J.R. & Gary

[Kenny Coyote]

Lucy was on Southfork when Gary left. Gary didn’t know that JR was going to drive Valene away and to order her to never return to Texas. It was explained that Gary had left because of pressures from Jock and JR. Gary said that all his life, Jock made him feel worthless. JR claimed to have broken Gary and threatened to do it again. Gary said that every time he had tangled with JR, he had lost. JR claimed to always have come out on top when he dealt with Gary. It isn’t clear if and when Gary found out pre-1978. It isn’t even totally clear if he never ever visited Southfork in the intervening years. A comment from Valene to Lucy suggests that he may have made a couple of fleeting visits. Yet he may have been absent for sixteen years. Valene tried to get Lucy back, physically and legally. Being around Jock and JR had made Gary feel he wasn’t good for anything. Fortunately in the aftermath of the reading of Jock’s Will, Gary begins to find out that Jock was wrong in his opinions about him and that JR is actually afraid of him.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. It sounds like Gary and Valene weren't married in the years between when Lucy was taken from Valene and 1978. Still, Gary should have found out that Lucy was taken away when he would send his child support checks for Lucy to Valene. She would have told him when she received the checks that she didn't need the checks because she wasn't raising Lucy - Miss Ellie and Jock were raising her. Or didn't Gary even bother to send child support checks? If he didn't know Lucy was taken away from Val, he should have been sending checks to Val to help her support Lucy. I don't know how fathers can can just walk away from their children and then not even contribute financially in the raising of their children.

So either Gary thought Val was raising Lucy but didn't send child support checks, or Gary knew the Ewings took Lucy and were raising his daughter but did nothing substantial to try to get Lucy back for Valene. Either way, typical Gary!

 

[J. R.'s Piece]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. It sounds like Gary and Valene weren't married in the years between when Lucy was taken from Valene and 1978. Still, Gary should have found out that Lucy was taken away when he would send his child support checks for Lucy to Valene. She would have told him when she received the checks that she didn't need the checks because she wasn't raising Lucy - Miss Ellie and Jock were raising her. Or didn't Gary even bother to send child support checks? If he didn't know Lucy was taken away from Val, he should have been sending checks to Val to help her support Lucy. I don't know how fathers can can just walk away from their children and then not even contribute financially in the raising of their children.

So either Gary thought Val was raising Lucy but didn't send child support checks, or Gary knew the Ewings took Lucy and were raising his daughter but did nothing substantial to try to get Lucy back for Valene. Either way, typical Gary!

Well, Gary’s father and older brother helped to make him feel that he wasn’t good for anything. He does say that he felt as though he couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t give them stability. Gary does face up to it and apologises to Lucy when she comes to stay at his house in Knots Landing (she mentions the visit to Alan Beam and Muriel). After some left trouble. And he does become a stepfather and tries to get actively involved in the upbringing of his next two children, once he eventually discovers that they are his and to the annoyance of Valene’s next husbands, Gary’s other wife (with whom JR had slept with first) and another squeeze of Gary’s who tried to murder Valene. Although circumstances mean that Gary’s next two children don’t find out that Gary is their father for about six years after their birth.

As for Gary and Valene being married, there is evidence to support them either still being married or divorced between 1962-78. Miss Ellie refers to it in a way as though they have been separated but still legally married but just having another wedding ceremony. JR refers to Valene as Gary’s “former wife”. And Valene and Gary ask each other if they got remarried in that time. Valene later legally divorces the first of her other husbands when he has been missing. Valene was also involved with a man called Rusty Daniels for a while when Gary was missing. At the conclusion of season 1 of Knots Landing (referenced in the next two episodes of Dallas), Gary (who has just started drinking again) states to Valene that they never talk to each other about the inbetween years.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Well, Gary’s father and older brother helped to make him feel that he wasn’t good for anything. He does say that he felt as though he couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t give them stability. Gary does face up to it and apologises to Lucy when she comes to stay at his house in Knots Landing (she mentions the visit to Alan Beam and Muriel). After some left trouble. And he does become a stepfather and tries to get actively involved in the upbringing of his next two children, once he eventually discovers that they are his and to the annoyance of Valene’s next husbands, Gary’s other wife (with whom JR had slept with first) and another squeeze of Gary’s who tried to murder Valene. Although circumstances mean that Gary’s next two children don’t find out that Gary is their father for about six years after their birth.

As for Gary and Valene being married, there is evidence to support them either still being married or divorced between 1962-78. Miss Ellie refers to it in a way as though they have been separated but still legally married but just having another wedding ceremony. JR refers to Valene as Gary’s “former wife”. And Valene and Gary ask each other if they got remarried in that time. Valene later legally divorces the first of her other husbands when he has been missing. Valene was also involved with a man called Rusty Daniels for a while when Gary was missing. At the conclusion of season 1 of Knots Landing (referenced in the next two episodes of Dallas), Gary (who has just started drinking again) states to Valene that they never talk to each other about the inbetween years.

@J. R.'s Piece, you make Knots Landing sound interesting. They don't sell anything but the first 2 seasons on DVD though. If someone wanted to watch the rest of it after season 2, how would you suggest they go about finding the rest of the seasons?