Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘It Was You, Kristin, Who Shot J.R.’

July 10, 2012 by 6 Comments
Dallas, Kristin Shepard, Mary Crosby, Who Done It, Who Shot J.R.?

Who done it

In “Who Done It?,” a fourth-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) arrives at Southfork to find J.R. (Larry Hagman) reading in his wheelchair on the patio.

SUE ELLEN: J.R.?

J.R.: [Looks up from his book, startled] What are you doing here?

SUE ELLEN: Where’s Kristin?

J.R.: Don’t come any closer. [Moves his wheelchair toward the table] I’m going to call the police. Don’t you come any closer. [Struggles to get out of the wheelchair]

SUE ELLEN: [Looks at him with pity] J.R., I didn’t come here to hurt you. I just want to know where Kristin is.

Kristin (Mary Crosby) exits the house, steps onto the patio.

KRISTIN: [Cheery] Sue Ellen, I brought your things.

SUE ELLEN: [Sarcastic] Regular angel of mercy, aren’t you? So supportive. Keeping my secrets. Taking me in.

KRISTIN: What happened? What are you talking about?

SUE ELLEN: I have finally figured everything out, that’s all. You have been trying to frame me.

KRISTIN: [Laughs] You’re crazy.

SUE ELLEN: [Smiles] Well, you were right. I was at that condo that night, looking for J.R. And yes, I did have his gun. But you saw how drunk I was, and you still gave me a drink, knowing I’d put the gun down to take it. You went to the office that night with J.R.’s gun. It was you, Kristin, who shot J.R. Then the next morning, while I was showering, you hid the gun in the closet. [Flashbacks appear as Sue Ellen speaks.]

KRISTIN: You think you’ve got it all figured out.

J.R.: [Speaking into the phone] Get me the police.

KRISTIN: I wouldn’t do that if I were you, J.R. [She and Sue Ellen walk toward him.] Not unless you want your child born in prison. Now wouldn’t that be a scandal? Jock Ewing’s grandson: jail baby. [Snickers] I think I’ll write my memoirs there.

J.R.: You’re bluffing.

KRISTIN: Call Dr. Gibson. I saw him yesterday. He’ll tell you. [A voice on the phone says, “Dallas Police Department.”]

SUE ELLEN: [Reaches for the phone] Give me that phone. I’m not going to jail for her.

J.R.: Nobody’s going to jail. I’ll handle Kristin my own way.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: , , , ,

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 58 – ‘Who Done It?’

July 10, 2012 by 25 Comments
Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, Who Done It, Who Shot J.R.?

Just shoot her

“Who Done It?” brought the world to a standstill. Eighty-three million Americans, or roughly one-third of the nation’s population, watched this episode on the night it aired in 1980, a record at the time. The global audience is estimated in the hundreds of millions.

I’m sure many viewers still remember where they were and who they were with when they saw “Who Done It?” It’s less likely anyone remembers much about the episode itself. Aside from the final scene, when Kristin is finally revealed as J.R.’s shooter, this is pretty much a run-of-the-mill hour of “Dallas.”

From today’s vantage point, I find this astonishing. When “Who Done It?” was filmed, the producers must have known the broadcast would attract a huge audience, including people who’d never seen “Dallas” but wanted to witness the climactic moment in the “Who Shot J.R.?” phenomenon that had been raging for months.

You might expect the producers to craft an episode to welcome these newcomers. Instead, “Dallas” plows forward with storylines already in motion. Bobby tries to buy a refinery. Cliff hitches a ride on the Culver political bandwagon. Lucy continues wooing Mitch.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It’s nice to see “Dallas” conclude the “Who Shot J.R.?” mystery with an episode that’s designed to reward loyal fans.

It’s also nice to see the producers showcase Linda Gray, who does some of her finest work on “Dallas” in this episode. The actress makes Sue Ellen believably desperate at the beginning of “Who Done It?” when the character, clad in that iconic black-and-white dress, is forced to spend the night behind bars because the Ewings refuse to bail her out.

It’s always worth paying attention to the details of Gray’s performances, and “Who Done It?” is no exception. Watch closely when Sue Ellen is sitting alone in the jailhouse visitation room and Cliff arrives unexpectedly. The moment she recognizes him, Gray’s posture stiffens and she begins fixing her mussed hair. It’s a small gesture, but it lets us know Sue Ellen is determined to preserve whatever dignity she has left.

I also appreciate how the “Dallas” writers allow Sue Ellen to find a little inner strength after the Ewings reject her in the aftermath of her arrest. When she’s released from jail, she doesn’t hit the bottle, as you might expect. Instead, she turns to Dr. Elby and tries to get to the bottom of what happened the night her husband was shot.

You can’t help but feel Sue Ellen’s triumph when she arrives at Southfork in the final scene, armed with the truth that Kristin is trying to frame her. In contrast, I also appreciate how we get to see a different side of J.R. at this moment. When he spots Sue Ellen, he looks genuinely frightened; director Leonard Katzman even allows the camera to linger on Larry Hagman as he fumbles to get out of his wheelchair. Brilliant.

Of course, as good as Hagman and Gray are in this scene, don’t overlook Mary Crosby. I don’t think I’ve ever found Kristin as distasteful as I do when she coos about giving birth to Jock Ewing’s “jail baby” grandchild. But watch how Crosby’s bravado melts the moment J.R. announces he’ll “handle” her his own way.

In that instant, you can almost hear the wheels turning inside J.R.’s head. Or maybe it’s just the sound the world makes as it starts spinning again.

Grade: A

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Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Who Done It, Who Shot J.R.?

He’ll handle it

‘WHO DONE IT?’

Season 4, Episode 4

Airdate: November 21, 1980

Audience: 41.5 million homes, ranking 1st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Loraine Despres

Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: Sue Ellen is arrested and jailed. Someone posts bail, but she doesn’t know who did it. Cliff offers to help Donna’s stepson Dave Culver run for governor. Bobby wants to buy a refinery but can’t arrange the financing. After Dr. Elby hypnotizes her, Sue Ellen realizes Kristin shot J.R. and confronts her sister, who reveals she’s pregnant with J.R.’s child.

Cast: Tyler Banks (John Ross Ewing), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Elby), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Kenneth Farmer (Gil), Tom Fuccello (Dave Culver), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Laurence Haddon (Franklin Horner), Nik Hagler (Detective Frost), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Susan Howard (Donna Culver), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), John Lehne (Kyle Bennett), Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Gregory Walcott (Jim Redfield)

“Who Done It?” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Was Just Living Mama’s Dreams’

June 18, 2012 by 3 Comments
Dallas, Divorce Ewing Style, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Wake up, darlin’

In “Divorce, Ewing Style,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) has lunch at a restaurant with Kristin (Mary Crosby), unaware Kristin is only pretending to be nice to her.

KRISTIN: Thank you for coming, Sue Ellen.

SUE ELLEN: I came because I was curious. I can’t imagine what you think we have to talk about.

KRISTIN: I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do.

SUE ELLEN: Really?

KRISTIN: I’ve been terrible. I’ve done everything I could to break you and J.R. up. I even let him … we became lovers. I’ve done nothing but cause you trouble, and I’m truly ashamed.

SUE ELLEN: Why this sudden confession?

KRISTIN: Because I couldn’t stand it anymore when I saw you and J.R. together at your anniversary party. It made me realize just how dreadful I’ve been.

SUE ELLEN: Now that we both know that, so what?

KRISTIN: So, I’m leaving Dallas, Sue Ellen. I’m going to school in California. But before I left, I had to see you, to try to make it up to you somehow.

SUE ELLEN: It doesn’t matter anymore, Kristin. I no longer care what J.R. does.

KRISTIN: I tried to figure out why I did it. It just comes down to one thing. It’s what Mama taught me to do. I was only doing what I’ve been brought up to do.

SUE ELLEN: You are so smart, Kristin. I was much older than you before I figured out I was just living Mama’s dreams.

KRISTIN: I’m trying to change, Sue Ellen, and I hope that we can at least be friends.

SUE ELLEN: Why not?

KRISTIN: To friendship? [Raises her glass]

Sue Ellen clinks glasses with Kristin, who spills her drink in Sue Ellen’s lap. When Sue Ellen leaves to dry herself off, Kristin offers a self-satisfied smirk.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: , ,

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 50 – ‘Divorce, Ewing Style’

June 18, 2012 by 20 Comments
Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Divorce Ewing Style, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Pam Ewing, Patrick Duffy, Sue Ellen Ewing

Domestic disturbance

“Divorce, Ewing Style” focuses on the collapse of J.R. and Sue Ellen’s marriage. It’s a heavy subject, but the preposterous plotting makes it hard to take things very seriously.

The episode gets off to a silly start when J.R. comes home from work and walks into the darkened Southfork foyer, only to have the lights suddenly turn on, revealing the rest of the Ewings and a handful of extras exclaiming, “Happy anniversary!” Surprise parties, a sitcom staple, feel out of place on a show like “Dallas.” Besides, who throws a surprise party to celebrate a wedding anniversary?

Sue Ellen and Kristin’s restaurant scene is another eye-roller. Leonard Katzman’s dialogue is nice – I love Sue Ellen’s line about “living mama’s dreams” – but the ending is downright absurd. Kristin’s plan is to “accidentally” spill a cocktail onto Sue Ellen’s dress so the Ewings will smell alcohol on her and suspect she’s resumed drinking – and the execution proves as absurd as the idea itself. When Kristin and Sue Ellen toast their renewed friendship, Mary Crosby extends her arm across the length of the table and pretty much pours her drink into Linda Gray’s lap. Is Sue Ellen really supposed to believe this is an accident?

Speaking of Kristin: Why is she so awful? The character is a villainess, so the audience isn’t required to like her, but it would be nice if her motivations were a little clearer. Unlike J.R., whose actions are rooted in his desperate need for Jock’s approval, it seems Kristin is bad simply because that’s what “Dallas” needs her to be. The plot dictates her character development, when it really should be the other way around.

“Divorce, Ewing Style” concludes with Sue Ellen showing Jock and Miss Ellie the reports her private detective compiled on J.R.’s affairs, but she doesn’t realize J.R. has switched the documents with “clean” versions. Sue Ellen is humiliated, and Jock, Ellie, Bobby and Pam are embarrassed for her. After watching this episode, I know how they feel.

Grade: C

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Dallas, Divorce Ewing Style, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Marriage 101

‘DIVORCE, EWING STYLE’

Season 3, Episode 21

Airdate: February 15, 1980

Audience: 19.4 million homes, ranking 6th in the weekly ratings

Writer and Director: Leonard Katzman

Synopsis: J.R. discovers Sue Ellen has hired a private detective to follow him and pays the man to scrub his reports to her. With Kristin’s help, J.R. also convinces the family Sue Ellen has started drinking again, part of his plot to return her to the sanitarium. After J.R. has Alan fired, Alan invites Kristin to join forces with him against J.R. Miss Ellie finds herself charmed by Matt Devlin, a developer whose housing project she opposes.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Stephanie Blackmore (Serena), James L. Brown (Detective Harry McSween), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Ellby), Barry Corbin (Sheriff Fenton Washburn), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), John Christy Ewing (Tom Fuller), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Don Porter (Matt Devlin), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Divorce, Ewing Style” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and at iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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The Art of Dallas: ‘The Kristin Affair’

May 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Kristin and J.R. (Mary Crosby, Larry Hagman) flirt with each other in this 1979 publicity shot from “The Kristin Affair,” a third-season “Dallas” episode.

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Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Mama, I Remember Everything’

May 17, 2012 by 1 Comment
Dallas, Kristin Affair, Kristin Shepard, Martha Scott, Mary Crosby, Patricia Shepard

Coded language

In “The Kristin Affair,” a third-season “Dallas” episode, Patricia and Kristin (Martha Scott, Mary Crosby) return to their hotel after having dinner with the Ewings at Southfork.

PATRICIA: J.R.’s such a fine man. The way he stands behind Sue Ellen. [Kristin takes Patricia’s shawl as the older woman puts her keys in her purse] Lately, that hasn’t been easy. Kristin, someday you’ll find a man like that just for yourself.

KRISTIN: I think that’s possible, Mama. Quite possible.

PATRICIA: Now, I’m going to leave tomorrow – and you’ll be entirely on your own. [Sits on the sofa, places her purse on the coffee table] I know I can trust you to remember all the things I’ve taught you, like watching for the right opportunity.

KRISTIN: Mama, I remember everything you’ve taught me. [Sits next to Patricia]

PATRICIA: So then wherever I am, I can be relaxed knowing that you’ll never do anything to harm your sister. I’m worried about Sue Ellen. Keep an eye on her, dear. Keep me informed.

KRISTIN: I don’t think she’s been succeeding too well with J.R.

PATRICIA: Sue Ellen may be a little depressed right now. That often happens after giving birth. But if it turns out she’s not entirely happy with the life J.R. has to offer –

KRISTIN: Well, above all, we want Sue Ellen to be happy.

PATRICIA: Of course, dear. We could give her all the love and support she’d need to start a new life elsewhere. I’d certainly miss having a son-in-law like J.R. [Chuckles] I’ve never met a man who enjoys the chase as much as he does. Almost more than winning.

KRISTIN: Why don’t you let me worry about J.R. Ewing?

PATRICIA: Whatever you do, Kris, it’ll be the right thing for all of us.

KRISTIN: You can trust me, Mama. I won’t let you down.

PATRICIA: I know you won’t.

Filed Under: Dallas Scenes of the Day, Dallas Scenes of the Day (Classic), Features Tagged With: , ,

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 32 – ‘The Silent Killer’

May 15, 2012 by 16 Comments
Dallas, Digger Barnes, Keenan Wynn, Silent Killer

The rogue

“Dallas” recasts two pivotal roles in “The Silent Killer:” Keenan Wynn succeeds David Wayne as Digger Barnes and Mary Crosby replaces Colleen Camp as Kristin Shepard. Both newcomers instantly put their own stamp on the characters.

Wayne played Digger during “Dallas’s” earliest episodes, offering an angry performance that helped establish the show’s dark tone when it began. Wayne beautifully captured Digger’s broken spirit, earning the “special guest star” billing he received during his appearances.

The moment Wynn appears in “The Silent Killer,” it’s clear “Dallas” is taking Digger in a different direction. Wynn is taller than his predecessor, and with his bushy beard and cheap fedora, he comes off as more of a charming rogue than a pitiful drunk.

Wynn’s Digger is also mellower. In “The Silent Killer’s” first act, he tells Cliff, “I only want what’s coming to me. I don’t want to see Jock Ewing flat broke.” It’s hard to imagine Wayne delivering that line.

Crosby reinvents her character, too. Camp’s unconventional beauty was unique, but in Crosby’s hands, Kristin is slyer and more seductive. Neither Camp nor Crosby particularly look like they could be Linda Gray’s sister, but Crosby’s bitchy chemistry with Gray is undeniable, as demonstrated in the scene where Kristin asks Sue Ellen if she’ll be joining the family for dinner.

“Were you thinking of occupying my chair?” Sue Ellen asks.

“Somebody will if you don’t pull yourself together,” Kristin sneers.

In another fun scene, Patricia, played by the wonderful Martha Scott, stands with Miss Ellie on the Southfork patio, watching over baby John and imagining the bright future that awaits him. “Someday, I expect, he’ll have a great big office, right next to his daddy’s,” Patricia says.

This rather prescient moment, like Crosby and Wynn’s strong first impressions, make up for “The Silent Killer’s” eye-rolling final scene, when Pam refuses to tell Bobby why she suddenly doesn’t want to have children.

The audience knows Pam’s reason – she fears her children will inherit neurofibromatosis, the Barnes family’s newly discovered genetic disease – but it isn’t clear why she insists on keeping Bobby in the dark about it.

Be careful, Pam. Neurofibromatosis may kill children, but secrecy kills marriages – and if you want to save yours, you’ll have to come clean soon.

Grade: B

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Dallas, Kristin Shepard, Mary Crosby, Silent Killer

The rascal

‘THE SILENT KILLER’

Season 3, Episode 3

Airdate: October 5, 1979

Audience: 14.1 million homes, ranking 31st in the weekly ratings

Writer: Arthur Bernard Lewis

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: When Digger visits, Pam and Cliff learn the Barneses have neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disease that could be fatal to their children. Pam persuades Cliff to keep this a secret from Sue Ellen, even though he might be baby John’s father. Patricia and Kristin visit and Kristin flirts with J.R.

Cast: William H. Bassett (Dr. Paul Holliston), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Jocelyn Brando (Mrs. Reeves), Mary Crosby (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Georgann Johnson (doctor), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Randolph Powell (Alan Beam), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Martha Scott (Patricia Shepard), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Keenan Wynn (Digger Barnes)

“The Silent Killer” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 24 – ‘Sue Ellen’s Sister’

May 3, 2012 by 11 Comments
Colleen Camp, Dallas, Kristin Shepard, Sue Ellen's Sister

Little sister dontcha

If Sue Ellen could go back in time and give her younger self a good talking-to, the conversation would probably sound a lot like the lecture she delivers to Kristin at the beginning of “Sue Ellen’s Sister.”

In the scene, Kristin is resting on a float in the Southfork swimming pool and chatting with Sue Ellen, who is lounging nearby. The topic turns to the Ewings’ wealth, and Sue Ellen warns Kristin that “money is not the most important thing in the world.”

“That isn’t what you used to think,” Kristin says.

“I thought I could save you from repeating my mistakes,” Sue Ellen responds.

“This is a mistake?” Kristin asks, surveying their surroundings.

The exchange is part of “Dallas’s” effort to make Sue Ellen a more sympathetic character than she was at the beginning of second season, when the show depicted her as Southfork’s scheming lady-in-waiting.

While “Dallas” uses Kristin to plum the depths of Sue Ellen’s regret and reveal her caring, sisterly side, Kristin isn’t just a plot device. She turns out to be a pretty interesting character in her own right.

Frankly, some of this stems from the actress’s physical appearance: Colleen Camp is beautiful but in an unconventional way, lending credence to Kristin’s complaints in this episode about growing up as Sue Ellen’s “ugly duckling” kid sister.

Kristin is also a bit ironic: She dreams of marrying a rich man, but she could probably become wealthy on her own. She is planning to go to college to study architecture – she tells Bobby she’s “a great fan” of Louis Khan and I.M. Pei – and she is also clever, declaring her ace backgammon and tennis skills stem from the “geisha training” her mother puts her through.

“Sue Ellen’s Sister” marks Kristin’s final appearance until the third season, when Mary Crosby takes over the role and the character abandons her architectural ambitions for, um, lesser pursuits.

This lends “Sue Ellen’s Sister” unexpected poignancy, particularly in the scene where Bobby and Kristin frolic in the Southfork pool and he tells her she looks like a “drowned rat.”

On this show, have more prophetic words ever been spoken?

Grade: B

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Colleen Camp, Dallas, Kristin Shepard, Sue Ellen's Sister

Shark!

‘SUE ELLEN’S SISTER’

Season 2, Episode 19

Airdate: February 16, 1979

Audience: 15.7 million homes, ranking 23rd in the weekly ratings

Writer: Camille Marchetta

Director: Irving J. Moore

Synopsis: J.R. pushes Sue Ellen’s visiting sister Kristin Shepard into the arms of Bobby, who gently rebuffs her. Cliff makes Pam an unwitting accomplice in his attempt to sabotage a Ewing Oil deal. Bobby salvages the deal but Pam still refuses to come home.

Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing), Colleen Camp (Kristin Shepard), Jim Davis (Jock Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Meg Gallagher (Louella), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), John McLiam (Wally Kessel), Jeanna Michaels (Connie), Victoria Principal (Pam Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

“Sue Ellen’s Sister” is available on DVD and at Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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