Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 56 – ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2’

July 3, 2012 by 6 Comments
Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 2, Who Shot J.R.?

Life and breath

“No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2” devotes a lot of time to Gary’s homecoming, allowing the “Dallas” producers to put off resolving the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery a little longer. But even if this is just a delay tactic, it doesn’t feel like one.

Gary has matured a lot since he left “Dallas” for his “Knots Landing” spinoff, and it’s nice to see him return to Southfork a changed man. I especially like the scene where he confronts Sue Ellen about her drinking problem. “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2” aired not long after Gary admitted his own alcoholism on “Knots Landing,” and I’m glad “Dallas” doesn’t ignore this.

Another highlight: the scene where the Ewing brothers reunite at J.R.’s bedside and recall the football games they played growing up. Aside from the fun that comes from imagining these men as boys playing ball on the Southfork lawn, I like how the characters behave exactly the way we would expect them to in this situation: J.R. is nice but not too nice, Gary is polite but cautious and Bobby is cheery and good-natured. They feel like real people here.

Of course, as much as I welcome heartwarming scenes like this, this episode doesn’t ignore the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery altogether. By the time the closing credits roll, Alan and Vaughn have been cleared as suspects and Cliff and Kristin have each offered unconfirmed alibis, leaving poor Sue Ellen to continue fretting she pulled the trigger in a drunken rage.

Linda Gray does a nice job keeping Sue Ellen’s motivation unclear. Is the character hovering at J.R.’s bedside because she feels sorry for him, or because she feels guilty? Does she object to J.R.’s surgery because she’s afraid he won’t survive, or because she believes he’ll be less threatening if he’s permanently paralyzed? I’m never really sure.

Still, while I appreciate the ambiguity, my favorite moment of all comes when J.R. tries to reassure Sue Ellen before his risky surgery (“Nobody ever beats old J.R. You know that.”). It’s another small-but-sweet moment in an episode that’s full of them.

Grade: A

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Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Gary Ewing, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 2, Patrick Duffy, Ted Shackelford, Who Shot J.R.?

Home again

‘NO MORE MR. NICE GUY, PART 2’

Season 4, Episode 2

Airdate: November 9, 1980

Audience: 31.1 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: J.R. tells the police he doesn’t know who shot him and discovers the attack has left him paralyzed. The police question Cliff and clear Vaughn and Alan as suspects. Sue Ellen continues to believe she may be the shooter. Bobby agrees to run Ewing Oil in J.R.’s absence. J.R. has risky surgery to restore use of his legs.

Cast: Michael Alldredge (Detective Don Horton), Dan Ammerman (Dr. Kyle Roclaire), Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Royce D. Applegate (Sergeant Crabbe), Tami Barber (Bev), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Peter Donat (Dr. Miles Pearson), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Janine Turner (Susan)

“No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 2” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 55 – ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1’

July 2, 2012 by 18 Comments
Dallas, Dr. Miles Pearson, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 1, Peter Donat, Who Shot J.R.?

Hurry up, doc

The Ewings go through “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1” not knowing who shot J.R. or whether he’ll survive the attempt on his life, and this uncertainty lends the episode a paranoid, almost Hitchcockian vibe. Poor Sue Ellen looks positively dazed. What frightens her more: the possibility that her husband will die – or that he’ll live?

I also can’t help but wonder if some of the worried looks on the actors’ faces aren’t real. Production on this episode began during the summer of 1980, when Larry Hagman was in seclusion while his agents renegotiated his contract. In Hagman’s absence, the “Dallas” set buzzed: If the actor’s salary demands weren’t met, would J.R. succumb to his gunshot wounds? Would he come out of surgery looking like Robert Culp? Either way, could “Dallas” survive without its biggest star?

No wonder Patrick Duffy is visibly sweating when Bobby arrives at the hospital.

The anxious atmospherics in “No Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1” help distract me from some of this episode’s flaws, beginning with the campy opening, when the shrieking cleaning lady discovers J.R. (By the way: Where’s the blood?) Also, the episode’s action sequences are curiously lethargic: The police car that arrives at the crime scene isn’t moving very fast, the paramedics who bring J.R. into the emergency room aren’t in much of a hurry and the doctors and nurses who treat him are downright plodding.

Of course, “No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1’s” biggest weakness is the void Hagman leaves. He appears in just two scenes, which were filmed after his contract was settled and he returned to work. (Extras fill in for Hagman in the scenes where J.R. is seen laying on ambulance stretchers and operating tables.) This makes the episode a kind of precursor to TNT’s “Dallas,” where Hagman’s role is similarly limited.

So even though I appreciate the raw honesty of Valene’s response to her brother-in-law’s shooting (“If J.R. was dead, I honestly could not mourn him.”), I can’t help but think she should bite her tongue. After all, if this episode proves anything, it’s that “Dallas” without J.R. just isn’t the same.

Grade: C

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Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, No More Mr. Nice Guy Part 1, Who Shot J.R.?

Invisible man

‘NO MORE MR. NICE GUY, PART 1’

Season 4, Episode 1

Airdate: November 7, 1980

Audience: 29.7 million homes, ranking 2nd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: J.R. is rushed to the hospital, where the Ewings keep vigil. Sue Ellen can’t remember what she did the night he was shot, but Kristin tells her she came to her condo, vowing to kill J.R. After J.R. has life-saving surgery, a detective asks who shot him and J.R. looks at Sue Ellen.

Cast: Michael Alldredge (Detective Don Horton), Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Sarah Buchannan (Beth Forrester), Christopher Coffey (Professor Greg Forrester), Karlene Crockett (Muriel Gillis), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Maureen Crudden (candy striper), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Peter Donat (Dr. Miles Pearson), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Nik Hagler (Detective Frost), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Barbara Kain (Nurse), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Virginia Peters (cleaning lady), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Joan Van Ark (Valene Ewing)

“No More Mr. Nice Guy, Part 1” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 54 – ‘A House Divided’

June 26, 2012 by 33 Comments
Dallas, House Divided, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Who Shot J.R.?

The divider

One school night in 1988, when I should’ve been asleep, I stumbled across a late-night cable showing of “A House Divided,” the third-season “Dallas” finale that famously ends with J.R. getting shot. This was probably the first time I’d seen the episode since 1980, so I was overjoyed. I recorded the rerun on the living room VCR and watched the cassette so many times in the years that followed, the tape eventually warped.

Today, I know “A House Divided” the way other people know “Star Wars.” I have memorized virtually every line from every scene, and I’ve been known to go around the house reciting them for my own amusement, if no one else’s.

It was crooked!

I’d have done the same thing, Bobby. The same thing.

You’re a drunk and an unfit mother, and I honestly think you’ve lost your reason.

My memories of “A House Divided,” together with the weight of its pop culture significance, have always made me think this is one of “Dallas’s” greatest entries. I’m pretty sure it really is among the show’s finest hours, although I’m also the first to admit it’s hard to sweep aside my nostalgia and judge it simply as a “Dallas” episode.

Whether or not it’s one of the best, “A House Divided” is certainly unique. The producers famously constructed the story in reverse: First, they came up with the idea of having J.R. get shot and then they worked backwards, establishing the suspects and their motives along the way.

The result is an episode with a furious rhythm. The action begins with the frenzied press conference in J.R.’s office at the top of the hour and never lets up, propelled not just by scriptwriter Rena Down’s narrative, but also by Bruce Broughton’s driving score.

Hagman’s Zenith

Dallas, House Divided, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Who Shot J.R.?

Oh, the humanity!

The actors keep things zipping along, too. Among the regular cast, no one delivers more than Larry Hagman, whose portrayal of J.R. reaches its gleefully villainous zenith in “A House Divided.”

Given all the despicable things J.R. does in this episode, I used to feel guilty cheering him on – until I realized I’m not rooting for the character as much as I am the actor who plays him. Hagman is full of zest in “A House Divided” – and he’s never looked trimmer and sexier – yet the actor never allows his performance to devolve into camp or self-awareness.

Consider the scene where J.R. enters the Southfork dining room and finds Miss Ellie in tears because Bobby, fed up with his older brother’s schemes, has finally fled the ranch. “Mama, I don’t want Bobby to leave. You know that,” he says. The sincerity in Hagman’s voice lets us know J.R. means it.

Director Irving J. Moore probably deserves credit for humanizing J.R., too. When the character is waiting for Harry McSween to bring Alan Beam to his office, we see him alone at his desk, shrouded in darkness and holding the framed picture of Sue Ellen he keeps nearby. This fleeting moment invites the audience to wonder what J.R. is thinking. Does he regret the way he’s treated her?

J.R. looks at the picture again in the final scene, right before the unseen assailant enters the office and shoots him. I don’t know if Hagman picked up the frame on his own or if Moore instructed him to do it, but it’s a clever touch. In those seconds before the gun is fired, having him look at the photograph of Sue Ellen reminds us that J.R. is a husband, a father, a man. Yes, he’s also a bastard, but he doesn’t deserve what’s about to happen to him.

Great Performances

Dallas, House Divided, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, Who Shot J.R.?

Those eyes

Patrick Duffy is also impressive in “A House Divided,” particularly in the scene where a frustrated Bobby bids farewell to Ellie. In the episode’s DVD commentary, Duffy credits Barbara Bel Geddes with making his performance better in this sequence, and while she is indeed wonderful, he needn’t be so modest. Duffy has always brought a lot of heart to his role, and in this scene, he gives as good as he gets. As his eyes redden, her sobs intensify. Both actors play off each other really well.

“A House Divided’s” other standout is Linda Gray, who is mesmerizing during Sue Ellen’s big confrontation with J.R. in the dining room, where she calls him out for his misdeeds in front of Jock and Ellie. Notice how Sue Ellen’s expression changes during the course of the sequence, shifting from disgust at J.R.’s behavior to fear when he threatens to put her back in the sanitarium. Over the years, more than one “Dallas” observer has suggested Gray acts with her eyes. In this scene, that’s really true.

Gray has another moment I absolutely love. In the scene where Sue Ellen and J.R. fight in their bedroom, she gets swept up in her own fury and asks him “which slut” he plans to spend the night with. The instant she says this, Gray’s lips part and her angry expression melts, as if the harsh words have jolted the onetime Miss Texas into reality. How did her perfect marriage come to this?

The guest stars in “A House Divided” are terrific, too. I especially like Dennis Patrick, whose indignation is palpable in the scene where Vaughn Leland demands restitution from J.R., and Ann Nelson, who plays the little old lady Pam encounters during her visit to Corpus Christi. Down, the scriptwriter, gives Nelson some charmingly homespun dialogue (“She was pregnant. Big with it she was!”), and the actress delivers every line beautifully.

Great Scenes

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, House Divided, Pam Ewing, Victoria Principal, Who Shot J.R.?

Purple rage

I’ve given J.R. and Sue Ellen’s dining room encounter today’s “Scene of the Day” honors, but truthfully, almost any sequence from this episode qualifies. “A House Divided” is one great moment after another.

Every scene has a memorable line, too. Bobby declares he’s leaving Southfork by telling Pam, “I’ve put up with all the wheeling and dealing and backstabbing that I’m going to.” After Kristin vows to kill J.R., Alan tells her to “take a number. There are a few of us ahead of you.” When Sue Ellen asks J.R. which slut he plans to spend the night with, he responds, “What difference does it make? Whoever it is has got to be more interesting than the slut I’m looking at right now.”

“A House Divided” isn’t perfect, of course. The press conference that opens the episode isn’t very credible, especially since the reporter’s last question (“Did Ewing Oil invest all of its capital in those leases and does nationalization mean the end of the Ewing empire?”) really should have been the first.

Also, as good as J.R. and Sue Ellen’s dining room confrontation is, I can’t help but notice Hagman delivers J.R.’s menacing threat (“The sooner we have you put away in that sanitarium, the better off you’re going to be.”) while holding a slice of bacon.

Surprise, Surprise

Dallas, House Divided, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Who Shot J.R.?

Down, but not out

For me, part of the fun of watching “A House Divided” today is wondering what it must have been like to see this episode when CBS aired it for the first time in 1980. I was 6 at the time and already a “Dallas” fan, so I probably was among the millions of people who watched that broadcast, although I have no memory of it.

Modern audiences likely assume J.R.’s shooting was a surprise, but CBS actually gave away the episode’s pivotal final scene in promos leading up to the broadcast. What a shame. Imagine how shocking the cliffhanger would have been if CBS hadn’t spoiled it.

Then again, when you think about it, the shooting itself really isn’t all that important. What matters is all the great drama that comes before those bullets are fired. In the end, the most surprising thing about “A House Divided” isn’t that J.R. gets gunned down, it’s how entertaining this episode remains, even when you have the whole thing memorized.

Grade: A+

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Dallas, House Divided, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Who Shot J.R.?

Mr. Big Shot

‘A HOUSE DIVIDED’

Season 3, Episode 25

Airdate: March 21, 1980

Audience: 24.9 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Rena Down

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: The Asian oil fiasco bankrupts Vaughn Leland. Pam finds no evidence her mother is dead. J.R. shuts down Ewing 23 after learning Cliff is entitled to a share of the proceeds. Bobby and Pam, disgusted with J.R.’s tactics, leave Southfork. Sue Ellen, Cliff, Kristin, Alan and Vaughn vow to stop J.R., who is shot twice by an unseen assailant.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Kale Brown (reporter), Christopher Coffey (Professor Greg Forrester), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), John Hart (Dr. David Rogers), Ron Hayes (Hank Johnson), Susan Keller (reporter), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Ann Nelson (woman), Dennis Patrick (Vaughn Leland), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“A House Divided” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 53 – ‘The Wheeler Dealer’

June 25, 2012 by 6 Comments
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J.R. Ewing here

With “The Wheeler Dealer,” “Dallas” continues tying up its third-season plot threads. The Ewings pay off the mortgage on Southfork, Kristin realizes she’ll never become J.R.’s wife, and Sue Ellen is back where she was a year ago: dreadfully unhappy and boozing herself into oblivion.

“The Wheeler Dealer” also offers a coda to the season’s biggest bombshell: Jock’s revelation that he was married to another woman before Miss Ellie became his wife.

The postscript begins when Ellie persuades Jock to visit the Colorado sanitarium where Amanda has lived for many years. (Trivia: The shot that concludes this scene, where Jim Davis and Barbara Bel Geddes gaze into each other’s eyes, inspired the “portrait” of Jock and Ellie seen on TNT’s “Dallas.”)

In “The Wheeler Dealer’s” most memorable sequence, Jock and Ellie, along with Bobby and Pam, visit the confused Amanda, who believes Bobby is Jock and that she’s still married to him. The saddest moment comes when 60-something Amanda girlishly twirls around to show off the “new” dress she wore to impress her husband. “I wanted to look so nice for you,” she says.

Lesley Woods is heartbreaking as Amanda, but the other actors in this scene shine, too. Jim Davis moves me when Jock gets tongue-tied as his frightened first wife recoils from him, while Patrick Duffy is wonderful as kind-hearted Bobby, who is put in the awkward position of having to pretend to be his own father. (More trivia: In 2006, Duffy played the son of Woods’ character on “The Bold and the Beautiful.”) I also love when Ellie, looking regal in her fur coat, gently puts her hand on Amanda’s shoulder and comforts her. What a terrific scene.

This episode’s other great moment: when Vaughn Leland, the banker who almost foreclosed on Southfork, tells J.R. he’s joining the deal with the cartel members who are buying Ewing Oil’s Asian wells. Leland doesn’t know the wells are about to be nationalized, so there’s something satisfying about knowing J.R. is about to stick it to the man who came close to evicting the Ewings.

I know I probably shouldn’t feel this way, but I bet I’m not alone. There’s probably a little wheeler-dealer in most “Dallas” fans.

Grade: B

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Barbara Bel Geddes, Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Miss Ellie Ewing, Wheeler Dealer

Gaze gone by

‘THE WHEELER DEALER’

Season 3, Episode 24

Airdate: March 14, 1980

Audience: 21.1 million homes, ranking 6th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Barbara Searles

Director: Alexander Singer

Synopsis: J.R. gets an inside tip his Asian wells are going to be nationalized, so he unloads most of them on the cartel. Jock, Miss Ellie, Bobby and Pam visit Amanda, Jock’s first wife. Cliff learns Digger’s heirs are entitled to half the proceeds from the Ewing 23 oilfield. Sue Ellen goes on a bender. Alan and Kristin plot revenge against J.R.

Cast: Robert Ackerman (Wade Luce), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Stephanie Blackmore (Serena), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Sarah Cunningham (Maggie Monahan), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Ron Hayes (Hank Johnson), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ed Kenney (Seth Stone), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Dennis Patrick (Vaughn Leland), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Geoffrey Scott (“Dusty”), Paul Sorensen (Andy Bradley), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Lesley Woods (Amanda Ewing)

“The Wheeler Dealer” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 52 – ‘Jock’s Trial, Part 2’

June 20, 2012 by 13 Comments
Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Jock's Trial Part 2

Rush to judgment

Digger dies at the end of “Jock’s Trial, Part 2,” and this is not an insignificant thing. The character appeared on “Dallas” just 14 times, but his shadow loomed large when he wasn’t around. After all, Digger’s name is included in the title of “Dallas’s” first episode, even though he shows up just once in that installment.

Appropriately, while Digger’s death produces several touching scenes in “Jock’s Trial, Part 2,” he isn’t present during the moment I find most poignant: when Cliff approaches Miss Ellie in the courtroom and tells her Digger is dying and asking for her.

No matter how often I see this scene, it always moves me. There’s something profound about the idea that no matter how hard the Barnes and Ewing children fight each other, their families are forever bound by the relationships their parents forged decades earlier.

The deathbed scene itself is also touching, particularly when Digger finally acknowledges Ellie was always “Jock’s girl.” How sad he wasn’t able to admit this until his final moments of life.

I’m also struck by how closely Digger’s death mirrors Bobby’s heart-wrenching deathbed scene at the end of the eighth season, right down to the sound of the flat-lining monitor. Keenan Wynn is quite good during Digger’s farewell, and so are the women at his side: Barbara Bel Geddes, Victoria Principal and the wonderful Sarah Cunningham, who plays Digger’s sister Maggie.

“Jock’s Trial, Part 2” is also elevated by its other guest stars, including Barry Corbin, who is perfectly cast as the perfectly named Fenton Washburn, Braddock’s big-bellied sheriff. I also like Nicolas Coster and Stephen Elliott as dueling lawyers Lyle Sloan and Scotty Demarest, although their courtroom theatrics aren’t quite as entertaining as those seen in the second-season episode “The Red File, Part 2.”

Of course, not everything about “Jock’s Trial, Part 2” works. The sepia-toned flashbacks are pretty campy, but I don’t dwell on them because the rest of this episode is so monumental. Digger had probably run his course on “Dallas,” but that doesn’t mean the character won’t be missed, even if he wasn’t around that much to begin with.

Grade: A

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Dallas, Digger Barnes, Keenan Wynn, Jock's Trial Part 2

Dead end

‘JOCK’S TRIAL, PART 2’

Season 3, Episode 23

Airdate: February 29, 1980

Audience: 20.7 million homes, ranking 6th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: Miss Ellie tells Matt she doesn’t love him. The state indicts Jock, but moments before Digger dies, Digger confesses he killed Hutch after discovering Hutch was sleeping with his wife. Digger also reveals Hutch was Pam’s biological father.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Kale Brown (reporter), Barry Corbin (Sheriff Fenton Washburn), Nicolas Coster (Assistant District Attorney Lyle Sloan), David Cryer (Professor Will Calder), Sarah Cunningham (Maggie Monahan), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Stephen Elliott (Scotty Demarest), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Susan Keller (reporter), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), William Munson (judge), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Don Porter (Matt Devlin), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing, Rebecca Barnes), Tom Spratley (Virgil Tuttle), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), William Watson (Hutch McKinney), Keenan Wynn (Digger Barnes), John Zaremba (Dr. Harlan Danvers)

“Jock’s Trial, Part 2” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 51 – ‘Jock’s Trial, Part 1’

June 19, 2012 by 11 Comments
Dallas, Jim Davis, Jock Ewing, Jock's Trial Part 1

Face of a killer?

“Jock’s Trial, Part 1” comes toward the conclusion of “Dallas’s” third season, and it very much feels like the beginning of an ending. By the time this episode’s closing credits roll, Digger is dying, Dusty is dead and those skeletal remains discovered on Southfork nine episodes ago have finally been identified.

Hutch McKinney’s 28-year-old murder dominates “Jock’s Trial, Part 1,” making the episode feel a bit like “CSI: Dallas.” Although Cliff is motivated by his suspicion the Ewings are implicated in the death, his investigative skills – including his embrace of forensics – turn out to be pretty sharp. Maybe Cliff has finally found his calling.

I also like how J.R. and Bobby, after spending much of this episode sniping at each other, stop squabbling and join forces the moment it looks like Jock might be fingered for Hutch’s murder. The Ewings are fun to watch when they’re at each other’s throats, but it’s also satisfying to see them circle the wagons when a family member is threatened. These are the moments I wish I was a Ewing.

“Jock’s Trial, Part 1” also offers a terrific scene between Bobby and Sue Ellen that showcases the nice chemistry between Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray. I love Duffy’s impassioned delivery when Bobby warns Sue Ellen against emulating J.R. “Don’t try and play his game,” Bobby says. “Honey, he’s too good at it.”

I’m less enthralled with Miss Ellie’s storyline here. Barbara Bel Geddes is wonderful as always, but Matt Devlin’s declaration that he’s fallen in love with Ellie – and that he knows she has feelings for him, too – seems rather sudden. I don’t object to having Ellie be tempted by another man, but wouldn’t it have made more sense if that man was Digger, a character with whom she already has a rich history?

Imagine how much more poignant Digger’s looming death would seem if Ellie had been flirting with him at the end of the third season instead of with Matt. The title “Jock’s Trial” would have taken on a whole other meaning.

Grade: B

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Cliff Barnes, Dallas, Jock's Trial Part 1, Ken Kercheval

Hmmm

‘JOCK’S TRIAL, PART 1’

Season 3, Episode 22

Airdate: February 22, 1980

Audience: 17.5 million homes, ranking 16th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: Cliff, now an assistant district attorney, determines skeletal remains found on Southfork belong to onetime foreman Hutch McKinney, whom Jock fired decades earlier. After a bender, Digger is hospitalized. Dusty dies in a plane crash, sending Sue Ellen back to the bottle. Matt tells Miss Ellie he loves her. Jock is arrested for Hutch’s murder.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Christopher Coffey (Professor Greg Forrester), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Barry Corbin (Sheriff Fenton Washburn), Nicolas Coster (Assistant District Attorney Lyle Sloan), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), David Cryer (Professor Wilbur Calder), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Fern Fitzgerald (Marilee Stone), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Dennis Holahan (Tiny Voight), Al Hopson (Merdo Ferris), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Joan Lancaster (Linda Bradley), Joel Lawrence (Gene), Don Porter (Matt Devlin), Dan Priest (Newly), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Keenan Wynn (Digger Barnes)

“Jocks’ Trial, Part 1” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 50 – ‘Divorce, Ewing Style’

June 18, 2012 by 20 Comments
Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Divorce Ewing Style, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Sue Ellen Ewing

Domestic disturbance

“Divorce, Ewing Style” focuses on the collapse of J.R. and Sue Ellen’s marriage. It’s a heavy subject, but the preposterous plotting makes it hard to take things very seriously.

The episode gets off to a silly start when J.R. comes home from work and walks into the darkened Southfork foyer, only to have the lights suddenly turn on, revealing the rest of the Ewings and a handful of extras exclaiming, “Happy anniversary!” Surprise parties, a sitcom staple, feel out of place on a show like “Dallas.” Besides, who throws a surprise party to celebrate a wedding anniversary?

Sue Ellen and Kristin’s restaurant scene is another eye-roller. Leonard Katzman’s dialogue is nice – I love Sue Ellen’s line about “living mama’s dreams” – but the ending is downright absurd. Kristin’s plan is to “accidentally” spill a cocktail onto Sue Ellen’s dress so the Ewings will smell alcohol on her and suspect she’s resumed drinking – and the execution proves as absurd as the idea itself. When Kristin and Sue Ellen toast their renewed friendship, Mary Crosby extends her arm across the length of the table and pretty much pours her drink into Linda Gray’s lap. Is Sue Ellen really supposed to believe this is an accident?

Speaking of Kristin: Why is she so awful? The character is a villainess, so the audience isn’t required to like her, but it would be nice if her motivations were a little clearer. Unlike J.R., whose actions are rooted in his desperate need for Jock’s approval, it seems Kristin is bad simply because that’s what “Dallas” needs her to be. The plot dictates her character development, when it really should be the other way around.

“Divorce, Ewing Style” concludes with Sue Ellen showing Jock and Miss Ellie the reports her private detective compiled on J.R.’s affairs, but she doesn’t realize J.R. has switched the documents with “clean” versions. Sue Ellen is humiliated, and Jock, Ellie, Bobby and Pam are embarrassed for her. After watching this episode, I know how they feel.

Grade: C

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Dallas, Divorce Ewing Style, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Marriage 101

‘DIVORCE, EWING STYLE’

Season 3, Episode 21

Airdate: February 15, 1980

Audience: 19.4 million homes, ranking 6th in the weekly ratings

Writer and Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: J.R. discovers Sue Ellen has hired a private detective to follow him and pays the man to scrub his reports to her. With Kristin’s help, J.R. also convinces the family Sue Ellen has started drinking again, part of his plot to return her to the sanitarium. After J.R. has Alan fired, Alan invites Kristin to join forces with him against J.R. Miss Ellie finds herself charmed by Matt Devlin, a developer whose housing project she opposes.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Stephanie Blackmore (Serena), James L. Brown (Detective Harry McSween), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Ellby), Barry Corbin (Sheriff Fenton Washburn), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), John Christy Ewing (Tom Fuller), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Don Porter (Matt Devlin), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Divorce, Ewing Style” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and at iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 49 – ‘Second Thoughts’

June 13, 2012 by 14 Comments
Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Second Thoughts, Sue Ellen Ewing

Madam and sir

Early in “Second Thoughts,” we learn Lucy is studying “Madam Bovary,” and then the novel continually pops up throughout the rest of the episode. We see Lucy carry it on campus, read it in the living room and clutch it while lounging by the Southfork swimming pool.

The book’s prevalence suggests “Dallas” wants to compare its ingénue to Flaubert’s heroine, but it turns out the characters don’t have much in common.

For those like me who haven’t read “Madam Bovary,” “Second Thoughts” includes a helpful scene where one of Lucy’s classmates, Kettering (played by Christopher Skinner, Victoria Principal’s real-life husband at the time), describes the novel as the story of “how the provincial middle-class of 19th century France stifled a woman’s romantic dreams, which led her to despair and eventually suicide.”

Doesn’t sound much like Lucy, does it?

The Ewings routinely interfere in Lucy’s life, but I’m not sure they stifle her “romantic dreams.” In “Second Thoughts,” Jock arranges Alan’s promotion so Lucy won’t move away after she marries him, but this seems more controlling than stifling.

If the “Dallas” producers wanted to compare one of the show’s characters to Emma Bovary, they should’ve considered Sue Ellen. Both characters cheat on their husbands, both suffer from delusions of grandeur and both have a tendency to take to their beds when they’re ill.

In another Bovarian move, Sue Ellen spends “Second Thoughts” pretending to be a good wife to J.R. so when she eventually leaves him, she’ll be more likely to win custody of little John.

Unfortunately, Sue Ellen reveals her scheme to J.R. at the end of the episode. This is a really silly scene, recalling those cartoons where the evil mastermind divulges the details of his world-domination plot to the hero. It’s not the kind of twist we expect from an episode with such literary aspirations.

Grade: B

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Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, Second Thoughts

Lit chick

‘SECOND THOUGHTS’

Season 3, Episode 20

Airdate: February 8, 1980

Audience: 23.7 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Linda Elstad

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: When Jock arranges for Alan to become a partner in Harv Smithfield’s law firm, J.R. tries to split up Alan and Lucy. J.R. needn’t bother: Lucy realizes she isn’t in love and breaks up with Alan, who also loses Betty Lou, his girlfriend on the side. Digger moves to Galveston. Sue Ellen pretends to be a good wife to J.R. in front of the Ewings.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Stephanie Blackmore (Serena), Christopher Coffey (Professor Greg Forrester), Karlene Crockett (Muriel Gillis), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Laura Johnson (Betty Lou Barker), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Robert Rockwell (Mitchell), Christopher Skinner (Kettering), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Keenan Wynn (Digger Barnes)

“Second Thoughts” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 48 – ‘Sue Ellen’s Choice’

June 12, 2012 by 15 Comments
Dallas, Dusty Farlow, Jared Martin, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, Sue Ellen's Choice

Choose, but either way you lose

In “Sue Ellen’s Choice,” our heroine wrestles with two options: She can leave J.R. for Dusty and lose custody of her son, or she can stay married and keep the baby. If other possibilities exist, “Dallas” doesn’t present them.

Sue Ellen ultimately chooses to stick with J.R., and I suppose we should admire her for sacrificing her romantic interests so she can remain a full-time mother to little John. Maybe Sue Ellen really loves Dusty as much as she claims, but she loves her son more, and that’s how it should be.

Besides, I’m not sure Dusty is right for Sue Ellen. I loved his introduction in “Rodeo,” an earlier third-season episode, but if there’s a good reason for his unquestioning devotion to her, “Dallas” hasn’t offered it. I find myself wondering: Does Dusty care for Sue Ellen as much as he claims, or does he want to take her and little John away from the Ewings to prove he’s more powerful than J.R.?

As for J.R., I’ll confess to feeling sorry for him when he enters the nursery in “Sue Ellen’s Choice” and tries to tell his wife about his day, only to have her dismiss him. After all the rotten things he’s done, I know I shouldn’t be willing to cut J.R. any slack, but I can’t help it. Deep down, J.R. loves Sue Ellen. How else to explain his envy in “Jenna’s Return,” when he begins to suspect Sue Ellen is having an affair?

Speaking of Jenna: Her two-part “return” comes to a rather unsatisfying conclusion in this episode. There’s a cool scene where Jenna confronts Pam and tells her she’ll take Bobby if Pam no longer wants him, but by the end of the hour, Jenna has disappeared.

Like Sue Ellen, I suppose Jenna makes a big decision, too – and her choice is to leave.

Grade: B

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Dallas, Francine Tacker, Jenna Wade, Sue Ellen's Choice

Hello, I must be leaving

‘SUE ELLEN’S CHOICE’

Season 3, Episode 19

Airdate: February 1, 1980

Audience: 21.8 million homes, ranking 3rd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Camille Marchetta

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: Sue Ellen agrees to leave J.R. for Dusty, but when J.R. threatens to take their son from her, she decides to stay. After Bobby rejects Jenna’s advances, he and Pam agree to give their marriage one more chance. Donna asks Jock to talk to Ray, but when he declines, she tells Ray goodbye. Alan gives Lucy an engagement ring.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Culver), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Jared Martin (Dusty Farlow), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Francine Tacker (Jenna Wade), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Sue Ellen’s Choice” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Knots Landing’ Episode 6 – ‘Home is For Healing’

June 11, 2012 by 8 Comments
Charlene Tilton, Dallas, Gary Ewing, Home is For Healing, Joan Van Ark, Knots Landing, Lucy Ewing, Ted Shackelford, Valene Ewing

Three if by sea

In “Home is For Healing,” Lucy finally discovers her parents have remarried and moved to Southern California. The moment of truth occurs off-screen, which is a bit unexpected since “Dallas” and “Knots Landing” each spent so long laying the groundwork for what was shaping up to be a Big Reveal.

But no matter. “Home is For Healing” is still a solid episode, thanks mostly to Rena Down’s script, which casts Gary, Valene and Lucy as a broken family that wants to put itself back together but can’t figure out how to do it.

I especially like Lucy in this setting. Her role here – the heiress trying to adjust to life in the ’burbs – is more interesting than what was happening with her at the time on “Dallas,” where Lucy was romancing Alan Beam just to spite J.R.

Charlene Tilton strikes the perfect balance in “Home is For Healing,” making us see Lucy as a young woman who still carries around the heart her parents broke when she was a little girl. Tilton makes Lucy seem vulnerable without being childish. It’s a great performance.

“Home is For Healing” also gets a big lift from Ted Shackelford, who brings brings a lot of heart to the scene where Gary owns up to his failures as a father.

This happens at the end of the episode, when Gary interrupts Val and Lucy’s stroll along the beach. In the midst of Gary’s big speech, he becomes tongue-tied and bows his head, as if he can’t find the words to convey his guilt and regret. In the episode’s DVD commentary, Shackelford laughs at this moment and says he paused because he couldn’t remember his next line. Whatever the reason, it works well because it makes us sympathetic toward Gary and eager to forgive him for his mistakes.

I also love when Lucy agrees to spend the rest of the week in Knots Landing and Gary invites her to run with him and Val in the ocean. Lucy is sweetly reticent – this North Texas landlubber fears the water will be too cold – but Gary doesn’t relent. “Come on, honey,” he says.

We know what Gary is really asking is for his daughter to give him and Val another chance to be parents, which is why it’s so moving when Lucy finally takes his hand and the three of them go frolicking through the surf. It’s a lovely ending to a lovely hour of television.

Grade: A

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Charlene Tilton, Constance McCashin, Dallas, Home is For Healing, Knots Landing, Laura Avery, Lucy Ewing

Hi, neighbor

‘HOME IS FOR HEALING’

“Knots Landing” Season 1, Episode 6

Airdate: January 31, 1980

Audience: 15.5 million homes, ranking 38th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Rena Down

Director: Roger Young

Synopsis: When Lucy learns Gary and Val have remarried, Val persuades her to come to Knots Landing for a visit. Lucy and Val grow close, but Gary struggles to connect with his daughter. She decides to go home and Val agrees to accompany her, but Gary persuades Lucy to stay for the rest of the week.

Cast: Robert Brian Berger (Charlie), Tricia Boyer (Jill), Joseph Butcher (Terry), Breck Costin (Curt), James Houghton (Kenny Ward), Kim Lankford (Ginger Ward), Michele Lee (Karen Fairgate), Claudia Lonow (Diana Fairgate), Constance McCashin (Laura Avery), Christopher Murray (Les), Don Murray (Sid Fairgate), John Pleshette (Richard Avery), Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Louise Vallance (Sylvie), Joan Van Ark (Valene Ewing)

“Home is For Healing” is available on DVD. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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