James from London
International Treasure
And Michelle Pfeiffer's ex-husband (but only in boring old real life).
And they were both Soap Land drug abusers! Now that'd be an interesting Top 5.
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And Michelle Pfeiffer's ex-husband (but only in boring old real life).
And they were both Soap Land drug abusers! Now that'd be an interesting Top 5.
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
Sue Ellen is visited by JR, Miss Ellie and Bobby, and the results of those conversations are all very different.
I found it very interesting that Miss Ellie said that there was more in life than pleasing your husband and in-laws, and without specifically mentioning it she suggested that it was possible to escape from the marital misery.
But Sue Ellen is having none of it, and determined to keep up appearances.
Does she want to go back to Southfork simply because she doesn't want to be in the sanitarium or because she really wants to live at Southfork, despite everything, or is it because she refuses to be a failure? After all, she's been groomed to be the pretty, husband-pleasing socialite. President of the Daughters of the Alamo!
On reflection, it's interesting that both JR and Sue Ellen have been groomed for a great, prosperous future.
I guess it's a little bit of everything, and having a child will certainly limit her options especially since Cliff doesn't want her anymore.
I'm not completely convinced that she loved Cliff, I think she needed him at that time. Heck, anyone who lives with JR would appreciate a little affection every now and then.
It's like Miss Ellie said to JR in the previous episode "you don't have any redeeming qualities".
The best part of this episode are her scenes with Bobby.
It's glorious high-melodrama, the Peyton Place for the 1980s (well, still 1979 I guess), and a fabulous car crash is the icing on the cake.
In the hospital, both Cliff and JR have their moments of repentance.
But in this case the high-melodrama is getting dangerously close to high-schmaltz.
Either way, the next generation is now a fact. NuDallas will happen!:gidd:
I found it very interesting that Miss Ellie said that there was more in life than pleasing your husband and in-laws, and without specifically mentioning it she suggested that it was possible to escape from the marital misery.
But Sue Ellen is having none of it, and determined to keep up appearances.
Does she want to go back to Southfork simply because she doesn't want to be in the sanitarium or because she really wants to live at Southfork, despite everything, or is it because she refuses to be a failure? After all, she's been groomed to be the pretty, husband-pleasing socialite. President of the Daughters of the Alamo!
On reflection, it's interesting that both JR and Sue Ellen have been groomed for a great, prosperous future.
I guess it's a little bit of everything, and having a child will certainly limit her options especially since Cliff doesn't want her anymore.
I'm not completely convinced that she loved Cliff, I think she needed him at that time. Heck, anyone who lives with JR would appreciate a little affection every now and then.
It's like Miss Ellie said to JR in the previous episode "you don't have any redeeming qualities".
The best part of this episode are her scenes with Bobby.
It's glorious high-melodrama, the Peyton Place for the 1980s (well, still 1979 I guess), and a fabulous car crash is the icing on the cake.
In the hospital, both Cliff and JR have their moments of repentance.
But in this case the high-melodrama is getting dangerously close to high-schmaltz.
Either way, the next generation is now a fact. NuDallas will happen!:gidd:
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
The next season premiere doesn't dissapoint as it starts with a kidnap storyline and lots of disagreement between various characters.
The first thing to notice is that Cliff Barnes, a man with political ambitions, has no sense of nuance at all. No convoluted schemes or backup plans, he just lashes out hoping to do as much damage as possible.
And that's why Harv Smithfield introduces legal whizz-kid Alan Beam, who believes he can beat Cliff at his own game, to reinforce Ewing Oil's legal departement.
Handsome Alan has that "Mary Crosby" half-smirk smile, and I think I like him.
Sue Ellen, feeling "perfectly fine!" leaves the hospital, but they keep baby John for observation - just to be on the safe side. However, SoapLand Memorial happens to be one of the most dangerous places, as the Ewings are going to find out very soon.
Sue Ellen, previously detoxing in a sanitarium, is now the most popular person on Southfork. She herself has no reason to celebrate, and I guess it's even worse when everybody else is being so terribly cheerful all the time.
Every conversation or an offer to help is met with a cold shoulder, but it gets really worrisome when she doesn't want to visit baby John in the hospital.
Even JR is at the end of his tether, but there's also an ironic kind of comeuppance now she's playing the perfect stepford wife with no desires or opinion who's "simply" following doctor's orders. As she was told to do only a few episodes ago.
I don't know what to think of Miss Ellie's advice. She means well of course but along the way it changes into something over-optimistic, and it feels a bit delusional - dismissive, even.
I kinda like how Sue Ellen refuses to play along and have all the Ewings walk on eggshells.
Jeb Ames and Willie Joe Garr are on parole, and they feel JR owes it to them to finance their rehabilitation. In cash, please.
JR's having none of it - it's classic example of underestimating the dangerous nobody or has-been, only to be surprised when something bad does happen.
And then something happens!
Baby John is kidnapped!
I honestly had no idea whodunit, but it wouldn't make sense for Cliff to secretly keep a baby in his apartment (or is it condo?), and with Jeb and Willie Joe being the only other option I felt they'd add a twist to the story.
Bobby and Pam continue to clash over family loyalty while trying to remain as neutral as possible and rekindle their romance after every argument.
Sometimes it looks as if their marriage is even more exhausting than JR and Sue Ellen's.
Interesting that this episode also remembers Bobby's kidnapping, so I guess those stand-alone episodes are more canon then we thought.
DALLAS does it first semi-stunt casting when Marlon Brando's sister arrives to nurse baby John - who isn't there.
I think there's something offbeat about Mrs. Reeves, although I can't pinpoint pricesely what it is.
Muriel pranks the Ewings who are waiting for the phonecall for the ransom demand, and then she does it again pretending to be Marilee Stone.
A soliloquy scene reveals Sue Ellen's determination to avoid inner turmoil and distress: she's not going to feel anything anymore.
"No one's going to hurt me anymore, not even you", as she looks into the empty cradle. Flashforwarding to TNT Dallas it turns out to be a prophecy she won't be able to sustain.
Bobby and Cliff do their version of Blake Carrington's "I need an answer, dammit!", and they go through the hospital files (that would so not happen!) to see if there's someone who could remember something, but in a surprising twist it turns out to be their respective wife and sister who remembers a crucial detail.
They discover the baby in the house of an emotionally unstable woman named Priscilla Duncan, at the same time JR's about to pay the ransom to fake-kidnapper Jeb Ames.
When he receives the good news from Bobby, he tells Jeb he can whistle for it and threatens him with a gun.
What I like about this scene is that it doesn't show victory or even relief about the baby's safety, but instead it gives us the exhausted expression on JR's face as a result of too many extreme emotions happening at the same time.
Baby John comes home. A bit odd to take Priscilla with them, but it gives her the opportunity to say sorry.
How painful it must be to see that the baby she wanted so very, very much is immediately and emotionlessly handed over to outsider Mrs. Reeves.
But apart from that, everything looks perfectly fine.
The first thing to notice is that Cliff Barnes, a man with political ambitions, has no sense of nuance at all. No convoluted schemes or backup plans, he just lashes out hoping to do as much damage as possible.
And that's why Harv Smithfield introduces legal whizz-kid Alan Beam, who believes he can beat Cliff at his own game, to reinforce Ewing Oil's legal departement.
Handsome Alan has that "Mary Crosby" half-smirk smile, and I think I like him.
Sue Ellen, feeling "perfectly fine!" leaves the hospital, but they keep baby John for observation - just to be on the safe side. However, SoapLand Memorial happens to be one of the most dangerous places, as the Ewings are going to find out very soon.
Sue Ellen, previously detoxing in a sanitarium, is now the most popular person on Southfork. She herself has no reason to celebrate, and I guess it's even worse when everybody else is being so terribly cheerful all the time.
Every conversation or an offer to help is met with a cold shoulder, but it gets really worrisome when she doesn't want to visit baby John in the hospital.
Even JR is at the end of his tether, but there's also an ironic kind of comeuppance now she's playing the perfect stepford wife with no desires or opinion who's "simply" following doctor's orders. As she was told to do only a few episodes ago.
I don't know what to think of Miss Ellie's advice. She means well of course but along the way it changes into something over-optimistic, and it feels a bit delusional - dismissive, even.
I kinda like how Sue Ellen refuses to play along and have all the Ewings walk on eggshells.
Jeb Ames and Willie Joe Garr are on parole, and they feel JR owes it to them to finance their rehabilitation. In cash, please.
JR's having none of it - it's classic example of underestimating the dangerous nobody or has-been, only to be surprised when something bad does happen.
And then something happens!
Baby John is kidnapped!
I honestly had no idea whodunit, but it wouldn't make sense for Cliff to secretly keep a baby in his apartment (or is it condo?), and with Jeb and Willie Joe being the only other option I felt they'd add a twist to the story.
Bobby and Pam continue to clash over family loyalty while trying to remain as neutral as possible and rekindle their romance after every argument.
Sometimes it looks as if their marriage is even more exhausting than JR and Sue Ellen's.
Interesting that this episode also remembers Bobby's kidnapping, so I guess those stand-alone episodes are more canon then we thought.
DALLAS does it first semi-stunt casting when Marlon Brando's sister arrives to nurse baby John - who isn't there.
I think there's something offbeat about Mrs. Reeves, although I can't pinpoint pricesely what it is.
Muriel pranks the Ewings who are waiting for the phonecall for the ransom demand, and then she does it again pretending to be Marilee Stone.
A soliloquy scene reveals Sue Ellen's determination to avoid inner turmoil and distress: she's not going to feel anything anymore.
"No one's going to hurt me anymore, not even you", as she looks into the empty cradle. Flashforwarding to TNT Dallas it turns out to be a prophecy she won't be able to sustain.
Bobby and Cliff do their version of Blake Carrington's "I need an answer, dammit!", and they go through the hospital files (that would so not happen!) to see if there's someone who could remember something, but in a surprising twist it turns out to be their respective wife and sister who remembers a crucial detail.
They discover the baby in the house of an emotionally unstable woman named Priscilla Duncan, at the same time JR's about to pay the ransom to fake-kidnapper Jeb Ames.
When he receives the good news from Bobby, he tells Jeb he can whistle for it and threatens him with a gun.
What I like about this scene is that it doesn't show victory or even relief about the baby's safety, but instead it gives us the exhausted expression on JR's face as a result of too many extreme emotions happening at the same time.
Baby John comes home. A bit odd to take Priscilla with them, but it gives her the opportunity to say sorry.
How painful it must be to see that the baby she wanted so very, very much is immediately and emotionlessly handed over to outsider Mrs. Reeves.
But apart from that, everything looks perfectly fine.
James from London
International Treasure
Yes, she goes from being the fakest person in the house to the most honest.
And then one of Brando's wives becomes Abby's housekeeper during KNOTS: The Malibu Years.
I remember one of the Hirschfield novels saying something similar, implying she could be in on the kidnapping.
Haha!
Yes! I love it!
It is very sad, but she does go on to have TV children of her own.
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
There's still a lot of sadness, or so it seems!
And it also looks like a flashforward scene for Priscilla Duncan. So many years later, she answers the door again, but this time is not a Dallas wife, it's an X-file agent.
Yeah, maybe it's not because of what she said or how she said it, but the very idea that she was allowed to say so much.
Not that it bothered me, but maybe in this particular case I'd expect some kind of relevance. On the other hand, you don't hire a Brando only to let her do absolutely nothing.
Piggyrella Sanderson
Maximum Member
Either that, or J.R. knows that in Spanish being cheated is said in jergon "have the horns put on" (sic!), so in my family when that moment was aired, we all thought "oh there he goes, the guy knows what Swellin has been doing all these weeks". Or he doesn´t. Bur he did indeed...
Piggyrella Sanderson
Maximum Member
As usual, poor Val is attracted to extreme losers, wacky hairdos and diva-esque gowns. Joannie will never change (hopefully)...
Piggyrella Sanderson
Maximum Member
Are you kidding? She devours every baby she gives birth. She is The Marilee...:danc::danc::eck:
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
The smash-hit soap opera jumps the shark by audaciously introducing not one but two recasts in episode 3 of season 3 - in the same place at the same time!
Sue Ellen and JR await the arrival of the Shepards, and it has one of those goofs that I really like because it gives the scene a more natural atmosphere.
JR is half-talking, half-reading when he accidentally kicks one of the child-extras.
"Sorry, kid".
Kristin II - Lady Dracula, according to Lucy Ewing - has lost her sleazy, roller skate-disco looks, but the secretary outfit is counterbalanced by lots of hair and a devious smirk.
Patricia never fails to mention how thoughtful and lavish JR is, as a way to confirm that she's done right by Sue Ellen, and she probably needs to believe that. After all, it is her life's work.
I'm not an expert on American accents, but Digger II's speech doesn't sound very Southern or Texan to me. And feature-wise, Digger I was more believable as Cliff's father.
But it's just Digger so it doesn't really matter that much.
What's more interesting is that Cliff's lust for revenge has surpassed Digger's sense of justice (his version of justice, anyway), just like JR's idea that the only way to honour the Ewing legacy is to do better than Jock - I guess that's why it's no longer possible to coexist with rivals or competitors.
Although…it's interesting to see the lustful look on JR's face when he watches Pam by the pool.
Knowing how much he loathes her, this feels very dirty and verboten, but it's still early Dallas so nothing is carved in stone yet. But this could also happen in sexy TNT Dallas, where the strict rules of 80s soap no longer apply.
Kristin takes no prisoners and yet she's different from the more "feminist" soap vixens like Sammy Jo and Terry Hartford. It makes her perfect for old-school Dallas, but maybe not for Dynasty (Sable Colby was the only woman in the Dynastyverse with a certain code).
A genetic family disease turns everything upside down for Pam (and Bobby too, but he doesn't give her the chance to explain it, and then he accuses her of not explaining it. It's that sort of contrived melodrama that soaps need to do every now and then).
It's funny that of all the abnormal skin colours (an indication of the neurofabromantolitinus) they would choose café-au-lait.
It sounds like something that still needs to be discovered by hip New Yorkers in the 1990s.
But anyway, no signs of mocca chocolata yaya yet, so it's still very uncertain times for Pam and baby John. I assume it also serves as a twist to settle the paternity issue? No wait, it doesn't because Cliff also doesn't show any signs of the disease. If the baby is OK and doesn't develop any tumors then they're still none the wiser. Oh how complex!
Sue Ellen and JR await the arrival of the Shepards, and it has one of those goofs that I really like because it gives the scene a more natural atmosphere.
JR is half-talking, half-reading when he accidentally kicks one of the child-extras.
"Sorry, kid".
Kristin II - Lady Dracula, according to Lucy Ewing - has lost her sleazy, roller skate-disco looks, but the secretary outfit is counterbalanced by lots of hair and a devious smirk.
Patricia never fails to mention how thoughtful and lavish JR is, as a way to confirm that she's done right by Sue Ellen, and she probably needs to believe that. After all, it is her life's work.
I'm not an expert on American accents, but Digger II's speech doesn't sound very Southern or Texan to me. And feature-wise, Digger I was more believable as Cliff's father.
But it's just Digger so it doesn't really matter that much.
What's more interesting is that Cliff's lust for revenge has surpassed Digger's sense of justice (his version of justice, anyway), just like JR's idea that the only way to honour the Ewing legacy is to do better than Jock - I guess that's why it's no longer possible to coexist with rivals or competitors.
Although…it's interesting to see the lustful look on JR's face when he watches Pam by the pool.
Knowing how much he loathes her, this feels very dirty and verboten, but it's still early Dallas so nothing is carved in stone yet. But this could also happen in sexy TNT Dallas, where the strict rules of 80s soap no longer apply.
Kristin takes no prisoners and yet she's different from the more "feminist" soap vixens like Sammy Jo and Terry Hartford. It makes her perfect for old-school Dallas, but maybe not for Dynasty (Sable Colby was the only woman in the Dynastyverse with a certain code).
A genetic family disease turns everything upside down for Pam (and Bobby too, but he doesn't give her the chance to explain it, and then he accuses her of not explaining it. It's that sort of contrived melodrama that soaps need to do every now and then).
It's funny that of all the abnormal skin colours (an indication of the neurofabromantolitinus) they would choose café-au-lait.
It sounds like something that still needs to be discovered by hip New Yorkers in the 1990s.
But anyway, no signs of mocca chocolata yaya yet, so it's still very uncertain times for Pam and baby John. I assume it also serves as a twist to settle the paternity issue? No wait, it doesn't because Cliff also doesn't show any signs of the disease. If the baby is OK and doesn't develop any tumors then they're still none the wiser. Oh how complex!
I think Alan is the first American TV yuppie (The Brothers had Paul Merroney a few years earlier) because he embraces his insatiable ambition and lack of scruples, without the motivation of a family legacy to justify it.
James from London
International Treasure
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
The next episode of Capricorn Crude (starring Valene as herself) looks rather mundane and basic eventhough it's high-stakes for the characters, especially Pam.
Because of the genetic disease she's still trying to figure whether or not to have a baby, something she wants to keep a secret from Bobby. And of course this seemingly nonsensical indecisiveness frustrates him.
During a related argument by the pool, Bobby offers a glimpse inside his swimming trunks.
Maybe I only see what I want to see, nevertheless, it is my job to be alert and report all findings here on telly talk. Do with it whatever you like.
But then it turns out that she's already pregnant which, understandably, intensifies her dilemma.
At some point in the episode, she's going to make a phonecall from downtown Dallas, but the scene starts with an unknown person using the phone before she does.
These extras usually do some unidentifiable mumbling, after all it only happens to show that there is a phone and that Pam is going to use it.
But with this unknown person there was actually a conversation going on, they even bothered to sub-title it. Furthermore, it sounded slightly plotsy, as if he was discussing the details for a kidnapping or embezzlement.
And then when Pam approaches the phone (and the unknown person using it) there's a confused, almost surprised look on her face.
So I assumed that this meant something, but there's no follow-up whatsoever.
I even considered the possibility that this was sort of clairvoyant experience, that this person is going to be signifcant. Maybe Jeff Farraday? According to IMDB he didn't appear in this episode so I'm still none the wiser.
Meanwhile, the boys at Ewing Oil are at the end of their tether because of Cliff Barnes' ongoing obstructions.
But then JR (thanks to Alan Beam) comes up with the scheme to lure him away from the OLM. I'm pretty sure it was OLM this time.
Bobby is assigned the job of finding the right people who can "support" Cliff's political career, but he's currently very involved with Valene who's trying to reconcile with Lucy.
It's funny because I thought this had already happened in a previous episode, but maybe I had watched some scenes on YouTube because of the SoapLand battles or something.
Because of the genetic disease she's still trying to figure whether or not to have a baby, something she wants to keep a secret from Bobby. And of course this seemingly nonsensical indecisiveness frustrates him.
During a related argument by the pool, Bobby offers a glimpse inside his swimming trunks.
Maybe I only see what I want to see, nevertheless, it is my job to be alert and report all findings here on telly talk. Do with it whatever you like.
But then it turns out that she's already pregnant which, understandably, intensifies her dilemma.
At some point in the episode, she's going to make a phonecall from downtown Dallas, but the scene starts with an unknown person using the phone before she does.
These extras usually do some unidentifiable mumbling, after all it only happens to show that there is a phone and that Pam is going to use it.
But with this unknown person there was actually a conversation going on, they even bothered to sub-title it. Furthermore, it sounded slightly plotsy, as if he was discussing the details for a kidnapping or embezzlement.
And then when Pam approaches the phone (and the unknown person using it) there's a confused, almost surprised look on her face.
So I assumed that this meant something, but there's no follow-up whatsoever.
I even considered the possibility that this was sort of clairvoyant experience, that this person is going to be signifcant. Maybe Jeff Farraday? According to IMDB he didn't appear in this episode so I'm still none the wiser.
Meanwhile, the boys at Ewing Oil are at the end of their tether because of Cliff Barnes' ongoing obstructions.
But then JR (thanks to Alan Beam) comes up with the scheme to lure him away from the OLM. I'm pretty sure it was OLM this time.
Bobby is assigned the job of finding the right people who can "support" Cliff's political career, but he's currently very involved with Valene who's trying to reconcile with Lucy.
It's funny because I thought this had already happened in a previous episode, but maybe I had watched some scenes on YouTube because of the SoapLand battles or something.
Last edited:
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
Despite its juicy title I found The Kristin Affair a relatively uninspired episode. It's not very surprising and there's nothing peculiar about the scenes or characters that I deemed worth mentioning.
Well, let's do a picture of Kristin seductively floating in her future grave.
Even the meatiest part, mortgaging Southfork in order to finance an epic oil deal outside the OLM's jurisdiction, doesn't feel quite as epic as it could have been. Maybe because it has to share scenes with Kristin's appearance/interference at Ewing Oil.
It's usually great when these things intertwine, but sometimes it's better to do this or that.
I'd happily spend 45 minutes watching and listening to Kristin and Connie talking about jobs and men and veggie burgers.
Bobby finds out that Pam is pregnant, but she "needs to talk". Cheerful reaction. "No, wait, I really have to talk to you". More cheerful reaction. We know the drill.
The most intriguing part was the conversation between Kristin and her gothic mother.
It starts with Patricia's remember-what-I-taught-you speech, as if giving Harry Potter his final instructions, but when the subject of Sue Ellen comes up it becomes more of a reading-between-the-lines conversation.
Unless I completely misunderstood, she grants her youngest daughter permission to make a move on JR in case Sue Ellen would fail to hang onto her marriage.
I thought there was a psycho-biddy camp quality to it.
However, the information from this episode becomes more interesting in the self-contained Dove Hunt episode.
Unbeknownst to each other, Miss Ellie and JR find themselves in a similar situation as they're trying hard to keep the other Ewing noses out of their respective personal affairs.
Miss Ellie wins, and the Ewing men including the illegitimate one take a trip to Hicksville USA to shoot some birds (not the wild prairie chickens, of course).
As I was watching the helicopter scene, I suddenly realized how otherwordly it looked. There's the land, something we understand, and then there's this oddly-shaped object that doesn't look like anything else. And then it magically takes off and transports the Ewings out of SoapLand - just like that!
At that moment I found it almost as bizarre as the UFO on The Colbys.
Jock comes face-to-face with a vengeful person from the past, except that he doesn't remember him at all (I bet Wes Parmalee would have).
The situation escalates when Owens & Co start to attack the wealthy dovehunters from Dallas.
An exploding petrol lantern results in an unintentional slapstick moment when JR tumbles over backwards in his anti-mosquito tent (or whatever it was).
He also proves to be a lousy guard when he falls asleep, eventhough it's perfectly understandable considering the circumstances.
But then Jock does a near-deathbed-confession about his first wife (I am just as shocked as JR) which neatly intertwines with Ewing Oil's current cash-flow problem since everything including Southfork is tied up in the South-East Asian oil deal.
Which makes me wonder if Jock's secret was invented for the purpose of endangering JR's secret, kind of like Cliff's dead financée when they were looking for a skeleton in his closet.
I have yet to find out how important Amanda Lewis Ewing is going to be (I honestly don't remember).
Also, thanks to Tom Owens, we get to peek into Jock's past as the ruthless and conniving oil tycoon in-the-making.
And all that makes it more than a simple stand-alone adventure episode, and for me a good reason to put pen to paper. As it were.
Well, let's do a picture of Kristin seductively floating in her future grave.
Even the meatiest part, mortgaging Southfork in order to finance an epic oil deal outside the OLM's jurisdiction, doesn't feel quite as epic as it could have been. Maybe because it has to share scenes with Kristin's appearance/interference at Ewing Oil.
It's usually great when these things intertwine, but sometimes it's better to do this or that.
I'd happily spend 45 minutes watching and listening to Kristin and Connie talking about jobs and men and veggie burgers.
Bobby finds out that Pam is pregnant, but she "needs to talk". Cheerful reaction. "No, wait, I really have to talk to you". More cheerful reaction. We know the drill.
The most intriguing part was the conversation between Kristin and her gothic mother.
It starts with Patricia's remember-what-I-taught-you speech, as if giving Harry Potter his final instructions, but when the subject of Sue Ellen comes up it becomes more of a reading-between-the-lines conversation.
Unless I completely misunderstood, she grants her youngest daughter permission to make a move on JR in case Sue Ellen would fail to hang onto her marriage.
I thought there was a psycho-biddy camp quality to it.
However, the information from this episode becomes more interesting in the self-contained Dove Hunt episode.
Unbeknownst to each other, Miss Ellie and JR find themselves in a similar situation as they're trying hard to keep the other Ewing noses out of their respective personal affairs.
Miss Ellie wins, and the Ewing men including the illegitimate one take a trip to Hicksville USA to shoot some birds (not the wild prairie chickens, of course).
As I was watching the helicopter scene, I suddenly realized how otherwordly it looked. There's the land, something we understand, and then there's this oddly-shaped object that doesn't look like anything else. And then it magically takes off and transports the Ewings out of SoapLand - just like that!
At that moment I found it almost as bizarre as the UFO on The Colbys.
Jock comes face-to-face with a vengeful person from the past, except that he doesn't remember him at all (I bet Wes Parmalee would have).
Cue saloon brawl.
The situation escalates when Owens & Co start to attack the wealthy dovehunters from Dallas.
An exploding petrol lantern results in an unintentional slapstick moment when JR tumbles over backwards in his anti-mosquito tent (or whatever it was).
He also proves to be a lousy guard when he falls asleep, eventhough it's perfectly understandable considering the circumstances.
But then Jock does a near-deathbed-confession about his first wife (I am just as shocked as JR) which neatly intertwines with Ewing Oil's current cash-flow problem since everything including Southfork is tied up in the South-East Asian oil deal.
Which makes me wonder if Jock's secret was invented for the purpose of endangering JR's secret, kind of like Cliff's dead financée when they were looking for a skeleton in his closet.
I have yet to find out how important Amanda Lewis Ewing is going to be (I honestly don't remember).
Also, thanks to Tom Owens, we get to peek into Jock's past as the ruthless and conniving oil tycoon in-the-making.
And all that makes it more than a simple stand-alone adventure episode, and for me a good reason to put pen to paper. As it were.
Guzzler’s Frightening Hair
Telly Talk Winner
these are so good!
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
The Ewings are in still in the process of becoming a full-time soap opera, and while the stand-alone episodes from the previous seasons look like wonderful time-capsules, the combination thereof is a bit hit-or-miss, I find.
The Lost Child story plays out to underline Bobby's desire for offspring and the ordeal that follows when that turns out to be impossible.
The episode's opening scene looks oddly staged. Bobby and Ray welcome a bunch of cowboys who don't move and don't make a sound; it's almost as if the half-brothers are watching a painting.
As soon as the cute little boy from the prairie showed up I braced myself for a fair amount of schmaltz and home truths - unfortunately, the episode didn't prove me wrong.
Café-au-lait was the buzzword in The Silent Killer episode, this week, Sue Ellen, Kristin and JR are all happy to find/enjoy/continue their "niche", except that they pronounce it as "nidge".
In another scene between JR and Sue Ellen they discuss the meaning of their marriage.
Now it's not like I didn't already know, and it's not like she's never mentioned this before, but in this particular episode these words seem to carry more weight as it counterbalances Bobby and Pam's quest for perfect and eternal love and happiness.
It's really very good to know that there's something very unsavoury going on under Jock's roof.
Pamela has a pre-Dynasty-horse-riding-end-of-pregnancy accident, and in both the Dallas and the Dynasty soap the culprit is a sneaky viper.
Oops, there she goes. *thud*
But it also looks a bit like a Kirby Anders horse-riding-accident.
Pam is at the end of her tether regarding the possible gruesome future of her unborn child (which she keeps discussing with Cliff) and an accident like this could make it all go away.
It seems uncharacteristic that she would do something so calculated (and she couldn't anticipate the snake attack) but people are complex and it could have been a desperate/hysterical/subconscious action (as Luke said: "she can sure ride").
Actually, after she had told Bobby about the neurofibromatosis I kinda expected him to address the issue of her "reckless" behaviour.
Digger is furious when Cliff tells him that his grandson is living with his old arch-enemy, I wonder if this is going to escalate and force Sue Ellen to settle the paternity issue once and for all.
(incidentally, last night I thought I was about to watch a surprise-paternity-reveal in the prison series OZ, and I was like "yes! say it! say it!" but she didn't).
Little cowboy Luke and his father leave for Montana and Bobby gives his best Charles Ingalls performance.
The Lost Child story plays out to underline Bobby's desire for offspring and the ordeal that follows when that turns out to be impossible.
The episode's opening scene looks oddly staged. Bobby and Ray welcome a bunch of cowboys who don't move and don't make a sound; it's almost as if the half-brothers are watching a painting.
As soon as the cute little boy from the prairie showed up I braced myself for a fair amount of schmaltz and home truths - unfortunately, the episode didn't prove me wrong.
Café-au-lait was the buzzword in The Silent Killer episode, this week, Sue Ellen, Kristin and JR are all happy to find/enjoy/continue their "niche", except that they pronounce it as "nidge".
In another scene between JR and Sue Ellen they discuss the meaning of their marriage.
Now it's not like I didn't already know, and it's not like she's never mentioned this before, but in this particular episode these words seem to carry more weight as it counterbalances Bobby and Pam's quest for perfect and eternal love and happiness.
It's really very good to know that there's something very unsavoury going on under Jock's roof.
Pamela has a pre-Dynasty-horse-riding-end-of-pregnancy accident, and in both the Dallas and the Dynasty soap the culprit is a sneaky viper.
Oops, there she goes. *thud*
But it also looks a bit like a Kirby Anders horse-riding-accident.
Pam is at the end of her tether regarding the possible gruesome future of her unborn child (which she keeps discussing with Cliff) and an accident like this could make it all go away.
It seems uncharacteristic that she would do something so calculated (and she couldn't anticipate the snake attack) but people are complex and it could have been a desperate/hysterical/subconscious action (as Luke said: "she can sure ride").
Actually, after she had told Bobby about the neurofibromatosis I kinda expected him to address the issue of her "reckless" behaviour.
Digger is furious when Cliff tells him that his grandson is living with his old arch-enemy, I wonder if this is going to escalate and force Sue Ellen to settle the paternity issue once and for all.
(incidentally, last night I thought I was about to watch a surprise-paternity-reveal in the prison series OZ, and I was like "yes! say it! say it!" but she didn't).
Little cowboy Luke and his father leave for Montana and Bobby gives his best Charles Ingalls performance.
James from London
International Treasure
That has never not made me cry. It's the bit when he gets out of the truck and runs towards him that does me in.
Gosh, that's never occurred to me before in all these years!
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
I don't know but there was something about that sequence and Luke's specific comment that made me think the accident would have happened even if
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
The next episode is a nice and characteristic one, but it mostly tells me that the supersoap is still in that phase where something or someone could mean everything or nothing at all.
The random guy who used the public pay phone in downtown Dallas shortly before Pam did turned out to be just that - but I'm determined to link him to Katherine Wentworth, retroactively.
There have already been quite a few "romance o' the week" storylines but it's impossible to predict who's going to stick around.
Donna Culver seemed to be a keeper but then she just disappeared - only to resurface in this very episode.
Ray's 100% passive attitude allowed this storyline to peter out, so it needs a little divine intervention to become relevant again. "Little" and "divine", that's Lucy of course.
Bobby gives Sue Ellen a lift when he's going to...I think it's the city of Braddock, not Dallas this time. Now I'm not sure where Southfork is supposed to be.
Does the story acknowledge that it's not located in Dallas itself - and why? It's not like we wouldn't believe it.
Either way, there's a very German looking pharmacy, and in this very American episode it looks kinda Disney.
There's plenty of rodeo in the Ewing Rodeo but it doesn't eat up too much of the story development.
Jock and Miss Ellie are looking very Texan and somehow I'm being reminded of Jacob and Darlene Snell (Ozark).
I like Miss Ellie's outfit, the black and ballsy orange has a whiff of the Orient.
It's not all good & well between the happy soap sisters as Sue Ellen keeps giving her baby sister the Ice Queen treatment.
So much for good old Texan hospitality!
Kristin pouts and complains but JR is having none of it. It's a little detail but it's important to these ongoing stories that we know the value of the characters.
Outside the bedroom, the wife is untouchable.
Donna Culver's male equivalent (or maybe not!) is cowboy Dusty Farlow.
An encounter during Sue Ellen's shopping spree leads to more encounters during the Ewing Rodeo and somehow, within that limited time span, they turn it into a one-sided relationship.
This episode also marks the beginning of Sue Ellen's "I'm so confused" saga.
And then of course there's the infamous mention of the wealthy Waynes who'll become the wealthy Farlows. I like these little mistakes, it's not like it becomes a huge retcon or anything.
Digger shows up to see his grandson and Bobby and Pam wring their hands because they believe nothing good will come from it.
Unlike season 1, wherein the newlyweds disrupted the peace and quiet on Southfork, Bobby and Pam are now the defenders of wholesomeness and have to fight off any possible danger or, indeed, disruption. No-one should ever be upset about anything.
The battle against Cliff is still going on in the background (and I feel I'm ready for more) and JR comes up with a rather cheesy farce to convince Digger to convince Cliff that Alan Beam has become JR's enemy.
As if Digger cares about JR, let alone Kristin or Alan Beam.
Still, they're a sizzling couple!
Dusty's interest in Sue Ellen does not go unnoticed and JR gives her the rough wife/whore treatment.
Despite that nasty confrontation, the episode ends with the semi-suggestive image of Sue Ellen on her bed while the rodeo announcer calls Dusty's name.
It's almost like a predecessor to the "montage" technique which is so terribly overused in modern tv dramas, but in this little scene it's wonderfully effective.
I guess that means Dusty is a keeper too. Unless he's not.
The random guy who used the public pay phone in downtown Dallas shortly before Pam did turned out to be just that - but I'm determined to link him to Katherine Wentworth, retroactively.
There have already been quite a few "romance o' the week" storylines but it's impossible to predict who's going to stick around.
Donna Culver seemed to be a keeper but then she just disappeared - only to resurface in this very episode.
Ray's 100% passive attitude allowed this storyline to peter out, so it needs a little divine intervention to become relevant again. "Little" and "divine", that's Lucy of course.
Bobby gives Sue Ellen a lift when he's going to...I think it's the city of Braddock, not Dallas this time. Now I'm not sure where Southfork is supposed to be.
Does the story acknowledge that it's not located in Dallas itself - and why? It's not like we wouldn't believe it.
Either way, there's a very German looking pharmacy, and in this very American episode it looks kinda Disney.
There's plenty of rodeo in the Ewing Rodeo but it doesn't eat up too much of the story development.
Jock and Miss Ellie are looking very Texan and somehow I'm being reminded of Jacob and Darlene Snell (Ozark).
I like Miss Ellie's outfit, the black and ballsy orange has a whiff of the Orient.
It's not all good & well between the happy soap sisters as Sue Ellen keeps giving her baby sister the Ice Queen treatment.
So much for good old Texan hospitality!
Kristin pouts and complains but JR is having none of it. It's a little detail but it's important to these ongoing stories that we know the value of the characters.
Outside the bedroom, the wife is untouchable.
Donna Culver's male equivalent (or maybe not!) is cowboy Dusty Farlow.
An encounter during Sue Ellen's shopping spree leads to more encounters during the Ewing Rodeo and somehow, within that limited time span, they turn it into a one-sided relationship.
This episode also marks the beginning of Sue Ellen's "I'm so confused" saga.
And then of course there's the infamous mention of the wealthy Waynes who'll become the wealthy Farlows. I like these little mistakes, it's not like it becomes a huge retcon or anything.
Digger shows up to see his grandson and Bobby and Pam wring their hands because they believe nothing good will come from it.
Unlike season 1, wherein the newlyweds disrupted the peace and quiet on Southfork, Bobby and Pam are now the defenders of wholesomeness and have to fight off any possible danger or, indeed, disruption. No-one should ever be upset about anything.
The battle against Cliff is still going on in the background (and I feel I'm ready for more) and JR comes up with a rather cheesy farce to convince Digger to convince Cliff that Alan Beam has become JR's enemy.
As if Digger cares about JR, let alone Kristin or Alan Beam.
Still, they're a sizzling couple!
Dusty's interest in Sue Ellen does not go unnoticed and JR gives her the rough wife/whore treatment.
Despite that nasty confrontation, the episode ends with the semi-suggestive image of Sue Ellen on her bed while the rodeo announcer calls Dusty's name.
It's almost like a predecessor to the "montage" technique which is so terribly overused in modern tv dramas, but in this little scene it's wonderfully effective.
I guess that means Dusty is a keeper too. Unless he's not.
Miss Texas 1967
Telly Talk Addict
I'm sure this is just the country/city divide + a little bit of reality based on where the actual ranch is. For things like groceries and general shopping the people living where the ranch is would likely have a closer store than going into the actual city. To commute a half hour into the city everyday for work like they would have isn't so unrealistic though. Later in the show they mention Braddock County vs Dallas County (when JR and Sue Ellen have the custody dispute).
James from London
International Treasure
Yes, and Ray's passivity, his defeatism, continues to be an underlying part of their relationship and ensures that ultimately it can't last. They couldn't depend on divine little Luxy forever, alas.
Yes, it's a nice little detail and, as you say, it comes in handy later on, with the jurisdiction of Dallas County v the jurisdiction of Braddock County. In the first season, it's just Bradock County, but then presumably there was a budget increase and they were able to afford the second 'd'.
The very first shot of the very first scene of the very first episode of New DALLAS states that Southfork is now in Dallas, which is our first indication that this DALLAS isn't gonna be quite the same as the DALLAS we remembered.
Ha!
Yes, it's one rule behind closed doors, another in public.
Agreed. It's pleasurably confusing.
Whooh, yeah!
Agreed.they're a sizzling couple!
It very much is, isn't it?
He is and then he isn't, then he definitely is until he tragically isn't, then, miraculously, he almost is but can't be, but then decides he can be until she decides for his own sake that he shouldn't be, but then later he insists that he will be, but then she gets a bit boring so he changes his mind - but then it turns out that bit never happened anyway.
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
But since they had decided to call their show "Dallas", why not simply "move" the ranch closer to downtown Dallas?
It doesn't bother me or anything, but I wonder why they would complicate the matter for the sake of realism. I mean, who knew where the ranch was located (for real)?
Dynasty's Denver mansion is located in California and the Tuscany Valley doesn't even exist at all, and it didn't affect these shows in a negative way.
This Braddock County/city thing makes the city of Dallas the Dallas equivalent of Falcon Crest's San Francisco.
How very "Mark Graison" of him!