Bobby and Pam : Together or apart?

[Richard Channing]

Did you prefer to see Bobby and Pam together or do you enjoy it more when they were separated but obviously still loved each other? For me it would be the latter for a few reasons. I suppose it helped that the seasons in which they were separated were really when the show and it's writing were at their peak, so it was handled very well. And of course generally the 'will they won't they', the frustration and the longing for a couple to be reunited, is much more enticing/exciting for the viewer than watching a relatively happily married couple week to week. Which is why even though we may long for that reconciliation, what ensues afterwards is often anti-climactic. Plus it's harder for writers to constantly come up with problems/conflict within a marriage (cheating often being the go-to) whereas the 'star-crossed lovers' already comes with conflict in-built and conjures up a yearning in the viewer to see what will happen next and if they'll get back together. You've got something to root for. So for me personally, having them apart, and all the forces that were at play to keep them apart, was more enthralling than when they were married and then later remarried.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Yes, of course, a loving couple apart provides the conflict necessary for drama, while domestic bliss -- nicer to live in but dull to watch (especially since it rarely rings true) -- is less than compelling.

It's the distances between people that are so note-worthy; otherwise, you just have one big smash porn (again, better to live in than to watch).

DALLAS got better as Bobby's and Pam's marriage disintegrated (the tension between JR and Sue Ellen, though necessary, was expected, but it came from a "smaller" couple whose love for each other was always debatable). Yes, the early "soapy" conflicts between Bobby & Pam over the others' work hours didn't have the same effect as did their later problems, in part because the idea that Pam's excessive time at The Store was due to her trying to avoid her own fertility/genetic issues didn't always reverberate as her true motive; and then Pam fussing over Bobby's work hours (after JR was shot and laid-up) also seemed like the writers' desperate attempts to have the couple bicker over inorganic topics.

Even when JR & Sue Ellen would reconcile, the entertainment came from the audience's understanding that JR would soon cheat-and-insult once again, while Sue Ellen would be mean to the friends who had once helped her, until the shoe inevitably drops. So in a sense, JR & Sue Ellen were never further apart than when they were together -- which is probably the hallmark of a really sick relationship.

Not so with Bobby & Pam, just two messed-up kids doing the best that they can.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I was glad when they broke up. Pam was a whiny self-centered hypocrite.
Jr was right about her, especially when he said that she had a knack for accumulating unearned income.
I always wondered if Bobby and Donna could have been an avenue worth considering,
although i liked Ray/Donna - the underrated stabilizing element of the show IMHO

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I was glad when they broke up. Pam was a whiny self-centered hypocrite.
Jr was right about her, especially when he said that she had a knack for accumulating unearned income.
I always wondered if Bobby and Donna could have been an avenue worth considering,
although i liked Ray/Donna - the underrated stabilizing element of the show IMHO

They say Linda Kasabian was the worst member of the Manson family. Because she was such a hypocrite. And really self-centered.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I preferred them together.

However I do take @Richard Channing's point.

The season when Bobby was romancing Jenna Wade and had broken his relationship off with Pam was must viewing. I was rooting for them to somehow find each other again. The writers certainly knew what they were doing.

I'm glad in the end that he could see that my Mother (Jenna) just wasn't the right fit for him as a partner and lover. Bobby realised that his true love was Pam and I'm fine with that. It took him a while but eventually he realised who he loved the most and wanted to be with.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I don't see much difference between conflicts created to almost-break up the marriage and promises created to almost-reunite them. No matter where they are and with whom, they will always be "that very married or very divorced couple" (and I think the only other prime time soap-couples in that category and Chase & Maggie and Jason & Sable).
And of course I love the tension between Pam and JR, especially those unexpected moments when they bump into each other which allows us to devour all that soapy hatred.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

They say Linda Kasabian was the worst member of the Manson family. Because she was such a hypocrite. And really self-centered.

I don't understand LK's relevance to this thread.

I think that I saw a documentary in which the Tate family indicated that LK should have faced more serious consequences for her role.

I support the families of the Tate -LoBianco victims, and their thoughts and feelings

 

[Barbara Fan]

I Loved Bobby and Pam together especially in early seasons of Dallas, but I also liked them apart and I didnt mind Bobby with Jenna (s6 original) and I really enjoyed Pam with Mark

I actually thought Mark treated her better than Bobby and was more romantic, wanted to whisk her off the foreign climes and thought that sounded good as Bobby took her no where other than an Oil Junket! I enjoyed Pam with Mark during the dream season and ending with their wedding

I loved Pam and Booby reconciling on the chaise longue just before Katherine ran him over in Swan Song

The fact that Pat D couldnt get a decent job post Dallas meant John Beck lost his!

 

[pd fan]

I like them together but when they were apart becquse I like the way they come again together again we could see then the real love they had for each over so beautiful

 

[KayLloyd]

Yes, of course, a loving couple apart provides the conflict necessary for drama, while domestic bliss -- nicer to live in but dull to watch (especially since it rarely rings true) -- is less than compelling.

It's the distances between people that are so note-worthy; otherwise, you just have one big smash porn (again, better to live in than to watch).

DALLAS got better as Bobby's and Pam's marriage disintegrated (the tension between JR and Sue Ellen, though necessary, was expected, but it came from a "smaller" couple whose love for each other was always debatable). Yes, the early "soapy" conflicts between Bobby & Pam over the others' work hours didn't have the same effect as did their later problems, in part because the idea that Pam's excessive time at The Store was due to her trying to avoid her own fertility/genetic issues didn't always reverberate as her true motive; and then Pam fussing over Bobby's work hours (after JR was shot and laid-up) also seemed like the writers' desperate attempts to have the couple bicker over inorganic topics.

Even when JR & Sue Ellen would reconcile, the entertainment came from the audience's understanding that JR would soon cheat-and-insult once again, while Sue Ellen would be mean to the friends who had once helped her, until the shoe inevitably drops. So in a sense, JR & Sue Ellen were never further apart than when they were together -- which is probably the hallmark of a really sick relationship.

Not so with Bobby & Pam, just two messed-up kids doing the best that they can.

View attachment 47439

Lol, "better to live than watch", best quote of the week!

 

[DallasFanForever]

I prefer them together but always felt that some of their greatest scenes were during the time they were divorced. The drama, the arguing and the bickering actually made them more interesting, realistic and rounded but ultimately I couldn’t wait for them to reunite.

Bobby and Pam just simply belong together. I had no problem with Jenna or Mark. I found them as very good alternatives for Bobby and Pam during the time they were apart, but neither relationship could top Bobby and Pam’s amazing chemistry for me.

Still, the show was smart to hold them apart for almost two years. The slow build and the long, winding roads they ended up taking made it seem like they may never get back together, and that made the eventual reunion mean even more.

 

[Bobby Southworth]

Definitely together. I couldn't stand Jenna and Mark bothered me because of the way he was introduced. Attempting to go after a woman that was married. The marriage may have been troubled, but they were still married. Had Mark not been introduced that way, maybe I would have liked him a little more. One has to think about it, though, how much of the time were Bobby and Pam actually happy? They were the mini-series and most of season one, but once Pam couldn't have kids, it seemed like the trouble was there more often than not. Bobby being preoccupied with Ewing Oil in season 3, so much so that he wasn't really even there for her when she was trying to find her mother. However, there were still happy moments. I would have liked for them to have had more time together again, and the way her exit was written and his nonchalant stance will forever somewhat tarnish the star crossed lovers of Dallas.

 

[Billy Wall]

Bobby and Pam were very frustrating to watch. When one wanted to leave, the other wanted to stay. For two people who claimed to love each other so much, they had no problem telling the other they needed time alone.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Dallas began about Bobby and Pam and their love for each other. They were adored and it was refreshing to see a young marriage that was happy and actually worked.

I always thought it was a shame to split them up just for the sake of drama, but I guess a good strong marriage isn't sustainable in the world of soap.

Their love story was built around deep rooted rivalry between their families and when Bobby became obsessed with Ewing Oil and Pam had her issues that love for each other was destined to fail.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Dallas began about Bobby and Pam and their love for each other. They were adored and it was refreshing to see a young marriage that was happy and actually worked.

I always thought it was a shame to split them up just for the sake of drama, but I guess a good strong marriage isn't sustainable in the world of soap.

Their love story was built around deep rooted rivalry between their families and when Bobby became obsessed with Ewing Oil and Pam had her issues that love for each other was destined to fail.

I think that under the circumstances, there were always going to be issues, given the history of the two families.

 

[isobel]

What about Pam and Alex?
At their dinner, she was super cute, she kissed him with untight lips and he was not too tall, so I no neck pain for her...

 

[LMLDallas78]

What about Pam and Alex?
At their dinner, she was super cute, she kissed him with untight lips and he was not too tall, so I no neck pain for her...

Alex was a terrible pairing for Pam, he was a total bore that just happened to keep appearing at the right time.

I'd rather put up with the neck pain!

 

[the-lost-son]

As the writing was best when they were getting divorced, I'd say apart. But their reconciliation was just brilliant.

It's a shame that their last year was kind of lame. I wish Bobby would have woken up from a coma, Pam now married to Mark.
In S9 (DVD10) I would have Jenna lose her mind and become "the new Katherine". (Most viewers did not like her anyway.)
In the last episode we get another SwanSong reunion with Pam&Bob but this time Pam "dies" because of Jenna (sth. like when Chase crashes his car in SanFrancisco bay, let's kill off Mark&Jenna in the car as well).

Principal agreed to return in the final episode. It's regrettable that could not be accomplisehed.
Dallas was excellent in giving us these great couples. With Pam out of the picture I would have put Donna&Ray more in the center. Let them be the new couple divided by circumstances with everybody waiting for a reunion. With EwingOil gone, I would have JR doing (illegal) business at Southfork and he needs Ray out of his way. And he wants Donna out of his life because he holds her responsible for the downfall of Ewing Oil. Some new (temporary) love interest for Ray&Donna, some new (conniving) relatives for Donna, and here we are again, the recipe which worked so well executed once more.

It's a pity that the show ended with all our power couples - JR&SE, Bobby&Pam, Ray&Donna - separated.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Alex was a terrible pairing for Pam, he was a total bore that just happened to keep appearing at the right time.

I'd rather put up with the neck pain!

and she was absolutely in the process of going to bed with him when Bobby called, an even closer call than with Mark in Paris. (I don’t remember for sure, but I don’t think Pam and Mark were already on a bed kissing lustfully when Afton called)

and on top of that, though we were spared a consummation, this awful near-affair brought us the captivating Miss Young Dallas storyline and its breathtakingly titillating arguments between newlyweds Mitch and Lucy

 

[isobel]

and she was absolutely in the process of going to bed with him when Bobby called, an even closer call than with Mark in Paris. (I don’t remember for sure, but I don’t think Pam and Mark were already on a bed kissing lustfully when Afton called)

and on top of that, though we were spared a consummation, this awful near-affair brought us the captivating Miss Young Dallas storyline and its breathtakingly titillating arguments between newlyweds Mitch and Lucy

In the season 3, he'd confessed to her that he almost went to bed with Jenna... When Pam was in Paris...