- Awards
- 2
This isn't something only Dallas did; I think all the major shows have at some time create situations which aren't realistic and maybe don't even make any sense just to create conflict and in general to create excitement. Still, do you think that Dallas and the other primetime soaps did this more than most primetime shows did back then?
Name some things about Dallas that you found to be glaringly obvious examples of that phenomenon.
1. Interim Voting Shares
This created conflict for the sake of it by giving people voting shares whom Jock wouldn't have realistically given voting shares to at all. Neither Ray nor Gary had ever worked at Ewing Oil or in the oil business at all.. They had no expertise by which to judge which way to vote in order to ensure Ewing Oil was being run as well as possible. Then Gary made a joke out of the whole thing by giving his shares to Lucy, who because she was such a young woman at the time with no experience in the oil business was possibly the only adult in the family less qualified to have voting shares than Gary.
The voting shares were also treated as being far more important than they were. There were some comments made regarding the voting shares that would make you think they were a permanent situation. There was a heavy implication that JR thought that if he could gain control over more than 50% of the shares, he'd be bulletproof. Well, maybe, but only until Jocks will was read. The will was of crucial importance and in comparison, being voted out of power during the "voting shares interim" was basically just a nuisance. It meant someone, Bobby or JR might be out of the company for a few months but had no bearing at all on the permanent situation which the will decided.
2. JR And Cliff Compete To Buy Gill Thurman's Refinery
The situation involved JR needing a refinery to refine oil for his discount gas stations, since he was having trouble getting refinery companies ( who wanted gasoline prices to remain high) to refine his oil. The problem was that there was one other prospective buyer besides JR - Cliff Barnes. The story showed JR telling Sue Ellen to charm Thurman by serving a meal he would like, serving him plenty of bourbon, dressing up in something sexy, and talking to him in a way that would give him the impression that Sue Ellen found him sexually attractive. The goal was to boost his ego so that since he'd had such a good time having dinner with them, he'd sell his refinery to JR.
The problem was Afton Cooper. Cliff on his own wouldn't be bale to make a better deal for the refinery than JR because he lacked the money and the experience making business deals that JR had. Aston was smart enough that she knew that Cliff was no match for JR in this scenario.. So she slept with Thurman in exchange for Thurman selling to Cliff. She did this mainly because Cliff had experienced so much failure that he had tried to kill himself less than a year ago. She wanted Cliff to feel like a winner by giving him the impression that it was his intelligence and skill that enabled him to make a better deal for the refinery than JR had.
This was a case of creating conflict just for the sake of it with no regard to realism. They did it so that Cliff could somehow get the refinery instead of JR which would create conflict in 3 ways:
A. It would make JR angry at Cliff for buying the refinery JR desperately needed.. Cliff had no particular for the refinery in the sense that JR did. Cliff didn't stand to lose anything if he didn't get the refinery because he wasn't having trouble getting people to refine his oil, since he wasn't in the discount gasoline business. Because of his JR would see it as Cliff doing it not because he really needed the refinery but just to interfere with JR's gasoline stations being able to procure sufficient amounts of gasoline for him to make the profits which would ensure his winning the contest for control of Ewing Oil.
B. It would be too hard to keep Afton's sleeping with Thurman a secret which would end up with Cliff finding out what she'd done. He found out his girlfriend had slept with another man and had done so because she didn't believe he could get the refinery any other way. She betrayed him and insulted his ability as a businessman at the same time.
C. It would make it necessary for JR to keep looking for a refinery which would continue the battle between JR and the group of people trying to stop him from being able to sell gasoline at discount prices. It even indirectly resulted in Rebecca's death because had JR gotten Thurman's refinery, he wouldn't have been trying to buy the refinery which Rebecca was on her way to when she was killed in a plane crash.
Since Rebecca felt the need to Cliff's job for him, she was on the plane which crashed. This made Katherine blame Cliff for her mother's death. It made Pam blame Bobby for her mother's death to such a degree that right after her mother died, she separated from Bobby and then divorced him.
What would realistically happen? JR wouldn't count on Sue Ellen dressing in a sexy dress and making Thurman feel like she was attracted to him to clinch the deal. That's not his style. JR would have done something that ensured Thurman would have felt very satisfied after that dinner, so much that he'd give JR credit for him having such a great night and therefore sell his refinery to JR.
The way JR would typically have ensured this scenario is instead of relying on his wife to charm the man (which she tried to do but failed), he would have had it professionally handled by a call girl such as Serena. He would have done something like met Thurman at a restaurant to discuss the deal, have Serena "accidentally" bump into them and then he'd ask Serena is she'd like to join them. She'd say since she'd been stood up, she'd be glad to have their company. Then she'd complain about her problems finding a suitable man to date and start flirting with Thurman.
End result: Serena accomplishes for JR what Sue Ellen couldn't have and goes above and beyond what Afton was willing to do, but hated doing. Serena could have told Thurman how great of a lover he was and how much she'd like to see him again - something above and beyond what even Afton would be willing to do.
Name some things about Dallas that you found to be glaringly obvious examples of that phenomenon.
1. Interim Voting Shares
This created conflict for the sake of it by giving people voting shares whom Jock wouldn't have realistically given voting shares to at all. Neither Ray nor Gary had ever worked at Ewing Oil or in the oil business at all.. They had no expertise by which to judge which way to vote in order to ensure Ewing Oil was being run as well as possible. Then Gary made a joke out of the whole thing by giving his shares to Lucy, who because she was such a young woman at the time with no experience in the oil business was possibly the only adult in the family less qualified to have voting shares than Gary.
The voting shares were also treated as being far more important than they were. There were some comments made regarding the voting shares that would make you think they were a permanent situation. There was a heavy implication that JR thought that if he could gain control over more than 50% of the shares, he'd be bulletproof. Well, maybe, but only until Jocks will was read. The will was of crucial importance and in comparison, being voted out of power during the "voting shares interim" was basically just a nuisance. It meant someone, Bobby or JR might be out of the company for a few months but had no bearing at all on the permanent situation which the will decided.
2. JR And Cliff Compete To Buy Gill Thurman's Refinery
The situation involved JR needing a refinery to refine oil for his discount gas stations, since he was having trouble getting refinery companies ( who wanted gasoline prices to remain high) to refine his oil. The problem was that there was one other prospective buyer besides JR - Cliff Barnes. The story showed JR telling Sue Ellen to charm Thurman by serving a meal he would like, serving him plenty of bourbon, dressing up in something sexy, and talking to him in a way that would give him the impression that Sue Ellen found him sexually attractive. The goal was to boost his ego so that since he'd had such a good time having dinner with them, he'd sell his refinery to JR.
The problem was Afton Cooper. Cliff on his own wouldn't be bale to make a better deal for the refinery than JR because he lacked the money and the experience making business deals that JR had. Aston was smart enough that she knew that Cliff was no match for JR in this scenario.. So she slept with Thurman in exchange for Thurman selling to Cliff. She did this mainly because Cliff had experienced so much failure that he had tried to kill himself less than a year ago. She wanted Cliff to feel like a winner by giving him the impression that it was his intelligence and skill that enabled him to make a better deal for the refinery than JR had.
This was a case of creating conflict just for the sake of it with no regard to realism. They did it so that Cliff could somehow get the refinery instead of JR which would create conflict in 3 ways:
A. It would make JR angry at Cliff for buying the refinery JR desperately needed.. Cliff had no particular for the refinery in the sense that JR did. Cliff didn't stand to lose anything if he didn't get the refinery because he wasn't having trouble getting people to refine his oil, since he wasn't in the discount gasoline business. Because of his JR would see it as Cliff doing it not because he really needed the refinery but just to interfere with JR's gasoline stations being able to procure sufficient amounts of gasoline for him to make the profits which would ensure his winning the contest for control of Ewing Oil.
B. It would be too hard to keep Afton's sleeping with Thurman a secret which would end up with Cliff finding out what she'd done. He found out his girlfriend had slept with another man and had done so because she didn't believe he could get the refinery any other way. She betrayed him and insulted his ability as a businessman at the same time.
C. It would make it necessary for JR to keep looking for a refinery which would continue the battle between JR and the group of people trying to stop him from being able to sell gasoline at discount prices. It even indirectly resulted in Rebecca's death because had JR gotten Thurman's refinery, he wouldn't have been trying to buy the refinery which Rebecca was on her way to when she was killed in a plane crash.
Since Rebecca felt the need to Cliff's job for him, she was on the plane which crashed. This made Katherine blame Cliff for her mother's death. It made Pam blame Bobby for her mother's death to such a degree that right after her mother died, she separated from Bobby and then divorced him.
What would realistically happen? JR wouldn't count on Sue Ellen dressing in a sexy dress and making Thurman feel like she was attracted to him to clinch the deal. That's not his style. JR would have done something that ensured Thurman would have felt very satisfied after that dinner, so much that he'd give JR credit for him having such a great night and therefore sell his refinery to JR.
The way JR would typically have ensured this scenario is instead of relying on his wife to charm the man (which she tried to do but failed), he would have had it professionally handled by a call girl such as Serena. He would have done something like met Thurman at a restaurant to discuss the deal, have Serena "accidentally" bump into them and then he'd ask Serena is she'd like to join them. She'd say since she'd been stood up, she'd be glad to have their company. Then she'd complain about her problems finding a suitable man to date and start flirting with Thurman.
End result: Serena accomplishes for JR what Sue Ellen couldn't have and goes above and beyond what Afton was willing to do, but hated doing. Serena could have told Thurman how great of a lover he was and how much she'd like to see him again - something above and beyond what even Afton would be willing to do.
Last edited:
