What if there were more women writers on Dallas?

[CeeCee72]

A plot that illustrates the meaning behind my post involves. Right before she leaves the show she talks to Ray about feeling empty in life because she doesm't have a man. He suggests she look up her ex-husband, Mitch, which she does. It's as if finding a man, even one in which the relationship failed, is her only option. No one, not even Lucy herself, thinks since she's a young heiress, she cam do anything- start a business, study,travel the world, visit her parents and those siblings she hasn't met, etc. If Susan Howard was writing that episode would Lucy have a different exit story?

That's a good post/question.

Again, sadly, I doubt it would have mattered. The producers saw Lucy as nothing more than a character to bounce from one man/relationship to the other.

Ray's advice that she "look up her ex husband" to feel whole is one of many examples of sexist views of the producers of Dallas.

 

[Mustard]

JR wasn't revenge-based??

J.R. Ewing was about profits and power for Ewing Oil, with himself as president. Revenge was merely something that he would do to those who had wronged him before, if it made business sense to do so, like Vaughn Leland losing big on the Asian oil leases that were nationalized, not long after Leland had leaned on J.R. to put up Southfork as collateral for loans for those Asian oil leases and later refusing extensions for debt repayments.

There might be an exception with Cliff Barnes. That was personal as well, even though J.R. knew that Cliff wouldn't let up attacking the Ewings if in a position of power, so J.R.'s opposition to Cliff was still business in that sense.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

All the main women eventually became successful in business -- except for Miss Ellie who, after a while, wasn't even allowed to be successful in the kitchen (none of us ever asked about the bedroom).

Sidelining Miss Ellie in the closing years was perhaps the biggest glaring mistake late-DALLAS ever made, and was an obvious metaphor for what went wrong with the creative mindset behind the show towards the end.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Along this line of thought, the women of Dallas seemed to be prone to using guns to settle issues or vent their feelngs. Sue Ellen, Kristin, Miss Ellie((the hall closet), Holly, Katherine, Sheila Foley, Michelle Stevens all resorted to firearms in some way. I wonder what Freud would say about that?
In addition, they seemed more involved with violence than the men, if I recall correctly. Pam considered suicide by jumping off the roof of a high rise, Rebecca's demise was from a plane crash, Julie and Kristin fell off of buildings, Sue Ellen was involved in at least three accidents with a car, Katherine and Pam both met tragedy through cars.
Guns and cars have traditionally been a part of the American mythos of freedom and the "rugged individualist" who were usually highlighted as men. Of course, there just as many women throughout history who conveyed those qualities in some way, but they didn't get the same acknowledgement. Could the depiction of guns and cars have some subtext on Dallas that could be (over)analyzed?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Along this line of thought, the women of Dallas seemed to be prone to using guns to settle issues or vent their feelngs. Sue Ellen, Kristin, Miss Ellie((the hall closet), Holly, Katherine, Sheila Foley, Michelle Stevens all resorted to firearms in some way. I wonder what Freud would say about that?
In addition, they seemed more involved with violence than the men, if I recall correctly. Pam considered suicide by jumping off the roof of a high rise, Rebecca's demise was from a plane crash, Julie and Kristin fell off of buildings, Sue Ellen was involved in at least three accidents with a car, Katherine and Pam both met tragedy through cars.
Guns and cars have traditionally been a part of the American mythos of freedom and the "rugged individualist" who were usually highlighted as men. Of course, there just as many women throughout history who conveyed those qualities in some way, but they didn't get the same acknowledgement. Could the depiction of guns and cars have some subtext on Dallas that could be (over)analyzed?

I think it was more for dramatic effect than any specific philosophy. Plus it is Texas, a state with a long and storied history about the frontier, Texas Rangers,etc.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Along this line of thought, the women of Dallas seemed to be prone to using guns to settle issues or vent their feelngs. Sue Ellen, Kristin, Miss Ellie((the hall closet), Holly, Katherine, Sheila Foley, Michelle Stevens all resorted to firearms in some way. I wonder what Freud would say about that?
In addition, they seemed more involved with violence than the men, if I recall correctly. Pam considered suicide by jumping off the roof of a high rise, Rebecca's demise was from a plane crash, Julie and Kristin fell off of buildings, Sue Ellen was involved in at least three accidents with a car, Katherine and Pam both met tragedy through cars.
Guns and cars have traditionally been a part of the American mythos of freedom and the "rugged individualist" who were usually highlighted as men. Of course, there just as many women throughout history who conveyed those qualities in some way, but they didn't get the same acknowledgement. Could the depiction of guns and cars have some subtext on Dallas that could be (over)analyzed?

While the male violence on DALLAS was more blustery and fumbling, the show seemed to be adhering to the idea that women are the more precise, the deadlier member of the species.

Is that misogyny, or is it a misandrist belief that men lack a certain focus and basic competence??

 

[Jimmy Todd]

While the male violence on DALLAS was more blustery and fumbling, the show seemed to be adhering to the idea that women are the more precise, the deadlier member of the species.

Is that misogyny, or is it a misandrist belief that men lack a certain focus and basic competence??

Well there is a school of thought that says behind every great man there's a woman telling him what to do, and if in Dallas, she's often armed

 

[Mustard]

All the main women eventually became successful in business -- except for Miss Ellie who, after a while, wasn't even allowed to be successful in the kitchen (none of us ever asked about the bedroom).

Sidelining Miss Ellie in the closing years was perhaps the biggest glaring mistake late-DALLAS ever made, and was an obvious metaphor for what went wrong with the creative mindset behind the show towards the end.

Miss Ellie owns Southfork. How much is that worth, especially with the oil land on section 40?