Dallas Aftershow: The Missed Opportunity of Lucy Ewing

[stevew]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, but I also don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. In fact, it may have been better if they'd made her even more different. In his interviews about DallasTNT, in addition to saying he would have switched John Ross and Christopher's personalities, David Jacobs also said if it had been up to him he probably would have had Bobby married to a Black woman from the East Coast, just so she's not exactly another typical Texas wife. And that fits Bobby's personality, he does have a penchant for marrying "outsiders."

Marrying an outsider is one thing, but Ann seemed to be to stay an outsider. Really like the idea of an east coast black woman, I’m thinking someone like Diahann Carroll (though probably too old). Beautiful, polished, well educated and well connected. Maybe the daughter of big Wall Street type.

What I meant was Ann seemed only connected to Bobby within the family. Like Pam was an outsider but she had a lot to do with other members of the Ewing Family. Ann could have played a sort of mother figure for Chris or a confidant for John Ross. She did interact with Sue Ellen I guess but for me that wasn’t enough to feel she was a Ewing.

 

[Jabari Lamar]

Marrying an outsider is one thing, but Ann seemed to be to stay an outsider. Really like the idea of an east coast black woman, I’m thinking someone like Diahann Carroll (though probably too old). Beautiful, polished, well educated and well connected. Maybe the daughter of big Wall Street type.

I'm thinking someone like Phylicia Rashād, especially after seeing how well she played her role as a family matriarch on Empire ("Black Dallas").

 

[DallasFanForever]

I didn’t really mind the Ann character so much but I thought she was a mismatch for Bobby. I didn’t see any chemistry between them so I would’ve been open to Bobby being married to someone else. But no matter who it was would they have ever been accepted by the long time fans that were watching? I just think the shadow of Pam looms too large.

 

[Jock-O-Lantern]

Did Valine fear him when JR came to Knots Landing? I thought Valine stopped fearing him when she stood up to him in her apartment on Dallas. She said she wasn’t afraid of him anymore?

 

[Jabari Lamar]

She's trying to keep her cool, but she's clearly rattled being alone with him. Very good acting on the part of Joan Van Ark.

 

[Jabari Lamar]

You can see her nervousness again here in a later episode.

 

[Pamela_E]

Rightly or wrongly I believe they felt the casting of Lucy limited the role. At the start Charlene was perfect, she had this raw edge that was fantastic.

But the character didn't really progress and I believe they felt she was limited.

I do believe if someone like Nicolette Sheridan had been playing the role then we would have seen a very different scenario with the character of Lucy.

On that note I always felt that James Beaumont was a mistake, instead a daughter would have been far more interesting considering JR's misogynistic views.

I'm not suggesting Charlene wasn't capable but as characters progress, then perhaps Producers feel restricted by casting and write to those specific strengths.

 

[stevew]

I'm thinking someone like Phylicia Rashād, especially after seeing how well she played her role as a family matriarch on Empire ("Black Dallas").

Oh yea. I agree 100%. I didn't see Empire, but I know her from the Cosby Show, and I can see her in the role. And if they had her talking to Chris as sort of a fill in mother figure and even to John Ross, maybe even siding with John Ross to cause some tension, then I would have truly seen her as a Ewing.

I don't have a problem with the back story of a drug/alcohol addiction and her baby being stolen - such made her weak then and might be the reason why she is so strong later in life - but being afraid of Ryland and his momma and even shooting Ryland would have to go. I would have also liked to have seen the anti-JR in her. By that I mean someone who could go toe-to-toe with him, BUT does not sleep around and hurt family, would be fiercely protective of her family, husband included, someone with a long line of friends that make her a wall that JR cannot stand up against.

Running down the stairs after JR with a riffle in hand, "This is Texas, you think anyone's gonna bat an eye at me shooting a man like you breaking into my house in the middle of the night!"
"Darlin' you're crazy. Bob! You really picked a crazy one this time."

She shoots the wall over his head. "I said get!"

"You're gonna get yourself in trouble with the law sweetheart," he mutters as he makes his way to the door.

"Don't worry about me, I've got my lawyer on speed dial." She shoots the wall next to the door frame, all calculated shots to terrify him.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'. Ain't gotta worry 'bout my brother with Ann Oakley on guard."

"And don't you forget it!" She shuts the doors and goes back up stairs, saying to herself, with a big grin and almost a laugh her in voice, "This being Texan ain't half fun."

 

[Jabari Lamar]

I would have also liked to have seen the anti-JR in her. By that I mean someone who could go toe-to-toe with him, BUT does not sleep around and hurt family, would be fiercely protective of her family, husband included, someone with a long line of friends that make her a wall that JR cannot stand up against.

That's exactly how she was in season 1. They just messed her up after. Which, ironically is similar to Lucy and the topic of this thread. As most of us are agreeing that she should have remained the vixen that she was in the beginning of the series, but they changed her after that.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

I've always had a love hate relationship with the character. She was lots of fun in the mini and I agree she should have been JRs protégé, raising her in his image just to spite her parents, who he hated. imagine her defending him when the family turns on him, voting his way.
When she married Mitch we could have seen her use those skills. Imagine mitch is a horrible gambler who loses to all the wrong types of people and she and JR have to get his ass out of trouble.
Imagine her being so broken and later bitter over Jocks death and Clayton the interloper she colludes with Uncle to get him out....
I dig the actress, not so much the character as she was an obstacle character, merely in the way of the core people we enjoyed.
The sequel series should have made her head of her own company or some high tech gadget that made her a billionaire on her own... anything, maybe a Lawyer, nurse?

 

[lbf522]

I've always had a love hate relationship with the character. She was lots of fun in the mini and I agree she should have been JRs protégé, raising her in his image just to spite her parents, who he hated. imagine her defending him when the family turns on him, voting his way.
When she married Mitch we could have seen her use those skills. Imagine mitch is a horrible gambler who loses to all the wrong types of people and she and JR have to get his ass out of trouble.
Imagine her being so broken and later bitter over Jocks death and Clayton the interloper she colludes with Uncle to get him out....
I dig the actress, not so much the character as she was an obstacle character, merely in the way of the core people we enjoyed.
The sequel series should have made her head of her own company or some high tech gadget that made her a billionaire on her own... anything, maybe a Lawyer, nurse?

I love your ideas. Its a shame the writers gave up on her too soon. Before she came back to the show, in the National Enquirer, it said that Lucy was coming back and would work at Ewing Oil that looked promising and was looing forward to it and of course I was disappointed when that did not happen. Lucy was wasted yet again.

That Casey Denault storyline was dumb. I would imagine that over the years, Jock, JR, and Bobby would have warned Lucy about con men and the like.

Anyway, regarding the National Enquirer story, either it was a mistake on their part or the writers had entended on doing that but for whatever reason changed their minds. What a shame.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

Rightly or wrongly I believe they felt the casting of Lucy limited the role. At the start Charlene was perfect, she had this raw edge that was fantastic.

But the character didn't really progress and I believe they felt she was limited.

I do believe if someone like Nicolette Sheridan had been playing the role then we would have seen a very different scenario with the character of Lucy.

On that note I always felt that James Beaumont was a mistake, instead a daughter would have been far more interesting considering JR's misogynistic views.

I'm not suggesting Charlene wasn't capable but as characters progress, then perhaps Producers feel restricted by casting and write to those specific strengths.

Nichollete Sheridan is a terrible actor- She nearly ruined Knots Landing. I fast forward her constantly now.