Was Bobby Really THAT Dunce When It Came To Katherine?

[Billy Wall]

She was literally throwing herself at his feet and he still didn't think she wanted anything more than friendship? All those lunches, dinners and shared drinks and he still didn't pickup the signs? Katherine put herself right in the middle of the battle for Ewing Oil on his behalf and he still only looked at her as a friend trying to help. He also bought the "I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt" line. It's kinda funny considering that they barely really knew each other, so why would her feelings run that deep for Bobby?

Bobby is normally one of the smarter people on Dallas, but he was made to look like an idiot during this period.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Katherine wasn’t exactly subtle in her approach. The funny thing is others were noticing it. Everyone was noticing except Bobby. Afton noticed it before anyone, J.R. knew even before Katherine told him, and even Cliff made a comment one time when he saw them having lunch together and told Bobby he was having lunch with the wrong sister.

I guess Bobby was just too naive when it came to Katherine. She was his ex sister in law and he just never entertained the thought of her having those kinds of feelings until she finally told him. You’d think he’d be able to spot her intentions a mile away. The guy was used to having women throw themselves at him and another sister in law (kind of) had already tried in the original Kristin so he really should’ve known something was up with Katherine’s overdone generosity.

 

[CeeCee72]

Bobby often behaved stupidly when it came to women. He was so wrapped up in his own emotions he often didn't bother to try to understand the motivations of the women around him. From Pam to Katherine to Lisa to April, he was pretty incompetent at reading women.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Bobby really was frustrating during this time. From someone who literally had the gift of solving everything around him, meddled in everyone else's relationships, yet he couldn't see through what was right underneath his nose.

This is where his overly nice persona came across as a tease to these women.

 

[Barbara Fan]

After 4 decades of watching and loving Dallas and Patrick Duffy - I have come to the conclusion that Bobby wasn't very bright!

 

[Rove]

If Katherine was written to be more devious then perhaps I could excuse Bobby's stupidity but she was practically kissing his feet. Let's not forget Holly Harwood was buzzing around as well. Perhaps this was Bobby's ultimate modus operandi...he wasn't actually that dumb. He knew what he was doing and loved the attention.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Bobby often behaved stupidly when it came to women. He was so wrapped up in his own emotions he often didn't bother to try to understand the motivations of the women around him. From Pam to Katherine to Lisa to April, he was pretty incompetent at reading women.

And let's not mention my mother, Jenna Wade!

Although to be honest, he did seem to know her mindset.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Despite his naïveté though I did feel that Bobby and Katherine had a lot of good scenes together. Something did click with them in my opinion. The scene where she makes him aware of the fake letter signed by Pam, the scene when she tells him how she feels about him only to be rejected, even the scene when she visits him at the shooting range. I always liked this forgotten little scene because it kind of foreshadowed the shooting itself. Not to mention when she tries to kill him again in the hospital, followed by stalking him at the end of that season. I’d throw in killing him but okay that didn’t really happen. She even returns later on when Pam is in the hospital. Bobby and Katherine always seemed intertwined somehow and they shared some memorable moments.

 

[Laurie Marr]

When The Bobster was troubled (cue the look of mild constipation) his ability to read even basic human behaviour seemed to desert him.

And yet…..it’s actually not uncommon for everyone else but the target of a seduction to notice what’s going on. I can recall several examples from my own experience.

Ultimately, The Bobster’s view of many events was compromised by being too often perched on his high horse.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Bobby was also wrapped up in the battle for Ewing Oil, Southfork burning and his mother being replaced by an odd doppelganger(She fell asleep. That's when the pods take over).
Bobby on some level liked beautiful women throwing themselves at him. He also was lonely because Pam left him, and he may have thought that if he discussed her feelings for him it would end their companionship. She was really the only one he could talk to who would be unequivocally supportive if him.
The one I thought was really dumb was Pam. How she didn't sense Katherine's intentions is a mystery. Yes, she may have said to herself, "Katherine is my sister," but she has really only met her a couple of seasons ago and Katherine was living in New York. She really didn't know anything about her.
Afton was the Cassandra of Dallas. She gave good advice and saw things the other characters didn't, but nobody ever listened to her.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Bobby on some level liked beautiful women throwing themselves at him.

Although he shrugged off his playboy image when he married Pam and he was faithful, I didn't always approve of his behavior when Jenna 1,2&3 were around.

She was really the only one he could talk to who would be unequivocally supportive

She wasn't always supportive but did well being caught between her brother and husband. Bobby once told Miss Ellie he could only really talk to her and Gary, which is odd because in the early episodes Bobby says he hardly knew Gary but liked him.

The one I thought was really dumb was Pam.

Have to agree with you there, but her and Bobby being so damn nice all the time was often their weakness. They could be so perceptive about other people but not the ones closest to them. Pam was far too accepting too quickly of Katherine, as was Bobby.

Afton was the Cassandra of Dallas.

Not sure what a Cassandra is but Afton was very good at working people out and their motives. She deserved better than Cliff, but then at times she was just as bad.

 

[the-lost-son]

Right. But it sure gave us a great storyline which wouldn't have worked if Bobby saw through her right from the start. As Afton didn't have anything to do during that time, she got the part of some know-it-all - constantly sharing her wisdom with others.

They applied the same recipe again when Lady Jessica arrived. Only smart ole Donna could see through her.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

They made Katherine a bit too nice in the beginning, so you can see the progression of her jealousy against Cliff, Pam and ultimately Pam's relationship with Bobby over the course of the series. This was Dallas storylines at it's best, even though you had to suspend your disbelief that Bobby didn't see right through her.

Anyway, some people just can't read the hidden agenda's from other people, so it wasn't totally unbelieveable that Bobby didn't realise what was really going on! He became aware of it later on and took steps to tell Katherine that he thought of her only as Pam's little sister. Much to her chagrin.

She ended up ruining her relationship with both Pam and Cliff. She tried interfering with Bobby's relationship with Jenna and was beside herself in Swansong when Bobby spent the night with Pam.

Great character though, and Morgan Brittany played the role to perfection.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Not sure what a Cassandra is but Afton was very good at working people out and their motives. She deserved better than Cliff, but then at times she was just as bad.

I loved how she’d tell Cliff about her suspicions of Katherine and he’d just look at her like she was nuts. Cliff hated Katherine and saw right through her but even he had a hard time believing what Afton was trying to tell him about her. This never made any sense to me.

 

[Rove]

I didn't always approve of his behavior when Jenna 1,2&3 were around.

Can we all not relate to our first love? Many, many years later and I still feel a certain something when I think back.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Can we all not relate to our first love? Many, many years later and I still feel a certain something when I think back.

Not all of us can I'm sure.

Bobby was always flaunting Jenna right beneath Pam's nose and sometimes treated Pam second best.

 

[Kaleid]

She was literally throwing herself at his feet and he still didn't think she wanted anything more than friendship? All those lunches, dinners and shared drinks and he still didn't pickup the signs? Katherine put herself right in the middle of the battle for Ewing Oil on his behalf and he still only looked at her as a friend trying to help. He also bought the "I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt" line. It's kinda funny considering that they barely really knew each other, so why would her feelings run that deep for Bobby?

Bobby is normally one of the smarter people on Dallas, but he was made to look like an idiot during this period.

If you consider all the times he let J.R. stick around or return to the company after J.R. had pulled a stunt that would have landed most people in jail, or even how long it took him to figure out that J.R. was behind some nefarious scheme, I tend to think he wasn't too bright in general.

 

[CeeCee72]

If you consider all the times he let J.R. stick around or return to the company after J.R. had pulled a stunt that would have landed most people in jail, or even how long it took him to figure out that J.R. was behind some nefarious scheme, I tend to think he wasn't too bright in general.

Two things JR did directly to Bobby and Christopher should have been final straws.

1. Blackmailing him for the Ewing Oil shares when he thought Christopher was his son.

2. Bringing in Lisa to start a custody battle over Christopher.

The smarmy deals over Ewing Oil were thing,but JR was deliberately threatening Bobby's son's future there. Never understood why Bobby forgave JR for that.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Blackmailing him for the Ewing Oil shares when he thought Christopher was his son.

JR really didn't care about Christopher and showed no brotherly love towards Bobby even though at this point he believed Christopher was his son. Absolutely unforgivable just for business.

Bringing in Lisa to start a custody battle over Christopher.

Again not caring for Christopher in a nephew capacity. Awful behaviour towards him from JR. Disgusting how he got that Lisa to interfere in Bobby and Christopher's lives.


Bobby often had double standards and forgave JR pretty much everything. He himself tried to drown JR in a fight then was horrible to Sue Ellen for shooting him later.
OK I know shooting and attempting to drown aren't the same, but even so.

 

[Billy Wall]

Disgusting how he got that Lisa to interfere in Bobby and Christopher's lives.

While they were still mourning Pam nonetheless.