SOAPNET Daily Dallas RECAP 7/26/07: Episode 77. Ewing-Gate

[Julius]

77. Ewing-Gate
gs: Susan Howard (Donna Krebbs) Susan Flannerey (Leslie Stewart) Leigh J. McCloskey (Mitch Cooper) Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper) Morgan Woodward (Marvin "Punk" Anderson) David Healey (Senator) Len Birman (Claude Brown) Jay Varella (Senator) Joseph Warren (Senator) Byron Morrow () James Hong (Ambassador) Jared Martin (Steven "Dusty" Farlow) Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow) William Smithers (Jeremy Wendell) Mary Crosby (Kristin Shephard)

JR gets a security force to keep the press away from the ranch in light of the recent news of the impending investigation. Ellie calls from Paris after reading about the investigation in a newspaper. JR maintains his innocence and says he'll take care of Cliff's troublemaking - there's nothing to worry about. Ellie agrees to keep the news from Jock.

Dusty wants Sue Ellen to face JR and take John Ross away with her but Sue Ellen maintains it's not the right time - she knows JR won't just let her take him. Her plan is to take the child away while JR's in Austin. Clayton tells her the Farlows have enough resources to help Sue Ellen win any court battle.

JR asks Senator Arvilla to tell him what evidence the committee has but the Senator says his hands are tied because the Department of Justice is overlooking the case. JR promises to remember this at election time. As he exits the senator's office, he is given a subpoena to testify in one week. Louella is served with the same papers. JR calls Louella and tells her to find Claude Brown and get him out of the country. Sue Ellen calls the office and Phyllis tells her that JR and Louella are still in Austin. Sue Ellen goes to collect John Ross that night but she dilly-dallys somewhat and just as she is about to leave, JR walks in and grabs his son, while his security guard grabs Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen tells him that she'll get her son back - one way or the other. JR repeats that he'd kill her first. Pam witnesses the exchange and berates JR for what he's doing. JR tells her to stay out of his way or he'll destroy her too.

Leslie goes to see Wendell and says she has proof that JR financed the counter-revolution. She says she'll present it to the committee in exchange for the promise of becoming Weststar's exclusive media consultant. She asks Jeremy to come by her place tonight to check out the proof.

Kristin comes to Ewing Oil and asks JR for more money, threatening to cause further scandal to the Ewings if he doesn't pay up. JR reluctantly agrees but asks for some time.

Punk and Ray celebrate the success of their latest project. Punk is so impressed by the way Ray's handled himself lately that he offers him a 3 percent share of Unified Development for 3 million dollars. Ray hedges about the amount of money but Punk reminds him that Donna can cover it easily. Besides, Jock will be thrilled. That seems to make up Ray's mind. He calls his banker and asks him to make up a check for the 3 million dollars. He tries to call Donna in Washington but she's out. Later in the day Donna returns to Dave Culver's office and the banker tells her about the withdrawal. Confused, she says she agrees to the withdrawal. Then she decides to return to Dallas.

JR is advised by his lawyer to find out what evidence the Senate committee has against him - it appears to be his only hope. JR gets Afton to drug Cliff, and JR and Harry McSween search his apartment, finding the briefcase, and taking photographs.

The trial begins. Marilee and Jordan tell the committee that they believed that JR was behind the coup - he's capable of anything. Claude Brown tells the court about his trip through Switzerland as his distribution of money to key figures in Asia. He admits that the money was used and intended to finance the counter-revolution. Leslie is next and submits the tape she made of her conversation shortly after the coup took place, in which JR admits his guilt.

Finally, JR testifies. He says that there's a simple explanation to all of this: the money was not intended to bribe anyone or finance the coup; it was simply a philanthropic gesture to the country in the hopes that they would look favorably on Ewing Oil as a business. He says he lied to Leslie about being responsible for it all because he wanted to impress her. JR calls on Lam Thong, ambassador to the U.S., who tells the court that the money was used to build schools and hospitals in the developing country, and indicates that he has full receipts for all of the money that Claude brought to Asia. The ambassador also mentions that JR's generosity has extended even to the donation of 10 percent of all of his oil profits to help the country's infrastructure - which comes as a bit of surprise to JR. The committee declares JR and Ewing Oil innocent.

Cliff says he doesn't know how JR got himself off but he'll slip up someday. JR laughs it off. Cliff accuses Bobby of handing over the evidence to JR, which Bobby denies. Bobby asks Cliff to come to Southfork that night and talk about it and Cliff agrees.

JR triumphantly returns to Ewing Oil and asks Louella to type up a letter of recommendation. He fires her for not getting Claude out of the country like he asked. He visits Leslie that night and tells her he's not upset at her - she did just what he would do in her position. He says he still wants her if she's interested and she seems to agree.

Sue Ellen comes to Pam's office and tells her about Dusty. She asks Pam to give her a little help...

Kristin calls someone in California and says that a certain someone is going to pay for spurning her.

JR arrives home the next morning to find John Ross gone. The security guard tells him that Pam took him for a ride. JR tells them to find her immediately. He also gets Harry to alert the highway patrol to find Pam's car.

Cliff arrives at Southfork that night and sees a female body floating in the pool. He jumps in and sees JR looking down from the balcony, giving him the Line of the Day.

broadcast: 01-May-1981 written by: Leonard Katzman d: Leonard Katzman

NOTE: This was Jim Davis Last episode. Even though his character lived on in South America throughout the beginning of season 5, the actor Died during the Spring of 1981.

Any comments on today's airing on SOAPNET?

[snuggletiger]

One of the best episodes. Too bad we didnt' see this JR during the fight for Ewing Oil.

[Tatianna]

The more I see Afton the harder it is to believe she is Mitch's sister, and watching her giving Cliff "knock out drops" so JR and Harry McSween can photograph his documents for the Senate Hearing, just plain makes me cringe. When I think about her having sex at her brother's wedding with JR in his marital bed and helping JR get his information by drugging Cliff, I wonder if there's anything she won't do. What nerve to tell Sue Ellen that SHE used Cliff, when she's done the same thing, only worse! Once again, what do you get when you "cross a golddigger and a skank", you get AFTON.

Don't you just love Kristin telling all the men the baby "looks just like his daddy". She's just not saying WHICH one is the daddy. She thought she had a pretty good plan there, and it did work for her for a bit, because all the men had a guilty conscience.

Ray "using" three million dollars of Donna's money before he actually got to talk to her was a bit over the top. Looks like he could have tried harder tracking her down before signing on the dotted line. With that much money at stake, I'd think the Bank would have required authorization of both Ray and Donna before cutting a check.

JR and Leslie Stewart have finally "done the deed" only to find out that it wasn't worth it. Well at least when JR arrived at her house to "Spread The B's", this time, he was not bringing booze with him, so he only "Spread 2 B's."

Poor Cliff really does have bad timing and rotten luck whenever he gets close to JR, now he get's there and finds a woman's body floating face down in the pool. Guess who's going to get blamed for that one?

[KillerBob]

There is only thing to say about this episode:

"She's dead.... you bastard!"

[Crockett3663]

SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!I'm trying to remember back to the original airing of this episode.

Pam, Sue Ellen, and Kristen all had dark hair, and dark hair was clearly visible on the woman's body floating in the pool. Originally, was it always assumed that Kristen was the dead woman, or was there speculation as to the identity of the woman? Was there a great deal of people who thought the body was that of Sue Ellen or Pam? I'm trying to remember if this cliffhanger had even the remote impact of the previous season, when JR was shot.

[Tatianna]

As I recall, most of the focus was on Pam and Kristin, since Pam had assisted with John Ross' abduction and Kristin was trying to extort more money from JR. I don't recall Sue Ellen having been mentioned, but I may be wrong.