When did Dallas end for you?

[Lastkidpicked]

The show soldiered on and there were many fantabulous moments over the next 8 years or so, but the magic was gone forever, and not even a swashbuckling shirtless emerald-seeker could bring it back.

You know what would have been interesting? Guzzler came around about the time that J.R. and Sue Ellen were having trouble conceiving, and Jock was putting a LOT of pressure on J.R. to produce a child.

And Guzzler was hurting for money. . .

Secretly, Sue Ellen pays Guzzler to plant the seed. Part of the deal is that Guzzler takes the cash and leaves for Venezuela. The family, including J.R. believe the baby is J.R.'s.

This could pay off in so many ways-- One way is that whenever Guzzler's name comes up, Sue Ellen panics, worried that he will tell what happened.

Another payoff could be that later on, Sue Ellen uses this when she needs leverage against J.R. She could tell J.R. about the scandal, and threaten to tell the family. She could use this power whenever she needed.

Could have let to some interesting storylines.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

You know what would have been interesting? Guzzler came around about the time that J.R. and Sue Ellen were having trouble conceiving, and Jock was putting a LOT of pressure on J.R. to produce a child.

And Guzzler was hurting for money. . .

Secretly, Sue Ellen pays Guzzler to plant the seed. Part of the deal is that Guzzler takes the cash and leaves for Venezuela. The family, including J.R. believe the baby is J.R.'s.

This could pay off in so many ways-- One way is that whenever Guzzler's name comes up, Sue Ellen panics, worried that he will tell what happened.

Another payoff could be that later on, Sue Ellen uses this when she needs leverage against J.R. She could tell J.R. about the scandal, and threaten to tell the family. She could use this power whenever she needed.

Could have let to some interesting storylines.

needless to say, this would have been phenomenal! I'm picturing Bobby getting suspicious after overhearing a preschool-aged John Ross berating Ray for using composition shingles in his first post-Jock development project instead of tiles, thereby cheapenimg the houses, leading to Ray having to borrow money from Donna and Miss Ellie to buy his way out of the deal.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

As long as we're fantasizing and wish-fulfilling, the show could run for 13 more years than it did, and ideally remain good the entire time. (Sometimes, I want it to run one year longer than it did, the Ewings coping with Miss Ellie's death and the execution of her will).

Clearly, that's not an option nor is anything other than what actually happened.

Taking all that into consideration, I'd not want Donna Reed there just before Bobby died, nor would I want to end on Bobby's death (logical though it may be) because I don't want to miss the Halloweenish brilliance of Season 10 (DVD count) with Wes Parma-Stivers and B D Calhoun and Pam's crash (despite the lazy, "Bobby, I think I dozed off last April!" scene which opened it).

Do I want DALLAS to end with Sue Ellen shooting (I prefer stabbing) JR after he shoves Jack Scalia to his death? Probably not, although it's the last season which felt even remotely like DALLAS.

Do I want Seasons 13 and 14 to end the Saga of Southfork? Again, probably not, as Howard Lakin's work isn't something I'm particularly fond of. The oil spill scandal was a good idea, Jeanne O'Brien was a good idea, and Lady Jessica's murder spree was a good idea. But the execution was pointless, the show getting lighter when it should have gone darker -- more organic and darker, thus allowing the DALLAS narrative to somehow come full circle. But it went lighter and sillier instead, thus sinking the closing years, giving off a "we're just winging it now" vibe that guaranteed almost nobody was going to be interested in watching them again.

Obviously, we can't re-do this. But I wonder if Sue Ellen revealing her movie (if the story had been implemented less-foolishly -- and perhaps she licensed Valene's "Capricorn Crude" had anyone behind-the-camera on DALLAS remembered that) and walking out of the theatre, exiting Texas forever, might have been the best place to end the program.

1989, an eleven years (twelve seasons in TV talk) cycle, and then call it a day.

But for even that to work, we'd have to fix so many things that even fantasizing about it stretches one's neurons and their firings to the breaking point.

Once Donna Reed stepped off that plane (months before Bobby pretended to die), DALLAS began making one annual gaffe after another.

I mean, SMFH...

DALLAS was indeed a spectacular mess. I just wish it was a little less of a mess -- especially the last half of the show.

 

[captainarcher]

it ends with Pam's death , I never rewatch the seasons after that one.

 

[Laurie Marr]

And yet Lakin prefers his later work to the early episodes he penned (E.g. The Fourth Son) and identifies Wedding Bell Blues as his favourite episode.

Go figure

 

[LMLDallas78]

Pretty obvious coming from me, Dallas ended in my eyes when Sue Ellen left.
When I watch her last few seasons I fast forward most of what's not her especially when Cally was introduced!
I wish Linda Gray had got a better end story, but then I feel that about Pam too.

I kind of enjoy the snooze season, because Sue Ellen had some amazing scenes (rock bottom & those eyes) and I enjoyed her temporary soppy relationship with JR and her friendship with Mark and Dr Jerry.

I watched seasons 13 & 14 when they originally aired but have never re- watched them. I may have been more accepting if JR'S new wife was a more believable character without the silly back story, as well as all the new forgettable characters, although I doubt it. I tried to stay loyal to Dallas, but those last Sue Ellen-less seasons just made it too difficult.

 

[Toni]

Back at the 80s, I made one of my VHS edits in a 4-hour tape, with all the story comprised except the pre-JR shooting stuff, which was only aired once in Spain and then I didn´t own a VCR. It was complicated (all really started off with the Who Shot JR climax! and I had to add scenes where the characters talked about the missing scenes instead) and a lot of subplots of the less prominent characters had to be cut off, but I ended with Pam and Bobby´s reconciliation, their wedding and sober Sue Ellen leaving John Ross at Southfork with J.R. Maybe there was another scene here and there, but that was all. It kinda worked, at least for moi. Can´t remember if Donna Dread even showed her bouffant once!

This is what I expected from the end of "Dallas".
Nothing less...but nothing more.



Maybe adding this too!​

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Any long-running show, no matter how well-produced, is going to make mistakes -- hopefully little ones. But DALLAS, during the last half of its run, made ridiculous recurrent errors which seemed to suggest they were throwing all care to the wind.

I mean, even David Jacobs stopped watching it after a while.

It wreaked of resentment of the audience (just as DYNASTY wreaked of resentment of its actors).

But why, one wonders? It feels like what I said before: a relationship where one partner is contemptuous of how adored they are by the other one.

 

[Seaviewer]

I'd love Howard Keel and George Kennedy on a pair of bookends.

 

[southfork88]

I'd love Howard Keel and George Kennedy on a pair of bookends.

Indeed both are doing this in that photo. They hold up all the other characters, being at the extreme ends of the line.

 

[DarkVader]

For me, it ended when Pam crashed Bobby's Mercedes into the tanker. How ironic that Victoria's first and last scenes for this show would be in that car.

I am now watching Season 11, Episode 3: "The Son Also Rises" and I am seriously considering just turning it off and moving on to something else. The producers should have killed off Pam instead of having her survive the crash bandaged up from head to toe.

I must say two scenes did move me. The first was Bobby's breakdown scene at the end of Episode 1. The second is the scene where Christopher is begging Bobby to take him to the hospital to see Pam.

I thought Season 10 was unbearable but it did improve once that godawful Wes Parmalee storyline was jettisoned, but Season 11 has to be th absolute nadir of Dallas seasons.

 

[AndyB2008]

As long as we're fantasizing and wish-fulfilling, the show could run for 13 more years than it did, and ideally remain good the entire time. (Sometimes, I want it to run one year longer than it did, the Ewings coping with Miss Ellie's death and the execution of her will).

Clearly, that's not an option nor is anything other than what actually happened.

Taking all that into consideration, I'd not want Donna Reed there just before Bobby died, nor would I want to end on Bobby's death (logical though it may be) because I don't want to miss the Halloweenish brilliance of Season 10 (DVD count) with Wes Parma-Stivers and B D Calhoun and Pam's crash (despite the lazy, "Bobby, I think I dozed off last April!" scene which opened it).

Do I want DALLAS to end with Sue Ellen shooting (I prefer stabbing) JR after he shoves Jack Scalia to his death? Probably not, although it's the last season which felt even remotely like DALLAS.

Do I want Seasons 13 and 14 to end the Saga of Southfork? Again, probably not, as Howard Lakin's work isn't something I'm particularly fond of. The oil spill scandal was a good idea, Jeanne O'Brien was a good idea, and Lady Jessica's murder spree was a good idea. But the execution was pointless, the show getting lighter when it should have gone darker -- more organic and darker, thus allowing the DALLAS narrative to somehow come full circle. But it went lighter and sillier instead, thus sinking the closing years, giving off a "we're just winging it now" vibe that guaranteed almost nobody was going to be interested in watching them again.

Obviously, we can't re-do this. But I wonder if Sue Ellen revealing her movie (if the story had been implemented less-foolishly -- and perhaps she licensed Valene's "Capricorn Crude" had anyone behind-the-camera on DALLAS remembered that) and walking out of the theatre, exiting Texas forever, might have been the best place to end the program.

1989, an eleven years (twelve seasons in TV talk) cycle, and then call it a day.

But for even that to work, we'd have to fix so many things that even fantasizing about it stretches one's neurons and their firings to the breaking point.

Once Donna Reed stepped off that plane (months before Bobby pretended to die), DALLAS began making one annual gaffe after another.

I mean, SMFH...

DALLAS was indeed a spectacular mess. I just wish it was a little less of a mess -- especially the last half of the show.

1989 given you mention was the year Lorimar ceased the location filming in Texas to save on costs.

The Southfork scenes were from that point filmed on the Los Angeles studio set. Previously they would film at the Southfork ranch in Texas, with the LA Southfork set used if the weather made it impossible to film there.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The period encompassing Miss Ellie giving half of Southfork to Clayton, and the Haleyville disaster.

The JR I remember would have returned to Haleyville, with reinforcements, and there would be no Haleyville any more when he was finished.

Also, the JR I remember, would not have moved back to Southfor. He would have made it a mission to regain Southfork for the Ewings.

It may have been Miss Ellie's property, but her actions would have deprived any Ewings of any rights to the property

if she predeceased Clayton. That was shameful, and Bobby should have been more supportive of JR - Bobby was clearly

unhappy with that decision

 

[Mustard]

The period encompassing Miss Ellie giving half of Southfork to Clayton, and the Haleyville disaster.

The JR I remember would have returned to Haleyville, with reinforcements, and there would be no Haleyville any more when he was finished.

But the Haleyville in "Dallas", which is apparently in Arkansas (not the real life Haleyville, Alabama), is an unincorporated area. Basically, it's not run by a council or municipal corporation, which is why they were able to treat J.R. like they did. How would J.R. go about "returning to Haleyville with reinforcements" to destroy it?

 

[Brian Kinney]

Dallas ended when Pam woke up one day and dead Bobby smiled in the shower. Unforgivable. I nevertheless watched until the bitter end but with Bobby's revival I've lost all except one of my Dallas co-watchers. No one of us wanted Bobby back, we didn't liked him since he hooked up with Jenna again and we had no problem with Jack Ewing (but wished he was more subtle written and with no Jenna as a burden) Mark Graison or Pam as J.R.'s match partner - if they had continued what they established in the first episodes after Bobby's death. I rather accept TNT Dallas as an alternative Dallas (as I could with NuDynasty) than original Dallas after Pam woke up.