Watching Season 8 (DVD) for the First Time

[Barbara Fan]

Thanks for another great review JROG on what isnt my fav season

Pammy in Hong Kong was so hot, especially in white - however Dallas never works quite so well out of..... Dallas!!

[JROG]

EPISODE 24: THE VERDICT

Wow, I wonder how this episode is going to end! Maybe there’s a clue in the title.

All in all, a well-flowing episode. It helps that the pace has been picked up a bit.

Lucy has one of her grandest scenes yet, as she takes the kids to school and then disappears for the rest of the episode. She’s Piggy Poppins! The contempt the writers have for her and the character is truly ridiculous; I don’t think she even shows up at the trial.

NuEllie also has a terrific scene. Once more, the scriptwriter realizes she has had nothing to do (and, if Ellie hasn’t had anything to do, Clayton probably doesn’t either), so she has a quick little meltdown out of nowhere. Whatever gets you through that one scene, baby.

Sue Ellen convinces Pam to stop in Tokyo for a couple of days just so that she can load up on various, mildly-racist, stereotypical toys for the boys. It’s OK, though, cos when Sue Ellen comes back, she tells him she doesn’t care who he sleeps with, as long as it’s not her. Bazinga, Sue Ellen! Bring out the Season 3 DVDs for more delectable inspiration for future use. Meanwhile, Bobby runs into Pam (so wonderfully nice to see her in Southfork again!) and everything is in their eyes. Pam tells Bobby that she didn’t find Mark and he hugs her. Jenna sees them, making her suffer even more. Yes, that’s what we want!

As for poor J.R., Sue Ellen's latest rejection sends him right into Mandy’s unbelievably short shorts… or at least he tries to get in them. Mandy rejects him as well, causing J.R. to murmur something about divorcing Sue Ellen. Is it going to lead her to drink? Cos we are getting caustic one-liners back, can we also get the Drunk Bitch Mess that is Sue Ellen back? Please? Pretty pweazzzzz?

What else? Oh, yeah. Cliff gets a stiff warning (hahaha!) concerning his newest deal with Jordan Lee and Marilee “I-wear-Travilla-hats” Stone… he’s pumping too much oil or something. Not sure if this is just a completely random filler scene or if they’re setting up something here. I’m also not sure this type of ambiguity is a good thing. Cliff decides to take it up a notch with Jamie “I-smile-all-the-TIME” Ewing and suggest they have nasty, non-watery sex. Jamie, who’d rather now the plumbing in her apartment works before she commits too much, turns him down. Wow, a DALLAS episode were all sex is turned down.

Ray and Donna also have their one scene but, what do you know, it’s great. Ray drives up to the main house to ask Donna to come home. Understandably, Donna's had enough of his “I’m-just-a-millionaire-cowboy” cowboy routine and demands that the love and respect goes both ways. When Ray asks if Donna's coming home, she asks “Why?” and, indeed, why should she? I love when Donna poignantly calls Ray “cowboy.” It may be a bit of a low-blow but well deserved.

There’s also this predictable but fun storyline about the Texas Energy Commission shutting down Ewing 17 because some oil wells are leaking and are contaminating drinking water. J.R. has a meeting with the new head of the TEC, Nathan Billings and works him like a metaphor than I do not have right now. He sets him up with Big Hoe and Even Bigger Hoe and Billings completely falls for it. Billings goes to Even Bigger Hoe’s Apartment and makes a face like something out of FUTURAMA as she seduces him. J.R. and Big Hoe are watching them have sex through a secret camera. Nasty! Oh, wait, so someone does end up having sex! This feels like complete filler but it’s nice to see J.R. do some wheeling and dealing again; his “I’m-a-misunderstood-middle-aged-puppy” routine has become too much.

Bobby spends the episode trying to convince Anne to testify for Jenna. Anne can’t do it but she does give Bobby the letter Veronica sent her (Bobby looks gorgeous in this scene. Whenever he’s dressed in soft colors, he shines). Meanwhile, Jenna’s trial is in full swing. I really loved the way it was done in the episode. There’s a sense of every little detail coming together, the scenes are short, snappy and have a clear purpose, and we move along quite quickly. Bobby comes back with the letter and testifies; it’s fun to watch the D.A. shut down Veronica's letter as credible evidence. In the end, the verdict comes in and Jenna’s Not Guilty, which seems preposterous considering how much time Demorest spent being shut down. If this were MELROSE, she’d have been convicted, locked up and probably sexually assaulted. But, wait! Judge comes back with a shocking announcement: Jenna has been found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter! “Oh, NO!” Jenna wails. “What about my hair? Who’s gonna puff it up now?” Cry, cry, hug, hug, end credits.

DDD

[Ray&Donna]

EPISODE 24: THE VERDICT

Lucy has one of her grandest scenes yet, as she takes the kids to school and then disappears for the rest of the episode. She’s Piggy Poppins! The contempt the writers have for her and the character is truly ridiculous; I don’t think she even shows up at the trial.

True! I think there's a similar episode in the previous season where she takes John Ross to either school or Peter Richards, and then just falls into a hole until the next week.

Sue Ellen convinces Pam to stop in Tokyo for a couple of days just so that she can load up on various, mildly-racist, stereotypical toys for the boys. It’s OK, though, cos when Sue Ellen comes back, she tells him she doesn’t care who he sleeps with, as long as it’s not her. Bazinga, Sue Ellen! Bring out the Season 3 DVDs for more delectable inspiration for future use. Meanwhile, Bobby runs into Pam (so wonderfully nice to see her in Southfork again!) and everything is in their eyes. Pam tells Bobby that she didn’t find Mark and he hugs her. Jenna sees them, making her suffer even more. Yes, that’s what we want!

As for poor J.R., Sue Ellen's latest rejection sends him right into Mandy’s unbelievably short shorts… or at least he tries to get in them. Mandy rejects him as well, causing J.R. to murmur something about divorcing Sue Ellen. Is it going to lead her to drink? Cos we are getting caustic one-liners back, can we also get the Drunk Bitch Mess that is Sue Ellen back? Please? Pretty pweazzzzz?

Oh My God. Yes, yes, yes. To all of the above.

What else? Oh, yeah. Cliff gets a stiff warning (hahaha!) concerning his newest deal with Jordan Lee and Marilee “I-wear-Travilla-hats” Stone… he’s pumping too much oil or something. Not sure if this is just a completely random filler scene or if they’re setting up something here. I’m also not sure this type of ambiguity is a good thing. Cliff decides to take it up a notch with Jamie “I-smile-all-the-TIME” Ewing and suggest they have nasty, non-watery sex. Jamie, who’d rather now the plumbing in her apartment works before she commits too much, turns him down. Wow, a DALLAS episode were all sex is turned down.

Either sex or shacking up always seems to be the solution to plumbing problems in soap land. Hmm...

Ray and Donna also have their one scene but, what do you know, it’s great. Ray drives up to the main house to ask Donna to come home. Understandably, Donna's had enough of his “I’m-just-a-millionaire-cowboy” cowboy routine and demands that the love and respect goes both ways. When Ray asks if Donna's coming home, she asks “Why?” and, indeed, why should she? I love when Donna poignantly calls Ray “cowboy.” It may be a bit of a low-blow but well deserved.

I just wish she was dressed better there--it appears as though she's been shopping in TempEllie's closet.

There’s also this predictable but fun storyline about the Texas Energy Commission shutting down Ewing 17 because some oil wells are leaking and are contaminating drinking water. J.R. has a meeting with the new head of the TEC, Nathan Billings and works him like a metaphor than I do not have right now. He sets him up with Big Hoe and Even Bigger Hoe and Billings completely falls for it. Billings goes to Even Bigger Hoe’s Apartment and makes a face like something out of FUTURAMA as she seduces him. J.R. and Big Hoe are watching them have sex through a secret camera. Nasty! Oh, wait, so someone does end up having sex! This feels like complete filler but it’s nice to see J.R. do some wheeling and dealing again; his “I’m-a-misunderstood-middle-aged-puppy” routine has become too much.

LOL. The Ewings never watch TV--but a sex tape, they'll watch any day of the week!

Bobby spends the episode trying to convince Anne to testify for Jenna. Anne can’t do it but she does give Bobby the letter Veronica sent her (Bobby looks gorgeous in this scene. Whenever he’s dressed in soft colors, he shines). Meanwhile, Jenna’s trial is in full swing. I really loved the way it was done in the episode. There’s a sense of every little detail coming together, the scenes are short, snappy and have a clear purpose, and we move along quite quickly. Bobby comes back with the letter and testifies; it’s fun to watch the D.A. shut down Veronica's letter as credible evidence. In the end, the verdict comes in and Jenna’s Not Guilty, which seems preposterous considering how much time Demorest spent being shut down. If this were MELROSE, she’d have been convicted, locked up and probably sexually assaulted. But, wait! Judge comes back with a shocking announcement: Jenna has been found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter! “Oh, NO!” Jenna wails. “What about my hair? Who’s gonna puff it up now?” Cry, cry, hug, hug, end credits.

LMAO! I swear, Scotty is the worst lawyer ever.

[ronald mascot]

Sue Ellen convinces Pam to stop in Tokyo for a couple of days just so that she can load up on various, mildly-racist, stereotypical toys for the boys. It’s OK, though, cos when Sue Ellen comes back, she tells him she doesn’t care who he sleeps with, as long as it’s not her. Bazinga, Sue Ellen!

At this point, Pam and Sue Ellen were the only ones who were drawing interest from me in the episode. I could never conjure up caring about what happened to Jenna, though she was one of my favorite characters from the season before. Everything also appeared a bit too convoluted, what happened with Jenna, JR hiding assets, at some point, it stopped being entertaining.

[PAMANDBOBBYFOREVER]

EPISODE 24: THE VERDICT

Meanwhile, Bobby runs into Pam (so wonderfully nice to see her in Southfork again!) and everything is in their eyes. Pam tells Bobby that she didn’t find Mark and he hugs her. Jenna sees them, making her suffer even more. Yes, that’s what we want!

Yes. Seeing Jenna miserable is quite fun!!!

(Are we horrible people or what )

[JROG]

EPISODE 25: SENTENCES

This feels like a tight, well-structured episode that finally allows for some characters to break away from their most recent patterns and do something different for a change.

One of those characters is J.R., who continues his return to form by showing Billings his sex tape and blackmailing him. It’s really nice that we don’t know what J.R. has in mind but that is soon revealed when J.R. blackmails Billings into closing down Cliff’s offshore oil thingy. This might be good!

In the meantime, Eddie goes back to Southfork for yet another goodbye scene, this time under the guise of giving Lucy his power of attorney so that she can dissolve their business. It’s actually a nice scene… I love Eddie’s announcement that he’s going to El Paso and that he’ll probably end up marrying Bitchy Betty. For a character who did all the things he did, Eddie certainly leaves being very sympathetic (or maybe he comes back again for yet another goodbye scene?). Later, while Lucy’s on her way to Smithfield, she runs into Ray and tells him about Eddie and her. For a moment, I thought Ray was going to refer to their affair (it doesn’t help that, still, after all these years, Tilton and Kanaly continue to have great chemistry and the characters just seem to work together). Instead, Ray mentions Mickey and Mitch and… I do not like where this is going at all… Ray convinces Lucy to contact Mitch and her next storyline is suddenly apparent. God! Memories of Lucy’s Season 4 marriage still haunt me. Oh no, I really do not like this at all.

All it took for Jamie and Cliff to have sex was getting drunk. I find myself surprised at how easily I can accept them as a couple; it’s not as if they’re smoking hot together but there’s something about it that’s working right now. There is a scene later where Jamie seems to forget how shy she always is and talks to Cliff about staying in and having sex in front of their lawyer. My, my, my one night of the Cliffster and she’s suddenly changed? I also love Cliff’s phone conversation with Lee, where he seems to genuinely have feelings for Jamie while simultaneously keeping his eye on his ultimate goal: The fight for Ewing Oil 3.0.

Speaking of the fight, after a short break from any advancement, we’re back. Cliff and Jamie are told that the trial will be in two weeks. J.R. is getting increasingly nervous about the outcome of the fight and threatens Smithfield with firing him unless he sees results.

Pam is back, lovelier than ever, and tells Cliff that she has finally accepted Mark's death. When Jackie mentions Jenna, Pamela decides to visit Bobby and comfort him. J.R.’s sees them from the top of the staircase and you just know that he’s gonna do something about it. Jenna is sentenced to seven years in prison, which is utterly fabulous. If only she actually ended up staying there! Things get much twistier when Jenna’s sentencing propels Bobby to announce to everyone that he is Charlie's father! It’s a really great twist. The Judge is convinced to let Charlie stay with Bobby at Southfork but things are far from rosy. Charlie's paternity causes a second twist: First we see Pam in a gorgeous shot, looking outside her window. It’s one of the most beautiful things they’ve done all season. Then, Cliff comes in and Pamela furiously tells him that Bobby lied to her and that she will never feel the same way about him again. It’s fascinating. However, this is not the end. Soon after, J.R. visits Pam at her house (the visit itself being a twist) and actually tells her that Bobby is miserable without her and that they should get back together! I never thought we would see the day! Of course, J.R. must have a plan, and Pam makes it very clear to Sue Ellen that she doesn’t trust him. Still, Pam can’t help but think. Pam, you can think all you want. When I see Principal so great and assertive against Hagman, I know we’re in a good place.

Sue Ellen and Jamie meet for lunch, pretending that they’re the closest buddies ever! Sue Ellen has upped the glamour factor but she manages to look at least decent instead of garish. Jamie tells Sue Ellen about her and Cliff, which Sue Ellen graciously accepts. Pff. Then, Marilee Stone arrives and you just know some fun stuff is coming out way. Indeed, Marilee tells Sue Ellen about J.R. and Cliff’s fight over Mandy. Sue Ellen's yaps on and on about Jamie's betrayal or something and then goes straight to J.R. and confronts him about Mandy. It’s a really interesting scene; it brings back their heyday arguments and seems to set up things to come.

Bobby continues to try and get Jenna out of jail. One has to wonder why. He meets with a flight attendant who tells him someone from the airline might be able to help. I have no idea what the hell is going on but I’m interested in seeing where this goes. When Bobby visits Jenna, she tells him that he is a free man and stomps off. It’s a great lit scene that manages to give us yet another twist.

Miss Ellie stays (thankfully) silent, while Donna stays (sadly) absent.

DDD

[Ray&Donna]

EPISODE 25: SENTENCES

Instead, Ray mentions Mickey and Mitch and… I do not like where this is going at all… Ray convinces Lucy to contact Mitch and her next storyline is suddenly apparent. God! Memories of Lucy’s Season 4 marriage still haunt me. Oh no, I really do not like this at all.

Sorry

All it took for Jamie and Cliff to have sex was getting drunk. I find myself surprised at how easily I can accept them as a couple; it’s not as if they’re smoking hot together but there’s something about it that’s working right now. There is a scene later where Jamie seems to forget how shy she always is and talks to Cliff about staying in and having sex in front of their lawyer. My, my, my one night of the Cliffster and she’s suddenly changed? I also love Cliff’s phone conversation with Lee, where he seems to genuinely have feelings for Jamie while simultaneously keeping his eye on his ultimate goal: The fight for Ewing Oil 3.0.

LOL! Cliff has an interesting effect on women.

Pam is back, lovelier than ever, and tells Cliff that she has finally accepted Mark's death. When Jackie mentions Jenna, Pamela decides to visit Bobby and comfort him. J.R.’s sees them from the top of the staircase and you just know that he’s gonna do something about it. Jenna is sentenced to seven years in prison, which is utterly fabulous. If only she actually ended up staying there! Things get much twistier when Jenna’s sentencing propels Bobby to announce to everyone that he is Charlie's father! It’s a really great twist. The Judge is convinced to let Charlie stay with Bobby at Southfork but things are far from rosy. Charlie's paternity causes a second twist: First we see Pam in a gorgeous shot, looking outside her window. It’s one of the most beautiful things they’ve done all season. Then, Cliff comes in and Pamela furiously tells him that Bobby lied to her and that she will never feel the same way about him again. It’s fascinating. However, this is not the end. Soon after, J.R. visits Pam at her house (the visit itself being a twist) and actually tells her that Bobby is miserable without her and that they should get back together! I never thought we would see the day! Of course, J.R. must have a plan, and Pam makes it very clear to Sue Ellen that she doesn’t trust him. Still, Pam can’t help but think. Pam, you can think all you want. When I see Principal so great and assertive against Hagman, I know we’re in a good place.

Yes, yes, yes!

Sue Ellen and Jamie meet for lunch, pretending that they’re the closest buddies ever! Sue Ellen has upped the glamour factor but she manages to look at least decent instead of garish. Jamie tells Sue Ellen about her and Cliff, which Sue Ellen graciously accepts. Pff. Then, Marilee Stone arrives and you just know some fun stuff is coming out way. Indeed, Marilee tells Sue Ellen about J.R. and Cliff’s fight over Mandy. Sue Ellen's yaps on and on about Jamie's betrayal or something and then goes straight to J.R. and confronts him about Mandy. It’s a really interesting scene; it brings back their heyday arguments and seems to set up things to come.

Poor Jamie.

Bobby continues to try and get Jenna out of jail. One has to wonder why.

LOL! Doesn't make any sense, does it?

Miss Ellie stays (thankfully) silent, while Donna stays (sadly) absent.

It's a bad week to be named Donna :*(

[I-<3-Clayton]

Being new to this forum, JROG, I was not familiar with your awesome reviews until I read this thread. Have you reviewed all the seasons? This was great!!!!!!!!!!!

[JROG]

Being new to this forum, JROG, I was not familiar with your awesome reviews until I read this thread. Have you reviewed all the seasons? This was great!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you and welcome! I have done reviews for Seasons 4 DVD up until now. (Wow, that's a lot of years!)

DDD

[PAMANDBOBBYFOREVER]

EPISODE 25: SENTENCES


Sue Ellen and Jamie meet for lunch, pretending that they’re the closest buddies ever! Sue Ellen has upped the glamour factor but she manages to look at least decent instead of garish. Jamie tells Sue Ellen about her and Cliff, which Sue Ellen graciously accepts. Pff. Then, Marilee Stone arrives and you just know some fun stuff is coming out way. Indeed, Marilee tells Sue Ellen about J.R. and Cliff’s fight over Mandy. Sue Ellen's yaps on and on about Jamie's betrayal or something and then goes straight to J.R. and confronts him about Mandy. It’s a really interesting scene; it brings back their heyday arguments and seems to set up things to come.

I would feel sorry for Jamie, but I just can't really get myself to care about her.

Bobby continues to try and get Jenna out of jail. One has to wonder why.
DDD

It's Patrick Duffy's big F you to the audience on his way out!

[JROG]

It's Patrick Duffy's big F you to the audience on his way out!

Ah! Now it makes sense!

DDD

[ronald mascot]

All it took for Jamie and Cliff to have sex was getting drunk. I find myself surprised at how easily I can accept them as a couple; it’s not as if they’re smoking hot together but there’s something about it that’s working right now.

I actually quite accepted them easily, they had an odd bit of chemistry together. I liked them together, they have a humor about them as well that other couples have lacked.

Soon after, J.R. visits Pam at her house (the visit itself being a twist) and actually tells her that Bobby is miserable without her and that they should get back together!

This was a delightful unexpected scene. Some of it is even daring, considering if Bobby found out about J.R. admitting what he did. It's reminiscent of the scene from Season 7 when J.R. threatened Pam to not go back to Bobby. There's a electrifying pulse to it- she and Hagman have great nemesis chemistry- the actors are still in peak form this season- it's the plots around them that don't seem that worthy of them.

[JROG]

EPISODE 26: TERMS OF ESTRANGEMENT

This may be a tough episode to review because, from the moment one sees Peter Dunne’s name as the writer, and Alexander Singer’s as the director, it becomes almost impossible to focus on the story instead of how the script and directing may or may not be similar to KNOTS LANDING. Or maybe it’s just me. However, while I will account for possible bias, I do have to say that the actors are much less static in this episode, moving around much more than one is used to, and the camera work is a little more complicated than usual.

The episode starts with J.R. and Ray, talking about the law suit in his office. After J.R. is alone with Sly, he talks about his desire to help Bobby and Pam reunite. Just like one would expect, this elicits a surprised and disbelieving reaction from Sly. When Pam tells Bobby about J.R.’s visit and suggestion that they get back together, both characters are credited with the smarts to know this probably has to do with J.R.’s idea that Pam would back out of supporting Cliff if she was back together with Bobby. What makes this fascinating is that you sense both characters are extremely delighted to have someone vocalize this desire for them (even if that someone is J.R.), although they still can’t quite bring themselves to do it.

Meanwhile, Cliff has to deal with his small leak on Gold Canyon 340 and what that means. The two instances where he takes people from the arm and throws them out of his office in this episode are quite funny; the first person is the one who tells him it may take 30-40 days to repair the leak and the second one is the bank guy who tells Cliff that, even if he wins the lawsuit against J.R., who’s to say that Jamie won’t eventually side with her family? This leads naughty Cliff to surprise Jamie with an engagement ring. While it’s too early for Cliff to propose (just six episodes since he started flirting!) and too stupid of Jamie to accept, this is wonderfully soapy (at least Cliff got a nice ring) and leads to a great little Pam/Cliff interaction as she follows him around and asks whether this has to do with the fight for Ewing Oil. I could watch those two forever… they have developed such a nice, organic sibling relationship (“Would you come to dinner?” “If it’s Chinese, I’ll pass.”).

In the midst of all this, Jamie stops by Sue Ellen's to give her a dose of her horse-teethed truth, leading to an argument. While I don’t appreciate the show’s attempt at forcing a friendship between these two, this has probably been the only scene between them that feels somewhat genuine. Sue Ellen goes to her awareness advanced and realizes that she really shouldn’t blame Jamie for her problems with J.R. and Mandy. Wow, the Advancing Awareness Guy may not be Dr. Elby but he sure seems to work fast—just one Very Serious Chat In The Corridor and Sue Ellen's healed! She invites Jamie to lunch and Jamie all but craps her pants.

In this episode of The Miss Piggy Chronicles: Miss Piggy Works Out! Oh, seriously? Who works out barefoot? Ray comes in, with his cowboy boots and Stetson and starts working out as well. Lucy tells him about the content of the letter she sent Mitch: How she changed and became herself! Ray informs her that Mitch has written back so Miss Piggy goes off with her Mudtini to her MudBath to read the letter. They don’t show this or tell us what’s in it, although it’s honestly not hard to figure the rest of it out: Next episode, Mitch shows up and they agree to talk. The episode after that, we hear all about how they’ve been getting close. Next episode, Mitch proposes and they’re happy. Then, they get married and Lucy is stuck with that ass forever. Someone must really hate her. I have to say, Tilton wasn’t half bad in this scene and I appreciate the fact that Ray is doing for Lucy and Mitch what Lucy did for Ray and Donna, down to the letters (even though Mitch is no Donna)! The scene ends with a very weird reaction shot of Ray where I couldn’t tell whether he was happy or he wanted to have nasty piggy cousin sex.

Bobby, who must surely be a detective by now, finds out that there may be surveillance tape from inside the plane. It’s all very convenient and easy but who the hell cares? If it means we’ll be done with the Jenna angst, I’m all for it. Indeed, we see Veronica being murdered by a hit man. Of course, this may or may not help at all, unless they find out the name of the hitman. And, yes, we do and, yes, the Veronica case is reopened. It all thankfully leads to a very atmospheric scene between Jenna and Bobby. Jenna appears to have had her hair cut as she refuses to believe again and asks Bobby to stay away from her. The music is chilling, the lighting is moody, and Presley is not cringe worthy!

Mandy was a surprise in this episode. First, we see J.R. observe her while she works and get jealous when she appears to be giving her number to another man. When Mandy goes home to find J.R. in her living room, she goes apeshit—like, Miss Ellie apeshit—yelling at J.R. and throwing him out. Wow, has any other J.R. mistress ever spoken to him like that? Sue Ellen has certainly had better written arguments with him but she has never exploded quite like this. This bitch is special baby!

This, of course, makes things even chillier between J.R. and Sue Ellen. A scene that starts with Miss Ellie playing piano and mumbling on robotically about something or another develops into a funfest of exploding family dynamics, almost reminiscent of the classic family fights we have not seen in such a long time. Sue Ellen arrives, exchanges pleasantries and the temperature drops when J.R. gets there. he starts insulting Sue Ellen, leading Clayton to resurrect the dynamic he and Sue Ellen shared for so many years (even during his Papa Bear phase). This leads to J.R. resurrecting his “ya not ma daddy” phase, which leads Clayton to grab J.R. and threaten to beat him up. Clayton’s twice your size J.R., this is no time to get courageous! Miss Ellie robotically mumbles something about peace and “why can’t we all love each other,” and the fight is broken. Pity. However, we do get J.R. shoving a glass of bourbon in Sue Ellen's hands and telling her this is the only thing she’s good at. YES! DRINK IT! DRIIIIIIIIINK IT!!!! Ah, ****, she watered the plant with it. Maybe next episode.

Later, Donna steals some cookies and milk (better not let Mandy find out, she may go apeshit again) and finds Sue Ellen sitting in the living room. I can’t recall the last time (if ever) those two had a scene together but they talk about how Pam, Sue Ellen and Donna all have problems with the Ewing men. “The Curse of the Ewings” Sue Ellen bitterly says. “But it wasn’t supposed to happen to me Donna responds.” Aaaaw, Donna! It’s a really, really great scene.

A mysterious man enters the picture, claiming to have precious information that will help J.R. win the fight for Ewing Oil. J.R. meets with the man, who demands 10% of Ewing Oil if the information proves useful… if J.R. turns him down, he will take this information to Cliff Barnes. How cool! J.R. has no choice but to take the deal. While Jamie is packing up her shitty apartment (to move into an even shittier condo), Mysterious Man shows up and, what do you know, it’s Jamie's brother! Jamie's brother with the really, really big penis! Damn! Jamie is furious at Big Penis for being a Big Penis Jerk and refuses to let him mooch off her. Big Penis is so cool and just doesn’t care—he’s here to stay! Jamie gets a lovely dramatic ending and I’m excited to see what the future can bring!

DDD

[Barbara Fan]

Great review JROG, and loved the scene with Donna and Sue Ellen at SF
Poor you, poor me...............
At least we are getting near the end of this season and the robot will be gone soon YAY

re Miss Piggy Chronicles - that could have been a spin off!!
thanks again for the time and effort you put in to make me amused

[Colonel Lucas]

Cray Kat, at her best....

[PAMANDBOBBYFOREVER]

Later, Donna steals some cookies and milk (better not let Mandy find out, she may go apeshit again) and finds Sue Ellen sitting in the living room. I can’t recall the last time (if ever) those two had a scene together but they talk about how Pam, Sue Ellen and Donna all have problems with the Ewing men. “The Curse of the Ewings” Sue Ellen bitterly says. “But it wasn’t supposed to happen to me Donna responds.” Aaaaw, Donna! It’s a really, really great scene.

I loved this scene myself. It is one of the few times on the show that the characters show some self-awareness that only the viewers seem to be able to catch onto. (You all have or had bad marriages and it took 7 years to realize this?)

[Ray&Donna]

EPISODE 26: TERMS OF ESTRANGEMENT

This may be a tough episode to review because, from the moment one sees Peter Dunne’s name as the writer, and Alexander Singer’s as the director, it becomes almost impossible to focus on the story instead of how the script and directing may or may not be similar to KNOTS LANDING. Or maybe it’s just me. However, while I will account for possible bias, I do have to say that the actors are much less static in this episode, moving around much more than one is used to, and the camera work is a little more complicated than usual.

The dream season has a different look, visually, that sets it apart from the rest of the series. And I'm not talking about the hazy gauze of dreamland, LOL.

and leads to a great little Pam/Cliff interaction as she follows him around and asks whether this has to do with the fight for Ewing Oil. I could watch those two forever… they have developed such a nice, organic sibling relationship (“Would you come to dinner?” “If it’s Chinese, I’ll pass.”).

Agree times 1000.

In this episode of The Miss Piggy Chronicles: Miss Piggy Works Out! Oh, seriously? Who works out barefoot? Ray comes in, with his cowboy boots and Stetson and starts working out as well. Lucy tells him about the content of the letter she sent Mitch: How she changed and became herself! Ray informs her that Mitch has written back so Miss Piggy goes off with her Mudtini to her MudBath to read the letter. They don’t show this or tell us what’s in it, although it’s honestly not hard to figure the rest of it out: Next episode, Mitch shows up and they agree to talk. The episode after that, we hear all about how they’ve been getting close. Next episode, Mitch proposes and they’re happy. Then, they get married and Lucy is stuck with that ass forever. Someone must really hate her. I have to say, Tilton wasn’t half bad in this scene and I appreciate the fact that Ray is doing for Lucy and Mitch what Lucy did for Ray and Donna, down to the letters (even though Mitch is no Donna)! The scene ends with a very weird reaction shot of Ray where I couldn’t tell whether he was happy or he wanted to have nasty piggy cousin sex.

Oh my God.

Bobby, who must surely be a detective by now,

LOL! Yes!

This, of course, makes things even chillier between J.R. and Sue Ellen. A scene that starts with Miss Ellie playing piano and mumbling on robotically about something or another develops into a funfest of exploding family dynamics, almost reminiscent of the classic family fights we have not seen in such a long time. Sue Ellen arrives, exchanges pleasantries and the temperature drops when J.R. gets there. he starts insulting Sue Ellen, leading Clayton to resurrect the dynamic he and Sue Ellen shared for so many years (even during his Papa Bear phase). This leads to J.R. resurrecting his “ya not ma daddy” phase, which leads Clayton to grab J.R. and threaten to beat him up. Clayton’s twice your size J.R., this is no time to get courageous! Miss Ellie robotically mumbles something about peace and “why can’t we all love each other,” and the fight is broken. Pity. However, we do get J.R. shoving a glass of bourbon in Sue Ellen's hands and telling her this is the only thing she’s good at. YES! DRINK IT! DRIIIIIIIIINK IT!!!! Ah, ****, she watered the plant with it. Maybe next episode.

That poor plant.

Later, Donna steals some cookies and milk (better not let Mandy find out, she may go apeshit again) and finds Sue Ellen sitting in the living room. I can’t recall the last time (if ever) those two had a scene together but they talk about how Pam, Sue Ellen and Donna all have problems with the Ewing men. “The Curse of the Ewings” Sue Ellen bitterly says. “But it wasn’t supposed to happen to me Donna responds.” Aaaaw, Donna! It’s a really, really great scene.

Donna and Sue Ellen so rarely have scenes together that when they do, you'd better focus.

A mysterious man enters the picture, claiming to have precious information that will help J.R. win the fight for Ewing Oil. J.R. meets with the man, who demands 10% of Ewing Oil if the information proves useful… if J.R. turns him down, he will take this information to Cliff Barnes. How cool! J.R. has no choice but to take the deal. While Jamie is packing up her shitty apartment (to move into an even shittier condo), Mysterious Man shows up and, what do you know, it’s Jamie's brother! Jamie's brother with the really, really big penis! Damn! Jamie is furious at Big Penis for being a Big Penis Jerk and refuses to let him mooch off her. Big Penis is so cool and just doesn’t care—he’s here to stay! Jamie gets a lovely dramatic ending and I’m excited to see what the future can bring!

I love Jack. But isn't it weird that it took the Ewings seven years to find out they had cousins?

[Productive]

Thank you and welcome! I have done reviews for Seasons 4 DVD up until now. (Wow, that's a lot of years!)

DDD

Wow I'm surprise you havent done 1-3..........I can only imagine your views on Season 2 and 3(DVD) would be awesome!

[ronald mascot]

What makes this fascinating is that you sense both characters are extremely delighted to have someone vocalize this desire for them (even if that someone is J.R.), although they still can’t quite bring themselves to do it.

Yes, that does seem to be the case, and it's still odd to me, Pam admitted to Bobby she didn't write that letter of Katherine's in the beginning of the season- that seemed to be their big roadblock but it was sort of ignored- even though it's more than possible, I don't understand why they didn't get back together then, except that it just didn't serve the plot.

While I don’t appreciate the show’s attempt at forcing a friendship between these two, this has probably been the only scene between them that feels somewhat genuine.

I like Sue Ellen and Jamie together, it's an odd coupling, nothing like Sue Ellen and Pam, but their friendship has a sort of charm to it, almost as if Jamie is her younger sister.

Bobby, who must surely be a detective by now, finds out that there may be surveillance tape from inside the plane.

And it's not just Bobby being a detective, he's Jenna's detective, which makes it somehow even more boring for me.

Jenna appears to have had her hair cut as she refuses to believe again and asks Bobby to stay away from her. The music is chilling, the lighting is moody, and Presley is not cringe worthy!

That hair cut seems to be her death knell. And unlike you, I did cringe! Didn't she give that same speech like a week ago?

This leads to J.R. resurrecting his “ya not ma daddy” phase, which leads Clayton to grab J.R. and threaten to beat him up

I really like Clayton when he is feisty Clayton and when he is grabbing JR- I wish there had been more of those scenes and it had developed more.

Jamie's brother with the really, really big penis!

Big package might mean big testicles, but it doesn't mean big Penis- I've been fooled more than once and don't you be.

[JROG]

EPISODE 27: THE EWING CONNECTION

I loved this episode! It’s brimming with a sense of direction; there’s obviously a climax coming soon, and it makes for very exciting television.

We start off with J.R. telling Bobby and Ray about his meeting with the mysterious big penised man. They decide to go ahead and call Jack but Jack is deliciously ignoring J.R.’s phone call. At Cliff’s Horrible Condo, Jamie tells Cliff and Pam about Jack's sudden return. Cliff instantly sees the dangers this brings but Jamie appears oblivious to all of them. Maybe she had too much wine during dinner and can’t concentrate. Jack continues his Swaggalicious attitude as he strides into Ewing Oil to see Bobby, Ray and J.R. and announces that, not only does he has a really big crotch, he is also their cousin and will agree to give them the proof they want only if they give him 10% of Ewing Oil. In the meantime, after everything else fails, Cliff decides to dig deep into his pocket and pay for a detective to find Jack. In case that fails too, he starts rushing his marriage to Jamie, who jumps up and down in that Bambi way of hers, again too stupid to see the blatant manipulation. And Cool Man Jack signs the deal with the Ewing Brothers but tells them someone else has the proof, presumably because it is not good timing to reveal that just yet. Ah, well, I do have to admit that I can’t wait to see what this is all about.

Sue Ellen continues her little foray into the world of psychology… or whatever. There’s this scene where the former socialite ice queen just spills her guts to a bunch of people, all happy and proud for this moment of revelation. Someone should slap me up and call me a bitch because I did find Linda Gray touching in this scene, although it might have to do with the fact that I’m sleep deprived.

Meanwhile, Miss Piggy tells NuEllie, Clayton and J.R. that she’s off to Atlanta to see Dr. Poopy Pants. Originally I thought she would leave and not be seen for the rest of the episode, which would make this worse than it already was. Instead, she goes to Atlanta, where she meets Dr. Poopy Pants and they go all gaga eyes on each other. Miss Piggy looks nice here and she’s actually good, which certainly means I’m sleep deprived. She and Mitch exchange stupid dialogue and Mitch tries to act all sophisticated and rich and what not. Ah, give me a break. I can’t even think of a mud joke for this muddied up shit (Wait….).

Ok, I really am sleep deprived because there was a scene in which NuEllie had substantial dialogue that I found great! Naturally, I’m talking about the Donna/Miss Ellie thing, during which Donna looks back at her troubles with Ray and announces that the only solution she sees is divorce. Howard gives a really nice performance here. Later on, Donna is at the doctor’s, which can only mean one of two things: She’s dying or she’s pregnant. Or both. This time, she’s pregnant! All of a sudden, Donna acts as if this has been something that she and Ray have wanted and tried for for a long time. Honestly, I would have preferred if her reaction was of total shock and unhappiness. At least she wonders whether she can tell Ray and mentions how she doesn’t want her marriage to be held together just on account of the baby.

While Bobby is picking up Christopher for the weekend, Pamela notes that he looks tired and invites him to dinner the following night. It’s clear that Pam is angling for a reunion now, although I’m not sure she’s entirely conscious of that. The next night brings on a wonderful scene between the two, where they talk about their aborted decision to move to California (again, I really love good, warranted mentions of the past) and where that led them. As they get up, Bobby leans in for a kiss and it’s a great, sweet moment. After Bobby leaves, Pam smiles and I’m swooning like a mofo in here. The next day, Bobby's about to call Pam when—dammit!!!—Jenna’s presence in the shape of her storyline interrupts. The hitman has been spotted. Ba da boum, ba da da, he comes to the USA with some woman and is being trailed. Oh, God, at least we haven’t seen Jenna in this episode.

While all this craziness happens, Booger #1 has appendicitis and is taken to the hospital. The scene were NuEllie fake-runs to him and is all helpless is truly hilarious. Booger #1 goes into surgery and NuEllie calls J.R. Clayton is also there, apparently supervising the call because NuEllie can’t handle something like that on her own? When Sue Ellen comes home after shopping, J.R. once again tells her she’s an unfit mother (am I smelling a custody battle?) before he conveniently places his drink next to her and goes upstairs. Sue Ellen barely has enough time to call the hospital before she spots the drink. Oh no, is it finally going to happen… is she going to drink it? Will she down that shit? And….. yeeeees she does! Woohoo! Drink, ho! Maybe it’ll teach you how to give good performances again!

DDD