Unpopular opinion: I think the dismantling of Ewing Oil and Pam leaving was the downfall of Dallas

[Ladies Of Southfork]

I know a lot of people think Bobby coming back was the beginning of the end. I disagree. I hated the 'dream season'. It was boring. It was scrambling to give leading roles to characters that should have come and gone long before they did. Jamie and Cliff were never as good as Cliff and Afton at their peak. Jamie and Jack should have never lasted on the show as long as they did. As recurring guests, maybe, but not main characters. Mark Graison coming back from a plane crash and a deadly blood disease was proof the writers were already running out of story lines. I get that it was typical of 80's soap opera's, but his character was annoying enough when he was healthy. He was the last character they should have brought back. And he most definitely should have never married Pamela. Dusty should have stayed at the Rodeo with Linda. His return didn't add anything to the story. Then Jenna having a mental breakdown over Bobby's death like 24 episodes after he died, talk about reaching for a story. The family all deciding to sell their oil shares to Wendell was absurd. I agree with JR, Jock would have never wanted that. Then there is Angelica Nero and the Marinos deal. That whole story line was so far fetched it was ridiculous.

Sue Ellen had the best story line throughout the entire 9th season. She successfully sobered up, won custody of John Ross for the second time and found her independence. Other than that, I was glad the rest was just a dream. Besides, who is JR without Bobby? JR is/would be just as self destructive as Cliff. Look at Cliff since Pamela has been gone. She was his 'people'. He has no one without her. He even went through a pill stage, which I doubt would have happened had she been there. Bobby has to be a part of the cast, just like Pam needed to be.

 

[Chris2]

I think you’re spot on.

Both the 1985 and 1987 season finales marked an end to the original “What if Romeo and Juliet had lived” premise of the series. I think the solo Juliet setup from the 1985-86 dream season had more potential than what came after Pam left in 1987. But in both cases, the producers struggled to evolve the show beyond its original premise.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Jamie and Cliff were never as good as Cliff and Afton at their peak.

I agree. I thought Jamie and Cliff were good together. She allowed us to see a different side of Cliff we never got a chance to see historically. For once he seemed to genuinely care for someone beside himself but ultimately they weren’t Afton and Cliff for me. I found them to be way more fun. Cliff continuously treating Afton like dirt and not seeing how much she really did care about him was always highly entertaining.

Mark Graison coming back from a plane crash and a deadly blood disease was proof the writers were already running out of story lines

I guess if we go by this season he technically staged his own suicide with the plane crash and then went off looking for a cure. I don’t mind that part but I know what you mean. The plane crashes were getting very redundant at this point.

Then Jenna having a mental breakdown over Bobby's death like 24 episodes after he died, talk about reaching for a story

I’m one of the few here that didn’t mind Jenna’s breakdown. I actually like the buildup all season as she sinks deeper and deeper into that dark place. Those kinds of things can have a long delay for some people so I didn’t find the breakdown happening that late in the season to be such a reach really.

The family all deciding to sell their oil shares to Wendell was absurd. I agree with JR, Jock would have never wanted that

I can’t see Jock ever going along with that either. In J.R.’s mind he had to feel like the only family member left that cared about the company anymore. I can see why Miss Ellie would want to sell after Bobby’s death though. After losing a son the oil business didn’t matter anymore. Plus Bobby had asked for all the fighting to stop on his deathbed, and Ewing Oil was always a main source of that fighting.

Then there is Angelica Nero and the Marinos deal. That whole story line was so far fetched it was ridiculous.

I’m not a fan of the storyline myself. I felt it was so far removed from even being Dallas related, although I did like Angelica. Maybe with a different storyline she’d be more fondly remembered.

Sue Ellen had the best story line throughout the entire 9th season. She successfully sobered up, won custody of John Ross for the second time and found her independence.

Totally agree. Without her story this season is nowhere near as entertaining. The alcoholism, winning custody of her son but then allowing him to stay at Southfork, her relationship with her mother being given more depth, going to work for Mark, reconciling with J.R., and of course her eventual tragic role in the cliffhanger, Sue Ellen is the star of this season for me.

Besides, who is JR without Bobby?

One couldn’t be the same without the other. The quarreling brothers was one of the basic premises of the show. When it was gone J.R.’s character suffered and Jack couldn’t fill that void. J.R. going into Bobby’s office like he’s still there and talking to him at his desk is the closest we get this season. It’s very powerful, but it also illustrates what we’ve lost unfortunately.

 

[Ladies Of Southfork]

Ewing Oil being dismantled was the equivalent to the death of a main character.
Dallas Fan Forever, I think it was you who said on another post that 'Ewing Oil was a character in itself'. Which is absolutely true.

It was torturous to watch Ewing Oil be destroyed like it was. I understand it most likely happened to prove a point, but it ruined Dallas for me.

As much as Southfork is Dallas. And it was the place where they came together through it all. Southfork was metaphorically Miss Ellie. It was the heart of the show. The safe place they could always come home to.

That being said, Ewing Oil was the other side to Southforks coin. It was the blood, the moving parts, it was the oxygen needed to exist. It was the protector, the provider. It was Jock Ewing. It was a legacy to be protected at all costs.

Knowing that Jock didn't want anyone but a Ewing to ever own his company made the dismantling even more sad. Then to make it worse, when they were able to get Ewing Oil back, Bobby, himself, set it on the path that eventually lead to Cliff Barnes owning Ewing Oil. Which really annoyed me because true to the Ewing/Barnes Feud, I didn't want Cliff to get his hands on Ewing Oil. But, in the end, at least Bobby and Sue Ellen were able to take control again.

 

[Rove]

But in both cases, the producers struggled to evolve the show beyond its original premise.

...they certainly did but I think the background politics was also hurting the brand. After the death of Bobby which was the shot in the arm Dallas needed I thought the writers placing Pam in Ewing Oil was exactly where Dallas should have been heading but once she was there it was like the producers and writers baulked at the concept of having a woman with power. Given that JR and Pam lit up the screen whenever they had a confrontation why not let these two characters go at it. Bring on the high stakes drama I say...don't walk away from it. Instead Larry was missing his sidekick....and well the rest is history.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I know a lot of people think Bobby coming back was the beginning of the end. I disagree. I hated the 'dream season'. It was boring. It was scrambling to give leading roles to characters that should have come and gone long before they did. Jamie and Cliff were never as good as Cliff and Afton at their peak. Jamie and Jack should have never lasted on the show as long as they did. As recurring guests, maybe, but not main characters. Mark Graison coming back from a plane crash and a deadly blood disease was proof the writers were already running out of story lines. I get that it was typical of 80's soap opera's, but his character was annoying enough when he was healthy. He was the last character they should have brought back. And he most definitely should have never married Pamela. Dusty should have stayed at the Rodeo with Linda. His return didn't add anything to the story. Then Jenna having a mental breakdown over Bobby's death like 24 episodes after he died, talk about reaching for a story. The family all deciding to sell their oil shares to Wendell was absurd. I agree with JR, Jock would have never wanted that. Then there is Angelica Nero and the Marinos deal. That whole story line was so far fetched it was ridiculous.

Sue Ellen had the best story line throughout the entire 9th season. She successfully sobered up, won custody of John Ross for the second time and found her independence. Other than that, I was glad the rest was just a dream. Besides, who is JR without Bobby? JR is/would be just as self destructive as Cliff. Look at Cliff since Pamela has been gone. She was his 'people'. He has no one without her. He even went through a pill stage, which I doubt would have happened had she been there. Bobby has to be a part of the cast, just like Pam needed to be.

I agree.
I don't care for Pam, but her character was necessary to the core of Dallas's overall story.
If Ewing Oil was lost, it changed things significantly. What was the show about, then?
It looked like a (substandard) rewrite of the Battle for Ewing Oil.

 

[LMLDallas78]

When Dallas did try to evolve, move on or become more modern it didn't work, viewers didn't like it. But things couldn't stay as they were. The world was becoming a different place in the mid 80s than it was in the late 70s.

Sue Ellen had the best story line throughout the entire 9th season.

Totally agree as I obviously would! What an amazing journey she had and not beyond the realms of possibility for her.
Total admiration (more than usual) for Linda in those challenging drunk scenes followed by her rise to becoming sober.

Bobby has to be a part of the cast, just like Pam needed to be.

That's true if you're Bobby & Pam fans.

whenever they had a confrontation why not let these two characters go at it.

I fear that would have become very old very soon. The odd confrontation with these two was great, but not sustainable. That wasn't Pam. Occasionally yes, but on the whole no.

She was good at being good, nice, sweet with a bit of an edge. Did we really want her to become the opposite of that? Did we really think she could?

 

[DallasFanForever]

I fear that would have become very old very soon. The odd confrontation with these two was great, but not sustainable. That wasn't Pam. Occasionally yes, but on the whole no.

She was good at being good, nice, sweet with a bit of an edge. Did we really want her to become the opposite of that? Did we really think she could?

As much as I wanted much more to come out of Pam working at Ewing Oil, it would’ve meant her having to stoop to J.R.’s level in order to survive there and that just wasn’t going to happen. I like the idea of her becoming more manipulative and sneaky in order to go toe toe with him but Pam was much closer to being Bobby than she was .J.R. She was watching over Christopher’s shares and that meant too much to her to compromise her integrity.

 

[Monzo]

If the aftermath had been better, perhaps the loss of Pam and Ewing Oil would have been less severe. Lucy should have been brought back at the beginning of the season to comfort Bobby, but actually to escape her marriage. And Kimberly should have been Jeremy's new wife. With these many newbies of season 11, it would have been important to bring back or keep familiar faces like Lucy and Jeremy.

 

[LMLDallas78]

If the aftermath had been better, perhaps the loss of Pam and Ewing Oil would have been less severe. Lucy should have been brought back at the beginning of the season to comfort Bobby, but actually to escape her marriage. And Kimberly should have been Jeremy's new wife. With these many newbies of season 11, it would have been important to bring back or keep familiar faces like Lucy and Jeremy.

Some great ideas as others have too, but to most Pam was just too important and too loved to lose.

Kimberley with Jeremy? Could have worked long term I guess, but probably still not popular enough by then to be a couple.

I always wanted Sue Ellen to accept Jeremy's offer of marriage to get revenge on JR but then that wasn't really her style.

She did get with Cliff though for the same reasons at the beginning so who knows, She may have grown to love him.

Sue Ellen and creepy cold Jeremy. Beautiful!

 

[Chris2]

Perhaps the new Ewing Oil, reconstituted after Bobby got the name back, should have sold different types of oil: vegetable, canola, olive. And a new cooking spray (Pam!) that Bobby names after his missing wife. And Leslie Stewart would have come back as the new entity’s CMO, touting its health benefits.

Or maybe the new Ewing Oil was more of a beauty product, a la Oil of Olay.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Perhaps the new Ewing Oil, reconstituted after Bobby got the name back, should have sold different types of oil: vegetable, canola, olive. And a new cooking spray (Pam!) that Bobby names after his missing wife. And Leslie Stewart would have come back as the new entity’s CMO, touting its health benefits.

Or maybe the new Ewing Oil was more of a beauty product, a la Oil of Olay.

all this makes me realize Bobby should have dumped Pam and married Leslie Stewart. Let’s see what Cliff and JR have to say to that!

(Digger and Jock for that matter - no reason Digger had to die, right?))

 

[tommie]

I think you’re spot on.

Both the 1985 and 1987 season finales marked an end to the original “What if Romeo and Juliet had lived” premise of the series. I think the solo Juliet setup from the 1985-86 dream season had more potential than what came after Pam left in 1987. But in both cases, the producers struggled to evolve the show beyond its original premise.

Yes, and I've said it before - moving the show into proper full-out war between JR and Pam would've made sense. With JR versus Bobby it was just more of the same, just without Pam being there to further agitate him. The dream season should've been a shot in the arm for a show that was creatively declining a bit... but they just got stuck trying to repeat the same formula.

 

[Laurie!]

As much as the Duffster now incorrectly claims the show was all about Bobby and JR ("you can't have a DALLAS show with Bobby and not mention JR"...the reality is, you can't have Bobby without Pam), the more out of touch with reality he is. His seemingly anti Principal stance the last few decades has tainted reality. The reality of the 80's is that Victoria Principal and Larry Hagman were the stars of the show and the most sought after for interviews, etc.

The show could have carried on without Pam if they'd actually treated the character as the important heart of the show she was. The other characters should have mourned her instead of acting like she never existed for the most part. The slaughtering of Pam's legacy by the writers and actors themselves was the downfall of the show. As a Pam fan, it really looks good on them. Oh the irony.

 

[Mustard]

I loved the dream season.

 

[LMLDallas78]

"you can't have a DALLAS show with Bobby and not mention JR".

But that's what Dallas became.

reality of the 80's is that Victoria Principal and Larry Hagman were the stars of the show and the most sought after for interviews, etc

Yes they were back then but in later years and more recent years Dallas couldn't be promoted by talking about someone who wasn't going to promote it herself because she was no longer in it or be interviewed about it or attend promotional events.
I know VP did a couple of interviews post Dallas and attended that one reunion.

The show could have carried on without Pam if they'd actually treated the character as the important heart of the show she was.

Yes, I think it could have carried on given a far better exit story for her.
Although Pam was important at the beginning, Larry's portrayal of JR changed that.
I agree Pam's accident was never properly acknowledged by the other characters and was handled very badly.

His seemingly anti Principal stance

Patrick has always spoken fondly of VP.

 

[DallasFanForever]

all this makes me realize Bobby should have dumped Pam and married Leslie Stewart

I’m gonna need time with this one.

The dream season should've been a shot in the arm for a show that was creatively declining a bit... but they just got stuck trying to repeat the same formula.

Couldn’t agree more. Pam versus J.R. at Ewing Oil should’ve been so much more, but it just fell flat very quickly. Pam needed to be the “Bobby” of the company now, going toe to toe with J.R. at every turn and trying to one up each other. Instead we got him telling her they were starting to think alike followed by an “Oh, good grief!” from her in response. In the end she just walks away, saying it just wasn’t that important to her anymore. But it was important enough to her to go work there and watch over Christopher’s shares in the first place. Priorities do change, and Pam’s certainly had, but it all ended up being a major letdown from a storyline perspective.

The other characters should have mourned her instead of acting like she never existed for the most part.

Other than Bobby, Cliff and Christopher the reactions elsewhere were rather peculiar. I understand why it was this way, of course, but the character did deserve more of a “mourning” period. Even with the mummy debacle, the disappearing act, the letter saying why she had to leave and wanted to be left alone, etc. it’s still unfathomable to me that no one went looking for her at the time.

 

[Mustard]

Even with the mummy debacle, the disappearing act, the letter saying why she had to leave and wanted to be left alone, etc. it’s still unfathomable to me that no one went looking for her at the time.

I wonder how much different it would have been if they had gotten the usual season ending break after Season 10 DVD before having to be back for the next season? That year, i.e. 1987, there was a much shorter break in between seasons.

 

[Seaviewer]

I liked Season 9. I won't relitigate here the dream solution but it was not initially the punchline that it has become. I think you're right that the events at the end of Season 10 were the death knell of the show.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

The "Dream Season" started off very strong, and if they built on the original premise of Pam working at Ewing Oil with JR it would have stayed strong. Providing of course it was done with some realism so that they didn't make Pam suddenly an expert in the oil industry, but kept Pam the scrappy, fish out of water, David against Goliath type. (If I could think of another metaphor I'd throw that in as well )
Unfortunately, they took the show in another direction that season, and Pam abruptly and quite awkwardly sold Christopher's shares of Ewing Oil to JR.