Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes of "Dallas"
Before Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) learned the truth about J.R.’s death in “Hurt,” she asked John Ross (Josh Henderson) for answers. Find out what he said by watching this deleted scene, a Dallas Decoder exclusive, from the “Dallas: The Complete Third Season” DVD set.
What do you think of this scene? Share your comments below and read more features from Dallas Decoder.
The “Dallas: The Complete Third Season” DVD set arrives Tuesday, January 13. Time to choose a favorite moment!
Share your comments below and vote in Dallas Decoder’s other polls.
Party boys
Dallas Decoder is throwing a party — and you’re invited!
Our next #DallasChat on Twitter will be Monday, January 12, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. To celebrate the release of the “Dallas: The Complete Third Season” DVD, this chat will be a “DVD Drop Party,” complete with games and treats — including the world premiere of a deleted scene from the three-disc set.
Here’s how #DallasChat works: During the course of each hour-long discussion, I tweet 10 questions from my Twitter handle, @DallasDecoder. Fans respond to the questions and comment on each other’s answers, making each chat a fun, freewheeling group conversation.
Here’s a sample exchange:
Q1. What’s your favorite third-season “Dallas” episode? #DallasChat
A1. I love the one where John Ross and Bobby fought. Wait, that’s every episode, isn’t it? #DallasChat
Here are three tips:
• Each #DallasChat question is numbered (Q1, Q2, etc.), so your responses should include the corresponding number (A1, A2, etc.).
• Include the hashtag #DallasChat in your tweets.
• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.
This is one #DallasChat you won’t want to miss. See you tonight!
Got suggestions for #DallasChat questions? Leave them in the comments section below.
Cheers
“Dallas: The Complete Third Season” arrives on DVD tomorrow, and for many fans, the highlight will be the three-disc set’s 31 deleted scenes. This previously unseen material comprises an impressive 48 minutes of screen time; if you watch it all in one sitting, it’s almost like having a brand-new episode to enjoy.
Whether you binge or savor the fresh footage, you’ll likely love it every bit as much as the stuff that aired last year. In one deleted scene, when Bobby wonders if he should use his new position as a railroad commissioner to stop Nicolas, he receives unexpected advice from Ann, who urges her husband to get in touch with his inner J.R. In another scene, which I’ll post to Dallas Decoder tonight and share during our #DallasChat on Twitter, Sue Ellen presses John Ross to tell her the truth about J.R.’s death — and John Ross’s response might surprise you.
You’ll also get to see Sue Ellen compare Emma to Kristin, a scene cut from last year’s wedding episode but included in a TNT promo. Hearing Emma’s snappy comeback makes seeing the complete conversation worth the wait. There’s also a lovely moment where Bobby comforts Pamela after she discovers John Ross is cheating on her, along with several nice exchanges between Sue Ellen and Ann, whose I’ve-got-your-back bond gave them “Dallas’s” most stable relationship.
Not everything you’re hoping to see is here. The most notable omission: John Ross’s serenading of Pamela at their wedding, which Julie Gonzalo discussed during our interview last year. I would have much preferred seeing that moment instead of the one that explains why Judith was absent from a few episodes during the second half of the season. It turns out Dallas’s unlikeliest madam had to fly to Paris to remind some misbehaving French prostitutes who’s boss. Who knew the Rylands operated a chain of international whorehouses?
Besides the deleted scenes, the DVD will give fans an opportunity to revisit — and in some cases, to reassess — the 15 episodes that aired during “Dallas’s” third year. “Dead Reckoning,” the darkly absorbing hour that chronicles the fallout from Drew’s death, is even better than I remembered (Emma Bell is particularly good), while “Lifting the Veil” is still weighed down by the silliness at Judith’s brothel. Overall, I find the third-season episodes as entertaining as I did last year, which makes the DVD’s release bittersweet. Traditionally, the show’s DVDs come out a few weeks before each new season starts, and I wish that were the case here too. This should be a prelude, not a punctuation mark.
“Dallas: The Complete Third Season” is available from Amazon and other retailers. Buy it, watch it, share your comments below and read more opinions from Dallas Decoder.
Cliff Barnes may be “Dallas’s” biggest loser, but give the devil his due: He has a knack for pulling the strings of women who’ve been wronged by J.R. Ewing.
On TNT’s “Dallas,” after the Ewings framed Cliff (Ken Kercheval) for J.R.’s “murder,” he summoned Elena Ramos (Jordana Brewster) to his Mexican jail cell and made a shocking revelation: J.R. once swindled Elena’s father out of oil-rich land. After Elena confirmed Cliff’s claims, she accepted his offer to help him get out of jail and join forces against the Ewings — an alliance Elena came to regret after it triggered a chain of tragedies that included the deaths of brother Drew and true love Christopher.
Elena — perhaps the new “Dallas’s” smartest character at one time — became the latest in a long line of ladies who foolishly sought revenge against J.R. by getting into bed with Cliff (only figuratively in Elena’s case, thank heavens). Cliff previously manipulated Sue Ellen, Julie Grey and Afton Cooper, although the strongest parallel between him and Elena might be his relationship with Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton). During the original show’s ninth season, after Cliff stunned Mandy by telling her that J.R. was sleeping with Angelica Nero — cheating on his mistress with another woman, the nerve! — Mandy agreed to spy on J.R. for Cliff.
The scene where Many and Cliff form their alliance is not unlike the one between Cliff and Elena 29 years later: Each woman sits across a table from Cliff and tells him she’s confirmed his claims, and then she expresses anger over J.R.’s betrayal and declares she’s ready to fight back. Later, Mandy’s scheme spirals out of control — especially after she flushes expensive jewelry from J.R. down the toilet — and she ends up feeling guilty and disillusioned, just like Elena does many years later.
The parallels aren’t perfect, of course. Unlike Mandy, who makes J.R. the target of her revenge, Elena decides to make all the Ewings pay for J.R.’s sins. Also, only Mandy’s story has resolution: She eventually draws the wrath of Sue Ellen, who forces her to leave town.
I can’t help but wonder: How many “Dallas” fans wish they could have seen Sue Ellen do the same thing to Elena?
‘J.R.’s Betrayed Me for the Last Time’
Seeking revenge
In “Curiosity Killed the Cat,” a ninth-season “Dallas” episode, Mandy (Deborah Shelton) sits across from Cliff (Ken Kercheval) at a sidewalk cafe.
MANDY: I went to Angelica Nero’s hotel last night and waited. It was 5 o’clock in the morning when J.R. came out.
CLIFF: He didn’t see you, did he?
MANDY: [Shakes her head no] When he came over to my place this morning, I asked if he’d worked very late. He said he was back at Southfork by 11. You were right, Cliff. Sue Ellen was right. Everyone was right.
CLIFF: I’m sorry you had to find out this way. But since you did, are you ready to take me up on my offer?
MANDY: [Determined] Yes. You just tell me what you want me to do. J.R.’s betrayed me for the last time. Now it’s my turn.
‘His Betrayal Cost My Father His Life’
Seeking justice
In “The Return,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Elena (Jordana Brewster) sits across from Cliff in a Mexican jail cell.
ELENA: I don’t like you. You’re scheming. [Sighs] But I researched the land records. What you told me is true. J.R. switched my father’s land with a worthless deed. His betrayal cost my father his life. I came back here to accept your offer to be your proxy at Barnes Global.
CLIFF: Good. I spent my life building that company. I’d be loath to think that the Ewings could destroy it before I get out of prison.
ELENA: You’re getting out?
CLIFF: Yeah. And you’re going to help me.
ELENA: Why would I do that?
CLIFF: Because you want to hold real power over that family. And to do that, you need leverage — leverage in the way of evidence that they framed me for J.R.’s murder. My plane, without me in it, was moved to Nuevo Laredo the night that J.R. was killed. And that American woman in Nuevo Laredo — the dancer, Rhonda Simmons or something — you know, she lied to say that I was in the club when I wasn’t. And the gun that killed J.R. they stole out of my locker at the gun range. Together, we can take back Barnes Global, and then Southfork. Take from them what’s most important — what they took from us. But I need to know that you have the strength to exact revenge.
ELENA: They kicked me out of a company I helped start. They took away my oil leases. They accused me of helping my brother when they would have done the same to help their own, and now all this? I’ll find the strength — because I’m not thinking of this as revenge. I am thinking of this as justice.
What do you think of Cliff’s manipulation of Mandy and Elena? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”
Night visitor
In “Blow Up,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) is sitting in her bed when J.R. (Larry Hagman) enters the room.
J.R.: Sue Ellen, darlin’, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened with Lucy tonight.
SUE ELLEN: I was very touched that you came to my defense the way you did.
J.R.: Well, what else could I do? [Sits on the bed] What kind of a woman does she think you are? Peter’s just a kid. He’s half your age. The things she said about you and him absolutely disgusted me. [Leans forward] Sue Ellen, can we talk a minute?
SUE ELLEN: [Smiles weakly] All right.
J.R.: What happened with Lucy tonight made me realize just how far out of control our lives have gotten. The fact that she could even imagine a relationship with a boy — especially a boy like Peter. Well, it shows me that we have got to start changing things.
SUE ELLEN: I don’t think we could change things between us, even if we wanted to.
J.R.: Well, it wouldn’t be easy, but it could happen. Now, I know you’ve been angry with me, and with good cause. But it’s time to put all of that aside. It’s time that we start living like, like man and wife. [She’s silent.] Oh, good Lord, woman. Don’t you want a man back in your life?
SUE ELLEN: [Looks away, then back at him] Of course I do, J.R. Do you think I like living like this?
J.R.: Well, then move back in our room, where you belong.
SUE ELLEN: No.
J.R.: [Annoyed] Why not?
SUE ELLEN: I just can’t.
J.R.: Things can’t stay the way they are between us. Either they’re going to improve, or things are going to get badly out of hand.
SUE ELLEN: J.R., please.
J.R.: What happened tonight could be the turning point, Sue Ellen. It could help us change everything that’s wrong in our lives.
SUE ELLEN: One night is not going to turn things around for us. Don’t you understand that?
J.R.: Yes. Finally, I do.
He rises and exits the room.
Cut a bitch
“Dallas” delivers its share of camp over the years, but “Blow Up” manages to pack more silliness into a single episode than virtually any other. Donna runs around the Southfork patio, snapping Polaroids of the Ewings; Lucy gets stewed to the gills and airs the family’s dirty laundry at a poolside soiree; and Lady Jessica takes a break from helping Miss Ellie chop vegetables to contemplate slicing and dicing Mama herself. These scenes aren’t without their charms, but I can’t help but wish this episode took the characters and their storylines a little more seriously.
The scenes with Donna and her camera are fun because it’s nice to think the Ewings spend their Sunday afternoons enjoying each other’s company, just like so many families do in real life. I also like the picture Donna snaps of Ray and his half-brothers sitting together and holding their beers, although the shot is so casual, it takes me out of the moment. This looks like a picture of Larry, Patrick and Steve, not J.R., Bobby and Ray. I also wish this scene could have been filmed on the real Southfork patio instead of the show’s Hollywood soundstage, which seems faker than usual. Maybe it’s the studio acoustics; notice how you hear every footstep the actors take, something that rarely happens when you see patio scenes that were shot outdoors in Texas.
The patio is also the setting for the party the Ewings throw for Jessica, although these scenes are a little more convincing because they take place at night, when the darkness helps conceal the soundstage’s shortcomings. The gathering recalls the shindig in “Triangle” (right down to Ray’s plaid suit, which he wears to both parties), although I get the biggest kick out of seeing J.R. whisper into Lucy’s ear, feeding her suspicions as they watch Sue Ellen and Peter dance. Uncle and niece are like two characters in a play standing in the shadows, commenting on the action unfolding downstage. Too bad it falls apart when Lucy gets drunk and accuses Sue Ellen and Peter of having an affair. Charlene Tilton gives this performance her all, but Lucy’s preoccupation with Peter is no more believable than Sue Ellen’s interest in him. Also, is it me or is Lucy angrier than she was last season, when she blamed Sue Ellen’s drunken driving for paralyzing Mickey Trotter?
Of course, nothing in “Blow Up” approaches the campiness of Jessica’s big scene. How can you not roll your eyes when you see her standing at the Southfork kitchen counter, a huge knife in one hand and a tomato in the other as she glares at Ellie? How about when composer Lance Rubin’s eerie piano score swells just as Donna enters the room and snaps Jessica out of her trance-like state? Perhaps this scene was genuinely creepy when it debuted in 1984, but now it plays like a parody of a slasher film from that era. “Blow Up’s” climactic moment, when Jessica enters her bedroom and cuts Ellie’s face out of one of Donna’s snapshots, holds up better. I especially like how Patrick Duffy, who directed this episode, uses a handheld camera to follow Alexis Smith as she circles the picture on the nightstand. It adds to the sense that Jessica is spinning out of control.
A lot of “Dallas” fans love the over-the-top depiction of Jessica’s villainy and Smith’s ferocious approach to the role, but I prefer the show to play it straight. Just think: At this point during the previous season, Sue Ellen was walking in on J.R. and Holly Harwood in bed. Yes, it was a scene of pure soap opera, but it set the stage for some of the darkest, most absorbing hours in “Dallas” history. The more I watch the seventh season, the more I find myself wondering what happened to the show that gave us J.R. and Bobby’s contest for Ewing Oil, the collapse of J.R. and Sue Ellen’s marriage and the sweet romance between Lucy and Mickey.
On the other hand: Not everything about “Blow Up” falls short of the show’s usual standards. There’s surprising poignancy to the scene where J.R. tells Sue Ellen it’s time they begin living again like man and wife; Linda Gray does a beautiful job conveying Sue Ellen’s inner conflict, and Hagman gives us the impression J.R. is willing to forgive his wife and abandon his secret plot against her, if only she’d give him another chance. When she turns him down, you feel sympathy for both of them.
I also like Victoria Principal’s performance, although Mark and Pam’s storyline — he doesn’t know he’s dying but she does and is desperately trying to keep the secret — is beginning to feel like demented version of a “Three’s Company” plot. Kudos also go to Morgan Brittany, who makes Katherine’s concern for Mark seem sincere. Sure, Mark’s diagnosis may represent a stroke of dumb luck for Katherine because it’s helping push Pam deeper into his arms, thus making it easier for Katherine to snatch Bobby for herself, but I also get the feeling Katherine genuinely likes Mark and feels sorry for him.
Wait, did I just suggest Katherine Wentworth is becoming a believable character? Isn’t it funny how different this show looks now that Lady Jessica around?
Grade: B
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who shot the Ewings?
‘BLOW UP’
Season 7, Episode 26
Airdate: April 6, 1984
Audience: 22 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings
Writer: David Paulsen
Director: Patrick Duffy
Synopsis: Donna becomes suspicious of Jessica, who assures J.R. that Miss Ellie and Clayton’s wedding won’t take place. J.R. feeds Lucy’s suspicions about Sue Ellen and Peter. Mark refuses to rush his wedding to Pam, who orders Cliff to not ask her fiancé for a loan. Katherine offers to sell Ewing Oil some valuable land in exchange for Bobby teaching her about the industry.
Cast: Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards), John Beck (Mark Graison), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Morgan Brittany (Katherine Wentworth), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Pat Colbért (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Walker Edmiston (Ewing Oil employee), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Nanci Hammond (hostess), Alice Hirson (Mavis Anderson), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Barry Jenner (Dr. Jerry Kenderson), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Denny Miller (Max Flowers), Dennis Patrick (Vaughn Leland), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Alexis Smith (Lady Jessica Montford), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), Morgan Woodward (Punk Anderson)
“Blow Up” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.
Every “Dallas” fan has a favorite finale. What’s yours?
Share your comments below and vote in Dallas Decoder’s other polls.
Mr. Resolute
Do you love “Dallas”? Want to discuss the series with your fellow fans? If so, join the next #DallasChat on Twitter, which I’ll hold Monday, January 5, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Our topic: “Resolutions.” We’ll discuss New Year’s resolutions for the “Dallas” characters, cliffhanger resolutions and more.
Here’s how #DallasChat works: During the course of each hour-long discussion, I tweet 10 questions from my Twitter handle, @DallasDecoder. Fans respond to the questions and comment on each other’s answers, making each chat a fun, freewheeling group conversation.
Here’s a sample exchange:
Q1. If J.R. were still here, what should be his New Year’s resolution? #DallasChat
A1. Aside from being nicer to Bobby, J.R. shouldn’t change a single thing! #DallasChat
Here are three tips:
• Each #DallasChat question is numbered (Q1, Q2, etc.), so your responses should include the corresponding number (A1, A2, etc.).
• Include the hashtag #DallasChat in your tweets.
• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.
Let’s get #DallasChat off to a good start in 2015. Please join us!
Got suggestions for #DallasChat questions? Leave them in the comments section below.
What does the new year hold for “Dallas” fans? Your guesses are as good as mine, but one thing is certain: Just because our favorite show isn’t returning in 2015 doesn’t mean we have nothing to look forward to. Here’s what Dallas Decoder’s crystal ball shows. What about yours?
IN | OUT
In: Cameos
Out: Chiefs
Guesting | Starring
Celebrating | Mourning
Hardcore fandom |
Casual viewing
Deleted scenes | New episodes
Dreaming up your own resolutions | Limbo
In: Saviors
Out: Sinners
Have mercy, Jesus! |
Have mercy, Nicolas!
Live chatting | Live tweeting
Gratitude | Griping
Wands | Flasks
Cheap gas from everyone |
Cheap gas from the Ewings
In: Matriarchs
Out: Madams
More Shelly, please |
Less Judith, please
Ooh, what’s Jane wearing? |
Ooh, what’s Elena wearing?
Bust | Boom
#JRForever | #FarewellJR
“Next year in Dallas!” |
“Next year in Cuba!”
Now it’s your turn. Share your ins and outs for 2015 below and read more “Dal-Lists.”
Dallas Decoder 