Dallas Character Jenna's grief for Bobby

[Sarah]

I've been rewatching part of the Dream Season and looking closely at Jenna's grief and anguish after Bobby's death.

For the most part, I found her to be very good and quite believable as she was constantly torn between grief and denial - denial not only that Bobby was dead but also her buried feelings that she knew he was going to marry Pam.

Victoria seemed to embrace the total heartbreak of Pam losing Bobby, whereas Priscilla's scenes were written differently and from the perspective of Jenna. You can see Pam's journey quite clearly from that awful visceral scream, to the grief, to the eventual acceptance.

I think overall Priscilla played Jenna's confusion over Bobby's death well, but I'm a little torn on the scene when the psychiatrist visits Southfork. She obviously breaks down in front of the fire later on where she is found, but the scene where she is crying, then suddenly stands up and it's over, do you think it worked? Was it keeping in line with the denial she was going through? I find it unnerving and I'm not sure why....

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I've been rewatching part of the Dream Season and looking closely at Jenna's grief and anguish after Bobby's death.

For the most part, I found her to be very good and quite believable as she was constantly torn between grief and denial - denial not only that Bobby was dead but also her buried feelings that she knew he was going to marry Pam.

Victoria seemed to embrace the total heartbreak of Pam losing Bobby, whereas Priscilla's scenes were written differently and from the perspective of Jenna. You can see Pam's journey quite clearly from that awful visceral scream, to the grief, to the eventual acceptance.

I think overall Priscilla played Jenna's confusion over Bobby's death well, but I'm a little torn on the scene when the psychiatrist visits Southfork. She obviously breaks down in front of the fire later on where she is found, but the scene where she is crying, then suddenly stands up and it's over, do you think it worked? Was it keeping in line with the denial she was going through? I find it unnerving and I'm not sure why....

My interpretation of the scene in front of the fireplace was that Jenna was experiencing a reaction to Pam telling her that Bobby had asked Pam to marry him just before he died. Jenna immediately denied it and told Pam she was being cruel. But then Jenna met Mark Graison out in the driveway and he explained it was hard for him to accept too and that their situations had similarities. Mark never had Pam love him as much as she loved Bobby, just as Jenna was never loved by Bobby as much as he loved Pam. Mark explained that it was difficult for him to accept that Pam loved Bobby more than him, but in time he grew to accept it. He assured her that Pam was not being cruel or making up the idea that Bobby had asked her to marry him again.

The evidence Jenna encountered that day was undeniable. She was forced to let go of her denial of the situation and that allowed her to progress past it and start healing. I think it was done quite well.

 

[southfork88]

The dream season was too glamorous for the Dallas style, but studied many nuances of the human psyche in a much more credible way than other seasons.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

She obviously breaks down in front of the fire later on where she is found, but the scene where she is crying, then suddenly stands up and it's over, do you think it worked?

No, the scene was cringe-y. Presley was a less-is-more actress, and this scene was asking her to go further than her instrument could.

 

[Toni]

I've been rewatching part of the Dream Season and looking closely at Jenna's grief and anguish after Bobby's death.

Oh Sarah! How could you? Have you ever thought, by chance, that Prissy P. could act? Are the crisis scenes with Pam and Sue Ellen not enough for you? Are you really trying to believe that what Jenna does may be interpreted in a logical way? Why do you never use the forward button (I thought you learned after the Winger tramp fiasco!)? Anyway, I´m glad that someone re-watches the Dream Season and takes it seriously like moi (minus the Colombia and Jenna parts, of course. Angelica rules!).

 

[Angela Channing]

For the most part, I found her to be very good and quite believable as she was constantly torn between grief and denial

I have the opposite view. I never found Priscilla convincing at all, in fact at times I found her acting in the Dream season to be embarrassing and almost painful to watch. As a result I just couldn't buy into her grief -induced mental breakdown at all

 

[southfork88]

Priscilla is not an actress (therefore not even to be judged for better or worse) but the script in my opinion had depth for a psychological study.

 

[Angela Channing]

Priscilla is not an actress (therefore not even to be judged for better or worse) but the script in my opinion had depth for a psychological study.

Yes, the script was far better than her abilities as an actress.

 

[Sarah]

Sorry if I traumatised you Piggy!! @Toni

 

[Chris2]

Pamela’s grief was easier to bear than Jenna’s, because she was able to hop into bed with the Pornstache about two weeks after Bobby died.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Pamela’s grief was easier to bear than Jenna’s, because she was able to hop into bed with the Pornstache about two weeks after Bobby died.

People can say what they want about Priscilla Presley's acting, but Jenna's grief over Bobby's death looked more convincing than Pam's. Pam was also remarkably content looking on vacation with Mark just weeks after abandoning Bobby.

 

[Barbara Fan]

I always liked Priscilla Presley in Dallas and didnt mind her acting in S6-7 of Dallas - she gave Dallas a lot of Press, brought it a lot of publicity at the time and enjoyed her scenes with Patrick Duffy, felt they acted well together and had rapport

but Dream season and her breakdown following his death was pretty awful acting and Im with @Angela Channing - i felt her acting towards the end of that season culminating in her breaking down at SF was cringe worthy and I think I laughed at the time as it was so cheesy.

 

[Seaviewer]

I've been rewatching season 7 (DVD), I think for the first time since it aired, and I've been pleasantly surprised by Priscilla Presley's performance as Jenna. She has something of the edge and cynicism that was part of Jenna at the beginning - quite different from the simpering wimp I remember from later on.

 

[Karin]

I think that Jenna's grief was handled well. At least we saw her missing Bobby and not being able to move on. Pam on the other hand grieved like two episodes and then Mark showed up and it was like Bobby was forgotten about.

I also think the deathbed conversation that we've discussed earlier was handled really well since both women thought he was talking to them when he said: "all that wasted time we should have been married." It's understandable why Jenna thought he talked to her.

 

[Laurie Marr]

Presley’s emotional range went from A all the way to nearly B. The protracted grief storyline was consequently something of a chore to watch.

 

[Ukdallasfan]

Priscilla tried her best and was largely successful. However, in my opinion, Victoria smashed it on the death bed scene. It was truly tragic to watch. Both actors deserve due credit

 

[pete lashmar]

Mrs P always made my cringe and the dream season was the epitome of cringe for her. I just can't bare to watch her on screen, especially when Charlie is on screen with her - my god these two drove me almost to insanity. I thought the Nardo murder storyline was the worse it could possibly get, but oh no, the dream season pushed me to the very edge.
If only she'd moved to Switzerland 2 years earlier!

She also ruined Ray as a character too.

 

[Sarah]

Oh I loved the Naldo storyline!!! I found it very exciting @pete lashmar

 

[pete lashmar]

Oh I loved the Naldo storyline!!! I found it very exciting @pete lashmar

Oh it was a great storyline @Sarah, lots of twists and turns, but it was her performance, it looked like she needed to just sit on the toilet for a while and get that constipated look of her face.

 

[Chris2]

I wish Fallon’s spaceship from “The Colbys” had dropped by “Dallas” in 1987 and beamed up Jenna, Ray, Charlie, Randy, and Marnie, never to return.