Dallas Character Which "new" character was the most well-written?

[Justine]

So, obviously we all know Dallas TNT had its flaws but I do think of the (relatively) "new" characters, John Ross and Emma were the most well-written characters.

I say "new" in quotations because John Ross, Christopher and Pamela were featured in the original show but were pretty much newly created characters for the TNT version.

I think, my only major complaint about John Ross was how the writers overstated his animosity toward J.R. and Sue Ellen for their parental failures. Otherwise, I always felt that his character held my interest, entertained me, and was authentic.

On the other hand, Pamela and Elena felt like the worst written characters - I recapped a few episodes a while back and both Pamela and Elena felt very robotic in their decisions, not character-driven at all.

 

[Werewillie Oleson]

not character-driven at all.

In true Dallas fashion they were driven by greed, pride, revenge and lust for the Dallas boys.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Harris Ryland may have been the best written new character. I don’t remember all of TNT Dallas but from what I remember, he was a well written character. There was something that happened with Bobby and Ryland that didn’t fit, something about Bobby being in trouble because he had punched Ryland and was facing legal prosecution. I don’t blame the character for threatening to press charges or sue, but that never happens in Dallas; it’s one of premises the show was built on. The writer just didn’t understand how Dallas works. One guy hits another guy and the law does not get involved in Dallas. In Dallas men handle those types of things between themselves.

I was disappointed with how John Ross was written. The relationship between JR and John Ross was very good in Dallas and was one of the nice things about the show. The writers of TNT Dallas didn’t understand or appreciate that, and they made John Ross too whiny and incompetent. He didn’t even seem like a real Ewing, but an impostor.

 

[stevew]

Many characters had moments that were good, but not a single one including JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen in my opinion were any good. They didn’t fit the original, were even more of the later years (prior to the “dream”) soap opera caricatures. Ann as a strong woman seemed good to start but then fell through. Pamela changed every few episodes into another character. Elena turned into a pompous ass who called out everyone for their wrongs while she sinned at every turn. John Ross and Christopher were weak as water. Sue Ellen went back to drinking. Bobby was an old, bitter fart. And don’t get me started on “momma likes.” They had so much potential but seemed to me they were determined that no one was going to come out “on top.” I honestly did think any character was consistently well written.

 

[Swami]

I agree that Bobby seemed to becoming a bit like Victor Meldrew, but JR and Sue Ellen remained the must-see characters. John Ross was OK, as was Pamela. Christopher seemed too much of a goody-goody.

The less said about what how they wrote Cliff the better. To expect Cliff to be responsible for giving orders to set off bombs, killing his grandchild - nonsense.

In terms of new characters, I did like Heather very much - she seemed a better fit than some of the other newcomers.

Swami

 

[Sarah]

Sue Ellen went back to drinking after she'd lost the love of her life. Even Linda Gray was upset at the thought she would go back to the bottle, but agreed if there was anytime she was going to do it, it would be after losing JR.

 

[stevew]

Sue Ellen went back to drinking after she'd lost the love of her life. Even Linda Gray was upset at the thought she would go back to the bottle, but agreed if there was anytime she was going to do it, it would be after losing JR.

I wish they had explored it more. There was a perfect chance to explore what happens for an alcoholic to return to the fight to get sober. Instead they made Bobby look like a good guy, living her alone in a room of memories and a house of alcohol. Then they dropped it. It was a perfect chance to dive into the feelings of a child of an alcoholic. We could have seen Sue Ellen combat her feelings for JR and work on her relationship with her son and been stronger than ever. In the years we didn’t see, Sue Ellen could have learned so much about business and finance that she could have been the mentor JR wasn’t able to be to her son. Her friends could have been more than easily blackmailed old beaus but powerful people to give her an advantage. Sue Ellen had the most potential of any of them to have come out on top, stronger and more fun to watch - think Alexis Colby (fierce mother who won’t be pushed aside, divorce or not), Angela Channing (fierce grandmother who will rule the roost) and Abbey Ewing (fierce competitor who equally protected her family). They missed the opportunity by turning her into Bobby’s side kick.

 

[Sarah]

To a certain extent I agree but, knowing Sue Ellen as well as I do, I have to cut her some slack here - the one thing that would have pushed her over the edge was JR’s death. Regardless of her own strength, she loved him with her heart and soul. She shouldn’t be judged for that.

 

[tommie]

I got Linda's concerns that they were going to push Sue Ellen towards the bottle due to either a cheap sweeps stunt or because they didn't know what to do with her.

With that said, it was a fully logical thing to happen at that point and Linda got great material out of it.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Instead they made Bobby look like a good guy, living her alone in a room of memories and a house of alcohol.

Based on what you just described, it made Bobby look like a bad guy. Bobby looks even worse when you find out how why he did that. He took Sue out of a facility she needed, but took her out anyway because it would help him! Sue Ellen couldn't vote while in there and Bob wanted her vote no matter what id id to her! It made him look like a scumbag.

 

[Sarah]

It’s Sue Ellen... not Sue. Let’s not go there.

 

[stevew]

Based on what you just described, it made Bobby look like a bad guy. Bobby looks even worse when you find out how why he did that. He took Sue out of a facility she needed, but took her out anyway because it would help him! Sue Ellen couldn't vote while in there and Bob wanted her vote no matter what id id to her! It made him look like a scumbag.

I agree but I defiantly got the feelings the writing wasn’t going there. Bobby was still coming off as the good guy, but if you look at what he did I totally agree with you. After she nearly killed herself John Ross should have got a good lawyer and kept Bobby away from his mother. If that had been Jock and his momma somebody would have got their ass kicked. If it had been JR somebody would have woke up in bed with a dead hooker.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I agree but I defiantly got the feelings the writing wasn’t going there. Bobby was still coming off as the good guy, but if you look at what he did I totally agree with you. After she nearly killed herself John Ross should have got a good lawyer and kept Bobby away from his mother. If that had been Jock and his momma somebody would have got their ass kicked. If it had been JR somebody would have woke up in bed with a dead hooker.

If I understand correctly, you're saying the writers did that with the intent of having the audience think Bobby was doing the right thing and if taking Sue Ellen out of a safe facility because he had to got her vote to fight her own son, then the audience would believe Bobby was justifid in doing so. I don't remember the details of that well enough to say for sure, but yes, that may very well have ben there intent to be presenting Bobby's actions as good.

You and I both see that taking Sue Ellen out of a safe facility where she needed to be, was a really bad thing for Bobby to do. I'm sure Bobby thought it was justified because anytime he did something like thinking he was going to steal JR's baby from him or steal JR's job from him, Bob thought it was justified. Bobby thought he was so righteous, that he believed whatever he did, simply by virtue of him being the one doing it, was justified.

A perfect example of it is: Bobby had been intending to take JR's baby and raise him as his own child,but when JR found out he said I'll let you do that (knowing how much having baby meant to them) but if I'm going to do this tremendous favor for you, I'd like you to at least do something in return. I'm not asking you to give me your child! I'm just asking for your vote. until Daddy's will is read.

That's what a give and take relationship is! I do something for you and you do something for me. When JR brought up the idea of Bobby showing some reciprocation, Bobby's response was "You're scum"! Bobby was so entitled! To him the idea of a balanced relationship was JR does all the giving and Bobby does all the taking. It's amazing that Bobby could say "you're scum" with a straight face after forging the birth certificate, conspiring with Sue Ellen to commit perjury, and all with the purpose of stealing his brother's son from him!

Getting back to the TNT story, the writers had made a mistake the fans could clearly see through if your view of it and my view of it is any indication. They had a tremendous opportunity there to basically turn the tide of the whole show. The audience's sympathy would have shifted to being with John Ross! From a demographic standpoint, having the young, good looking actor be the sympathetic character was a potential goldmine if they'd just ran with it! Who can't sympathize with a young man whose uncle and his own mother are both trying to stab him in the back to try to crush his dreams?

 

[stevew]

If I understand correctly, you're saying the writers did that with the intent of having the audience think Bobby was doing the right thing and if taking Sue Ellen out of a safe facility because he had to got her vote to fight her own son, then the audience would believe Bobby was justifid in doing so. I don't remember the details of that well enough to say for sure, but yes, that may very well have ben there intent to be presenting Bobby's actions as good.

You and I both see that taking Sue Ellen out of a safe facility where she needed to be, was a really bad thing for Bobby to do. I'm sure Bobby thought it was justified because anytime he did something like thinking he was going to steal JR's baby from him or steal JR's job from him, Bob thought it was justified. Bobby thought he was so righteous, that he believed whatever he did, simply by virtue of him being the one doing it, was justified.

A perfect example of it is: Bobby had been intending to take JR's baby and raise him as his own child,but when JR found out he said I'll let you do that (knowing how much having baby meant to them) but if I'm going to do this tremendous favor for you, I'd like you to at least do something in return. I'm not asking you to give me your child! I'm just asking for your vote. until Daddy's will is read.

That's what a give and take relationship is! I do something for you and you do something for me. When JR brought up the idea of Bobby showing some reciprocation, Bobby's response was "You're scum"! Bobby was so entitled! To him the idea of a balanced relationship was JR does all the giving and Bobby does all the taking. It's amazing that Bobby could say "you're scum" with a straight face after forging the birth certificate, conspiring with Sue Ellen to commit perjury, and all with the purpose of stealing his brother's son from him!

Getting back to the TNT story, the writers had made a mistake the fans could clearly see through if your view of it and my view of it is any indication. They had a tremendous opportunity there to basically turn the tide of the whole show. The audience's sympathy would have shifted to being with John Ross! From a demographic standpoint, having the young, good looking actor be the sympathetic character was a potential goldmine if they'd just ran with it! Who can't sympathize with a young man whose uncle and his own mother are both trying to stab him in the back to try to crush his dreams?

It’s a classic story - Hamlet. The writers seemed to have an agenda against JR and thus his son, in favor of the rest of the family and then Even more in favor the further away from the family one gets - the servants were even more justified in their behavior in the writing. They started strong, create an underdog - John Ross. What they didn’t realize is America loves an underdog.

Original Dallas got it, one minute Bobby’s the underdog, pushed to the side in the business and marrying an enemy. Then Bobby takes the lead and it’s JR who’s the underdog, pushed side in the company for the upstart, the wife falling apart, possible his son is someone else’s. It was a good set up. TNT didn’t get it. But what would have worked, John Ross decking Bobby. “You ever get between me and my momma and you better ask yourself: What would Granda had done? What would my daddy have done? What would Grandpa Clayton have done? You ain’t the only Ewing who can punch it out old man! She’s my momma and no way in hell you care more about her than I do.”

 

[southfork88]

Among many ups and downs, John Ross's character seemed to me the best-written one.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

They started strong, create an underdog - John Ross. What they didn’t realize is America loves an underdog.

That would have been the perfect time to start making John Ross a fan favorite character by making him more honest and more capable, but I don't think anything would have gotten Cidre to do that because he wasn't hispanic.

 

[stevew]

That would have been the perfect time to start making John Ross a fan favorite character by making him more honest and more capable, but I don't think anything would have gotten Cidre to do that because he wasn't hispanic.

I agree that would have been the perfect time, put him on top, make him the winner, then someone else the underdog.

I can’t speak to CC’s motive, but if she was advocating for the Hispanic community she did a very poor job at it. She relegated someone like DelSol to the side lines, created a group of stereotypical Hispanic drug lords, killed off the one Hispanic who was an American war hero without any kind of heroic story line but caught in a criminal cross fire of sorts, made a Hispanic woman a weak, pathetic maid complicit in blackmailing a man who I thought had been her friend, and made Elena herself a morally bankrupt vigilante.

 

[southfork88]

I did not like Cidre's choices, but making John Ross always in the balance between evil and good, made him an excellent character. Christopher instead remained a good person, boring and never a hero. Certainly the artistic skills of the two actors were different

 

[tommie]

It’s Sue Ellen... not Sue. Let’s not go there.

I thought it was settled that it's Swellin'.

 

[tommie]

I agree but I defiantly got the feelings the writing wasn’t going there. Bobby was still coming off as the good guy, but if you look at what he did I totally agree with you. After she nearly killed herself John Ross should have got a good lawyer and kept Bobby away from his mother. If that had been Jock and his momma somebody would have got their ass kicked. If it had been JR somebody would have woke up in bed with a dead hooker.

To be fair, I don't think Bobby understood in what a bad shape Sue Ellen actually was. The Ewing men were always a bit tonedeaf when it came to the feelings of the women in their lives and I think it might've also been the mentality that Sue Ellen is safer at Southfork than in some god-forsaken facility. You could see Miss Ellie reasoning the same way if she had been there.

But as you said, John Ross should've reacted way stronger when it almost killed Sue Ellen and he should've definitively tried to block Bobby by legal means from getting close to Swellin'.