What I’m Watching: Dallas

Dallas: Season 1, Episode 7 “Collateral Damage” (C)

I think this is going to be my last trip to Dallas. With other, much better shows returning and other series providing the same entertainment without the over-the-top corniness, I think it’s time to abandon ship. This episode had a few notable developments, but things seem to be slowing down with J.R. out of town and everyone else still struggling to make heads or tails of the Southfork situation while getting distracted by other elements. It didn’t take long for the news of Rebecca’s pregnancy to reach Christopher since Elena just came out with it, and, as Rebecca put it, the fact that Christopher is the father of Rebecca’s child means that he’s going to have to reassess his priorities. Elena seems to have chosen which Ewing cousin she wants to be with, especially since she didn’t react negatively to Sue Ellen’s request for her help on John Ross’ behalf. Marta stealing Elena’s cell phone was an unnecessary time-waster, and all it served to do is implicate John Ross in a murder that’s going to make it pretty hard for him to see his oil promises through, which means that Vicente is sure to come after him for blood. Bobby wasn’t comporting himself too wisely around Harris, even after Harris had the charges against Bobby dropped, but fortunately he also didn’t fall prey to Harris’ trap, which might have undone the one solid Ewing union by revealing some torrid secret from Ann’s past. If I cared what it was, I might stick around, but I honestly don’t.

What I’m Watching: Dallas

Dallas: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Enemy of My Enemy” (C)

When you’re trying to take someone down and steal from them, relinquishing the most damaging (or helpful, in this case) information is probably not the best move. Though it seems that aiding Christopher and Bobby in keeping Southfork is the least of Rebecca’s problems, given the breaking news that she’s pregnant. Both Ann and Elena seem to have a soft spot for her, however, and with her latest charitable act, Christopher may be willing to forgive her. There are still a handful of love triangles in the Ewing family, and I suspect that Marta is going to come for Elena soon, and John Ross may be too distracted by his oil-related moves to be able to do anything about it. Harris sending Ann flowers and a necklace was bold, and he paid for it by taking a sucker punch from a furious Bobby. He also managed to flip-flop on what he told her, siding with Sue Ellen instead and writing her a generous check for her campaign that he’ll surely cash later despite refusing her offer of a job once she’s elected. Sue Ellen is also establishing a dangerous precedent with her son, and he’s not even the most manipulative member of the Ewing clan. J.R. trusting his son to resolve everything isn’t wise, and he’s likely to come up against a few problems in Las Vegas as he schemes to get into yet another lucrative business that might be able to make him rich in Texas – gambling. There’s a reason this show has already been renewed for season two – the lying and the treachery are never going to stop.

What I’m Watching: Dallas

Dallas: Season 1, Episode 5 “Truth and Consequences” (C)

Things are happening awfully fast in this show, with not one but two major secrets unfurling so early on in the season over the course of just one hour. Rebecca confessing her complicity to Christopher makes sense since she has seemed not to be on board with her brother’s plan for a while now, but makes considerably less sense is the fact that Tommy isn’t eager to give up and still plans to bring Christopher down despite the very obvious outing of his evil master plot. Ann is extremely kind to give Rebecca the time of day, and hopefully she’ll inspire her to help sabotage her brother, something which is sure to make Tommy furious. J.R. making his move seems especially ill-timed after Rebecca’s betrayal, but he’s just the type to hit someone when they’re down. His comment to Bobby, “I’m taking back what should have been mine in the first place,” received an equally determined quip in response from the nicer brother: “I’m going to make this right, and I’m going to take you down, brother.” Christopher’s oh-so-clever bribing of Tommy’s doorman led to a worthwhile revelation, but he too played his hand too soon, and I doubt that he made copies of the incriminating DVD that implicates John Ross in J.R.’s scheme. Getting J.R.’s sale reversed shouldn’t be so difficult, and red tape has never been so obnoxious. In terms of villainous characters, Mitch Pileggi’s hug-obsessed maniac seems like he may give J.R. a run for his money.

Take Three: Dallas

Dallas: Season 1, Episode 4 “The Last Hurrah” (C+)

As more shows start returning and premiering this summer, something tells me I’m going to be spending less time in Dallas. It’s hard to keep the relationship drama between the second-generation Ewings straight since it now appears that both cousins are close to cheating on their significant others with the same woman. John Ross didn’t waste time using the information he has on Rebecca against her, forcing her to try to get a recovering addict to get photographed using drugs, and when she couldn’t do it, Marta volunteered and made sure to get the job done right. J.R.’s meddling has enabled him to exact control over the situation, cutting John Ross out of his own deal and scheming to get everything for himself. Christopher actually looked like a bad guy for once by paying Elena for her help so that she couldn’t come back and try to claim ownership. Being a Ewing is making him immensely paranoid, and he’s alienating the only true friends he has. Rebecca, however, isn’t going to let what she’s done bring her down, and while her brother is continuing to seethe evil at every time he pops up on screen. I’m curious to see how Christopher will react, and I presume that he’ll run to Elena for comfort, which is sure to give Rebecca every reason to hate him. In the midst of this goodbye party, however, both Christopher and Bobby seemed awfully preoccupied with birthing a cow, which is hardly exciting drama on a show like this.

Take Two: Dallas

Dallas: Season 1, Episode 3 “The Price You Pay” (B-)

I wasn’t sure whether I’d stick with this show after its two-hour pilot last week, but, for the moment, there’s not enough else on midweek to merit giving up on this abundantly soapy show. J.R. was extremely front-and-center in this hour as compared with last week, coming close to slitting his son’s throat with a razor and putting himself right in the middle of all the action. Getting a fellow resident to call Bobby posing as his doctor got him back in Bobby’s home, and now he’s going to be able to see everything that’s going on and directly influence it, as evidenced by his staged slap scene with John Ross where he tried to manipulate Bobby and Ann into trusting him. Carlos Bernard, best known as Tony Almeida from “24,” guest-starred as the Venezuelan oil man funding the two JRs’ hostile takeover, and I suspect he’ll be back to collect if things don’t turn out as has been promised to him. As he’s hearing about his options, it makes sense that Bobby would tell Christopher about his cancer, though it seems that he waited long enough to alienate his son by not trusting him sooner. After hearing the news, Christopher sure didn’t wait long before planting a very public and passionate kiss on Elena. Though Rebecca’s brother is just oozing evil as he sneaks around with a camera phone and a flash drive, she seems enamored with Christopher, forgiving him after he gives her a good speech despite not confessing to his stolen kiss. Rebecca’s biggest problem now is going to be that John Ross knows she sent the e-mail, which is sure to lead to plenty of vicious blackmail and deceit.

Pilot Review: Dallas

Dallas (TNT)
Premiered June 13 at 9pm

This summer’s most buzzed-about new show has arrived, and it’s just as advertised. Since I was born in the late 1980s, I’ve never actually seen the original series that ran for a staggering fourteen seasons. This show has been described as a continuation of the original show rather than a reboot or a remake, but I’m happy to say that it stands well enough on its own, using the actors and characters that were featured on the original series in supporting rather than lead roles. The show boasts an old-fashioned look most evident in its opening credits, and it’s most definitely a primetime soap opera. The Ewing characters are firmly established as determined, egotistical businessmen desperate for power. The amount of duplicity and manipulation going on in Dallas is appalling, but that’s what makes it so fun. There’s not one clean character in the entire series, and each scene brings a new level of lying and deceit. The show would probably be better off without tech talk about extracting methane, but the show does need a plot to drive it. The younger stars are well-suited for their roles, some more heavily-accented than others. Josh Henderson looks alarmingly like Jonathan Rhys-Meyers with his mustache, and Jesse Metcalfe seems like he belongs in Texas. It’s interesting to see Jordana Brewster from “The Fast and the Furious” as the girl caught in between the two warring Ewing cousins, and Julie Gonzalo as the nice one’s new wife with plenty of secrets of her own. The older folks are still kicking too, and both Ewing patriarch are quickly established and defined. This soapy show definitely has an appeal, and though I’m not sure I’ll stick with it for that long, it should be good summer fun for a while.

How will it work as a series? There’s so much scheming to be found on this show, and that creates webs upon webs of intersecting plotlines from which to spin off. If the original series could produce fourteen seasons and this one has a whole new cast of young characters, there’s no telling how much material can be milked from this particular property.
How long will it last? A while. Given how long the original series ran, this one could go forever too, but it’s most crucial that it’s on TNT, which has found plenty of success with original programming lately and will be thrilled to add this show, whose pilot is officially the highest-rated cable series premiere this year, to its regular roster. I’d expect a renewal very shortly.

Pilot grade: B-