Dallas Parallels: Stand by Your Women

December 11, 2013 by 6 Comments

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Patrick Duffy, TNT

On the surface, Bobby Ewing’s taste in women seems to run the gamut. Blondes, brunettes, redheads — he’s loved ’em all. But dig a little deeper and a common denominator emerges: Most of the women in Bobby’s life need rescuing from one thing or another, whether it’s salvation from their own neuroses (Pam), their scandalous pasts (April) or their psychotic, homicidal mothers (Jory). Bobby’s attraction to ladies like this should come as no surprise. He has the biggest hero complex on “Dallas,” so of course he’s going to be drawn to women in jeopardy.

Indeed, no matter what kind of drama Bobby’s wives or girlfriends bring into his life, you can always count on him to stand by them — even when they run afoul of the law. This has happened twice on “Dallas.” During the original show’s eighth season, Bobby’s on-again/off-again fiancée Jenna Wade goes on trial after being accused of shooting and killing her on-again/off-again husband, Naldo Marchetta. History repeats itself during the second season of TNT’s “Dallas,” when Bobby’s wife Ann goes on trial for shooting her ex-husband, Harris Ryland.

There’s a major difference in the two storylines, of course, which is this: Jenna didn’t actually shoot Naldo, while Ann most definitely shot Harris. But no matter. What counts is how Bobby supports Jenna and Ann throughout their ordeals. In both storylines, we see him console the accused women, give them pep talks and help their lawyers devise defense strategies. He also testifies in both trials, although he’s called as a witness for the prosecution during Jenna’s proceedings. (Awkward!)

Both storylines also demonstrate how Bobby is willing to — gasp! — lie to protect his women and their children. When Jenna is convicted and sentenced to prison, Bobby falsely declares he’s the father of her daughter Charlie to prevent the judge from making the little girl a ward of the state. Meanwhile, when the police arrive on Bobby and Ann’s doorstep to question her about Harris’s shooting, Bobby falsely confesses to the crime. His reasoning? He wants to make sure Ann and Harris’s daughter Emma doesn’t get mad at Mom for shooting Dad.

In fact, if the two storylines achieve nothing else, they showcase Bobby’s paternal side. Not long after Jenna is found guilty, Bobby goes home and finds Charlie worried about her mother’s fate. Bobby sits with the girl and sweetly assures her that she’ll always have a home with the Ewings. “You’re going to stay right here on the ranch,” he says. Twenty-eight years later, after Ann is convicted, Bobby visits Emma and tells her, “You have another family at Southfork. If you ever need anything, we’re there.”

See? Good ol’ Bobby is even willing to rescue young women in jeopardy. Would we expect anything less from him?

 

‘You’re Going to Stay Right Here on the Ranch’

Bobby Ewing, Charlie Wade, Dallas, Patrick Duffy, Setences, Shalane McCall

Stay

In “Sentences,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) enters a Southfork guest room and finds Charlie (Shalane McCall) sitting in the window.

BOBBY: Well, I was wondering if you were going to bed or not.

CHARLIE: Bobby, I can’t sleep.

BOBBY: I understand, honey.

CHARLIE: I’m really scared. [Bobby puts his arm around her.] My father’s dead, my mama’s in jail. I know she didn’t kill him, Bobby. Mama couldn’t kill anyone.

BOBBY: Of course she didn’t kill him. And I’m going to do everything I can to help her too.

CHARLIE: Mama really loves you, Bobby. She didn’t want to marry anyone but you.

BOBBY: I know, I know.

CHARLIE: [Sighs] I bet he was really mean to her.

BOBBY: Hey, now. Don’t think about that. You just remember that your mama would never hurt anybody.

CHARLIE: But I feel so funny now.

BOBBY: Funny how?

CHARLIE: Kind of lost. Like I don’t belong anyplace. I thought I was going to live at Southfork and you’d be my daddy. Now I don’t have anybody.

BOBBY: That’s not true. You’ve got me. And you’re going to stay right here on the ranch.

CHARLIE: I can stay here?

BOBBY: Of course you can.

CHARLIE: Yeah, but will they let you keep me?

BOBBY: Well, I don’t see any way they can stop me.

CHARLIE: Yeah, but nobody thought Mama would be convicted and she was.

BOBBY: Charlie, I swear to you, nothing is going to happen.

CHARLIE: [Embracing him] Oh, Bobby, please help her.

BOBBY: Now, come on. You get in bed and get some sleep. You need your rest. [He walks her to the bed and tucks her in.] OK. Good night, honey. [Kisses her, turns off the lamp]

CHARLIE: Good night.

 

‘You Have Another Family at Southfork’

Blame Game, Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Emma Bell, Emma Ryland, Patrick Duffy, TNT

Come

In “Blame Game,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) approaches Emma (Emma Bell) at the stable.

EMMA: What do you want?

BOBBY: I thought I’d drop by and see how you’re doing, check on you. And to remind you of something: You have another family at Southfork. If you ever need anything, we’re there.

EMMA: I won’t be needing you. I promise. [She pushes her hair back. Bobby smiles.] What? What are you smiling at?

BOBBY: That thing you did with your hair. It’s just like your mom. So like I said, if you need anything.

What do you think of Bobby’s support for Ann, Jenna and their daughters? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: The Saboteurs

December 4, 2013 by 12 Comments

Dallas, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, TNT

J.R. Ewing is a man of many talents, but he takes special delight in the fine art of sabotage. During the original “Dallas’s” seventh season, after Cliff Barnes blackmails J.R.’s secretary Sly into spying on her boss, J.R. retaliates by turning one of Cliff’s employees against him. J.R.’s ultimate goal: to ruin Cliff, once and for all.

The scheme begins when J.R. tricks Cliff into investing in some expensive offshore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Once Cliff is leveraged to the hilt, J.R. bribes Max Flowers, Cliff’s foreman, to slow down the drilling so Cliff won’t strike oil before his bank loan comes due, thus bankrupting him.

This must be one of the dirty tricks J.R. teaches John Ross, because three decades later, the son pulls a similar stunt. It begins during the second season of TNT’s “Dallas,” when John Ross is secretly plotting to seize control of Ewing Energies from his partners, who include onetime love Elena Ramos. To nab her share, John Ross bribes Brian “Bubba” Davis, Elena’s foreman, to drill in the wrong direction on land where she’s trying to strike oil. By delaying Elena’s strike, John Ross hopes to prevent her from repaying a loan to his mother Sue Ellen, thus putting Elena’s piece of Ewing Oil in play.

Both storylines include scenes where the victims (Cliff, Elena) visit their drilling sites with their siblings (Pam, Drew) and talk about how proud their deceased fathers would be if they strike oil. The strongest similarities, however, are found in scenes where the saboteurs (J.R., John Ross) meet with the duplicitous foreman (Flowers, Bubba) to discuss their schemes.

In the 1984 episode “Turning Point,” J.R. ducks into a dive bar and sits in a booth across from Flowers, who worries a member of his crew will figure out what he’s up to and tip off Cliff. J.R. expresses confidence the plan will work and dismisses his enemy’s capabilities. “You’re just going to have to make sure he keeps getting the short straw. Hell, he’s used to that anyway, isn’t he?” J.R. says.

The parallel sequence is found in the 2013 episode “False Confessions.” This scene also takes place in a dive bar, where the principals sit across from each other in a darkened booth. Like Flowers, Bubba worries someone close to the victim — in this case, Elena’s fiancée Christopher — will figure out the scheme against her. Like J.R., John Ross expresses confidence the plan will succeed and takes a swipe at his rival. Referring to Christopher, John Ross says, “It’s good that he thinks he has a chance. That’ll make it hurt more when he loses.”

Originally, I ended this post by pointing out how J.R.’s plot fails, while John Ross’s plan succeeds, but as Dallas Decoder reader Stephan points out in the comments section below, neither scheme is particularly successful. In J.R.’s case, Cliff fires Flowers and replaces him with a new foreman who hits a gusher at the 11th hour, saving Cliff from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Elena fails to strike oil on her land and loses her share of Ewing Energies, but only after Sue Ellen invokes a morals clause in her contract with Elena.

So more than anything, J.R. and John Ross’s forays into sabotage confirm what we already know: Like father, like son.

 

‘Someone Might Tip Him Off’

Dallas, Denny Miller, Max Flowers, Turning Points

Tipped?

In “Turning Point,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) enters a bar and sits at a booth across from Flowers (Denny Miller).

J.R.: Hello, Flowers. I hardly recognized you.

FLOWERS: That’s okay. Want a beer?

J.R.: Yeah, sure. If that’s all they got.

FLOWERS: [To a waitress] Hon, bring us a couple beers.

J.R.: So how’s everything in the gulf? Cliff Barnes ready to strike oil?

FLOWERS: Not yet. But the whole operation’s got me worried.

J.R.: Yeah? Why’s that?

FLOWERS: Well, you’ve been paying me a lot of money to slow things down. I don’t think I’ve been able to slow them down enough.

J.R.: Well, now, you’ve been doing a good job so far.

FLOWERS: Oh, I know. I’ve been able to miss the most promising geological formations. Barnes is so dumb, he doesn’t know that. But the crew is getting suspicious, and someone might tip him off.

J.R.: Well, you’ve just got to get rid of any potential troublemakers.

FLOWERS: Oh, I’ve been trying to do that. And I’ve hired the worst crew I could find. But you know, that’s hard to do. [J.R. chuckles.] Most of those guys are pretty sharp.

J.R.: Well, you’ve just got to hold it up for another couple of weeks at the most. Barnes is just about to run out of money.

The waitress sets two beers on the table.

FLOWERS: Thanks. If he was drilling any other tract, it’d sure be easier. He’s got possibly the richest tract in the gulf.

J.R.: Yeah, I know that. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be pouring every dollar he can get his hands on into it.

FLOWERS: Okay. I just wanted you to know that I’m doing my best. But sooner or later, even an idiot with a long straw could suck up oil out of that tract.

J.R.: You’re just going to have to make sure he keeps getting the short straw. [Sips his beer] Hell, he’s used to that anyway, isn’t he? [Chuckles]

 

‘He’s On Your Tail’

Dallas, Brian Bubba Davis, Matthew Posey, TNT

Tailed?

In “False Confessions,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) enters a bar and sits at a booth across from Bubba (Matthew Posey).

JOHN ROSS: [Slaps an envelope on the table] Let’s call that your severance.

BUBBA: [Peeks inside] Much obliged, John Ross. But you should know that Christopher’s after me. He thinks you put me up to it.

JOHN ROSS: Just because he’s a pussy doesn’t mean he ain’t smart.

BUBBA: [Chuckles] You’re not concerned that he’s on your tail?

JOHN ROSS: It’s good that he thinks he has a chance. That’ll make it hurt more when he loses.

What do you think of J.R. and John Ross’s schemes against Cliff and Elena? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Teach Your Children Well

November 27, 2013 by 7 Comments

Battle Lines, Dallas, False Confessions, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

J.R. imparts a lot of wisdom to John Ross over the years — and like all fathers, sometimes he has to repeat himself before the lessons sink in.

In “Battle Lines,” one of the original “Dallas’s” eighth-season episodes, J.R. is leaving for work when he runs into John Ross on the Southfork patio. The little boy has heard Uncle Bobby is in the hospital after being shot and wants to know if Daddy is going to take control of Ewing Oil now that Bobby is sick.

J.R. sits in a patio chair, looks John Ross in the eye and gently explains that’s not how he operates. “There’s something I want to explain to you, son,” J.R. says. “One of these days I expect to control all of Ewing Oil, and Bobby won’t work there. He’ll be doing something else. But I want you to remember that he’s my brother — and I love him very much. And it just wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of him while he’s sick. That’s just something you don’t do to the people you love.”

This is a sweet father-son moment and a nice reminder that J.R. has limits. But how much of an impression does his lesson make on John Ross?

In “False Confessions,” one of TNT’s second-season “Dallas” episodes, Bobby is once again involved in a shooting — except this time, Bobby has been accused of gunning down archenemy Harris Ryland. The shooting occurs while J.R. and John Ross are plotting to seize control of Ewing Energies, and so John Ross suggests using Bobby’s arrest to gain leverage against him in their takeover scheme.

Once again, J.R. sets his son straight — but this time, he’s not as nice about it as he was when John Ross was a child. “You still got a lot to learn, boy. When the family’s in trouble, we don’t take advantage,” J.R. says.

To be fair, J.R. doesn’t always play by this rule, as Bobby and the other Ewings would surely attest. One example: In the TNT episode “Family Business,” when J.R. resists John Ross’s plea to give Southfork back to the cancer-stricken Bobby, J.R. snaps, “You’re confusing emotion with business.”

So much for not taking advantage of family, huh? Then again, this is J.R. Ewing we’re talking about. Of course he’s going to break the rules — even his own.

‘It Just Wouldn’t Be Fair to Take Advantage’

Battle Lines, Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Play fair

In “Battle Lines,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) stands over John Ross (Omri Katz), who is cleaning his bike on the Southfork patio.

JOHN ROSS: Are you going to see Uncle Bobby at the hospital?

J.R.: Well, I might drop in on him this afternoon. [Looks at his watch] I’ve got an awful lot of work to do at the office.

Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) exits the house and stands on the patio, listening.

JOHN ROSS: Maybe I can go to the office and help you.

J.R.: [Chuckles] Well, that’s a good idea. Maybe we ought to wait until you’re a little older, though, huh?

JOHN ROSS: Daddy are you going to be running Ewing Oil all by yourself?

J.R.: Well, I’m just going to run it until Bobby gets back. Why do you ask that?

JOHN ROSS: Well, you said you were going to run the company all by yourself some day and then give it to me.

J.R.: Well, I couldn’t take it away from Bobby while he’s in the hospital.

JOHN ROSS: But Mama said Bobby can’t see right now.

J.R.: [Sits in a patio chair] John Ross, there’s something I want to explain to you, son. One of these days I expect to control all of Ewing Oil, and Bobby won’t work there. He’ll be doing something else. But I want you to remember that he’s my brother — and I love him very much. And it just wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of him while he’s sick. That’s just something you don’t do to people you love. But when he’s well — and able to defend his shares in Ewing Oil — well, I’m going to fight for it. And of course I’ll win. Then I’m going to give you the whole company — and you’ll never have to share it with anybody. Now you understand that?

JOHN ROSS: I think so.

J.R.: Good. And you’ve got to remember: With family, you play fair. Because there are rules to follow. And if you do, you’ll be able to live with yourself.

‘When the Family’s in Trouble, We Don’t Take Advantage’

Dallas, False Confessions, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Fair play

In “False Confessions,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) is standing at his bedroom window, ending a phone call, when John Ross (Josh Henderson) enters.

JOHN ROSS: What’s going on?

J.R.: Bobby got arrested for shooting Harris Ryland.

JOHN ROSS: You serious? [Steps forward] You think that will help us get him out of Ewing Energies?

J.R.: You still got a lot to learn, boy. [Slides his cell phone in his pocket] When the family’s in trouble, we don’t take advantage.

JOHN ROSS: You got a problem with me?

J.R.: You damn right I do. [Steps forward] I hear you’ve been cavorting with Pamela Barnes. What do fathers say? I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed? Well, I am both.

JOHN ROSS: Who I cavort with ain’t none of your business.

J.R.: It is when her last name is Barnes. [Sits] What do you want with Christopher’s scraps anyway?

JOHN ROSS: I’m working her.

J.R.: And apparently not learning from your mistakes. You already got in bed with one crazy woman in that Marta. Not a good idea to get in bed with another one.

JOHN ROSS: I’ve got a plan to get her shares of Ewing Energies after the divorce.

J.R.: You let that Barnes girl get a piece of our company and you’re inviting a vampire into our home. She’ll suck the life out of us. That’s why I’ve seen to it that there won’t be a divorce.

JOHN ROSS: How’s that?

J.R.: I made a deal with Cliff’s man Frank. We’ve got a plan to take Pamela out of the picture.

JOHN ROSS: You must be getting senile in your old age, Daddy, because I’m the one calling the shots here. Remember?

J.R.: You asked me to teach you every dirty trick I know so we can take Ewing Energies. I teach by example.

JOHN ROSS: What do you and Frank plan on doing to Pamela?

J.R.: You got feelings for this girl?

JOHN ROSS: No.

J.R.: Then why do you care?

What do you think of the lesson J.R. teaches John Ross? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Rebels Without a Clue

November 20, 2013 by 23 Comments

Dallas, False Confessions, James Richard Beaumont, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, Sasha Mitchell, TNT, Tunnel of Love

J.R. Ewing wouldn’t dream of betraying his beloved daddy, the mighty Jock Ewing. Unfortunately for J.R., his own sons have a bad habit of rebelling against their father.

In “False Confessions,” one of TNT’s second-season “Dallas” episodes, John Ross meets with Cliff Barnes to tell him J.R. is plotting against Cliff’s daughter Pamela. Cliff is suspicious of his longtime enemy’s son. “Are you telling me that you’re willing to betray your own father?” he asks. John Ross responds by explaining J.R.’s parental performance has been less than stellar, but Cliff is too blinded by his own hatred to trust John Ross. “You’ve wasted enough of my time today,” Cliff says.

The exchange evokes memories of “Tunnel of Love,” a segment from the original “Dallas’s” final season. In that episode, Cliff receives a visit from James Richard Beaumont, J.R.’s eldest son, who offers to give Cliff the evidence he needs (“incredible information, fully documented!”) to finally bring down J.R. But Cliff passes, citing two reasons: He’s skeptical of James (“Why should I trust you more than I trust your daddy?”) and he’s reeling from the death of April Ewing, Bobby’s wife and Cliff’s friend. Cliff kicks James out of his office, telling him, “Why don’t you take your fully documented information and go blow it out your exhaust?”

The two scenes reveal a lot about Cliff, who had mostly put his feud with the Ewings behind him when he spoke with James but was angrier than ever by the time he encountered John Ross. (What made Cliff so hateful? Could it be his hatred of the Ewings is another Barnes family genetic disorder; perhaps it went it to remission by the end of the original “Dallas,” only to flare up again in the years before the new series began.)

More than anything, these scenes tell us a lot about J.R.’s sons, who seem as oblivious as they are rebellious. James is aware of Cliff’s friendship with April; shouldn’t James have known Cliff would be grief-stricken in the aftermath of her death? Likewise, John Ross knows better than anyone how much Cliff hates J.R.; why would John Ross expect Cliff to trust the information he brings him?

Of course, these are sons of J.R. Ewing we’re talking about. The apple falls only so far from the tree. When John Ross tells Cliff that he’s looking out for Pamela, he can’t resist getting in a J.R.-style dig at Cliff, telling him, “If you had paid her more attention, it wouldn’t have come to this.” Likewise, when Cliff brushes off James, James delivers a parting shot worthy of his daddy: “You know, you’re as big a loser as everybody says you are.”

Something tells me that line in particular would have made J.R. awfully proud.

 

‘Why Should I Trust You More Than I Trust Your Daddy?’

Dallas, Cliff Barnes, Ken Kercheval, Tunnel of Love

Anguished

In “Tunnel of Love,” a 14th-season “Dallas” episode, a depressed Cliff (Ken Kercheval) sits at his office desk, mindlessly tossing miniature darts at a tabletop board, when James (Sasha Mitchell) enters.

JAMES: [Smiling] Mr. Barnes, I’d like to talk to you.

CLIFF: Not really a very good time. [Briefly looks up, then tosses a dart]

JAMES: [Approaches the desk] Oh, I know. I just found out about April myself. You were good friends, weren’t you?

CLIFF: Yeah. Real good friends. [Tosses a dart]

JAMES: Well, look, I won’t take up much of your time.

CLIFF: [Sighs] Well, that’s good because I’m not really in the best shape right now. [Tosses a dart]

JAMES: I have a deal for you.

CLIFF: It’s a lousy time to try to make a deal with me. [Tosses a dart]

JAMES: It’s about J.R. I know you’ve been trying to bring him down for years. Well, I can make it happen for you.

CLIFF: Some other time.

JAMES: Did you hear what I said?

CLIFF: Yeah, I heard you. [Tosses a dart]

JAMES: Look, I’m giving you a chance to finally nail him to the cross. I’ve got incredible information, fully documented. We could take him down together.

CLIFF: Why should I? [Looks up]

JAMES: Isn’t it obvious?

CLIFF: No, it’s not obvious. You’re his son. Why should I trust you more than I trust your daddy?

JAMES: Hey, I hate him worse than you do.

CLIFF: Well, maybe that’s so. But like I say, timing is everything. And right now, your timing stinks. [Tosses a dart]

JAMES: What are you talking about? Hey, I’m giving this to you. I don’t want anything in return.

CLIFF: You know something? You’re not a bit more compassionate than your old man. Did you ever think of what Bobby’s state of mind is right now? And you want me to go gunning for his brother — at this time?

JAMES: This has nothing to do with Bobby.

CLIFF: That’s where you’re wrong. You just don’t understand. It’s a family. So why don’t you take your fully documented information and go blow it out your exhaust?

JAMES: You know, you’re as big a loser as everybody says you are. [Turns and walks toward the door]

CLIFF: One of these days maybe you’ll grow up. [James turns to face him.] And hopefully you will find out that revenge is not the most important thing.

James walks out the door as Cliff tosses another dart.

 

‘You’re Willing to Betray Your Own Father?’

Cliff Barnes, Dallas, False Confessions, Ken Kercheval, TNT

Angry

In “False Confessions,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) arrives at a fairgrounds stadium, where Cliff (Ken Kercheval) sits waiting for him.

JOHN ROSS: Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Barnes.

CLIFF: [Looks up] What can I do for you?

JOHN ROSS: [Sits next to him] I wanted to let you know that your guy Frank? He’s got a deal with J.R. Conspiring against your daughter.

CLIFF: Well, J.R. plotting against my family — that’s no secret.

JOHN ROSS: What about Frank?

CLIFF: Frank is like family. He’s been with me for over 25 years.

JOHN ROSS: Then he’s about to forfeit one hell of a pension. J.R. told me himself. I figured if there’s anybody that can stop him, it’d be you.

CLIFF: Are you telling me that you’re willing to betray your own father?

JOHN ROSS: Shouldn’t come as a surprise that his performance as a father hasn’t exactly gained my undying loyalty.

CLIFF: Aren’t you taking a dangerous risk being here talking to me behind his back?

JOHN ROSS: Let’s just say my interest depends on Pamela’s wellbeing.

CLIFF: Why are you so interested in my daughter’s wellbeing?

JOHN ROSS: One of us should be. If you had paid her more attention, it wouldn’t have come to this.

CLIFF: I took this meeting out of respect for your mother. You’ve wasted enough of my time today. [Rises, calls out to his henchmen]

JOHN ROSS: [Rising] You may not believe me, but you’re foolish not to check up on what Frank is up to with J.R.

CLIFF: [Glares at him] Goodbye, John Ross. [Turns and leaves]

What do you think of James and John Ross’s betrayals of J.R.? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: She Bangs

November 13, 2013 by 11 Comments

Ann Ewing, Brenda Strong, Dallas, Fat Lady Singeth, Linda Gray, Sins of the Father, Sue Ellen Ewing, TNT

Talk about a shocking twist! In “Sins of the Father,” one of the new “Dallas’s” second-season episodes, Ann discovers her ex-husband Harris kidnapped their daughter Emma when she was a child and raised her on his own. Ann goes to Harris’s home to confront him, and before you know it, she has shot the schmuck and left him for dead.

The scene brings to mind the original “Dallas’s” 11th season finale, “The Fat Lady Singeth,” which opens after J.R. has taken John Ross and stashed him at a private school so Sue Ellen can’t find him. In that episode’s final scene, Sue Ellen goes to J.R.’s hotel room and demands to know the boy’s location. The couple begins to argue, and before all is said and done, Sue Ellen has shot J.R.

Besides the gunfire, the two scenes share a few other similarities. When Ann goes to see Harris, she finds him seated in his den, reading papers. When Sue Ellen shows up at J.R.’s hotel room, he’s sitting on a sofa, reading the newspaper. In both sequences, the man gets up and crosses the room to the bar with the woman in tow. The two scenes also demonstrate Harris and J.R.’s cruelty. Harris taunts Ann, reciting the precious moments from Emma’s childhood that Ann missed. “I took that away from you,” he says. J.R. isn’t quite that vicious, but he boasts about how he outsmarted Sue Ellen when she was searching for the missing John Ross. “I was one step ahead of you,” J.R. says.

The scenes contain major differences too. Sue Ellen’s lover Nick accompanies her to J.R.’s, while Ann is alone when she goes to Harris’s. Sue Ellen shoots J.R. three times — using his gun — after Nick plunges to his death while scuffling with J.R. on the balcony. Ann, on the other hand, brings her own gun to Harris’s and fires once. The biggest difference: After Ann shoots Harris, she turns, leaves and goes home to Southfork, where she allows Bobby to confess to the shooting to protect her. In contrast, when Sue Ellen shoots J.R., she immediately dials the police to report the crime.

Ultimately, Harris and J.R. both survive their shootings, and Ann and Sue Ellen both get away with their crimes. Ann goes on trial and is sent to prison, but she gets off on parole. J.R. declines to press charges against Sue Ellen to spare John Ross from the spectacle of a trial. Will we see either woman pick up a gun again? It’s hard to say with Sue Ellen, but not Ann. After all, she recently received a dove-hunting gun — bequeathed to her by J.R. in his will.

 

‘I Was One Step Ahead of You’

Dallas, Fat Lady Singeth, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Mean

In “The Fat Lady Singeth,” J.R. (Larry Hagman) is seated in his hotel room, reading the newspaper, when Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) knocks on the door.

J.R.: Who is it?

SUE ELLEN: J.R., it’s me.

J.R.: Go away, Sue Ellen. I got nothing to talk to you about. [Tosses aside the paper, rises and walks toward the door]

SUE ELLEN: Let me in!

J.R.: I knew it was your man asking around about John Ross. But I was one step ahead of you, wasn’t it?

Nick (Jack Scalia) kicks open the door and enters the room, followed by Sue Ellen.

SUE ELLEN: Where is my son, you bastard?

J.R.: Where you’ll never find him.

NICK: That’s not good enough. Where is he?

J.R.: None of your damn business, Pearce.

NICK: I’m making it my business. [As they approach J.R., he steps backward to the bar.] Now do you tell me, or do I start taking you apart? [J.R. reaches for the phone. Nick smacks it out of his hand.] You’re one sorry excuse for a man.

J.R.: Get out of here.

NICK: Not without some answers. And believe me, I will truly enjoy kicking the crap out of you.

SUE ELLEN: Where is he, J.R.?

J.R.: [Pulls a handgun from behind the bar] You’re trespassing. If I have to use this, the law will be on my side, so get the hell out here.

NICK: You don’t have the guts to use it.

J.R.: Call off your gigolo, honey.

Nick lunges for J.R. and they scuffle, leaving the handgun on the floor. As Sue Ellen screams, they wind up on the balcony, where Nick plunges over the side of the railing. Sue Ellen picks up the handgun, aims at J.R. and shoots three times. She walks to the phone and dials.

SUE ELLEN: I’d like to report a double murder. This is Sue Ellen Ewing.

 

‘I Took That Away From You’

Dallas, Harris Ryland, Mitch Pileggi, Sins of the Father, TNT

Meaner

In “Sins of the Father,” Ann (Brenda Strong) enters the Ryland home, where Harris (Mitch Pileggi) is seated in the living room, reading papers.

HARRIS: [Tosses the papers on the coffee table] Emma’s a pretty amazing girl, isn’t she? She holds a hell of a grudge, though. Me and Mama raised her right.

ANN: Why? Why did you take her from me?

HARRIS: [Slaps his knee, rises] You know, last time we talked, you were wearing a wire. So if we’re going to continue this conversation, I’m going to have to — [Ann sighs and spreads her arms as Harris feels her body] Now, if I remember correctly — [She unbuttons her blouse and shows him her chest. He smiles.]

ANN: Why’d you take her?

HARRIS: I just did what you didn’t have the guts to follow through on. [Steps away, grabs his glass off the table, walks to the bar]

ANN: That’s a lie. It destroyed me! Did you hate me that much?

HARRIS: Oh, Annie. It all worked out for the best. Besides, she’s a grown woman. There’s nothing you can do about it anyway. [Pours himself a drink]

ANN: Just tell the truth for once in your miserable life. Why?

HARRIS: You really have to ask?

ANN: I want to hear you say it.

HARRIS: Because you were about to leave me. And after all I did for you, turning a gangly, raw-bone girl into a proper woman.

ANN: Broken puppet.

HARRIS: There was no way you were going to make a fool out of me by leaving. You had to pay a price. And the look on your face right now? It’s priceless.

ANN: Go on.

HARRIS: [Smiles] Oh, you still like the pain, don’t you? How’s it going to help to hear about what you lost? Is it going to get you back any of Emma’s first steps? Or her dance recitals? Or any of those birthdays? Is it going to get you even one of those nights, snuggled up to her, telling her bedtime stories while she fell asleep? No. Because I took that away from you. Forever. See? Hearing that didn’t help at all, now did it?

ANN: Oh, it helped a lot. [Pulls a gun from her purse, shoots him, walks away]

What do you think of Sue Ellen and Ann’s gunplay? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Foxes in the Henhouse

November 6, 2013 by 8 Comments

Battle Lines, Dallas, Digger's Daughter, Pamela Barnes, Pam Ewing, TNT, Victoria Principal

It’s one of the new “Dallas’s” greatest moments: Soon after Rebecca Sutter Ewing reveals that she’s actually Pamela Rebecca Barnes, she receives a visit from J.R. Ewing. He vows to run her out of town, just like he did with her namesake aunt. Says J.R.: “You’re not the first Pam to fox her way into the henhouse. I’m 1 for 1 on flushing out Pamelas. And I plan on being 2 for 2.”

The scene, which appears in “Venomous Creatures” (Season 2, Episode 2), brings to mind one of the famous moments from the original “Dallas:” J.R.’s clash with Pam in “Digger’s Daughter” (Season 1, Episode 1). Like the 2013 version, the 1978 edition also ends with J.R. delivering an ominous threat: “I’m willing to spend some money now to avoid any inconvenience. But if you insist upon being driven away — which you surely will be — you’re going to come out of this without anything, honey.”

More similarities: In both scenes, J.R. refers to Cliff, although not by name. In “Digger’s Daughter,” he asks Pam, “Did your brother put you up to this, Miss Barnes?” In “Venomous Creatures,” he tells Pamela, “I’m just here to look my enemy in the eye. And since your daddy is about 2 feet shorter than I am, I guess you’ll have to do.” Also, marriage is a subtext of both scenes: The older episode begins soon after Bobby and Pam’s wedding, while the newer segment shows Christopher and Pamela facing off in divorce court.

More than anything, the two scenes showcase the genius of Larry Hagman. In “Digger’s Daughter,” Hagman is still getting to know his character, but he’s already figured out that playing J.R. will require a healthy dose of mischief. I love when Bobby interrupts J.R. and Pam’s conversation and reminds his older brother that “Mama don’t like business talk with supper on the table.” Hagman breaks into a wide grin as he delivers J.R.’s next line: “Well, you know Mama. She’s so old-fashioned.” By 2013, Hagman’s sense of humor was as sharp as ever. Witness his parting line to Frank, Pamela’s pseudo-brother/henchman: “How does it feel to be a poodle?”

I also admire how both of Hagman’s co-stars equate themselves in these scenes. Victoria Principal brims with righteous indignation when J.R. tries to buy off Pam; it’s an early display of the on-screen magic she and Hagman would perfect during the next decade. Julie Gonzalo displays a spark with the actor too, suggesting she would’ve become a worthy sparring partner. It’s a shame that promise will never be realized, but aren’t we lucky we got to see one last showdown between J.R. and a fox named Pamela?

 

‘You’re Going to Come Out of this Without Anything, Honey’

Dallas, Digger's Daughter, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

A threat

In “Digger’s Daughter,” “Dallas’s” first episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) shows Pam (Victoria Principal) around the Southfork grounds.

J.R.: Did your brother put you up to this, Miss Barnes?

Pam looks stunned.

J.R.: Well, I don’t think that’s an unusual question to ask, Miss Barnes.

PAM: [Angrily] Mrs. Ewing. Excuse me, please.

She begins to walk away. J.R. grabs her arm. She stops.

J.R.: Perhaps it would be more appropriate to ask what sort of settlement you’d require to annul this farce.

PAM: Let go of my arm.

J.R.: I’m willing to spend some money now to avoid any inconvenience. But if you insist upon being driven away — which you surely will be — you’re going to come out of this without anything, honey.

Bobby (Patrick Duffy) approaches.

BOBBY: Hi there. What’s going on?

J.R.: Oh, just talking a little business.

BOBBY: Mama don’t like business talk with supper on the table, J.R.

J.R.: [Chuckles] Well, you know Mama. She’s so old-fashioned.

BOBBY: [To Pam] Come on, honey. Let’s go.

J.R. smiles as he watches them walk away.

 

‘I’m 1 for 1 on Flushing Out Pamelas’

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, TNT, Venomous Creatures

A promise

In “Venomous Creatures,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. visits Pamela (Julie Gonzalo) in the Barnes Global boardroom.

PAMELA: What are you doing here, J.R.?

J.R.: I’m just here to look my enemy in the eye. And since your daddy is about 2 feet shorter than I am, I guess you’ll have to do.

PAMELA: I must have done something right to deserve a visit from you.

J.R.: Congratulations on your win in court. Now divorce court, if you want some tips, I can offer you a few. I’m an expert authority.

PAMELA: I already have my experts.

J.R.: Oh, and if you’ve got it in your pretty little head to go after Ewing Energies in the divorce, you won’t be dealing with Christopher. You’ll be dealing with me.

PAMELA: You’re not a part of that company.

J.R.: No, no. But I’m part of that family. You’re not the first Pam to fox her way into the henhouse. I’m 1 for 1 on flushing out Pamelas. And I plan on being 2 for 2.

What do you think of J.R.’s clashes with Pam and Pamela? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Drama Mamas

October 30, 2013 by 4 Comments

Ann Ewing, Brenda Strong, Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Emma Bell, Emma Brown Ryland, Lucy Ewing, Secrets, Sins of the Father, TNT

When Emma began popping pills and chasing boys on TNT’s “Dallas,” a lot of fans were reminded of Lucy’s antics on the original show. The two women share at least one more similarity: Both have strained relations with their long-lost mamas.

In the 1979 episode “Secrets,” Valene goes to Lucy’s college campus and approaches her daughter, one year after J.R. forced Val to flee Southfork without saying goodbye. At the time, J.R. lied and told Lucy that Val took off after demanding money from him, so when Lucy sees her mother again in “Secrets,” she treats her coldly and walks away. Val doesn’t give up and tries to speak to Lucy again later that day, explaining that J.R.’s extortion claim was untrue. Lucy doesn’t want to hear it. “Don’t bother, lady,” she says.

Thirty-four years later, when Ann learns her long-missing daughter Emma is living in Dallas, she approaches Emma at the stable where she’s riding her horse. This reunion turns out no better than Val and Lucy’s. It seems Ann’s ex-husband Harris kidnapped Emma and raised her to believe Ann was evil — just like J.R. snatched baby Lucy and brought her to Southfork, where she grew up being fed lies about Val. In “Sins of the Father,” Ann tries to tell Emma her side of the story, but Emma doesn’t want to listen. “This is a waste of time, Ann,” she says.

Eventually, both daughters learn to forgive their drama mamas. Lucy’s icy demeanor melts when she sees Val stand up to J.R., just like Emma has a change of heart after she hears her mother defend herself against Harris’s lies during his shooting trial. Of course, poor Lucy ends up getting hurt again when she discovers her parents got remarried without bothering to tell her. Something tells me that’s one problem Emma will never encounter.

 

‘Don’t Bother, Lady’

Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, Secrets

Bothered

In “Secrets,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Lucy (Charlene Tilton) finds Valene (Joan Van Ark) waiting for her in the college campus parking lot.

LUCY: Hi. You’re still here, Mama. I thought you’d have gotten your money and gone by now.

VAL: Lucy, I wrote to you and I explained that I did not take any money from J.R.

LUCY: Why should I believe that?

VAL: Because it’s true. But I know that I have got a lot more explaining to do to you.

LUCY: Don’t bother. It really doesn’t matter to me.

VAL: Honey, I know how you must feel.

LUCY: Oh, no, you don’t. You don’t know anything about me. [Turns away]

VAL: I know that I gave birth to you. And that I love you very much.

LUCY: You love me like you love my daddy? You ran off and left him too.

VAL: No, I never did. We just never had a chance.

LUCY: [Begins to cry] We had a chance, all right. We were all together at the ranch. We could’ve made it. Except it got too rough for you two, so you both ran off. That’s funny. It was too rough for you, but it was all right to leave me there.

VAL: Well, that was your home and you were brought up there. I knew that Miss Ellie would take care of you. They love you.

LUCY: Oh, yeah. According to you, everybody loves me. Why don’t I feel like they do? Why do I feel like I don’t belong to anybody?

VAL: [Tries to touch Lucy, who smacks away her hand] Darling, listen, I know it’s hard for you to understand, but you do belong to your daddy and me.

LUCY: I’ll tell you something, lady. I hurt sometimes, but I can handle that. What I can’t handle is you coming back again and making me think I really do have a mama. And then one day, finding out you’re gone again. So don’t bother, lady. Don’t even try.

VAL: [Crying] Oh, my baby.

 

‘This is a Waste of Time, Ann’

Dallas, Emma Bell, Emma Brown Ryland, Sins of the Father, TNT

Wasted

In “Sins of the Father,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Ann and Emma (Brenda Strong, Emma Bell) sit across from each other at a police station conference table.

ANN: I know you’re angry. But I just wanted to talk to you.

EMMA: Using the police to get me here wasn’t very helpful.

ANN: The police brought you here because your father kidnapped you.

EMMA: Rescued me.

ANN: [Sighs] I understand you’ve probably spent your whole life hating me.

EMMA: Never gave you much thought, actually.

ANN: Emma, when you were born, there was a lot going on.

EMMA: This is a waste of time, Ann.

ANN: Your father’s had your whole life to convince you I’m a monster. Please, just give me five minutes to try and prove I’m not. What did he tell you about me?

EMMA: He told me you were a drug-addicted, depressed, hopeless mess.

ANN: I was. When you were born, I was lost and confused and hated myself because your father made me believe I should.

EMMA: Don’t blame him for your failings.

ANN: I took tranquilizers to try and push away that pain. To stay in the marriage, to be a good mother. But it made things worse. And I started falling down this dark hole, farther and farther until I lost sight of who I was, and what really mattered: You. I’m so sorry. When I lost you, I died inside.

EMMA: You seem to have recovered quite nicely.

ANN: [Sighs, pulls a keepsake box from her bag, sits it on the table] I spent years looking for you. Praying that you were still alive. [Emma opens the box, examines the mementos and newspaper clippings inside] I never stopped loving you, Emma.

EMMA: [Closes the box] I think you’ve confused love with guilt. I’ve lived a great life with my father. If you care about me at all, you’ll leave me alone. And you’ll stop what you’re trying to do to him. [Pushes the box across the table toward Ann] Now I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave.

What do you think of Valene and Ann’s attempts to reconcile with their daughters? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Spousal Secrets

October 23, 2013 by 14 Comments

Barbara Bel Geddes, Battle Lines, Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Mastectomy Part 1, Miss Ellie Ewing, TNT

Jock and Miss Ellie have the most stable marriage on the original “Dallas,” often serving as role models for the younger couples at Southfork. Bobby and Ann continue this tradition on the new series, although they’ve also inherited Jock and Ellie’s penchant for keeping secrets from each other.

During the old show’s third season, after Jock suffers a near-death experience on a hunting trip, he decides to reveal something to Ellie that he’s hidden from her for 40 years: He was previously married to a woman named Amanda. In “Mastectomy, Part 1,” Jock finally tells Ellie about the marriage, explaining how he divorced Amanda after she suffered a mental breakdown and was committed to a sanitarium.

In true “Dallas” style, Jock’s timing is lousy. He comes clean to Ellie on the night she was planning to tell him she might have breast cancer. When Ellie hears Jock’s admission, she’s too upset to share her news. “You walked out on a sick woman. If I get sick, are you going to walk out on me?” she asks.

Flash forward to “Battle Lines,” the new “Dallas’s” second-season opener, when Ann comes home and tells Bobby something she has hidden from him: During her first marriage to Harris, Ann and Harris had a daughter named Emma, who was kidnapped and presumed dead. Unlike Ellie, who ends up rushing out of the room after learning Jock’s news, Bobby remains calm when he hears Ann’s revelation. When she tells him Harris claims to have found Emma and that a DNA sample from Ann could confirm the young woman’s identity, Bobby simply says, “Well, OK, then. Let’s get your DNA checked, Annie.”

This difference aside, the staging of the scenes is almost identical: Jock and Ann both sit on Southfork sofas when they confess their secrets to their spouses, who are seated to next to them. The two confessions also trigger repercussions: Ellie remains angry at Jock for awhile, finally forgiving him after her cancer surgery. Likewise, Bobby harbors lingering resentment toward Ann until the night before J.R.’s funeral, when he finally blows up at her. (“I am pissed!”)

By the end of the season, like Jock and Ellie before them, Bobby and Ann have patched things up — until the next secret comes out, no doubt.

 

‘Her Name Was … Amanda’

Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Mastectomy Part 1

Unwrapped wife

In “Mastectomy, Part 1,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) sits on a sofa in the Southfork den while Jock (Jim Davis) stands at the bar.

ELLIE: Jock, I think you’ve stirred that drink long enough.

JOCK: Yeah, I guess you’re right. [Carries two drinks to the sofa, hands one to her] Miss Ellie, when you’ve been married as long as we have, you kind of sense when something’s wrong.

ELLIE: Yes, I guess we’re beyond keeping things from each other.

JOCK: [Sits next to her] I could see it in your face.

ELLIE: I wanted to talk, Jock.

JOCK: I guess you picked it up from me.

ELLIE: The other way around. [Smiles]

JOCK: Well, I never really knew how to tell you, but I must have been on the verge of it a hundred times.

ELLIE: Tell me what?

JOCK: About Amanda.

ELLIE: Amanda?

JOCK: Here I wait 40 years to tell you, and wouldn’t you know, it all comes out backwards?

ELLIE: [Sets down her drink] Jock, I don’t understand what you’re saying.

JOCK: Ellie, I’m trying to tell you about my first wife.

ELLIE: Your first wife?

JOCK: Yes. I was married and divorced before I met you. Her name was, is Amanda.

ELLIE: What are you talking about?

JOCK: [Rises] Well, when I went hunting with the boys a few weeks ago and got shot, I didn’t know whether I was going to make it or not. I realized I had an obligation to her.

ELLIE: [Shouting] Obligation?

JOCK: Miss Ellie, she’s not a well woman. She had a complete mental breakdown, shortly after we were married. The doctor finally advised divorce. I paid all of her sanitarium bills. I figured that if anything happened to me, there ought to be some sort of trust fund to continue those payments. [Sits down again] But I had to talk to you first.

ELLIE: You divorced a woman because she was sick?

JOCK: No, Miss Ellie. It was on doctors’ advice.

ELLIE: And you kept this from me? All this time?

JOCK: I wanted to tell you, Miss Ellie, believe me. I didn’t want to lose you to Digger. I wasn’t so sure of myself in those days.

ELLIE: What else haven’t you told me, Jock? What else?

JOCK: Nothing. It was a long time ago, over 40 years, Ellie.

ELLIE: “A long time ago.” You walked out on a sick woman. If I get sick, are you going to walk out on me?

Jock looks down as Ellie gets up and rushes out of the room.

 

‘Her Name Was Emma’

Ann Ewing, Battles Lines, Brenda Strong, Dallas, TNT

Undisclosed daughter

In “Battle Lines,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) is standing at the Southfork kitchen counter when Ann (Brenda Strong) enters, holding an envelope.

BOBBY: Hey, honey. [Notices she seems upset, walks toward her as she approaches the sofa] Annie? Honey, what’s wrong? [Sits with her, holds her hand] Honey? Hey.

ANN: You told me to come to you when I was ready. Well, I have something to tell you. Twenty-two years ago, I had a daughter. Her name was Emma. When Emma was 18 months old, I was at the state fair. I turned away from her stroller to get a soda, just for a moment. [Begins sobbing] And when I turned back, she was gone. Someone had taken her. Everyone searched. But Emma was never found. [Sniffles] I saw Harris this afternoon. He told me he’d found Emma. But before he’ll tell me where she is, I have to give him a tape I made of him admitting to laundering money. [Bobby pulls his hand away.] I’m sorry I never told you.

BOBBY: How do you know what Ryland told you is true? What if he’s making all of this up, just to get back this … tape that you’ve made?

ANN: [Pulls a paper and photograph out of the envelope, hands it to Bobby, who examines it] Harris says he had his DNA checked against this young woman … and that I should do the same.

BOBBY: Well, OK, then. Let’s get your DNA checked, Annie.

What do you think of spousal secrets that rock the marriages of Jock and Miss Ellie and Bobby and Ann? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Saving Southfork

November 19, 2012 by 7 Comments

At the end of “Ellie Saves the Day,” one of my favorite “Dallas” episodes, Miss Ellie sits at J.R.’s desk and signs paperwork authorizing Ewing Oil to drill on Southfork. For Ellie, a principled conservationist, this is painful but necessary. J.R. has mortgaged the ranch and sunk the money in a foundering deal – and now the loan is due. Tapping Southfork’s vast oil reserves is the only way to raise the cash needed to stave off foreclosure.

As luck would have it, J.R. strikes oil elsewhere at the 11th hour, allowing the Ewings to preserve Southfork for ranching. But the story isn’t over. When TNT’s “Dallas” begins, Ellie is gone and Bobby has succeeded her as Southfork’s owner and guardian – until J.R. “steals” the ranch and sets out to pump its oil, triggering a bitter feud that divides the Ewings like never before.

The battle culminates in “Family Business,” an instant-classic episode from the new show. In a poignant scene, J.R. sits at a table in his bedroom, staring at the Southfork deed. With trembling hands, he takes a shot of bourbon, glances at a framed photograph of Ellie and signs the paper, returning ownership of the ranch to Bobby.

The parallels to “Ellie Saves the Day” are unmistakable. So are the ironies. Conservationist Ellie is forced to plunder the land, while oilman J.R. chooses to preserve it. Yet both characters end up saving Southfork.

The way mother and son reach their fateful decisions is revealing. In “Ellie Saves the Day,” the Ewing matriarch gathers her family in the living room and announces her plan to lift the drilling ban. Ellie mentions how much Southfork means to her, but she also displays her practical side. When Bobby reminds her Graddaddy Southworth’s dying wish was to preserve the land, Ellie responds: “Do you think the banks will preserve the land? They will not.”

Surprisingly, J.R. proves more sentimental. In “Family Business,” John Ross comes to his father’s bedroom and tries to persuade him to return the ranch to Bobby, but J.R. doesn’t want to hear it. Slumping onto his bed, he tells his son, “Southfork isn’t just a piece of dirt. It’s as much a part of me as my blood, in my bones.” Suddenly, we’re forced to consider the possibility that maybe the battle for Southfork isn’t just about the ocean of oil flowing beneath it.

Later, after confrontations with Sue Ellen and Bobby, J.R. finally comes around and signs over the deed. He brings the document to his brother, who is in his sickbed. “You’re still not off the hook for how you got this in the first place,” Bobby says. It brings to mind the final line in “Ellie Saves the Day,” when Ellie, after giving up the mineral rights, turns to her oldest son and says, “I may never forgive you for this, J.R.”

Perhaps that’s true, but something tells me Mama was smiling the moment J.R. put pen to paper and did his part to save Southfork.

 

‘Do You Know How Much Southfork Means to Me?’

Ms. Practicality

In “Ellie Saves the Day,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) enters the Southfork living room, where Jock (Jim Davis), J.R. (Larry Hagman), Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and the other Ewings await her.

JOCK: Miss Ellie.

ELLIE: Jock.

BOBBY: Mama, Ray said you took a tour of the ranch this morning.

ELLIE: [Smiling] Yes, I did. [She sits.]

JOCK: Well, we’ve tried everything, Miss Ellie.

ELLIE: I’m sure you have. J.R., do you know how much Southfork means to me? To all of us? I’ll never understand your motives as long as I live.

J.R.: Mama –

ELLIE: Now as I see it, the problem is this: Next week, the bankers who own the mortgages expect to be paid, and we don’t have the money. Is that right?

JOCK: Yes. And everything worthwhile is mortgaged.

ELLIE: Except one.

J.R.: What?

ELLIE: They can take this land, but they don’t have the right to drill for all that oil under Section 40. My daddy’s will gave the mineral rights to me.

BOBBY: [Leans forward] Mama, you can’t do that. You can’t break Granddad’s will. He wanted that land preserved for ranching.

ELLIE: You think the banks will preserve the land? They will not. However, I can release all of that oil for drilling. Millions and millions of dollars worth. And for that, I’m sure the bank will extend the due date on the mortgage indefinitely.

JOCK: I could never ask you to do that, Ellie.

ELLIE: It will save this ranch, Jock. And for that, I’ll go against my daddy’s wishes. [Rises, walks toward Jock] Jock, 40 years ago, Ewing Oil paid off the mortgage on Southfork and saved it. Now I think it’s time that Southfork repaid those debts.

 

‘Southfork Isn’t Just a Piece of Dirt’

Mr. Sentimental

In “Family Business,” TNT’s ninth “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) speaks to J.R. (Larry Hagman) in his Southfork bedroom.

J.R.: I’m not signing Southfork over to anybody. The thing we should be concentrating on is a little payback to the boys who did that to you. [Points to the bruises on John Ross’s face]

JOHN ROSS: It’s a little late for that. Lucky for me, I had Uncle Bobby to get me out of that situation.

J.R.: Well, I got here as soon as I heard.

JOHN ROSS: Southfork is useless to you without the mineral rights. Now Uncle Bobby has agreed to drill. Once the Venezuelans are paid off, your piece of that oil, it’ll get you back on top.

J.R.: Christopher’s already agreed to pay off the Venezuelans with his gas rights. What’s gotten into you, anyhow?

JOHN ROSS: A little decency. They should not have to clean up after our mess. Haven’t we put Uncle Bobby through enough?

J.R.: You’re confusing emotion with business. This land is finally mine like it should have been all along.

JOHN ROSS: I’m so damn tired of hearing about your birthright.

J.R.: What did you say?

JOHN ROSS: Can’t you just let it go?

J.R.: [Sits on the bed] Southfork isn’t just a piece of dirt. It’s as much a part of me as my blood, in my bones. I paid a hell of a price for it. I thought you of all the people in the world would understand that.

What do you think of Miss Ellie and J.R.’s efforts to save Southfork? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Parallels: Grave Decisions

November 5, 2012 by 11 Comments

The Ewings are always in crisis, but life at Southfork was downright agonizing at the beginning of “Dallas’s” ninth season: Bobby was dead, Sue Ellen was in a police station drunk tank and J.R. was scheming to keep Pam out of Ewing Oil. So when Jeremy Wendell took Miss Ellie to lunch and offered to take the company off her hands, the Ewing matriarch was understandably tempted.

In “Resurrection,” the season’s fourth episode, Ellie visits Bobby’s Southfork grave, near the tree house Jock built for Bobby when he was a boy. (A wooden Ewing Oil sign on the house proclaims “B.J. Ewing” president.) Sitting on a bench near Bobby’s headstone, Ellie tells him she’s leaning toward selling the company to Wendell, in part so “your little Christopher and little John Ross” won’t have to grow up to inherit unhappiness. “I hope you’ll understand,” Ellie says.

This terrific scene – along with everything else that happened during “Dallas’s” ninth season – was notoriously wiped away when Bobby’s death was written off as Pam’s dream, but that doesn’t mean fans should forget it. Nor does it mean the people who make TNT’s sequel series can’t draw inspiration from it.

In “No Good Deed,” one of the strongest hours during the new show’s first season, Bobby visits Ellie’s grave on Southfork, where life is once again in turmoil: J.R. has disappeared and John Ross, now an adult, has had the stuffing beaten out of him in jail. To make matters worse, J.R. and John Ross’s shady business partner Vicente Cano is inching closer to tapping the ocean of oil flowing beneath the ranch.

Bobby, who promised Ellie he’d never let anyone drill on Southfork, stands over her headstone and tells her it might be time to relent. “I keep trying to think what you’d do if you were here,” Bobby says. “But I know: You’d do whatever it takes to protect the family. And that’s just what I’m gonna do, Mama. And I know you’ll understand.”

Aside from echoing one of “Dallas’s” most resilient themes – the idea that sometimes you have to sacrifice your principles for the greater good (see also: “Ellie Saves the Day”) – this scene reminds me how much I love Patrick Duffy.

The actor has always been one of the “Dallas” franchise’s unsung heroes, but his gravitas is more readily apparent on the TNT series. Duffy has inherited the quiet strength and dignified spirit Barbara Bel Geddes brought to the original series. Like her, he never strikes a false note. And just as I can’t imagine the old show without Bel Geddes, it’s difficult to conceive the new “Dallas” without Duffy. Thankfully, we don’t have to.

 

‘I Hope You’ll Understand’

Troubled

In “Resurrection,” a ninth-season “Dallas” episode, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) visits Bobby’s Southfork grave.

ELLIE: Bobby. Oh, Bobby. [Sighs, sits on a nearby bench] This seems to be the only place where I can find peace. It’s the only place where I can get away from everyone’s questions. Here I’m just left alone with my own questions. You may not agree with me, but I hope you’ll understand. If this was the best of all worlds, I wouldn’t think of selling Ewing Oil. But it’s not the best of all worlds – or the best of all times. With you gone and Sue Ellen where she is, the family’s in trouble. I want to do what’s right, Bobby, for your little Christopher and for little John Ross. I don’t want them to inherit unhappiness. I couldn’t bear that. Your daddy always said that the only thing that really means anything is family. You knew that. Those were the last words that you, you tried to say to us. And now I have to do my part to, to keep us together.

 

‘I Know You’ll Understand’

Fractured

In “No Good Deed,” TNT’s eighth “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) visits Miss Ellie’s Southfork grave.

BOBBY: Hey Mama. I spent the last 20 years trying to protect this land. Protect your legacy. I remember you once told me that family is like baking a cake – from scratch. Real messy. Well, I wish I could tell you things are different, Mama, but they’re not. Our family is as fractured and dysfunctional as always. And I keep trying to think what you’d do if you were here. But I know: You’d do whatever it takes to protect the family. And that’s just what I’m gonna do, Mama. And I know you’ll understand.

What do you think of Miss Ellie and Bobby’s grave decisions? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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