Dallas Character A problem named Lucy

[Mustard]

I think JR though he could mould her into a Ewing but gave up after a while, hence why they had a difficult relationship.

Lucy knew the past regarding her parents and didn't like it, hence resentment of J.R. and his role. Lucy could also feel that her own life experiences were very different to those of the other people in her family. She's pretty unique in the sense that nobody had an upbringing anything like hers in the family. Lucy had nobody to really relate too. I think Pam was good for her in many ways, in the sense that Pam was the ultimate outsider in the Ewing family being the Barnes daughter married to a Ewing son, and Pam had a good heart and firm hand with Lucy.

I'm trying to imagine Lucy in Knots Landing from its first season, and I can't envisage it somehow, maybe it's because we had "Lucy" type characters who were better written than Lucy herself in Knots.

Lucy would have fitted into Knots Landing in the later seasons when characters like Paige and Linda were around, but certainly not in the early seasons before Gary came into money through Jock's will. The episode that Lucy did appear in (in Season 1) was primarily about how she couldn't adapt to life on the cul-de-sac, on top of the issues that Lucy and Gary had in trying to relate to each other.

Good point about Gary being JR's opposite, in a way Bobby was more like
JR and that's why Bobby was his favourite brother, because JR knew this fact.

Exactly.

 

[Rove]

It makes perfect sense when you understand what J.R. did to take Lucy away from Val, and J.R.'s response when Val tried to take legal action to get Lucy back. J.R. said that he'd kill Val if she ever returned to the state of Texas.

But what was the point of JR removing Lucy from Valene? Am I missing something here? I couldn't imagine Jock or Miss Ellie tolerating that behavior from JR unless of course it was a means to an end. Maybe Miss Ellie thought that Lucy being back on Southfork would see her favourite son return.

Was it ever truthfully explained why JR had taken Lucy away from Valene? Lucy's presence on Dallas just didn't add up to me. Maybe the writers had something up their sleeve but the story never eventuated.

 

[Piggyrella Sanderson]

And they never had any real proof that James was JR's son!

At the time, I used to think that James didn´t look like JR, but he did look like Major Nelson from "I Dream of Jeannie"! And Sasha confirmed this when he was on "Step by Step"...Anyway, my biggest regret was that he wasn´t shirtless often enough!

 

[lbf522]

I think that JR had irrational fears about Gary coming back to Southfork because he was always really hurt that Miss Ellie saw him as the favorite and immediately started giving him attention after he was born. JR had to watch Gary get all of the attention from his mother that she never gave him, even before Bobby was born. I think he then became paranoid about Gary and Val moving back in (even though they never wanted to), and losing what meager attention he was receiving from Miss Ellie. It was kind of the same thing with Ray. Even though Miss Ellie wasn't his mother, it had to have hurt JR a heck of a lot to see her being more kind and motherly very quickly to someone who wasn't her son, only Jock's, than she had ever been to JR.

Yes Jock and Ellie were awful parents with their playing favorites among their sons and not being shy about it. Whatever JR was, Jock and Ellie deserve a lot of the blame for it by making him feel less loved.

I have said that JR keeping Lucy and Valene apart never made much sense to me because if they reconnect, they will leave Dallas and Gary would have no reason to ever come back.

As for Ray, I agree its one thing for Ellie to accept that Jock had a son but its another to treat that son like he is yours. Its similar to Big Valley with Victoria Barkley and Heath.

 

[Alexia]

At the time, I used to think that James didn´t look like JR, but he did look like Major Nelson from "I Dream of Jeannie"! And Sasha confirmed this when he was on "Step by Step"...Anyway, my biggest regret was that he wasn´t shirtless often enough!

I never thought James looked like JR enough to play his son convincingly (especially after watching many I Dream of Jeannie episodes with a young Larry...).
Josh Henderson, on Dallas TNT, now he looked like a young Larry Hagman!!!! He really looked like he could have been JR & Sue Ellen's child. That was perfect casting in my opinion!

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

It wasn't until the dream season which was when we finally see that Miss Ellie loves JR, he's speaking about leaving Dallas forever, and he doesn't realise she's there, the look on her face tells the audience that she cannot lose JR and that she genuinely loves him.
It's ironic seeing as Miss Ellie's favourite grandchild after Lucy is John Ross - JR's son.

 

[Mustard]

But what was the point of JR removing Lucy from Valene? Am I missing something here?

J.R. saw Lucy as a Ewing child, Gary as a weakling and drunk who could potentially be very dangerous if he ever got sober, strong and ambitious, and Valene as a tramp. And obviously Lucy not being at Southfork would have upset J.R.'s parents. So J.R. saw his opportunity, and made maximum use of it. It's perfectly in tune with J.R.'s character.

I couldn't imagine Jock or Miss Ellie tolerating that behavior from JR unless of course it was a means to an end. Maybe Miss Ellie thought that Lucy being back on Southfork would see her favourite son return

I'm sure J.R. told many lies, especially regarding what state Val was in when Lucy was taken from her, mixing the lies in with many bits of truth. And yes, had Lucy stayed with Val then it wouldn't have been at Southfork because J.R. had made that impossible.

Was it ever truthfully explained why JR had taken Lucy away from Valene?

Implicitly, yes.

Lucy's presence on Dallas just didn't add up to me. Maybe the writers had something up their sleeve but the story never eventuated.

Didn't add up in what way? Lucy is something of an outsider even at Southfork, because her parents haven't been involved in her upbringing, and it's obviously a sore subject to everyone except a gloating J.R.

 

[Top Jimmy]

I agree with Mustard. I believe JR took Lucy mainly to please Jock and Ellie, especially Jock. He would have moved heaven and earth to please him and losing his grandchild would have made Jock very, very angry.

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

I have said that JR keeping Lucy and Valene apart never made much sense to me because if they reconnect, they will leave Dallas and Gary would have no reason to ever come back.

I think that JR made it plain that he thought that if they reconnected they would all return to Southfork and undermine his supremacy there. It doesn't matter how likely that was, it was what he believed.

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

Sorry to bump this thread up :-D

Been watching some clips of Lucy today from various seasons, when she's not involved with the main Ewing storyline and in her own environment away from her family, Lucy is really good, and makes you realise that Charlene Tilton didn't need to be around the main cast, her first marriage to Mitch was probably her first adult based storyline, and I find myself siding with Lucy against Mitch, she's not a put upon victim, nor is she willing to be a simple housewife.

This furthers my belief that Lucy could've been spun off into her own show away from the Ewings in a unfamiliar setting.

Another thing is that Lucy wasn't really all that bothered about Ewing Oil or any business in general, she loved Southfork like her father and grandmother before her, it's a shame the writers never played this up more.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Another thing is that Lucy wasn't really all that bothered about Ewing Oil or any business in general, she loved Southfork like her father and grandmother before her, it's a shame the writers never played this up more.

Yes! The fact that Lucy wasn't into Ewing Oil opened the door for her to be off with her own storylines. Too bad they didn't pursue this.

Also, I'm amazed at how much I enjoyed Charlene Tilton in the reunion movies.

 

[Mustard]

Lucy certainly exposed the hypocrisy of Mitch "let's only spend our own money" Cooper. She managed to make a lot of her own money, and he still had a go at her when he should have been proud of her. Only Mickey seemed to really understand Lucy on a deeper level, despite their different backgrounds. Lucy and Mickey just had that perfect chemistry.

 

[Mustard]

Also, I'm amazed at how much I enjoyed Charlene Tilton in the reunion movies.

When they threw her in the Southfork pool

 

[Rove]

Lucy and Mickey just had that perfect chemistry.

It was the rare time I liked the character Lucy. Mitch had principle's and as old fashioned as they were I appreciated where he was coming from. I assume he and Afton came from a working class family. Afton was immediately attracted to the money both JR and Cliff could offer. Mitch on the other hand was studying and working part-time. If Lucy was entering into the relationship she also had to compensate for Mitch's principles. Hell, I'm getting all Dr. Phil here.

Killing off Mickey I thought was just another daft idea from the writers to justify the characters of Lucy, Ray and Donna. What a waste for future story-telling. A young kid suddenly exposed to the oil rich Ewing family. It would have been interesting to watch the outcome if Lucy and Mickey did marry. They could have moved into the tack house behind Southfork. I actually see Mickey working the ranch with Ray but I also see Mickey getting along with Bobby really well. Did they have any scenes together? It would also have been interesting to watch how Mickey related to Miss Ellie. Perhaps we learn Lucy is pregnant. It's a shame the writers didn't keep Mickey around long enough to embed himself to viewers. If the writers then decided to kill him off to further push the story along then his death would have been justified. Instead it appeared sometimes the writers were deliberately inserting characters at the beginning of a season to eventually have them knocked off for a season ending cliffhanger, anything to spare a Ewing I suppose. Come to think of it, I see the Ewing family as being cursed. Too much death for my liking. I'm outta here....

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

The fact that Lucy often fell for ordinary working/middle class men, rather than Texan rich boys says alot about her, it showed that money didn't matter to her as she got older and killing off Mickey was the biggest blunder Dallas did at that point, the first of many.

Lucy and Mickey were like a gender reversed version of Gary and Valene, they had perfect chemistry and all the makings of being the show's second golden couple behind only Bobby & Pam.

Lucy remarrying Mitch was a complete waste, he never respected her independence the first time around, and the problems they had in their first marriage were only exacerbated in round two.

 

[Mustard]

Lucy remarrying Mitch was a complete waste, he never respected her independence the first time around, and the problems they had in their first marriage were only exacerbated in round two.

They killed off Mickey, and then made Lucy look really dumb when she was chasing after a Peter Richards who was infatuated with Sue Ellen. This was the earliest period of decline setting in. Season 7 DVD was still a great season overall, but the earliest signs of decline were there. In Season 8, those signs became much more obvious, with old storylines being redone, most particularly the Jenna-Renaldo-Charlie thing. Lucy and Mitch suddenly getting remarried was another, really. Creatively, they were out of ideas by this point. Bobby's death did open up new dynamics for Season 9.

 

[Rove]

They killed off Mickey, and then made Lucy look really dumb when she was chasing after a Peter Richards who was infatuated with Sue Ellen. This was the earliest period of decline setting in. Season 7 DVD was still a great season overall, but the earliest signs of decline were there.

I'll add it was the first decline in the character of Lucy. Unlike most on soapchat I've warmed to the Peter Richards, Sue Ellen story. We have to remember Peter was a very young man infatuated with an older woman. That older woman by the way should not have been sending mixed messages to Peter, so Sue Ellen was no innocent in my books. I do believe though Christopher Atkins was the wrong type of guy cast in the role, but I understand why the producers went out of their way seeking his services since he was coming off "Blue Lagoon."

Releasing Charlene Tilton because they believe the character had run its course was just lazy on the writers part. In hindsight killing off Mickey was dumb. Although Mickey may have been initially attracted to the Ewing money and lifestyle, and the likes of Lucy and JR having concerns I see Mickey relaxing into his role of assisting Ray on Southfork. Mickey and Lucy marry and bring a child into the world without any stupid dramas for a change. Even JR begins to thaw with Mickey as he begins to see the young man work hard and has a positive influence on Lucy. It would have been great to watch this couple grow to appreciate the ranch, much like Miss Ellie. Not all characters have to have dramas to retain their relevance.

 

[ArchieLucasCarringtonEwing1989]

Season 8 is a bug bear for me, for the very reasons you mentioned @Mustard

They were going over old ground and storylines that had already been covered several years earlier.

This was also the season TPTB decided to bring in a new character, who essentially replaces Lucy,
Jamie Ewing, while I have nothing against her, just displayed TPTB's were beginning to lose their grip on Dallas, she was given storylines that should've been given to Lucy much earlier, can you imagine the scandal a Lucy/Cliff affair would've caused, Cliff's marriage to Jamie wasn't as scandalous because Jamie was a newbie and the viewers nor JR really reacted to this, Lucy on the other hand was one of the original characters and we had seen her grown from a spoilt teenage brat in 1978 to a mature young woman in 1985, yet TPTB almost seemed reluctant to fully utilise Lucy, they created Jamie because of this I believe.

 

[Rove]

can you imagine the scandal a Lucy/Cliff affair would've caused

I'd never thought of that before. Would have made for an interesting story. Ideally their dalliance could have occurred sometime after the death Mickey.

 

[lbf522]

No doubt about it, Lucy deserved better than Mitch Cooper. He was a joke and his stupid pride thing got tiresome. Even Afton told him off once about his silly pride thing.

His stupid tantrum after the bridal shower told me what a jerk he was. The "crime" JR committed was offering him a job which he could have turned down.

I have seen this storyline before on many shows where a girl from a wealthy family falls for a guy who is dirt poor and all of a sudden, she is ashamed of her family and acts like this guy is the greatest thing in the world.

The writers gave up to early on Lucy and there were possibilities. Before she returned to Dallas, there was a story in the National Enquirer that stated that Lucy was coming back to work at Ewing Oil and help save it. I really looked forward to that storyline but it never happened. So either the magazine got it wrong or the writers at some point changed their minds on that.

As for Lucy and Cliff? He would be too old and he did try to have her grandfather convicted of murder. I can't see any granddaughter dating this person unless she hates her grandfather.

Now Cliff and Pamela's cousin Jimmy. That could have worked.