Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) is seen in this publicity shot from “The Price You Pay,” the third episode of TNT’s “Dallas.” Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal/TNT.
TNT’s Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Feared My Daddy’
June 21, 2012 by 7 Comments
It’s a cutthroat business, son
In “The Price You Pay,” a first-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. and John Ross (Larry Hagman, Josh Henderson) are each seated in barber chairs getting shaved. A towel covers John Ross’s eyes.
J.R.: Feels good, doesn’t it?
JOHN ROSS: Almost sinful.
J.R.: [Chuckles] Your granddaddy Jock took me here the day I closed my first big deal. That man taught me everything I know about business. [Rises from the chair, tips the barber, tells him to “get going,” walks toward John Ross] When I was 8 years old, I asked my daddy for a horse, and he says when I came up for the money, he’d sell me one. [Snaps at John Ross’s barber, who gives him his razor, takes J.R.’s money and leaves] So, all that summer, I worked in the oil fields, digging trenches and such, 12 hours a day. [Begins shaving John Ross] And true to his word, daddy sold me a horse. Now, I learned quick enough, that horse was blind. Now, I loved my daddy, and I respected my daddy, but most importantly, I feared my daddy. [J.R. pulls away the towel covering John Ross’s eyes; John Ross sees J.R. is now holding the straight blade to his neck] I went down to Mexico and talked to Mr. del Sol about the Southfork deal. I know Marta is not Marta. Were you going to cut your daddy out of 2 billion barrels worth of oil? Hmm?
Critique: TNT’s ‘Dallas’ Episode 3 – ‘The Price You Pay’
June 21, 2012 by 7 Comments
Demon barber
“The Price You Pay” opens with TNT’s best “Dallas” scene yet: J.R. and John Ross’s encounter in the wood-paneled gentleman’s club, where father holds a straight razor to son’s neck and confronts him about his double-dealing in the plot to seize Southfork.
John Ross admits he was planning to betray J.R., and then J.R. offers a confession of his own. “I don’t blame you for trying to screw me,” he says. “I was never much of a father during your formative years. And I’d like to make up for that.” J.R. offers to teach John Ross about the oil business and extends a weathered hand toward the younger man, who hesitates before taking it. Father then pulls smiling son into a warm embrace.
This tense-then-tender moment, masterfully directed by Michael M. Robin, reveals the complexities that make “Dallas” great. Consider what’s happening here: J.R. and John Ross are essentially agreeing to work together to undermine Bobby, “Dallas’s” hero – yet Robin manages to turn it into a touching moment of father-son bonding. This is as good as any of the best scenes from the original “Dallas.”
The “shaving scene” establishes the theme of “The Price You Pay,” which shows how several Ewings are coming to grips with their pasts. Scriptwriter Bruce Rasmussen does a nice job reminding us of the internal forces that motivate J.R. and Bobby, while also fleshing out some of the younger characters.
The thematic approach helps conceal “The Price You Pay’s” flaws, which begin with Linda Gray’s absence. I don’t like the fact that Sue Ellen is missing from this episode, but I’m not altogether surprised, either. The show seems to be struggling to find a meaningful place for Sue Ellen in the narrative. This needs to change.
“The Price You Pay’s” other weak spot: The scene where John Ross threatens to expose Miss Ellie’s stay in a mental institution after Jock’s death. This never happened on the original “Dallas.” Yes, Ellie struggled to accept the loss of her husband, but she never sought professional help, which became an important part of her storyline. I suppose the producers of this new “Dallas” could argue Ellie was somehow institutionalized off-screen, but this really doesn’t fit with the beloved character’s history.
I’m not going to dwell on this point because the rest of “The Price You Pay” is quite good. The confronting-your-past theme works well, particularly in the scene where Ann finds J.R. in the storage barn, flipping through an old family photo album. I realize J.R. is only there to root for evidence in his scheme to seize Southfork, but I also believe old age has made him genuinely introspective.
Consider “The Price You Pay” scene where J.R. tells John Ross, “I spent most of your childhood chasing after women I didn’t love and making deals that didn’t really matter. I will get Southfork back, because you shouldn’t have to pay for my sins.” It’s a revealing line, demonstrating how after all these years, J.R. is still driven by his desire to protect his son’s legacy.
The moment J.R. comes face to face with old enemy Cliff Barnes is also poignant. Larry Hagman and Ken Kercheval still have great chemistry together, even if their sniping feels less like the epic confrontations of yore and more like something from “Grumpy Old Men.” Only on “Dallas” could J.R.’s threat to dance on Cliff’s grave come off as sweetly sentimental.
“The Price You Pay’s” most heartfelt moment of all comes at the end of the episode, when Ann climbs into bed with Bobby and shares her suspicion J.R. staged the fight with John Ross over Ellie’s journal. “Honey,” Bobby says wearily, “the fact that J.R. did it, and that he thinks he can make me believe he didn’t do it, that’s just who he is. And who he will always be.”
It’s another good line, reminding us how Bobby, ultimately, is a tragic character. Even though his hair is now silver and he brings reading glasses to bed, he’s still his brother’s keeper. It’s the role Bobby is doomed to play.
Interestingly, “The Price You Pay’s” thematic approach isn’t limited to the older characters: Christopher is reminded of the old Barnes-Ewing feud when Cliff offers to invest in his alternative energy project.
Even though I’m having a hard time squaring the notion Cliff, a notorious cheapskate on the old show, is now a high-stakes gambler, I like what Kercheval does with his redefined role in this scene. It’s a nicely subdued performance, and as a “Dallas” diehard, I appreciate how Cliff references his sister when he warns Christopher about the Ewings (“Don’t let them destroy you like they did Pam.”).
Christopher’s own ghosts surface when he finds out about Bobby’s cancer and, in a moment of weakness, kisses Elena. Ever his father’s son, Christopher goes home to Rebecca, confesses his indiscretion and vows to put his past behind him. “That’s over now,” he tells her.
Don’t believe it, Rebecca. This is “Dallas,” where history tends to repeat – and sometimes rewrite – itself.
Grade: B
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Still brother’s keeper
‘THE PRICE YOU PAY’
Season 1, Episode 3
Telecast: June 20, 2012
Writer: Bruce Rasmussen
Director: Michael M. Robin
Audience: 6.7 million viewers (including 4.8 million viewers on June 20, ranking 8th in the weekly cable ratings)
Synopsis: After J.R. confronts John Ross about his betrayal, they join forces and manipulate Bobby into finalizing Southfork’s sale. Christopher rejects his uncle Cliff Barnes’ offer to invest in his patent. Bobby tells Christopher about his cancer, briefly sending Christopher into Elena’s arms. Rebecca resists Tommy’s pressure to spy on Christopher. John Ross learns Rebecca sent the e-mail that broke up Christopher and Elena.
Cast: Carlos Bernard (Vicente Cano), Jordana Brewster (Elena Ramos), Brett Brock (Clyde Marshall), Sonny Carl Davis (Hirsch), Richard Dillard (Mitch Lobell), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Josh Henderson (John Ross Ewing), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), John McIntosh (Dr. Bennett), Jesse Metcalfe (Christopher Ewing), Brenda Strong (Ann Ewing), Faran Tahir (Frank), Leonor Varela (Marta del Sol)
“The Price You Pay” is available at DallasTNT.com, Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.
Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You Were Jock’s Girl All Along’
June 20, 2012 by 3 Comments
She had to be taken care of
In “Jock’s Trial, Part 2,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Miss Ellie and Bobby (Barbara Bel Geddes, Patrick Duffy) join Pam (Victoria Principal), Cliff (Ken Kercheval) and Maggie (Sarah Cunningham) at the hospital bedside of Digger (Keenan Wynn), who is dying.
DIGGER: Ellie.
ELLIE: Hello, Digger.
DIGGER: I wanna talk to you. Cliff?
CLIFF: I’m right here, Daddy.
DIGGER: Cliff, I wanna know if everything I say now is legal.
CLIFF: [Perplexed] I don’t know what you’re trying to say.
DIGGER: Ellie, I wasn’t gonna say anything. I was gonna let Cliff get his final revenge against Jock for me. He’ll probably ask, do I still love you? [Smile and nods his head, weakly] I do. [She smiles.] Even though I do, and you were Jock’s girl all along.
ELLIE: Digger.
DIGGER: I can’t let Cliff do this to you.
ELLIE: What do you mean?
Digger recalls how he discovered his wife Becky had been impregnated by her lover Hutch McKinney, who pulled a gun on him. After a struggle, Digger shot and killed Hutch and buried him on Southfork. The Barneses moved to Corpus Christi, where Becky died.
ELLIE: Digger.
DIGGER: I couldn’t let Jock for what happened to Hutch. Ellie [struggles to breath] … you had to be taken care of.
PAM: Daddy, what about the baby?
DIGGER: Baby?
BOBBY: The baby McKinney fathered.
DIGGER: I always loved you, Pam.
PAM: [Crying] Me?
DIGGER: Just like you were my own.
He takes his last breath and the hospital monitor flatlines. Cliff closes his eyes, Ellie turns away, Maggie ushers in a nurse and Bobby holds Pam.
Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 52 – ‘Jock’s Trial, Part 2’
June 20, 2012 by 13 Comments
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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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.
Dallas Drinks: The Ann
June 19, 2012 by 3 Comments
This summer, the “Dallas” fans at Dallas Decoder and Cook In/Dine Out are offering “Dallas Drinks,” a series of cocktails inspired by the characters from TNT’s new series. This week: The Ann, a drink as classy as Brenda Strong.
Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Don’t Try and Play His Game’
June 19, 2012 by 1 Comment
He should know
In “Jock’s Trial, Part 1,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby and Sue Ellen (Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray) chat on the Southfork patio while little John plays in his crib.
BOBBY: Sue Ellen, you’ve been spending an awful lot of time by yourself lately. Is there anything I can do?
SUE ELLEN: Oh, I don’t think so. [She looks at little John, then at Bobby.] Bobby, you don’t really believe that I’ve started drinking again, do you?
BOBBY: I don’t wanna believe it.
SUE ELLEN: I need someone on my side.
BOBBY: [Leans toward her] I am on your side. Sue Ellen, I’ve always been on your side.
SUE ELLEN: J.R. has done everything he can to put me back in that sanitarium.
BOBBY: Why? Everything’s been going so well between you two.
SUE ELLEN: No, it hasn’t. I just made it seem that way. I wanted to be the perfect wife so everyone would forget my past.
BOBBY: I don’t understand. Why all this game playing then?
SUE ELLEN: To try to get custody of little John. [She looks at the baby.]
BOBBY: What?
SUE ELLEN: Bobby, I can’t live with J.R. anymore. I want a divorce.
BOBBY: You’re telling me you’re not drinking and J.R.’s trying to make you look like a drunk?
SUE ELLEN: [Nodding, tearing up] Yes.
BOBBY: Sue Ellen, if you feel you have to leave J.R., then do it. But do it in the open. Don’t try and play his game. Honey, he’s too good at it. And don’t rush into anything.
SUE ELLEN: But what about little John?
BOBBY: Well, that’s a … that’s a choice you may have to make. You’re gonna have to take your chances.
Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 51 – ‘Jock’s Trial, Part 1’
June 19, 2012 by 11 Comments
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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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.
Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Was Just Living Mama’s Dreams’
June 18, 2012 by 3 Comments
Wake up, darlin’
In “Divorce, Ewing Style,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) has lunch at a restaurant with Kristin (Mary Crosby), unaware Kristin is only pretending to be nice to her.
KRISTIN: Thank you for coming, Sue Ellen.
SUE ELLEN: I came because I was curious. I can’t imagine what you think we have to talk about.
KRISTIN: I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do.
SUE ELLEN: Really?
KRISTIN: I’ve been terrible. I’ve done everything I could to break you and J.R. up. I even let him … we became lovers. I’ve done nothing but cause you trouble, and I’m truly ashamed.
SUE ELLEN: Why this sudden confession?
KRISTIN: Because I couldn’t stand it anymore when I saw you and J.R. together at your anniversary party. It made me realize just how dreadful I’ve been.
SUE ELLEN: Now that we both know that, so what?
KRISTIN: So, I’m leaving Dallas, Sue Ellen. I’m going to school in California. But before I left, I had to see you, to try to make it up to you somehow.
SUE ELLEN: It doesn’t matter anymore, Kristin. I no longer care what J.R. does.
KRISTIN: I tried to figure out why I did it. It just comes down to one thing. It’s what Mama taught me to do. I was only doing what I’ve been brought up to do.
SUE ELLEN: You are so smart, Kristin. I was much older than you before I figured out I was just living Mama’s dreams.
KRISTIN: I’m trying to change, Sue Ellen, and I hope that we can at least be friends.
SUE ELLEN: Why not?
KRISTIN: To friendship? [Raises her glass]
Sue Ellen clinks glasses with Kristin, who spills her drink in Sue Ellen’s lap. When Sue Ellen leaves to dry herself off, Kristin offers a self-satisfied smirk.
Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 50 – ‘Divorce, Ewing Style’
June 18, 2012 by 20 Comments
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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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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