1.
Starting Over. S05E10. To me, the moment that changed the series forever. After slightly sluggish Season 4 and first third of season 5, Bobby comes home with J.R.'s son (supposedly). Pamela sees him and is overjoyed, thinking he has finally brought home a baby for them to adopt! I gasped. A stunning twist that energized DALLAS and set it on the path for its Season 6 and 7 greatness. Also, the look on Bobby's face is priceless.
2.
Barbecue Two. S05E12. A true classic. Miss Ellie receives a call... the devastating news that Jock's helicopter has gone down and "they say... they say... he's deeeeaaaad." I will never forget my father getting so into it, trying to guess: "It's Jock, he's going to be dead!"
3.
Tangled Web. S06E25. An ending I'm sure we all recognize: Sue Ellen walks in and sees J.R. and Holly in bed together. Sue Ellen at her victim-best. The show will try to recapture the magic of this but will never be able to.
4.
The Quality of Mercy. S07E05. Season 7 is particularly hard to choose from. It feels like every episode almost is a classic. But I never thought I'd see DALLAS tackle euthanasia, which it did so brilliantly with Mickey's horrifying accident and Ray's decision not to make him live the rest of his life paralyzed. I still get chills. While there are some great Pam endings this season and I wanted to use them ALL, this one's very unique in the show and deserves its spot.
5.
Oil Baron's Ball III. S08E08. Season 8 is a great season for Pam. Principal's acting is phenomenal and she practically carries the season with her desperate search for Mark. But this moment isn't about Mark. Thanks to J.R.'s cruelty, Pam finds out along with the rest of the world that Bobby and Jenna are to be married. Bobby and Pam longingly look at each other. The ending is one of the most classic Pam freezeframes (and there were a lot of them during this era of the show).
6.
Odd Man Out. S08E14. Jenna wakes up on the floor of a hotel room. The police are screaming at her and holding her at gun point. Naldo's dead. She did it. Thrilling stuff!
7.
Bail Out. S08E17. Another Pam classic (and probably my absolute favorite). Pam finds out that Kane has been lying to her. She slaps him and learns that J.R. has been gaslighting her, and sending her all over the world in search of Mark.
8.
Nothing's Ever Perfect. S09E26. A hugely problematic, drawn out storyline, but Angelica's murder of Nicholas with a hat pin is classic Season 9. It doesn't get more memorable than that. DALLAS even attempts an artsy freezeframe.
9.
Once and Future King. S10E04. Another Miss Ellie classic. She visits Wes. He's got Jock's things. Wes says, they've always been his. Bel Geddes serves classic melodrama freezeframe.
10.
The Second Time Around. S10E08. Pam's last solo freezeframe and a great surprise ending. Ray tells Bobby that Jenna is pregnant with his child -- and Pamela has overheard!
Some Honorary Mentions:
The Quest. S04E15. One of the first ones that usually comes to mind. Sue Ellen has been watching. She sees a man in a limousine. The limousine drives off. Sue Ellen runs out after it: "Oh dear God, it can't be!" We had no idea what was going on. Thrillingness.
When The Bough Breaks. S0720. A rarity for DALLAS to have an ending for a non-core character. The Peter story was fascinatingly bizarre but, when I rewatched this episode a few months ago, I was stung by how poignant and sad this ending scene is. Sue Ellen visits Peter and breaks things off with him, leaving the young man-boy crying. DALLAS would never recapture heartbroken youth so well ever again.
After the Fall/Digger Redux. S011E02. A great twist, a great ending, a wonderful freezeframe. Too bad it went absolutely nowhere.
