I tried to imagine some of the storylines in earlier seasons, such as the range war. I think with a little tweaking, it would have worked well in earlier seasons, even though everyone seemed to think it was ridiculous when it first aired.
The range war is one storyline that shows the few GOOD parts of the later seasons. In the early seasons, we were able to look over J.R.'s shoulder and we were part of the scheme. It was great fun. In the last few seasons, the writers decided to keep us in the dark, so we were scammed along with the other characters. This made the reveal a lot of fun, and the best example was in the range wars storyline.
*** If you don't remember the reveal at the end of range wars, then don't read this because I want to keep it a surprise for you***
In the range wars, we watch as Jeremy Wendell uses Carter Mckay to get section 40 from the Ewings. We watch the build up over several episodes as the Ewings lose section 40. It was sad for us as an audience to watch Miss Ellie sign over the land to Mckay, with J.R. and Bobby looking on, seeming very defeated. Even Harv Smithfield is there, showing us how serious it is to lose section 40 to Wendell.
And then the payoff! Jeremy Wendell looks over the papers showing his purchase of Section 40. "What is this? You didn't buy Section 40. You bought a section of worthless range land."
And we see a smile move across Mckay's face as he lets us in on the reveal.
