‘Hedging Your Bets’
On TNT’s “Dallas,” there is no greater chameleon than Marta del Sol, the sexy siren who specializes in deceiving Ewing men. Bobby believes he’s selling Southfork to Marta and J.R. believes he’s buying it from her, but neither brother knows the truth: Marta is really plotting with John Ross to seize the ranch and the ocean of oil flowing beneath it.
‘Changing of the Guard’
“Dallas” uses two hairstyles to showcase Marta’s two faces. When Leonor Varela appears in scenes with Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy, her hair is usually worn up. In scenes with Josh Henderson – with whom Varela has smoking chemistry, by the way – those gorgeous tresses almost always fall onto her shoulders.
It makes sense: John Ross is the only character who knows the truth about Marta – namely, that she isn’t really Marta del Sol, which is the big secret revealed at the end of “Hedging Your Bets.” Figuratively and literally, John Ross is the only person with whom Marta can let her hair down.
I’m amazed at how different Varela looks with each style. The first time I saw Marta with her hair down, at the end of “Changing of the Guard,” it took me a minute to realize I was looking at Marta. I thought some new femme fatale was being introduced.
Regardless of how she wears her hair, one thing is certain: Beware of Marta del Sol!
(Or whoever she is.)
Dallas Decoder 