Dallas Couples Ray and Donna - Appreciation Thread

[DallasFanForever]

I'm just done rewatching 1983 - 84 season and Ray and Donna were so great this season.

The Mickey Trotter death aftermath and the Edgar Randolph stuff showcased how wonderful they were as a couple. It breaks my heart that they didn't end up together same as Pam and Bobby.

Not looking forward to 1984 - 85 and them drifting apart. I'm glad I still have the dream to look forward to though.

One could make the case that the 83-84 season was their best in terms of storyline quality but I prefer them in the Dream Season myself.

Their making up after Bobby’s death, the Downs Syndrome story, the adoption story, etc. I think these were their best scenes/storylines on the show.

 

[Karin Schill]

Ray was the one cheating. Not Bonnie. Lol

Yes but Bonnie is not without blame since she knew she was sleeping with a married man. IMHO that is not okay.

 

[Mrs Bobby James Ewing]

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I love this thread dedicated to Ray&Donna and I love chatting with everyone about them.

 

[Mrs Bobby James Ewing]

Happy 4th of July everyone! I love this awesome thread dedicated to Donna&Ray and original Dallas rocks.

 

[Monzo]

If writers had prefered Jenna with Cliff instead of Ray what would have happened to Ray & Donna? Both actors seemed to be committed to Dallas, so I assume they wouldn't have left the show on their own. Would Ray & Donna be there until the end or would they have been written out anyway in seasons 11 or 12 because of budget cuts?

 

[DallasFanForever]

If writers had prefered Jenna with Cliff instead of Ray what would have happened to Ray & Donna? Both actors seemed to be committed to Dallas, so I assume they wouldn't have left the show on their own. Would Ray & Donna be there until the end or would they have been written out anyway in seasons 11 or 12 because of budget cuts?

I think it’s safe to say they would’ve been written out anyway due to the cuts. Writing them out together would’ve been good as they could still have their happy ending but I guess that wasn’t an option considering they left after separate seasons.

 

[Karin Schill]

I think in retrospect it would have been better to write out Donna & Ray the same season and give them their happy ending.

They did do a lot of damage in season 10 but it could have been salvaged. I mean all they had to do in season 11 would have been to put Jenna back with Bobby after Pam's departure and have Ray and Donna patch things up and then have Ray move to Washington to be with his daughter and Donna. I mean Bobby did the storyline in Washington with getting the Ewing Oil name back. So we could have seen Donna in Washington and Ray could have somehow been involved.

 

[Mrs Bobby James Ewing]

@Karin Schill, I love your ideas for how you would have tried to salvage Donna&Ray's story line after Pam left the show. I didn't like Senator Andrew Dowling at all, I thought he and Donna were very boring together.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I didn't like Senator Andrew Dowling at all, I thought he and Donna were very boring together.

I didn’t like Senator Dowling either. He seemed like a decent enough guy and I’ll say he did care for Donna but I just couldn’t get vested in them as a couple. I found them extremely boring compared to Donna and Ray.

 

[Karin Schill]

I didn't like Andrew Dowling either. He must have been one of the most bland characters of the entire show. I mean for one thing he started courting a pregnant woman who was married to someone else. It is not cool. It might have started out as a friendship and if it had stayed as just a friendship it would have been fine. But on soaps it seems like men and women are unable to be just friends. There's always has to be a romance.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I didn't like Andrew Dowling either. He must have been one of the most bland characters of the entire show. I mean for one thing he started courting a pregnant woman who was married to someone else. It is not cool. It might have started out as a friendship and if it had stayed as just a friendship it would have been fine. But on soaps it seems like men and women are unable to be just friends. There's always has to be a romance.

I agree. Going after someone that’s married is never the right thing to do imo. Of course if this were done with soaps then they would be a lot less exciting to watch LOL

 

[Mrs Bobby James Ewing]

I love this thread dedicated Donna&Ray. I have been watching clips and Karin Schill’s music videos of them recently. It is so sad that we didn’t get a happy ending for them with their daughter Margaret.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Donna and Ray’s ending was totally off for me. They deserved much better. Karin is right that they could’ve reunited them somehow instead of putting Ray with Jenna. They could’ve had Ray finally come to his senses at the end of the season and join Donna and Margaret in DC, claiming he was wrong all along about the way he acted and he can’t live without them both. Something like that. They were too great a couple to have them end the way they did.

But of course we know life isn’t always about happy endings. Especially when it comes to soap couples.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I’ve been watching some clips from the dream season this weekend and I’m always amazed at how great Ray and Donna were this season. From the very first episode when they make up after Bobby’s death, which I think is my all time favorite scene between them, through the heartbreak of learning their baby has DS, to losing the baby, to adopting Tony, they sure went through a lot that season as a couple.

One thing in particular I had forgotten about was when the adoption agency told them they couldn’t adopt because of Ray’s murder conviction. That was a nice touch putting that in. I liked seeing Mickey being remembered and that whole storyline not just being swept under the rug.

 

[Billy Wall]

Donna and Ray’s ending was totally off for me. They deserved much better. Karin is right that they could’ve reunited them somehow instead of putting Ray with Jenna. They could’ve had Ray finally come to his senses at the end of the season and join Donna and Margaret in DC, claiming he was wrong all along about the way he acted and he can’t live without them both. Something like that. They were too great a couple to have them end the way they did.

But of course we know life isn’t always about happy endings. Especially when it comes to soap couples.

I liked Ray, but they turned him totally unlikable. He was downright mean when him and Donna were separated.

 

[Karin Schill]

Well I don't think Donna came off that well in their breakup either. I mean she was the one who walked out on him although she was pregnant and she was the one who filed for divorce. Yes Ray wasn't nice when he hired a lawyer and fought Donna for custody of their unborn child. But what was he supposed to do?

I mean Donna chose to move to Washington DC. It was like Ray had nothing to say about it. She decided their marriage was over. It was not what Ray wanted.

I’ve been watching some clips from the dream season this weekend and I’m always amazed at how great Ray and Donna were this season.

I agree Donna & Ray in the dream season were great. They had some really interesting storylines. I think after seeing them work through their problems and making their marriage work in the dream, it made it even harder to watch the following season where everything just fell apart instead.

Although I must say that season 10 did bring one good thing with it. Donna & Ray became parents to a healthy baby girl. I think for any fanfic/reboot Margaret has more potential as a character than Tony would ever have.

 

[TheDeadBobby]

Susan was an amazingly talented actor, one of the best on the show IMO. Steve was pretty darn good too. I met them briefly in person and got to watch them shoot a few scenes. They were both very friendly and seemed to be glad to pose for a picture.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Donna & Ray became parents to a healthy baby girl. I think for any fanfic/reboot Margaret has more potential as a character than Tony would ever have.

I think one of the big mistakes of TNT Dallas was not bringing in the Margaret character. I would’ve liked to have seen her interactions with John Ross and Christopher. As the daughter of the “half breed” there could’ve been some natural dislike and resentment on John Ross’s part, basically continuing his daddy’s treatment of Ray.

 

[Mrs Bobby James Ewing]

I watched the episode A Death in the Family earlier tonight. I felt so bad for Donna in that episode when Ray walked away from her angry and bitter after they met with their lawyers to sign their property settlement papers. I love them so much and they deserved to have their happy ending with their daughter Margaret.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I watched the episode A Death in the Family earlier tonight. I felt so bad for Donna in that episode when Ray walked away from her angry and bitter after they met with their lawyers to sign their property settlement papers. I love them so much and they deserved to have their happy ending with their daughter Margaret.

It was a sad end to a great couple. They deserved so much better.