gray’s tour de force.
Blonde
16. Sue Ellen recovers. The most satisfying storyline in “Dallas” history?
Welcome to the jungle
15. La Bamba shows up. Arriba y arriba!
Genesis of the matter
14. And so does Dr. Carol Marcus. Can she analyze or can’t she?
Coconuts
13. The Professor’s here too. But where was he when Julie Grey needed him?
The widow Ewing
12. Pam’s speech. Chills!
Wake up, darlin’
11. Sue Ellen’s nightmare. A dream-within-a-dream. Meta!
Post-Bobby Stress Syndrome
10. Jenna’s flashback. Hyper-meta!
Ewing genes
9. Dack’s rambo. Talk about an Alaskan pipeline.
Super bowl
8. Mandy’s flush. Oh, honey. That’s not how you clean jewelry.
Bag it, J.R.
7. “Phyllis, I’d like a cup of tea — a cup of herbal tea.” But hold the eggs and toast, please.
Dorothy and friends
6. South America. Pam, Cliff, Mark and Matt search for emeralds. It’s “Dallas’s” version of “The Wizard Oz.”
Direct hit
5. “Just Desserts.” Victory!
“L” word
4. This hat. Even Katherine wouldn’t dare.
Cock of the walk
3. This mask. Who feathered J.R.?
Next: The world!
2. Total control of Ewing Oil. Who has the heart to tell him it’s just a dream?
Rub-a-dub-dub
1. Bobby’s back! His chest and arms too!
Why do you love “Dallas’s” ninth season? Share your comments below and read more “Dal-Lists.”
Dallas Decoder 
I like to add #20: Ray and Donna finally overcome their repetitive story line about “She is too successful for the ordinary cowboy”. They finally had a story line as a real couple.
Yes! Thanks Q-Less.
C.B., they should have “dream” buried Brother Bobby in the tan leather jacket he wore in the 1st & last episodes of DALLAS! Of course being leather, he couldn’t wear it in the shower for his “dream” soap commercial as it would “dream” shrink. If you don’t believe me, just ask the delightful co-star of Major Nelson from “I Dream Of Jeannie”, Ms. Babs Eden, she’ll back my play!
Ha ha!
Sue Ellen has a particularly good season – perhaps her finest hour. She hits rock bottom but finally, relentlessly works her way back up again, Dusty comes back into her life, she gets the alcoholism out of her system in an almost believable way (given that Dallas is meant to be primarily escapist entertainment) and has a great custody fight with JR over John Ross in which she makes a wonderfully self-sacrificing decision concerning her son.
And there is another great line from her directed at Mandy Winger – “You mistresses think you’re so much cleverer than us wives – has it ever occurred to you if you’re so clever, why are you the mistress, not the wife?”
I don’t know if Shakespeare wrote a greater line than that, but if he did he kept it to himself!
Oh Chris I can’t wait for your reviews of this season!
Yes! That scene between Sue Ellen and Mandy is one of my favorites: https://dallasdecoder.com/2013/04/02/the-dal-list-dallass-35-greatest-moments-so-far/. Thanks Paul.
The best of Dallas season 8 is the return of Barbara Bel Geddes and the worst is that Patrick Dufy left the show.
No arguments here. Thanks Elizabete.
Dacks Rambo – Talk about an Alaskan Pipeline – LOL! Bobby’s Back – His chest and arms too! You are too funny. Seriously between Patrick, Dack, John Beck, and Mark Singer, could the men of Dallas in season 9 be any hotter? If the Ewings had a pool party that year the title of the episode would have been called Attack of the Massive Bulging Speedo’s!
Heh heh. Thanks Gary.
Although I did not watch every episode because lost interest after the first 5 episodes there are 3 things I loved:
3. Pam and JR’s’s interactions
2. Pam’s speech on behalf of Bobby
1. Bobby in the shower
Thank God it was a dream!!!
6 Things To Hate About Season Nine
6. Jenna Wade (PP acting is hard to watch)
5. The Emerald Mine story
4. Angelica Nero story
3. Drunk Sue Ellen (although it is always great to see LG acting talents, tired of seeing drunk Sue Ellen)
2. Pam and Mark’s wedding (this was like knife stuck in my heart)
1. Mark Graison’s return (this is the main reason I was turned off of watching the full 55 minutes of each episode was very upset that the character was back after being so glad he was gone at the end of Season Seven)
I hope you’ll hang around to read my ninth-season critiques, Mary Ann. We’ll suffer through these things together!