Bobbys return

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I agree. The ensemble was what made the show work and instead of working toward another break out character they focused too much on JR and I’d add an attempt to emulate Dynasty. 1st: BBG needs to leave shouldn’t have been an opportunity to take on Dynasty with DR. 2nd by the time Bobby died JR was ready to head up the family. He could be a ruthless sob without sleeping around and losing at every turn, Jock did it (so did Angela Channing). He just needed others to get a chance to “break out.”

Return 6 months later:

Miss Ellie and Clayton have left, giving SF to JR. JR and Sue Ellen focus on their marriage and son

Lucy Ewing returns with a very rich husband in tow

Pam has married Jeremy Wendell. Wendell’s 20 something children show up - a sort of Jackie O story.

Donna is executor of Bobby’s estate and JR’s new “partner.” Her marriage with Ray is out to the test. Sam Culver’s youngest son shows up and calls Donna “Momma.”

Katherine’s young lawyer represents her in a case contesting Rebecca’s will, bankrupting Pam and Cliff while another team fight to keep her from prison while she hides out of the country. Then Herbert’s son from an bigamist marriage shows up and takes on Katherine for his share in Herbert’s will. JR’s focus is on destroying Katherine, leaving Donna to run EO, that is until he gets Katherine 1/2 of Herbert’s money and Katherine is arrested.

Jenna leaves pregnant and her younger brother, Lucas Wade, shows up.

JR suffers another blow, his “other” wife, a secret marriage based on H. L. Hunt, dies in an accident and his children by her are revealed, 20-30 year olds. And Sue Ellen is pregnant with a daughter.

Bobby’s love child, mid 20’s, shows up in Dallas, included in will with Christopher.

Any number of possibilities of interesting people and arrangements could have been made - all tied to the Ewing’s. People young enough to fight and lose and be pummeled by JR, to sleep around and scheme in their quest for money and power.

Great Ideas! Would have been much better than
some of the later storylines.
I would add some.
What if Digger had children by someone other than Rebecca!
Could Amanda have had a child by Jock?
Could Garrison have had children?

 

[Karin]

I think Bobby was exactly the same in the first season he was back.

After that he lost Pam and changed in the sense that he began going out with a lot of women and occasionally ignored Christopher. He went on business trips to Washington DC to get the Ewing Oil name back instead of spending time with his son. But I guess that is nothing new as he put the fight for Ewing Oil first and neglected his marriage to Pam before. So over all I don't think we got a tougher Bobby.

 

[CeeCee72]

Dallas was successful because it had so many characters we cared for and such strong actors in those roles.

We cared about Donna and Pam. I realize producers had no control over VP's decision to leave, but they way they wrote her off was a slap in the face. Then they dumped Donna and shoved Jenna down our throats with Ray. I mean nothing against PBP, but of ONE of those characters had to go, it should have been Jenna, not Donna. Then we lost Ellie and Clayton and Lucy. Sue Ellen became an unlikable character consumed with petty revenge.

Once all those characters were gone, yes, it became the JR/Bobby show. And that was bad enough, but the ridiculous late season plots coupled with the thin characters and the bad actors and actresses.... There was no saving Dallas.

And I guess that's my point. Bobby didn't "ruin" Dallas by coming back. Production, writing, and casting decisions ruined Dallas.

 

[Karin]

I realize producers had no control over VP's decision to leave, but they way they wrote her off was a slap in the face.

Well they could have offered her more money to stay the year when her contract was up and not a year afterwards, trying to get her to come back when she had already left. Maybe she could have been persuaded to stay for another year or two before she left. But she was not coming back once she had left.

 

[CeeCee72]

Well they could have offered her more money to stay the year when her contract was up and not a year afterwards, trying to get her to come back when she had already left. Maybe she could have been persuaded to stay for another year or two before she left. But she was not coming back once she had left.

True.

I didn't follow the behind the scenes stuff closely back then, but I always kinda got the feeling that VP was on the outside looking in on the LH/LG/PD triangle of friendship. I sometimes wonder if that alone didn't prevent them from offering VP more to stay...because the other actors weren't as insistent that producers find a way to make her stay.

I could be totally off base though.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

True.

I didn't follow the behind the scenes stuff closely back then, but I always kinda got the feeling that VP was on the outside looking in on the LH/LG/PD triangle of friendship. I sometimes wonder if that alone didn't prevent them from offering VP more to stay...because the other actors weren't as insistent that producers find a way to make her stay.

I could be totally off base though.

I have heard a similar story.
I have mixed feelings about VP and Pam.
I have always found VP a bit self -obsessed and a bit aloof.
I have always found Pam a bit self-righteous, even hypocritical.
I think the Pre Ewing Oil Pam was a fairly good character, although I think she shouldn't have interfered in the custody of John Ross.
JR had a right to be angry with her, and even Bobby told her she went too far, in so many words.
Then Pam, in no particular order, took sides against Bobby in the Court Battle over the Will, which should have been a matter for JR
and Bobby to work out. She leaves Bobby for something that wasn't his fault, overlooking that Bobby moved mountains for
her to have Christopher.
She could have been more supportive of Cliff and even though he could admittedly be difficult. I don't think Cliff's actions rose to
JR levels, even though he could be deceptive at times, and his own worst enemy.
She tells Bobby she disapproved of Jenna Wade, even though she left him.
She wants to take Jenna's Baby from her out of her own selfishness.
Garnet Magee had a point about how Pam used Ray as much as her.

There can certainly be other views of VP and Pam, and perhaps there can be more depth to VP's attitude, and the Pam character.
I would say that her departure left a void that was never completely filled

 

[Rove]

Could Amanda have had a child by Jock?

I've always liked this idea. As if JR had enough issues with that half-blood Ewing, Ray Krebbs, can you imagine his reaction learning he isn't the first born.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I think she shouldn't have interfered in the custody of John Ross.
JR had a right to be angry with her, and even Bobby told her she went too far

I can understand that point of view. She probably shouldn’t have interfered but this was one time I was glad she did. I loved how she stood up to JR and even Bobby and sided with Sue Ellen. It was an understandable reaction from a woman that had struggled to have her own child and therefore felt John Ross belonged with his mother no matter what the consequences.

 

[stevew]

Great Ideas! Would have been much better than
some of the later storylines.
I would add some.
What if Digger had children by someone other than Rebecca!
Could Amanda have had a child by Jock?
Could Garrison have had children?

Thank you.

I love it. Donna finds out that her mother had an affair with Digger Barns and he was her father. Devastated by realization she digs deep to find out that Jock did buy out Jason but not Digger. Digger was right, JR stole what belonged to him, 1/2 of Ewing Oil and that she and Cliff (his biological children) team up to take their share from JR and Christopher.

After searching for his family Amanda's son finds his father was Jock Ewing and his daughter wants what belongs to her. Raised the adopted son of a wealth Houston family, he arrives with an oil company of his own. JR isn't opposed, finding a friend and alley in this woman, post Bobby, someone capable of taking on the Ewing enemies and learning from JR.

Garrison's son arrives and without Jock to stop her, Ellie (and Clayton) turn over South Fork to him (not the house which she gives to JR and leaves). This son then sells the oil rights to Jeremy Wendell.

So much they could have done if they had chosen to make an effort at finding (and paying for as good actors aren't cheap) another break out character and allow JR to become the stable force required of the head of his family.

 

[CeeCee72]

I have heard a similar story.
I have mixed feelings about VP and Pam.
I have always found VP a bit self -obsessed and a bit aloof.
I have always found Pam a bit self-righteous, even hypocritical.
I think the Pre Ewing Oil Pam was a fairly good character, although I think she shouldn't have interfered in the custody of John Ross.
JR had a right to be angry with her, and even Bobby told her she went too far, in so many words.
Then Pam, in no particular order, took sides against Bobby in the Court Battle over the Will, which should have been a matter for JR
and Bobby to work out. She leaves Bobby for something that wasn't his fault, overlooking that Bobby moved mountains for
her to have Christopher.
She could have been more supportive of Cliff and even though he could admittedly be difficult. I don't think Cliff's actions rose to
JR levels, even though he could be deceptive at times, and his own worst enemy.
She tells Bobby she disapproved of Jenna Wade, even though she left him.
She wants to take Jenna's Baby from her out of her own selfishness.
Garnet Magee had a point about how Pam used Ray as much as her.

There can certainly be other views of VP and Pam, and perhaps there can be more depth to VP's attitude, and the Pam character.
I would say that her departure left a void that was never completely filled

When Pam tried to bully Jenna into letting her adopt Jenna's baby, I was disgusted. At first, it seemed out of character for Pam to pull such a stunt, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed very much IN character. Pam was very selfish and self serving at times.

 

[Karin]

Yes considering that Pam was prepared to raise Christopher as her son even though she suspected JR was the father, I am sure she could have raised Bobby and Jenna's son as her own too. In a weird way it was both selfish and selfless of Pam at the same time. It was selfish regarding Jenna, she wanted to buy her baby.
It was selfless regarding Bobby. She loved him so much that she was prepared to raise his child with another woman as her own.

But yes it was very much in character for Pam to try to adopt Jenna's baby.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It's been said before that Pam did the most "out of character" things because she was often written as a plot device; so early on, it made Pam look a little unstable.

But with Victoria's increasingly strong performance, it eventually worked.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I guess Bobby and Pam both had a thing for buying babies. I guess we all have our shopping obsessions.