"The Baby"

[Billy Nolan]

I'm a first-time viewer of Dallas, along with my wife. I was already familiar with some episodes and plot points, but now I want to watch it consciously. Here's what I've noticed so far: In season 3, whenever Sue Ellen, Miss Ellie, Jock, or anyone else talks about John Ross Jr., they don't use his name but refer to him distantly as "the baby." "I'm going to see the baby." "Are you seeing the baby?" "What's the baby doing?" "Is the baby asleep?"

Even Miss Ellie, as the grandmother, and Sue Ellen, who tenderly cares for her child at the end of the season, use this distant form of address.

I think this is very unbelievable and doesn't create much connection or sympathy for the characters. At least, that's how we feel. Knots Landing and Falcon Crest handled this much better and with more emotional impact.

 

[James from London]

I like the distance, the coldness. That's what set the Ewings apart.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

I'm a first-time viewer of Dallas, along with my wife. I was already familiar with some episodes and plot points, but now I want to watch it consciously. Here's what I've noticed so far: In season 3, whenever Sue Ellen, Miss Ellie, Jock, or anyone else talks about John Ross Jr., they don't use his name but refer to him distantly as "the baby." "I'm going to see the baby." "Are you seeing the baby?" "What's the baby doing?" "Is the baby asleep?"

Even Miss Ellie, as the grandmother, and Sue Ellen, who tenderly cares for her child at the end of the season, use this distant form of address.

I think this is very unbelievable and doesn't create much connection or sympathy for the characters. At least, that's how we feel. Knots Landing and Falcon Crest handled this much better and with more emotional impact.

It's a very upper crust attitude -- frankly, more upper crust than the gauche Ewings seemed to be. The reason the children of the rich grow up to run down the street as adults with their hair on fire is the result of the perverse combination of too much economic privilege and too little affection or healthy attention; the wealthy almost seem to find emotionally nurturing their offspring to be distasteful or even embarrassing.

Which is just one reason that the Ewings, despite their bank balances, come off more middleclass than super-rich: they're not nearly as aloof to the kids as the real rich folks.

They're TV rich, so a few cuddles are in order -- and occur. Even if it seems inadequate to healthy, working-class folks.

 

[Guzzler’s Frightening Hair]

I like how he progressed from Baby John to Little John to John Ross over the course of a season or two.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

I like the distance, the coldness. That's what set the Ewings apart.

Agreed. As I have said on other threads, children seemed to be nothing more than accessories to the Ewings.

 

[Billy Nolan]

I understand all of this if it's meant to be a stylistic device to make the Ewings seem rather "cold" or unapproachable.

Personally, I don't like it. That's probably one of the reasons why I can't really warm to Dallas.

However, I still like Ray and Donna.