Victoria not returning for the finale

[Grangehill1]

"Not caring". I'm baffled by that remark. Victoria graciously offered 2 years notice of her intention to leave. 2 years for the writers and producers to carefully construct a story for Pam's exit. It doesn't matter how this was achieved only that Victoria made her decision and was sticking with it. She filmed the tanker scene believing this was the exclamation mark on her character and her time on Dallas. It was the writers/producers who screwed up the character post tanker crash.

Victoria didn't have to however she appeared in Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork to offer fans a glimpse into the popularity of Dallas and continues to post positive things about her time on the series.

Your argument Victoria must return to a series that offered her fame would like telling me I must attend my high school reunion despite the fact I didn't like the majority of students. Some were downright bullies. Rather than attend an event and feign interest I'd much rather stay well away from that environment. Ok...not quite on the same level as Victoria but it was her decision, her choice. It's as simply as that.

Were you paid an absolute fortune to attend high school? Did your high school give you world wide fame and afford opportunities that are still being spoken about 40 years later? And you’re still feeling the benefits of 40 years later?
I never said Victoria MUST return to the series (odd choice of words there) But it’s bizarre that since then a lot bigger stars than Victoria returned to their roots and the shows that made them, provided an amazing life and lifestyle and she never did. Return to southfork was her returning but not as Pam.

Yes she gave 2 years notice. The producers didn’t believe her which was a huge mistake. Suddenly out of no where in her final episode there’s a hastily cobbled together storyline where Pam can suddenly become pregnant. But once she shot the car crash she did just literally walk away and not care what they did next. That’s a fact. Dallas was in the past to her the moment they called wrap.
What I will always challenge is her belief that Pam was dead. That the car crash was the end of her character. I just don’t believe that and I think I that’s the excuse she’s used over the years to prevent a return. I’ve said it so many times but after the mess of Bobby’s death and resurrection the producers weren’t going to kill another lead so soon. I was 13 in 1987 and knew she wouldn’t be killed! Bobby was dead and came back. Fallon had been abducted in a spaceship. The Carringtons were all gunned down and there were only two deaths. Did Victoria honestly believe Pam was dead? In her mind she was but that was never what was shot or shown.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Victoria shrewdly knew when to leave. Lorimar asked her to come back for two years with a big raise in 1987; Victoria agreed (despite what she's claimed) to do only one more year, and only then if she had financial parity with Duffy.

Lorimar refused, Victoria publicly stated that, "CBS and Lorimar have always been very generous with me," and left. A year later she reportedly had dinner with Larry carrying an offer to meet her demands in order to return. But there was no way she was going to go back by that point.

And why would she, or return for the final episode? DALLAS was in tatters by then. Everybody knew it. And the story that she'd agreed to return if Lenny could "guarantee" that Conundrum would be the last episode is really questionable --- for one thing , of course Katzman knew it would be the last episode... Just why do we think Conundrum was Conundrum with Joel Gray?? It was supposed to be the last episode!

As I said above, maybe if JR's dream had Pam as the first woman president, then maybe Principal might've returned. But why else would she?

She's done the occasional retrospective show, and has chosen not to do others. I think that's fair. She's not being snobbish, she's simply been selective.

She chose not to do 2012's nuDALLAS reboot on TNT and, obviously, she was right to steer clear of that. Victoria knows how TV works, and, even had she been interested, likely anticipated that it would be a disaster.


"Why would I ever come back, you buncha alkies...?!?"

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

the story that she'd agreed to return if Lenny could "guarantee" that Conundrum would be the last episode is really questionable -

Is it possible that she's been misquoted? Maybe she meant Pam's last episode - a clearcut farewell instead of the murky mess as it then existed - which another dream would not have provided.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Is it possible that she's been misquoted? Maybe she meant Pam's last episode - a clearcut farewell instead of the murky mess as it then existed - which another dream would not have provided.

Misquotes are always possible, even probable.

 

[Chris2]

Victoria said at the time of the finale she wanted to return to put a “coda” on the Pam’s story, but she didn’t want to be part of another cliffhanger. I interpreted that as meaning she wasn’t happy with the fantasy storyline and would have returned for a true finale that wrapped up the series.