The Contrast In Marriage Between Miss Ellie And Donna.

[Billy Wall]

In the episode of "Black Market Baby", Sue Ellen talked to Miss Ellie about the problem of not having a baby in 7 years of marriage. Miss Ellie suggest that they adopt and if it takes a baby to help their marriage, "you do what you have to do for her marriage."

Fast forward a few seasons later, Ray and Donna are having problems. Donna tells Ray that she's pregnant and Ray acts as if that will solve all their problems. Donna tells him "a baby shouldn't be the solution of our problems."

Each scenario might be a little different, but pretty much the same. Who was more right, Miss Ellie or Donna? Me personally, I think Donna was 100% right, while Miss Ellie overlooked just how bad of a husband that her son was.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Miss Ellie wasn't one for dealing with reality when it came to her sons. JR and Sue Ellen had deeper issues than babies. In order for Miss Ellie to acknowledge that she'd have to be more honest about who JR is, who Jock is and ultimately who she is. That's not something she was ever willing to do. The only time she got close was when she apologized to Valene for Lucy, but I'm not sure she really acknowledged she was complicit in Lucy's kidnapping.

 

[Pandora]

In the episode of "Black Market Baby", Sue Ellen talked to Miss Ellie about the problem of not having a baby in 7 years of marriage. Miss Ellie suggest that they adopt and if it takes a baby to help their marriage, "you do what you have to do for her marriage."

Fast forward a few seasons later, Ray and Donna are having problems. Donna tells Ray that she's pregnant and Ray acts as if that will solve all their problems. Donna tells him "a baby shouldn't be the solution of our problems."

Each scenario might be a little different, but pretty much the same. Who was more right, Miss Ellie or Donna? Me personally, I think Donna was 100% right, while Miss Ellie overlooked just how bad of a husband that her son was.

Miss Ellie tended to keep her criticisms of JR's poor behavior to occasional outbursts (You've destroyed her!) What exactly was she going to complain about? JR's infidelity? If I recall her own husband Jock had that problem.

 

[CeeCee72]

Miss Ellie tended to keep her criticisms of JR's poor behavior to occasional outbursts (You've destroyed her!) What exactly was she going to complain about? JR's infidelity? If I recall her own husband Jock had that problem.

Was it ever explicitly stated that Jock cheated on Ellie? I know there were signs and the Julie Grey thing, but was it ever confirmed?

As for Ellie, I believe she just had an unhealthy attitude about marriage in general when it came to her daughter in laws. She told SE to have a baby. She told Jenna to forgive Ray for cheating. Seems to me she was more worried about keeping her dysfunctional family together than she was about what was right or wrong.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Miss Ellie said, I believe more than once, "We may be right, we may be wrong, but we always stick together. That's what makes us unbeatable. " So, yes, she did think keeping the family together was more important than what was right or wrong.

 

[Billy Wall]

Was it ever explicitly stated that Jock cheated on Ellie? I know there were signs and the Julie Grey thing, but was it ever confirmed?

Uh...Ray? Lol

 

[Pandora]

Was it ever explicitly stated that Jock cheated on Ellie? I know there were signs and the Julie Grey thing, but was it ever confirmed?

As for Ellie, I believe she just had an unhealthy attitude about marriage in general when it came to her daughter in laws. She told SE to have a baby. She told Jenna to forgive Ray for cheating. Seems to me she was more worried about keeping her dysfunctional family together than she was about what was right or wrong.

I think Ray being Jock's son was pretty confirming.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Uh...Ray? Lol

everyone went a bit haywire back in war times! (as they said in the Fourth Son episode)

The one that was interesting to me was in the Morgan Fairchild Jenna episode, Jock seemed amused that Maynard Anderson had been caught “in the kip” with Jenna and that his wife really had him “on a string”. “We handled our women a bit different in my day” or something like that.. even JR had a bit of a “hey, that’s my mama you’re talking about!” look for a moment there!

 

[CeeCee72]

Uh...Ray? Lol

LOL.

Of course!

I guess I just kinda had a brain fart on that one.

 

[lbf522]

Miss Ellie wasn't one for dealing with reality when it came to her sons. JR and Sue Ellen had deeper issues than babies. In order for Miss Ellie to acknowledge that she'd have to be more honest about who JR is, who Jock is and ultimately who she is. That's not something she was ever willing to do. The only time she got close was when she apologized to Valene for Lucy, but I'm not sure she really acknowledged she was complicit in Lucy's kidnapping.

I have always felt that Jock and/or Ellie asked JR to retrieve their then only granddaughter from Valene. Otherwise, why would he care about his brother's daughter?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Miss Ellie said, I believe more than once, "We may be right, we may be wrong, but we always stick together. That's what makes us unbeatable. " So, yes, she did think keeping the family together was more important than what was right or wrong.

I think that your assertion is probably the most accurate one.
Ellie knew what Jock and JR were doing, and she was OK with it, as long as it benefitted her life of wealth and status, making her hypocritical.
She was certainly not alone in that regard, but it was laughable in later years when she tried
to say that Jock was honorable (for lack of a better word)

 

[Chris2]

Ellie is actually an awful person - marrying Jock to save Southfork, blatantly playing favorites with her children, accessory to kidnapping (Lucy), emotionally blackmailing her children to keep living in her house, even as adults. And don’t get me started on when she goes to Ewing Oil after the Calhoun fiasco to tell her sons they should never speak Jock’s name again, even though Jock’s dirty dealings helped keep her living the lifestyle to which she had grown accustomed. She’s the Carmela Soprano of the 70s and 80s.

I keep waiting for someone to call her out on all of this, but no one ever does.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I would have liked to see more of Donna and Sam Culver!

 

[Billy Wall]

keep waiting for someone to call her out on all of this, but no one ever does.

Clayton kinda did during the Laurel storyline after he was arrested and Miss Ellie came to his aid, even though they were separated, but behind closed doors, they remained separated.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Ellie is actually an awful person - marrying Jock to save Southfork, blatantly playing favorites with her children, accessory to kidnapping (Lucy), emotionally blackmailing her children to keep living in her house, even as adults. And don’t get me started on when she goes to Ewing Oil after the Calhoun fiasco to tell her sons they should never speak Jock’s name again, even though Jock’s dirty dealings helped keep her living the lifestyle to which she had grown accustomed. She’s the Carmela Soprano of the 70s and 80s.

I keep waiting for someone to call her out on all of this, but no one ever does.

Not to mention wanting to give away SF to an absentee (for decades) brother, completely disrespecting Jock after he saved the ranch, and giving away half of SF
to Clayton, which would deprive Jock's sons of their rightful inheritance if she predeceased Clayton, tried to sell Ewing Oil twice, tried to declare Jock mentally incompetent, and showed no empathy to JR after learning about Haleyville.

I think Rebecca did call her out, at least to an extent. I wish that the writers developed that further