Most Obvious Plot Hole In Dallas

[Billy Wall]

I’m pretty sure this has been discussed and probably not necessarily a plot hole, but you mean to tell me that Bobby was so hell bent on Cliff getting his fair share of Ewing Oil that he left Southfork? Literally, just a couple of episodes earlier, that same man was hell bent on putting your dad in prison for a crime he didn’t commit?

 

[Jock's Ghost]

I would have recast Jock as well. Jock was bigger than Jim. I get why he wasn't. Jim was their friend, but Jock was bigger.
Pam too.... MM was a great doppelganger. The car accident would have covered up our skepticism of her looks being, "off." It would have, somewhat, prevent the hemorrhaging that occurs after VP left. Pam gone, there is a black hole that was never filled. Any Pam would have been better over NO Pam.

 

[Toni]

I would have had Jeanne O´Brien date "seriously" Bobby and then have an affair with JR. Pam and JR together!!

 

[Seaviewer]

the whole story hinged on did he look like he could be Jock?

Not so much that no one suspected anything until Miss Ellie found his medallion.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I can see the logic in them doing that but even at late stage of the series I don't think the fans would have accepted a Pam recast.

Swami

Yeah especially after the Donna Reed Miss Ellie debacle & the litigation from her in trying to shut the show down.

The Jock Ewing Wes Parmalee storyline also ran into trouble too. Fans bombarded CBS & Lorimar with complaints when it leaked that Steve Forrest was going to be playing Jock Ewing in season ten.

The Producers were cautious about re-casting Pam. The Donna Reed Miss Ellie re-cast hadn't worked & they had taken that on board. The Producers reluctantly let Steve Forrest go rather than give a conclusive resolution that he really was Jock which had been the original intention of the storyline. Forrest left rather abruptly & it was left deliberately ambiguous as to who he really was.

Re-casting Pamela Barnes Ewing would've been on a par with the Jock Ewing re-cast. Fans of the show from the beginning wouldn't have accepted it. To many people both Jim Davis & Victoria Principal were firmly ingrained into there pysche as the characters they played on the show. Jim Davis was Jock Ewing, Victoria Principal was Pam. Having another actor play their role just wasn't going to work that's why the Wes Parmalee Jock Ewing storyline failed. Viewers weren't buying the explanation, although this wasn't the problem. In Wes's case although the storyline was outlandish it was to a certain extent believeable. The viewers just didn't want another actor playing Jim Davis's signature role. This is why although Margaret Michael's did play Pam, it was only in a limited capacity to give the character some form of closure. The intention of the Steve Forrest Wes character was to restore the character of Jock to the show permanently. They didn't do that with Margaret Michaels version of Pam, she was only there to provide a brief closure. Lorimar hoped that Victoria Principal would come back to the show further down the line which is why Michaels brief appearance leaves the character of Pam up in the air.

 

[Pound68]

I would have recast, even with the risk of fan rejection and the difficulty of replicating the Pam/Bobby chemistry with a new actress. And I don’t say that lightly. Recasts are very tough in primetime shows. But Pamela was the second most important character on the show after JR. Without her, the original premise of the show was gone, and it was just another show about a rich family. A different Pamela would have been better than no Pam at all.

I agree, they should have gone with a Pam recast. No offense to Ms. Michaels, but I am sure she was hired solely for her appearance. A recast would need to have chemistry with PD and KK and be a very vibrant performer.

I am sure the backlash on DR replacing BBG made that seem like a bad idea, but making her turn up alive only to disappear was pointless. They should have tried to find someone amazing or let Pam be dead.

 

[Rove]

I mean, look at Margarett Michaels, she was a great casting choice. The very moment I saw her the first time, I could buy that she was Pam post plastic surgery. They even gave her burnt scars on her face. That was clever.

Upon reflection I'll admit I have to agree with you. It was clear the producers had accepted Victoria wasn't returning yet they went out of their way to cast an actress who had an uncanny likeness to Victoria...including the voice. So I will - after all these years - offer the producers credit in offering some closure to the character of Pam.

 

[Primetime Soap Fan]

Not exactly a plot hole but something that has always bugged me....

JR's eyebrows.

HOW is it that a man that wealthy doesn't own an eyebrow trimmer? And NONE of his women ever told him how desperately he needed one? Like EVER?

Haha! I always noticed that too! And the fact that they grew longer every season. By the time Dallas 2012 came along they were longer than ever.

 

[lbf522]

I’m pretty sure this has been discussed and probably not necessarily a plot hole, but you mean to tell me that Bobby was so hell bent on Cliff getting his fair share of Ewing Oil that he left Southfork? Literally, just a couple of episodes earlier, that same man was hell bent on putting your dad in prison for a crime he didn’t commit?

Yes, I found that ridiculous as well. The Ewings owed Cliff nothing especially given the hell he put them through. JR did the right thing shutting down that oil well. Now if Digger came into JR's office with that document, that would have been OK since he sighed the papers.

 

[80's Cha Cha Cha]

What do you think was the most obvious plot hole in Dallas? What's the one thing that makes you immediately wonder: Why didn't someone just do (whatever it may be) instead of what they did?

To me, the most obvious one is one that starts right in the miniseries. Digger says Jock stole Digger's share of Ewing Oil. Well, if somebody stole your share of a company the two of you had built, what would you do?

How about, considering the fact your son is a lawyer, taking the matter to court? Just a thought!

Hi!

I am new to the boards and I found your theory to be interesting, because I was just talking about this to a co-worker, who watched Dallas as well. This plot is almost the crux of the series. That and Jock was almost always being accused of not being upfront about something, with regards to how he happened to end up as sole owner of Ewing Oil.

The thing is, there came a point with me, after the like umpteenth re-watch, where I decided I didn't believe Digger. Jock, I believe at one point said that Digger and someone else, had shares, got drunk, sold them for drink and Jock had to buy them back. And after Jock got the shares back, he was probably in no mood to cut Digger back in on anything. If anything, I felt sorry for Cliff. This was his father and he believed he hadn't been treated right and it drove him to the point where he lived his own life to avenge his father, when he probably didn't need to be avenged. Digger just messed up and lost out.

I remember during the later years, which I did not enjoy watching, somehow Cliff managed to get part of Ewing Oil and was actually at the office with J.R. and Bobby. But I've also noticed that when an actor dies on a drama, and he is the patriarch as well, like Jim Davis was, the writers go bonkers when it comes to the supposed unknowns. And they can range from illegitimate children to lost documents and wills. I believed Jock was telling the truth.

 

[Billy Wall]

Watching Season 4, episode 23: Ewing Gate

How is Bobby allowed to sit on a committee that’s investigating JR/Ewing Oil? Lol

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I mean, look at Margarett Michaels, she was a great casting choice. The very moment I saw her the first time, I could buy that she was Pam post plastic surgery. They even gave her burnt scars on her face. That was clever.

It was clear the producers had accepted Victoria wasn't returning yet they went out of their way to cast an actress who had an uncanny likeness to Victoria...including the voice. So I will - after all these years - offer the producers credit in offering some closure to the character of Pam.

The best part about those couple of episodes is that Bobby and Cliff were actually getting along and working together. I wish they had teamed up more often!

 

[DallasFanForever]

Which brings up an interesting point! Off topic, I know, but were Bobby and Cliff better as adversaries or friends?

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Which brings up an interesting point! Off topic, I know, but were Bobby and Cliff better as adversaries or friends?

This seems like one of those times when we know it is better for the plot lines for them to be adversaries, but we truly enjoy watching them as freinds.
Here's an example of when the writers got this exactly right:

Cliff hears from Jordan Lee that he saw Pam and Cliff wants to let Bobby know right away.
We see that Bobby is finishing his shower and Christopher comes in the room. "Daddy, Uncle Cliff is here to see you. He says it's important."
Bobby responds, "Okay, send him up."

Now, it takes a pretty close friendship to have somebody come up to your room while you are getting dressed and ready for your day. That was a nice moment between those two.