Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 167 — ‘Shadow of a Doubt’

June 10, 2015 by 12 Comments
Dallas, Pam Ewing, Shadow of a Doubt, Victoria Principal

Chasing ghosts

Pam shifts into girl-detective mode in “Shadow of a Doubt,” searching for the truth about Mark Graison’s death. She leaves no stone unturned, seemingly questioning everyone who shared a connection with her onetime fiancé — his maid, his lawyer, even his florist — and ultimately concludes Mark might still be alive. Victoria Principal brings the right balance of determination and puzzlement to each of these scenes; it’s been years since she’s dominated an episode so thoroughly. Nevertheless, I find it hard to get excited about this storyline. Was anyone clamoring for Mark’s return in 1984? Wouldn’t you rather see Pam pouring herself into fighting for Bobby?

On the other hand: Bobby isn’t quite the catch he once was, is he? Consider: He now knows that Katherine forged the letter that broke up his marriage to Pam. He’s also admitted to J.R. that he still loves his ex-wife. And as far as Bobby knows, Mark is out of the picture for good and Pam is finally free. So why hasn’t Bobby returned to her? I suppose “Dallas” wants us to believe Bobby is genuinely torn between two women, given how hard the show is selling the Bobby/Jenna pairing. “Shadow of a Doubt” even sends Patrick Duffy and Priscilla Beaulieu Presley to a waterpark, where Bobby proposes to Jenna as they go down a slide together. (She accepts, of course, although the dubbing in this scene isn’t the greatest: Notice how Presley’s lips don’t move while they’re on the slide, even though Bobby and Jenna banter the whole way down.) It’s a cute scene, but given what we know about Bobby’s sense of duty and honor, I can’t help but wonder why he’s proposing to one woman when his heart belongs to another.

J.R. is a little easier to love in “Shadow of a Doubt,” which showcases Larry Hagman’s comedic talents more than most episodes. In the scene where Sly tells J.R. that Cliff is convinced he’s behind Westar’s offer to merge with Barnes-Wentworth, Hagman looks tickled to deliver J.R.’s response: “You know the wonderful thing about being me, Sly? With my reputation, I don’t have to do a damn thing. Everybody thinks that I’m behind half the deals in Dallas anyway.” There’s also some fun interplay between Linda Gray and Hagman at the waterpark, where Sue Ellen catches J.R. checking out two shapely women in sexy swimwear. She cuts him a dirty look, although he’s so distracted, it takes him awhile to realize he’s been caught. Guess our hero isn’t as smooth as he thinks.

Another scene shows J.R. at his best — and worst. When Sue Ellen reveals the makeover she’s given Jamie — complete with a fancy new dress — J.R. says, “It’s amazing what a few thousand dollars can do, isn’t it?” This seems unusually cruel, even for him. J.R.’s next zinger is more keeping with his style: “What’s next? Are we going to cap her teeth?” I also like how director Nick Havinga uses the Southfork set here. The sequence begins with J.R. coming home and fixing himself a drink in the living room. Sue Ellen enters, tells him she has a surprise and leads him into the foyer, where Jamie comes down the stairs and shows off her new look. After J.R. insults her, Jamie runs away followed by Sue Ellen, and then J.R. glides into the dining room, where Teresa asks if he’ll be dining alone. “Yeah, it seems like it, doesn’t it?” J.R. says. Three scenes in three rooms, each one flowing seamlessly into the next.

Two other scenes in “Shadow of a Doubt” remind me how this era of “Dallas” has more in common with the period depicted on “Mad Men” than the one we live in now. In the first, Lucy and Betty get into an argument over Eddie and splash water in each other’s faces. It’s silly and slightly demeaning to the characters, although I appreciate how this clash between two waitresses contrasts with the silly catfights we were getting between the bejeweled, bedazzled women of “Dynasty” at the time. Later, when Cliff tells Mandy her job is to make coffee and clean the house, she doesn’t tell him to get lost — she waits until he leaves for work and then calls information (remember doing that?) and asks for the number to a daily maid service. Sigh.

“Shadow of a Doubt” also includes quite a few nods to the past, including a possible inside joke: Bobby tells Donna her oil company used to be owned by “Bill Duke,” which also happens to be the name of a director who helmed two sixth-season “Dallas” episodes. (Duke also played sharecropper Seth Foster in “Dallas: The Early Years.”) Meanwhile, two faces familiar to longtime “Dallas” fans appear: Mark’s maid Rosa is played by Irma P. Hall, who was so wonderful as Tilly the caterer in “Barbecue,” while the Graison florist is played by Randy Moore, who was stuffy Reverend Thornwood in “Double Wedding.”

Speaking of familiar faces: There’s another one I’d like to see, and it belongs to Miss Ellie, who has now been missing from the show for more than six episodes. Her absence was felt most acutely after Bobby’s shooting, although I also wonder how her presence might have affected my response to Jamie’s debut in the previous episode. If Jamie had received the Mama seal of approval during the newcomer’s first appearance, might I have warmed up to her? (Eh, probably not.) The bottom line is Miss Ellie is missed, and it will be good to have her back in the next episode — even if she’s not quite herself when she arrives.

Grade: B

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Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Jenna Wade, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Shadow of a Doubt

Down they go

‘SHADOW OF A DOUBT’

Season 8, Episode 6

Airdate: November 2, 1984

Audience: 23 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Leonard Katzman

Director: Nick Havinga

Synopsis: Pam discovers evidence that suggests Mark might still be alive. Bobby proposes to Jenna. Sue Ellen defends Jamie from J.R.’s insults. Lucy and Betty fight over Eddie.

Cast: Norman Bennett (Al), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Irma P. Hall (Rosa), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Cherilyn James (Waitress), Rick Jason (Avery Carson), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Fredric Lehne (Eddie Cronin), Robert Magruder (White), Stephan Mazurek (Deliveryman), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Randy Moore (Florist), Jim Ponds (Lewis), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Debbie Rennard (Sly), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Marina Rice (Angela), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), William Smithers (Jeremy Wendell), Christopher Stone (Dave Stratton), David Stump (Tommy Hart), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Kathleen York (Betty)

“Shadow of a Doubt” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Dallas Parallels: The Good Husband

October 22, 2012 by 18 Comments

The original “Dallas’s” pilot, “Digger’s Daughter,” opens with Bobby and Pam racing home to Southfork after their spur-of-the-moment elopement in New Orleans. Later, J.R. hints his younger brother doesn’t know his new wife as well as he should – a suggestion Bobby flatly rejects. As he declares in the episode’s final scene, “Pamela’s past is none of my business. She was not my wife in the past – but she is now.”

Looking back, I can’t help but think maybe J.R. had a point. Don’t get me wrong: Bobby and Pam’s love story was written in the stars, but throughout their marriage – er, marriages – Bobby seems to be constantly finding out things about Pam he didn’t know.

Examples: In Season 2, Bobby is surprised to learn she was married to another man before him. In Season 4, he’s shocked to find out she came this close to having an affair. In Season 11, Bobby is stunned when Pam, after being badly burned in a car crash, runs away to spare him the indignity of having a wife who isn’t pretty.

You have to wonder: Would these two have benefitted from a longer engagement?

History seems to be repeating itself on TNT’s “Dallas.” Bobby and third wife Ann have been married for several years when the new series opens, but it’s clear he doesn’t know her as well as he thought.

It begins in “The Enemy of My Enemy,” when Bobby finds Ann sobbing on the Southfork patio after receiving a mysterious locket from her ex-husband Harris Ryland. Bobby, ever the hothead, goes charging into Ryland’s office, grabs him by the lapels and backhands him.

This recalls the scene in the classic show’s second-season episode “Double Wedding,” when Bobby angrily confronts Pam’s first husband Ed Haynes, whose sudden return rattles her as much as the locket upsets Ann. Bobby is just as angry with Haynes as he is with Ryland, and both scenes end with Bobby jabbing a finger in the other man’s face and delivering an ultimatum (To Haynes: “I want you out of Dallas!” To Ryland: “You stay away from Ann!”).

In “Collateral Damage,” TNT’s next episode, after Ryland has Bobby arrested for assault, Bobby follows his lawyer’s advice and begrudgingly apologizes. But Ryland has a trick up his sleeve: He tells Bobby that Ann is “holding something back” and hands him an envelope. “Take a look inside,” Ryland says. “Come to your own conclusions. There’s a lot about Annie you don’t know.”

Here, we see parallels to the older show’s fourth-season episode “The New Mrs. Ewing,” when Bobby confronts Alex Ward, the magazine publisher who has been wooing Pam. Both scenes take place in the other man’s office, both suggest the other man has a sexist attitude toward his secretary (Ward calls his “hon,” Ryland refers to his as “dear”) and during both confrontations, Bobby threatens to pulverize the other man. (To Ward: “I’ll beat the hell out of you.” To Ryland: “I will beat you into next Sunday.”)

Most importantly, both scenes end with the other man turning the tables on Bobby. Just as Bobby is unsettled by Ryland’s envelope, he’s unnerved when Ward suggests Pam wanted to sleep with him because she felt neglected.

Bobby and Pam’s relationship survived her flirtation with Ward, and my guess is Bobby and Ann are going to be fine too. In the closing moments of “Collateral Damage,” Bobby shows Ann the envelope from Ryland. “I don’t need to open this,” Bobby says as he sets it aside and touches his wife’s face. “Everything I need to know about you is right here.”

The line evokes memories of Bobby’s “Digger’s Daughter” declaration that Pam’s past is “none of my business.” It also reminds us: On “Dallas,” some things never change.

Thank goodness.

 

‘She Needed Me’

Smug

In “The New Mrs. Ewing,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) bursts into the office of Alex Ward (Joel Fabiani) as Ward’s secretary is leaving.

WARD: [To the secretary] It’s all right, hon. Go out and close the door please. [To Bobby] What are you doing here?

BOBBY: I just came to tell you to stay away from my wife. You’ve been chasing her. I want you to stop it right now.

WARD: I don’t deny that I find your wife attractive. And I also admit that I tried my very best to charm her [stands up, faces Bobby]. But only because I felt she needed me. If I hadn’t felt that way, I never would have raised an eyebrow. I don’t play games I don’t feel I can win.

BOBBY: Listen you phony, my wife is not first prize in some game. Now I’m warning you: Stay away from her. This time I’m talking. Next time, I’ll beat the hell out of you.

WARD: If you’re really concerned about your wife, let me make a suggestion: Talk to her. I made my move only because I knew there was something wrong with your marriage [walks to the door, holds it open for Bobby]. After all, she’d never have even looked at me if there hadn’t been.

 

‘She’s Holding Something Back’

Smarmy

In “Collateral Damage,” TNT’s seventh “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) is seated across from Harris Ryland (Mitch Pileggi) at the desk in Ryland’s office.

RYLAND: Getting the police involved, I hate stooping to that. It’s an ugly gesture. I apologize.

BOBBY: If by “ugly” you mean “cowardly,” then yes, it was very ugly.

RYLAND: Then if you’re not here to apologize, I’m afraid it’s going to have to be a necessary gesture.

BOBBY: It’s not necessary, Harris. I apologize.

RYLAND: [Picks up the phone] Linda, call my lawyer. Tell him I want to drop all charges against Mr. Ewing. Yeah, thank you dear [hangs up the phone]. See? It was painless.

BOBBY: I want to be very clear, Harris. My apology doesn’t mean I take back what I did. You mess with my wife in any way, and I will beat you into next Sunday.

RYLAND: Not if you’re smart, you won’t.

BOBBY: I was more than ready to go to court. But I didn’t want to drag it out and cause my wife more pain – pain you are responsible for.

RYLAND: You know, I thought you might come asking. So, here you go. [He retrieves an envelope from a nearby cabinet and tries to hand it to Bobby. When Bobby doesn’t take it, Ryland drops it on the desk.] That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To find out what kind of person your wife really is.

BOBBY: [Stands] I know what kind of person my wife really is.

RYLAND: She’s holding something back – and you wanna know what. [Slides the envelope across the desk] Here’s your what. Why don’t you go ahead and take a look inside. Come to your own conclusions. There’s a lot about Annie you don’t know.

What do you think of Bobby’s confrontations with the other men in his wives’ lives? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

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Dallas Styles: Digger’s Hat

May 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

He’s back, and he’s brought a hat

In “The Silent Killer,” Digger Barnes makes his first appearance on “Dallas” since “Double Wedding,” which debuted almost a year earlier. “The Silent Killer” also marks the debut of Digger’s hat, one of the character’s signatures.

The hat looks like a cheap fedora. Notably, it isn’t a Stetson, the chapeau style favored by most of the men on “Dallas.” This makes sense. After all, Digger has spent his life kicking around oil fields, not cow pastures.

“Dallas” completes Digger’s blue-collar look by dressing him in work shirts – either blue or white – along with white socks and dark pants and shoes. This is the look he sports most often during “Dallas’s” third season.

My favorite detail, though, is the eyeglass case he keeps in his front shirt pocket. When I was growing up, my dad carried his glasses in the front pocket of his work shirts, too, so this detail rings true to me. (Dad also favored white socks with dark pants, which I found horrifying when I was a teenager. Now I think it’s endearing.)

Interestingly, Digger’s glasses always remain in his pocket; we never see him wear them. This is too bad. If any “Dallas” character needs help seeing things more clearly, it’s poor old Digger Barnes.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Those Weekly Wild Parties’

April 16, 2012 by 1 Comment
Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Double Wedding, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal

Easy as pious

In “Double Wedding,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Bobby (Patrick Duffy), emerges from the Southfork swimming pool and tells Pam (Victoria Principal) about his meeting earlier in the day with the church elders.

BOBBY: [Drying off with a towel] Honey, you should’ve met that building committee. They were more interested in whether or not you and I were going to come to their church than they were if there’s enough room for each of the boys to sleep in the dorm.

PAM: [Mischievously] Do I sense a game plan?

BOBBY: [Grabs her arms and faces her] Well honey, I will adopt my most pious expression but you are going to have to cancel those weekly wild parties of yours. Now, I know it’s going to be hard, but Mr. and Mrs. Ewing are going to become pillars of the community – until the contract’s signed.

PAM: [Mock seriousness] I don’t know. I look forward to those wild parties!

BOBBY: I know you do. [Kisses her]

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 11 – ‘Double Wedding’

April 16, 2012 by 11 Comments
Dallas, Double Wedding, Ed Haynes, Pam Ewing, Robin Clarke, Victoria Principal

Forgotten but not gone

“Double Wedding” focuses on the return of Pam’s long-lost first husband, but I’m much more interested in the subplot about Bobby’s bid to build a “wayward boys’” school for his family’s church.

Yes, the Ewings are churchgoers. Who knew?

Initially, Bobby seems poised to win the congregation’s business: Ewing Oil has donated the land for the school and Sue Ellen, a member of the church’s building committee, has recommended him for the job.

But the stuffy church elders are openly skeptical of Bobby’s plans. One clutch-the-pearls snob turns up her nose at Bobby’s architectural drawings, wondering why there are no bars on the school’s windows. Meanwhile, sanctimonious Reverend Thornwood points out Bobby and Pam have been missing from the pews lately.

Later, when Pam’s bigamy scandal explodes, Sue Ellen lectures Bobby. “You know, it’s not so much that it’s immoral,” Sue Ellen says. “The reverend feels that if a man is incapable of handling his family, he’s also incapable of handling his business.”

By populating the Ewings’ congregation with holier-than-thou types, you might think “Dallas” is thumbing its nose at organized religion. And maybe it is. Or maybe it’s just reflecting the prevailing mood of the 1970s, when by many accounts, narcissism ran rampant and Americans grew disenchanted with churchgoing and other social traditions.

“Dallas” appears to underscore this sentiment in the scene where Bobby jokingly tells Pam she’ll have to stop throwing her “weekly wild parties” while he competes for the church’s business. The implication: Young people like Bobby and Pam who don’t attend church regularly aren’t necessarily immoral.

It would’ve been interesting to see “Dallas” continue to explore the Ewings’ relationship with their church. Aside from the ministers we see preside over weddings and funerals in later seasons, references to religion on the show pretty much vanish after this episode.

In addition to the church subplot, I like “Double Wedding” because it offers another strong performance from Victoria Principal, who is heartbreaking in the scene where J.R. reveals Pam’s potential bigamy in front of the family.

David Wayne is also touching in the scene where Digger tries to help his daughter by confronting Ed Haynes, her first husband. Digger is so small and feeble; you can’t help but feel moved by the sight of him standing up to smarmy Haynes.

Until this point on “Dallas,” Digger has been mostly depicted as a self-centered, embittered drunk, so this scene also marks a moment of real growth for the character.

Think about it: Digger Barnes is trying to save his daughter’s marriage to a Ewing. “Dallas” may not be a religious show, but sometimes miracles happen!

Grade: A

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Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Double Wedding, Patrick Duffy

Field trip

‘DOUBLE WEDDING’

Season 2, Episode 6

Airdate: October 21, 1978

Audience: 11.2 million homes, ranking 48th in the weekly ratings

Writers: Jim Inman and Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Paul Stanley

Synopsis: Pam’s first husband surfaces, claiming they’re still married. Pam realizes he’s a con artist after Ewing money and tricks him into abandoning his scheme.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Robin Clarke (Ed Haynes), Sarah Cunningham (Maggie Monahan), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Desmond Dhooge (Harvey), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Charles Hallahan (Harry Ritlin), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Lisa Lemole (Susan), Randy Moore (Reverend Thornwood), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), David Wayne (Digger Barnes)

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

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