Guzzler’s Frightening Hair
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It's been said that the true measure of a character's effectiveness and importance is its ability to drive and shape events and developments without even being present..
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It's been said that the true measure of a character's effectiveness and importance is its ability to drive and shape events and developments without even being present..
Piggyrella Sanderson
Maximum Member
Lucy and some cool Dallas kids hang out by the Southfork pool, and since Muriel isn't cool Lucy has invited a hairier and more masculine redhead to keep her company.
View attachment 20828
Grandpa Jock is feeling excluded from everything that's going on and the only attention he gets is when someone tells him not to do something.
This is illustrated by a non-stop series of various examples and it looks kinda funny and exaggerated, but they need to get the point across.
It just so happens that a female redhead who also isn't Muriel returns to Dallas. Surprise! It's the lovely Julie Grey.
She apologizes to Jock for her disloyalty, and their chats about the good ol' days makes him feel appreciated again.
This results in a friendship, and in order to cause sufficient distress at Southfork he sees her every day. You'd think they'd run out of things to talk about at some point, but it's also about boosting his ego.
Miss Ellie wants it to stop, and rightfully so because this kind of man/woman friendship, whether it's adulterous or not, undermines the special bond between husband and wife.
Maybe that's an old-fashioned idea, but these are old-fashioned characters so it makes sense to me.
Miss Ellie may be a powerful woman, but in essence she's not able to achieve anything. Jock ignores her ultimatum until he has a change of heart and says farewell to Julie.
The tension at Southfork almost causes violence to erupt at the dinner table, but Pam's screams of fear nips the situation in the bud.
But there's another issue: Julie Grey is also the woman who knows too much about JR's betrayal i.e. the Red File (which has also nothing to do with Muriel).
After Jock and Miss Ellie return to Southfork, JR barges into Julie's apartment - although everything appears to be a condo in Dallas - and forces himself on her.
But because JR is irresistible and because he always gets what he wants she kisses him back.
View attachment 20830
I'm not quite sure what it is that makes him irresistible but maybe it's his legendary reputation of the notorious womanizer that maintains the attraction.
Poor, poor Muriel. There she goes to the convent...
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
So, Julie Grey takes a dangerous tumble in a similar fashion to Pamela Barnes' barn accident.
When Pam confronts JR regarding the arrest of her brother it turns out that - despite her ongoing efforts to make things work at Southfork - her deeper feelings about the Ewing family are not so different from Cliff's.
It's not "rotten JR" but "rotten Ewings", thus creating an awkward and painful moment for Jock and Miss Ellie.
On the surface, and from the comfort of my chair, her way of lashing out looks a little over-the-top, but since Cliff could be convicted of murder I could also attribute that behaviour to fear and helplessness, panic even.
Maybe her reaction wasn't over-the-top but under-the-top.
"Next on Dallas, the conclusion of this week's story".
What an old-fashioned and exciting announcement. We do miss the announcers, don't we.
Part II has the courtroom scenes and the big confrontation between Bobby and JR, which is the best part of this story (imho).
If someone would ask me what DALLAS is all about, I'd suggest to watch episode "Sue Ellen's Sister".
I'm not saying that this is the best or most exciting episode, but it deals with all the basics of the story and its characters. You wouldn't even have to watch the previous episodes to understand what's going on and why.
I'm already watching the next episode because I didn't know when or if our beloved soapchat would be back, hence the short triple episode review (without pictures).
ics:
When Pam confronts JR regarding the arrest of her brother it turns out that - despite her ongoing efforts to make things work at Southfork - her deeper feelings about the Ewing family are not so different from Cliff's.
It's not "rotten JR" but "rotten Ewings", thus creating an awkward and painful moment for Jock and Miss Ellie.
On the surface, and from the comfort of my chair, her way of lashing out looks a little over-the-top, but since Cliff could be convicted of murder I could also attribute that behaviour to fear and helplessness, panic even.
Maybe her reaction wasn't over-the-top but under-the-top.
"Next on Dallas, the conclusion of this week's story".
What an old-fashioned and exciting announcement. We do miss the announcers, don't we.
Part II has the courtroom scenes and the big confrontation between Bobby and JR, which is the best part of this story (imho).
If someone would ask me what DALLAS is all about, I'd suggest to watch episode "Sue Ellen's Sister".
I'm not saying that this is the best or most exciting episode, but it deals with all the basics of the story and its characters. You wouldn't even have to watch the previous episodes to understand what's going on and why.
I'm already watching the next episode because I didn't know when or if our beloved soapchat would be back, hence the short triple episode review (without pictures).
ics:
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
There's much more continuation in season 2 than I thought.
Thanks to Julie Grey's clumsiness, Ewing Oil has lost two supporters in the cartel. This cartel is not one of those shady underground entities thou shalt not speaketh of, it's just a bunch of oil men "keeping in touch" with Washington i.e. bribery and cutting through the red tape.
Jock knows about this, and since he always tells JR to "fix it!" it's hard to ignore that he has contributed something to his son's psychopathic traits.
Not that JR needs an awful lot of encouragement because he loves playing the boss, but every time Jock says "if I ever find you were involved with…" it just sounds a tad sanctimonious.
But not as bad as Angela Channing, who always told her grandson to "fix it!" and then later claimed that she never told him "to do that", eventhough she secretly loved it.
Wicked, wicked woman.
Bobby and JR work up a sweat at the aptly named Racquet Club. We know that the sweat is fake because Charlton Heston said that The Colbys was the only prime time soap with real sweat, but the Texas soapies do their best to make it look like the real thing.
Apart from fixing Ewing Oil's position in the cartel, JR also has to deal with Cliff Barnes who, as the chief of the OL&D, has been given carte blanche by the powerful Ben Maxwell.
Time to fix Ben, except that he doesn't have a weakness or flaw.
For the sake of narrative convenience, that one impossible flaw pops up in the form of the glamorous Veronica Hamel.
She's modelling The Story fashion but she used to be a call girl and she has worked for JR in the past. She and Pam become best friends, and because Pam doesn't want to stay the hotel she moves in with Leanne Rees FKA Amber.
That evening when she arrives at the appartement and walks towards the building suggests an increasing distance between her and Bobby, but it's the beautiful soap-y score that adds momentum to this little scene.
If there was a third female character you'd have Valley Of The Dolls.
In the meantime, Ray and Bobby are trying to find a mysterious rustler (or plural) which results in a crowd-pleasing saloon brawl.
I've got to say, it looks really good. Furthermore, it's the introduction of another oil heir, Kit Mainwaring, and this is the set up for a future storyline.
JR's scheme to damage Ben Maxwell's reputation with the intention to eliminate Ben's powerful support to Cliff - and besmirch Pam's reputation as the faithful wife in the process - plays out in a corny and typically convoluted way, or maybe it just feels like that because I've seen it so many times already. But it's fun to watch anyway.
However, too much of that "fun" seems to stick when Pamela decides to move back to Southfork, but not before she and Bobby have exchanged hundreds of "I love you's".
There is the theory that the villain should get away with most dastardly things for no other reason than to keep them close to the core ensemble, and I've never had a problem with that.
But the lighthearted conclusion of this story creates the idea that they're all in on the game, and it diminishes the drama and terror one would usually associate with that pit of broken marriages called Southfor-k.
The only person who thinks there's nothing funny about it is Sue Ellen as she calls Pam "a disgrace to the family!"
Thanks to Julie Grey's clumsiness, Ewing Oil has lost two supporters in the cartel. This cartel is not one of those shady underground entities thou shalt not speaketh of, it's just a bunch of oil men "keeping in touch" with Washington i.e. bribery and cutting through the red tape.
Jock knows about this, and since he always tells JR to "fix it!" it's hard to ignore that he has contributed something to his son's psychopathic traits.
Not that JR needs an awful lot of encouragement because he loves playing the boss, but every time Jock says "if I ever find you were involved with…" it just sounds a tad sanctimonious.
But not as bad as Angela Channing, who always told her grandson to "fix it!" and then later claimed that she never told him "to do that", eventhough she secretly loved it.
Wicked, wicked woman.
Bobby and JR work up a sweat at the aptly named Racquet Club. We know that the sweat is fake because Charlton Heston said that The Colbys was the only prime time soap with real sweat, but the Texas soapies do their best to make it look like the real thing.
Apart from fixing Ewing Oil's position in the cartel, JR also has to deal with Cliff Barnes who, as the chief of the OL&D, has been given carte blanche by the powerful Ben Maxwell.
Time to fix Ben, except that he doesn't have a weakness or flaw.
For the sake of narrative convenience, that one impossible flaw pops up in the form of the glamorous Veronica Hamel.
She's modelling The Story fashion but she used to be a call girl and she has worked for JR in the past. She and Pam become best friends, and because Pam doesn't want to stay the hotel she moves in with Leanne Rees FKA Amber.
That evening when she arrives at the appartement and walks towards the building suggests an increasing distance between her and Bobby, but it's the beautiful soap-y score that adds momentum to this little scene.
If there was a third female character you'd have Valley Of The Dolls.
In the meantime, Ray and Bobby are trying to find a mysterious rustler (or plural) which results in a crowd-pleasing saloon brawl.
I've got to say, it looks really good. Furthermore, it's the introduction of another oil heir, Kit Mainwaring, and this is the set up for a future storyline.
JR's scheme to damage Ben Maxwell's reputation with the intention to eliminate Ben's powerful support to Cliff - and besmirch Pam's reputation as the faithful wife in the process - plays out in a corny and typically convoluted way, or maybe it just feels like that because I've seen it so many times already. But it's fun to watch anyway.
However, too much of that "fun" seems to stick when Pamela decides to move back to Southfork, but not before she and Bobby have exchanged hundreds of "I love you's".
There is the theory that the villain should get away with most dastardly things for no other reason than to keep them close to the core ensemble, and I've never had a problem with that.
But the lighthearted conclusion of this story creates the idea that they're all in on the game, and it diminishes the drama and terror one would usually associate with that pit of broken marriages called Southfor-k.
The only person who thinks there's nothing funny about it is Sue Ellen as she calls Pam "a disgrace to the family!"
Franko
Telly Talk Member
I wish the show would have spent more time with Jock forced to confront the monster he created though J.R. Then again, I guess it's more effective without being completely addressed. I'm thinking in particular of father and son's scene four episodes from now.
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
I agree, and that's also why I have no problem with Blake and Alexis' shadowy history. I could believe that both these characters would not be telling the whole truth, because what really happened is probably too scandalous for television.
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
If Charlene Tilton is really such a limited soap actress then why did this episode get me so misty-eyed?
It's good to see that disco is still a thing in Dallas.
Lucy and Kit have been dating for a few weeks now and she feels it's time to take their friendship to the next level.
Kit doesn't seem particularly enthusiastic about that, but the many positive reactions to a possible Ewing-Mainwaring wedding makes him change his tune.
Or so it seems, because what really happened is that he started to believe that it could actually work.
Lucy is over the moon when he asks her to marry him, and it's one of those scenes that shows Lucy's unrestrained but certainly not unnatural-looking reaction.
So far, so good. Even JR does his very best to make everything as pleasant as possible, but that's because he plans to buy into Mainwaring's offshore (?) refinery, something that Mainwaring would never allow to happen if it weren't for these new family ties.
The turning point in this story comes when Kit's "Ted Dinard" bumps into the happy couple.
Shortly afterwards (I had not expected this story to be wrapped up in one single episode) he asks Bobby for advice on how to call off the wedding. It can't happen because he's a homosexual.
But as soon as JR gets wind of this dramatic decision he threatens Kit to turn his Sam Gateses into a Dallas-Kitgate.
Mark Wheeler's performance is kind of matter-of-factly but his story arc was simply too short to be extensively explored.
This is Lucy's drama, and I felt so very sorry for her.
On top of that she also has the nobility to sabotage JR's possible revenge on Kit by telling the family that she's the one who called off the wedding.
I thought it was a very lovely episode.
It's good to see that disco is still a thing in Dallas.
Lucy and Kit have been dating for a few weeks now and she feels it's time to take their friendship to the next level.
Kit doesn't seem particularly enthusiastic about that, but the many positive reactions to a possible Ewing-Mainwaring wedding makes him change his tune.
Or so it seems, because what really happened is that he started to believe that it could actually work.
Lucy is over the moon when he asks her to marry him, and it's one of those scenes that shows Lucy's unrestrained but certainly not unnatural-looking reaction.
So far, so good. Even JR does his very best to make everything as pleasant as possible, but that's because he plans to buy into Mainwaring's offshore (?) refinery, something that Mainwaring would never allow to happen if it weren't for these new family ties.
The turning point in this story comes when Kit's "Ted Dinard" bumps into the happy couple.
Shortly afterwards (I had not expected this story to be wrapped up in one single episode) he asks Bobby for advice on how to call off the wedding. It can't happen because he's a homosexual.
But as soon as JR gets wind of this dramatic decision he threatens Kit to turn his Sam Gateses into a Dallas-Kitgate.
Mark Wheeler's performance is kind of matter-of-factly but his story arc was simply too short to be extensively explored.
This is Lucy's drama, and I felt so very sorry for her.
On top of that she also has the nobility to sabotage JR's possible revenge on Kit by telling the family that she's the one who called off the wedding.
I thought it was a very lovely episode.
James from London
International Treasure
I think she's at her best when she has something to sink her teeth into. Obviously, she wasn't very experienced when she started on Dallas, and the impression I get is when faced with a big scene, she kind of takes a running jump and then throws herself blindly into it, and the vast majority of the time, she lands in just the right spot and it works.
It's in the more everyday, mundane scenes that she sometimes looks a little exposed because of course, everyday life in Soap Land is nothing like everyday life in the real world - everything's just that bit more artificial - and she perhaps lacks the technique to make phoney-sounding dialogue sound natural. She's kind of too honest to fake it very well, if that makes sense. But at the end of the day, you wouldn't want her any different.
Yeah, it's a really interesting episode, and feels unique to that specific time period.
Guzzler’s Frightening Hair
Telly Talk Winner
I get the same feeling from Jim Davis as Jock. He often sounds to me like he's struggling through the mundane dialogue - the cadence and tone just seems wooden and 'off' - but something more in his wheelhouse, like the confrontation with Tom Owens near the end of The Dove Hunt, couldn't be any better.
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
Bobby wants to cheer Lucy up after the Kit debacle and gives her a car. She's pleasantly surprised but she still finds it hard to enjoy herself and that's why her friend gives her some happy pills. I have no idea if this story is going somewhere. Let's hope she won't drive into the painted background.
Ray Krebbs quasi-poutingly remarks that he didn't receive a nice present after his "little run in with Garnet". It's kinda funny and it could have been said even if this wasn't Donna Culver's introduction episode.
But since it is Donna Culver's introduction episode it seems like a convenient little intro to that introduction, well, two introductions, to be more precisely.
In her first scene she's an unknown customer in a bar and that's how she and Ray meet.
Her second introduction is as ex-senator Sam Culver's wife, a surprise moment, and the mystery is stretched to the max when she enters the restaurant.
Her appearance is blocked by the maître d', and after that the camera shows the faces of Sam, Jock and JR before they finally reveal Donna as Sam Culver's Donna.
Cliff Barnes is making waves at the OMD or ODM or OLM, I keep forgetting what it is, and they think Sam is the best man to pull the strings in order to support Ewing Oil.
Nevertheless, she and Ray start an affair, although it's not really an affair from Ray's point of view. He's very pleased with what could be the beginning of his happy ending.
Bobby and Pam are happy too, the only thing they have to care about is tennis and looking pretty and shine-y in a beautiful American world.
A pregnant and embittered Sue Ellen is a dangerous sight to behold as she drinks and waggles herself through one of the D.O.A. meetings.
Marilee Stone (I wish they had used her real name because she looks like a Fern) suggests to Miss Ellie that Sue Ellen should resign her presidency of the Daughters Of The Alamo.
I think I prefer the dark-haired socialite Marilee to the peroxide business Marilee, maybe because in these early episodes she mostly interacts with the other Dallas women, eventhough she already has that mover & shaker quality.
Fabulous mansion alert, the Culver's residence in nouveau baroque style.
Uncharacteristically, JR is not the first one to find out about Ray and Donna's relationship, but while Bobby gives her friendly advice it's JR who gives a friendly warning.
But this time he's going to bite the dust when Donna decides to divorce Sam and come clean with Ray. Oh, and she also tells Sam that she'd support Cliff Barnes.
Donna is a decent adulteress, and to leave Dallas to let things cool down seems like the most decent thing to do.
Ray Krebbs quasi-poutingly remarks that he didn't receive a nice present after his "little run in with Garnet". It's kinda funny and it could have been said even if this wasn't Donna Culver's introduction episode.
But since it is Donna Culver's introduction episode it seems like a convenient little intro to that introduction, well, two introductions, to be more precisely.
In her first scene she's an unknown customer in a bar and that's how she and Ray meet.
Her second introduction is as ex-senator Sam Culver's wife, a surprise moment, and the mystery is stretched to the max when she enters the restaurant.
Her appearance is blocked by the maître d', and after that the camera shows the faces of Sam, Jock and JR before they finally reveal Donna as Sam Culver's Donna.
Cliff Barnes is making waves at the OMD or ODM or OLM, I keep forgetting what it is, and they think Sam is the best man to pull the strings in order to support Ewing Oil.
Nevertheless, she and Ray start an affair, although it's not really an affair from Ray's point of view. He's very pleased with what could be the beginning of his happy ending.
Bobby and Pam are happy too, the only thing they have to care about is tennis and looking pretty and shine-y in a beautiful American world.
A pregnant and embittered Sue Ellen is a dangerous sight to behold as she drinks and waggles herself through one of the D.O.A. meetings.
Marilee Stone (I wish they had used her real name because she looks like a Fern) suggests to Miss Ellie that Sue Ellen should resign her presidency of the Daughters Of The Alamo.
I think I prefer the dark-haired socialite Marilee to the peroxide business Marilee, maybe because in these early episodes she mostly interacts with the other Dallas women, eventhough she already has that mover & shaker quality.
Fabulous mansion alert, the Culver's residence in nouveau baroque style.
Uncharacteristically, JR is not the first one to find out about Ray and Donna's relationship, but while Bobby gives her friendly advice it's JR who gives a friendly warning.
But this time he's going to bite the dust when Donna decides to divorce Sam and come clean with Ray. Oh, and she also tells Sam that she'd support Cliff Barnes.
Donna is a decent adulteress, and to leave Dallas to let things cool down seems like the most decent thing to do.
James from London
International Treasure
I like the idea of Cliff, in his determination to bring down the Ewings, accepting a job as the Head of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
Guzzler’s Frightening Hair
Telly Talk Winner
when we look at the evolution from the disco of the 70s to what clubgoers dance to today, it's nearly impossible to overstate the influence of Cliff's stint as head of EDM
Spells & Karma
Admin
Considering Sue Ellen practically likened herself to Joan Of Arc, that could put a whole new spin on things.
Kenny Coyote
Telly Talk Star
I'm sure the women can answer this better than I can, but I can tell you through personal experience that there are a LOT of women who are attracted to "bad guys." That's where the saying "Nice guys finish last" comes from. How many times have you seen a good looking woman who would have her choice of many different guys who would like to go out with her choose guy who is what they call a "bad boy" who treats her poorly, neglects her, cheats on her, and may be involved in criminal activities?
'V'
Telly Talk Member
[QUOTE="I was too young to see this season when it originally aired and this episode wasn't shown during BBC2's post 'Who Shot JR?' nightly reruns and this scene was cut out of the VHS release so when I eventually saw it on DVD I was ... shocked.[/QUOTE]
Sorry to go back to an episode that was discussed ages ago, but I just wanted to correct what James said. "Kidnapped" WAS shown as part of the BBC2 rerun, on 24th July 1980. It was the first time I saw it. I remember the announcer saying "an attempt to kidnap JR now, in Dallas". My aunty said "oh yes, they get Bobby by mistake". Cheers aunty, for the spoiler.
Sorry to go back to an episode that was discussed ages ago, but I just wanted to correct what James said. "Kidnapped" WAS shown as part of the BBC2 rerun, on 24th July 1980. It was the first time I saw it. I remember the announcer saying "an attempt to kidnap JR now, in Dallas". My aunty said "oh yes, they get Bobby by mistake". Cheers aunty, for the spoiler.
Knots Blogger
Eternal Member
Let’s not forget Valene’s popular sequels, “Capricorn Crude 2: Capricorn Cruder” and “Capricorn Crude With A Vengeance.”
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
Aha, it continues in the next episode, and she buys the happy pills from Lute-Mae Sanders' stalker. What a shady character.
Bobby and Ray are very busy saving drunk and stoned family members from self-destruction and eternal unhappiness, but when Sue Ellen sees what impact it has on JR she starts to revel in it, it almost becomes some kind of ammunition.
Your daddy must have given you a tongue lashing last night, JR. Because what I am, you made me, and you're stuck with me. You and your precious family.
A staircase moment! Sue Ellen is rushed to the hospital. Bobby and JR's secretaries must be Capricorn Crude fans because they want to know all about it.
I guess that's why the office doesn't have a water cooler - they don't need it.
In the hospital, JR gets his second lecture, this time from Jock. It's JR's fault of course because he made it impossible for them not to notice what was going on.
And yet there's something awkward about it.
The precious family decides that Sue Ellen needs to go somewhere else to rest, and she's shipped off to Rashid Ahmed's villa in Rome.
I think!
Spells & Karma
Admin
To me, he'll always be Gary: thirtysomething's answer to Barry Gibb. Except sexier and grungier (and yes, shadier).
Werewillie Oleson
Telly Talk Schemer
He also looks a bit like Parker Stevenson. A shady hardy boy, as it were.