On a re-watch I won't skip the dream season
You know what it is so you're not going to be surprised and disappointed again.
When deciding to watch or not, the only relevant question is: how
much Dallas do I want to see?
I don't think the dream explanation was a good idea
With the benefit of hindsight, I think the dream story
and explanation was the best option - eventhough it was a matter of circumstances rather than a creative plan.
Technically speaking, a dream
can happen in soap. It can last 5 seconds, 5 minutes or 5 hours. So, that itself did not jump-shark the Dallas story.**
Dallas' ultimate jump the shark moment was Bobby's death, because the Bobby Ewings are not supposed to die in the Dallas universe.
(incidentally, that also means that Christopher's death in the
John Ross & Christopher Show would have been TNT Dallas' jump the shark story).
The dream corrected that mistake, but the timing - at the end of an entire season - resulted in a general feeling of "they've been wasting our time", which is true….or not. Again, that depends on how
much Dallas you want to see.
Some might argue: rather a dream Dallas than no Dallas at all.
Furthermore, how terribly,
terribly jarring it would have been if Pam had woken up right after the death scene or funeral, with the viewers' grief still 100% intact.
That would have been Dallas' answer to Dynasty's Moldavia massacre "resolution". Trust me, you don't want to go there.
Alternatively, they could have ended the dream after 10 episodes or mid-season, but then it gets really messy. Imagine if you had missed that particular episode.
At least the complete season makes it somewhat more comprehensible (too bad it was such a f**king long season) and Bobby's return was a shockingly fun.
** since the soap opera genre is all about continuation, and the dream is a standstill, they did betray/jump-shark its very genre. If they had followed the rules of soap opera then Dallas would have had a Bobby recast (again, Bobby's death was never an option).
Watch it, and be grateful that it never happened. Watch it, and tell those haughty Dynasty fans to eat their hearts out because "we had Angelica Nero"
(this is off the record and should not be re-posted in the Dynasty forum. thank you)