Dallas Random Thought Thread

[Billy Wall]

Bobby had to be the biggest sap on the show. How can this man talk good about Sheila when she was responsible for April's death?

 

[Michelle Stevens]

Dallas Random Thought:

Front End Friday!

And it's a special occasion. Look at the top of the grill. They taped over the word JEEP on Ray's car!

View attachment 52617

That is a great catch. No product placement of American Motors I see.

They had no problem with Ford product placement ...

or Chevrolet.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Bobby had to be the biggest sap on the show. How can this man talk good about Sheila when she was responsible for April's death?

The worst thing he could’ve done was get close to Jory because I think that softened him considerably when it came to how he was planning to handle his revenge on Sheila. In retrospect maybe he should’ve let Michelle handle everything her way.

 

[CeeCee72]

No one should have been surprised by the way Bobby "handled" Sheila. After all, he let Katherine waltz right out of the hospital after Pam's accident - and the woman had tried to kill HIM.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Dallas Random Thought

Front End Friday!

Clayton Farlow's Rolls Royce

 

[Michelle Stevens]

Friday 3 May ... thirty-three years ago it all ended.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Friday 3 May ... thirty-three years ago it all ended

Interesting how the show evolved over time. When you watch the mini series, Pam and Bobby are the main characters. You would think the final episode of the series would revolve around those two.

Once Larry Hagman developed the character of J.R. things shifted. I think the writers were smart to go along with that change in dynamic.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

Watching cliffhanger to season 6! Southfork burns while Ray tries to kill JR....

A terrific closer and my favorite. A point that was touched on but not elaborated until the following season was that the bad things that happened were NOT entirely JR's fault.
Walt Driscol ramming the car- not JR's fault as Bobby and Ray did far more harm.
Holly Harwood- Despite Louis Chiles and her spotty acting, she caused more harm than anyone sending Sue Ellen over the edge.
Bobby & Ray- they set Walt up, sending him to jail, when all JR did was steal some money....


Not sure if it was wise to make Ray so angry and violent with JR. How do you come back from that? Brother or not, JR would be kinda pissed his home was nearly lost along with his life from something that was NOT really his fault- sure he got the ball rolling, but it was Bobby's delusion and self-righteousness and Ray's ego that caused the problem.... that continued on with Holly.

Never will understand why Duffy wanted out when the show was on both creatively and literally on fire.... he had many great moments, I loved his shades of grey, doing shady deals and explaining them away as Business. JR did it, but he was never delusional about his intentions, like Bobby. Seems like Duffy was a fool for leaving and bigger fools brought him back.

Friday 3 May ... thirty-three years ago it all ended.

Mercy kill.

I was rewatching the scene where Miss Ellie tells JR and Bobby that he gave half of Southfork to Clayton.
Bobby had a distasteful look on his face, even though he accepted it with difficulty.
JR was 100% right to object. It stopped being solely a Southworth legacy when Jock saved it from the auction block.
Bobby should have supported JR, instead of enabling Miss Ellie's
shameful disregard for her sons.

If Miss Ellie predeceased Clayton, then presumably Clayton would be the sole owner, unless Texas Law says differently,
and The Ewing children/grandchildren would have no claim.
Miss Ellie did give away a Ewing birthright, it was a disgrace to Jock's memory.

JR was right to point out that Clayton was getting the benefit of Jock's hard work.
Shame on Miss Ellie for whining and rationalizing that JR and Bobby had their own lives, and trying to guilt trip JR about caring for
her happiness, when she didn't care about how this decision would effect her children.

I wish JR had continued to stay away from Southfork, and have the writers develop a story where
he manipulates events to gain the title.


It may be unpopular but I think Donna Reed has some good moments.

There was the scene with Sue Ellen when she talked about how JR worshipped his father, and how Ewing Oil was
what he had left of his father, and how Sue Ellen was the one of the two who had the best ability to
heal their marriage.
I once read that Donna Read knew of Oil Baron and their wives back in Oklahoma, and how
she modeled the character as such.
Donna Reed certainly dressed more stylishly than BBG
People forget than Donna Reed won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in "From Here to Eternity"
portrayed Mary Baily in "It's a Wonderful Life" and led her own sitcom, "The Donna Reed Show"
for 8 seasons, a show in which she was more assertive than most TV mothers of the era.

I could understand that her role on Dallas didn't please everyone, but she was a respected, accomplished actress.

Her crime was that she the replacement. Reed is a fine actor and had many great moments. Even if she did return, she would have died in the middle of the next season.

 

[Billy Wall]

Watching cliffhanger to season 6! Southfork burns while Ray tries to kill JR....

A terrific closer and my favorite. A point that was touched on but not elaborated until the following season was that the bad things that happened were NOT entirely JR's fault.
Walt Driscol ramming the car- not JR's fault as Bobby and Ray did far more harm.
Holly Harwood- Despite Louis Chiles and her spotty acting, she caused more harm than anyone sending Sue Ellen over the edge.
Bobby & Ray- they set Walt up, sending him to jail, when all JR did was steal some money....


Not sure if it was wise to make Ray so angry and violent with JR. How do you come back from that? Brother or not, JR would be kinda pissed his home was nearly lost along with his life from something that was NOT really his fault- sure he got the ball rolling, but it was Bobby's delusion and self-righteousness and Ray's ego that caused the problem.... that continued on with Holly.

Never will understand why Duffy wanted out when the show was on both creatively and literally on fire.... he had many great moments, I loved his shades of grey, doing shady deals and explaining them away as Business. JR did it, but he was never delusional about his intentions, like Bobby. Seems like Duffy was a fool for leaving and bigger fools brought him back.

It wasn't all JR's fault , but he was a big culprit because he got the ball rolling with Walt Driscoll and he couldn't keep his pants on when it came to Holly Harwood.

And you're right, how could any of them, not just JR, forgive Ray for having a big hand in almost destroying Southfork? Not only does Miss Ellie not say anything to Ray, she gives him sympathy when she returns.

As for Duffy, he probably thought if he was ever going to be a movie star, the time is now.

 

[CeeCee72]

And you're right, how could any of them, not just JR, forgive Ray for having a big hand in almost destroying Southfork? Not only does Miss Ellie not say anything to Ray, she gives him sympathy when she returns.

I always thought the fire was kinda Sue Ellen's fault. It was that cooking wine she threw at JR that caused the wallpaper to catch fire so fast.

 

[Slugworth]

Finished the series.

That final episode is pure garbage. What an insult to the audience at that point expecting some sort of closure.

The final season is a chore to get through. Those plots....ugh.

The Bobby April kidnapping/murder plot was so absurd I almost stopped right there. Michelle getting her lottery ticket-Aoril's 100 million- and then of course the obsession with JR and her owning Ewing Oil might be the biggest shark jump of the series.

I also didn't see the point of bringing in Clayton occasionally with Miss Ellie gone. What a terrible way to leave the character...her and Clayton become The Hardy Boys in the previous season and then she just vanishes. We're really supposed to believe she would not return to Southfork with all that chaos and death plaguing the family? I don't buy the excuses Clayton gives for her staying away.


I plan on watching the series again pretty soon. Not a speed run this time. I'm gonna savor the early seasons but never watch the last 3-4 seasons ever again.

 

[CeeCee72]

Finished the series.

That final episode is pure garbage. What an insult to the audience at that point expecting some sort of closure.

The final season is a chore to get through. Those plots....ugh.

The Bobby April kidnapping/murder plot was so absurd I almost stopped right there. Michelle getting her lottery ticket-Aoril's 100 million- and then of course the obsession with JR and her owning Ewing Oil might be the biggest shark jump of the series.

I also didn't see the point of bringing in Clayton occasionally with Miss Ellie gone. What a terrible way to leave the character...her and Clayton become The Hardy Boys in the previous season and then she just vanishes. We're really supposed to believe she would not return to Southfork with all that chaos and death plaguing the family? I don't buy the excuses Clayton gives for her staying away.


I plan on watching the series again pretty soon. Not a speed run this time. I'm gonna savor the early seasons but never watch the last 3-4 seasons ever again.

I have only done a complete re-watch twice. I always stop after season 10 (DVD). To me, that's the last season Dallas was even remotely Dallas. Season 11 starts out okay, but then goes so far off the rails I just can't take it anymore. By the time we get to season 12, the whole show is unrecognizable.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Watching cliffhanger to season 6! Southfork burns while Ray tries to kill JR....

A terrific closer and my favorite.

A fun thing to watch for is the next episode when they are rebuilding Southfork. Bobby is talking with one of the contractors and the actor playing the contractor forgets to move off his mark and just stands there, blocking Patrick Duffy.

Patrick says something like "Sounds good. Carry on" and kind of nudges the actor to remind him to move off his mark so the scene can continue. It's a little detail that shows an experienced actor keeping the scene moving rather than stopping everything and starting over.

A point that was touched on but not elaborated until the following season was that the bad things that happened were NOT entirely JR's fault.

It wasn't all JR's fault , but he was a big culprit because he got the ball rolling with Walt Driscoll and he couldn't keep his pants on when it came to Holly Harwood.

This leads up to a great scene with J.R., Bobby, and Ray where J.R. tells them, "None of us has clean hands, boys. None of us."

And for the first time, J.R. seems to genuinely regret his actions. "We made a mess out of everything. Ewing Oil, Southfork, the family, every damn thing."

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I plan on watching the series again pretty soon. Not a speed run this time. I'm gonna savor the early seasons but never watch the last 3-4 seasons ever again.

I have only done a complete re-watch twice.

A re-watch is great because you get a different perspective on a second (or tenth) viewing.

This conversation is even better when you know in advance that Vaughn Leland is going to lose a fortune on J.R.'s deal--

Vaughn: "J.R., This is so good I'm going in on it personally . I took out large loans to buy in"
J.R. "Vaughn, there is nobody else I'd rather have in on this deal than you."

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! That line is funnier every time.

 

[Slugworth]

We're really supposed to believe she would not return to Southfork with all that chaos and death plaguing the family? I don't buy the excuses Clayton gives for her staying away.

Why wasn't she on the final season? Did they want her gone or did she just quit? Either way, she should've been killed off the previous season.

That Hardy Boys story begs for it. Ellie dies from a massive heart attack due to the stress/excitement of those investigations and the family turns on Clayton due to how he wanted her away from her family because the stress would kill her.

I always stop after season 10 (DVD).

It really is the exit stage left moment.

It's amazing they couldn't think of a halfway decent idea to deal with Pam. She was a huge part of their lives yet they're moving on immediately.

Hell ..they barely cared when she was in the hospital.

This conversation is even better when you know in advance that Vaughn Leland is going to lose a fortune on J.R.'s deal--

It was amazing how so many people will go in on something like that knowing his track record. JR had a knack for pulling people into his tractor beam.

No matter how many times he destroyed Cliff, he always came back for more.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I plan on watching the series again pretty soon. Not a speed run this time. I'm gonna savor the early seasons but never watch the last 3-4 seasons ever again.

I stop after the dream season now. That way the show ends on the cliffhanger of how Bobby got there in Pam’s shower and we never get a definitive answer. No dream explanation, no final five seasons, no reunion movies and no TNT. We’re just sitting here all these years later debating how Dallas ended and what it all meant.

 

[Seaviewer]

I'm a few episodes into season 11 now. I've never seen these since they were broadcast here. No knowing what was going to happen kept it fairly exciting then, but on rewatch I already feel like they're just going through the motions.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

Just dived into Season 7. Bobby and Pam have officially broken up... such a great scene and Victoria finally found a hairstyle that compliments her so well. ALL the ladies look great this season. The cinematography is closer to film, with shades of colors, not so stark and harsh with the light, typical of early 80's tv.....
I love the Trotter storyline, but I dread to see it as it is so sad. Charlene, Steve and Aunt Lil actress are all great. The last time Lucy has a worthwhile storyline.

As for the season 6th finale-
The best part is JR was NOT the cause of most of the problems. NOT even Sue Ellen's drinking. That was all Holly Harwood and Louise Chiles and her spotty acting. JR admits he got the ball rolling, but he did not kill Mickey.

Also too it was interesting to see Bobby and Ray do some shady things and then try to blame JR when it was not his fault.
JR has a great scene with Serina and actually feels bad for the "Trotter boy," and all the things that happened.

In a mere 2 and half seasons, the show is flushed down the toilet, not once, not twice, not three times, but four!

1. Bobby's return
2. Pamela's exit
3. JR's de-fanging (Neutering)
4. And the idiot Katzman ruined the show in other ways too by polluting other storylines.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I love the Trotter storyline, but I dread to see it as it is so sad. Charlene, Steve and Aunt Lil actress are all great. The last time Lucy has a worthwhile storyline.

The Mickey Trotter storyline hits even harder on re-watch because you know that he's not going to make it.

Another thing we need to acknowledge about this storyline:

Mickey was the only boy who made Lucy truly happy. We never saw Lucy this happy before, and we will not see Lucy this happy again.

Mickey was it for her.

 

[Jock's Ghost]

And Patrick had some excellent juicy moments in seasons 6 and 7, why did he think he'd do any better? Why was it so awful to earn some good money and some good scenes? I read his explanation and it was all ego. What could have been if Duffy had stayed? He survives the hit-and-run, recovers, and marries Pam.