Why didn't anyone like Kristin? And was she really the ideal assailant?

[LMLDallas78]

When Kristin first visited Southfork she was treated as a smart but awkward kid especially by Uncle Bobby and Jock.
When Kristin 2 appears she's no longer awkward and now she's smart in a different way but no one seems particularly fond of her.
Lucy couldn't stand her
Sue Ellen tried to like her
Pam had no interaction with her
Even Connie didn't like her
Bobby had no time for her once he was aware of how close her and JR had become.

It seems Kristin was just tolerated by everyone. Even JR got bored quickly and she was only liked by older men.
She was treated better in Knots Landing!


Did you suspect Kristin of shooting JR?
Do you believe she was capable of it?
Did she really intend to kill him?

 

[Billy Wall]

It was obvious almost from the get go that she was after JR. Some people you can just tell that they're up to no good.

As for her shooting JR, I don't know about 1980, but she'd be the number one suspect now. I think a good 80% of viewers would pick Kristen as the shooter. And yes, I believe she intended to kill him.

 

[KayLloyd]

When Kristin first visited Southfork she was treated as a smart but awkward kid especially by Uncle Bobby and Jock.
When Kristin 2 appears she's no longer awkward and now she's smart in a different way but no one seems particularly fond of her.
Lucy couldn't stand her
Sue Ellen tried to like her
Pam had no interaction with her
Even Connie didn't like her
Bobby had no time for her once he was aware of how close her and JR had become.

It seems Kristin was just tolerated by everyone. Even JR got bored quickly and she was only liked by older men.
She was treated better in Knots Landing!


Did you suspect Kristin of shooting JR?
Do you believe she was capable of it?
Did she really intend to kill him?

I thought it might be either Alan Beam or Kristen. I knew that the shooter wasn't going to be one of the main characters, it was going to be an expendable minor character. She was the best choice, she had served her purpose and was conniving enough to try to frame Sue Ellen.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

The casting had a lot to do with it. Kristin #1 came off as a trailer park skank, while Kristin #2 was the viperish seductress,, the "Lady Dracula" Lucy described her.

I was only a sporadic DALLAS viewer before 'WSJR?' (yes, I'm that old) so I wasn't sure who was the most likely assailant (out of perversity, I wanted it to be Miss Ellie, but assumed it wouldn't be --- it was only a few years ago that I saw Barbara's shooting "outtake", where she pulls the trigger and then, Ellie being Ellie, frets about it).

In the case of Kristin #2, it was the casting which made it work.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I wasn’t watching at the time but I probably would’ve suspected Kristin over most of them. Alan or Vaughn would’ve been prime suspects for me as well. Ken was so good in the aftermath of the shooting that he actually had me wondering for awhile if it could be Cliff.

I wouldn’t have wanted it to be Kristin though. In hindsight you had to figure the shooter was most likely leaving the show and I loved the character too much to lose her at that point. I felt there was a lot more life left in the character. We did get a brief return but I always wanted Kristin to stick around longer.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Kristin #1 came off as a trailer park skank

Aww that's tight.
I really liked Coleen Camp, she had something a bit different, in an unusual way.

out of perversity, I wanted it to be Miss Ellie,

That really would have been something. All those missed slaps she could have made up for.

Ken was so good in the aftermath of the shooting that he actually had me wondering for awhile if it could be Cliff.

I was too young at the time to work out Cliff was too obvious and it probably had to be someone who was going out of it. By Cliff's behaviour I really did think it could be him. I was a little disappointed it was Kristin but secretly happy when she was packed up and gone.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Aww that's tight.
I really liked Coleen Camp, she had something a bit different, in an unusual way.

I did, too! I wasn't criticizing the actress!

 

[Willie Oleson]

It was obvious almost from the get go that she was after JR.

Because her oldest daughter was a "lazy and ungrateful" wife, machiavellian Patricia encouraged her youngest daughter to take her place just to keep the precious Ewing name in the family.

Kristin was one of the most awesome Dallas characters, imo.
Initially installed at Ewing Oil for no other reason than to be physically close to JR, she started to take her job seriously and was actually quite good at it.
As opposed to the 80s TV tycoonettes who installed themselves behind a big desk and doing anything but work.
It was fun to see how Kristin worked herself into the scorned mistress trap, but at the same time I think her clingy attitude weakened her character somewhat.
She was a reasonable choice for a death victim, it's something that a soap needs to do every now and then, but I don't think that dead bodies actually float.
People drown because they sink.

 

[LMLDallas78]

People drown because they sink.

She didn't have too far to sink in that little pool.

Bobby once said she looked like a drowned rat ("Sue Ellen's sister") he must have had a preminition!
Psychic Bobby.

 

[DallasFanForever]

She didn't have too far to sink in that little pool.

Bobby once said she looked like a drowned rat ("Sue Ellen's sister") he must have had a preminition!
Psychic Bobby.

Those poor Dallas secretaries! They really warrant their own thread. They thought they could fly, they weren’t good swimmers, they released secret information to the opposition, they fell off apartment buildings to their death, they couldn’t boil water and they couldn’t stop anyone from entering J.R. and Bobby’s offices without an appointment. It’s all so tragic!

 

[LMLDallas78]

Those poor Dallas secretaries! They really warrant their own thread. They thought they could fly, they weren’t good swimmers, they released secret information to the opposition, they fell off apartment buildings to their death, they couldn’t boil water and they couldn’t stop anyone from entering J.R. and Bobby’s offices without an appointment. It’s all so tragic!

Start that thread DFF!

Kristin deserved it, she couldn't even make a decent cup of coffee!
That really is tragic, Momma forgetting to teach her that.

 

[Top Jimmy]

Before the shooting, the only characters who seemed to like Kristin were Jock and Miss Ellie. Remember how she would always try to act so innocent around her "Uncle Jock?" It would have been interesting to see if she turned out not to be the shooter if the writers would have had her move to California anyway or keep her around. They most likely would have had her stay alive and move away after she burned all her bridges in Dallas. At the time when the shooting aired, I was too young to make an educated guess, but I thought it was Cliff. Sue Ellen was too obvious, and as a child, I thought she was too drunk to hit her target even if she tried. Kristin was definitely an awesome character. She should have had her own spin off in California detailing her life with sleazy drug dealer Jeff Farraday.

 

[Billy Wall]

She didn't have too far to sink in that little pool.

Bobby once said she looked like a drowned rat ("Sue Ellen's sister") he must have had a preminition!
Psychic Bobby.

He also predicted that Ewing Oil will be destroyed by JR years before it happened. Lol

 

[DallasFanForever]

What really bothered me about Kristin though was she could really be a little naive at times for someone that thought she was so smart. She openly pouted over J.R. seeing other women but what did she expect? The guy was cheating on his wife with her own sister so did Kristin really expect him to stay loyal to her?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

What really bothered me about Kristin though was she could really be a little naive at times for someone that thought she was so smart. She openly pouted over J.R. seeing other women but what did she expect? The guy was cheating on his wife with her own sister so did Kristin really expect him to stay loyal to her?

Side-pieces. Who the hell knows what they want??

 

[Billy Wall]

What really bothered me about Kristin though was she could really be a little naive at times for someone that thought she was so smart. She openly pouted over J.R. seeing other women but what did she expect? The guy was cheating on his wife with her own sister so did Kristin really expect him to stay loyal to her?

You got to remember, Kristen was young. I could definitely see someone her age being that naive. Look at Peter. He actually thought Sue Ellen was going to give up everything to go live with him in some small apartment.

 

[DallasFanForever]

You got to remember, Kristen was young. I could definitely see someone her age being that naive

Yes, that’s a great point. I guess I just expected better from her considering how cunning she could be. Hard to believe she was that young sometimes.

Look at Peter. He actually thought Sue Ellen was going to give up everything to go live with him in some small apartment.

Now this goes way beyond naïveté. This guy was delusional.

 

[LMLDallas78]

Now this goes way beyond naïveté. This guy was delusional.

Very delusional.

To be fair to Kristin JR did promise her she'd be the next Mrs Ewing, which she believed even though he was stringing her along.

Sue Ellen never once gave Peter any indication that she would stay anywhere with him, let alone move in with him. When he rented an apartment Sue Ellen said in disbelief, "Peter you absolutely amaze me". Then she told him not to call her or pop up anywhere. She tried to tell him many times.

You got to remember, Kristen was young. I could definitely see someone her age being that naive. Look at Peter. He actually thought Sue Ellen was going to give up everything to go live with him in some small apartment.

It's understandable Kristin would believe JR and probably didn't have much experience especially with men like him. She thought she was special and couldn't believe that JR would treat her badly. She blamed her sister solely for her unhappy marriage.

 

[Toni]

Start that thread DFF!

Kristin deserved it, she couldn't even make a decent cup of coffee!
That really is tragic, Momma forgetting to teach her that.

We shouldn´t be worried about that. She soon went to Knots Landing and met Val, who taught her her infamous way of making coffee!

Gary: "From one black sheep to another: I hope you like it strong!"
Kristin: "Oh yeah Gary. I can take it as strong as it can be..."


Val: "Oh please Kristin. Tell me it´s the best coffee you ever had..."
Kristin: "Oh sure. Now I´ve got to go to the bathroom."​

 

[Laurie Marr]

You got to remember, Kristen was young. I could definitely see someone her age being that naive. Look at Peter. He actually thought Sue Ellen was going to give up everything to go live with him in some small apartment.

Crosby was 19 when she joined the show and only 21 when JR got slugged.