The Spinoff Episode from Dallas

[The Cul-De-Sac]

It was so great watching the episode where Gary and Val got remarried in Dallas. Sue Ellen was having fun keeping the information from JR until the last minute. Lucy made a short appearance in the beginning of the episode, to bring Ellie to meet with Val. We see Gary and Val find their house in Knots Landing. At the end, JR is excited that Gary and Val aren't living in South Fork.

[Unregistered]

Soon showing again on French TV ... since I never saw it before, should be an interesting watch, although no offence to Dallas fans around, I don't really like Dallas!!!

[The Cul-De-Sac]

I hated Dallas, but after watching a few of the crossover episodes I decided to watch Dallas, and I started to warm up to the show.

[garycrazy]

I never saw that episode. I wish I had known when it was airing so I could have watched...

[Mr.PaigeMatheson]

Same here. You mean that this episode just showed on SOAPNet yesterday?

[Dr. Ackerman]

Oh, crap. I've been waiting for that ep to play. Yesterday was the first time I've missed Dallas in weeks, so of course it played then.

[The Cul-De-Sac]

Yeah, a few days ago, I was trying to calculate it when it would air. I completely forgot about it. At 12:05 at night, I put the TV on to SOAPnet and there was Valene with Lucy and Miss. Ellie

[Apploon]

For all of you who say you hated Dallas, let's remember not to bite the hand that fed us. Without Dallas' success Knots probably never would have made it onto the air. CBS told David Jacobs they wanted something "glitzier", and only after Dallas was the green light given to Knots. Also, the backstory for Val and Gary was wonderful. And this episode so perfectly paved the way for the pilot. We even got to see Gary, Val and Bobby on the cul-de-sac checking out "the house". I was actually thinking I'm surprised nosy Karen didn't come out to see who was checking the house out. She probaly wasn't home that day. I also love how this whole Dallas episode is dedicated to Knots Landing. And how Sue Ellen uses Gary and Valene to get back at J.R.. I love how Bobby loyaly defends Gary at any cost, and I loved how Miss Ellie needed Val's help so desperately. I actually got chills during the Miss Ellie/Valene scenes...I thought they were VERY powerful. And Miss Ellie FINALLY realizes that J.R. was the one who caused all the problems. I also loved that Miss Ellie says that J.R. and Bobby were always more Jock's sons, and Gary was always more her son.

The question I was wondering is...if Gary was SO WEAK, and so incapable, why was he such a THREAT to J.R. I know he didn't want him living on Southfork, but even if he did, he would have just taken Ray's place as the head of the ranch. J.R. had no interest in the ranch and Gary had no interest in Ewing oil. So what was the problem? I have never seen J.R. so threatened by anyone the way he was by his brother Gary. He dropped all buisness to fly home just to try and stop the wedding. But this time Miss Ellie and Bobby were not letting J.R. get his way. Even Jock came around. I thought Jock and Gary's make-up was very moving. Even Pamela came to the wedding. Val and Gary finally had the full Ewing support. By the way, it so figures Val would wear the same wedding dress as she did the first time her and gary got married. Thank God she didn't wear it the third time....that damn dress was a curse!!!!!

[juppiter]

I think Gary was an embarrassment to J.R. I have a brother I haven't spoken to in years; if he were to meet and interact with those I respect (and who respect me) I know I would be quite embarrassed.

[Pam's Twin Sister]

Karen did come out to say hello to the Ewings when they arrived, but only on Knots of course. Did anyone notice that the 3 of them were wearing different clothes in those 2 scenes?

[James from London]

And Miss Ellie FINALLY realizes that J.R. was the one who caused all the problems.

On the contrary, it is during this episode that we learn that Miss Ellie holds Jock responsible for Gary leaving, and this resentment resurfaces during the following season on DALLAS when it is revealed that Ray Krebbs is Jock's son.

Karen did come out to say hello to the Ewings when they arrived, but only on Knots of course. Did anyone notice that the 3 of them were wearing different clothes in those 2 scenes?

That's because the scenes took place on seperate days.

[Dr. Ackerman]

The question I was wondering is...if Gary was SO WEAK, and so incapable, why was he such a THREAT to J.R.

JR revealed why on the KNOTS episode after Jock's will was read. JR meets with Abby, and tells her something like, "If my brother ever gets his act together and focuses all that energy, he could be a real problem for me." So he makes a deal with Abby that she will keep Gary out of Dallas as much as possible. It is implied that JR fears a well-adjusted Gary even more than he fears Bobby (who he usually manages to deceive).

[Apploon]

Juppiter...........what was so embaressing about Gary? The only thing to mention was the fact that he was an alcoholic. And it would make no sense for J.R. to be embaressed about that since his wife was a MUCH BIGGER alcoholic and he didn't seem to have a problem with that. And in general, I find it appauling that anyone would be EMBARRESED of any family member unless they were a serial killer or something. I think if you are ashamed of what the "people you respect think of your brother", you need to find some new people to respect! Like Lilimae once said..."Family buisness is Family buisness"!

Pam's Twin Sister.................I think you are confusing the episodes here. When Bobby takes Gary and Val to the cul-de-sac in the Dallas episode we are talking about, it is to pick a house. That episode is called "Return Engagment", it is Dallas episode # 43. When Karen comes out to greet Val, Gary and Bobby, that is the KL pilot. That is the day they actually move in. It is meant to be a couple of weeks later.

James from London..............Jock may have been what drove Gary away originally (although I'm sure J.R. helped even then), but I am talking about the problems between Gary and Val. And it was J.R., not Jock, who kept them from raising their daughter, and J.R., not Jock, who drove them away the year before when they came home for the "Reunion" episode. Jock had welcomed Gary home by then and was ready to "tear down walls", as he said, but it was J.R. who drove them away again.

[Apploon]

Oh yeah and Dr. Ackerman...thanx....I forgot about that episode. I guess it makes a little more sense now.

[Seaviewer]

JR was always nettled by the fact that Jock and Miss Ellie made little secret that Bobby and Gary were their favourites, respectively, even though, as he saw it, the family owed most of their success to him. He didn't need much reason to hate and try to drive them away besides that.

[cijidunnerox]

Isn't there some quote by Miss Ellie (which I always found great) that says:
"Bobby was given everything that JR had to work for and Gary never wanted."
I thought I read something like that, it could be someone's signature, but I always thought that one quote explained a lot about the Ewing brothers.

bradley

[James from London]

Yeah, she said "Bobby was given everything JR had to fight for and Gary didn't care about."

I think it's pretty straightforward why JR got rid of Gary and Val. (1) As with Bobby and Pam, he didn't want Gary and Val to provide Jock with a male heir; (2) As with Pam, JR naturally assumed that Val, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who married into the Ewing family, was a gold digger.

[Pam's Twin Sister]

Thank you friends. After all these years, I´ve finally understood that the end of Return Engagement wasn´t the same scene than the beginning of the KL pilot!!