Miss Ellie's breakdown

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

I've just started a rewatch of Lorimar Dallas Season 7 (DVD).

Miss Ellie is being kept on ice by Clayton at the Takapa Resort, sedated, because of how badly she was affected by The Fight For Ewing Oil.

This may be what TNT Dallas is referring to when they say that she was in some kind of home after a breakdown. It's not directly after Jock's death but it is indirectly caused by it. The writers may not have done enough research to know what the Takapa Resort was, or, being more charitable, may have decided to simplify the story.

 

[James from London]

Well, Bobby said at the time that Mama was "real close to a nervous breakdown" so an actual breakdown is kind of in the same narrative-medical ballpark. And besides, Takapa was the area Miss Ellie fought (and won) to have preserved as a wildlife area so if it could be a wildlife area and a resort, I don't see why it couldn't have been a psychiatric institution as well.

 

[Alexis]

Well, Bobby said at the time that Mama was "real close to a nervous breakdown" so an actual breakdown is kind of in the same narrative-medical ballpark. And besides, Takapa was the area Miss Ellie fought (and won) to have preserved as a wildlife area so if it could be a wildlife area and a resort, I don't see why it couldn't have been a psychiatric institution as well.

And.... A discotheque!

Like Lotus Point, a little bit of everything.

 

[Piggyrella Sanderson]

"Jock is aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"
"Whatever! But let our dishes alone!"​

 

[Justine]

or, being more charitable, may have decided to simplify the story.

This was definitely the problem with TNT writers, they over-simplified the history of Dallas for new fans and hoped the original fans wouldn't care.

 

[Rove]

This was definitely the problem with TNT writers

On so many levels. If TNT Dallas was going to utilize a character from Lorimar Dallas to create a story in TNT Dallas then at least have the decency to watch Lorimar Dallas. Have I tossed enough Dallas round today?

 

[TJames03]

But this explained the Donna Reed morph!!!!!

 

[Frankenstein Underworld]

Something else Miss Ellie-related that I found odd was John Ross saying she liked to take a dip in the pool. That's right up there with Elena Ramos waxing nostalgic about Pam.

But this explained the Donna Reed morph!!!!!

Thank goodness Pam dreamed BBG's Miss Ellie back into existence!

 

[stevew]

I had more of a problem that Miss Ellie left nothing to anyone but Bobby (at that’s before he died) and she was stupid enough to just forget the oil under SF than I did with John Ross going after her mental state. He just did what Miss Ellie did with Jock‘s will, justified what they felt they had to do. I think what you bring up was a fine reference point for her breakdown.

A better story, explain Bobby only was given the cattle company on the original, Miss Ellie left the land and oil to a foundation set up by her and Clayton which Sue Ellen runs and the house she leaves to John Ross with Bobby being able to stay in it as long as he wants - start with Miss Ellie’s death. Chris was hoping to get some of Miss Ellie’s money for his methane endeavor and John Ross was hoping to get his hands on the oil to start his own Ewing Oil. JR is off living on a yacht having control of West Star. John Ross is divorced (mystery woman in the wings) with three kids, loving working on the ranch.

 

[Chris2]

Sue Ellen runs it? The woman who shot her son, and who also doesn’t have a drop of Southworth blood? Not likely.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

View attachment 20800

"Jock is aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"
"Whatever! But let our dishes alone!"​

With thanks to the maker of this video.

 

[stevew]

Sue Ellen runs it? The woman who shot her son, and who also doesn’t have a drop of Southworth blood? Not likely.

Obviously you don’t know how foundations are run. It’s very likely that a person like Sue Ellen could run a charitable foundation. It would have nothing to do with the cattle business or family, but could include Miss Ellie’s idea of protecting the land. Many foundations set up by wealthy people have all sorts of people as part of them, many aren’t even controlled by the family of the person who set it up. I do believe Clayton would have looked to Sue Ellen to run such for him, holding nothing against her for shooting JR. She could have run it for years prior to Clayton’s death and then Miss Ellie just added to it. It’s not inconceivable. Probably more probable than the story we got.

 

[stevew]

With thanks to the maker of this video.[/QUOTE’]

An amazing actress.

An amazing actress.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

But this explained the Donna Reed morph!!!!!

She was a Time Lord, she regenerated.

Mind you so did Jock, he reappeared as Steve Forrest calling himself Wes Parmaham, I mean Parmalee!

Whatever you do, do not tell the BBC, as Dallas would be in serious breach of copyright!

They even had a lawyer in an episode of the later season's called Tom Baker!

Which again is a very serious breach of Doctor Who copyright!

And lets not forget that Southfork was obviously a TARDIS, how on earth did it have all those rooms inside it, especially that gym!

Not forgetting of course that in the first five episodes it looked different before Miss Ellie operated the chameleon circuit to make it change into the Duncan Acres ranch!!

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Something else Miss Ellie-related that I found odd was John Ross saying she liked to take a dip in the pool. That's right up there with Elena Ramos waxing nostalgic about Pam.


Thank goodness Pam dreamed BBG's Miss Ellie back into existence!

Well maybe she did like to take a dip in the pool off screen.

Either that or maybe she just liked to dip her legs in every now & again.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

An amazing actress.

She was a terrific actress, she really made the part of Eleanor Southworth Ewing her own.

With all due respect to Donna Reed who I really liked too, Barbara will always and forever be Miss Ellie. May both of these outstanding actors Rest In Peace.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

This was definitely the problem with TNT writers, they over-simplified the history of Dallas for new fans and hoped the original fans wouldn't care.

It's not that they hoped they wouldn't care, I think they hoped the fans wouldn't notice!

Well, we did notice and the way the strong ratings at the start quickly started to dwindle should've shown them what they were doing wrong!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

What about prior to the fire at Southfork, when Clayton took her from Southfork?
Could that have been the period?

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

What about prior to the fire at Southfork, when Clayton took her from Southfork?
Could that have been the period?

I think that's the same time that I was talking about.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I think that's the same time that I was talking about.

Sorry about that. I must have misunderstood