TNT – Dallas Decoder

Tonight, #DallasChat Celebrates the Holidays, Ewing Style

December 23, 2013 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Dallas, Emma Bell, Emma Ryland, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, TNT

Lit

Our next #DallasChat on Twitter will be held Monday, December 23, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. The theme: “A Very Merry #DallasChat.”

Here’s how #DallasChat works: I tweet a question roughly every five minutes for one hour. Each question is numbered and includes the hashtag #DallasChat, so your responses should do the same.

A sample exchange:

Q1. Which “Dallas” character needs to learn the true meaning of Christmas? #DallasChat

A1. Harris Ryland. Did you see him in the parking garage scene with Emma? He was as green as the Grinch! #DallasChat

Two pointers:

• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.

• Include the hashtag #DallasChat in each tweet you send so others can see your contributions to the conversation. Feel free to start side conversations of your own, but be sure to include #DallasChat in those tweets too.

I promise you’ll have a holly, jolly good time. See you there.

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat announcements, Opinion Tagged With: Emma Bell, Josh Henderson, TNT

Dallas Desserts: Holiday Bakeoff II — Ryland vs. Ewing

December 20, 2013 by Chris Baker 7 Comments

Fire up your ovens, “Dallas” fans. It’s time for another holiday bakeoff.

Last year, Dallas Decoder and Cook In/Dine Out brought you a competition between Barnes Fortune Cookies and Ewing Bourbon Balls. This year, we’re pitting Ewing Molasses Sandwich Cookies against Ryland Almond Lace Cookies. (The molasses is like oil and we all know how much Harris likes almonds, right?)

Thanks to Cook In/Dine Out — a.k.a. my better half Andrew — for coming up with these delicious treats, along with the clever commentary from Bobby and Harris. Be sure to let us know which cookie you like best in the comments section below. Happy holidays!

Filed Under: Dallas Desserts, Features Tagged With: Mitch Pileggi, Patrick Duffy, TNT

Dallas Parallels: Hostage!

December 18, 2013 by Chris Baker 5 Comments

No two “Dallas” episodes invite comparison as much as “Winds of Vengeance” and “Blame Game.” Both segments — which debuted in 1978 and 2013, respectively — depict armed intruders invading Southfork and holding the Ewings hostage. The two storylines play on common themes, including stubborn pride and misguided justice, but the episodes also demonstrate the distinctions between the original “Dallas” and its TNT sequel.

In “Winds of Vengeance,” the old show’s fourth episode, blue-collar Luther Frick discovers his wife Wanda spent the night in a Waco motel with a wealthy stranger from out of town: J.R. Ewing. Frick and Wanda’s brother, Payton Allen, track J.R. to Southfork, where they hold him, Ray and the Ewing women at gunpoint in the living room as a hurricane bears down outside. Frick believes J.R. raped Wanda, so he vows to get “justice” for himself by having sex with Sue Ellen while Allen sets his sights on Lucy. At the last minute, Jock and Bobby arrive, punch out Frick and Allen and send the creeps on their way.

In “Blame Game,” one of TNT’s second-season “Dallas” episodes, slimy oilman Vicente Cano, who went to jail after tangling with J.R. and John Ross, escapes and marches into Southfork with a band of armed thugs. Cano believes the Ewings owe him the methane technology that Christopher developed, and so Cano and his gang hold the family hostage in the living room while Christopher retrieves his methane prototype from the office. When he returns and hands over the equipment, Cano grabs Elena and begins to make his escape, but her brother Drew arrives at the last minute and shoots Cano while Bobby and John Ross overpower the rest of his gang.

There are plenty of similarities here, beginning with the motivations of the villains. When Frick and Allen pull their guns on the Ewings, J.R. assumes they’re robbers and tells them they can have all the cash in the family safe. “We ain’t no thieves. We don’t want your money,” Frick says. Cano, in the meantime, believes Christopher’s methane technology will be lucrative, but profit isn’t his primary goal. When he bursts into Southfork, he slaps John Ross and says, “Did you think you could get away with turning me into the authorities and painting me as the one with dishonor?”

The two episodes also show how the bad guys humiliate the Ewings by exposing their secrets. In “Winds of Vengeance,” when Frick announces J.R. raped Wanda, he turns to Sue Ellen and asks, “You like him any better now, knowing what a hotshot lover-boy he is?” Sue Ellen’s response — “Him?” — causes Allen to laugh uproariously. Something similar happens in “Blame Game” when Cano tries to intimidate Christopher by threatening Pamela, only to realize John Ross’s ex-fiancée Elena has become the object of Christopher’s affection. “You Ewing boys share after all. I love it!” Cano exclaims.

There are also quite a few differences between the episodes. The hostage situation in “Winds of Vengeance” unfolds slowly, giving the actors plenty of time to explore the mental trauma their characters are experiencing by being held against their will. Linda Gray steals the show with her gutsy performance in the scene where Frick forces Sue Ellen to sing for him, but there are also examples of the Ewing women resisting their captors. In one scene, Sue Ellen smacks Allen and tells him not to touch her. Later, Allen tries to make Pam dance with him, but she fights back and screams, “I’ll kill you!”

Contrast this with the hostage situation in “Blame Game,” which comes at the end of that episode and is interspersed with scenes from Ann’s trial. This gives the segment a faster pace overall, but it also robs the hostage sequences of the tense, psychological vibe that “Winds of Vengeance” mined so effectively. “Blame Game” also offers no scenes of the women fighting back, and if there are sexual undertones to the story, they’re only hinted at: When Cano grabs Elena and heads for the helicopter waiting outside, he says he’s taking her as “an insurance policy,” then adds: “Who knows? Maybe we have something in common.”

On the other hand, “Blame Game” shows the Ewings interacting with each other while their captors are holding them at gunpoint, which is something we really don’t see in “Winds of Vengeance.” In one exchange, Sue Ellen sits with Bobby and laments his rivalry with J.R., calling it “a vicious cycle that our sons seem destined to continue.”

She’s probably correct that John Ross and Christopher are fated to fight each other, but if the Ewings want to break one of their other vicious cycles — their penchant for being taken hostage — there’s a simple solution: Hire some security guards, for goodness sakes. I mean, these people can afford it, right?

‘Bravery’s Going to Get Your Dead, Junior’

Dallas, Brian Dennehy, Luther Frick, Winds of Vengeance

Injustice

In “Winds of Vengeance,” a first-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. and Ray (Larry Hagman, Steve Kanaly) sit in chairs while Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), Pam (Victoria Principal) and Lucy (Charlene Tilton) sit on the sofa and the gun-wielding Frick and Allen (Brian Dennehy, Cooper Huckabee) hover nearby.

LUCY: What are you going to do with us?

ALLEN: We were going to get up a softball game, but the weather. …

J.R.: Look, fellas. If you’re here for anything to do with justice.

FRICK: Shut up.

ALLEN: We’ll prove it. [Motions to Sue Ellen] This is your wife, right?

J.R.: Yes.

ALLEN: [Walks toward her] Pretty.

He reaches for her. She smacks him away.

SUE ELLEN: Don’t touch me.

J.R. tries to get up. Frick holds him place.

FRICK: [Snickering] Now bravery’s going to get you dead, Junior.

ALLEN: [To Ray] Hey, you. You! You married?

RAY: No.

ALLEN: That gives us a choice.

FRICK: [To J.R.] Hey, you know I’m married too, mister. [Kneels beside him] Yeah. My wife’s name is Wanda. You know her?

J.R.: [Sheepish] No, I don’t know any Wandas.

FRICK: Well, you got a short memory.

J.R.: I just can’t remember anybody by the name of Wanda.

ALLEN: She says she knows you pretty good.

FRICK: You know, Wanda didn’t come home last night. Now me and her brother here, we went looking for her. And guess where we found her this morning? We found her in this old motel room. Her and her friend Mary Lou.

J.R.: So?

FRICK: So she said she had been kidnapped, right off the main street by two guys last night. She said they took them up to this motel room. They got them drunk. And then they raped them.

J.R.: Well, what does that got to do with me?

ALLEN: You were kind enough to leave a business card.

J.R.: Well, now a lot of people have got my business card.

FRICK: [To Sue Ellen] Well, missus, what do you think of ol’ J.R. Ewing now? Huh? [Silence] Yeah. Yeah, maybe I’m doing you a favor, huh? [Shouting] Huh? You like him any better now knowing what a hotshot lover-boy he is?

SUE ELLEN: Him?

ALLEN: [Laughing] Somebody’s got to take care of the little lady. Looks like you don’t.

He kisses her. She screams and pushes him away as Allen laughs.

‘Your Beautiful Wife and Children Will Not Escape Unscathed’

Blame Game, Carlos Bernard, Dallas, TNT, Vicente Cano

Dishonor

In “Blame Game,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, Cano (Carlos Bernard) stands in the Southfork living room and speaks to Bobby and Christopher (Patrick Duffy, Jesse Metcalfe), who is held by one of Cano’s thugs. John Ross (Josh Henderson), Pamela (Julie Gonzalo), Elena (Jordana Brewster) and Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) are seated around the room, surrounded by other members of Cano’s gang.

CHRISTOPHER: What do you want, Cano?

CANO: Only what I was promised. You’re going to call Ewing Energies and you’re going to send all your employees home for the day. [The thug releases Christopher.] And once the place is empty, my friend here is going to accompany you to your office, where you’re going to retrieve the plans to your methane patent and prototype that I was promised. [Slaps his right-hand man on the back.] Now, if you are not back here within one hour, your beautiful wife and children will not escape unscathed. [Cano stands over Pamela and strokes her hair, then yanks her head back against him.]

JOHN ROSS: [Rises] Let her go! [A thug pulls him down.]

CANO: Well, your cousin has to defend your wife? Oh, wait a minute. [Laughs] You Ewing boys share after all. [Slaps his hands together] I love it! Well, since this clearly where your heart lies, you have one hour to bring me the prototype. [Holds a gun to Elena’s head]

How do you think “Winds of Vengeance” and “Blame Game” compare to each other? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

Filed Under: Dallas Parallels, Features Tagged With: Blame Game, Brian Dennehy, Carlos Bernard, Charlene Tilton, Cooper Huckabee, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Steve Kanaly, TNT, Winds of Vengeance

… And the Rest: Dallas Decoder’s Other VIPs of 2013

December 16, 2013 by Chris Baker 8 Comments

Linda Gray is Dallas Decoder’s Woman of the Year, but she isn’t the only person who shaped the “Dallas” franchise in 2013. Here are five more.

The boss

Cynthia Cidre. Larry Hagman’s death forced the “Dallas” showrunner to rewrite Season 2 on the fly, but she proved up to the challenge — and then some. Cidre penned the exquisite “J.R.’s Masterpiece” funeral episode, which lovingly honored the franchise’s biggest star and kicked off the fun, freewheeling “Who Killed J.R.?” mystery. Cidre also deserves applause for answering the question that has bugged “Dallas” diehards for 25 years: Whatever happened to Pam Ewing? Some fans didn’t like the answer, but if you ask me, Cidre redeemed the character and fixed one of the old show’s biggest blunders. Bravo.

The glue

Patrick Duffy. This was the year Bobby Ewing got pissed! He also got sad, frustrated and more than a little devious. Duffy did a beautiful job conveying Bobby’s internal conflict, especially when he read J.R.’s letter in the moving season finale. And just as Bobby held the Ewings together, Duffy played an influential role behind the scenes. Before Cidre proceeded with the twist ending to “Who Killed J.R.?” — he was dying of cancer and arranged his own death — she sought the blessing of two people: Hagman’s son Preston and Duffy. That says a lot about the respect people feel for Patrick Duffy. He’s earned it.

Dallas, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, TNT

The future

Josh Henderson. No one on the new “Dallas” has faced as much scrutiny as Henderson, who had the unenviable task this year of sliding into the boots of the legendary Larry Hagman. But if Henderson felt any temptation to imitate his on-screen daddy, he wisely resisted it. Where Hagman swaggered, Henderson struts. Where J.R. was confident, John Ross is cocky. In other words: Henderson has given John Ross his own brand of cool. This young actor has become the future of the “Dallas” franchise, and if his performance this year is any indication, we’re in good hands. I can’t wait to see what he does next year.

Cliff Barnes, Dallas, Ken Kercheval, TNT

The genius

Ken Kercheval. After Hagman, Kercheval has always been “Dallas’s” most fascinating actor. In 2013, he was as electric as ever. Longtime fans still wonder what made Cliff so evil, but I just sat back and enjoyed the ride Kercheval took me on, especially in the shocking scene where Cliff ordered the bombing of the Ewing Energies rig. Besides, as Cliff tightened his squeeze on the Ewings, Kercheval offered more flashes of his old character’s combustability. The scene where Bobby hands his enemy the keys to the Ewing kingdom? That was classic Cliff. You may hate his character, but Kercheval is brilliant.

The enigma

Victoria Principal. Hill Place Blog suggested I include Principal on this list as a joke, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. As Hill Place put it: What other “Dallas” star generated more discussion, debate and dissent this year without appearing in a single frame of film? Principal remains a powerful figure in the “Dallas” mythology. Like a lot of my fellow Principal fans, I wish Pam had come home to Southfork in 2013, but the actress’s public statement in March made it clear she has no interest in reprising the role. (Sigh.) So rest in peace, Pam. Like your old rival J.R., you won’t be forgotten.

Who did I miss? Share your choices for “Dallas’s” 2013 VIPs below and read more opinions from Dallas Decoder.

Filed Under: Opinion, Opinion Tagged With: Cynthia Cidre, J.R.’s Masterpiece, Josh Henderson, Ken Kercheval, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Preston Hagman, TNT, Victoria Principal

Dallas Decoder’s Woman of the Year: Linda Gray

December 16, 2013 by Chris Baker 29 Comments

Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, TNT

Brunette on the couch

Good actors make you believe. Great actors make you feel. In 2013, Linda Gray made us feel every emotion Sue Ellen Ewing experienced — the disappointment over losing the election, the shame over losing her sobriety, the heartbreak over losing J.R. Gray shone all season long, but especially in “J.R.’s Masterpiece,” the funeral episode where she bared her soul and became the audience’s avatar. Through her, we were able to express our own grief over the death of our hero. When Sue Ellen called J.R. the love of her life and touched his casket, it wasn’t just the climax of a great performance. It was a moment of shared catharsis for “Dallas” fans.

Linda Gray is Dallas Decoder’s Woman of the Year because no one else moved us, delighted us and impressed us quite like she did. Sue Ellen has been “Dallas’s” heroine for a long time, but in 2013, Gray stepped into the void created by the death of Larry Hagman, her longtime friend and co-star. Like Hagman — and like Dame Maggie Smith, one of Gray’s own idols — Gray creates thrilling television just by showing up. Consider the “J.R.’s Masterpiece” scene where Sue Ellen sits in J.R.’s bedroom and takes her first drink in 20 years. It was a mesmerizing moment — just as moving if not more so than the graveside eulogy — and yet Gray never uttered a single line of dialogue. The scene consisted of little more than Sue Ellen, a bottle of bourbon, an old wedding picture, an unopened love letter and that sad, sad song (Tara Holloway’s “The Bottom”) playing in the background. That’s it. But when Gray is your star, what more is needed?

To be fair, Gray gets plenty of support from the rest of the “Dallas” cast — as strong an ensemble as any working in television today — and the people behind the scenes, including Michael M. Robin, who directed “J.R.’s Masterpiece” and has a knack for eliciting wonderful performances from his actors. Gray’s most crucial collaborator, though, is probably showrunner Cynthia Cidre, who gave her some of her best material ever as Sue Ellen. Between the two of them, Gray and Cidre showed us Sue Ellen in all her complex, contradictory glory: The fiercely protective mama bear. The take-no-prisoners businesswoman. The struggling alcoholic. And most fascinating of all: the playful flirt, whose vibrant sexuality at age 70-something makes Sue Ellen a prime-time pioneer.

Looking Back

Choosing Gray as Woman of the Year will come as no surprise to Dallas Decoder readers. By now, my admiration for this actress and her character are no secret. Gray was kind enough to grant me an interview a few months ago, and the hour or so that I spent sitting at my dining room table, talking to her on the phone, remains one of the great experiences I’ve had since starting this website. But please know this: My affection for Gray is rooted in my genuine respect for what she has achieved as an actress. Like Sue Ellen, she has worked hard for her success.

Consider: Sue Ellen had to fight for her place in the world. She was not born into the Ewing family, and marriage to J.R. offered public prestige but private pain. For years, he neglected Sue Ellen’s needs and dismissed her potential, and she turned to the bottle to cope with her unhappiness. But the ex-beauty queen’s spirit ran deeper than anyone knew, including Sue Ellen herself. Eventually, she conquered her demons and won the admiration of the other Ewings, including J.R.

Gray’s career has had its ups and downs too. During “Dallas’s” earliest days, she was notoriously dismissed as “the brunette on the couch” and excluded from the show’s opening credits. Slowly, the producers noticed her talent and chemistry with Hagman and beefed up her role. At the height of “Dallas’s” popularity, Gray even picked up an Emmy nomination for best dramatic actress. By the time she departed the original show at the end of its 12th season, Sue Ellen rivaled J.R. as “Dallas’s” most popular character. (It’s no coincidence the show plunged from 26th to 43rd in the yearly Nielsen rankings after Gray left.)

Yet when TNT brought “Dallas” back last year, it felt a little like déjà vu all over again — and not in a good way. The producers struggled to find a place for Sue Ellen in the storyline, leaving her out of two early episodes altogether. Fans were outraged, and the Powers That Be soon learned the same lesson their predecessors did: Don’t mess with Miss Texas. In Season 2, Sue Ellen once again became a force to be reckoned with, wheeling and dealing against the Ewings’ enemies, even as she wrestled privately with her old demons and J.R.’s loss.

Moving Forward

Some of my fellow fans are concerned about Sue Ellen’s future. Cidre has confirmed the character will continue drinking when “Dallas” begins its new season in February, and I get the feeling Sue Ellen’s problems are going to get worse before they get better. But I’m not worried. For one thing, I’m confident Gray is going to continue to deliver great performances, no matter what she is called upon to do. I also believe Sue Ellen will eventually get back on track and start moving forward again. She’s come too far to turn back for good.

Just look at the above TNT publicity still, which comes from the 2013 episode “A Call to Arms.” It shows Sue Ellen seated on the edge of the sofa in the Southfork den, where she’s helping her fellow Ewings formulate a plan to fight back against their latest foes. She wears a determined expression and looks like she’s about to spring into action, which is precisely what happens in that scene. The photo tells us everything we need to know about this actress and the character she has embodied for so many years. Linda Gray is still the brunette on the couch, except now the brunette is the star of the show and her character is helping to call the shots.

Don’t mess with Miss Texas.

Share your comments about Linda Gray and Sue Ellen Ewing below and read Dallas Decoder’s list of the year’s other VIPS.

Filed Under: Opinion, Opinion Tagged With: Call to Arms, Cynthia Cidre, J.R.’s Masterpiece, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Michael M. Robin, TNT

Who’s Dallas Decoder’s Person of the Year? Find Out Tonight

December 16, 2013 by Chris Baker Leave a Comment

Ann Ewing, Bobby Ewing, Brenda Strong, Dallas, J.R. Ewing, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, TNT

Who’s next?

Our next #DallasChat on Twitter will be held Monday, December 16, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. The theme: “Dallas Decoder’s Person of the Year.” I’ll announce my choice at the beginning of the chat, and then we can spend the rest of the hour debating it — or celebrating it, depending on your point of view.

Here’s how #DallasChat works: I tweet a question roughly every five minutes for one hour. Each question is numbered and includes the hashtag #DallasChat, so your responses should do the same.

A sample exchange:

Q1. Who’ll be Dallas Decoder’s Person of the Year for 2013? #DallasChat

A1. I hope it will be Kevin Page, a.k.a. Bum. After all, he’s going down in history as the last person to shoot J.R.! #DallasChat

Two pointers:

I look forward to hearing from you tonight!

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat announcements, Opinion Tagged With: Brenda Strong, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, TNT

Who Should Be Dallas Decoder’s Person of the Year?

December 9, 2013 by Chris Baker 20 Comments

Brenda Strong, Cynthia Cidre, Dallas, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Linda Gray, Michael M. Robin, Patrick Duffy

Who’ll it be?

It’s almost time to announce Dallas Decoder’s Person of the Year, a designation I give to the individual — or individuals — I feel made the most important contribution to the “Dallas” franchise during the past 12 months.

In 2012, I chose Larry Hagman for the inaugural honor in recognition of his work during TNT’s first season of “Dallas.” This year’s award may go to another actor or someone from behind the scenes, or it could go to a group of people. (It’s a lot like Time magazine’s version, although mine is much more prestigious, don’t you think?)

Contenders include the “Dallas” VIPs pictured above: Executive Producer Michael M. Robin, Linda Gray, Jesse Metcalfe, Brenda Strong, Executive Producer Cynthia Cidre, Patrick Duffy, Josh Henderson, Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo.

Before I reveal my selection, I want to hear your choices. Share them in the comments section below, post them on Dallas Decoder’s Facebook page or tweet them to @DallasDecoder.

I’ll reveal Dallas Decoder’s Person of the Year for 2013 during my next #DallasChat on Monday, December 16. I hope to see you there.

Filed Under: News, News Tagged With: Brenda Strong, Cynthia Cidre, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Michael M. Robin, Patrick Duffy, TNT

Sound Off About Season 3 During Tonight’s #DallasChat

December 9, 2013 by Chris Baker 2 Comments

Dallas, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing

Mind your mama

Our next #DallasChat on Twitter will be held Monday, December 9, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. I want to hear your reaction to the news released last week about TNT’s new “Dallas” storylines, so I’m going to label this chat a “#DallasS3 Pulse Check.”

Warning: If you don’t want to hear spoilers or speculation about the show’s new season, this might not be the #DallasChat for you.

Here’s how #DallasChat works: I tweet a question roughly every five minutes for one hour. Each question is numbered and includes the hashtag #DallasChat, so your responses should do the same.

A sample exchange:

Q1. How do you feel about the revelation that Sue Ellen will continue drinking next season? #DallasChat

A1. I’m OK with it as long as Sue Ellen sobers up eventually. She’s too strong to stay at the bottom of the bottle forever. #DallasChat

Two pointers:

This is going to be another fun chat. I look forward to hearing from you!

Filed Under: #DallasChat, #DallasChat announcements, Opinion Tagged With: Linda Gray, TNT

Dallas Parallels: The Saboteurs

December 4, 2013 by Chris Baker 12 Comments

J.R. Ewing is a man of many talents, but he takes special delight in the fine art of sabotage. During the original “Dallas’s” seventh season, after Cliff Barnes blackmails J.R.’s secretary Sly into spying on her boss, J.R. retaliates by turning one of Cliff’s employees against him. J.R.’s ultimate goal: to ruin Cliff, once and for all.

The scheme begins when J.R. tricks Cliff into investing in some expensive offshore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Once Cliff is leveraged to the hilt, J.R. bribes Max Flowers, Cliff’s foreman, to slow down the drilling so Cliff won’t strike oil before his bank loan comes due, thus bankrupting him.

This must be one of the dirty tricks J.R. teaches John Ross, because three decades later, the son pulls a similar stunt. It begins during the second season of TNT’s “Dallas,” when John Ross is secretly plotting to seize control of Ewing Energies from his partners, who include onetime love Elena Ramos. To nab her share, John Ross bribes Brian “Bubba” Davis, Elena’s foreman, to drill in the wrong direction on land where she’s trying to strike oil. By delaying Elena’s strike, John Ross hopes to prevent her from repaying a loan to his mother Sue Ellen, thus putting Elena’s piece of Ewing Oil in play.

Both storylines include scenes where the victims (Cliff, Elena) visit their drilling sites with their siblings (Pam, Drew) and talk about how proud their deceased fathers would be if they strike oil. The strongest similarities, however, are found in scenes where the saboteurs (J.R., John Ross) meet with the duplicitous foreman (Flowers, Bubba) to discuss their schemes.

In the 1984 episode “Turning Point,” J.R. ducks into a dive bar and sits in a booth across from Flowers, who worries a member of his crew will figure out what he’s up to and tip off Cliff. J.R. expresses confidence the plan will work and dismisses his enemy’s capabilities. “You’re just going to have to make sure he keeps getting the short straw. Hell, he’s used to that anyway, isn’t he?” J.R. says.

The parallel sequence is found in the 2013 episode “False Confessions.” This scene also takes place in a dive bar, where the principals sit across from each other in a darkened booth. Like Flowers, Bubba worries someone close to the victim — in this case, Elena’s fiancée Christopher — will figure out the scheme against her. Like J.R., John Ross expresses confidence the plan will succeed and takes a swipe at his rival. Referring to Christopher, John Ross says, “It’s good that he thinks he has a chance. That’ll make it hurt more when he loses.”

Originally, I ended this post by pointing out how J.R.’s plot fails, while John Ross’s plan succeeds, but as Dallas Decoder reader Stephan points out in the comments section below, neither scheme is particularly successful. In J.R.’s case, Cliff fires Flowers and replaces him with a new foreman who hits a gusher at the 11th hour, saving Cliff from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Elena fails to strike oil on her land and loses her share of Ewing Energies, but only after Sue Ellen invokes a morals clause in her contract with Elena.

So more than anything, J.R. and John Ross’s forays into sabotage confirm what we already know: Like father, like son.

‘Someone Might Tip Him Off’

Dallas, Denny Miller, Max Flowers, Turning Points

Tipped?

In “Turning Point,” a seventh-season “Dallas” episode, J.R. (Larry Hagman) enters a bar and sits at a booth across from Flowers (Denny Miller).

J.R.: Hello, Flowers. I hardly recognized you.

FLOWERS: That’s okay. Want a beer?

J.R.: Yeah, sure. If that’s all they got.

FLOWERS: [To a waitress] Hon, bring us a couple beers.

J.R.: So how’s everything in the gulf? Cliff Barnes ready to strike oil?

FLOWERS: Not yet. But the whole operation’s got me worried.

J.R.: Yeah? Why’s that?

FLOWERS: Well, you’ve been paying me a lot of money to slow things down. I don’t think I’ve been able to slow them down enough.

J.R.: Well, now, you’ve been doing a good job so far.

FLOWERS: Oh, I know. I’ve been able to miss the most promising geological formations. Barnes is so dumb, he doesn’t know that. But the crew is getting suspicious, and someone might tip him off.

J.R.: Well, you’ve just got to get rid of any potential troublemakers.

FLOWERS: Oh, I’ve been trying to do that. And I’ve hired the worst crew I could find. But you know, that’s hard to do. [J.R. chuckles.] Most of those guys are pretty sharp.

J.R.: Well, you’ve just got to hold it up for another couple of weeks at the most. Barnes is just about to run out of money.

The waitress sets two beers on the table.

FLOWERS: Thanks. If he was drilling any other tract, it’d sure be easier. He’s got possibly the richest tract in the gulf.

J.R.: Yeah, I know that. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be pouring every dollar he can get his hands on into it.

FLOWERS: Okay. I just wanted you to know that I’m doing my best. But sooner or later, even an idiot with a long straw could suck up oil out of that tract.

J.R.: You’re just going to have to make sure he keeps getting the short straw. [Sips his beer] Hell, he’s used to that anyway, isn’t he? [Chuckles]

‘He’s On Your Tail’

Dallas, Brian Bubba Davis, Matthew Posey, TNT

Tailed?

In “False Confessions,” a second-season “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) enters a bar and sits at a booth across from Bubba (Matthew Posey).

JOHN ROSS: [Slaps an envelope on the table] Let’s call that your severance.

BUBBA: [Peeks inside] Much obliged, John Ross. But you should know that Christopher’s after me. He thinks you put me up to it.

JOHN ROSS: Just because he’s a pussy doesn’t mean he ain’t smart.

BUBBA: [Chuckles] You’re not concerned that he’s on your tail?

JOHN ROSS: It’s good that he thinks he has a chance. That’ll make it hurt more when he loses.

What do you think of J.R. and John Ross’s schemes against Cliff and Elena? Share your comments below and read more “Dallas Parallels.”

Filed Under: Dallas Parallels, Features Tagged With: Denny Miller, False Confessions, Josh Henderson, Larry Hagman, Matthew Posey, TNT, Turning Point

‘Dallas’ Season 3: Let’s Speculate!

December 2, 2013 by Chris Baker 24 Comments

Uncovered

TV Guide’s ace columnist, William Keck, delivered a must-read preview of “Dallas’s” third season earlier today. Now it’s time for fans to fill in the blanks with their own theories about what we might see when TNT begins televising the new episodes on Monday, February 24.

• One of Keck’s most intriguing tidbits: The new season will feature a pregnancy storyline. Almost any of the show’s leading ladies could become expectant mothers, but my money is on Emma (Emma Bell). Imagine the complications that would ensue if John Ross (Josh Henderson) impregnates his wild-child mistress! Pamela is also a possibility, although would the producers force Julie Gonzalo to wear a padded tummy for a second season in a row? One out-there contender: Suppose Ann (Brenda Strong) delivered a late-in-life bundle of joy to Bobby (Patrick Duffy)?

• The new season will also include a shooting, a death and a wedding, Keck reports. I have no idea which characters might get shot and/or die, but the nuptials seem easy to figure out: After John Ross and Pamela’s quickie wedding in Las Vegas at the end of Season 2, aren’t they due for a lavish Southfork ceremony?

• According to Keck, Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe), who sports a beard in the Season 3 cast portrait that accompanies the TV Guide article, will meet his new love interest Heather (AnnaLynne McCord) when he stumbles upon her fighting with her ranch hand ex-husband. Again, this is pure speculation, but a recent tweet from the set suggests Donny Boaz, who appeared last season as Bo, the ranch hand who supplied Emma will pain pills, will be back next season. Could he be Heather’s ex?

• Keck tells us we’ll finally meet Joaquin, the mystery man Elena (Jordana Brewster) met in Mexico during the second-season finale. The article doesn’t mention who has been cast in this role, but I wonder: Will Nicolas Trevino, the new character played by Juan Pablo Di Pace, turn out to be Joaquin?

Consider this: On April 23, about a week after TNT showed the finale, the Elena character tweeted, “Can’t wait to introduce you all to my uncle Joaquin. He’s quite a character. And a potentially powerful ally.” This tweet is no longer in the character’s feed. Could this mean the producers’ vision of Joaquin has evolved from someone avuncular to someone younger like Di Pace?

• Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) will continue drinking in Season 3 after discovering John Ross is cheating on Pamela. According to Keck, “Sue Ellen’s struggle will climax in a midseason cliffhanger similar to one of the original series’ memorable season enders.” What could this mean? Is Sue Ellen going to wreck her car? Shoot someone? Make another movie?

• Keck reports Bobby might cheat on Ann, either with a “familiar face from the past (Priscilla Presley’s Jenna Wade?) or a lovely newcomer.” Nothing to add here, except this: !

• It looks like “Dallas” won’t forget Larry Hagman anytime soon. Showrunner Cynthia Cidre tells Keck, “We open with Bobby at the Ewing cemetery looking at the graves of J.R., Miss Ellie and Jock, saying, ‘I guess I’m the only one left now.’” The only question raised by this revelation: How many tissues will we need to get through that scene?

What do you think of the storylines previewed by TV Guide’s William Keck? Share your comments below and read more news from Dallas Decoder.