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Dallas Top Ten Top Ten

Ome

Ome

Admin Emeritus
This is a really strange one for me because I see characters like Lucy, Ray & Jenna listed when I think they had plenty of usage, and that it’s more apparent to me that maybe these characters were badly written, rather than seen as underused

1. Rebecca Wentworth
2. Patricia Shepard
3. Jessica Montford
4. Phyllis Wapner
5. Mickey Trotter
6. Dora Mae
7. Betty
8. Rose McKay
 
Mel O'Drama

Mel O'Drama

Admin
1. Maggie Monahan
Sarah Cunningham was a perfect fit and felt very Texan. She captivates me in 100% of her scenes - few as they are.


2. Connie Brasher
I loved her head-shaking knowing looks towards JR's secretaries - particularly Kristin. I wish she'd stuck around longer.


3. Eugene Bullock
A great character with enough power to rock the boat for JR and the Ewings.


4. Jimmy Monahan
For the same reason @Angela Channing gave. What would he have made of the change in his cousins by the middle of the show's run?


5. Amanda Ewing
She represented dark secrets like no other character on the show. Having her around more could have made some people very uncomfortable -particularly after Jock's death. And how good would that have been? I did enjoy that she had a return visit in S7.


6. Amos Krebbs
A reminder of Ray's origins. I'd have enjoyed him returning with an agenda and clashing with Donna.


7. Mickey Trotter
His story played out perfectly and I probably wouldn't change it. But it's a shame he had to go so soon.


8. Gary Ewing
Dallas only gave a taste of the confident man Gary grew into on Knots. While I fully understand the reasons, it would have been good for him to have more than a spit and a cough. Perhaps with Abby in tow.


9. Jessica Montford
Again, she's perhaps an example of less is more. But she was great all the same.


10. Dora Mae
She's in the perfect position to overhear sensitive stuff when people are off guard. I wonder why none of the characters thought to capitalise on this.
 
Mel O'Drama

Mel O'Drama

Admin
Ome said:
I was tempted to add Gary & Val as my last two, but then I talked myself out of it thinking they saved all their best bits for Knots :D
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They did indeed. After he left for California, Gary's return Dallas appearances felt quite surface compared to the complex character that emerged in Knots.

I can understand it was done for simplicity of storytelling - he was there more as a functional character to serve the current Dallas plots and anything else could have got too convoluted. And it seems a lot of Dallas viewers weren't too bothered about what was happening in California. But it's the absence of depth that got him on the list.

I actually considered giving Abby an entry. She never got onto Dallas despite being a Ewing wife and having a sexual history with JR. That's as unused as it gets. :D
 
Willie Oleson

Willie Oleson

Telly Talk Schemer
Ome said:
and that it’s more apparent to me that maybe these characters were badly written, rather than seen as underused
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It's tempting to confuse underused with mis-used. I think Lucy was a difficult character to write for, too old for this, too young for that. But ironically she wasn't that different from real life heiresses i.e. rich young women who spend their lives falling in love with the wrong guy and attempt a career in "something" every now and then.
Just think of princess Stephanie Grimaldi.

Most characters served their purpose, I think - and they can't be all main characters.
But, similar to the other soap sister, Caress Morell, I think there was more to do for Katherine Wentworth.
Would have loved to see her live on Southfork, at least two seasons.
That's really the only one I can think of.
 
Presea

Presea

Telly Talk Addict
Willie Oleson said:
It's tempting to confuse underused with mis-used. I think Lucy was a difficult character to write for, too old for this, too young for that. But ironically she wasn't that different from real life heiresses i.e. rich young women who spend their lives falling in love with the wrong guy and attempt a career in "something" every now and then.
Just think of princess Stephanie Grimaldi.

Most characters served their purpose, I think - and they can't be all main characters.
But, similar to the other soap sister, Caress Morell, I think there was more to do for Katherine Wentworth.
Would have loved to see her live on Southfork, at least two seasons.
That's really the only one I can think of.
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I agree with you about Katherine. She was underused in the fact that her storyline and the sole focus of her life focused ONLY on Bobby after season 5 (dvd). I would have loved to see her live on Southfork permanently! But not with Bobby. Ugh!
 
K

Karin

Moderator
Staff Member
Ome said:
This is a really strange one for me because I see characters like Lucy, Ray & Jenna listed when I think they had plenty of usage, and that it’s more apparent to me that maybe these characters were badly written, rather than seen as underused
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Well to start with Lucy wasn't underused. But if you capture her scenes from the DVD's starting from around season 6 when she hooks up with Mickey you'll notice that most of the times she is in one or two scenes in the entire episode. Sometimes she is not even in the episode even though she's supposed to be a main character. So all you see of her is in the opening credits. If that's not underused I don't know what is!

Finally when she came back to the show they gave her one storyline with Casey Deneault and after that they mostly used her as Cally's friend. At that point Lucy was twice divorce and she could have had kids of her own or a career but she had neither.
 
Ome

Ome

Admin Emeritus
Karin Schill said:
Well to start with Lucy wasn't underused. But if you capture her scenes from the DVD's starting from around season 6 when she hooks up with Mickey you'll notice that most of the times she is in one or two scenes in the entire episode. Sometimes she is not even in the episode even though she's supposed to be a main character. So all you see of her is in the opening credits. If that's not underused I don't know what is!

Finally when she came back to the show they gave her one storyline with Casey Deneault and after that they mostly used her as Cally's friend. At that point Lucy was twice divorce and she could have had kids of her own or a career but she had neither.
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Like I mentioned, "It's a strange one for me" what I see, is more about badly written, what you see, is underused. Neither above or below, it's two different opinions.
 
Ome

Ome

Admin Emeritus
Most Underused Character

10 voted on 47 characters

Here’s how it all looks​





Lucy-Ewing-dallas-1978-1991-20061327-410-559.jpg


1. Lucy Ewing = 48

2. Mickey Trotter = 43
3. Rebecca Wentworth = 29
4. Digger Barnes = 28
5. Kristin Shepard / Patricia Shepard = 26
6. Jessica Montford / Dora Mae = 24
7. Mitch Cooper = 20
8. Phyllis Wapner / Jimmy Monahan = 17
9. Maggie Monahan = 16
10. Raoul = 15
11. Ellie Ewing / Punk Anderson / Jordan Lee = 12
12. Clayton Farlow / Gary Ewing = 11
13. Katherine Wentworth = 10
14. Donna Krebbs / Jeremey Wendell / Teresa / Connie Brasher = 9
15. Holly Harwood / Dusty Farlow / Jenna Wade / Eugene Bullock = 8
16. Cally Harper Ewing / Alan Beam = 7
17. Julie Grey / Jack Ewing / Amanda Ewing = 6
18. Mark Graison / Amos Krebbs = 5
19. Harrison Page / Arliss Cooper / Kendell / Betty = 4
20. Stephanie Rogers / Kit Mainwaring / Rose McKay = 3
21. Kimberly Cryder / Elena Ramos / Charlie Wade = 2
22. Jerry Kenderson / Paul Morgan / Randy = 1
 
Willie Oleson

Willie Oleson

Telly Talk Schemer
Ome, feel free to dismiss some of my choices since technically they're not all official "couples"

1. JR & Sue Ellen (as the delightfully miserable couple)
2. Bobby & April (the happy ending that didn't happen)
3. Angelica & Grace (always sensed there was something "more" between them, but not necessarily sexual)
4. Bobby & Pamela (as the optimistic couple)
5. Lucy & Ray (a scandalous love sex affair, too bad it ended so soon)
6. Sue Ellen & Dusty (most romantic)
7. Sue Ellen & Peter (a great taboo storyline)
8. JR & Mandy (what's Dallas without a gorgeous mistress?)
9. Lucy & Mickey
10. Jock & Miss Ellie
 
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