Should Sue Ellen have started watching Dynasty in season 5?

[Richard Channing]

When Sue Ellen moves into her own town house in season 5 she seems to be pretty bored. Once John Ross had gone to bed there's not much for her to do. She'd sometimes try calling Cliff or Clayton and she even tried to talk the nanny into staying for a few games of backgammon, to no avail. But apart from the video JR brought over of her Miss Texas pageant she didn't seem to watch much TV. She probably didn't know that season 2 of Dynasty was well under way. Maybe if she had tuned in it might have given her back some meaning in her life and maybe she wouldn't have been so easily seduced into getting back with JR? She might have felt empowered by some of Alexis' shennanigans and also been inspired to up her fashion game. It could have changed everything.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

When Sue Ellen moves into her own town house in season 5 she seems to be pretty bored. Once John Ross had gone to bed there's not much for her to do. She'd sometimes try calling Cliff or Clayton and she even tried to talk the nanny into staying for a few games of backgammon, to no avail. But apart from the video JR brought over of her Miss Texas pageant she didn't seem to watch much TV. She probably didn't know that season 2 of Dynasty was well under way. Maybe if she had tuned in it might have given her back some meaning in her life and maybe she wouldn't have been so easily seduced into getting back with JR? She might have felt empowered by some of Alexis' shennanigans and also been inspired to up her fashion game. It could have changed everything.

She would've been better off watching the Return To Eden mini series.

At least it shows how to properly plot your revenge on someone.

She'd have hours of fun plotting the best way to get a crocodile to maul JR!

 

[Richard Channing]

She would've been better off watching the Return To Eden mini series.

At least it shows how to properly plot your revenge on someone.

She'd have hours of fun plotting the best way to get a crocodile to maul JR!

Unfortunately for Sue Ellen it didn't come out until the following year. But that could have worked in her favour. After catching JR in bed with Holly Harwood she suggests a weekend boating in the everglades so she and JR can talk things over. Except what she didn't bargain on is that after 6 months missing, presumed dead, JR appears on the cover of Vogue looking sexier than ever.

 

[Willie Oleson]

JR appears on the cover of Vogue looking sexier than ever.

But since DALLAS exists in the DYNASTY universe (as shown on the front cover of the magazine Sammy Jo reads) the suggestion that the same thing should happen in DALLAS creates a bizarre Russian Doll effect for the Denver saga.

Could she not watch PAPER DOLLS, thus foreshadowing her role in MODELS INC?

 

[James from London]

since DALLAS exists in the DYNASTY universe (as shown on the front cover of the magazine Sammy Jo reads) the suggestion that the same thing should happen in DALLAS creates a bizarre Russian Doll effect

There are precedents: EastEnders exists as a fictional series in Doctor Who and vice versa. And even weirder, Coronation Street exists as both a fictional series and a real place in Enders.

 

[Richard Channing]

But since DALLAS exists in the DYNASTY universe (as shown on the front cover of the magazine Sammy Jo reads) the suggestion that the same thing should happen in DALLAS creates a bizarre Russian Doll effect for the Denver saga.

Not to get too scientific, but one could argue that if Dallas exists in the Dynasty universe therefore Dynasty must, in turn, exist in the Dallas universe.

Could she not watch PAPER DOLLS, thus foreshadowing her role in MODELS INC?

Good Lord no!! This could create several tears in the soap-time continuum. So Jenna no.1 is now an actress on a TV show?? And when Jack Ewing shows up she would recognize him from the TV too. Not to mention that she lives in the same universe as Paige Matheson! It's just too dangerous.

And even weirder, Coronation Street exists as both a fictional series and a real place in Enders.

How intriguing! Please explain.

 

[James from London]

How intriguing! Please explain.

Well, back in the '80s. early Enders would make occasional reference to Coronation Street, just as it would to Dallas and Dynasty, as a programme its characters watched, or at least were aware of. Later on in 2010, as a more self-conscious tribute to Corrie's 50th anniversary, they had long-running character Dot announce that she was going home to watch Corrie: "it's my favourite. Never miss it." So far so logical, until in 2021 when there was a weird multi-soap crossover involving all of the UK soaps in order "to raise awareness of climate change." I still don't fully understand what happened, but it meant we saw a character on Enders watching a character from Corrie on her phone protesting about air pollution, and reacting as if she were a real person in a real place.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Sue Ellen flipping the channels and stumbling across a Dynasty episode is something I for one would’ve liked to have seen. It’s definitely the style of show I can see her getting comfortable on the couch with and getting into a little bit during her lonely nights in that townhouse.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There are precedents: EastEnders exists as a fictional series in Doctor Who and vice versa. And even weirder, Coronation Street exists as both a fictional series and a real place in Enders.

I think the US prime time soaps are much more restricted by the confinements of their respective soap bubbles. Fictional presidents, world leaders and even fictional countries - it's all possible.
A reference to LOVE BOAT seems pretty harmless, but I'm not sure if PEYTON PLACE was allowed to exist in the Big Four. But it was perfectly acceptable for SONS & DAUGHTERS (but then again, I don't think the S&D characters could be watching NEIGHBOURS, which, again, proves that the Aussie soap is a genre of its own).

I'm not saying that the UK soaps aim for pure realism, but to avoid British institutions like CORONATION STREET and DOCTOR WHO (or the royal family) would make it look unnecessary unrealistic and therefore less relatable. And I suspect that relatability is part of its charm (but since I've never watched them, I could be wrong).

The infamous magazine cover in DYNASTY was okay as a one-off, but more cross-references between these soaps would probably look cheesy and terribly gimmicky.
The precious families from Dallas and Denver took themselves very, very seriously. Even Apollonia Kotero played a fictional Apollonia.

 

[CeeCee72]

Sue Ellen should have taken JR's advise and gotten a puppy.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

the Ewing/outside world crossover multiverse I’d truly love to see is the one alluded to by JR as he ascended the stairs after a rosing dinner conversation, the one where that actress is named Farrah Fawcett-Guzzler!

(and where the actress and actor comprising said supercouple are still around and well today )

 

[Toni]

Swellin would watch Masterpiece theater and learn from Upstairs Downstairs how to walk down the staircase properly. Then she would switch to an old Bing Crosby musical and then to a gossip show. Many personalities in our Swellin you know...

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

on the other hand, as Prince sang, “you don’t have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude.”

Maybe instead of JR again or Cliff or Clayton or someone like that she should have been setting her sights on someone smaller and purpler and more musical?

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Sue Ellen should have taken JR's advise and gotten a puppy.

She had one for a while, his name was Peter Richards!