Controversial Topics

[Srqmom]

I probably wouldn’t have caught how Dallas was not afraid to broach somewhat delicate topics when I watched it as a kid in the 80’s. Now watching it again, these are some we noticed (most happened to Lucy-because she was the youngest?):
-Lucy was engaged to a gay man still in the closet
-Lucy gets kidnapped twice
-Lucy gets raped
-Lucy gets an abortion
-Sue Ellen is an alcoholic
-Jenna has a mental breakdown
-many characters see therapists
Any others that I missed?

 

[tommie]

Lucy truly was the controversial Queen of the show!

Pamela-who?

 

[Miss Texas 1967]

Flipping it around, things that would be worded differently if taking place now, I can think of two. I could be misremembering but I'm pretty sure the therapist John Ross saw in season 7 before he went to Windsor Meadows referred to him as disturbed. The other is the constant "I've given her a sedative".

 

[Srqmom]

I thought of this too, not controversial but not a topic on too much tv except the show Life Goes On, is when Ray and Donna miscarry a Down Syndrome baby then get involved with the kids at the school and adopt. I wonder if people got interested in sign language after watching?

 

[Srqmom]

I thought of this too, not controversial but not a topic on too much tv except the show Life Goes On, is when Ray and Donna miscarry a Down Syndrome baby then get involved with the kids at the school and adopt. I wonder if people got interested in sign language after watching?

 

[Billy Wall]

jock’s and Punk Anderson’s old school views of women.

 

[Barbara Fan]

Breast cancer on National TV, one of the first times this hush hush subject and storyline was shown on TV and fulll kudos to BBG for reliving a true story from her own private life, that cant have been easy to revisit it for the cameras especially as it happened around the time her husband died from cancer.

BBG as a breast Ca survivor worked closely after those epiosdes with The organisation and Nancy Brinker that developed into Komen for the cure (named after Nancys suster who died) and helped to fund raise for it back in the early 80s.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

jock’s and Punk Anderson’s old school views of women.

They were a product of their generation, so believing wives shouldn't have to work a job if you make enough money to support them, is very natural. I don't see what the controversy would be. It's no more controversial than Ellie's and Mavis's being happy not having careers and finding fulfillment in raising their children and being involved in a charity organization.

 

[Srqmom]

Oh yes I totally forgot about Ms Ellie’s breast cancer and mastectomy! That really happened to her? I read she smoked and died from cancer.

 

[Srqmom]

I also thought of Lucy’s pill addiction, framing her teacher for sexual assault and hooking up with a much older man (how old was she supposed to be in season one? Still in high school so 16 or 17) that turned out to be her half uncle!

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I also thought of Lucy’s pill addiction, framing her teacher for sexual assault and hooking up with a much older man (how old was she supposed to be in season one? Still in high school so 16 or 17) that turned out to be her half uncle!

I always thought Lucy was more interesting early on when she had that edge - a reminder of the dark undercurrents of the Ewing family, a dose of reality poking through the "Daddy wants everyone home at 6 for a family meal" facade. They kind of turned her into a typical semi-brainless TV teenager pretty quickly, though. Maybe it was because the producers felt Charlene didn't have the acting chops to do anything more substantial, but I feel like they deliberately lightened the tone when they were picked up for a full season (did they move to an earlier time slot than the miniseries?), and it was part of that.

 

[Srqmom]

Yeah does seem the show used Lucy to be the black sheep. Strange that Ms Ellie would just let Gary run off and not set something up for him to at least live on the ranch like Ray and take care of Lucy. But then the show needs Lucy to have issues because of her absent parents. Surprised they didn’t make her a stripper! Although some of the “modeling” outfits and poses were close!

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Strange that Ms Ellie would just let Gary run off

Reminds me of Ellie telling Jock to not let Bobby leave. After hearing that, it wouldn't have surprised me to hear her say: "Gary escaped! Jock, track him down and bring him back"!

the show needs Lucy to have issues because of her absent parents. Surprised they didn’t make her a stripper!

That would have been amazing! The one time I ever wrote any Dallas fan fiction, that's what Lucy did - she was a dancer. It's from when we were using the other site so I don't have the script I wrote anymore but it was pretty good. I wanted to have Lucy do something that rebellious.

The only drawback would have been that era, no TV network would have allowed it to be portrayed realistically. They wouldn't have shown the girls going backstage every 20 minutes to do another line of coke, or shown any nudity. A strip club story without any nudity doesn't work. They had one or two strip club scenes when JR was paying off a detective named Ratagan, and it looked so fake. If Dallas had been made in this time instead of then, they'd be able to find a network that would allow them to portray it convincingly.

 

[Billy Wall]

They were a product of their generation, so believing wives shouldn't have to work a job if you make enough money to support them, is very natural. I don't see what the controversy would be. It's no more controversial than Ellie's and Mavis's being happy not having careers and finding fulfillment in raising their children and being involved in a charity organization.

It was a little bit more than that. Punk said to Ray during the Takapa storyline, “what we have is two men that can’t keep their women in line.” Referring to Miss Ellie and Donna. Jock tells JR “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” I believe.

I understand that they were a product of their generation, but it would be deemed controversial if they said that today.

 

[Billy Wall]

Yeah does seem the show used Lucy to be the black sheep. Strange that Ms Ellie would just let Gary run off and not set something up for him to at least live on the ranch like Ray and take care of Lucy. But then the show needs Lucy to have issues because of her absent parents. Surprised they didn’t make her a stripper! Although some of the “modeling” outfits and poses were close!

I think it was Miss Ellie’s wishes for Gary to one day run the Ranch. But when Jock put Ray in charge of running Southfork, that ruined it.

 

[Willie Oleson]

This still feels controversial today. And not because he was younger, but because he looked very young. Like, Cally's little brother or something.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I think it was Miss Ellie’s wishes for Gary to one day run the Ranch. But when Jock put Ray in charge of running Southfork, that ruined it.

Yes, it was and that was what led Miss Ellie to consult a lawyer about divorcing Jock during the Takapa storyline. That's why she was so hostile towards Jock during the Takapa storyline and saying things like "you sicken me." It was Ray telling Miss Ellie that he'd renounce being a member of the family if that would be what it took to stop her from divorcing Jock that finally made her realize that she'd been being unfair the whole time blaming Jock and Ray for Gary "losing his place on Southfork" because she knew that while that was her wish, it wasn't Gary's wish and he'd never feel comfortable living on Southfork. Miss Ellie apologized to Jock, he forgave her and they left for a sort of second honeymoon. That was the last time we saw Jim Davis on Dallas.

 

[Toni]

Flipping it around, things that would be worded differently if taking place now, I can think of two. I could be misremembering but I'm pretty sure the therapist John Ross saw in season 7 before he went to Windsor Meadows referred to him as disturbed. The other is the constant "I've given her a sedative".

"Disturbed" = He looks different now. And he can say more than one word now. So yeah, he was disturbed...

 

[Srqmom]

Also the hereditary disease that the Barnes family has... can’t remember what it was called, but caused some pause in having children.

oh and Sue Ellen trying to buy a baby and Bobby actually doing it!

 

[Miss Texas 1967]

Jock tells JR “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” I believe

Bedroom not the boardroom