Cheering for JR

[the-lost-son]

During the series' run there were some moments where I was totally on JR's side although it might not always be intended/written like that. Sometimes I wished he blamed others more because he sure had reason for it.

1. During the great storyline when Miss Ellie wanted to declare Jock mentally incompetent I was totally on JR's side.
"Then you leave me no choice, Mama. I'll fight you every step of the way "
"I can't believe you still intend on tarnishing Daddy's memory."
I wasn't against Miss Ellie, but JR had my support here.

2. After Wes Parmalee left Southfork for good in the next episode JR made all these remarks like "I told you so."
I loved it.

3. After Ewing Inferno JR told Bobby&Ray off. "None of us have clean hands, boys." I wish he was telling them off even more after he got the blame when Bobby was shot in his office.

4. "I find this totally inappropriate." When Pam showed up for the reading of Bobby's will I could sympathize with JR.
His brother killed by his ex sister-in-law and now the ex-wife shows up for the reading of the will. I would have had my concerns there, too.

Are there any instances when JR had your support although it was probably not intended like that in the first place?

 

[Chris2]

I agree with the most of the situations you pointed out. To add to that; whenever JR was setting Cliff Barnes up for a fall, I generally sided with JR. I think JR would have left Cliff alone if Cliff wasn’t always trying to even the score with the Ewing family. Don’t poke the bear…

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

JR mostly left Cliff alone as long as Cliff minded his own business. Which Cliff never did.

Cliff was obviously in love with JR and JR was flattered.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I’m not sure if any of these were intended for me to cheer for him but I was cheering for J.R. to set up Cliff after he learned he was blackmailing Sly into spying for him.

I was also cheering for him in the dream season when Ewing Oil finally becomes his and only his.

This one is going to sound really bad but I have to be honest that I was cheering for J.R. when he brought Edgar flowers in the hospital. I mean you gotta be pretty low to tell someone you’re still going to destroy them after they just attempted suicide but for some reason every time I watch that scene I can’t help but like J.R. even more.

 

[Snowcat]

Yes, there were plenty of times I was in JR’s corner. What I didn’t like is everyone constantly blaming everything on him. Don’t get me wrong, JR was by no means innocent. But it was easier for ppl to blame him than look at their own mistakes. I felt like JR was such an obvious scapegoat that no one took responsibility for their own part

 

[Jock's Ghost]

During the series' run there were some moments where I was totally on JR's side although it might not always be intended/written like that. Sometimes I wished he blamed others more because he sure had reason for it.

1. During the great storyline when Miss Ellie wanted to declare Jock mentally incompetent I was totally on JR's side.
"Then you leave me no choice, Mama. I'll fight you every step of the way "
"I can't believe you still intend on tarnishing Daddy's memory."
I wasn't against Miss Ellie, but JR had my support here.

2. After Wes Parmalee left Southfork for good in the next episode JR made all these remarks like "I told you so."
I loved it.

3. After Ewing Inferno JR told Bobby&Ray off. "None of us have clean hands, boys." I wish he was telling them off even more after he got the blame when Bobby was shot in his office.

4. "I find this totally inappropriate." When Pam showed up for the reading of Bobby's will I could sympathize with JR.
His brother killed by his ex sister-in-law and now the ex-wife shows up for the reading of the will. I would have had my concerns there, too.

Are there any instances when JR had your support although it was probably not intended like that in the first place?

YES! I was never one of those fence-sitters that loved to hate JR. I loved to love JR. When he was right, he was spot on. My favorite is when Bobby and Ray tried to blame him for the Walt Driscoll mess, when it was Bobby who kicked him over the proverbial cliff. Had Bobby not meddled, the guy would have gotten some jail time at worst.... After the Inferno, JR was right to hate Ray even more. Ray didn't get enough blame for the SF fire. When Miss Ellie removed Jock's portrait from the house. He was right to be angry.... idiot Clayton.
Any time Miss Ellie sided with someone else, but JR, I sided with JR,. with the exception of him doing his usual SE dumping. Later seasons, when ME would threaten to sell Ewing Oil.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

I’m not sure if any of these were intended for me to cheer for him but I was cheering for J.R. to set up Cliff after he learned he was blackmailing Sly into spying for him.

I was also cheering for him in the dream season when Ewing Oil finally becomes his and only his.

This one is going to sound really bad but I have to be honest that I was cheering for J.R. when he brought Edgar flowers in the hospital. I mean you gotta be pretty low to tell someone you’re still going to destroy them after they just attempted suicide but for some reason every time I watch that scene I can’t help but like J.R. even more.

Edgar was a child molestor so zero sympathy there.

 

[Snowcat]

YES! I was never one of those fence-sitters that loved to hate JR. I loved to love JR. When he was right, he was spot on. My favorite is when Bobby and Ray tried to blame him for the Walt Driscoll mess, when it was Bobby who kicked him over the proverbial cliff. Had Bobby not meddled, the guy would have gotten some jail time at worst.... After the Inferno, JR was right to hate Ray even more. Ray didn't get enough blame for the SF fire. When Miss Ellie removed Jock's portrait from the house. He was right to be angry.... idiot Clayton.
Any time Miss Ellie sided with someone else, but JR, I sided with JR,. with the exception of him doing his usual SE dumping. Later seasons, when ME would threaten to sell Ewing Oil.

Yes, the only time I didn’t like JR was when he mistreated Sue Ellen. Otherwise I was usually on his side. You’re right, he was straight to the point. I was glad he told off Bobby & Ray

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

YES! I was never one of those fence-sitters that loved to hate JR. I loved to love JR. When he was right, he was spot on. My favorite is when Bobby and Ray tried to blame him for the Walt Driscoll mess, when it was Bobby who kicked him over the proverbial cliff. Had Bobby not meddled, the guy would have gotten some jail time at worst.... After the Inferno, JR was right to hate Ray even more. Ray didn't get enough blame for the SF fire. When Miss Ellie removed Jock's portrait from the house. He was right to be angry.... idiot Clayton.
Any time Miss Ellie sided with someone else, but JR, I sided with JR,. with the exception of him doing his usual SE dumping. Later seasons, when ME would threaten to sell Ewing Oil.

Miss Ellie threatened to sell Ewing Oil at least twice, even though it was Jock's legacy
Jock's portrait was removed from SF - The ranch that he saved.
ME was prepared to give to her absentee brother!
She gave Clayton half of SF, JR was completely right to object and Bobby should have supported him
If ME predeceased Clayton, the Ewing brothers would have no legal claim

ME sure forgot about Jock once he was gone.
I would even give Rebecca Wentworth credit for calling out ME - What if it was your son?

Don't get me wrong. BBG is a great actress. I just did not care at all for Miss Ellie's whiny, hypocritical ways,
All she cared about was herself, and if something interfered with her life of wealth and privilege,
she just didn't care or took actoion to try and remove it.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

After Ewing Inferno JR told Bobby&Ray off. "None of us have clean hands, boys." I wish he was telling them off even more after he got the blame when Bobby was shot in his office.

I felt like JR was such an obvious scapegoat that no one took responsibility for their own part

Yes! And if you go back to the early episodes, this was when you could feel for J.R.
The very people who are benefitting from Ewing Oil money are the ones attacking J.R. for the way that money is earned.

 

[Mustard]

I was on Miss Ellie's side about Jock's will. Even J.R. agreed in the end, once Rebecca was dead and Cliff would be left with one third of the Barnes-Wentworth fortune. The Battle for Ewing Oil had disastrous consequences for the Ewing family. Good for us as viewers, of course.

I tended to be on J.R.'s side most during the Battle for Ewing Oil. The variance for cheap gas while the oil community goes nuts at him, the Cuban oil shipments etc. They all knew that J.R. was in a battle for profits over a period of 1 year or he wouldn't control Ewing Oil, so why act so outraged that he wasn't thinking in terms of 5-10 years down the line? Punk Anderson even threatened him in sinister terms. An irony is that it was Bobby who gave J.R. the idea about shipping oil to an embargoed country.

Yes, there were plenty of times I was in JR’s corner. What I didn’t like is everyone constantly blaming everything on him. Don’t get me wrong, JR was by no means innocent. But it was easier for ppl to blame him than look at their own mistakes. I felt like JR was such an obvious scapegoat that no one took responsibility for their own part

Agreed. My philosophy is always ask whether you could have done better yourself first, before getting on a moral highground in attacking someone else. In some ways, J.R. would be a great family member, or even acquaintance, in being someone who would tell you the truth as he sees it if you ask him the right questions.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

JR was also right to be so angry when Pam gave John Ross to Sue Ellen, an alcoholic who left to live with another man.
Pam broke the law by doing so, JR could have charger her.
Even Bobby told Pam she went too far(in so many words)

 

[Jon Ewing Jr.]

Agree with all of these. It also made me mad on how Ray Krebbs went berserk and than had a pity party after he caught JR with GM in season one. Wasnt it just a few episodes before when Ray shacked up with Sue Ellen.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Agree with all of these. It also made me mad on how Ray Krebbs went berserk and than had a pity party after he caught JR with GM in season one. Wasnt it just a few episodes before when Ray shacked up with Sue Ellen.

I am 50-50 on that. Ray wasn't right but Sue Ellen did seem to lead him
JR with GM seemed almost unnecessary, but Ray didn't quite understand that GM used JR as a means to an end, and if it wasn't JR
it would have been someone else.
Ray had an inferiority complex compared to JR and Bobby. It seemed to lead him in his actions, sometimes.
I did like the part where GM pointed out to Pam, that like her, Ray predated Bobby and JR
Pam wasn't held accountable enough for such things

 

[Mustard]

Agree with all of these. It also made me mad on how Ray Krebbs went berserk and than had a pity party after he caught JR with GM in season one.

Ray did warn J.R. off Garnet before. J.R. just laughed and ignored him. It changed the J.R. and Ray relationship for good.

 

[Snowcat]

I was on Miss Ellie's side about Jock's will. Even J.R. agreed in the end, once Rebecca was dead and Cliff would be left with one third of the Barnes-Wentworth fortune. The Battle for Ewing Oil had disastrous consequences for the Ewing family. Good for us as viewers, of course.

I tended to be on J.R.'s side most during the Battle for Ewing Oil. The variance for cheap gas while the oil community goes nuts at him, the Cuban oil shipments etc. They all knew that J.R. was in a battle for profits over a period of 1 year or he wouldn't control Ewing Oil, so why act so outraged that he wasn't thinking in terms of 5-10 years down the line? Punk Anderson even threatened him in sinister terms. An irony is that it was Bobby who gave J.R. the idea about shipping oil to an embargoed country.


Agreed. My philosophy is always ask whether you could have done better yourself first, before getting on a moral highground in attacking someone else. In some ways, J.R. would be a great family member, or even acquaintance, in being someone who would tell you the truth as he sees it if you ask him the right questions.

I thought what JR did with the gas prices was brilliant. Others were upset because they didn’t have the smarts. JR simply outwitted them

 

[Mustard]

I thought what JR did with the gas prices was brilliant. Others were upset because they didn’t have the smarts. JR simply outwitted them

"What is he doing with all that crude?" they asked. Had J.R, desired it at that time, he could have been a US senator in Washington DC or even higher, which Ray, Donna and Dave Culver were sometimes discussing.

 

[lbf522]

Thanks for this thread. I wondered if anyone felt the same way I did and rooted for JR most of not all of the time. Pamela got off too easy for kidnapping his son. The worst he did was yell at her. I am sure some could have come up with something better.

I also liked that gas stations idea. It was brilliant.

I know it was for drama, but the Voting Shares storyline was silly but what was worst was the family having short memories regarding Cliff Barnes. After the hell he had put them all through including trying to have Jock convicted of murder, they should not have cared what JR did to Cliff.

The thing with me is that the rest of them were hypocrites like Ray who aside from is one night stand with JR's wife had an affair with JR's underage niece.

JR for public office might have been interesting but but he was all about Ewing Oil so he would not have wanted to relinquish control of it.

I did not blame him for kicking Jamie off the ranch or being suspicious of her. This person coming to Southfork uninvited.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Thanks for this thread. I wondered if anyone felt the same way I did and rooted for JR most of not all of the time. Pamela got off too easy for kidnapping his son. The worst he did was yell at her. I am sure some could have come up with something better.

I also liked that gas stations idea. It was brilliant.

I know it was for drama, but the Voting Shares storyline was silly but what was worst was the family having short memories regarding Cliff Barnes. After the hell he had put them all through including trying to have Jock convicted of murder, they should not have cared what JR did to Cliff.

The thing with me is that the rest of them were hypocrites like Ray who aside from is one night stand with JR's wife had an affair with JR's underage niece.

JR for public office might have been interesting but but he was all about Ewing Oil so he would not have wanted to relinquish control of it.

I did not blame him for kicking Jamie off the ranch or being suspicious of her. This person coming to Southfork uninvited.

I agree with every point you made

I think JR didn't receive enough credit for having the will to do some difficult things to protect Ewing Oil and the Family, things that
others couldn't do, and then hypocritically blamed JR while reaping the benefits of JR's actions

 

[Mustard]

Thanks for this thread. I wondered if anyone felt the same way I did and rooted for JR most of not all of the time. Pamela got off too easy for kidnapping his son. The worst he did was yell at her. I am sure some could have come up with something better.

Like what? Pam actually hurt herself with her own action. It meant no baby/toddler at Southfork, and John Ross' presence there had been helping Pam mentally. Pam was in the sanitarium a few episodes later.

I also liked that gas stations idea. It was brilliant.

It was.

I did not blame him for kicking Jamie off the ranch or being suspicious of her. This person coming to Southfork uninvited.

He was ridiculously suspicious of Jamie, and antagonized her to the hilt.