It Didn't Have To Be A Dream

[Grant Jennings]

Here's my solution to bring back Patrick Duffy/Bobby Ewing without dismissing an entire season of episodes as a dream.

After we see Sue Ellen enter J.R.'s office and witness the explosion we cut to the following scene:

Establishing shot: the coast of St. Barts with luxury villas along the coast. Caption: "St. Barts".

Interior daytime, Pam and Mark's bedroom in their villa. They are both dressed for the beach. Pam is filling her beach-bag.

PAM
Turns from the bag positioned at the end of the bed and looks atop the dresser where she sees her bottle of suntan lotion. Mark is between her and the dresser.
Mark, can you hand me my suntan lotion?

MARK
Grabs the bottle and moves his hand toward Pam's, he doesn't release the bottle at first.
(flirtatiously) If you need any help with this...

PAM
(smiling) I know who to turn to.
She places the bottle in the bag.
That should be it.

Pam exits the bedroom and walks through the living room of the villa, Mark is right behind her.
Just as they reach the door, the phone rings. The phone is on a sofa table positioned behind the sofa which is in the foreground. Mark walks over to the phone and picks up the receiver.
Pam stands at the door with a concerned look.

MARK
(into the phone) Hello? Oh, hello Jerry.

Pam's look changes from concern to aggravation, we can see here thinking "Really Jerry?!"

MARK
Places hand over the mouthpiece of the receiver and turns to Pam.
(whispering) I'll be as quick as possible.

Pam's look turns from frustration to relief.

PAM
(smiling) You better!

Pam exits, closing the door behind her.

MARK
Jerry, what's up?

Jerry is in a hospital corridor on a pay-phone. He looks over both of his shoulders nervously before he speaks.

JERRY
Mark, I don't know how to tell you this but I knew I better tell you right away.

Mark is clearly concerned, he walks from behind the sofa and sits down.

MARK
(growing impatient) What is it?

JERRY
I'm in a hospital in Mexico, one of those we considered for your treatment. I have a patient here for an experimental treatment, it hasn't been approved yet in the U.S.

MARK
(even more impatient)
Jerry, can you...

JERRY
(nervously) I walked into the wrong room, I transposed the room number. That's where I saw him!

MARK
Who, Jerry, who was it?

JERRY
Bobby Ewing. He's alive, Mark, Bobby Ewing is alive!

MARK
(in disbelief) He can't be, Pam was at his bedside when he flat-lined, she told me all about it.

JERRY
I know, but I saw him.

As Jerry speaks a nurse walks behind him, the camera follows her down the hall and into a patient's room.

JERRY
He's in a coma and his paperwork says his name is James Roberts.

The nurse replaces the patient's empty I.V. bottle with a full one. The camera then pans over to the patient who we see is Bobby while we hear Jerry continuing to speak.

JERRY
I was standing right over him, it's Bobby, I'm certain.

MARK
(silent, in shock)

Cut back to Jerry at the pay-phone.

JERRY
Mark, are you still there?

MARK
I am, I'm still here.

JERRY
I knew I better call you right away. What are you going to do now? Is there anything you need from me?

MARK
No. Thank you, Jerry. We'll talk later.

Mark hangs up the phone. He remains seated in the foreground with a stunned look. Behind him the door opens and Pam enters.

PAM
I forgot my sunglasses.

Pam walks into the bedroom and returns a moment later with her sunglasses in one hand, her beach-bag in the other.

PAM
(concerned) What did Jerry want? Is everything okay?

MARK
(forcing a smile)
Oh, it was nothing.

PAM
Nothing?

MARK
Nothing that can't wait.

PAM
Okay, let's go.

Mark rises from the sofa and follows Pam to the door. He pauses briefly with a concerned look on his face before closing the door.
End credits.


​

 

[Sarah]

Hey Grant, is this something you plan to continue? If so it would be great to do so in the Writers Room. Otherwise it can stay here, just let me know!

 

[Angela Channing]

Here's my solution to bring back Patrick Duffy/Bobby Ewing without dismissing an entire season of episodes as a dream.

After we see Sue Ellen enter J.R.'s office and witness the explosion we cut to the following scene:

Establishing shot: the coast of St. Barts with luxury villas along the coast. Caption: "St. Barts".

Interior daytime, Pam and Mark's bedroom in their villa. They are both dressed for the beach. Pam is filling her beach-bag.

PAM
Turns from the bag positioned at the end of the bed and looks atop the dresser where she sees her bottle of suntan lotion. Mark is between her and the dresser.
Mark, can you hand me my suntan lotion?

MARK
Grabs the bottle and moves his hand toward Pam's, he doesn't release the bottle at first.
(flirtatiously) If you need any help with this...

PAM
(smiling) I know who to turn to.
She places the bottle in the bag.
That should be it.

Pam exits the bedroom and walks through the living room of the villa, Mark is right behind her.
Just as they reach the door, the phone rings. The phone is on a sofa table positioned behind the sofa which is in the foreground. Mark walks over to the phone and picks up the receiver.
Pam stands at the door with a concerned look.

MARK
(into the phone) Hello? Oh, hello Jerry.

Pam's look changes from concern to aggravation, we can see here thinking "Really Jerry?!"

MARK
Places hand over the mouthpiece of the receiver and turns to Pam.
(whispering) I'll be as quick as possible.

Pam's look turns from frustration to relief.

PAM
(smiling) You better!

Pam exits, closing the door behind her.

MARK
Jerry, what's up?

Jerry is in a hospital corridor on a pay-phone. He looks over both of his shoulders nervously before he speaks.

JERRY
Mark, I don't know how to tell you this but I knew I better tell you right away.

Mark is clearly concerned, he walks from behind the sofa and sits down.

MARK
(growing impatient) What is it?

JERRY
I'm in a hospital in Mexico, one of those we considered for your treatment. I have a patient here for an experimental treatment, it hasn't been approved yet in the U.S.

MARK
(even more impatient)
Jerry, can you...

JERRY
(nervously) I walked into the wrong room, I transposed the room number. That's where I saw him!

MARK
Who, Jerry, who was it?

JERRY
Bobby Ewing. He's alive, Mark, Bobby Ewing is alive!

MARK
(in disbelief) He can't be, Pam was at his bedside when he flat-lined, she told me all about it.

JERRY
I know, but I saw him.

As Jerry speaks a nurse walks behind him, the camera follows her down the hall and into a patient's room.

JERRY
He's in a coma and his paperwork says his name is James Roberts.

The nurse replaces the patient's empty I.V. bottle with a full one. The camera then pans over to the patient who we see is Bobby while we hear Jerry continuing to speak.

JERRY
I was standing right over him, it's Bobby, I'm certain.

MARK
(silent, in shock)

Cut back to Jerry at the pay-phone.

JERRY
Mark, are you still there?

MARK
I am, I'm still here.

JERRY
I knew I better call you right away. What are you going to do now? Is there anything you need from me?

MARK
No. Thank you, Jerry. We'll talk later.

Mark hangs up the phone. He remains seated in the foreground with a stunned look. Behind him the door opens and Pam enters.

PAM
I forgot my sunglasses.

Pam walks into the bedroom and returns a moment later with her sunglasses in one hand, her beach-bag in the other.

PAM
(concerned) What did Jerry want? Is everything okay?

MARK
(forcing a smile)
Oh, it was nothing.

PAM
Nothing?

MARK
Nothing that can't wait.

PAM
Okay, let's go.

Mark rises from the sofa and follows Pam to the door. He pauses briefly with a concerned look on his face before closing the door.
End credits.


​

I love it. So much better than the dream option that they took. If people can accept that an entire season was a dream they could accept that Bobby survived being mowed down by Katherine. I love the idea that Mark would keep this from Pam which wold set up a great storyline for the following season.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I really like this. I think it’s a much better cliffhanger than Bobby showing up in the shower and the realization later that it was all a dream. Does it stretch credibility? Of course it does. But the guy flatlined on camera so whatever they did to bring him back was going to stretch credibility. It’s certainly a better option than what they did

 

[Sarah]

I can live for it not being a dream, as long as I don't have to suffer The Thing of Evil returning. Keep JR and Sue Ellen together. This is my only wish. 'Grant' it please. (see what I did there).

 

[Grant Jennings]

Hey Grant, is this something you plan to continue? If so it would be great to do so in the Writers Room. Otherwise it can stay here, just let me know!

No, I don't have plans to continue or I would have posted this in the Writers Room. I will - when I get around to it - post the scripts for season 10 of Dynasty in its Writers Room.

 

[Grangehill1]

Very very good. Great idea to have Mark finding out and keeping it a secret. (That would have arguably been the catalyst for them splitting up and her reuniting with Bobby)
WHY did they go down the dream route?

 

[Seaviewer]

Saying that his death was exaggerated was always the best solution. This is a great way to put a little flesh on the bones.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Here's my solution to bring back Patrick Duffy/Bobby Ewing without dismissing an entire season of episodes as a dream.

I love it. So much better than the dream option that they took. If people can accept that an entire season was a dream they could accept that Bobby survived being mowed down by Katherine.

Very good idea, Grant. And very well written post.

The writers missed the obvious solution. If they decided there was no way out other than this being a dream, they could have made it BOBBY'S dream or hallucinations while in a coma after being hit by Katherine. Not that this is the best solution, but it seems much more believable that this was Bobby's dream while in a coma. And would also explain that he eventually recovered, and didn't just come back from the dead.

 

[Grangehill1]

To expand on Grant’s idea. What if it transpired that Dr Jerry Kenderson had been in the hospital the night Bobby died. He discovered they’d found signs of life when Bobby was carted off to the
Morgue and then he and Mark both conspired to keep Bobby away and make everyone think he was dead whilst he was actually in a coma in a private hospital somewhere.
Mark had previous form of trying to break up Bobby and Pam and he certainly had the money to keep Bobby away.
The cliffhanger could have been Jerry telling Mark ‘he’s waking up. Bobby Ewing’s waking up.’

This would all make sense with the long term Mark Grayson plot. He only returned when Bobby was in a coma and he lied to Pam.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Great idea, @Grangehill1
That could have worked well.

 

[Chris2]

WHY did they go down the dream route?

Because Leonard Katzman only had a limited role in the dream season, and he hated what they did with the show while he was gone. So when he returned full time, the dream was a way to wipe away everything that happened while he was gone.