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

[Billy Wall]

I don't know if anyone has ever said this, but Leslie Stewart Should have been working for either Jordan Lee/the cartel or Marilee. The cartel was still seething about the Asian oil leases and would have had the motivation to still want to see JR ruined.

For a show that's good with twist, I wonder why no one thought of that idea. It would have elevated the cartel from just a group of oilmen that JR deals with from time to time, to major character on Dallas. It would have also made a dreary storyline 100% better.

 

[CeeCee72]

That is a great idea. I think the writers saw the cartel members as little more than plot devices and never considered actual stories for any of them.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

the notion that she’d be openly defying orders, undermining the efforts of Ewing Oil, collecting evidence on the guy who hired her (well, maybe that one’s ok as it’s “for protection”)…. and *anyone* would want to hire her as a consultant after that (let alone JR flat out somewhat earnestly wanting a full-on “leave my wife” relationship with her)… is just completely PREPOSTEROUS.

Jock, for one, wouldn’t have stopped at a “misogynistic lecture to JR” that primarily served to spur along the “Jock and Ellie have marital difficulties” storyline… he’d have had her run her out of town on a rail about 3 minutes after seeing that ad in the paper. It was still 100% his company, after all.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Interestingly, she promised JR a halo and he did get away with his international political manipulation.

I'm beginning to think that Leslie Stewart was never "there", a Capra-esque ghost who only interacted with JR (and her ex-husband, just to obscure the idea).
When Leslie's gone she's really gone, as if she'd never existed at all. Which, like totally, supports my theory.

 

[lbf522]

The whole Leslie Stewart storyline was silly. No amount of public relations would induce anyone to want to do business with Ewing Oil with JR at the helm. As it has been said, JR's reputation would have preceeded. I also don't see the Cartel wanting to do business with JR after he screwed them over in the Asian Oil wells.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

That is a great idea. I think the writers saw the cartel members as little more than plot devices and never considered actual stories for any of them.

the writers, like the business community of Dallas and Texas at large, were too intimidated by the dynamism of the formidable Andy Bradley to know what to do with him..

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Most of you are probably right. But big business does stupid, nonsensical things all the time.

So, there's that.

 

[Bobby Southworth]

I don't know if anyone has ever said this, but Leslie Stewart Should have been working for either Jordan Lee/the cartel or Marilee. The cartel was still seething about the Asian oil leases and would have had the motivation to still want to see JR ruined.

For a show that's good with twist, I wonder why no one thought of that idea. It would have elevated the cartel from just a group of oilmen that JR deals with from time to time, to major character on Dallas. It would have also made a dreary storyline 100% better.

I echo that I like that idea better than how it was actually written. For me, every time I have done a re-watch of season 4, seeing Leslie Stewart pretty much means the air has been let out of the balloon for the remainder of the season..

The problem wasn't just Leslie. The season got off to such a great start, and then, it gets a little boring, and somewhat depressing for the last..almost half? I mean, I kind of enjoy the drama between Jock and Miss Ellie, but it somehow seems a little too icy.. it's also hard seeing Jim Davis going through what he was. Barbara played it cold as ice, and Jim in real life was sick, and it's obvious.

It seems several elements just fell into place around that time that affected the show. It was still good, but Leslie.. the whole JR being totally obsessed with getting her into bed...something about the whole ordeal just didn't ring true. Unfortunately, even though I've heard good things about the actress on other shows, either feel she was written rather dull here, or something was off with the acting.
Let's not even get started on Clint and Alex Ward. At least Alex was gone by this time, I believe?

 

[CeeCee72]

Clint and Leslie were two of the most boring characters in the history of Dallas. Having them shoved in our faces repeatedly even though they had zero chemistry with Hagman and Gray was almost too much to stand. I was so relieved when Leslie left and Sue Ellen returned to Dusty. Both the "romances" between JR and Leslie and Sue Ellen and Clint were dull as dirty dish water.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Clint and Leslie were two of the most boring characters in the history of Dallas. Having them shoved in our faces repeatedly even though they had zero chemistry with Hagman and Gray was almost too much to stand. I was so relieved when Leslie left and Sue Ellen returned to Dusty. Both the "romances" between JR and Leslie and Sue Ellen and Clint were dull as dirty dish water.

I could tolerate the reptilian presence of Leslie to a point. But the casting of Clint was just inexplicable... Who signed Monte Markham? Is this a '70s cop show?

The irony that the most boring season of DALLAS opened with 'Who Shot JR?' is just bizarre. And I'm still convinced that the uncredited John Scott stock score (resulting from the 1980 composers' strike) was half of the problem, because once the strike was over and new scores were written, the show suddenly perked up... Can't be a coincidence.

Music is not just background noise. Bad scores made most of DYNASTY worse than it had to be.

 

[Chris2]

Leslie Stewart was ”uppity”, according to Jock.

 

[CeeCee72]

Leslie Stewart was ”uppity”, according to Jock.

And according to Jock, women belong in the bedroom, not the boardroom.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Jeremy Wendell, Leslie Stewart and Lady Jessica should have joined forces during the last couple of years of DALLAS as a kind of BATMAN-style trio of villains out to get the Ewings once-and-for-all, taking orders from a speakerphone with the voice of the ghost of Katherine Wentworth providing instructions.

 

[CeeCee72]

Jeremy Wendell, Leslie Stewart and Lady Jessica should have joined forces during the last couple of years of DALLAS as a kind of BATMAN-style trio of villains out to get the Ewings once-and-for-all, taking orders from a speakerphone with the voice of the ghost of Katherine Wentworth providing instructions.

A bit campy, but way better than what we got.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

A bit campy, but way better than what we got.

With one of them reclining on a swing, Pam's perfectly preserved body in repose inside a glass coffin in the middle of a luxurious suite somewhere atop a skyscraper in Dallas, tilted camera angles for dramatic effect.

What are the Ewings to do?

 

[Chris2]

Jeremy Wendell, Leslie Stewart and Lady Jessica should have joined forces during the last couple of years of DALLAS as a kind of BATMAN-style trio of villains out to get the Ewings once-and-for-all, taking orders from a speakerphone with the voice of the ghost of Katherine Wentworth providing instructions.

I would have watched that. With Muriel Gillis as their assistant. She never forgave Jock for making fun of her name.

 

[Rove]

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?

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

I would have watched that. With Muriel Gillis as their assistant. She never forgave Jock for making fun of her name.

never turn someone with that level of studious brainpower against yourself! In this case, as she was with the Dream Season’s Angelica Nero and Matt Cantrell, Muriel would have been behind the scenes orchestrating everything, perhaps even providing the “Katherine’s Ghost” voice..

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 like the idea of the character, as well as the actress.. it just seemed the writing was odd. Taking out a series of full-page ads in the country’s biggest papers, completely unvetted, featuring a position Jock and JR would find laughable at best? Missing out on a piddly little strip mining deal with the Cartel would have been the least of Jock’s complaints!

That might have been the first “hard to suspend disbelief for this” Leslie moment, but there were others later. Maybe, as someone said above I believe, Wendell should have been bankrolling her all along..

 

[Chris2]

I would have liked to have seen Susan Flannery, who is so good at playing formidable characters, portray someone who was more of an equal to JR - perhaps a partner, instead of some marketing person.

 

[Bobby Southworth]

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?

Well, you did mention the best part of the whole story-line, in my opinion, the bad sex, and the awkward moment after. LOL.

What you brought up here is a refreshing perspective. I'm not really in agreement, but..at the moment, something I never thought with Dallas is happening, but I'm actually having trouble remembering..I'm blanking on exactly what was going on with Pam around that time..Sue Ellen, I know was Clint, and I'll give you that one. At some point, I will have to re-watch, and try reevaluating.

It's starting to come back..Pam was feeling rejected by Rebecca..still can't remember what the problem was with Bobby, but I'm sure there was one.

You might be the first person to ever say on here that they enjoyed the character, and I like this. I just recently posted something on an unrelated message board that was my honest perspective, and it's funny how people turn on someone for not being in agreement, when in a lot of ways, that's what makes these types of forums enjoyable. Hearing different perspectives, and trying to understand, and maybe even politely argue.

I did enjoy Leslie getting Jock riled up, but unfortunately, probably because of Jim's health, there wasn't quite enough of that.