Aug 2, 201210:33 AMThe Telegraph
The Premier Blog of the West
TV Recap: Top 5 Things To Know About 'Dallas' Episode 9
dallastnt.com
Although the season finale doesn’t air until next week, Wednesday’s episode of Dallas -- the TNT cable network’s ambitious reboot of the phenomenally popular prime-time soap opera – ended with not just one but two cliffhangers. Once again, we’re offering a day-after recap – which, be forewarned, is stuffed with spoilers.
THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL: Episode No. 9 – aptly titled “Family Matters” – manages to bring most of the Ewing clan back to Southfork. But just when we think we’re in store for some happily-ever-aftering, new complications arise. For example: When John Ross and Elena figure out a way to slant-drill from a neighboring property, thereby tapping into Southfork’s underground oil reserves without actually installing derricks on the family ranch, Bobby is open to okaying the plan. But Christopher is outraged – and nearly comes to blows with John Ross for even suggesting this end-run around the late Miss Ellie’s desire to preserve Southfork as a drill-free zone. Bobby steps in between the two hotheads – and then collapses when stricken with “some kind of brain seizure.” He’s rushed to the hospital, where he’s given a slightly more precise diagnosis: It was a cerebral aneurism that laid him low. And, worse, Bobby could suffer another, even worse seizure if he gets overly excited again. So that means he kicks back and takes it easy for a while, right? Uh, no.
BLOOD IS THICKER THAN OIL: Bobby insists on returning to Southfork, where’s he soon visited by the prodigal J.R. (The latter was off in Las Vegas the past couple of weeks, remember?) Mind you, Ann does her best to shoo away the scoundrel, threatening to shoot J.R. if he upsets her ailing husband. (“And since you don’t have a heart,” she warns, she’ll fire the bullet “someplace more vital.”) But Bobby himself eventually summons J.R. to his bedside, where he attempts to patch things up with his errant sibling. (J.R.: “I have lapses when I do wrong now and then.” Bobby: “No, J.R. Your lapses are when you do right.”) Still, it isn’t until after J.R. gets slapped by Sue Ellen, rejected by John Ross, and pretty near half-plastered with massive slugs of bourbon that the bad boy is ready to do the right thing: He signs Southfork back over to Bobby. So that means there finally will be peace in the family, right? Not quite.
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Sue Ellen gets an unwelcome visit from Mr. Slimeball himself, Harris Ryland, who informs her that he has backed her in the upcoming gubernatorial election only because of what he describes as “your malleability to my needs.” Right now, he needs Sue Ellen to launder some money for him through her campaign budget. And if she doesn’t co-operate, he’ll tell the world how she blackmailed a medical examiner into expediting John Ross’ release from prison after Sue Ellen’s son was (wrongly) accused of killing the faux Marta Del Sol. So that means Sue Ellen has no choice but to serve as Mr. Slimeball’s puppet, right? Maybe, maybe not.
A SHOT AT REDEMPTION: Despite Christopher’s understandable hesitancy to ever again trust Rebecca, he can’t help wanting to at least maintain a civil relationship with the woman who’s going to have his twin babies. Rebecca hopes for the best as they warily reconnect – but expects the worst when she’s visited by Tommy, the co-conspirator formerly known as her brother. Pressured by his other partner in crime – none other than Frank Ashkani, Cliff Barnes’ henchman -- Tommy demands that Rebecca help him steal the plans for Christopher’s methane-extraction technology. If she doesn’t, he warns, “I’ll put a bullet in your little fairy tale.” Desperate to rid herself of this threat, Rebecca pays a visit to her bank, opens a safety-deposit box – and removes a gun. (Not incidentally, the box also contains items – cash, multiple credit cards and I.D.’s – that hint at other dark secrets in her past.) So she’ll be able to scare off Tommy, right? Alas, no.
“THE MAN COMES AROUND”: Johnny Cash’s gravely foreboding tune about comeuppance and final judgment is heard on the soundtrack during a suspenseful montage that alternates between parallel actions to end the episode. Bobby gets a call from his lawyer, who claims to have found material that could void the sale of Southfork to the Venezuelans – but might also implicate J.R. in the fraud. The lawyer asks: “Are you ready to send your brother to jail for it?” Cue Bobby’s second cerebral aneurism. Meanwhile, Tommy returns to Rebecca’s apartment, and expresses his impatience nonverbally. She pulls out the gun. A struggle ensues. A shot is fired. Blood splatters. Who lives? Who dies? Who knows?
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