Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes of "Dallas"
“When the Bough Breaks” marks another turning point in the life of Sue Ellen Ewing. In the episode’s final scene, Peter tells Sue Ellen how sorry he is about her recent miscarriage; he believes he was the unborn child’s father, and he had hoped they could raise it together. When Sue Ellen hears this, she’s […]
One of the reasons J.R. Ewing is so entertaining is because he’s always a few steps ahead of the “Dallas” audience. We watch him plot and scheme, never knowing what trick he’s going to pull out of his sleeve next. That’s why the show’s seventh-season corporate espionage storyline is so unusual. From the beginning, viewers […]
Oh, these Ewing women. How they confound me. Every time it seems like they’re about to find happiness on their own terms, they fall back into frustrating old patterns. This usually means falling back into the arms of men who are no good for them. In “The Maelstrom,” after Sue Ellen puts the kibosh on […]
“Dallas” was still figuring itself out during its second season, which means there was plenty to hail and heckle. Performances Although every member of the ensemble has great moments this season, no one is as consistently wonderful as Barbara Bel Geddes. Miss Ellie becomes a somewhat frustrating character as “Dallas” progresses – she too often […]
Rodeos pit man against beast and on “Dallas,” no one is more beastly than J.R. In “Rodeo,” Sue Ellen, having failed to tame her savage husband, considers climbing in the saddle with a man who seems far less brutish: Dusty Farlow. Sue Ellen meets the dashing cowboy when she enters a Braddock café with an […]
“Dallas’s” second-season episode “For Love or Money” establishes an interesting facet of Cliff’s character: He may be the show’s biggest cheapskate, but he’s willing to splurge on nice clothes. The first time we see Cliff in this episode, he’s being fitted for a new suit at The Store while his sister Pam, a Store employee, […]
In “For Love or Money,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Cliff (Ken Kercheval) meets Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) in a park, where he ends their relationship. SUE ELLEN: I thought you loved me. CLIFF: I do, I do – in my own way. It’s just that J.R. made me realize that there are things that I […]
The theme of “For Love or Money” is how relationships are like child’s play. Throughout the episode, the Ewings and Barneses mimic schoolyard behavior – not because “Dallas” wants to trivialize the characters and their situations, but because it wants to put them in a context the audience can understand. The story gets underway when […]
Dallas Decoder 