Unrealistic Things In Dallas Obviously Created Just For The Sake Of Conflict

[southfork88]

We cannot forget that dallas is ... still a soap opera, although of excellent quality !

 

[Lastkidpicked]

We cannot forget that dallas is ... still a soap opera, although of excellent quality !

You are right about that!
And I hope you don't think that we are picking on the show with this thread. @Kenny Coyote is the starter of this thread and he and I (along with others) often enjoy discussing both the stronger and weaker points of Dallas. It just gives us more to talk about.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Regarding realism, how about Bobby's kidnappers asking for Cliff to intercede with the ransom. It did gave us that scene of JR ordering his men to start shooting as Cliff was in the line of fire and the viewer wondering if JR had done that on purpose or not.

Oh, this viewer doesn't wonder!

 

[Billy Wall]

I’m watching season 14/April’s death. Not necessarily for dramatic purposes, but April’s mom is perfectly OK with Bobby burying April in PARIS?!?!

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Something unrealistic from early in the show just popped into mind.

Pam and Cliff grew up as ‘city kids’ in Dallas proper, at least a half hour’s drive from Southfork. Pam appeared to live in an apartment complex in the city and worked downtown at The Store. Even then, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area was quite populous.

How on earth did it happen that of all the tens of thousands of young men in the area, Pam ended up dating Ray Krebbs, who presumably didn’t have much chance or reason to head into the city very often? Did he meet her while shopping for fancy designer cowboy boots at The Store or something?

 

[Toni]

I’m watching season 14/April’s death. Not necessarily for dramatic purposes, but April’s mom is perfectly OK with Bobby burying April in PARIS?!?!

Very fitting with everything else April-related: unrealistic and contrived.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

How on earth did it happen that of all the tens of thousands of young men in the area, Pam ended up dating Ray Krebbs, who presumably didn’t have much chance or reason to head into the city very often? Did he meet her while shopping for fancy designer cowboy boots at The Store or something?

Maybe Ray heard about her disco moves!

 

[lbf522]

Cliff and Pamela being giving a third shares of Wentworth Tool and Dye and Katherine did not challenge it in court.

 

[Jon Ewing Jr.]

What about the ole skank Afton Cooper getting money from the Wentworth estate. That was just ridiculous. I would have been pissed also. Hell, Christopher should have had some kind of account set up before her.

 

[Billy Wall]

I can’t remember if anyone brought this up, but Michelle running Ewing Oil.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I can’t remember if anyone brought this up, but Michelle running Ewing Oil.

While we're on the subject, look at how many people with zero business experience either had shares of Ewing Oil, or actually ran Ewing Oil.

 

[J. R.'s Piece]

Neither Ray nor Gary had ever worked at Ewing Oil or in the oil business at all.

But in the Knots Landing episode: Daniel, JR tells Abby that Gary worked for Jock for a time.
“Before dawn, up every day, mucking out the stables and pitching hay, working on the rigs in the blazing sun. He just never missed one single day.” - JR Ewing telling Abby Cunningham about Gary Ewing working for Jock Ewing, so he could get a motorcycle.

Also in Knots Landing: Community Spirit, Gary offers to provide technical advice to the protest movement. His questions about the Petrolux oil project cause JR to come to Knots Landing, to get Gary to stay out of it. Gary also breaks into JR’s office and steals JR’s secret files and uses the information to force JR to change his plans. In fact, Gary got the assistance of neighbour Karen Fairgate to entice JR away from his office for just that purpose.

In Knots Landing: A Family Matter, Abby tries to get a loan from JR by mentioning to him the prospect of Gary coming to work at Ewing Oil again, if things don’t work out for him in Knots Landing.

 

[stevew]

But in the Knots Landing episode: Daniel, JR tells Abby that Gary worked for Jock for a time.
“Before dawn, up every day, mucking out the stables and pitching hay, working on the rigs in the blazing sun. He just never missed one single day.” - JR Ewing telling Abby Cunningham about Gary Ewing working for Jock Ewing, so he could get a motorcycle.

Also in Knots Landing: Community Spirit, Gary offers to provide technical advice to the protest movement. His questions about the Petrolux oil project cause JR to come to Knots Landing, to get Gary to stay out of it. Gary also breaks into JR’s office and steals JR’s secret files and uses the information to force JR to change his plans. In fact, Gary got the assistance of neighbour Karen Fairgate to entice JR away from his office for just that purpose.

In Knots Landing: A Family Matter, Abby tries to get a loan from JR by mentioning to him the prospect of Gary coming to work at Ewing Oil again, if things don’t work out for him in Knots Landing.

Certainly seems like Jock wanted all his boys at Ewing Oil, my guess with JR leading them. But then he turned on JR and began to favor Bobby just as Miss Ellie favored Gary. Both Gary and Bobby would have been happier in life as ranchers. No drama and hindsight is 20/20 but the parents could have easily fixed things. Gary and Bobby partner to run SF. Each get 10 acres to build their own house. Using modern techniques her daddy wouldn’t have known about drill for SF oil and split the mineral rights with the 3 boys, putting the land in a nonprofit to protect it and lease it to the SF cattle business for $1 a year and sell the oil EO. Then EO allow JR to buy out his brothers and run the company on his own, leaving him the house or giving him his own 10 acres on which to build. Gary and Bobby wouldn’t then be tied to JR’s risky business deals. Also set up a trust fund for all their grandchildren to share managed by a third party. See how easy - no fighting and everyone gets what they really want.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Thought of this thread today because we re-watched the episode where Cliff gets in over his head with the offshore oil deal.

The banker asks him if he has one hundred million in reserves. Cliff acted surprised. The banker said,

"You have the rigs, the crews, interest on the loan. You're in for another hundred million, right?"

And Cliff responds, "I wasn't figuring on that much."

WHAT!?

I understand what they were going for, here. They wanted to show that Cliff didn't need to fall victim to J.R.'s schemes in order to lose Barnes-Wentworth. Cliff was destined to lose the business on his own. But how could Cliff get that far into the biggest deal in Texas, and never understand the operating costs?

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Thought of this thread today because we re-watched the episode where Cliff gets in over his head with the offshore oil deal.

The banker asks him if he has one hundred million in reserves. Cliff acted surprised. The banker said,

"You have the rigs, the crews, interest on the loan. You're in for another hundred million, right?"

And Cliff responds, "I wasn't figuring on that much."

WHAT!?

I understand what they were going for, here. They wanted to show that Cliff didn't need to fall victim to J.R.'s schemes in order to lose Barnes-Wentworth. Cliff was destined to lose the business on his own. But how could Cliff get that far into the biggest deal in Texas, and never understand the operating costs?

yeah, it seems over time Cliff went from someone everyone, even the Ewings, agreed was quite smart, to something of a buffoon. Maybe the attempted suicide really did change his personality, as the doctor warned Rebecca and Afton when he was in a coma?

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Thought of this thread today because we re-watched the episode where Cliff gets in over his head with the offshore oil deal.

The banker asks him if he has one hundred million in reserves. Cliff acted surprised. The banker said,

"You have the rigs, the crews, interest on the loan. You're in for another hundred million, right?"

And Cliff responds, "I wasn't figuring on that much."

WHAT!?

I understand what they were going for, here. They wanted to show that Cliff didn't need to fall victim to J.R.'s schemes in order to lose Barnes-Wentworth. Cliff was destined to lose the business on his own. But how could Cliff get that far into the biggest deal in Texas, and never understand the operating costs?

You're right. I was also thinking of it from the opposite perspective which is: If even someone as inexperienced as Cliff could manage to hit oil on an offshore lease, why wouldn't Bobby and JR have just bought it for themselves, especially with JR knowing how much the top bid would be?

 

[Victoriafan3]

The emerald mine story, if no one has mentioned this, with Bobby’s great friend who’d never been mentioned before. Should’ve stayed that way ;-)

 

[Seaviewer]

The emerald mine story, if no one has mentioned this, with Bobby’s great friend who’d never been mentioned before. Should’ve stayed that way ;-)

It did. That was in the dream so it never happened.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

If even someone as inexperienced as Cliff could manage to hit oil on an offshore lease, why wouldn't Bobby and JR have just bought it for themselves, especially with JR knowing how much the top bid would be?

You make a good point, here.

It is also interesting to note that during this time, the other characters have storylines about their romances-- Pam and Bobby, Pam and Mark. Miss Ellie and Clayton. Sue Ellen and Peter, Sue Ellen and J.R. J.R. and Katherine.

The only storyline having to do with the oil business is Cliff Barnes and his offshore drilling.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Lucy working at the diner, a very hard job(especially for someone who never worked a day in her life), her mother worked at years before to get a connection with her(I believe that was the rationale) instead of actually visiting Valene. Did Lucy reflect on her mother or herself at all? If I recall correctly, she spent the whole time chasing after a guy.