Drill Bits: Ratings Rise Again for TNT’s ‘Dallas’

July 20, 2012 by 8 Comments
Charlene Tilton, Collateral Damage, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, TNT

Viewers love Lucy

TNT’s “Dallas” isn’t pulling the kind of numbers it did on opening night, but the show continues to perform well. The July 18 telecast of the latest episode, “Collateral Damage,” was seen by 3.9 million viewers, making it that evening’s second most-watched cable program behind USA’s “Royal Pains.”

“Dallas’s” July 18 audience included 1.2 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the group advertisers covet.

This is the second week “Dallas’s” audience grew. The July 11 telecast of “The Enemy of My Enemy” attracted 3.6 million viewers, ranking 26th in the weekly cable ratings. On July 4, “Truth and Consequences” was seen by 3.4 million viewers, finishing 16th.

“Dallas’s” numbers haven’t gone unnoticed by the press: Larry Hagman graces this week’s Entertainment Weekly cover, while USA Today, in an article this week about the broadcast networks’ summer struggles, called the series “a summer bright spot.”

Read All About It

Speaking of Entertainment Weekly: Karen Valby has penned a terrific spread that includes some juicy tidbits from the season’s remaining episodes (murder! near-death experiences! marriage proposals!).

Also featured: a preview of the second season’s overarching theme and sidebars on Patrick Duffy and Hagman’s bromance, Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe’s rivalry and yes, J.R.’s eyebrows.

The other highlight: Jill Greenberg’s fantastic photos, including a cute recreation of this season’s best scene.

If you’re a “Dallas” fan, you owe it to yourself to purchase a copy (or two).

Strong Emmy Contenders

“Dallas” won’t be eligible for Emmys for another year – and if Hagman isn’t nominated, Dallas Decoder is going to raise hell – but Brenda Strong, a.k.a. Ann Ewing, received a nod yesterday for her voiceover work during the final season of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”

This is Strong’s second Emmy nomination for narrating “Desperate Housewives.” The award will be handed out during this year’s Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, which will be held Saturday, September 15.

What is Ann’s Secret?

While we’re on the subject of Brenda Strong: In a new interview with Celebuzz, the actress reveals Ann is “going to have a mini breakdown, and then it’s like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She’s going to come back stronger than she was before.”

To hear Strong describe it, “No Good Deed,” next week’s “Dallas” episode, will be essential viewing. “[B]y the time I got the script for episode eight, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough,” she says. “I called our writer and said, ‘Thank you for giving me such an interesting woman to play.’”

Gray and Gonzalo in the News

Dallas, Julie Gonzalo, Rebecca Sutter Ewing, TNT

Many faces of Rebecca

Two other “Dallas” leading ladies – Linda Gray and Julie Gonzalo – also gave revealing interviews in the press this week:

• In a chat with the McClatchy-Tribune newspapers, Gray recalls what it was like to balance the demands of fame, family and career during the original show’s heyday. “I was just kind of going along, this is part of the job and trying to fit it all in. And I couldn’t do it,” Gray says.

• Gonzalo tells the entertainment news site Collider.com she uses “different voices” to play the mysterious Rebecca. “The scenes that I have with Tommy and another member of the family, I’m changing faces all the time, but that’s the most fun I had,” Gonzalo says.

Hagman’s Ten Grand Ten Gallon

Larry Hagman wears a $10,000 Stetson and has a “personal costumer” who holds it for him between takes. These and other interesting tidbits – including cool insights from “Dallas” wardrobe designer Rachel Sage Kunin – are included in USA Today’s recent article on prime-time television headgear.

Line of the Week

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Yep, he’s his mama’s son.’”

Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton) in “Collateral Damages,” recalling the time she found John Ross drunk after he broke into the Southfork liquor cabinet as a child. Only on “Dallas” do sentimental childhood memories involve children getting soused.

Pow!

In “Truth and Consequences,” we saw Metcalfe’s character, Christopher Ewing, beat the stuffing out of brother-in-law Tommy Sutter (Callard Harris). Fittingly, The Christopher, the latest cocktail from Cook In/Dine Out, also packs a punch. If you like your “Dallas Drinks” spicy, be sure to give this one a try.

“Drill Bits,” a roundup of news about TNT’s “Dallas,” is published regularly. Share your comments below.

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TNT’s Dallas Styles: Marta’s Dress

July 19, 2012 by 12 Comments

Unraveled

All season long, TNT’s “Dallas” has used Marta’s hair and wardrobe to telegraph her shifting moods and evolving identity. This practice continues in “Collateral Damage,”when the bipolar vixen goes off her medication – and eventually, off the deep end.

When we meet Marta in TNT’s “Dallas” pilot, “Changing of the Guard,” the character pretends to be a wealthy land conservationist who wants to buy Southfork and turn it into a nature preserve. She wears her hair up, but once her true motives are revealed – “Marta” is actually Veronica Martinez, who is secretly plotting with John Ross to seize the ranch – we begin seeing her with hair down, literally and figuratively.

By TNT’s sixth “Dallas” episode, “The Enemy of My Enemy,” Marta is in full “Fatal Attraction” mode and determined to steal John Ross from Elena. The tightly wound Marta shows up on his doorstep in a skintight dress, hoping to seduce him, only to be rejected once again.

When John Ross sees Marta again in “Collateral Damage,” she has come undone. The skintight dress has been replaced by something much looser; it falls off Leonor Varela’s shoulder, which seems appropriate given how her character is falling apart.

The dress’s metallic color is also telling. Until now, Marta has been depicted as a duplicitous villainess, but in Varela’s haunting final scene, it’s hard to not feel sorry for her. Marta is neither good nor bad; like all great “Dallas” characters, she lies somewhere in between. It’s another reason why the gray dress is fitting, even if it doesn’t quite fit.

Filed Under: Dallas Styles, Dallas Styles (TNT), Features Tagged With: , , , ,

The Art of TNT’s Dallas: ‘Collateral Damage’

July 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

John Ross and Marta (Josh Henderson, Leonor Varela) confront each other in “Collateral Damage,” the seventh episode of TNT’s “Dallas.”

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TNT’s Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘I Hope You Choose Wisely’

July 19, 2012 by 7 Comments
Collateral Damage, Dallas, Linda Gray, Sue Ellen Ewing, TNT

Mama knows best

In “Collateral Damage,” a first-season “Dallas” episode, Elena and Sue Ellen (Jordana Brewster, Linda Gray) discuss John Ross’s business problems while having lunch in a posh restaurant.

ELENA: Why doesn’t he just ask me himself?

SUE ELLEN: Because he’s a man. And worse, he’s a Ewing man. And the Ewings always have to believe that they have everything under control. But the bigger truth is John Ross is a good boy – and he has a good heart. And he doesn’t want you to feel that he’s taking advantage. But his father’s investors are very impatient – and very unreasonable. And the barrels you would be giving him would only help to tide them over until John Ross can get his operation fully going.

ELENA: John Ross knows I want no part of drilling on Southfork. He respects that. It’s what he wants.

SUE ELLEN: You wouldn’t be drilling Southfork. You would be helping John Ross keep his head above water. His father just dumped this into his lap, warts and all. And John Ross is just trying to make the best of it. I want my son to succeed.

ELENA: And so do I. You’re not the only one that cares about John Ross. But I also care about Christopher and Bobby. Don’t you?

SUE ELLEN: Elena, when the day comes that you have to choose between your child and anybody else, I hope you choose wisely. [A waiter places the bill on the table.] And as the sole investor in your growing enterprise [signs the bill], I hope you always make the wise choice.

She rises and leaves.

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

Critique: TNT’s ‘Dallas’ Episode 7 – ‘Collateral Damage’

July 19, 2012 by 37 Comments
Christopher Ewing, Collateral Damage, Dallas, Jesse Metcalfe, TNT

Cry, cry again

“Collateral Damage” gets it right. This episode offers solid writing, stylish direction and strong performances, all while making good use of established “Dallas” lore. Overall, this is the new show’s best hour since the pilot, “Changing of the Guard.”

I’m sure many viewers will remember “Collateral Damage” as the episode where Marta meets her maker, but as haunting as the sight of her bloodied body atop that crushed car is, it’s not the image that sticks with me most. No, that distinction belongs to the scene in the doctor’s office, where Christopher and Rebecca are shown the sonogram of their unborn twins as Bobby and Ann watch silently.

Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong are good here, but it’s the guys who move me most. Jesse Metcalfe is establishing himself as television’s best crier, while Patrick Duffy has matured into the rarest of Hollywood species: the actor who doesn’t need dialogue to perform. The look on Duffy’s face tells us everything we need to know about the pride and joy Bobby feels at that moment.

And while I’m sure “Dallas” newcomers appreciated this scene, it holds special meaning for me and, I suspect, other longtime fans. We once watched a twentysomething Bobby bring his young bride home to Southfork, and now we see him on the brink of becoming a grandfather. We remember Christopher arriving at the ranch as a babe-in-arms, and now he’s embarking on his own journey to fatherhood. For “Dallas” diehards, this is a big, meaningful moment, and director Steve Robin deserves our thanks for slowing things down so we could absorb the weight of it.

My other favorite “Collateral Damage” scene opens with John Ross sitting in a posh restaurant, reminiscing about the time he broke into the Southfork liquor cabinet as a child to sneak his first taste of bourbon. “That’s when you found me,” John Ross says as the camera pans across the table to reveal his dining companion: Lucy. “You were half past gone on the floor,” she quips. “And the first thing I thought was, ‘Yep, he’s his mama’s son.’”

I adore this exchange because it demonstrates how TNT’s “Dallas” can bring together younger characters and longtime favorites in ways that serve current storylines while also honoring the old show’s past. Even though we never witnessed John Ross sneaking liquor on the original “Dallas,” it isn’t hard to imagine it happening off-screen. The same thing can’t be said for many of the historical revisions TNT’s writers have made this season.

John Ross and Lucy’s scene also works well because, frankly, it’s nice to be reminded of a time when Southfork was full of family – something I hope the new series will get back to soon. Additionally, I’m happy to see TNT showcase Charlene Tilton, a onetime ingénue who now possesses a wonderfully worldly, been-there-done-that charm. I hope we see more of her in the future.

Aaron Allen’s “Collateral Damage” script also includes a nicely written scene where Sue Ellen oh-so-subtly pressures Elena to bail out John Ross. Jordana Brewster more than holds her own against Linda Gray during this exchange, particularly when Elena questions if Sue Ellen still cares about Bobby and his family – something I’ve wondered myself. Sue Ellen’s response (“Elena, when the day comes that you have to choose between your child and anybody else, I hope you choose wisely.”) illuminates the character’s thinking, reminding us that even though Sue Ellen has changed, she hasn’t lost all her old impulses.

Speaking of illumination: “Collateral Damage” sheds a little more light on the dark secret being kept by Ann, Bobby’s new wife. The evidence suggests Ann once had a daughter, although we don’t know what happened to her. According to one wild theory making the online rounds, Rebecca is Ann’s daughter, the result of a one-night stand with Cliff a quarter century ago. (Strong portrayed an unnamed woman Cliff slept with in “Cat and Mouse,” a 1987 “Dallas” episode.) I suppose anything’s possible, but for now I’m content to enjoy the mystery.

Finally, some praise for the fantastic “Collateral Damage” sequence where a frantic John Ross goes to Marta’s hotel room, believing she’s kidnapped Elena, only to discover it’s just another one of Marta’s deceptions. The whole thing plays like a fevered dream – the camerawork is shaky and the film looks like it’s been sped up – making this one of TNT’s niftiest “Dallas” scenes yet.

Until this moment, Marta seemed destined to become another crazed stalker from soap opera central casting, but Leonor Varela’s mesmerizing performance makes the character feel utterly human. Rather brilliantly, Allen’s script gives Marta a line about how she “earned” her way out of “the slums of Caracas,” a neatly efficient way to generate sympathy for the character before she dies.

From this perspective, Marta resembles another tragic “Dallas” vixen: Julie Grey, Tina Louise’s character from the old show’s early years. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Marta plunges to her death after encountering a couple of henchmen, just like Julie did during the old show’s classic “The Red File, Part 1” episode.

Clever homages like this help “Collateral Damage” earn its “A” grade, which is the first one I’ve awarded since “Changing of the Guard.” Something tells me it won’t be the last.

Grade: A

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlene Tilton, Collateral Damage, Dallas, Lucy Ewing, TNT

Missing cousin

‘COLLATERAL DAMAGE’

Season 1, Episode 7

Telecast: July 18, 2012

Writer: Aaron Allen

Director: Steve Robin

Audience: 5.2 million viewers (including 3.9 million viewers on July 18, ranking 13th in the weekly cable ratings)

Synopsis: Under pressure from Cano, John Ross invites Lucy to join him in the battle for Southfork, but she sides instead with Bobby. Ryland has Bobby arrested for assaulting him but drops the charges. Bobby tells Ann her past doesn’t matter to him. Christopher tells Elena he wants her back, but he’s at Rebecca’s side when she learns she’s pregnant with twins. Sue Ellen persuades Elena to use her oil to help John Ross, who is arrested after Marta plunges to her death from a high-rise balcony.

Cast: Carlos Bernard (Vicente Cano), Jordana Brewster (Elena Ramos), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca Sutter), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), D’Laine Gutmann (nurse), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Peyton Hayslip (Dr. Lauren Barstow), Josh Henderson (John Ross Ewing), Jesse Metcalfe (Christopher Ewing), Glenn Morshower (Lou), Kevin Page (Bum), Mitch Pileggi (Harris Ryland), Brenda Strong (Ann Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), Leonor Varela (Marta del Sol)

“Collateral Damage” is available at DallasTNT.com, Amazon.com and iTunes. Watch the episode and share your comments below.

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Dallas Drinks: The Christopher

July 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This summer, the “Dallas” fans at Dallas Decoder and Cook In/Dine Out are offering “Dallas Drinks,” a series of cocktails inspired by the characters from TNT’s new series. This week: The Christopher, a drink that’s spicier than you might expect – just like Jesse Metcalfe’s character.

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Drill Bits: This Week, Ratings Rose for TNT’s ‘Dallas’

July 13, 2012 by 5 Comments
Bobby Ewing, Dallas, Harris Ryland, Mitch Pileggi, Patrick Duffy, TNT, Truth and Consequences

His blood pressure rose too

Ratings for TNT’s “Dallas” rebounded this week after dipping on Independence Day.

Approximately 3.4 million viewers watched “Truth and Consequences,”the show’s fifth episode, on July 4. Although the audience was down about 18 percent from the previous week – no surprise there, TV audiences always shrink on holidays – “Truth and Consequences” still managed to become the evening’s top original cable show and the 16th most-watched cable program of the week.

TNT’s sixth “Dallas” installment, “The Enemy of My Enemy,” did better: It scored 3.6 million viewers on July 11, including 1.3 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the group advertisers pay a premium to reach. “Dallas” and USA’s “Royal Pains” tied for second place among the 18-to-49 crowd that evening; the top-rated cable show in that demographic: ESPN’s “ESPY Awards,” which was seen by 1.5 million viewers in that group.

“Dallas” is averaging 4.5 million viewers of all ages on Wednesday nights, although the numbers go up when people who record the show and watch it later are counted.

‘Who Shot J.R.?’ Still Making News

“Who Done It?,” the “Dallas” episode that reveals Kristin as J.R.’s shooter, remains one of the most memorable television moments of the past 50 years, according to a study published this week.

The 1980 broadcast ranked 44th on the memorable moments list, ahead of “events” like Chaz Bono’s participation in “Dancing with the Stars” (No. 59) and Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries (No. 76), but below ABC’s 1977 miniseries “Roots” (No. 36) and the Beatles’ performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” (No. 43).

Sony Electronics and the Nielsen television research company conducted the study. The findings are based on a survey in which people were given a list of landmark TV events and asked to rank them.

News stories dominated the list: Coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks ranked first, followed by reporting on the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster (No. 2) and the 1995 verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder trial (No. 3).

Dressing ‘Dallas’

Here at Dallas Decoder, we’re big fans of Rachel Sage Kunin, costume designer for TNT’s “Dallas,” which is why we’re pleased to see her get a little love in the press.

In a new interview with the design site Artinfo, Kunin reveals why Linda Gray is her favorite cast member to dress – and why we’re unlikely to see John Ross sporting a Stetson with his business suits.

ICYMI: Gray Speaks

Ultimate Dallas’s revealing interview with Gray stirred the Ewing-verse this week, prompting us to weigh in with a call for more screen time for Sue Ellen. Of course, we weren’t the only ones. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out the Dallas Morning News’s blog post and Dallas Divas Derby’s wish list for the new show’s second season (No. 3: Save Sue Ellen!).

Line of the Week

“What now?”

John Ross’s exasperated response to seeing Bobby and Christopher barge into his room at the end of “The Enemy of My Enemy” made me laugh. Look, I love Bobby and Christopher, but you gotta admit: These two can be a little too Dudley Do-Right for their own good. I see why John Ross finds them a little hard to take sometimes.

Sweet and Strong

A reminder: This week’s “Dallas Drinks” offering is The Bobby, named for Patrick Duffy’s all-American hero. The recipe comes from Dallas Decoder’s favorite spouse at Cook In/Dine Out.

“Drill Bits,” a roundup of news about TNT’s “Dallas,” is published regularly. Share your comments below.

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TNT’s Dallas Styles: Tommy’s Hat

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The outsider

In “The Enemy of My Enemy,” Tommy comes charging into Rebecca’s apartment, grumbling about the crowd at the coffee shop he’s just returned from. “People in Texas are way too friendly. It tries my nerves,” he says.

The line reminds us that Tommy is an outsider in Dallas – and so does the hat Callard Harris wears in this scene. The headgear appears to be a straw fedora, trimmed with a plaid ribbon. Notably, it isn’t a Stetson, the style favored by the Ewing men.

In addition to offering another demonstration of Tommy’s distinctive fashion sense – he memorably wore flip-flops to Christopher and Rebecca’s wedding in “Changing of the Guard,” the first episode of TNT’s “Dallas” – the hat recalls the fedora Digger Barnes wore on the original “Dallas.”

This might be another sly homage to the old show. Like Tommy, Digger was also an outsider who coveted the Ewings’ wealth. Of course, the source of Digger’s envy was always apparent: He believed Jock “stole” Miss Ellie and cheated him out of his rightful share of Ewing Oil.

Tommy’s motivation remains a mystery – along with any other connections he and Rebecca may share with classic characters like Digger.

Filed Under: Dallas Styles, Dallas Styles (TNT), Features Tagged With: , , ,

The Art of TNT’s Dallas: ‘The Enemy of My Enemy’

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

J.R. (Larry Hagman) does a little business via smartphone in this publicity shot from “The Enemy of My Enemy,” the sixth episode of TNT’s “Dallas.” Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal/TNT.

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TNT’s Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘Some Things Never Change’

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dallas, Enemy of My Enemy, John Ross Ewing, Josh Henderson, TNT

Necessity is a mother

In “The Enemy of My Enemy,” a first-season “Dallas” episode, John Ross (Josh Henderson) visits Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) at her office.

SUE ELLEN: Hello, darling. What a nice surprise. [Kisses him]

JOHN ROSS: Mother.

SUE ELLEN: Don’t tell me. You’re here to take me out to lunch, hmm?

JOHN ROSS: I’m afraid not. [Turns away] I came because I need your help.

SUE ELLEN: Well, whatever you need. You know that.

JOHN ROSS: Harris Ryland of Ryland Transport. Is he a friend of yours? [Turns to face her]

SUE ELLEN: I wouldn’t say he’s exactly a friend. I know him a little socially.

JOHN ROSS: Socially is enough. He’s pulled his tanker trucks from Southfork and I can’t pump oil without something to transport it in. Now, I need you to convince him to send his trucks back.

SUE ELLEN: What are you asking me to do, exactly?

JOHN ROSS: You’re running for governor. I need you to play politics. Promise Ryland something. Whatever you want. I don’t care. I just need those trucks back so I can get pumping.

She looks away.

JOHN ROSS: I should’ve known.

SUE ELLEN: [Faces him] No, John Ross, I want to. I need you to believe that. But I made a promise when I got into this race to my backers and my supporters.

JOHN ROSS: Screw your promises! You’ve been compromising everything with me since I was born.

SUE ELLEN: John Ross, if I start down that road. [Pauses]

JOHN ROSS: J.R.’s investors hold a note to the ranch. We’re paying them back with 14 percent of the oil. If we don’t pay them on time, they could take the ranch. And I got a feeling they’re going to do a lot worse than that.

SUE ELLEN: My God. [Touches his face] Who have you gotten yourself into business with?

JOHN ROSS: [Walks away] Save it, mother.

SUE ELLEN: Wait. [He turns to face her.] I can help you in other ways, John Ross.

JOHN ROSS: There’s a simple solution you can do, now. And you turn me down. Some things never change.

He leaves.

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