The essential episodes of Dallas
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Dallas — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Dallas begins with a Romeo and Juliet theme. Bobby James Ewing, the youngest of the Ewing sons, marrying Pamela Barnes. Pamela (Pam) is the daughter of Digger Barnes who just happens to be the enemy of the the head of the Ewing Family, Jock Ewing. Digger also shared a romantic past with Jock's wife Ellie. The marriage does not sit well with any of the Ewings. Sue Ellen resents the newcomer, Lucy tries to intimidate her from the beginning, and Jock is furious. J.R reacts the most strongly, trying to break up the couple by using Ray Krebbs, the ranch foreman of Southfork, to break the couple up. Ray had a brief fling with Pamela Barnes, and J.R hopes this will end the marriage.
- 02
Pam is sure that J.R is framing Cliff, and leaves Bobby and Southfork. Bobby holds J.R responsible, and promises to get to the bottom of things. Bobby goes to see Cliff, to see if he can help. Cliff is not happy to see any of the Ewings, and tells Bobby the only thing that can help is if the real killers are caught. Bobby is on the trail, and finds a key in Cliff's mail which was sent from Julie before her death. The key leads Bobby to a pawn shop where he find a briefcase containing important information.
- 03
The cartel members and J.R.'s banker are financially ruined after the nationalization of the Asian fields. Seth Stone, one of the cartel members, kills himself. J.R. moves to drive Kristin and Alan Beam out of town and he wants to put Sue Ellen back into the sanitarium. Pam and Bobby leave Dallas when Bobby learns that J.R. shut down an oil field to stop Cliff from having his portion of revenge based on an agreement between Digger and Jock which Cliff has found among Digger's papers. An unknown visitor calls on J.R. late at the office.
- 04
Bobby's oil tanker sinks with over 600,000 gallons and is not insured. Cliff is seeing Donna with a view to working for Dave's campaign. Bobby does some detective work and finds out how devious J.R.'s plan really is. Amos Krebbs, whom Ray hasn't seen or heard from since he was three, shows up at Southfork with some very disturbing news for the entire Ewing family.
- 05
Miss Ellie has accepted Jock's death. Marilee Stone tells Cliff that J.R. used her to get Sue Ellen back. Bobby tells Pam the truth about Christopher. They fly to Los Angeles and learn that Kristin miscarried J.R.'s baby, that Farraday and Kristin were married, and that Farraday is Christopher father. Clayton comes back from vacation. J.R. and Sue Ellen plan to marry and break the news to the family. Lucy tells Muriel she was raped by Roger. Cliff feels devastated when Sue Ellen tells him she's marrying J.R. He tries to kill himself. Rebecca shows up at Southfork and tells Miss Ellie that the Ewing-Barnes feud will continue. Sue Ellen feels guilty about Cliff's suicide attempt and tells J.R. she may not be able to marry him if Cliff dies.
- 06
The battle for Ewing Oil begins, to Pam's concern. Mickey settles into Southfork ranch reluctantly. J.R. seeks a variance for pumping more oil. Lucy decides to go back to work. Rebecca buys Wade Luce's oil company for Cliff to run but he can't face dealing with J.R. again. Pam and Bobby get the date for the final adoption hearing.
- 07
The Ewing family learns of Mark Graison's death. Bobby and Jenna hold off their announcement. Jenna fears that Mark's death may bring Bobby and Pam together. Pam gets a letter from Mark which reveals the real cause of the plane crash. A phone call from Dusty raises the tensions between Clayton and Jessica. Clayton tells Ray and Donna the truth about Dusty and Jessica's diary. Pam and Bobby talk about their years together and the divorce. Pam learns about the letter which Katherine wrote and which led to Pam and Bobby's divorce. Pam has a showdown with Katherine. Miss Ellie and Jessica disappear and the Ewings fear Ellie is in serious trouble.
- 08
Sue Ellen gets drunk at the Ewing victory party. Donna tells Ray about her pregnancy. J.R. reassures Mandy Winger that the problem with Sue Ellen will be resolved. Jenna can't wait to get married and Bobby is confused about who he should marry. Sue Ellen assures Clayton and Miss Ellie that she stopped drinking. Mitch and Lucy remarry. Cliff considers an annulment of his marriage to Jamie. Dusty reappears. Pam tells Bobby he has to marry Jenna. J.R. asks Sue Ellen to agree to end their marriage. Bobby proposes to Pam. Jamie surprises Cliff during their conversation about annulment. Then as Bobby leaves Pams house, a car drives straight towards Pamela, Bobby pushes Pam out of the way and the car hits him. The crashes and the driver is revealed to be Katherine Wentoworth who is dead. Bobby is rushed to hospital where he dies of massive internal injuries.
- 09
J.R. objects to Bobby's will being read so soon after his death. J.R. tells Sue Ellen off who winds up falling victim to car theft. Ray regrets his misbehavior towards Donna and wants to make up. Sue Ellen winds up on the street among the homeless. Donna tells Jenna about her pregnancy. J.R. is in pain after Bobby's death. Cliff tries to warn the cartel against J.R. Pamela's appearance at the reading of Bobby's will makes J.R. angry. J.R. objects to some of the terms of Bobby's will. Sue Ellen disappears from Southfork which gets Clayton and Miss Ellie worried. Cliff sees an opportunity for himself in Pamela's situation after Bobby's death. Sue Ellen drinks heavily and falls victim to more theft. J.R. and Mandy Winger further discuss "The Sue Ellen problem".
- 10
The Dark at the End of the Tunnel
Bobby, Ray, and Miss Ellie sell their Ewing Oil holdings to J.R. Pam returns her 25 percent of Barnes/Wentworth to Cliff. April enjoys her new wealth and buys a restaurant. Ray shows pictures of Margaret to Jenna and Charlie. Wendell gives the Justice Department data on Ewing Oil and B.D. Calhoun. Sue Ellen uses Mandy Winger to test J.R.'s fidelity. Cliff makes a scene at Ewing Oil. Phyllis breaks down upon hearing the news that Ewing Oil is being dissolved. Just as Miss Ellie gets her hopes up for the family's future, she gets terrible news from Washington. Clayton has a violent confrontation with J.R. and is knocked unconscious.
- 11
Pam is taken to the hospital with third-degree burns and serious injuries from the car crash. J.R. embarks on building a new company-- J.R.E. Industries. Doctors tell Bobby that Pam will most probably live. Cliff feels guilty about letting Digger down regarding J.R. and Ewing Oil. Jenna nurtures her new baby boy. J.R. and Sue Ellen get close. April offers Cliff her help in coping after the loss of Ewing Oil. April meets Wilson Cryer, Jeremy Wendell's executive assistant. Bobby must face Christopher and explain about Pam. J.R. consoles Bobby.
- 12
Sue Ellen thinks she killed J.R. At the hospital, J.R. tries to make himself look like he's dying. Cliff and April make a trip to look for Pam. Bobby refuses to help Sue Ellen find John Ross. Jeremy Wendell and Bobby exchange warnings and threats. Sue Ellen and J.R. drop their criminal charges against one another. Lucy hands John Ross right into Sue Ellen's arms as an angry J.R. watches from the hospital window. Sue Ellen hires a divorce attorney. Cliff is left bitterly disappointed after his meeting with Pam. Bobby agrees to take J.R. back into Ewing Oil on certain conditions. Clayton meets Carter McKay who wants to buy Ray's house. Cliff lies to Bobby about having seen Pam.
- 13
James finds out where J.R. is and he and Cally form a a plan of action. Cliff asks Liz to stay with him temporarily. Carter McKay gets a call from an old friend, Johnny Dancer. Cally puts on an act with J.R.'s lawyer in order to get his release papers. J.R. finally gets Jessica's signature, and feels its time to get out of the asylum, but James has other plans. He destroys the release papers and J.R. is trapped at the institution.
- 14
James and Cally celebrate the success of their plan, but Cally isn't happy J.R. is stuck in the asylum. Bobby and April's honeymoon takes an unexpected twist when they meet a woman called Sheila Foley. James takes over operations at Ewing Oil while J.R. contemplates his fate and tries to devise a way out of the insane asylum. April disappears, and Sheila gives Bobby a deadly ultimatum.
- 15
In this two-part episode, J.R. is on the brink of despair, holding a gun to his own head, when he's visited by an other-worldly type named Adam. He takes a mystical journey in the "It's a Wonderful Life" slant and finds out what the lives of those around him would have been like had there never been a J.R. Ewing. What he sees is a world where Gary Ewing is a successful lawyer, Cliff Barnes is vice-president of the United States, Cally Harper is a battered wife, Bobby Ewing is a wandering loser, Sue Ellen Shepard is a thriving actress, and the other Ewing son is named Jason -- and is a weasley little user and jerk. Finally, the two-parts -- and the series -- ends with a gunshot.
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