Did You Like Rebecca Standing Up To Miss Ellie Or Not?

[Billy Wall]

In the aftermath of Cliff's recovery after he attempted suicide, Miss Ellie went up to Rebecca explained that their no reason for the Ewing/Barnes feud to continue considering Cliff has recovered and he's on equal ground as the Ewing's, now that he has his own company to run. Rebecca wasn't having any of it and told her "would you be so quick to move on if it was one of your boys laying up in the hospital?" Rebecca also said, "if JR steps out of line just once, we'll destroy him". Miss Ellie responds, "I tried, but if a war you want, remember, many have tried and regretted it." Or something like that.

In your opinion, who was right? As the more I watch Dallas, I've noticed that the Ewing's come off as entitled. Most of the time I'm pro-Ellie, but in this scenario, I can see Rebecca's point of view.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

In the aftermath of Cliff's recovery after he attempted suicide, Miss Ellie went up to Rebecca explained that their no reason for the Ewing/Barnes feud to continue considering Cliff has recovered and he's on equal ground as the Ewing's, now that he has his own company to run. Rebecca wasn't having any of it and told her "would you be so quick to move on if it was one of your boys laying up in the hospital?" Rebecca also said, "if JR steps out of line just once, we'll destroy him". Miss Ellie responds, "I tried, but if a war you want, remember, many have tried and regretted it." Or something like that.

In your opinion, who was right? As the more I watch Dallas, I've noticed that the Ewing's come off as entitled. Most of the time I'm pro-Ellie, but in this scenario, I can see Rebecca's point of view.

The problem was the unpredictability of JR, and yes Rebecca had good reason to distrust Miss Ellie because with Jock gone Ellie didn't seem to have much control over her eldest son as seen in the video.

 

[Toni]

I think all that happened too late, Rebecca should 've been a total 2-faced beech since the beginning a la Katherine, a kind of blue-eyed Angela Channing...

 

[Jimmy Todd]

I liked it because it gave both of them something to do and propelled the plot leading into the battle for Ewing Oil. It actually would have been fun to see some more scenes between the warring matriarchs.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I liked it because it gave both of them something to do and propelled the plot leading into the battle for Ewing Oil. It actually would have been fun to see some more scenes between the warring matriarchs.

It was such a pity they killed Rebecca off so soon, the character should've stuck around for at least another season.

 

[Angela Channing]

Either Ellie was stupid or totally in denial if she thought JR wouldn't continue to try to take down Cliff. Her reaction to Rebecca's rejection of Ellie's olive branch showed how shallow was her peace offering. What Ellie was suggesting was that Cliff and Barnes family should just accept that the Ewings were charge as they had been beaten. Rebecca should have punched her in the face.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I liked it because it gave both of them something to do and propelled the plot leading into the battle for Ewing Oil. It actually would have been fun to see some more scenes between the warring matriarchs.

I agree. It was an untapped storyline that could have been compelling

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I agree. It was an untapped storyline that could have been compelling

It's a shame that Leonard Katzman felt Dallas was more of a men's show otherwise we might've had more interaction between Rebecca and the Ewing family. Very shortsighted.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

It's a shame that Leonard Katzman felt Dallas was more of a men's show otherwise we might've had more interaction between Rebecca and the Ewing family. Very shortsighted.

The reason it was important for Rebecca to join the fight is that the writers needed to level the playing field for the Ewing-Barnes feud. It doesn't work for big bad J.R. to keep beating up on weaker Cliff Barnes.
It's more compelling to have J.R. fighting a Cliff Barnes who has money and family backing him up. Makes for a better fight.

J.R. himself told Sue Ellen that he was growing concerned about Cliff now that Cliff had power behind him.

 

[Rove]

I loved the introduction of Rebecca Wentworth. It offered additional depth to the characters of Pam, Cliff and in a roundabout way Miss Ellie which is on display in the above scene between Rebecca and Miss Ellie. I like how the writers use a legacy character - Digger - to further drive this wedge between the Ewing and Barnes family. In this case I was on Rebecca's side.

As noted by others I wish they had kept Rebecca around for at least another season. Watching the two matriarchs do battle is a joy. I love how Rebecca didn't offer Miss Ellie a courtesy call to say she was on her way. She rocks up and catches Miss Ellie off guard and puts the Ewing family - in full view of JR - on notice.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I like how the writers use a legacy character - Digger - to further drive this wedge between the Ewing and Barnes family. In this case I was on Rebecca's side.

This is a very important point. We hear about Digger from the Ewing's point of view. Rebecca shows us that there are two sides to every story.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

In one way, I'd have liked to have seen Rebecca around longer, just as I would have liked Mickey around longer. However, their deaths upped the emotional stakes in the battle for Ewing Oil and added to a truly great season. Rebecca's death was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back in regards to Pam and Bobby's marriage. Even though it's completely unfair to blame Bobby or the Ewings for her death, it does make more sense that a grieving Pam would be in such a state of mind that she would feel she needs to separate from Bobby. Pam and Bobby were so much in love that it would seem forced if she left him just because of the contest set up by Jock. It could cause problems in their marriage, but Pam just walking out on Bobby and taking their son in the middle of an extremely stressful time in his life is immature, imho.
Of course, this all added to the layers of the season when JR called out Pam for her self righteousness. She slapped him not just for his lascivious comment about her in France, but also because he struck a nerve in that he made valid points.
In the following season Katherine makes a similar comment when Pam confronts her about that letter.
Pam: "He was still my husband!"
Katherine: "But you walked out on him. You didn't want him anymore."
Pam slaps her, and although Katherine was completely wrong in her actions, Pam wasn't exactly fair with Bobby by going off to France with Mark, but expecting Bobby and everybody's else to adhere to her high standards.
I only wish that scene between Pam and Katherine was a bit longer, and Katherine vented more about how Pam treated Bobby. She could also let her frustration out about how her father's company was divided, so two people(Cliff and Pam) got two thirds and he didn't even know them. In fact, Katherine could allude to a few other things in her life that contributed to her anger and hatred.
I noticed that when Pam meets Bobby in the scene prior to the Katherine slap, she comments on all the sad things that have happened: their divorce, Rebecca's death, Mark's illness. Yet, she never mentions

Jock's relatively recent death and the effect that must have had on Bobby. In the confrontation with Katherine a great line from the bellicose, blue -eyed brunette could have been. "You are so selfish, Pam. You walked out on Bobby and took Christopher. When Jock died did you even console him, or did you make it all about you?" Pam would have slugged her a good one or been so taken aback she would have fled to the French Riviera with Peter Richards
I do love the character of Pam, but sometimes it takes a villian to show the hero's they can be better.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I wonder if the writers may have regarded Digger's departure as a mistake, and the intro of Rebecca was a way to try to make up for it.
if Rebecca had stayed, and battled Ewing Oil more aggressively, it could have added mor dimension to the Ewing-Barnes feud.
Rebecca had said something to the effect that Jock wasn't content to win, he had to destroy Digger. That is generally not the narrative that the show
seemed to embrace, but Rebecca's statement could be fictional history from another perspective. Or did Jock and Digger do business between the events
of Dallas: Early Years and "Digger's Daughter, and did Jock act in a way similar to the land grab that was orchestrated with Sam Culver?
These are plot points that could have been explored in more detail.

 

[Rove]

That is generally not the narrative that the show
seemed to embrace

...and having Rebecca tell Bobby the true story of Jock's behaviour towards Digger would have created added drama within the Ewing family. I wonder if the character of Rebecca should have been moulded on someone like Patricia Hamilton from Sons and Daughters. A young woman trapped in a hopeless situation with two children and a drunk for a husband still in love with another woman. Rebecca from a distance sees the Ewing family dripping in wealth while her own situation becomes untenable...and makes the heart breaking decision to leave Dallas, Cliff and Pam.

When Rebecca finally returns to Dallas all those years later and witnesses the Ewing family hasn't changed she begins to use her prowess to destroy the Ewing family and spots Bobby as the weakness. What fun.

 

[Mustard]

It was good storylines, because now the cosy setting at Southfork was soon going to be shattered. Just look at the difference from the aftermath of Cliff's suicide attempt to the time of Mickey's car accident. The pace of the change was incredible.

I wonder if the writers may have regarded Digger's departure as a mistake, and the intro of Rebecca was a way to try to make up for it.
if Rebecca had stayed, and battled Ewing Oil more aggressively, it could have added mor dimension to the Ewing-Barnes feud.
Rebecca had said something to the effect that Jock wasn't content to win, he had to destroy Digger. That is generally not the narrative that the show
seemed to embrace, but Rebecca's statement could be fictional history from another perspective.

The show had two perspectives, i.e. Jock stole from Digger, and that Jock tried to help Digger but Digger wasted money. Both are correct, in my opinion. Rebecca wasn't with Digger until after WW2, so after Digger's break with Jock. Rebecca saw Digger's bitterness, didn't like that side of him one bit back then (calling it an "awful, awful life" when he was bitter like that), but by Season 6 DVD she was thinking that Digger was right all along about the Ewings.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

...and having Rebecca tell Bobby the true story of Jock's behaviour towards Digger would have created added drama within the Ewing family. I wonder if the character of Rebecca should have been moulded on someone like Patricia Hamilton from Sons and Daughters. A young woman trapped in a hopeless situation with two children and a drunk for a husband still in love with another woman. Rebecca from a distance sees the Ewing family dripping in wealth while her own situation becomes untenable...and makes the heart breaking decision to leave Dallas, Cliff and Pam.

When Rebecca finally returns to Dallas all those years later and witnesses the Ewing family hasn't changed she begins to use her prowess to destroy the Ewing family and spots Bobby as the weakness. What fun.

That would have been a good plot line. The untimely passing of Jim Davis led to the battle for Ewing Oil, which would not have happened otherwise, and it prevented
storylines such as yours.
I am in the minority, but I wasn't a big fan of the battle for Ewing Oil as per Jock's will. I would have preferred a Jock Ewing recast ( I Liked Steve Forest, but would have preferred Buddy Ebsen)

 

[the-lost-son]

I love Rebecca's run on the show.
She was introduced naturally when Digger died and Pam was looking for her mother.

I would have loved Rebecca heading the Barnes Clan for epic clashes against Miss Ellie's Ewings. It would have been great.

"Unfortunately" Dallas was firing on all cylinders during S4-6 (DVD 5-7). I'll agree with Katzman who during the late 80s said that they wouldn't have used so much material if they had known they'd last that long.

All these insinuated storylines which somehow didn't materialize (obviously partly at least due to time restrictions.)
e.g. Sue Ellen/Clayton romance
Rebecca/Clayton romance
Holly Harwood and Bobby...

It's amazing how much they squeezed into +/- 30 episodes/season at that time. If you watch the episode Bobby gets shot, there is so much happening, it's unfortunate but understandable that they chose not to show storylines and scenes like the wedding of one of it's most central characters (Miss Ellie) for example.

Rebecca had potential for at least another year, the same goes for Lady Jessica, but they needed her out of the picture for Katherine to start running wild.

 

[Rove]

Rebecca had potential for at least another year, the same goes for Lady Jessica, but they needed her out of the picture for Katherine to start running wild.

Out of the 2 characters; Rebecca and Lady Jessica I think Rebecca should have stayed around a bit longer. Don't get me wrong, I think the addition of Alexis Smith was brilliant but I was a little annoyed how quickly Lady Jessica came and went when I think there was greater potential to draw her character out. The major issue I had was Lady Jessica had spent all this time in Europe knowing the truth about Dusty and didn't display any mental issues until becoming aware Clayton was going to marry Miss Ellie. It was like someone had flicked the switch. Lady Jessica's story upon a rewatch was a little rushed.

If it was up to me I would have had Lady Jessica written arriving into Dallas knowing Farlow and Ewing secrets which JR was desperate to learn but even he was no match for her. Instead I would have Lady Jessica return in a semi-permanent role by moving back to the Southern Cross Ranch since Clayton was now going to be at Southfork. This of course makes Clayton a little nervous.

Now I say Lady Jessica knows Ewing secrets because it would have been great if she had some connection to either Jock or Jason Ewing in her youth without Miss Ellie's knowledge. Whatever story came of that would have created additional layers to the Ewing story and kept Lady Jessica hanging around for a while.