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You mean you didn't find Bobby as Bond (or Rambo!) to be the most thrilling part of the entire range war? Just kidding, of course.
You mean you didn't find Bobby as Bond (or Rambo!) to be the most thrilling part of the entire range war? Just kidding, of course.
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HA HA HA! Yes!
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Yes, using Wendell as a scapegoat for the range war was definitely a huge mistake. Aside from Angela Channing, I can't think of a more potent villain in primetime! Perhaps it's because Wendell has no internal life; we only ever see him scheming or *cringes* playing tennis.
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EPISODE 12: THE SWITCH
"The Switch" is a good follow-up to last week’s surprisingly decent installment. To my (admittedly, huge) surprise, we start off with a nicely written April/J.R. scene. The sad thing is, the fun material is being let down by Wilson, who just can’t pull it off.
Much of the episode revolves around Cally's arrival at Southfork, which for once is not as bad as it sounds. After the show swiftly gets rid of Clayton and Miss Ellie (they’re away in Europe), it actually devotes time to developing the dynamics the new Mrs. Ewing will have with the Ewing children. It’s no surprise John Ross will hardly allow Cally to talk to him, but Christopher reaching out to her turns out to be quite touching thanks to the loss of his own mother, and to the actor’s cuteness. The two becomes buddies.
Cally also reaches out to Sue Ellen to apologize for calling her a booze-guzzling, cock-swallowing whore. Interestingly, it goes well. The two form a connection and, hilariously, Sue Ellen gives her some advice on how to handle J.R.’s sick need for the chase. Bless her dumb little heart, Cally does just as she’s advised and has J.R. drooling right outside her door.
Cliff manages to destroy his life once again when he questions the sincerity of Tammy's devotion to him. By the time he speaks with Bobby (a sweet scene in which Bobby gives him a hot dog) and realizes he made a mistake, Tammy backs off from the relationship and leaves him. That’s a shame: I was starting to like her.
I love bitchy Sue Ellen on a mission! She buys a Dallas studio and plans a movie about romance, love, betrayal, and all that crap. It’s all the show will share, but it’s effective in building up anticipation of what she’s planning.
The ending comes really out of the blue: After unceremoniously sweeping Nicholas’ mangled corpse under the rug, it seems they’ve decided they need him for storyline purposes. Therefore, J.R. finds out Nicholas’ daddy is coming to town… for revenge! I don’t know how the detective would find that out, but OK, I’ll roll with it.
@Barbara Fan @Ray&Donna @Balena @Richard Channing
"The Switch" is a good follow-up to last week’s surprisingly decent installment. To my (admittedly, huge) surprise, we start off with a nicely written April/J.R. scene. The sad thing is, the fun material is being let down by Wilson, who just can’t pull it off.
Much of the episode revolves around Cally's arrival at Southfork, which for once is not as bad as it sounds. After the show swiftly gets rid of Clayton and Miss Ellie (they’re away in Europe), it actually devotes time to developing the dynamics the new Mrs. Ewing will have with the Ewing children. It’s no surprise John Ross will hardly allow Cally to talk to him, but Christopher reaching out to her turns out to be quite touching thanks to the loss of his own mother, and to the actor’s cuteness. The two becomes buddies.
Cally also reaches out to Sue Ellen to apologize for calling her a booze-guzzling, cock-swallowing whore. Interestingly, it goes well. The two form a connection and, hilariously, Sue Ellen gives her some advice on how to handle J.R.’s sick need for the chase. Bless her dumb little heart, Cally does just as she’s advised and has J.R. drooling right outside her door.
Cliff manages to destroy his life once again when he questions the sincerity of Tammy's devotion to him. By the time he speaks with Bobby (a sweet scene in which Bobby gives him a hot dog) and realizes he made a mistake, Tammy backs off from the relationship and leaves him. That’s a shame: I was starting to like her.
I love bitchy Sue Ellen on a mission! She buys a Dallas studio and plans a movie about romance, love, betrayal, and all that crap. It’s all the show will share, but it’s effective in building up anticipation of what she’s planning.
The ending comes really out of the blue: After unceremoniously sweeping Nicholas’ mangled corpse under the rug, it seems they’ve decided they need him for storyline purposes. Therefore, J.R. finds out Nicholas’ daddy is coming to town… for revenge! I don’t know how the detective would find that out, but OK, I’ll roll with it.
@Barbara Fan @Ray&Donna @Balena @Richard Channing
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Something felt really off when I realized they got rid of him, 1/3 into a season, when he could be a arch enemy for the rest of the series. Indeed, Curran's book tells us Smithers asked for a raise based on Larry Hagman's advice, and instead got written out.
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The explanation for their absence is hilarious. As if they would want to spend time with Ray and Jenna! Ray and Donna, sure.
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Cally's arrival at Southfork is fun to watch. From the fear in J.R.'s voice, "What the hell are you doing here?" to the amusement of the other family members watching J.R. squirm.
And Bobby's line to Cally: "I think you could fit in around Dallas. In fact, I think you married beneath yourself!"
BHWAHAHHAHAHA! Go Bobby!
And it gets even better with Bobby relishing J.R.'s distress:
Bobby: You didn't have to marry her, Pal.
J.R. She's just a little hillbilly
Bobby: She's a hillbilly with a marriage license.
J.R. I can take care of that.
Bobby: I guess you're right. Divorcing her would be kinder than staying married to her.
J.R. Momma should have had her tubes tied right after I was born.
Great back and forth, and we can just imagine Larry and Patrick working out the dialogue together. They seemed to really enjoy the scene together.
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EPISODE 13: HE-E-E-E-RE’S PAPA!
Another good episode. The action focuses on Joseph Lombardi's arrival in town to seek revenge for Nicholas’ death. Considering his ties to the mob, it is an intriguing proposition, and J.R. is right to be worried. Things develop from there in, perhaps, a different way than anticipated. Instead of the show trying to get some high-octane action scenes out of J.R.’s kidnapping, it does Joseph Lombardi some good service by writing him as level-headed and looking for justice (albeit, the potentially violent kind). When J.R. insists Nicholas’ death was an accident, Joseph is determined to prove it either way, and it leads to a fantastic scene for Sue Ellen at the end of the episode.
Elsewhere, Cally continues to earn points during a Southfork kitchen scene with J.R., who proposes she sleep with him in order for him to decide whether to keep her as a wife. Deliciously, she throws a pie in his face. Later, Cally and Tracey bond over putting bizarrely dressed sales associates in their place. Amusing and so late 80s/early 90s. Cally's winning streak ends there, because John Ross is determined to avoid her at all costs, hoping J.R. and Sue Ellen will eventually get back together. Sue Ellen does the only thing she can: She tells John Ross that she and J.R. will never, ever, ever get back together.
When McKay isn’t busy getting Tracey settled in at work, he visits Sue Ellen to propose being friends and goes to Southfork for dinner. Again, he was trying to kill/destroy the Ewings just a few episodes ago. Are we really acting like any of this could be happening right now?
Sue Ellen, busy buying studios and planning her revenge against J.R., is handed the opportunity to make J.R. go away when Lombardi shows up at the office to ask for the truth concerning Nicholas’ death. Considering her anger and resentment, it is a touching moment when she saves J.R.’s life (even if you didn’t expect her to make another choice anyway) and it clearly cost a lot to do it. It seems the story is over, and that’s somewhat disappointing, but it’s moments like this that stop it from feeling anticlimactic, and I’m glad they addressed Nicholas’ death, even if briefly.
@Barbara Fan @Ray&Donna @Balena @Richard Channing
Another good episode. The action focuses on Joseph Lombardi's arrival in town to seek revenge for Nicholas’ death. Considering his ties to the mob, it is an intriguing proposition, and J.R. is right to be worried. Things develop from there in, perhaps, a different way than anticipated. Instead of the show trying to get some high-octane action scenes out of J.R.’s kidnapping, it does Joseph Lombardi some good service by writing him as level-headed and looking for justice (albeit, the potentially violent kind). When J.R. insists Nicholas’ death was an accident, Joseph is determined to prove it either way, and it leads to a fantastic scene for Sue Ellen at the end of the episode.
Elsewhere, Cally continues to earn points during a Southfork kitchen scene with J.R., who proposes she sleep with him in order for him to decide whether to keep her as a wife. Deliciously, she throws a pie in his face. Later, Cally and Tracey bond over putting bizarrely dressed sales associates in their place. Amusing and so late 80s/early 90s. Cally's winning streak ends there, because John Ross is determined to avoid her at all costs, hoping J.R. and Sue Ellen will eventually get back together. Sue Ellen does the only thing she can: She tells John Ross that she and J.R. will never, ever, ever get back together.
When McKay isn’t busy getting Tracey settled in at work, he visits Sue Ellen to propose being friends and goes to Southfork for dinner. Again, he was trying to kill/destroy the Ewings just a few episodes ago. Are we really acting like any of this could be happening right now?
Sue Ellen, busy buying studios and planning her revenge against J.R., is handed the opportunity to make J.R. go away when Lombardi shows up at the office to ask for the truth concerning Nicholas’ death. Considering her anger and resentment, it is a touching moment when she saves J.R.’s life (even if you didn’t expect her to make another choice anyway) and it clearly cost a lot to do it. It seems the story is over, and that’s somewhat disappointing, but it’s moments like this that stop it from feeling anticlimactic, and I’m glad they addressed Nicholas’ death, even if briefly.
@Barbara Fan @Ray&Donna @Balena @Richard Channing
K
Karin Schill
Guest
Great review of the episode. I agree that Nick Pearces' dad kidnapping JR and then asking Sue Ellen about what happened when Nick died was really interesting. Sue Ellen's face when she admits it was an accident and that she was equally to blame as JR really gets to me. Linda totally nailed that scene!
lol also about JR getting a pie in his face courtesey of Cally in the beginning of the episode. Quite a contrast how it can go from that early on in the episode to the closing scene on Sue Ellen's teary face.
lol also about JR getting a pie in his face courtesey of Cally in the beginning of the episode. Quite a contrast how it can go from that early on in the episode to the closing scene on Sue Ellen's teary face.
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Another fantastic review @JROG (and happy new year if I didn´t wish you that before!)...I´m about to start my re-watching of Dallas OR Season 11 (the one you are reviewing) along with Season 10 of Knots Landing, chronologically, and I´m scared only of thinking about the horrible Season Opener with the comedic hospital scenes, the NuPam-of-the-Opera farce, and that vibe of "let´s all bash Sue Ellen because Linda won´t renew her contract". Lousy viewing that will only get worse until the Urrop tour, which I loved (I´m a fan of "The Sound of Music"...and Austria). At least the Knots episodes will be much better this time...because Season 9 has been a big letdown in this upteenth rewatch.
About the last scene you mention with Daddy Piercing and Lindicia Adams, they didn´t strive to make it slightly memorable: a good scene like that should have hinted that Sue Ellen maybe would blame J.R., even if she changed her mind at the end. Instead, in this episode suddenly she remembers that her lover Nick (the one with the big hair and the furry chest and the dark past and the chic sweaters, and also the one who literally gave his life so she could get her son back...or at least trying to do so), poor dear, has been dead for half a season and she hasn´t even cried a little tear for him.
Another sexist subplot from the Katzmen that plays dear Sue for a fool and us too, by the way...And so out of character...Remember how many tears (and drops of bourbon) she shed for Dusty when she thought he was dead? So what´s wrong with Sue now? Was Nick just a toyboy for her? I don´t really remember they said to each other "I love you"...Not that it was something necessary because if men could enjoy their affairs in the show, why not women? I just expected her to show more grief at least the day Nick went off the balcony...What made things worse was her falling in love, not long after that,
with the first English movie director that crossed her path...Was it a way for the Katzmen to tell the audiences, look at her, she chose a guy of the best profession in the world, show business...?
Oh and did you notice that actor Chaz Palminteri ("Bullets Over Broadway", "Diabolique"...) has a bit role as one of the bodyguards of Mr. Pier-bardi?
"Me on "Dallas"? No way. (Brad Pitt told me saying this was
enough, and also erasing it from my Imdb page, but not even
my mob connections allowed me do that...)"
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You are right, that the lack of a social life is exactly what made Wendell a good rival against J.R.
Blackmail him by using a prostitute? Wendell wasn't married anyway, so not much leverage there.
Threaten to destroy his business? Wendell was a company man paid a salary. Nothing to be done there.
Imagine Jeremy Wendell opens his refrigerator and realizes he forgot to buy milk, and has nothing for his cereal. Keep that exact level of mild irritation going every time he sees J.R.
"Oh, hello J.R."
BWHAHAHAHAHA! Nobody else could be as totally unconcerned as Wendell when he delivers that line.
Once again proving that only Linda Gray could play Sue Ellen.
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EPISODE 14: COMINGS AND GOINGS
J.R. thanks Sue Ellen for saving his life and mistakenly thinks she’s given up her revenge. All the better! Throughout the years I’ve heard about Don Lockwood but even a 12-year old show you are mildly spoiled on can surprise you sometimes: I did not expect to see Ian McShane walk into Sue Ellen's office! You can see he’s really acting. Sue Ellen likens J.R.’s life to Citizen Kane in Texas which… well, actually, yes. It’s just a shame the show is in this state while drawing these comparisons. At least the movie gives the opportunity for some flashbacks to better times (one of them being Sue Ellen taken to the sanitarium) and, most interestingly of all, brings Lucy into it. Who else, besides Sue Ellen, is more qualified for this? And we get a Valene flashback. I hope they actually make use of Lucy in this story.
Clayton and Miss Ellie are off. Again.
Cliff makes a great deal and is thrilled about it. Three guesses where this is going. J.R. first puts the breaks on it with his demands (to be made full partner at Ewing), then uses April to steal the deal. Well, at least Cliff getting drunk and crawling around on his knees was amusing.
It’s not a good week for the Southfork children. Christopher is sick and pain in the ass John Ross sasses himself into a very dramatic head injury/near drowning combo. It takes real talent to manage that! Cally first threatens to whoop his ass, then saves his ass, but he remains ungrateful and spoiled. Truly J.R.’s son!
In anticipation of Tommy’s arrival, Carter confides in Bobby about his lack of skill as a father. The very sexy J. Eddie Peck finally arrives, wearing his Leather Jacket of Trouble, making this at least the fourth show I watch that Peck’s been in (two of which I’m currently watching). Tommy’s hot but things with McKay are icy cold. Maybe that little packet of powdered sugar in Tommy’s suitcase could have something to do with it.
With Sue Ellen ready to proceed with the movie, Don warns she may never make any money from it. Preparing for her freezeframe, Sue Ellen announces she doesn’t care. She just wants to make J.R. the laughingstock of Dallas. Yeah!
J.R. thanks Sue Ellen for saving his life and mistakenly thinks she’s given up her revenge. All the better! Throughout the years I’ve heard about Don Lockwood but even a 12-year old show you are mildly spoiled on can surprise you sometimes: I did not expect to see Ian McShane walk into Sue Ellen's office! You can see he’s really acting. Sue Ellen likens J.R.’s life to Citizen Kane in Texas which… well, actually, yes. It’s just a shame the show is in this state while drawing these comparisons. At least the movie gives the opportunity for some flashbacks to better times (one of them being Sue Ellen taken to the sanitarium) and, most interestingly of all, brings Lucy into it. Who else, besides Sue Ellen, is more qualified for this? And we get a Valene flashback. I hope they actually make use of Lucy in this story.
Clayton and Miss Ellie are off. Again.
Cliff makes a great deal and is thrilled about it. Three guesses where this is going. J.R. first puts the breaks on it with his demands (to be made full partner at Ewing), then uses April to steal the deal. Well, at least Cliff getting drunk and crawling around on his knees was amusing.
It’s not a good week for the Southfork children. Christopher is sick and pain in the ass John Ross sasses himself into a very dramatic head injury/near drowning combo. It takes real talent to manage that! Cally first threatens to whoop his ass, then saves his ass, but he remains ungrateful and spoiled. Truly J.R.’s son!
In anticipation of Tommy’s arrival, Carter confides in Bobby about his lack of skill as a father. The very sexy J. Eddie Peck finally arrives, wearing his Leather Jacket of Trouble, making this at least the fourth show I watch that Peck’s been in (two of which I’m currently watching). Tommy’s hot but things with McKay are icy cold. Maybe that little packet of powdered sugar in Tommy’s suitcase could have something to do with it.
With Sue Ellen ready to proceed with the movie, Don warns she may never make any money from it. Preparing for her freezeframe, Sue Ellen announces she doesn’t care. She just wants to make J.R. the laughingstock of Dallas. Yeah!
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EPISODE 15: COUNTRY GIRL
J.R., Bobby, Lucy, John Ross, and Christopher go to the airport to greet Miss Ellie and Clayton, back from visiting Ray and Jenna in Europe. Gosh, this looks familiar. How funny would it have been if Donna Reed walked out of that gate?! They’d never do that, would they? Also: this is the second episode in a row featuring scenes shot on location at an airport which heavily showcases American Airlines. I guess someone got a sponsorship?
Sue Ellen gives Don her previously never seen or mentioned journals and takes a trip down memory lane, this time flashbacking to Kristin. Don complains he knows Sue Ellen too intimately now and has lost his objectivity. He underscores that point by threatening to kiss Sue Ellen but walking away.
It seems J.R.’s scheming is too much for April, who subtly warns Cliff to leave Ewing Oil (too subtly, Cliff needs the point to hit him in the head like a hammer). She then pouts as J.R. arranges for a dummy corporation. I guess we’re in the midst of April's ‘redemption,’ turning her pure enough for Beloved Hero Bobby to put his hands on again. Cliff discovers J.R. and Senator Hunsacker meeting and decides it’s time for some revenge.
Tommy hits on every woman he meets, and it’s quite a lot of fun. The show desperately needed a younger man around who can stir things up. I really thought they’d have Cally have an affair with him, but it was hilarious how he backed off the moment he found out she’s married. I suppose April it is! Of course, it’s utterly ridiculous how quickly McKay was convinced that Tommy no longer uses. Where is the bloodthirsty, ruthless McKay? It seems his character changes every time the plot needs it.
I’ve also grown to like Cally a lot. I never thought that would happen after her disastrous introduction, but here we are. She and John Ross finally reach a truce.
Miss Ellie puts her return to good use. She finds out J.R. continues to mistreat Cally and steps in, issuing J.R. an ultimatum: Either he remarries Cally or divorces her. It’s nice to see Miss Ellie be present as a parent again. It was also nice to see the Daughters of the Alamo be put to some good use, even if none of the familiar faces like Marilee Stone or Mavis Anderson are there. It’s quite the shock when Cally announces her pregnancy while preparing to leave Southfork. As expected, this shakes J.R. up enough that, after he verifies said pregnancy, he shoves a ring on Cally's finger and tells her they’ll have the biggest wedding Southfork has ever seen!
J.R., Bobby, Lucy, John Ross, and Christopher go to the airport to greet Miss Ellie and Clayton, back from visiting Ray and Jenna in Europe. Gosh, this looks familiar. How funny would it have been if Donna Reed walked out of that gate?! They’d never do that, would they? Also: this is the second episode in a row featuring scenes shot on location at an airport which heavily showcases American Airlines. I guess someone got a sponsorship?
Sue Ellen gives Don her previously never seen or mentioned journals and takes a trip down memory lane, this time flashbacking to Kristin. Don complains he knows Sue Ellen too intimately now and has lost his objectivity. He underscores that point by threatening to kiss Sue Ellen but walking away.
It seems J.R.’s scheming is too much for April, who subtly warns Cliff to leave Ewing Oil (too subtly, Cliff needs the point to hit him in the head like a hammer). She then pouts as J.R. arranges for a dummy corporation. I guess we’re in the midst of April's ‘redemption,’ turning her pure enough for Beloved Hero Bobby to put his hands on again. Cliff discovers J.R. and Senator Hunsacker meeting and decides it’s time for some revenge.
Tommy hits on every woman he meets, and it’s quite a lot of fun. The show desperately needed a younger man around who can stir things up. I really thought they’d have Cally have an affair with him, but it was hilarious how he backed off the moment he found out she’s married. I suppose April it is! Of course, it’s utterly ridiculous how quickly McKay was convinced that Tommy no longer uses. Where is the bloodthirsty, ruthless McKay? It seems his character changes every time the plot needs it.
I’ve also grown to like Cally a lot. I never thought that would happen after her disastrous introduction, but here we are. She and John Ross finally reach a truce.
Miss Ellie puts her return to good use. She finds out J.R. continues to mistreat Cally and steps in, issuing J.R. an ultimatum: Either he remarries Cally or divorces her. It’s nice to see Miss Ellie be present as a parent again. It was also nice to see the Daughters of the Alamo be put to some good use, even if none of the familiar faces like Marilee Stone or Mavis Anderson are there. It’s quite the shock when Cally announces her pregnancy while preparing to leave Southfork. As expected, this shakes J.R. up enough that, after he verifies said pregnancy, he shoves a ring on Cally's finger and tells her they’ll have the biggest wedding Southfork has ever seen!
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EPISODE 16: WEDDING BELL BLUES
"Wedding Bell Blues" must be as classic as DALLAS gets this season. I really enjoyed this one. Larry Hagman delivers some nice directing touches, like that shot of Cally on the balcony with the balloon.
While not as well-written and executed as it would’ve been in earlier seasons, the episode does a good job bringing all these people together and just having fun with it. I laughed so hard at Cliff searching for April's shoe, finding a quarter, and keeping it.
It’s such a shame that they didn’t film this on location; but I suppose with the whole storm scenario, that might’ve been too involved/expensive for them. The idea of all these people trapped at Southfork is an intriguing one. It leads to things like Kercheval and McShane sharing scenes together. Granted, I expected things to be a little more explosive, but it is what it is.
I can’t help but enjoy Tommy and his hound dog ways. I howled when he spotted Sly and made a beeline for her. And I’m not complaining about Tommy’s shirtless freak out in the rain. When you’ve got beefcake, you better serve up beefcake!
The most satisfying moments come at the end: It was so much fun when Cally revealed she tricked J.R. into marrying her with her supposed pregnancy, only for him to open the door to that stunning Sue Ellen ending. This may not be the DALLAS of old, but it still delivered!
"Wedding Bell Blues" must be as classic as DALLAS gets this season. I really enjoyed this one. Larry Hagman delivers some nice directing touches, like that shot of Cally on the balcony with the balloon.
While not as well-written and executed as it would’ve been in earlier seasons, the episode does a good job bringing all these people together and just having fun with it. I laughed so hard at Cliff searching for April's shoe, finding a quarter, and keeping it.
It’s such a shame that they didn’t film this on location; but I suppose with the whole storm scenario, that might’ve been too involved/expensive for them. The idea of all these people trapped at Southfork is an intriguing one. It leads to things like Kercheval and McShane sharing scenes together. Granted, I expected things to be a little more explosive, but it is what it is.
I can’t help but enjoy Tommy and his hound dog ways. I howled when he spotted Sly and made a beeline for her. And I’m not complaining about Tommy’s shirtless freak out in the rain. When you’ve got beefcake, you better serve up beefcake!
The most satisfying moments come at the end: It was so much fun when Cally revealed she tricked J.R. into marrying her with her supposed pregnancy, only for him to open the door to that stunning Sue Ellen ending. This may not be the DALLAS of old, but it still delivered!
