What could have been done instead of the "Dream Season"?

[Seaviewer]

She didn't have the background, the experience, or the love of the business which drove JR

She did have Christopher's interests to protect, though, which was what made it so difficult to understand her ultimately selling out.

 

[TJames03]

As ridiculous as it is, a dream would have only been the explanation because they wanted to absolutely erase everything after Bobby's death, not JUST Bobby's death. However, instead of Pam having a dream, it could have been Bobby's while in a coma.

 

[Rove]

Pam was absolutely no match for JR. She didn't have the background, the experience, or the love of the business which drove JR to be so damn good at it and are the elements necessary to be great at the oil business. He would have made mincemeat out of Pam.

You are correct when you say Pam was no match against J.R., when it came to the wheeling and dealing, he was the Master. I just wish the producers/writers had the strength to follow a different path than desperately trying to out maneuver Dynasty with stupid characters and story-lines. I thought it brave on Patrick's part to leave such a popular program but by this stage I was over the Bobby vs J.R., thing for control of Ewing Oil. The death of such a major character could have been the catalyst for change. The reading of Bobby's Will showed promise when it was revealed Christopher's 30% share in Ewing Oil was to be administered by Pam. The look these two characters exchanged when that was announced by Harv was priceless.

So many missed opportunities.

Katzman thought that, Duffy's absence aside, DALLAS suffered during Season 8 because of three main problems: too much international intrigue, weakened male characters, and a wimpy J.R.

I agree about the international angle. I'm amused about "a wimpy J.R." This is exactly what happened to him in later seasons. Is it possible Katzman struggled with strong female characters when it is implied he had issues with weakened male characters?

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I agree about the international angle. I'm amused about "a wimpy J.R." This is exactly what happened to him in later seasons. Is it possible Katzman struggled with strong female characters when it is implied he had issues with weakened male characters?

I don't know; I haven't read much about Katzmann or the behind the scenes stuff. April was a strong female character though and her being strong didn't weaken any of the male characters.

 

[JROG]

I agree about the international angle. I'm amused about "a wimpy J.R." This is exactly what happened to him in later seasons. Is it possible Katzman struggled with strong female characters when it is implied he had issues with weakened male characters?

Yes, that's exactly it. The book goes on to say,

Katzman also felt that, during Season 8, "DALLAS had become a women's show." He did not believe DALLAS should "have weak women, but the men have always been the strong characters in the show. The women have been strong in their own right, but they haven't dominated the men."

The writers, said Katzman, "practically ruined J.R. last year. He was deceived by women. They lied to him. If you diminish J.R., you diminish the series."

And he does have a point, in general, about J.R. having to be kept a certain way in order for him, and the show, to work. But, I seem to recall J.R. having lost some of his ruthlessness as early as the season prior to the dream season anyway.

In other words, he just couldn't accept the fact that women heavily drove story during that season, and God forbid, J.R. was duped by Mandy and Angelica. There were never any strong women following his return, except for his pets, who received preferential treatment.

So, yeah, he decided to just erase it all, and it also explains part of the reason why the show really declined following Season 10 (DVD)

 

[Rove]

"practically ruined J.R. last year. He was deceived by women. They lied to him. If you diminish J.R., you diminish the series."

Interesting. J.R., was constantly being lied/deceived by women from the moment the series began. Julie Gray, Kristin Shepard spring to mind. What I loved about those early years of Dallas were how strong the characters were- both men and women. Jock was a true man's man however one look from Miss Ellie put him in place. And the character of J.R., was well and truly diminished towards the end of the series.

 

[Sarah]

I go with the dream. I don't see any other way of doing it.

Dallas gets such a hard time over this but in recent years SO MANY OTHER soaps have copied - not with a dream - but by bringing characters that were thought to be dead back to life - EastEnders has done it multiple times. I don't get why there is such a focus on Dallas' dream season, when EastEnders had both Dirty Den and Kathy Beale return after over 15 years thought to be dead.

 

[Sarah]

Interesting. J.R., was constantly being lied/deceived by women from the moment the series began.

Is it any wonder??

 

[KayLloyd]

It should never have been Pam's dream, that was their big mistake. That explanation made absolutely no sense at all. It was far more logical to explain the season away as Bobby being in a coma and "hearing" his visitors as they came and went. It would have accomplished the same thing that they needed to do to bring Bobby back without the ridiculousness.

 

[Seaviewer]

As ridiculous as it is, a dream would have only been the explanation because they wanted to absolutely erase everything after Bobby's death, not JUST Bobby's death.

That's literally true. The real question is whether the year's events should have been erased.

 

[Mustard]

I go with the dream. I don't see any other way of doing it.

Dallas gets such a hard time over this but in recent years SO MANY OTHER soaps have copied - not with a dream - but by bringing characters that were thought to be dead back to life - EastEnders has done it multiple times. I don't get why there is such a focus on Dallas' dream season, when EastEnders had both Dirty Den and Kathy Beale return after over 15 years thought to be dead.

Neither Dirty Den nor Kathy died on screen. Kathy's death was completely off screen in a car crash in South Africa. With Dirty Den in 1989, we saw him walking and then a camera cut to a person with a gun hidden within a bunch of flowers, who shot in Dirty Den's direction, and then we heard a plop in the water (off screen). Bobby was seen to be run over on screen, and was seen to die on screen, flatlining before our eyes.

The fact that Dallas got a hard time also gives more credibility to the idea that Dallas was seen as a serious drama, despite the soap opera elements in it. EastEnders just isn't to that level. Also, Dirty Den and Kathy had been away for a long time before they returned, whereas Bobby was only away for 1 year, and that 1 year was dominated by people's grief following Bobby's death.

 

[Rove]

whereas Bobby was only away for 1 year, and that 1 year was dominated by people's grief following Bobby's death.

My thoughts exactly. That hospital scene when Bobby dies was gut-wrenching. How was the next season going to play out. I couldn't wait. How disappointing as it played out. Then in that last scene when Bobby spins in the shower my immediate thought was "What the Hell?" For me it was that "jump the shark" moment. The producers/writers were asking me to suspend the previous season as a dream. It was a step too far, and I wasn't alone.

 

[Sarah]

I feel everything thence gone is cancelled out by the phrase jump the shark which I have never understood lol

However why is it ok for viewers to HEAR that Kathy in EastEnders is dead only return 14 years later? Is it different because we SAW Bobby die?

 

[Mustard]

I feel everything thence gone is cancelled out by the phrase jump the shark which I have never understood lol

However why is it ok for viewers to HEAR that Kathy in EastEnders is dead only return 14 years later? Is it different because we SAW Bobby die?

It makes it easier to bring her back. The storyline said that it was an insurance scam in faking her death. When Dirty Den came back in 2003 after over 14 years, the storyline said it was somebody else that was shot. These explanations might be over the top, but they are possible. The point about the time passed is important too. If they've been away from EastEnders for 14 years, so much else has been going in the show since, and very little of that is talking about Dirty Den and Kathy. New viewers might not even know who they are.

What could they say with Bobby if they just brought him back from the dead, except by using the dream? And considering that he was gone from Dallas for only 1 year, a year dominated by other characters' grief following Bobby's death, it's a big difference from being away for 14 years and the show barely mentioning you since.

 

[J. R.'s Piece]

Dallas gets such a hard time over this but in recent years SO MANY OTHER soaps have copied - not with a dream - but by bringing characters that were thought to be dead back to life - EastEnders has done it multiple times. I don't get why there is such a focus on Dallas' dream season, when EastEnders had both Dirty Den and Kathy Beale return after over 15 years thought to be dead.

I'm not sure about calling twice "multiple". Two isn't numerous or several, which is what is usually meant by using the term, "multiple". Although 1 muliplied by 2=2. With Warren Fox on Hollyoaks, the viewer didn't see the moment of expiration and his dead body's face, so his escape from death was able to be explained away with specially shot flashback scenes showing Warren murdering his friend/rescuer and swapping outfits and dumping his rescuer's body in the fire, a badly burned body that was identified incorrectly and a suggestion of some behind-the-scenes corruption. It was also shown in the flashback footage that a regular character, Theresa McQueen, was aware that Warren was still alive, during the period that he was dead. And the resolution doesn't wipe out the problems that his stepbrother Spencer had, dealing with Warren's "death".

 

[pete lashmar]

I think the dream was the only logical way forward. Both Dallas and the fans wanted Bobby back - the same character that PD had always played.

As far as the show was concerned Larry and Dack Rambo didn't get on and that's the only reason he was brought in, to be the new Bobby - as soon as PD was back it was bye bye Jack.

Considering when he died he had one mum and when he was buried he had another I don't see why the dream was such a big thing.

But I do believe that once they knew PD was coming back they could have put in a few things that made viewers think - abstract things that confused the viewer in a "What the hell is going on" kind of way...paving the way for the dream reveal.

It's a shame because Swan Song was one of the very best episodes of the show.

I also think that it had a big impact on when VP left - because of what happened with PD they left the Pam story far too open - something VP was very upset about and I have to agree with her - producers falsely led viewers into thinking VP would be back on a few occasions, yet she had absolutely no intentions of doing so.

I think it was about this time that the producers gave up on what their viewers wanted, they completely lost touch and then followed VP's exit with a whole string of others and brought in brand new characters that were not very well received.

 

[Tullamore]

I went for 'Other'.
What? Not sure yet,let me sleep on it.....

 

[Ferney]

Considering when he died he had one mum and when he was buried he had another I don't see why the dream was such a big thing.

.

Exactly. i think without the "dream" aspect, we never would have gotten the very excellent Season 10- which was surely the best one from season 9 to the end. There was all that shitty baggage they would have had to contend with from season 9 and they wiped it clean- some sort of twin would have been stupid as hell- I can't imagine the slog we would have had to go through explaining all of that.
Season 10 was really good to me- and I'm thankful for it. If I had to get it thought a dumb dream explanation, i'll take it.

 

[Rove]

The fact that Dallas got a hard time also gives more credibility to the idea that Dallas was seen as a serious drama, despite the soap opera elements in it.

You make an excellent point. Because those involved made Dallas a standout it lifted the viewers expectations - we were along for the ride - so to speak. When those same clowns decided to bring back Bobby it treated the viewers with contempt and we retaliated by withdrawing from the show. It's a very fine balancing act when writing/producing such a series. A recent example was "Revenge". Thoroughly loved the premise (and season 1) however when season 2 rolled around something went astray and they lost me, never to return.

 

[Tullamore]

Lynch mob time lol....

Pam wakes up,finds Bobby in the shower. He explains it was not him who died but the an imposter who joined forces in Nero's plot to take over Marinos and Ewing oil . Made to look like Bobby through plastic surgery but not too much as there was a resemblance and research into his life,it was in fact Warren Ewing,Jason's estranged son who had Bobby kidnapped while he took his place. Katherine unwittingly killed Warren and once Angelica was caught Bobby escaped (a flashback we see Jack,Ray,Clayton,Cliff rescue him ). Wes is just a ranch hand who has a fling with Ellie,Jamie dies and Sue Ellen is paralysed). The season cliffhanger (10)has Mark revealing he is the real mastermind and his father Andreas Nero died years ago due to negligence on Jock's behalf.