Loose threads I wish were tied up

[CryptCreeper72]

Dallas left a lot of “loose threads” out there over the years. Here's some I would have liked to see be tied up. Anyone have others?

* Christopher being Sue Ellen's blood nephew. I think it was a huge missed opportunity not to have Christopher discover this in season eleven (after Pam disappeared). He was already dealing with being abandoned by his mother, imagine him finding out who his real mother was and that Bobby had been hiding it from him all those years. I think it would have been a lot more interesting for Patricia to come back and Sue for custody rather than bring in Lisa Alden.

* Ray and Sue Ellen's one night stand. The whole thing was just dropped and forgotten. What a huge missed dramatic opportunity. JR should have found out. Can you imagine how great it would have been to see JR react to the fact that the first time his wife cheated on him, it was with his brother? And why not pair Sue Ellen with Ray instead of Jenna? That could have been priceless.

* Parmelee. We don't need to talk about that one again, it's been discussed to death on this forum - but we never got to know what he told Miss Ellie and that storyline never was closed.

* What happened to Katherine? She showed up at Pam’s hospital room then was never heard from again. Where did she go? Did she have anything to do with Pam’s disappearance?

* Mandy just walks away. Dallas spent years building up the character, making viewers believe she was the ONE woman who could take JR from Sue Ellen for good. She comes back to Dallas as a successful actress with the goal of winning JR back. Then, Sue Ellen fires her and she just disappears, even though she promised Sue Ellen she would be back. She's never seen or heard from again and instead we get Kimberly, Cally, and Vanessa - none of whom could be taken seriously as a real love for JR.

* Lucy's rape and abortion. It happened, then is never mentioned again. In later seasons, we see Lucy flounder around with nothing to do. How great would it have been to finally see her accept and deal with what HAD to have been significant emotional and physical trauma. What if the reason she never had children is because of emotional scarring from the rape or physical scaring from the abortion procedure?

Anyway, these are my top loose threads that could have been used to make the later years of Dallas much more in
teresting.

 

[tommie]

* Ray and Sue Ellen's one night stand.

I've said it before, but I've always assumed this was a set up for an additional "Who's the daddy" storyline dramatics. They obviously dropped it for whatever reasons -- and yeah, I wouldn't have minded Sue Ellen and Ray. It would've been interesting if somehow Sue Ellen could've exploited Ray's possible inheritence in Ewing Oil to get back at JR.

How great would it have been to finally see her accept and deal with what HAD to have been significant emotional and physical trauma.

I'm not sure Charlene, at least at the time, could've handled a storyline with this type of gravity tbh. I thought she worked better as a snotty spoiled brat and heiress, which they didn't do much with either.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

I've said it before, but I've always assumed this was a set up for an additional "Who's the daddy" storyline dramatics. They obviously dropped it for whatever reasons -- and yeah, I wouldn't have minded Sue Ellen and Ray. It would've been interesting if somehow Sue Ellen could've exploited Ray's possible inheritence in Ewing Oil to get back at JR.

I'm not sure Charlene, at least at the time, could've handled a storyline with this type of gravity tbh. I thought she worked better as a snotty spoiled brat and heiress, which they didn't do much with either.

SE and Ray teaming up against JR would have been absolutely delicious.

As for Charlene's acting, while I agree we never saw much from her, in her defense, she wasn't ever given very much to work with.

 

[Chris2]

They hinted that Jamie might be a fraud when she first showed up. Jenna asked her if Jason ever mentioned Lucas Wade and Jamie bluffed and said that Jason never had an unkind word to say about Lucas. And Jenna said under her breath, “They hated each other.”

 

[CryptCreeper72]

They hinted that Jamie might be a fraud when she first showed up. Jenna asked her if Jason ever mentioned Lucas Wade and Jamie bluffed and said that Jason never had an unkind word to say about Lucas. And Jenna said under her breath, “They hated each other.”

Oh! That is a good one! Jenna kept giving Jamie the side eye and it was implied that Jenna knew something she wasn't saying. Then it was just dropped.

 

[Jock-O-Lantern]

They hinted that Jamie might be a fraud when she first showed up. Jenna asked her if Jason ever mentioned Lucas Wade and Jamie bluffed and said that Jason never had an unkind word to say about Lucas. And Jenna said under her breath, “They hated each other.”

I just saw that episode and you're absolutely right. They must have changed their minds on Jamie as they went along.

 

[LMLDallas78]

The Christopher story was a huge missed opportunity. Just because Sue Ellen signed the averdavit stating no claim on the child didn't mean she must sever all ties with him, especially living in the same house. It was still her sister's child and they may not have been close but that was odd behaviour.

Momma Shepard never finding out was also strange.

Sue Ellen and Ray never being mentioned again always annoyed me but I guess Cliff was more hated by JR and their affair reappearing created more drama.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

The Christopher story was a huge missed opportunity. Just because Sue Ellen signed the averdavit stating no claim on the child didn't mean she must sever all ties with him, especially living in the same house. It was still her sister's child and they may not have been close but that was odd behaviour.

Momma Shepard never finding out was also strange.

Sue Ellen and Ray never being mentioned again always annoyed me but I guess Cliff was more hated by JR and their affair reappearing created more drama.

The only time I ever heard SE.mention Christopher being her real nephew was at breakfast one morning after Pam's disappearance. She was talking to Clayton and Ellie about Christopher losing two moms. I really thought they were laying the ground work for Christopher to find out the truth and was rather annoyed that they just dropped it again.

 

[DallasFanForever]

* What happened to Katherine? She showed up at Pam’s hospital room then was never heard from again. Where did she go? Did she have anything to do with Pam’s disappearance?

This one always intrigued me. It was such a blink and you’ll miss it return and then she was gone again never to resurface. I’ve always suspected her involvement in Pam’s disappearance somehow, at least considering the things she was saying to her in her first scene back in the hospital. Bobby just letting Katherine go and not calling the authorities always baffled me.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

This one always intrigued me. It was such a blink and you’ll miss it return and then she was gone again never to resurface. I’ve always suspected her involvement in Pam’s disappearance somehow, at least considering the things she was saying to her in her first scene back in the hospital. Bobby just letting Katherine go and not calling the authorities always baffled me.

That has always driven me INSANE.

Hey - STUPID - she tried to KILL you. She wrote the divorce letter!

Then she shows up and he gets another letter supposedly from Pam saying don't look for me and it never even crosses his mind Katherine is involved???

 

[DallasFanForever]

Then she shows up and he gets another letter supposedly from Pam saying don't look for me and it never even crosses his mind Katherine is involved???

I think he did at least suspect it though, didn’t he? He even asked about her involvement when the letter was dropped off but then that all changed after he read it. For some reason he took that as the absolute truth and then Katherine was forgotten.

Katherine is back in town, a letter that Pam supposedly wrote while heavily bandaged, hmmm. I’m not sure I would’ve believed so quickly if I was Bobby.

 

[Chris2]

Booby was always clueless when it came to Katherine.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

Booby was always clueless when it came to Katherine.

I maintain Bobby was clueless when it comes to ALL women.

And JR.

 

[Guzzler’s Frightening Hair]

I think he did at least suspect it though, didn’t he? He even asked about her involvement when the letter was dropped off but then that all changed after he read it. For some reason he took that as the absolute truth and then Katherine was forgotten.

Katherine is back in town, a letter that Pam supposedly wrote while heavily bandaged, hmmm. I’m not sure I would’ve believed so quickly if I was Bobby.

Bobby recognized Pam’s unmistakable all-caps, printed “handwriting” that required zero points of body articulation and realized the note was legitimate. Being quite sharp in these matters, he’d learned from the “divorce letter” fiasco that Katherine would have left a note with much finer, more conventional penmanship.

 

[Rove]

Anyone have others?

This has to be the biggest of them all. Uncle (Ray) and niece (Lucy) constantly disturbing the hay in the loft. When it was announced to the Ewing family Ray was Jock's son the camera should have panned to Lucy only for her to rush off to the bathroom and throw up. Firstly; we never did see any of the Ewing family frequent a bathroom. Secondly; it would have made for great television witnessing a Ewing throw up. That right there is realism ladies and gents.

How was it Ray and Lucy never discussed the horror of sleeping together. Nope. Never happened. Nothing to see...move on.

 

[LMLDallas78]

I even remember Bobby telling Jenna that , "Actually Christopher is Sue Ellen's sisters child". When Jenna asks why Bobby adopted him and not Sue Ellen, he just says, "That is a very long story".
Bobby told Jenna and yet no one told Patricia, the blood Grandmother of Christopher.

laying the ground work for Christopher to find out the truth

This really should have happened at some point. Teasing scenes like the one you mention and then nothing.

was rather annoyed that they just dropped it again.

An unfortunate Dallas habit.

When it was announced to the Ewing family Ray was Jock's son

Ray really should have had some bad attacks of utter guilt and shame. A conversation at some point needed to take place between him and Lucy. Incestuous relationships have been seen in other soaps, they should have faced it and dealt with it.

we never did see any of the Ewing family frequent a bathroom.

Weirdly true. We really should have witnessed Sue Ellen passed out in a bathroom or throwing up from being so drunk.

 

[Piggyrella Sanderson]

They hinted that Jamie might be a fraud when she first showed up. Jenna asked her if Jason ever mentioned Lucas Wade and Jamie bluffed and said that Jason never had an unkind word to say about Lucas. And Jenna said under her breath, “They hated each other.”

Jenna said that out of envy because it was obvious that Jamie looked hotter than she. The nerve...

Jamie: "...And they gave me permission to never wear a bra in my scenes!"
Jenna: "Yeah, but who owns Graceland and has a lot of movies about her life, huh?"​

 

[LMLDallas78]

Booby was always clueless when it came to Katherine.

Bobby really was a Booby! (brilliant) with the women in his life and yet he was so tuned into sister-in-law Sue Ellen and niece Lucy, even Valene.

 

[Crimson]

DALLAS, in its peak seasons, was so densely plotted that the writers would drop, or seemingly forget, intriguing plot points or possibilities. My own biggest regret among those dropped threads was during the fallout from Jock's will when Rebecca and the cartel gathered and were seemingly rallying to enter the battle as a third faction. Man, all hell could have broken loose! But nothing really came of it.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Ray really should have had some bad attacks of utter guilt and shame. A conversation at some point needed to take place between him and Lucy. Incestuous relationships have been seen in other soaps, they should have faced it and dealt with it

"Attacks of utter guilt and shame"?? For Ray and Ray alone? Lucy was of age at the time of her cavorting with her uncle, and neither one of them yet knew they were related.

A simple "oopsie!" would have sufficed.

But I agree it should have been brought up -- perhaps much later. The producers and CBS probably wanted to forget about it, but the audience never does!!