Linda Gray – Dallas Decoder

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Give Our Regards to Waco’

August 3, 2015 by Chris Baker 4 Comments

Dallas, Linda Gray, Pam Ewing, Shattered Dreams, Sue Ellen Ewing, Victoria Principal

Bar girls

In “Shattered Dreams,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen and Pam (Linda Gray, Victoria Principal) are sitting in a Hong Kong restaurant when a man (Bruce Baron) approaches.

MAN: Howdy. Did I hear that Chinese fellow call you ladies Ewing?

SUE ELLEN: Why?

MAN: Well, excuse me, ma’am. I’m forgetting all my manners. My name’s Benjamin Alan Moody. I’m from Waco. [Extends his hand, which Sue Ellen doesn’t shake] Well, you know, the name Ewing’s not entirely unfamiliar to us in Waco, ma’am, and I was wondering if you all might be related to ol’ J.R.

SUE ELLEN: [Glances at Pam, then turns back to the man] We’re distant cousins. But my family hasn’t spoken to his family for several years.

MAN: I’m sorry, ma’am, to hear that, but since we’re all from Texas, maybe I can buy y’all a drink anyway.

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] I don’t drink, and neither does my friend. [Pam, about to take a sip from her wine glass, puts it down.] But thanks, and give our regards to Waco. [The man walks back to his table. Pam chuckles. Sue Ellen rolls her eyes and sips from her glass.] Perfect timing. Are you all right?

PAM: Yeah. You really handled that well.

SUE ELLEN: Well, it wasn’t hard. It’s amazing you have to fly halfway across the world to run into a jerk like that.

Watch this scene in “Shattered Dreams,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Bruce Baron, Linda Gray, Shattered Dreams, Victoria Principal

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 182 — ‘Shattered Dreams’

August 3, 2015 by Chris Baker 10 Comments

Dallas, Deborah Shelton, Mandy Winger, Shattered Dreams

Key lighting

It’s probably safe to say no “Dallas” episode would perform well on the Bechdel test, which some critics use to gauge sexism in movies. (To pass, a film must have at least one scene where two women talk to each other about something other than a man.) Nevertheless, there are times the series manages to resist its chauvinistic impulses. In “Shattered Dreams,” for example, Mandy refuses to allow J.R. to buy her an apartment, Lucy breaks up with Eddie when she discovers he cheated on her and Sue Ellen outsmarts a stranger who tries to flirt with her in a restaurant. It’s good to see each woman display more backbone than usual, even if they remain supporting players in the show’s male-dominated narrative.

Mandy’s storyline impresses me most. J.R. routinely uses his wealth to buy affection from the women in his life: He wooed Kristin with a closet full of new clothes, and during various stormy periods in his relationship with Sue Ellen, he’s used a new car, jewelry and a fur coat to get back in her good graces. J.R. tries this trick with mistress-in-waiting Mandy in “Shattered Dreams,” offering to set her up in a swanky condominium, but she tells him she won’t be a kept woman. “I know you’re rich, but I’m not for sale,” she says, tossing him the key to the apartment. It’s another reminder that Deborah Shelton’s character starts off being more independent and much smarter than I remembered.

Lucy, on the other hand, is a character for whom wisdom doesn’t come naturally. In “Shattered Dreams,” a guilty-yet-spiteful Betty visits Lucy and reveals she’s been sleeping with Eddie. Given Lucy’s habit of sticking with men after they’ve mistreated her, you might expect her to forgive Eddie. Instead, Lucy breaks up with him and ends their business partnership, calling it “the worst idea I’ve ever had in my life.” After all these years, Charlene Tilton’s character is finally learning from her mistakes. I’m relieved, though, that Lucy’s maturity hasn’t tempered her edge. When Eddie says he doesn’t want Betty, Lucy responds with one of the great “Dallas” lines: “Of course you don’t because she can’t set you up in your own building business. All she can do is sling hash and make love!”

Another scene demonstrates how much the once-demure Sue Ellen has changed. While sitting with Pam in a Hong Kong restaurant, the women are approached by a stranger who overheard someone refer to them as Ewings. When he introduces himself as a fellow Texan and wonders if they’re related to “ol’ J.R.,” Sue Ellen says they’re distant cousins. The stranger offers to buy the ladies a drink, but Sue Ellen responds neither one likes alcohol — prompting Pam to quickly put down the glass of wine she was about to raise to her lips. Victoria Principal’s timing is perfect and Linda Gray’s delivery is equal parts honey and acid, recalling Julia Sugarbaker’s memorable takedowns on “Designing Women.” It’s an amusing scene, although I must say: Sue Ellen is kind of hard on the guy. The role may be written as a lothario, but Bruce Baron portrays him as a genuinely friendly out-of-towner.

Speaking of Hong Kong: Sue Ellen and Pam’s scenes were actually shot there, marking the first time “Dallas” has left the country to film an episode. I’m not sure it adds much to the storyline, though, which involves Pam’s ho-hum search for her is-he-dead-or-isn’t-he fiancé, Mark Graison. Other scenes in “Shattered Dreams” also fall flat. When Cliff asks Jamie out to dinner, she suggests they get Chinese food. It’s meant to be a cute coincidence, but it feels forced. Later, during Betty and Lucy’s poolside confrontation, Kathleen York does her best to make her character seem awestruck by the grandeur of Southfork, which isn’t easy considering the scene was filmed on the show’s less-than-convincing patio soundstage. Eagle-eyed “Dallas” viewers also will notice Ray and Donna’s bedroom makes a rare appearance in this episode, although it doesn’t match the set used when the room appeared in the fifth-season classic “Adoption.” It’s also worth noting “Shattered Dreams” marks the debut of Mandy’s living room, which is decorated with framed pictures of herself. How wonderful.

Of course, even when the storytelling and production values on “Dallas” disappoint, it’s still worth revisiting the show to be reminded of the way we once lived. In one scene, J.R. hears Cliff leave a message on Mandy’s answering machine, pops the cassette out of the machine and replaces it with another. Even in the 1980s, it was pretty easy to hack someone else’s “data.” I also get a kick out of the end of the episode, when Bobby and Jenna go to the airport to meet Veronica Robinson, who is flying to Dallas to be a star witness at Jenna’s murder trial. (Groan.) While standing outside the airport gate, Bobby and Jenna become alarmed when a couple of airport security officers rush past them and board the plane — and so Bobby and Jenna follow them with no interference whatsoever.

In a similar spirit, I love this episode’s scene of Pam and Sue Ellen flying to Hong Kong. The characters sip iced tea, nibble on a plate of fruit and make polite small talk when a friendly stewardess drops by to ask if they’d care for a magazine to read. Principal and Gray look like they’re having a grand time, and who can blame them? I mean, besides the first-class service, check out all the legroom on their plane!

Grade: C

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Wall of Mandy

‘SHATTERED DREAMS’

Season 8, Episode 21

Airdate: February 22, 1985

Audience: 21.9 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Nick Havinga

Synopsis: Pam and Sue Ellen arrive in Hong Kong. J.R. hides assets from Bobby and tries again to woo Mandy, who refuses his attempt to set her up in an apartment. Cliff and Jamie grow closer. Lucy breaks up with Eddie after learning he’s been cheating with Betty. Veronica agrees to testify on Jenna’s behalf, but she dies mysteriously before arriving in Dallas.

Cast: Bruce Baron (Benjamin Alan Moody), Philip Chan (Edward Chan), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Stephen Elliott (Scotty Demarest), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Erik Holland (Conrad Buckhouser), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Fredric Lehne (Eddie Cronin), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Veronica Robinson (Gail Strickland), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Don Starr (Jordan Lee), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Kathleen York (Betty)

“Shattered Dreams” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Adoption, Bruce Baron, Charlene Tilton, Deborah Shelton, Kathleen York, Linda Gray, Shattered Dreams, Victoria Principal

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I’m Going to Do It to Cliff’

July 27, 2015 by Chris Baker 8 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Sins of the Fathers, Sue Ellen Ewing

Hold on

In “Sins of the Fathers,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) is undressing in his bedroom when he notices a fur-clad Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) exiting hers.

J.R.: Sue Ellen?

SUE ELLEN: Oh, you’re back. Good. Have a nice dinner.

J.R.: Where you going all dressed up like that?

SUE ELLEN: I’m having dinner out.

J.R.: Out?

SUE ELLEN: Yes. [Enters J.R.’s room] I’m bringing someone back in my life that I never should’ve lost in the first place.

J.R.: [Approaches her] When did this all come about?

SUE ELLEN: I went to Barnes-Wentworth this morning to see —

J.R.: [Sharply] You went where?

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] I just told you.

J.R.: You went to see Cliff Barnes?

SUE ELLEN: Would that bother you?

J.R.: I don’t believe it. Are you really trying to rub my nose in it by going out with that idiot?

SUE ELLEN: Well, he must have something. Look at all the women that the two of you have shared. Julie Grey, Afton, myself. [Smiles] As a matter of fact, Cliff is a wonderful lover.

J.R.: [Grabs her, pulls her into the room, slams the door behind them] I’m not going to let you do this to me.

SUE ELLEN: I’m not going to do it to you. I’m going to do it to Cliff. You never really wanted me anyway, so why does it bother you what I do? [He moves her onto the bed, lies on top of her]

J.R.: Because, honey, you belong to me and not anybody else is going to have you. I’ll tell you that right now.

SUE ELLEN: It’s a little late for that, J.R.

J.R.: [Chuckles] You’re just trying to get even with me, but you still want me, don’t you? [He tries to kiss her, she turns her head]

SUE ELLEN: Don’t! Get off of me. No! Get off of me!

J.R.: Oh, darlin’, I know what you like. [Nuzzles her neck] I know what you like, Sue Ellen. [Gasps] I know what you like, darlin’, and this is it. [They kiss — until she knees him in the groin.] Oh!

SUE ELLEN: And I know what you like — and I’m sure that wasn’t it. [She gets up and leaves him on the bed, writhing in pain.]

Watch this scene in “Sins of the Fathers,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Sins of the Father

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 180 — ‘Sins of the Fathers’

July 27, 2015 by Chris Baker 13 Comments

Dallas, Deborah Shelton, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Mandy Winger, Sins of the Fathers

Darkest before dawn

You know J.R. Ewing is having a bad week when he gets kneed in the groin and it’s the least of his problems. Such is our hero’s fate in “Sins of the Fathers.” The assault-by-patella occurs when J.R. tries to force himself upon Sue Ellen and she strikes back as only she can. He’s also rejected by Mandy, the gorgeous model who has proven immune to his charms, and then a judge freezes Ewing Oil’s assets after Cliff sues to snag a piece of the company. J.R.’s greatest indignity comes in the last scene, when his grand plan to use aging roughneck Alf Brindle to counter Cliff’s lawsuit backfires spectacularly.

Do all these misfortunes mean J.R. is losing his touch? Well, no, actually. We’ve merely arrived at the moment during a “Dallas” season when it looks like the character’s luck has finally run out. In previous years, this happened when J.R. got tossed into a Cuban jail cell, when he was forced to ask Cliff for an extension on a loan, when a state senate committee closed in on his illegal dealings overseas. In each instance, J.R. escaped harm and came out on top. There’s little doubt he’ll also recover from his setbacks in “Sins of the Fathers,” which might explain why his storyline this season feels so ho-hum. Even when this episode aired in 1985, audiences must have thought: We’ve seen this movie before. We know how it’s going to end.

Of course, “Sins of the Fathers” isn’t a rehash altogether. Consider J.R. and Sue Ellen’s fight scene, which begins with her leading him to believe she’s going to spend the night with Cliff. J.R. angrily pulls Sue Ellen into his bedroom, throws her onto the bed and begins kissing her. “I know what you like, darlin’,” he says. It’s reminiscent of two encounters from past episodes (“Black Market Baby,” “Rodeo”) — until Sue Ellen knees her husband, pushes him off of her and says, “And I know what you like — and I’m sure that wasn’t it.” I’m no fan of violence, but how can you not feel proud of Linda Gray’s character at this moment? After all these years, Sue Ellen has finally learned how to stop J.R. from taking advantage of her.

“Sins of the Fathers” scriptwriter Leonard Katzman and Larry Hagman, who directed the episode, find other ways to keep things fresh. When the Ewings track down Brindle in Galveston, J.R. and Ray go there together to speak to him. It’s the first time the half-brothers have paired up since their memorable trip to Waco during the first season. Later, the Ewings bring Brindle to Cliff’s condo to confront him, marking J.R.’s first visit there. And then there’s Jenna’s kitchen scene, which sheds new light on Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s character. While kneading dough, Jenna recalls how she learned to bake from her father because her mother didn’t know how. “She never did teach me anything,” Jenna says, making me wonder what their relationship was like. (Perhaps this would have made a better storyline than Naldo’s yawn-inducing murder trial.)

Mostly, though, “Sins of the Fathers” is another eighth-season episode that celebrates “Dallas’s” history. During J.R. and Sue Ellen’s fight, she points out all the women he’s shared with Cliff (Julie Grey, Afton Cooper, herself). Mandy walks out on Cliff with a suitcase in her hand, just like Afton did in the season opener. To shield Ewing Oil assets from Cliff, J.R. turns again to Carl Hardesty, who helped him set up a series of dummy corporations during the sixth season. Bobby stumbles across a newspaper article about Lee Evans, the pilot who witnessed Jock’s helicopter crash during Season 5. (Since this scene never leads to a bigger storyline, I’m guessing it’s included here to promote “Who Killed Jock Ewing?”, a “Dallas” novel that was published in 1985 and features Evans as a character.)

I also appreciate “Sins of the Fathers’” attention to detail, a signature of both Katzman and Hagman. When Pam arrives at the Oil Baron’s Club for her lunch date with Bobby, notice how one of the extras cranes his neck to check out Victoria Principal as she breezes past him. Why do I get the feeling Hagman, in his role as director, instructed the extra to do this? Likewise, what are we to make of the scene where Harv shows up at the Ewing Oil offices with a piece of tissue stuck to his face and explains he was so rattled by J.R.’s call earlier that morning, he nicked himself shaving? Perhaps Katzman wrote this into the script, or maybe George O. Petrie actually cut himself on the day the episode was filmed. This also seems like the kind of thing Hagman might have come up with, just because he thought it would amuse the audience.

If that’s the case, he was right.

Grade: B

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Don’t mess with Miss Texas

‘SINS OF THE FATHERS’

Season 8, Episode 19

Airdate: February 8, 1985

Audience: 21.2 million homes, ranking 4th in the weekly ratings

Writer: Leonard Katzman

Director: Larry Hagman

Synopsis: A judge freezes Ewing Oil’s assets but later reverses the decision. The Ewings track down Alf Brindle, a roughneck who worked for Jock, Jason and Digger, but the man accidentally offers evidence that supports and Cliff and Jamie’s claim. Mandy leaves Cliff but refuses to see J.R. Sue Ellen mends fences with Pam, who is given fresh reason to believe Mark is still alive. Jenna worries about her trial. Lucy and Eddie break ground on their construction project.

Cast: Beau Billingslea (Dr. Miller), John Carter (Carl Hardesty), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Pat Colbért (Dora Mae), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Stephan Elliott (Scotty Demarest), Eddie Firestone (Alf Brindle), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Fredric Lehne (Eddie Cronin), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Dean Santoro (Raymond Furguson), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Harvey Vernon (Judge Harding), Kathleen York (Betty)

“Sins of the Fathers” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Black Market Baby, George O. Petrie, Killer at Large, Larry Hagman, Leonard Katzman, Linda Gray, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Rodeo, Sins of the Fathers, Victoria Principal, Who Killed Jock Ewing?

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 178 — ‘Bail Out’

July 20, 2015 by Chris Baker 17 Comments

Bail Out, Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Truth to power

Bobby springs Jenna from jail in “Bail Out,” while Sue Ellen liberates her own tongue. After discovering J.R. has cheated on her yet again, she stops playing the dutiful wife and begins speaking her mind, even if it means telling loved ones things they don’t want to hear. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Sue Ellen assume the role of Southfork’s resident truth-teller, although when it’s happened in the past, it’s usually because she’s been drinking. Our heroine is sober in “Bail Out,” making this episode another early glimpse of the independent, wiser character she’ll become in “Dallas’s” later years.

In the first act, Sue Ellen wakes up — a metaphor, perhaps — and has coffee with Miss Ellie in the dining room. When the conversation turns to Jamie’s efforts to split up Ewing Oil, Ellie is surprised to hear Sue Ellen hopes Jamie succeeds. “We have to keep what is ours. That company means everything to this family,” Ellie says. Sue Ellen gently points out Ellie’s hypocrisy, reminding the Ewing matriarch she once tried to force the sale of the business to keep J.R. and Bobby from fighting over it. Ellie defends herself, saying this situation is different because her sons are no longer at each other’s throats. She also urges Sue Ellen to think of John Ross, who’s poised to run the company someday. Sue Ellen’s response: “I know. That used to matter to me very much. Maybe he’d be better off without it.”

Did you ever think you’d hear Sue Ellen Ewing say such a thing? After all, this is the woman who spent “Dallas’s” earliest episodes in a virtual race with Pam to bear the Ewings’ first grandson. Now she’s admitting what’s she’s known for some time: being a Ewing wife and mother isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sue Ellen’s newly brutal honesty is also on display later in the episode, when she warns Jenna about the Ewings’ looming war with Jamie. Sue Ellen predicts the battle will cause Bobby to revert to the cutthroat tactics he used during the contest for Ewing Oil. “Wait and see,” she says. “The Ewing boys are alike in certain ways. I found it out, and so did Pam.”

You may not like everything Sue Ellen has to say in “Bail Out,” but you have to admire “Dallas’s” willingness to allow the character to change. You also have to admire Linda Gray’s ability to make Sue Ellen’s evolution so believable. In the scene with Donna Reed, Gray’s delivery is beautifully heartfelt. (It helps that the conversation takes place right after Sue Ellen awakens, so Gray gets to perform with little makeup and her hair a little messy. It’s Sue Ellen, unvarnished.) Gray also is impressive in her scene with Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. It would have been easy to bring an air of classic Sue Ellen bitchiness to this exchange, but Gray takes a different approach. She treats her character’s speech as a helpful warning, not a hurtful threat.

The other standout performer in “Bail Out” is Victoria Principal, who is fantastic in the episode-ending scene where pilot Gerald Kane visits Pam and confesses he lied about flying Mark Graison to the Caribbean to seek a cure for his disease. This tightly written, three-minute exchange requires Principal to exhibit a range of emotions — shock, anger, disgust — and she hits each one with precision. (Future Oscar winner James Cromwell is also quite good, making Kane’s guilt and shame palpable.) The best moment comes when Pam demands to know who paid Kane to lie to her. “No one has any reason to do something like that to me,” she says, but of course she must know in her heart who’s responsible. When Kane tells her the culprit is J.R. Ewing, Pam strikes him and repeats the name: “J.R. Ewing?!” It’s a testament to director Michael Preece that this doesn’t come off as a campy soap opera slap. Instead, it feels genuinely reflexive, as if Pam can’t help lashing out.

Speaking of J.R.: He finally seduces Mandy in this episode, luring her to a high-rise hotel suite under the ruse that she’s visiting something called “Club 1900.” When she arrives, she’s in no mood for his charms and angrily tosses a glassful of champagne in his face. He responds by grabbing and kissing her hard; she squirms for a few seconds but eventually melts in his arms. It’s not quite as unappetizing as the scene where J.R. forces himself on Sue Ellen in the second-season classic “Black Market Baby,” but it’s uncomfortable nonetheless. Other moments in “Bail Out” also evoke earlier storylines, including one where Ray encourages Lucy and Eddie to get soil samples before starting construction on their housing project. It’s a subtle nod to Ray’s disastrous foray into the real estate business during the fourth season. Sue Ellen and Ellie’s conversation about John Ross’s future also has echoes of Mama’s memorable speech (“Where will this all end?”) during the contest for Ewing Oil.

Homages like these have become a hallmark of “Dallas’s” eighth season. Each one feels like a treat for fans who absorb every last detail of the Ewings’ lives. You have to admire the show’s willingness to honor fans this way. Is it any wonder so many of us continue to reward “Dallas” with our loyalty?

Grade: B

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Cheers!

‘BAIL OUT’

Season 8, Episode 17

Airdate: January 25, 1985

Audience: 22.2 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Michael Preece

Synopsis: Bobby bails out Jenna and reunites her with Charlie. Sue Ellen warns Jenna about the looming battle for Ewing Oil. Cliff and Jamie gather evidence for their lawsuit. J.R. and Mandy have sex. Kane tells Pam that J.R. paid him to lead her on a wild goose chase.

Cast: Beau Billingslea (Dr. Miller), Burke Byrnes (Pete Adams), Roseanna Christiansen (Teresa), Pat Colbért (Dora Mae), James Cromwell (Gerald Kane), Val De Vargas (Patrick Wolfe), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Stephen Elliott (Scotty Demarest), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Clyde Kusatsu (Dr. Albert Matsuda), Fredric Lehne (Eddie Cronin), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Joe Nesnow (Judge Lanley), George O. Petrie (Harve Smithfield), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Dean Santoro (Raymond Furguson), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis)

“Bail Out” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Bail Out, Black Market Baby, Donna Reed, James Cromwell, Linda Gray, Michael Preece, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, Victoria Principal

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Have Earned the Right to Be Here’

July 15, 2015 by Chris Baker 3 Comments

Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, Winds of War

Right stuff

In “Winds of War,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) is fixing a drink in the Southfork living room when Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) arrives home and stands in the doorway.

SUE ELLEN: Why don’t you pour one for me? I know you’re not used to drinking alone.

J.R.: [Turns to face her] Well, you must be joking, darlin’. You know you don’t drink.

SUE ELLEN: [Walks toward him] You have no idea how close I came to starting up again. I sat in a bar for an hour, staring at a double vodka. Thinking about Jamie, you, our lives.

J.R.: But you didn’t drink it, did you?

SUE ELLEN: No. Because in the end, you weren’t worth it. Then I drove around for awhile, trying to decide what I was going to do when I got home.

J.R.: Darlin’, I explained that little misunderstanding.

SUE ELLEN: Didn’t you? I almost chose to believe you, rather than leave you.

J.R.: Oh, Sue Ellen.

SUE ELLEN: Oh, I wouldn’t do that. Uh-uh. Because I have earned the right to be here. God knows I have paid the price for that privilege. Jamie really made me look at myself today. And I didn’t like it. And I didn’t like our charade, pretending that we could be happy together.

J.R.: We can be, darlin’, honestly.

SUE ELLEN: Never. I’m moving into Jamie’s old room. I’m going to stay here to protect my son. But don’t you ever come near me. You do what you want, when you want. But don’t you ever explain anything to me again. Because I don’t care anymore. [Turns and leaves]

Watch this scene in “Winds of War,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Winds of War

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 177 — ‘Winds of War’

July 15, 2015 by Chris Baker 16 Comments

Scene from a marriage

In “Winds of War,” J.R. insists he’s been faithful when Sue Ellen accuses him of cheating. He’s lying, of course, but why? Is he trying to spare his wife’s feelings, or is he trying to spare himself the embarrassment of another marital implosion? Does he want Sue Ellen to stay at Southfork because he fears she’ll take John Ross with her if she leaves, or does he want her there because he loves her? And what about Sue Ellen? Why does her husband’s fidelity matter to her? Is she in love with him, or is she merely dependent upon him? Does she want him, or does she need him?

None of the answers are clear, not that I’m complaining. Part of “Dallas’s” appeal lies in trying to figure out the mysteries of J.R. and Sue Ellen’s marriage, which will always be the show’s most fascinating relationship. But even when the motivations aren’t readily apparent, we can still see how these two characters are changing. Consider the “Winds of War” scene that ends with Sue Ellen tearfully ordering a double vodka at the Oil Baron’s Club. (“Just bring it, Cassie!”) We expect her to be drunk the next time we see her, since this is how she’s always coped with J.R.’s cheating. Yet in a surprising twist, Sue Ellen comes home sober, explaining to her husband that she stared at the drink for an hour before deciding he wasn’t worth a relapse.

We see changes in J.R. too. When Linda Gray delivers the line about not taking the drink, Larry Hagman’s eyes widen and he smiles slightly — as if J.R. is surprised, and perhaps more than a little proud, that his wife kept her demons in check. As the scene continues, Sue Ellen declares that she isn’t going to leave Southfork. “I have earned the right to be here,” she says. This feels like a moment of triumph for the character and an early glimpse of the grit she’ll display in later seasons. But it’s also an example of how J.R. still has power over her. Despite everything, she still can’t bring herself to leave him. Even when she can say no to booze, she can’t say no to him.

“Winds of War” is written and directed by Leonard Katzman, who sprinkles J.R. and Sue Ellen’s scenes with nods to other memorable moments in their marriage. In their confrontation at the end of the episode, Hagman is dressed in the same blue robe and pajamas that he wore at the beginning of the season, when J.R. won Sue Ellen back after being on the outs with her for more than a year. Also in the “Winds of War” scene, she tells him, “Don’t you ever explain anything to me again.” This recalls one of her memorable lines from their great clash two years earlier, when she chided him as “a terrific explainer.” You can even find allusions to J.R. and Sue Ellen in scenes that don’t feature them. When Bobby goes to Los Angeles and meets Veronica, the girlfriend of villainous Naldo Marchetta, he asks why she stayed with him despite his abusive tendencies. “I loved him,” she says. If a similar question was put to Sue Ellen, would her answer be any different?

Other “Winds of War” highlights include the final scene, when Cliff persuades Jamie to fight the Ewings for control of their company. Ken Kercheval delivers an urgent, heartfelt speech about how Cliff and Jamie owe it to their daddies to take back what Jock stole from them — and then when she agrees (“Let’s do it!”), he flashes a magnificently malevolent grin. Cliff has learned a thing or two from his nemesis, hasn’t he? Speaking of J.R.: I like his lie to Sue Ellen that the woman he was spotted kissing, Serena, is merely the daughter of “Congressman Hooker” (no stretch there, huh?), as well as Lucy and Eddie’s visit to Harv Smithfield’s office to formalize their real estate partnership. There’s unexpected warmth in George O. Petrie and Charlene Tilton’s exchanges. You get the impression Harv cares about Lucy and doesn’t want to see her get hurt. It’s the kind of small detail “Dallas” does so well.

Donna Reed supplies “Winds of War” with its other nice surprise. At the beginning of the episode, Miss Ellie becomes angry when she learns J.R. has kicked Jamie off Southfork. “Why, J.R.? What brought this on?” Ellie shouts. It’s the first time Reed has raised her voice since arriving on “Dallas” — and the first time she’s displayed Mama’s old fire. I like another scene between Reed and Howard Keel even more. Ellie and Clayton are dining at the Oil Baron’s Club, where she is fretting over Jamie’s future. Clayton encourages her not to make her niece’s problems her own. Ellie sits back in her chair, chuckles softly and realizes he’s right. It ends up being a rare example of two “Dallas” characters coping with their problems through laughter. The exchange also demonstrates Reed’s rapport with Keel, which feels genuinely affectionate.

At the end of this scene, Clayton asks Ellie if she’s ever considered running away from home. Reed smiles again and says, “A lot. But I think I’ll stay around and see how it all turns out.” For the first time, I wish she had been given that chance.

Grade: A

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grinning season

‘WINDS OF WAR’

Season 8, Episode 16

Airdate: January 11, 1985

Audience: 23.6 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer and Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: After Sue Ellen’s friendship with Jamie collapses, she moves out of J.R.’s bedroom. Jamie leaves Southfork and agrees to join forces with Cliff to fight for control of Ewing Oil. Bobby finds Charlie in California. Lucy and Eddie form a business partnership.

Cast: Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Stephen Elliott (Scotty Demarest), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Fredric Lehne (Eddie Cronin), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Gail Strickland (Veronica Robinson), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Winds of War” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Charlene Tilton, Donna Reed, George O. Petrie, Howard Keel, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Winds of War

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘You Bastard’

July 13, 2015 by Chris Baker 7 Comments

Dallas, Linda Gray, Lockup in Laredo, Sue Ellen Ewing

What goes up …

In “Lockup in Laredo,” an eighth-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) comes home from work and enters the Southfork foyer, where Jamie (Jenilee Harrison) is ending a phone call with Bobby.

J.R.: Did I just hear you say you talked to Judge Samuelson?

JAMIE: Yes. Bobby needed to get in touch with him.

J.R.: Well, the judge is a very important man. I should have done that.

JAMIE: I know, and Bobby wanted you to. But you weren’t there so I called him myself.

J.R.: Well, listen young lady, you don’t just pick up a phone and call people like that. You should have waited for me. [Puts down his hat, enters the living room]

JAMIE: Waited for you? I did more than that. I went out to try and find you.

J.R.: [Stops in his tracks] Find me?

JAMIE: I called the restaurant where you were at, but you left specific orders that you did not want to be disturbed. So I went there myself because it was so important. And there you were, hugging some tall, gorgeous blond who seemed to know you pretty well.

Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) comes down the stairs in the background.

J.R.: That woman happens to be a business associate.

JAMIE: Ah, another business associate. Like the one you were hugging at the barbecue? Only this time, you weren’t just hugging her. You were groping her and kissing her, and you probably spent the rest of the afternoon in bed with her.

J.R.: That’s a hell of an assumption on your part.

JAMIE: You didn’t come back to the office all afternoon. J.R., how could you do that to Sue Ellen?

SUE ELLEN: I’d like to know the answer to that question myself.

JAMIE: Sue Ellen.

SUE ELLEN: You bastard. I knew things between us were too good to last.

J.R.: It’s not what it looks like. This girl saw it wrong.

SUE ELLEN: Groping and kissing? That’s hard to see wrong.

J.R.: She’s lying.

JAMIE: I’m so sorry, Sue Ellen. I didn’t mean for you to hear this.

J.R.: Well, it seems like there’s a lot of things you don’t mean but you go ahead and do them anyhow, and people get hurt.

JAMIE: I’m not the one hurting people. You are.

J.R.: You’ve got a lot of gall, young lady.

SUE ELLEN: Don’t you dare twist it around. It’s not Jamie’s fault.

J.R.: Well, then whose fault is it? She sees something she doesn’t understand and then broadcasts lies all over the place.

JAMIE: I’m not lying.

J.R.: The hell you’re not. You’ve been lying ever since you first got here — and I’m sick and tired of it. I want you out of this house and off this property right now.

SUE ELLEN: She’s not going anywhere.

J.R.: She’s a troublemaker, Sue Ellen. I want her out of this house tonight.

SUE ELLEN: No!

JAMIE: That’s okay, Sue Ellen. I don’t want to stay here anymore anyway. I’ve had all that I can take. And you know, J.R., I told you I wasn’t going to use that document. I never wanted to hurt the family. But maybe now I will. Maybe now I’ll show you how real a Ewing I am. [Runs upstairs]

J.R.: You heard what she said. I told you we couldn’t trust her.

SUE ELLEN: It’s happening all over again, isn’t it? The sneaking around, the cheating.

J.R.: I’m not cheating on you.

SUE ELLEN: Shut up! I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.

J.R.: She’s the one who’s lying.

SUE ELLEN: I doubt that very much. Jamie and I have built up a wonderful friendship over the past several months, and she cares about it as much as I do. You’re the one who ruined it. I told you to leave her alone, stay away from her, but no. You had to destroy that friendship — just like you’ve destroyed everything else in my life.

J.R.: [Steps forward] Sue Ellen, would you listen to me.

SUE ELLEN: No, I will not listen to you! [Smiles] Congratulations. You had a wonderful day for yourself, didn’t you? You got rid of Jamie, and you got rid of me. [Begins climbing the stairs] I hope she fights you for Ewing Oil, and I hope she wins. Because then you’ll know exactly how I feel tonight.

Watch this scene in “Lockup in Laredo,” available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes, and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: Jenilee Harrison, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Lockup in Laredo

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 175 — ‘Odd Man Out’

July 8, 2015 by Chris Baker 14 Comments

Bobby Ewing, Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Odd Man Out, Patrick Duffy

Raising the bar

“Odd Man Out” is the 12th “Dallas” episode directed by Larry Hagman, who demonstrates once more that he’s as talented behind the camera as he is in front of it. The main storyline finds Bobby depressed because he believes Jenna dumped him to reunite with her ex-husband Naldo; little does Bob know Naldo is actually holding Jenna captive. This isn’t the richest material in the show’s history, but Hagman makes it compelling nonetheless. He also rewards the audience with several scenes that draw upon the history of the characters and their relationships. With the exception of Leonard Katzman and a few others, did anyone know “Dallas” better than its biggest star?

“Odd Man Out’s” most suspenseful moment comes at the end of the second act, when Naldo leaves Jenna alone to pay their hotel bill. She sneaks into a phone booth, drops a coin in the slot and punches the buttons. An operator comes on the line and tells her the call will cost a dollar. “Damn. Come on,” Jenna says as she dumps change out of her purse, sorts it quickly and inserts more coins. Cut to Southfork, where Bobby sits on the patio, reading a newspaper as the phone next to him begins ringing. He doesn’t answer it right away (is he waiting for Raoul or Teresa?), and when he finally picks up and says hello, Hagman cuts back to the phone booth — where Naldo takes the receiver from Jenna’s hand and hangs up. “Don’t ever try anything like that again,” he says.

The episode takes another dramatic turn at the end. J.R., Sue Ellen and Jamie have taken Bobby out to dinner, hoping to cheer him up. Bobby proposes a toast: “To Jenna Wade and the life she’s chosen for herself, wherever she is and whomever she’s with.” Hagman then cuts to a shot of Jenna, lying unconscious on a hotel floor. A lamp is knocked over, the sleeve of her blouse is torn and there’s a gun in her hand. As she slowly awakens, two police officers burst into the room. “Freeze, lady,” one says. “Drop the gun. Drop it!” Jenna looks bewildered and glances over her shoulder — where she sees Naldo’s dead body. Freeze the frame, roll the credits.

Other standout scenes in “Odd Man Out” showcase the “Dallas” characters. In one sequence, J.R. is having lunch with Mandy when he receives a call from Dora Mae, who tells him Bobby is drinking heavily at the Oil Baron’s Club. J.R. doesn’t hesitate to leave Mandy’s side so he can help his brother. (Something similar will happen in the eighth-season finale, “Swan Song,” except the circumstances will be dire.) Later, J.R. bucks up Bobby by reminding him that Christopher needs him; besides recalling a conversation years earlier where Bobby pulls J.R. out a depressive slump, this moment reminds us how good Hagman and Patrick Duffy are together. In another fun sequence, J.R. plays cupid in reverse: He runs into Pam and makes sure she knows how upset Bobby is over his breakup with Jenna, and then J.R. tells Bobby that Pam is too busy with her search for Mark to care about his problems.

Speaking of Pam: Victoria Principal is wonderful in the scene where Benton, the owner of the San Serrano medical clinic, tells Pam that Mark is alive. The actress cries and laughs at once, which gives the audience the odd sensation of being happy for Pam even though we suspect J.R. is behind her wild goose chase. Hagman also allows “Dallas’s” other leading lady, Linda Gray, a chance to shine. The script doesn’t give Sue Ellen much to do, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook her. In two scenes, Sue Ellen asks other characters where J.R. is. In each instance, Gray delivers her lines with just the right amount of doubt and suspicion, letting us know that Sue Ellen realizes her husband is up to his old tricks again.

“Odd Man Out” also illustrates Hagman’s eye for detail. The episode’s opening shot is a close-up of caviar being dished onto a plate — a signal, perhaps, that the competitive Hagman wanted his show to cede no ground in “Dallas’s” rivalry with glitzy “Dynasty.” Hagman also understood the need for balance, though, which is why he shows Ray, Donna and Dave Culver enjoying a down-home meal around the Krebbs’ dining room table. Ray and Donna are bringing Dave up to speed on Jamie’s claims about Ewing Oil’s ownership, and at one point Ray pauses to ask Dave if he’d care for some corn. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Hagman suggested this gesture to make the scene feel more realistic. Think about it: When you watch “Dallas” dinner scenes helmed by other directors, do you ever hear someone ask to pass the salt?

Other highlights include a nice subplot about Clayton challenging Miss Ellie’s devotion to her sons by pointing out they are grown men who can take care of themselves. No matter how you feel about Donna Reed’s casting as Ellie, you have to appreciate how the show continues to give meaningful material to its oldest actors. The producers’ efforts to keep Lucy in the spotlight aren’t as successful. In this episode, she shuts off Eddie’s alarm so he’ll sleep in and skip work to spend the day with her. He’s angry when he wakes up and discovers this, and who can blame him? Did Lucy learn nothing from her too-brief foray into the working world?

On the other hand, when Lucy offers to support Eddie financially and he balks, she points out that if the roles were reversed, he probably wouldn’t think twice about supporting her. This is a good point. Lucy may not know much about the real world, but at least she recognizes sexism when she sees it.

Grade: A

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Odd woman out

‘ODD MAN OUT’

Season 8, Episode 14

Airdate: December 28, 1984

Audience: 20.8 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Larry Hagman

Synopsis: J.R. urges Bobby to get over losing Jenna. Miss Ellie and Clayton disagree over her involvement in her sons’ lives. Pam visits a Caribbean clinic that Mark supposedly visited two months earlier. Eddie quits his job. Jenna awakens next to Naldo’s dead body as police officers enter the room.

Cast: Don Banning (Roy Crowley), Burke Byrnes (Pete Adams), Pat Colbert (Dora Mae), Timothy J. Cutt (Leonard Boyle), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Eric Farlow (Christopher Ewing), Tom Fuccello (Senator Dave Culver), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Omri Katz (John Ross Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Fredric Lehna (Eddie Cronin), Michael McRae (Benton), Daniel Pilon (Renaldo Marchetta), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis)

“Odd Man Out” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

Filed Under: Critiques, Critiques (Classic), Opinion Tagged With: Larry Hagman, Leonard Katzman, Linda Gray, Odd Man Out, Patrick Duffy, Swan Song, Victoria Principal

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 174 — ‘Déjà Vu’

July 6, 2015 by Chris Baker 5 Comments

Dallas, Deja Vu, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman

Game of phones

What could be unholier than an alliance between J.R. Ewing and Cliff Barnes? In “Déjà Vu,” the sworn enemies agree to work together to keep Bobby and Pam apart. The scene where J.R. and Cliff meet in a dive bar and toast their partnership is one of the episode’s highlights, and not just because it’s one of the few times in “Dallas” history that Larry Hagman and Ken Kercheval are civil to each other on screen. The scene also demonstrates how their characters are beginning to change, if not grow. In an era when many of the show’s creative risks don’t pay off, here’s one that works.

“Déjà Vu” begins with the Ewings reeling after Jenna leaves Bobby at the altar on their wedding day. After the guests are sent home, J.R. and Bobby head to Ewing Oil and pull out all the stops to determine why she ran away — even ordering their secretaries to report to the office on a Saturday to help track down the runaway bride. (Why weren’t the secretaries invited to the wedding?) Later, J.R. receives a mysterious phone call from someone who wants to get together to discuss the situation. We don’t learn the caller’s identity until J.R. shows up in the bar and takes a seat across from Cliff, who tells him now that Bobby is free, he’s afraid he’ll reunite with Pam. J.R. agrees he and Cliff should do everything they can to stop such a reconciliation from taking place. “Maybe this is the one time a Ewing and a Barnes ought to work together,” J.R. says.

It’s fun to watch Hagman and Kercheval clink beer glasses, although this scene has more going for it than the novelty factor. For starters, the exchange shows how much Cliff has changed. Think about it: He’s the character in control here. Cliff calls the meeting, sets the time and location, and suggests the alliance with J.R. Since the eighth season began, we’ve seen Cliff become smarter and more successful, and now we know he can scheme with the best of them. J.R. has changed too: There was a time he wouldn’t have given his archenemy the time of day, but here he treats Cliff as an equal. (J.R. has always been more willing to join forces with Pam, who he probably considers a worthier adversary.) Some fans want Cliff always to lose and J.R. always to win, but I admire “Dallas’s” willingness to allow the characters to evolve. Besides, it’s not like they won’t slide back into their familiar roles eventually.

The title “Déjà Vu” points to Bobby’s backstory — Jenna also left him at the altar when the characters were younger — although I’m more interested in another blast from the past: the return of the terrific Sarah Cunningham as Maggie, the woman who raised Cliff and Pam. In the storyline, Cliff and Mandy visit Maggie to see what she knows about Jamie Ewing’s claim that Jock, Jason and Digger were equal partners in Ewing Oil. After Cliff arrives on her doorstep and pulls out some photos of Christopher, she invites him and Mandy into the backyard to discuss what’s really on his mind. “If I know my brother’s son, he didn’t drive three hours to Marshall on a Saturday just to show me baby pictures,” she says. That line alone makes me wish “Dallas” had used Cunningham more frequently. The actress is so natural and believable; the show would have benefitted from her homespun charm.

“Déjà Vu” also features James Cromwell’s first appearance as Gerald Kane, the pilot who approaches Pam with the bombshell news that he flew Mark Graison to a clinic in the Caribbean to seek a cure for his disease. Cromwell, who later received an Oscar nomination for his role as the farmer in “Babe,” is quite good in his scene with Victoria Principal. At the end of the episode, we learn Kane is secretly working for J.R. — a neat twist that probably would have been even more surprising if it had come later, once Cromwell’s character was more established. I wonder why the show exposed his connection to J.R. so soon?

Other “Déjà Vu” highlights include the scene where Ray assures Bobby that Jenna loves him — in a few years, Ray will be doubting Jenna’s love for him once they begin a relationship — as well as a nice moment when Maggie’s lawyer visits Cliff and suggests Digger must have been a gentleman. Cliff beams, reminding us that he sees his father differently than most of the other characters on this show. I also like the scene where Sue Ellen receives the call from J.R. informing her that Jenna has skipped town. After Sue Ellen hangs up, Miss Ellie and Donna eagerly ask her what J.R. said. As the music swells, Linda Gray keeps her back to Donna Reed and Susan Howard, looks into the distance and solemnly intones, “He said to send the guests home. The wedding is off.” It’s the kind of dramatic delivery that only occurs on soap operas, which is what makes it so wonderful.

This scene also leads to my biggest gripe with “Déjà Vu.” Once word reaches the Ewings that the wedding has been canceled, Ray volunteers to send the guests home, and Ellie agrees. It’s another example of how Ellie is being written differently since the show recast the role with Reed. Having Ellie defer to Ray makes her seem uncharacteristically delicate. This is a woman who once stared down an angry mob at a Ewing Barbecue, after all. Giving Reed the line where the guests are sent home might seem like a small thing, but it would have given her an opportunity to show some of the mettle we’ve come to expect from our beloved Mama.

Grade: B

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Cliff Barnes, Dallas, Deja Vu, Ken Kercheval

Look who’s scheming

‘DÉJÀ VU’

Season 8, Episode 13

Airdate: December 21, 1984

Audience: 19.5 million homes, ranking 4th in the weekly ratings

Writer: David Paulsen

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: Naldo blackmails Jenna into remarrying him by threatening to keep her from Charlie, whom he sends to Italy. Pam is approached by a pilot who claims he flew Mark to the Caribbean, but she doesn’t realize the man works for J.R. Cliff searches Digger’s old legal papers, hoping to find a copy of Jamie’s document.

Cast: Burke Byrnes (Pete Adams), James Cromwell (Gerald Kane), Sarah Cunningham (Maggie Monahan), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jenilee Harrison (Jamie Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Fredric Lehne (Eddie Cronin), Shalane McCall (Charlie Wade), Daniel Pilon (Renaldo Marchetta), Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (Jenna Wade), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Donna Reed (Miss Ellie Farlow), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie Dugan), Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger), Danone Simpson (Kendall), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis)

“Déjà Vu” is available on DVD and at Amazon and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.