Dallas Character Sue Ellen leaving

Victoriafan3

Telly Talk Addict
hi this has prob been asked before

Why didnt the writers get sue Ellen to leave happily ever after with dusty when Linda left? I never understood that?

I'd stopped watching the show by then but always thought it would have been nice for them to get together as Linda was going?

Was Jared not available then to film or had the producers just forgotten about his love for Sue Ellen?

Also how do I push the like button on people's posts? (where is it located)? Thanks :)
 

MenaceTheDennis

Telly Talk Member
I think since the Ian McShane character was connected to Sue Ellen and the stupid film she made it was just a natural way for her to exit with him in tow. Probably no thought of reintroducing Dusty was given at this point by writers and producers.
 

Sea - Boo! - Er

Telly Talk Warrior
It's debatable whether Dusty was even her best match in any case. He was from a time when she needed a protector - something she'd long outgrown by then. Having said that, though, I always felt that Don was much inferior to Nicholas as a partner for her.
 

Sarah

Moderator Emerita
Oh I don't know :( I don't understand the 'stopped watching by then' thing...Sue Ellen was the one reason I was hanging in there and even when she left I watched out of loyalty.

I was heartbroken when she left but would rather she left alone than with that shrimp Lockwood. Dusty would have been better if she had to leave with anyone.
 

Kenny Coyote

Telly Talk Star
hi this has prob been asked before

Why didnt the writers get sue Ellen to leave happily ever after with dusty when Linda left? I never understood that?

I'd stopped watching the show by then but always thought it would have been nice for them to get together as Linda was going?

Was Jared not available then to film or had the producers just forgotten about his love for Sue Ellen?

Also how do I push the like button on people's posts? (where is it located)? Thanks :)

I think it would have been very awkward to have her with Dusty again after Dusty's father had already made a move on her. He'd even bought her an engagement ring. I wish they hadn't dragged out her leaving the show for so long after it was obvious that JR and Sue Ellen's marriage wasn't working anymore.

When there was no hope of them reconciling I can't see JR tolerating having her basically sponging off of him and his family's money by living in their house when she wasn't sharing a bedroom with him and yet still trying to make sure he didn't find a new wife either. Basically she was sponging off of them just so JR couldn't move on with his life and re-marry. Jock would never have tolerated that in any marriage he ever had and it was out of character to have JR allow it. It would have made more sense to have her more out permanently and then have JR marry a woman who might be compatible with him - not Cally. Who didn't guess that marriage would fail?

When Sue Ellen started drinking again after John Ross having appendicitis, it would have been believable for JR to have her committed again for the safety of his son and then divorced her while she was committed or as soon as she got out. He would have had custody of John Ross and been free to move on with his life without having Sue Ellen try to sabotage any new relationship he might begin. Sue Ellen would have been smarter to try to make her own life good rather than try to make both hers and JR's life worse and then insulting the audience's intelligence by pretending JR couldn't see that's exactly what she was doing and having him tolerate it.
 
Last edited:

superfan

Telly Talk Member
hi this has prob been asked before

Why didnt the writers get sue Ellen to leave happily ever after with dusty when Linda left? I never understood that?

I'd stopped watching the show by then but always thought it would have been nice for them to get together as Linda was going?

Was Jared not available then to film or had the producers just forgotten about his love for Sue Ellen?

Also how do I push the like button on people's posts? (where is it located)? Thanks :)

Well, the writers gave us the horrible "Pam leaving" plot before this, the writing had gone greatly downhill by then so it's not that much of a surprise it wasn't that good.
 

Emelee

Telly Talk Warrior
Personally, I never liked Sue Ellen with Dusty, so I didn't root for them. I was sad that she left town though, cause her replacement Mrs JR Ewing sucked.
 

Presea

Telly Talk Addict
Personally, I never liked Sue Ellen with Dusty, so I didn't root for them. I was sad that she left town though, cause her replacement Mrs JR Ewing sucked.
At first, I thought the Dusty and Sue Ellen thing was interesting, but it sort of fell flat. We got to watch Dusty sulk, limp around the house and continually watch his Dallas season 3 dvd. Exciting stuff! Umm...not!
 

Presea

Telly Talk Addict
Oh Cally was no 'replacement'. Sue Ellen couldn't be replaced. :danc::danc:
I don't know what the heck they were thinking with Cally! If they absolutely had to have JR remarry, they should have at least made it a serious relationship, not a joke!
 

Presea

Telly Talk Addict
Oh I don't know :( I don't understand the 'stopped watching by then' thing...Sue Ellen was the one reason I was hanging in there and even when she left I watched out of loyalty.

I was heartbroken when she left but would rather she left alone than with that shrimp Lockwood. Dusty would have been better if she had to leave with anyone.
I don't know why Sue Ellen couldn't have stayed. Even without a relationship with JR, Sue Ellen could have still been a good addition to the show. Was there some law that said her storylines had to be connected with JR or something? And Don was absolutely terrible! It was especially cringe-worthy when he said that thing about the hero and the villain! How did that dude even manage to get into the movie business!?
 

Sarah

Moderator Emerita
I don't know why Sue Ellen couldn't have stayed. Even without a relationship with JR, Sue Ellen could have still been a good addition to the show. Was there some law that said her storylines had to be connected with JR or something? And Don was absolutely terrible! It was especially cringe-worthy when he said that thing about the hero and the villain! How did that dude even manage to get into the movie business!?

I know but Linda wanted to leave by this point. This is the turning point for me - JR descended into complete madness. Sue Ellen was always going to be connected to JR. They were just too damn good together not to be connected and they were never truly able to let each other go - would always be meddling in each others business!
 

Sarah

Moderator Emerita
She wanted to do other things with her life, but to me her loss was the greatest because of course I love her the most but also because of the direct impact it had on JR - once we 'lost' him (like seriously he was NOT JR by these final seasons) - and then Dallas was never the same. 'Without Sue Ellen..JR was much less', goes the quote.
 

Don Howard

Telly Talk Fan
She wanted to do other things with her life

I remember her discussing this on A Current Affair with Maury Povich in 1989. A couple or three times during the interview, she told us all that her contract was up on April 7th and she'd been given no indication from the powers in the towers that she'd be renewed.
 

Sarah

Moderator Emerita
I remember her discussing this on A Current Affair with Maury Povich in 1989. A couple or three times during the interview, she told us all that her contract was up on April 7th and she'd been given no indication from the powers in the towers that she'd be renewed.

Disgraceful treatment of one of the most valuable assets the show had. I know that Larry begged her to return.
 

Victoriafan3

Telly Talk Addict
Thank you very much for all your comments about this. Linda's leaving was the final nail in the coffin for Dallas after Victoria's leaving caused it to plummet in the ratings.
 
Top