Was Ray Really Likable?

[Billy Wall]

I’m not saying that I disliked Ray, but he’s seemed as one of the good guys. In the early seasons, he was messing with Lucy, along with JR, tried to break up Bobby and Pam, slept with JR’s wife. Maybe those can be excused as those were the early seasons and they were still figuring what direction they were going.

But later on, he became a jealous, self pity, insecure man who cheated on both his wives when things didn’t go his way. He was very annoying with his over the top mourning of a father that he didn’t even know was his father until recently. JR in the dumps after Jock died was much more understandable because Jock was his life. Everything he did was to appease Jock. But Ray, was just too much. He flat out lied (or a continuity error) when he said when invited for dinner at Southfork “I didn’t eat dinner at Southfork when Jock was alive, I’m sure not going to eat there now.” Him and Donna did dine at Southfork when Jock was in South America. Treated Donna, who was way more tolerant than most women would be, like dirt.

Again, I’m not saying I don’t like Ray, but was he really this good guy that he’s perceived?

 

[Sarah]

Yes I believe he was. I think you need to look at the internal aspects - he had a good heart and it doesn't make him a bad person because he has similar traits to most people - jealousy, anger, sadness. Added to the fact he had the Ewings and especially JR to contend with who always saw him as a blow in, he did ok in my opinion.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

He seemed cuddly. Steve Kanaly did say later that Ray was "much too vulnerable," but that's what made Ray to be Ray.

I mean, what kind of basketcase would any of us be if we thought for our entire lives that William Windom was our daddy??

 

[Karin]

I think Ray represented they guy that a lot of the male audience could identify with. He was sort of the cowboy of the show who was down to earth.
Yes he had flaws and the way he treated his ladies definitely could have been better. Donna deserved better than she got sometimes. But if you compare him to JR I think he was still a pretty decent person.

Not the good guy like Bobby. Not the bad guy you loved to hate like JR. But somewhere in between. Also I think his flaws made him interesting and you saw how he had to struggle to succeed. So yes Ray was likable for the most part.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

He seemed cuddly. Steve Kanaly did say later that Ray was "much too vulnerable," but that's what made Ray to be Ray.

I mean, what kind of basketcase would any of us be if we thought for our entire lives that William Windom was our daddy??

I have no problem with Dr. Seth Hazlitt from Murder, She Wrote being my Daddy! Amos Krebbs is another story though.

 

[Richard Channing]

Funnily enough on my recent rewatch for the first time I found myself watching Ray and Donna scenes and thinking actually these two are kinda getting on my nerves. And they sure were nosy, always meddling and getting involved in other peoples business. The Walter Randall saga for one and also they just had to stick their nose in over Lady Jessica too. Donna had that blow to the head coming if you ask me.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Ray was basically a good guy(after his initial JR sidekick phase early in the series). What grew tiresome and frustrating was his constant low self esteem issues with Donna. I would have liked to have seen him progress in that area at least a little bit.

 

[Billy Wall]

Ray was basically a good guy(after his initial JR sidekick phase early in the series). What grew tiresome and frustrating was his constant low self esteem issues with Donna. I would have liked to have seen him progress in that area at least a little bit.

Me too. He actually started resenting Donna over her success.

 

[pete lashmar]

I really liked Ray until he started getting all "I'm the man of the house" with Donna, after that I felt that he lost a huge amount of his charm. That said, as early as the original mini series he was quite happy to help set up Pam for JR.

In the later years when he got together with Jenna I found him unwatchable as I really disliked him.

 

[cws]

I really liked Ray until he started getting all "I'm the man of the house" with Donna, after that I felt that he lost a huge amount of his charm. That said, as early as the original mini series he was quite happy to help set up Pam for JR.

In the later years when he got together with Jenna I found him unwatchable as I really disliked him.

Totally agree with Ray and Jenna. I am probably biased, because I never really liked the Jenna character.

 

[CeeCee72]

Let's not forget the way he was all for shipping off a CHILD to Switzerland because he didn't want her interfering in HIS life.

Like all Dallas characters, Ray was complicated. He had his good characteristics, but I wouldn't call him a "good" guy.

Come to think of it, there isn't a single major Dallas character I would classify as a "good" guy (or gal).

 

[Angela Channing]

There's a difference between being good and being likeable. JR wasn't good but was likeable and Laurel Ellis was good but I hated the character, I thought everything about her was ghastly.

I didn't like Ray as a character very much. He was too much of a lap dog to Bobby and too focussed on himself to be supportive of Donna and her needs. Took Mickey under his wing for the wrong reasons (his own ego and trying to emulate what Jock did for him) and had a chip on his shoulder large enough to stock the entire McDonald's franchise.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Me too. He actually started resenting Donna over her success.

I think that overall, Ray was a good man. I think his resentment over Donna's success was a realistic portrayal, given his bckstory.

Me too. He actually started resenting Donna over her success.

I think that on an overall basis, Ray was a good man. His resentment of Donna's success was a realistic portrayal of a man with his background.
While this was a flaw, it is not that uncommon, I suppose for some couples I do think Ray and Donna were good together.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Totally agree with Ray and Jenna. I am probably biased, because I never really liked the Jenna character.

I think when Donna left, it was kind of "Let's pair them up, hope for the best..."
I don't think that coupling worked too well.
I wasn't a big Jenna fan, but I thought that the Morgan Fairchild version, edgier, more more manipulative could have been interesting.
In Jenna's defense, pregnant and Bobby leaves her, even suggests she attend the wedding! and Pam tries to steal her baby!
If Ray and Jenna choose to be together, the objections by other characters seem hypocritical.

Again, I prefer Ray and Donna, I just think the writers were boxed in by characters they had to use and it was
convenient to put them together (for budgetary reasons?) and Susan Howard's departure left a bigger void than they expected

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

There's a difference between being good and being likeable. JR wasn't good but was likeable and Laurel Ellis was good but I hated the character, I thought everything about her was ghastly.

I didn't like Ray as a character very much. He was too much of a lap dog to Bobby and too focussed on himself to be supportive of Donna and her needs. Took Mickey under his wing for the wrong reasons (his own ego and trying to emulate what Jock did for him) and had a chip on his shoulder large enough to stock the entire McDonald's franchise.

Good observations. I think Ray had some layers. He could be good, could be likable but he had issues like resenting Donna's success,
being Jock's son but not Ellie's (Not his fault), a rough upbringing (Again, not his fault), maybe too quick to
side with Bobby, as you pointed out, jumping to the conclusion that JR was responsible for Mickey's condition when He and Bobby were
just as responsible, maybe more so, for Walt Driscoll's actions, giving Clayton a pass on Jessica when Clayton knew she was unstable and didn't warn the family.
I think that Ray just wasn't as clever as JR, Bobby and Donna, which doesn't make him bad, but it led to some not so good decisions when he tried to compete
with them

 

[cws]

I think when Donna left, it was kind of "Let's pair them up, hope for the best..."
I don't think that coupling worked too well.
I wasn't a big Jenna fan, but I thought that the Morgan Fairchild version, edgier, more more manipulative could have been interesting.
In Jenna's defense, pregnant and Bobby leaves her, even suggests she attend the wedding! and Pam tries to steal her baby!
If Ray and Jenna choose to be together, the objections by other characters seem hypocritical.

Again, I prefer Ray and Donna, I just think the writers were boxed in by characters they had to use and it was
convenient to put them together (for budgetary reasons?) and Susan Howard's departure left a bigger void than they expected

Totally agree about Morgan Fairchild's version of Jenna. Never liked Priscilla Presley.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Although the smugger Bobby of the middle years would be far less likely to date Fairchild's more predatory version of Jenna.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Let's not forget the way he was all for shipping off a CHILD to Switzerland because he didn't want her interfering in HIS life.

Like all Dallas characters, Ray was complicated. He had his good characteristics, but I wouldn't call him a "good" guy.

Come to think of it, there isn't a single major Dallas character I would classify as a "good" guy (or gal).

I'm trying to think of one. Donna?

 

[Sarah]

I think there is the essence of good in most of them, but the bad presents itself a lot too. Miss Ellie?

 

[Karin]

Let's not forget the way he was all for shipping off a CHILD to Switzerland because he didn't want her interfering in HIS life.

Oh yeah I remember I totally sided with Charlie against Ray and Jenna on that one. It was totally unfair!

Also I watched Ray and Jenna together first so I have no problem with the couple. But I do think Ray was better with Donna and Jenna was better with Bobby.