JR and revenge

[the-lost-son]

One of my favorite moments of the show were when JR was plotting for revenge. When he stood on the balcony, you knew Peter was in big trouble. When he found out about Sly spying, it was a must watch to see how he intended to get back at Cliff.

But on more than one occasion JR didn't get his revenge which was irrirating sometimes, especially when a storyline was closed and a character was leaving permanently who was "deserving" to get revenge but left with his head held high.

1. The pilot Gerald Kane who betrayed JR's responsibility to Pam for he wild goose chase. It would have emphasized JR's dark side if he sent some boys to Kane instead of only threatening him by phone.

2. Wes Parmalee. There are some interesting threads here about him being Jock nonetheless. But with Steve Forest gone, the storyline was closed and never revisited again. It was never spoken about nor insinuated that there was more to it than fraud.
If they closed that storyline JR could have taken revenge on him, the old JR certainly would have.

3. Cally's brothers. JR got diminished a lot in the last years. It would have been an easy closure to buy Halleyville and to tear it down for the ordeal he was put through.

4. That bully in the sanatorium could have been threatened a bit more too though to close that storyline.

5. Matt Cantrall - JR should have driven him out of Dallas. It was a lowpoint of JR's credibility then he got punched by him in his office. I never understood the writers when Cantrell left with his head held high.

Katzman once said " If you diminish JR, you diminish the series." So revenge was needed to keep him credible.

Do you agree with my list? Are there any other instances when JR should have gotten his revenge but didn't?

 

[Richard Channing]

Holly Harwood got off very lightly considering the trouble she caused JR. I would have thought he would have gone out of his way to destroy her after that but apart from charging her a huge amount of money to get out of her company he pretty much let her get away with it.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Great list @ the-lost-son . I've always been intrigued to know what revenge JR would have taken if he ever found out about Ray and Sue Ellen's one night fling. This happened when JR and Ray were bad boy buddies. Would be great to know what JR would've done at that time before he knew Ray was his half brother.

 

[Billy Wall]

Glad you brought up Ray. I've always wondered the kind of revenge Jock and JR would have inflicted on Ray if they ever found out that he was messing with Lucy. Would they had really killed him?

 

[LMLDallas78]

Glad you brought up Ray. I've always wondered the kind of revenge Jock and JR would have inflicted on Ray if they ever found out that he was messing with Lucy. Would they had really killed him?

Maybe Jock and Bobby would have.

 

[Billy Wall]

Maybe Jock and Bobby would have.

Not a chance Bobby would have. It's just not in his nature. Besides, Bobby found out they were messing around at the disco.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Not a chance Bobby would have. It's just not in his nature. Besides, Bobby found out they were messing around at the disco.

Right you are. I just couldn't imagine JR really bothering about Lucy, maybe he would have in that scenario.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

One of my favorite moments of the show were when JR was plotting for revenge. When he stood on the balcony, you knew Peter was in big trouble. When he found out about Sly spying, it was a must watch to see how he intended to get back at Cliff.

But on more than one occasion JR didn't get his revenge which was irrirating sometimes, especially when a storyline was closed and a character was leaving permanently who was "deserving" to get revenge but left with his head held high.

1. The pilot Gerald Kane who betrayed JR's responsibility to Pam for he wild goose chase. It would have emphasized JR's dark side if he sent some boys to Kane instead of only threatening him by phone.

2. Wes Parmalee. There are some interesting threads here about him being Jock nonetheless. But with Steve Forest gone, the storyline was closed and never revisited again. It was never spoken about nor insinuated that there was more to it than fraud.
If they closed that storyline JR could have taken revenge on him, the old JR certainly would have.

3. Cally's brothers. JR got diminished a lot in the last years. It would have been an easy closure to buy Halleyville and to tear it down for the ordeal he was put through.

4. That bully in the sanatorium could have been threatened a bit more too though to close that storyline.

5. Matt Cantrall - JR should have driven him out of Dallas. It was a lowpoint of JR's credibility then he got punched by him in his office. I never understood the writers when Cantrell left with his head held high.

Katzman once said " If you diminish JR, you diminish the series." So revenge was needed to keep him credible.

Do you agree with my list? Are there any other instances when JR should have gotten his revenge but didn't?

Great list!
The most frustrating one was Harleysville and Cally's brothers. When the sheriff had the audacity to actually come to JR's office after it was all over, and JR does nothing, it was a fatal blow to JR's credibility.
JR never really got revenge for Kristin shooting him. I do like to think he caused her fall off that balcony, though.

 

[LMLDallas78]

JR never really got revenge for Kristin shooting him. I do like to think he caused her fall off that balcony, though.

Exactly what I was thinking and wanted to post! Great minds....

 

[Seaviewer]

Katzman once said " If you diminish JR, you diminish the series."

Katzman said that?

 

[Rove]

Katzman once said " If you diminish JR, you diminish the series."

And yet, they did exactly that.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Did JR not get revenge more often than he actually did?

 

[the-lost-son]

Glad you brought up Ray. I've always wondered the kind of revenge Jock and JR would have inflicted on Ray if they ever found out that he was messing with Lucy. Would they had really killed him?

I think if Dallas hadn't been that huge success there would have been no spin-off Knots Kanding. So Gary would have returned to Southfork for sure.

In that case I don't think that there would have been enough space for Ray. He had relationships with Pam, SueEllen and most importantly Lucy. A ranch foreman having sex with the rancher's minor granddaughter - in Texas. Doesn't sound like a longterm character development for me. If they had killed him off, there would have been plenty of suspects.

After KL was established and Gary off Southfork permanently, the character was increasingly modified beyond recognition. I don't think that we would haven gotten any fourth son-scenario with Gary ln board.

Katzman said that?

Yes, after the dream season according to Barbara Curran's book. Ironically he did not follow his own advice.

Did JR not get revenge more often than he actually did?

I think most of his schemes backfired at some point to a certain extend. There was once a fansite Dallasnitpickers. They listed his schemes goneright/wrong.
But when a stiryline was closed for good it was a joy to have him have the last laugh.
How he dealt with Peter Richards was a prime example for me which I had prefered in other storylines as well.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

If you look at all the revenge he got and didn't get, JR comes off as a bully, more than anything else. He only got revenge or got away with anything with people who backed down or had no resources in which to fight him on, such as Sue Ellen, Peter and Valene.
Anyone who really could or would take him on he left alone. For example, the book Donna wrote that besmirched Jock's reputation. It would be in character for JR to do everything he could to stop it and go after Donna. He did nothing. Is it because Donna was a wealthy, intelligent and powerfully connected person?

 

[Mustard]

Holly Harwood got off very lightly considering the trouble she caused JR. I would have thought he would have gone out of his way to destroy her after that but apart from charging her a huge amount of money to get out of her company he pretty much let her get away with it.

At the time, J.R. had a lot more on his plate than Holly Harwood.

If you look at all the revenge he got and didn't get, JR comes off as a bully, more than anything else. He only got revenge or got away with anything with people who backed down or had no resources in which to fight him on, such as Sue Ellen, Peter and Valene. Anyone who really could or would take him on he left alone. For example, the book Donna wrote that besmirched Jock's reputation. It would be in character for JR to do everything he could to stop it and go after Donna. He did nothing. Is it because Donna was a wealthy, intelligent and powerfully connected person?

Yes, exactly that, and Donna is smart and will stand up for herself. She'll defend her own territory against J.R. like Pam or Bobby would. People like this in real life will "get away" with more things against powerful people, because the powerful people realize that they have to pick their battles with people like Donna (i.e. for the serious things that really, really matter). But those people who always back down or don't have any resources to fight, they will get punished for even the slightest transgression against the powerful. Valene would fight, but didn't have much resources when she was like 17, and Valene's presence at Southfork was a severe crisis for J.R. anyway, bad enough that J.R. felt compelled to get rid of her as soon as possible using all means at his disposal.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I feel like they could have had JR and some of his ol' boys return to Haleyville and flat-out murder the entire town and it wouldn't have been enough to erase the 'JR is a buffoon' imagery below:

(it was a real missed opportunity to not have Japhet and Boaz show up and join the revolving cast of ridiculous owners of Ewing Oil in the last season)

 

[LMLDallas78]

If you look at all the revenge he got and didn't get, JR comes off as a bully, more than anything else. He only got revenge or got away with anything with people who backed down or had no resources in which to fight him on, such as Sue Ellen, Peter and Valene.

Absolutely JR was a bully and he knew who he could bully and who he couldn't. Sometimes he looked genuinely scared of people though. He admitted to underestimating Holly Harwood but would rarely admit to being wrong.

 

[Laurie Marr]

I feel like they could have had JR and some of his ol' boys return to Haleyville and flat-out murder the entire town and it wouldn't have been enough to erase the 'JR is a buffoon' imagery below:

(it was a real missed opportunity to not have Japhet and Boaz show up and join the revolving cast of ridiculous owners of Ewing Oil in the last season)

Japhet and Boaz did ok for themselves…..they are now heading Trump’s re-election campaign.

 

[Chris2]

JR from the early days of the show would have turned Haleyville into a parking lot.

 

[Mustard]

JR from the early days of the show would have turned Haleyville into a parking lot.

That might not be as easy as it seems. Haleyville is in another state from Texas, and an unincorporated community. I'm not sure what state it was supposed to be in, but it clearly wasn't the real life Haleyville, Alabama, which is a city. It was somewhere in that region, but a small, unincorporated community. Arkansas, perhaps? Or Mississippi?