Pam's Dream

[Herofan]

I'm sure I'm the first person who has ever had a comment about the dream season. (Kidding of course). One thing that I disliked was that it was resolved so quickly within just moments. Pam basically had a dream, Bobby had a chat and comforted her, and it was done.

I've always thought it would have been legit to have had Pam experiencing more nightmares during that season. Perhaps she could have continued to have nightmares about Bobby dying throughout the season. Perhaps she had to get professional counceling. Maybe it could have even been tied to her car accident later. We all know that it was done to bring Patrick Duffy back as Bobby, but in the world of Dallas, if her dream was important enough to dedicate an entire season to, it seems to me it should have been addressed more in that season; it would have made a "dream season" seem a little more legit. Any thoughts?

 

[Chris2]

Well, there were two purposes to the dream: to bring back Patrick as Bobby, and for Leonard Katzman to wipe away all the stories done by his predecessor as quickly and cleanly as possible.

Pamela tells Bobby that the night he proposed to her, she dreamed of his death and her wedding to someone else. That would normally give someone pause. But Bobby is completely unconcerned: “You are getting married - to me!”, he tells her happily (and cluelessly).

 

[Seaviewer]

for Leonard Katzman to wipe away all the stories done by his predecessor as quickly and cleanly as possible.

That was the truth of course but something that somehow integrated the dream into the ongoing storylines would at least have made it a little more palatable. Even Dynasty managed to do something with Fallon's flying saucer cliffhanger.

 

[stevew]

That was the truth of course but something that somehow integrated the dream into the ongoing storylines would at least have made it a little more palatable. Even Dynasty managed to do something with Fallon's flying saucer cliffhanger.

An example of Corp. politics ruining the story - the top dogs should have said no. If that’s your game we’ll find some else.

Replace the shower scene with Bobby’s body in a hospital room. A heart monitor beating. Then his eyes open. Start the next season . . . 1 year later with Bobby and Sue Ellen recuperating and returning to life outside a hospital.

 

[JR Ewing Fan]

It would have made more sense if Bobby had been in a coma and it was his dream.

 

[Mustard]

If Bobby was to be brought back, the way that they did it was the only way to do it, because we saw him die on screen. But why did they do it? It destroyed Dallas' credibility and a great way for Bobby to go. Bobby was dead for a whole season, 31 episodes worth of storylines, and then it's basically "None of that really happened. All that emotion you had for Bobby's death and the emotional investment you had in last season's storylines was all a waste of time."

If Bobby had not been brought back, his death would be seen today as one of those very sad moments in TV history.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I think that the writers, once they realized that bringing Bobby back like that had alienated viewers, should have pulled a rare TV double dream-switch and made Pam waking up after a dream to find Bobby alive — and the entire subsequent season — a dream of Angelica Nero, who naturally would have had elaborate dreams.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

If Bobby was to be brought back, the way that they did it was the only way to do it, because we saw him die on screen.

Oh, there's always the off-camera revival.

But why did they do it?

Katzman didn't care about making it work. It was a power grab --- and dismissing everything that happened during the season he wasn't a part of was the point.

It destroyed Dallas' credibility and a great way for Bobby to go. Bobby was dead for a whole season, 31 episodes worth of storylines, and then it's basically "None of that really happened. All that emotion you had for Bobby's death and the emotional investment you had in last season's storylines was all a waste of time."

If Bobby had not been brought back, his death would be seen today as one of those very sad moments in TV history.

And that was indeed the viewpoint -- for the year he was dead. David Jacobs once said that the perfunctory nature of the explanation for Bobby's return wasn't universally accepted because the audience was very emotional about Bobby's death (and Jacobs admitted he would have used another explanation).

For years, the DALLAS folks talk about the Dream scenario as if was merely a little controversial and people were mixed about it. Which is, of course, a damnable lie.

In 1986, it was seen as an abject disaster, one which became a literal sitcom punchline for several years. After all, the most successful drama series in global TV history had just fatally shot itself for no good reason.

No wonder they still continue to spin it.

 

[Herofan]

Why did killing Bobby seem like the best option? I know Patrick Duffy was leaving, but why didn’t they leave the door open in case he wanted to return? I know it would have been tough to create a believable scenario as to why he was no longer there if he wasn’t dead. If alive, they would also have to figure out how to keep Pam around. Perhaps he could have been in a situation where he was presumed dead, but no body. Anything would have been a little crazy, but surely not as crazy as an entire season being a dream. Since the dream season did happen, I’ve always thought it would have been nice if it could have worked where Donna Reed was Mrs. Ellie during the dream season.

 

[Seaviewer]

It would have made more sense if Bobby had been in a coma and it was his dream.

People keep saying this but I don't see how it would have made any difference.

the way that they did it was the only way to do it, because we saw him die on screen

There was more than enough time to say he'd been revived after the family left the room.

why didn’t they leave the door open in case he wanted to return?

As I understand it, Duffy himself insisted on the big death scene. Like certain other TV stars, Duffy thought that he was going on to bigger things and wouldn't need the safety net.

 

[Michael Torrance]

People keep saying this but I don't see how it would have made any difference.

As I understand it, Duffy himself insisted on the big death scene. Like certain other TV stars, Duffy thought that he was going on to bigger things and wouldn't need the safety net.

Exactly. Patrick Duffy INSISTED that he die on screen so that the role can't be recast or his life left in limbo off screen. He also thought the death of such an important character would have to be dealt on screen to see the ramifications. There was an article back then jokingly stating that Bobby almost ended up saying goodbye even to his horse. They did it as a favor to him and to honour his contribution to the role of Bobby. So Duffy screwed the show twice: first by insisting they kill him on screen leaving them no options for any other outcome, and after his failed bid for a career after Dallas, by having Hagman use his power on the show and have the show bring him back in that ludicrous twist.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

It would have made more sense if Bobby had been in a coma and it was his dream.

The only problem with that is that anyone who has sustained a severe head trauma doesn't dream when they're in a coma. But I suppose it is a soap opera & doesn't have to remain totally true to reality. They may have gotten away with it better if they had made it Bobby's dream.

 

[stevew]

If Bobby was to be brought back, the way that they did it was the only way to do it, because we saw him die on screen. But why did they do it? It destroyed Dallas' credibility and a great way for Bobby to go. Bobby was dead for a whole season, 31 episodes worth of storylines, and then it's basically "None of that really happened. All that emotion you had for Bobby's death and the emotional investment you had in last season's storylines was all a waste of time."

If Bobby had not been brought back, his death would be seen today as one of those very sad moments in TV history.

We saw the heart monitor go flat. Easy enough to explain JR set it up so everyone believed Bobby died.

 

[Toni]

We saw the heart monitor go flat. Easy enough to explain JR set it up so everyone believed Bobby died.

It wasn´t due to Bobby´s death. It was Donna Reed´s hairspray what affected the machine...

 

[Billy Wall]

There was more than enough time to say he'd been revived after the family left the room.

When would they had pulled this off? I ask because they had his funeral.

 

[stevew]

When would they had pulled this off? I ask because they had his funeral.

Closed casket funeral so plenty of time if you’re JR.

 

[Seaviewer]

When would they had pulled this off? I ask because they had his funeral.

Bobby would have instructed that the family not be told in case he didn't survive. I would prefer that JR also not know about it. Perhaps Bobby could have instructed a trusted attorney about the closed casket or maybe he even left funeral instructions in his will. Just thinking off the top of my head here.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Bobby would have instructed that the family not be told in case he didn't survive. I would prefer that JR also not know about it. Perhaps Bobby could have instructed a trusted attorney about the closed casket or maybe he even left funeral instructions in his will. Just thinking off the top of my head here.

wait, why is he doing this in the first place? (I might have missed it earlier in the thread!)

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Bobby would have instructed that the family not be told in case he didn't survive. I would prefer that JR also not know about it. Perhaps Bobby could have instructed a trusted attorney about the closed casket or maybe he even left funeral instructions in his will. Just thinking off the top of my head here.

People seem to be forgetting that faking your own death is illegal. As such, no lawyer would do it for Bobby since that would make him an accomplice. The life insurance policies he surely owned would make him guilty of fraud when they paid out the benefits for Bobby's death. Not only that but this would be an unbelievably cruel thing to do to Miss Ellie, Christopher, and the rest of his family! Think about that for a while.

This is such an evil scheme it makes JR look warm-hearted in comparison. I don't believe it was worth Dallas's credibility just to bring Bobby back but there is one thing I agree with the producers and other people who had a hand in making the storyline decisions for Dallas: I agree that nobody has ever suggested a way to bring Bobby back that was better than or even as good as the explanation they used which is that season 9 was a dream that Pam had. It's not that "It was all a dream" is a good thing to do to your audience because it isn't. They killed their own credibility just mohave patrick Duffy back. No one actor is bigger than all of Dallas. They should have protected their credibility with vigilance. It's just that as long as they were determined to bring back Patrick Duffy, the way they did it was better than any of the alternative ways of doing it I've ever heard suggested.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

People seem to be forgetting that faking your own death is illegal.

The feds have helped people do it.