Jump to content

Dallas: Discussion Thread


John

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1.6k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

I apologize that I don't have the specific episodes, but all of my favorite Cliff moments were when he was able to experience a small victory over JR (even though the rug would inevitably be pulled from underneath him the following week). 

 

In S3 (the Who Shot JR? season) there is an episode where Cliff is on some governmental board and JR needs some sort of drilling variance and Cliff is able to reject it; which I think is the first time that Cliff was able to flex his power  Then, in the S5 finale ep, Cliff and the cartel think they are able to buy Ewing Oil because JR defaults on a loan, but Cliff becomes the cliffhanger when JR double crosses him.

Edited by j swift
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Thank you! I agree it was always good when Cliff was able to have a small victory over JR. 

 

I've just re-watched Election from S1, which sees Cliff's political career sabotaged by JR dredging up a past tragedy. Ken Kercheval is very good in that episode. He really brought a lot to the show. 

Edited by Adamski
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Since I found out that all fourteen seasons of Dallas were on the IMDb Freedive I've been watching from Season 1 now I'm on S3:The Silent Killer the one about a recast Digger Barnes coming back to town who is diagnosed with a genetic condition that could be passed on Cliff and Pamela. 

 

This is my first time watching Dallas since I was only 1 year old when the show ended back in the day. This show along with Knots Landing are two primetime soaps that l always wanted to check out. But never got the chance since I didn't grow up with cable meaning no SoapNet to see them in reruns. 

 

Surprisingly one of my favorite characters on this show is Miss Ellie Ewing 

 

Barbara Bel Geddes brings something extra to this southern matriarch who can command respect from the men in her family without even raising her voice. I love how she even told Jock that she didn't need his last name to feel secure because she was a "Southworth" 

 

And Bobby is such a precious cinnamon roll as the youngest child who is most like his mother in terms of temperament. He definitely feels sort of the family gatekeeper. 

 

Lucy and Pamela's relationship is something l like since she is craving a motherly influence and if already her being engaged to a man who is in the closet and getting hooked on drugs with the quickest recovery known to TV. I would be pissed if my family kept going on about 

 

More thoughts on the series soon from me ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ellie changes so much in the early seasons.  In S1 she's of a bit Lady Macbeth, whispering in Sue Ellen's ear to have a baby before Pam.  She was a bit more calculating before Jock died (sorry for the spoiler), then she's docile while dating Clayton until she makes a big comeback in the final season in the fight against Carter Mckay, including that legendary visual when she drives over to confront Carter in her little white convertible. 

 

Please register in order to view this content

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I can't think of any specific favorite Cliff moments, but the JR/Cliff feud was always fun to watch. Cliff was Wile E. Coyote to JR's Roadrunner. He could never get ahead of the game (though I think Cliff gained control briefly of Ewing Oil at least once), but not for lack of trying. I was glad that Ken Kercheval got to reprise Cliff one last time in the TBS reboot.

 

Please register in order to view this content

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The best Cliff scene I remember is in the first season when JR ruined his bid for governor by exposing that in college he'd dated a girl named Penny, who died during a botched abortion of their baby. Cliff revealed the truth at a press conference. He said her name in such a mournful and broken way, a world away from the clown that Cliff would so often become. This is when the show still had some nuance and wasn't focused on having the same scene a million times of Larry Hagman smirking into the camera, so the pain felt real. One of Ken Kercheval's best chances to genuinely act.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Any ever see "Lamb to the Slaughter" an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that starred Barbara Bel Geddes and Harold J. Stone. Originally broadcast on April 13, 1958, this was one of only 17 AHP episodes directed by Hitchcock himself. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Members

With the recent passing of Doris Day, I read an article that mentioned in 1984/85, Doris had been offered the lead on Murder She Wrote, but turned it down and went in negotiations to join the cast of Dallas. I wonder what role she was being considered for ? Was it when Barbara Bel Geddes left and before Donna Reed was brought in ? Doris then opted to do her own cable show on CBN "Doris Day's Best Friends". The first episode was surrounded with controversy and media frenzy when her old friend and co-star Rock Hudson appeared as her first guest. He was clearly sick and lost a huge amount of weight and barely able to converse. The media started speculating he was dying and what his illness was. It would eventually be revealed he had AIDS. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm finally attempting a full re-watch of Dallas! Everytime something happens and I end up starting over lol. I've been wanting to try it again but was hesistant to buy all the seasons on Amazon. I finally bought the first season and was watching when they added it to Freedive for free. The commercials are VERY limited so it isn't hard to watch.

 

Right now I'm almost done with season 3, the season that ends with JR getting shot. The first two seasons were very hit or miss with quality, but this season is when they took on a fully serialized format and they've fine tuned the characters just right. I wish every soap writer had to watch this season (along with a couple from Knots Landing) as a template on how to develop characters, story arcs and cliffhangers. The cliffhanger this year only worked because each and every episode built towards it. I'm not even done with the season and can already name at least 10 viable suspects to shoot JR. He works his way through each character in such a clever way, even his parents. 

 

The one thing about Dallas I never liked was Lucy. I feel she would've thrived on Knots Landing, but she just doesn't fit in. They never made any real effort to make her work. I do like her story this season with Alan Beam and later Mickey, but her good stories were always ended prematurely. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I agree. Lucy was a second thought character. Her stories were usually stupid or boring. The writers never knew what to do with her. David Jacobs said that the early episodes of Dallas was done as self contained episodes as a way to slowly draw viewers in, then when they got hooked it became more of an ongoing saga. The dream season really hurt the series and Victoria Principal leaving the show in 1987 pretty much killed it. The last 4 seasons coasted on fumes with original cast members leaving and new characters brought in no one cared about. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • I'm back! We are back! Me and my husband are finally back at our favorite hobby! How could I postpone returning to this amazing show for so long??? What was I thinking??? Another World - February 2nd, 1989 The dead will revenge the living 

      Please register in order to view this content

      Bay City better be ready, because I'm back!   At Vicky's apartment she is once again drowning in doubts and jealousy. Deep down she realizes that her dream wedding will be a farce and nothing can change that. Bridget tries to calm her down, but the heroine is determined to suffer. She is not hearing any positive thoughts. She doesn't believe Jamie will marry her. At the Cory Publishing building another farce is in process. Iris, once again pretending to be the angel of love and sisterhood... is telling Mac and Rachel some wonderful news. When Iris has good news, you really need to look out for yourself. That's when things are bad. So what are the news? Miss Devil has put Amanda up for an award! Mac is smiling from ear to ear, and Rachel is suspicious. Maybe that's the effect Iris is looking for. To once again accent on the fact that Rachel doubts and criticizes her daughter. Iris will do anything to destabilize their relationship. She is like a cancer. Back to Vicky! Jamie is at the door. Looking like a sad puppy, he has come with a surprise. No, he is not gonna leave her and her unborn... Not yet. He has bought her earrings. Sad face. How nice. NOT. Victoria, of course... manages to break one of them the moment she touches it. Bad premonition maybe? She was back in hysterics. It's not easy to trap a man into marriage. Then you have to live with someone that didn't want you in the first place.  We were introduced to a new character (to me at least she is new) - Cass's sister - Stacey. She is giving me "hidden skeletons in the closet"-vibes. Love a girl like that. Stunning actress. I like her. The highlight of the episode was the strange and creepy reveal of Evan the escort... hugging someone named Janice's grave. I remember she had an issue with Rachel... and Rachel killed her in self defense I think... It was hinted in prior episodes, but I lack the context and story. I just know that everyone at the Frame house was mad that Rachel killed the bish. But I also got the impression that this Janice was sick in the head. So Evan is now talking to her grave and telling her he is going to ruin Rachel's life basically. Oh, Evan... I liked you better as a sexy gigolo.  Overall - 10/10 - how can I rate it lower when I haven't watched in months!!!

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Once again, Marlena and Kayla were used very effectively and I couldn’t be happier.  Marlena counseling Johnny and then Chanel was the best part of today. They’re really delving into the human emotion of this storyline and I think that’s a good thing. It feels so much mature than it was before. EJ’s fear about what could happen to Johnny if he doesn’t let go of his anger could lead to some really good storylines in the future.  I also really appreciate the way that Paula/Jeanne are mixing it up and having different characters interact with each other. It was nice to see Shawn and Johnny remember that they’re cousins and share a scene together. I liked the parallel that was drawn between the two of them, and what’s going on with their fathers. I did have mixed feelings about everything with Cat though. I enjoyed Chanel warning her about EJ, mostly because it played into the way that she was written today. But I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Chad/EJ scenes. The two of them discussing Chad’s potential feelings for Cat didn’t really keep my interest.  But above all, I feel that everyone is being used more effectively and that we’re getting a better understanding of everyone as well. And that was exactly what Days needed.  
    • It's a wild story for sure, especially the final conclusion (and fireworks offcamera, like Victoria Wyndham tearing into Michael Logan).
    • @I Am A Swede @DRW50  

      Please register in order to view this content

       
    • Please register in order to view this content

         
    • I did some research and the story wrapped up with Eric,a caretaker responsible for Georgina's death who then  tried to do away with Laurie but a vision of Georgina spooked him and he smashed into a mirror, dying of glass wounds. So there was a supernatural element. I wonder if the Brody character in the credits was Eric Brody?
    • AI has it wrong. David was working as an aide at PV Hospital due to failing to save his brother's life and refusing to continue as a doctor. His true profession was revealed later. Edna had divorced him while he was in Vietnam and he had no reason to be in contact with her. He had no idea that he had a daughter.  Ruth was Ruth Martin, she was still married to Joe, not Jeff. He was not deceiving Ruth as he believed that Edna was his ex. The poisoning story happened late in his run and probably introduced when they knew Gleason was leaving. AI's interpretation of him as conniving seems to based on that short lived poisoning story and other misinformation. For most of 76 he was involved in the Ruth/Joe triangle to the point where Ruth was ready to divorce Joe and leave town. Joe had to have surgery, David operated and Ruth suddenly realized she wanted to stay with Joe despite all the problems they'd been happening. David then got involved with Christina with Jeff and then Edna as complications. And he arrived late 75 not 76.
    • Interesting that they started going into a supernatural direction with ghosts - I don't think they really did that before? I wonder if it was a response to getting put so late in the afternoon and I guess trying to appeal to that former Dark Shadows audience? 
    • That makes sense then! Is there a place where you can read more Daytime Serial Newsletters? They sound very informative. Thank you

      Please register in order to view this content

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy