Dallas Had Great Writers, But They Totally Dropped The Ball With Leslie Stewart.

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

another prominent Dallas person that liked Leslie was Chris of Dallas Decoder

Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 67 – ‘Making of a President’

“Making of a President” introduces one of my favorite “Dallas” characters: public relations whiz Leslie Stewart, played to perfection by Susan Flannery. Leslie only sticks around for a half-season …

dallasdecoder.com

 

[Seaviewer]

I'm definitely in the minority here but on a recent rewatch I liked the character of Leslie Stewart. At this point in the series both Sue Ellen and Pam were simpering messes from episode to episode. Leslie's devious/forceful approach was a breath of fresh air. And in the final scene between JR and Leslie they both acknowledge the sex between them wasn't what they expected...kind of underwhelming.

Am I missing something?

I'm not sure I'd say I "liked" her, but I've never understood the overwhelming negative opinion about her either.

 

[Bobby Southworth]

One other, mildly comical thought that I was just reminded of, pertaining to Clint.. I remember when first viewing these episodes in syndication back when it was on TNN here in the U,S.; I remember having the thought- Sue Ellen is dating a character played by the same actor who was Doc Baker? I didn't 'really' think it was the same actor, but can anyone else see this, at least a little?

Aside from being boring, Clint also seemed a little too old to be a classmate of Sue Ellen's. Without looking it up right this second, I'm going to assume they were actually relatively close in age, but she just looked younger, to me at least. I suppose J.R. looked a little older than her at the time as well, but not as much so. J.R. could have been supposed to be a little older, considering they didn't meet in school, but they looked to be in a more similar age range.

Edit-so, I feel like deleting at least part of this post because I did the research, and there was actually more of an age difference between Larry and Linda. Just goes to show looks can be deceiving.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I'm not sure I'd say I "liked" her, but I've never understood the overwhelming negative opinion about her either.

some people get realllly upset when JR shows interest in someone not young enough to be his daughter. (Sue Ellen, as wife #1, gets a pass, with Linda being a bit under 9 years younger than Larry.) It’s weird…

 

[Toni]

I´d have others in that season over that Stewart lady. Eg Sally Bullock, or Marilee Stone allying with J.R. for "business and pleasure". LS´s raison d´être was telling us that Jeremy (allegedly) was not gay, though she could have been the perfect "beard" for him. Only she and Swellin in her last season could attract Skeletor. I can see him having an affair with Dave Stratton though... who had what it takes to be called "p*rnstache".

"Is there a gun in your pocket or you just are happy to see me, Mr. Wendell?"​

 

[CeeCee72]

I'm not sure I'd say I "liked" her, but I've never understood the overwhelming negative opinion about her either.

I didn't dislike the character and I could tolerate the storyline. Susan is a fine actress but she had zero chemistry with Larry Hagman. Their attraction to each felt dull and listless to me. Makes sense why the sex between them sucked - no chemistry.

 

[Bobby Southworth]

I didn't dislike the character and I could tolerate the storyline. Susan is a fine actress but she had zero chemistry with Larry Hagman. Their attraction to each felt dull and listless to me. Makes sense why the sex between them sucked - no chemistry.

Yes, This. ^
I believe you hit the nail on the head. Their chemistry was just off, and it almost makes you wonder if TPTB realized this, and hence the conclusion to the whole ordeal.

I mean, it's been said ad nauseam that J.R. enjoyed the chase, and obviously that's the angle they went with here, his obsession is more or less because she's playing hard to get, and he views it as a challenge, and also probably wasn't used to this dynamic, the way it dragged on(and it did..), but the chemistry being off between the two somewhat undermined this reason.

 

[Billy Wall]

It's not just the chemistry. One reason I believe people didn't like Leslie Stewart was because she was an outsider that made the star of the show, JR, look like an idiot. Gaining Jock's approval was the most important thing in JR's life and JR getting back in the cartel would go a long way to gaining his approval, but he lets Leslie sabotage the deal?

 

[Rove]

made the star of the show, JR, look like an idiot.

And yet this is exactly what happened to JR as Dallas limped to its inevitable end.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

It's not just the chemistry. One reason I believe people didn't like Leslie Stewart was because she was an outsider that made the star of the show, JR, look like an idiot. Gaining Jock's approval was the most important thing in JR's life and JR getting back in the cartel would go a long way to gaining his approval, but he lets Leslie sabotage the deal?

the thing is… sabotaging the cartel deal is one thing, but taking out giant ads in national newspapers without approval, with controversial statements and positions that are contrary to the founder and 100% owner’s beliefs?! That would get a consultant fired instantly and blackballed from the oil business in the whole state. Who would want to hire someone who would do that?

I think the only thing that makes sense is if she’d been working for Wendell all along, and her task was to weaken Ewing Oil and make it easier for Weststar to acquire.. (or something like that… I’m like a broken record on this thread!)

 

[Willie Oleson]

I would have preferred Leslie-Anne or Leslie-Jo instead of Leslie.
"Leslie Stewart" sounds like a male name from a 1940s noir film, Oh, wait, was that intentional?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I would have preferred Leslie-Anne or Leslie-Jo instead of Leslie.
"Leslie Stewart" sounds like a male name from a 1940s noir film, Oh, wait, was that intentional?

Oh, Leslie-Jo is perfect for DALLAS!

 

[Bobby Southworth]

It's not just the chemistry. One reason I believe people didn't like Leslie Stewart was because she was an outsider that made the star of the show, JR, look like an idiot. Gaining Jock's approval was the most important thing in JR's life and JR getting back in the cartel would go a long way to gaining his approval, but he lets Leslie sabotage the deal?

While I do think the chemistry was a big part of the problem, yes, this is a very good point. The fact that she was in a sense making the J.R. character look stupid. It was much too early, and right after the big "Who Shot J.R." phenomenon for anyone to really want to see this.

And yet this is exactly what happened to JR as Dallas limped to its inevitable end.

Exactly, and it seems no one really wanted to see it, even 7-8 years later.