Season 6 Summaries
Episode 132: The Road Back Aired: Fri, Feb.4, 2000
LINE OF THE DAY: "None of us have clean hands, boys...none of us." - JR reminding Ray and Bobby about the part they played in Walt Driscoll's demise.
Rating [out of 10]: 
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
As Ray and JR lie helpless on the floor and the piercing sound of the smoke detectors fails to wake John Ross and Sue Ellen, Bobby comes home and sees the house in flames. He jumps into the pool and rushes into the house, rousing Ray, and dragging him upstairs to find JR, who they drag on to the balcony. Ray manages to find John Ross and wrap him in a blanket. The sedated Sue Ellen is taken to safety by Bobby. Ray tells a coughing JR to take John Ross and jump in to the pool as the fire department arrives.
Donna comes by and wonders what happened. JR tells her that Ray tried to kill him and their fight started the fire. Ray tells everyone that Walt Driscoll was the driver who injured Mickey and takes another lunge at JR but is hindered by Bobby. Bobby tells JR to take his family to a hotel and they'll talk later.
Clayton reads about the fire in the local newspaper and calls Donna. He tells Donna that Ellie is very agitated and is not to know about what happened.
Bobby calls JR's hotel room and asks to meet at the ranch to talk. Sue Ellen calls room service for some liquor but finds out that JR warned the hotel staff not to let her have any. JR and Bobby assess the damage, and JR says he's still worried about Ray's threats, especially if Mickey dies. Bobby confronts Ray about it and he says that all three of them have to sit down and talk about what's happened. Ray says if he and JR want to talk, they'll find him with the cattle herd near Missing River in an hour.
Mark comes over to Pam's room and tells her about the fire. She calls the ranch now that a phone line is functional and finds out the details from Bobby. She decides to head over to see Sue Ellen and whisks her away to buy a new wardrobe.
Katherine comes over to JR's office and tells him that Pam filed for divorce. JR immediately calls for a toast and says she'll have his full cooperation in getting what she wants from Bobby - he'd like to have her as a sister-in-law. JR comes to Missing River and reminds Ray that he was part of the sting operation that entrapped Driscoll - all of the brothers share in the guilt over what's happened.
Sue Ellen and Pam look at some new dresses and Sue Ellen is totally bored until the store owner brings out some champagne. Then she decides to stay a while and see how much of JR's money she can spend.
Ellie hears about the fire on the radio and a doctor tells Clayton to keep her calm and away from her family.
Cliff tries to tell Mark not to worry about Pam's sudden re-interest in Bobby after the fire. Mark is still concerned that Pam might be unwilling to break all of her Ewing ties. Cliff tells Mark that Pam's plans for a divorce are final. Pam tells Mark she just wants to give Bobby some time to deal with the fire and everything that's happened before she pushes the divorce proceedings. Cliff suggests to Pam and Mark that they form a consortium to become one of the most powerful forces in the Dallas oil industry. Pam says she'll think about it.
JR returns to the hotel room to find Sue Ellen out. He tells the hotel staff not to send up any baby-sitters so Sue Ellen is forced to stay in the hotel. JR and Pam argue about Sue Ellen's condition and the accident and JR tries to shift the blame away from him, telling Pam that Walt Driscoll was driving the car. Sue Ellen overhears and gets totally upset at JR for letting her believe that the accident was her fault.
Clayton comes back to Dallas to meet with JR and Bobby and discuss Ellie's mental and physical health. He tells them that she especially needs time away from her family. Bobby and JR tell Clayton that they plan to see Harve Smithfield to end the contest. JR expresses dissatisfaction with the fact that all contact with their mother has to go through Clayton but Clayton says he doesn't care what JR thinks.
Sue Ellen tells Clayton that she thinks she can stay away from the bottle if she keeps her emotional distance from JR, and she plans to devote her time to her son, who's been largely ignored by his parents. She also wonders when Clayton plans on joining the family but Clayton is noncommittal.
At the hospital, Mickey comes out of his coma as Lucy and Aunt Lil look on.
Bobby and JR go to Harve's office and tell him about their decision to end the battle for Ewing Oil and share the assets of Ewing Oil, just as Jock had wanted when he was alive. Harve tells them that he can't legally end the contest because it would violate the terms of Jock's will - in one month he will be forced to declare a winner.
Episode 133: The Long Goodbye Aired: Thu, August 13, 1998
LINE OF THE DAY: "Must be kind of difficult living in a hotel." - JR to Pam with an irony-laden line [after all, he's been living in a hotel too.]
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie. Get used to it. Donna is also nowhere.
Pam and Christopher come over to the ranch in her new car. Southfork is being rebuilt as we speak and Bobby tells her about Ellie's frail mental state. Bobby takes Christopher out for a horse ride and tells Pam that he and JR have called off the fighting and they plan to split the company evenly, no matter what happens. Pam tells him that even if the fighting stops, she still doesn't feel that she can come back to him because so much has changed. They agree to meet for dinner, though.
JR comes back to the hotel for lunch and he and Sue Ellen have another sparring session. She tells JR that she doesn't want to share the same bedroom with him anymore. She wants separate bedrooms and separate lives from now on. That evening when he comes back from work he finds that Sue Ellen has found him another room and had all of his things moved over.
Katherine finds out that Pam is going out with Bobby again and she's been told that the fight between him and JR is over. Katherine tells Pam that seeing Bobby again will confuse her and there will never really be peace between the two brothers. Pam agrees but decides to go and see Bobby anyway.
At the hospital, Mickey and Lucy finally talk about his condition. Mickey is confident that he can recover from his condition and he wants to marry Lucy as soon as he's well.
At dinner, Bobby tells Pam that running Ewing Oil means nothing if they're not together. After the contest is finished, all of the pressure will be off of them and they'll be free to live their lives. Pam is unsure. Cliff is surprised to learn that Pam saw Bobby and says that Mark Graison is the only man for her. Pam accuses him of just wanting to get closer to Mark and his business.
Katherine asks JR why he stupidly ended the fight for Ewing Oil, which is causing Pam and Bobby to grow closer. JR tells her that he can handle Pam, but Bobby doesn't trust him anymore. He advises Katherine to poison Bobby's mind if she really wants him for herself.
Clayton comes to Southfork and finds Bobby there. He tells Bobby that Ellie's condition hasn't improved but she's taking comfort in the fact that Bobby is taking care of the ranch and rebuilding it. Bobby tells him that his marriage may depend on leaving Southfork; Clayton replies that Ellie might never return if that were to happen.
Cliff and Afton come over to Mark's house and Cliff continues to pressure Mark to make a move on Pam before she decides anything for herself. Mark says he wants Pam to marry him without her having any more feelings for Bobby. Afton tells Cliff to stay out of Pam's life but he confides in her that he really is concerned with Pam's happiness because he really believes that she's better off with Mark rather than being caught in the Ewing wars.
Pam and Sue Ellen talk about their changed lives. Sue Ellen tells Pam that she's lucky - she'll be all right on her own, whereas Sue Ellen doesn't feel strong enough to make it on her own. She also advises Pam that one day, Bobby will hate her for making him leave Ewing Oil, even if he says differently today.
Ray, Lucy and Aunt Lil visit Mickey and try to cheer him up but he's depressed after talking to the doctors, who say that he most likely will never recover from his injury and will be paralyzed for the rest of his life.
Sue Ellen returns to the ranch to choose some wallpaper for her new room. JR finds her there and vainly tries to convince her to change her mind about their sleeping arrangements and tells her she's going to allow him to do whatever he likes with anyone he wants - just stay away from her. She also ruins JR's day by telling him that Pam and Bobby may be reunited.
Mark and Pam have another boring discussion about their stagnating relationship. He reiterates Cliff's statement that she'd be much better off with him and he's getting tired of waiting for her.
That night, JR comes to Pam's room and asks to talk. He tells her that when she and Bobby are divorced, their office time at Ewing Oil will be peaceful and he'll leave Cliff alone - the Barnes-Ewing feud will end. But he promises that if she and Bobby get back together, he'll destroy both Bobby and Cliff and anybody stupid enough to put in with them. The choice is hers.
Episode 134 - The Letter Aired: Fri, July 14, 2000
LINE OF THE DAY: "I have a very special feeling for your sister - I hate her." - JR to Katherine.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
Katherine and Pam discuss her on-hold desire to proceed with her divorce. Katherine reminds her that JR won't let the peace continue if she returns to Southfork, and Pam realizes that Bobby will resent all the things he will have to give up for her. But she's torn by her love for Bobby.
Sue Ellen and JR argue about taking John Ross to a psychologist. Sue Ellen says she's concerned about John Ross's introversion after the fire and goes despite JR's objections that John Ross is just fine. The psychologist tells Sue Ellen that while John Ross's problems are not serious, he does need some help. She also advises Sue Ellen to sort out her problems with JR, perhaps with a marriage counselor. Sue Ellen says she's already taken steps to improve their relationship.
JR and Katherine meet for lunch. Katherine tells him that Pam seems more confused than ever and she probably just needs time away from Bobby and she'll go ahead with the divorce. JR reminds Katherine that she's the one who has to work on Bobby. Katherine wonders why JR is so intent on getting Pam out of his life if they've called off the fight and JR hints that he might not have been completely sincere about ending the battle...
Bobby, Ray, and Donna go to a cattle auction to unwind a bit but Ray is still preoccupied with keeping tabs on Mickey's condition. Donna tells Bobby that Ray's wracked with guilt over everything he did from Mickey and feels that everything that happened is his fault. He feels that Jock would have never let him down the way he let Mickey down. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Mickey tries to be his old funny self to try and cope with his condition.
Cliff, Afton, Pam and Christopher come over to Mark's house and spend a day by the pool. Cliff tries to get in some business talk but Pam tells him she's not in the mood to talk about it. Mark tells Cliff that he's not sure how involved Pam will be with them in the near future.
JR visits Serena for some nonsexual companionship - just to talk about all of the terrible things that happened. He says that despite all of the tragedy, he probably wouldn't have done anything differently.
Pam returns to her room and after some goading from Katherine, she makes a date with Mark for tomorrow night. Katherine gets Pam to sign some 'corporate' papers and then hurriedly leaves, very pleased with herself. The next day, Katherine talks to Bobby and tells her that he should come over to the hotel room to talk to Pam. Bobby's very grateful for all of her help.
Sue Ellen, JR, and John Ross return to the ranch. JR tells Sue Ellen that if she insists on taking his son to a psychologist, he wants to be there. Dr. Lacey tells the bickering parents that John Ross has been through a topsy-turvy life, with the fire being a last straw. The doctor suggests counseling and some time in a day camp to spend time with children his own age. Sue Ellen thinks the camp is a great idea and JR agrees to give it a try.
When Bobby comes over to the hotel room, Katherine tells him that Pam's gone out with Mark. Bobby bewails the fact that he knows Pam still loves him. Katherine shows him a letter, surprisingly signed by Pam, that she claims she found thrown away. It's a letter to her lawyer which Katherine reads to him. The letter indicates that she doesn't want to hurt Bobby, despite the fact that she loves another man. She writes that she'll go back to Bobby if he wants to be with her, but she can't bring herself to leave him because of the pain it would cause him.
Katherine finds Pam again and tells Pam to go ahead with her decision about the divorce. Pam tells Katherine about JR's visit and threats. She says she's been intimidated by JR for six years and she doesn't want to take it anymore. She says that if she and Bobby love each other enough, they can fight JR and anyone else.
Sue Ellen and JR drop John Ross off at their day camp and meet his assigned counselor, Peter Richards. JR takes Peter aside and Peter assures him that his son is in good hands.
Pam calls Bobby and asks to meet for lunch. As Bobby waits, he watches a mother with her child and in his mind he hears Katherine reading Pam's letter. Pam finally shows up and she tells him about her mixed feelings. Bobby interrupts her and tells her that he's finally come to the realization that he can't give up everything in his life for her anymore - the feelings that they have for each other are memories. Too much has changed between them and Bobby says he's letting her go and won't put any more pressure on her to get back together. He says they had both better realize that their marriage is over. Pam tearfully walks away.
Episode 135 - My Brother's Keeper Aired: Fri, July 14, 2000
LINE OF THE DAY: "I don't think my brain is working." - Pam to Afton, after their all-night bender. [I couldn't resist this one!]
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
Bobby prepares for his divorce and JR tells him to take some time off to relax and deal with it until Harve calls off the contest in a few weeks.
Sue Ellen takes John Ross to day camp and meets Peter again. They talk about his plans of becoming a psychologist one day.
Clarence Colby comes to see JR and tells him that he was successful in sabotaging the McLeish oil well in Canada - there'll be no more oil for at least two months. JR thanks him and pays him off for a job well done.
Ray tries to comfort a distraught Aunt Lil, who's becoming impatient at seeing Mickey's troubled state. He tells her to try and give the planned therapy a chance and see if he'll overcome his depression. Mickey and Lucy argue again about the time she's spending at the hospital. Lucy tells him that she wants to stay with him so that he doesn't give up hope on life and accept the help that's going to be offered to him.
Pam and Bobby meet with their lawyers to finalize the details of their divorce. They avoid looking at or talking to each other, even though Pam wants to say something as Bobby walks out. He ignores her call.
JR meets with Katherine and she says that Pam is torn up about the divorce - she figures that Pam will try to make up with Bobby one more time. JR suggests that it might be a good idea - as long as they control the setting. When he returns to the office, he invites Bobby out to dinner so he won't be alone and Bobby accepts.
Cliff, Afton, and Mark come to Pam's room and invite her out for a night on the town. Katherine offers her dinner reservations to the group and they gladly accept. Serena and her friend Diane happen to show up at the restaurant and Bobby and JR offer them seats at their table. The dinner gets interesting just as the Barnes party shows up. Pam sees Bobby and Diane cuddling for a picture and walks out of the restaurant, to the surprise of her friends. For the rest of the night, Bobby acts very boring because he realizes that the two are paid call girls and he's not interested.
After a night of some severe drinking, Pam wonders how Bobby was able to get over their divorce so quickly. Afton is suspicious that Katherine happened to send them to the same restaurant that Bobby was at, but Pam pooh-poohs it. Cliff tells Pam he wants to help her through her tough time and be with her at the divorce hearing.
Ray visits the hospital and Mickey tells him in confidence that he wants to get as much out of life as he possibly can - but he says that if the worst should happen, he doesn't want to live like a vegetable. Ray tells him to cut out that kind of talk, but Mickey says flatly that he'd rather be dead than live that way.
JR takes Bobby out to lunch and Katherine meets him for dinner to keep him away from Pam. Katherine is surprised to hear that he plans on attending the court hearing but is able to convince him that it would make Pam feel that she was being cruel.
The Ewing Oil geologists tell Bobby and JR that they have enough current reserves for six months and they need to find new sources of crude. Meanwhile, the divorce hearing goes through without a hitch, and Pam becomes the ex-Mrs. Bobby Ewing.
Episode 136:
The Quality of Mercy Aired: Fri,
July 14, 2000
NITPICKS
for this episode
LINE OF THE DAY: "Well, I may get sick afterward...but if that's what you want, let's go up to my room and get it over with." - Sly to Cliff after he says he wants something from her.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
With the resolution of the battle for Ewing Oil looming, Bobby is
told that it's a good thing the contest is off, since he's about 12 million behind JR.
Lonely and somewhat depressed after the divorce, Bobby confides in Phyllis about his
feelings and she lends a sympathetic ear.
Lucy tells Sue Ellen about the recent friction between Mickey and herself. She feels
guilty about having doubts about their future life, especially in light of the fact that
he might not get better. Sue Ellen tells her that if she really loves Mickey, she'll be
happy with him no matter how things turn out. She reminds Lucy that all the Ewing women
have had terrible luck with men in the past.
Punk visits Ewing Oil and tells JR and Bobby that the final reckoning will be in a week or
so and they should have their books ready. JR says he's all set for the formality of the
audit.
Mickey lapses back in to sarcasm towards his family, telling them to get on with their
lives and not come to see him any more. He says he wants his ordeal to end. Lucy angrily
confronts Mickey about it and tells him she's around to stay.
Cliff and Afton come over to Pam's room to find that she's planning to move in to
Rebecca's house. Cliff says he wants Pam to join him in running Barnes-Wentworth but Pam
is hesitant, since she knows nothing about the oil business. Cliff offers her a PR
position, wanting the family to stick together in this. Pam insists that if they do work
together, it won't be against the Ewings.
Cliff comes over to Sly's apartment building and finds her by the pool. He talks about her
brother, who's stuck in the state penitentiary but eligible for parole soon. He tells Sly
that he could arrange for an easy ride for her brother. Sly figures he wants sex
in exchange but Cliff
wants her to feed him information about JR's doings. Later, Sly overhears JR talking to
his broker about some prime oil land near Midland.
Peter comes over to Southfork to see John Ross in his home environment. He and Sue Ellen
talk for a while about his life as JR looks on from the balcony. JR tells Sue Ellen that
Peter obviously has a big crush on her.
Pam's old friends crash her moving-in, and she offers Jackie the opportunity to work with
her at her new office at Barnes- Wentworth. Cliff is thrilled that Pam's made up her mind
to put in with him.
Bobby spends some time at a children's movie theater [yes, you read that right.] He ends
up calling an ecstatic Katherine for dinner. The next day, they have lunch too and Bobby runs
into [gasp!] Holly Harwood, who he invites to sit down with them. Ignoring Katherine's
evil eye, Holly and Bobby make arrangements for dinner sometime.
At the hospital, Mickey has a minor heart attack and slips back into a coma. Aunt Lil says
she refuses to come back to the hospital to see her son hooked up to a machine. Donna
tries to get Ray to come home but he refuses, saying he wants to see Mickey for a while
longer. A few minutes later, there's another alert from Mickey's room. Aunt Lil watches
and Ray holds the door as Mickey dies, his wires unplugged. Eventually, the doctors and
nurses are able to push the door open and they try unsuccessfully to revive the dead boy.
Episode 137: Check and Mate Aired: Fri, July 21
LINE OF THE DAY: "What's he done now?" - JR to Harve after Ray's arrest is announced.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
Donna arrives at the hospital to find a throng of reporters there. They break the news that Ray's been arrested for Mickey's murder. JR and Bobby hand over their accounting books to Harve Smithfield when they find out the news. Donna finds Aunt Lil at the courthouse and tries to figure out what happened but Lil is evasive about it. After a long wait, Donna finally gets to talk to Ray and he tells her that he just wanted to fulfill Mickey's wish to die with dignity, despite her protestations that it was wrong.
Cliff sneaks up on Sly outside the Ewing building and thanks her for the information about JR's latest deal. He tells her that if she wants him to help her brother, she'll have to keep the information flowing.
JR and Katherine meet for drinks and JR expresses how good life is for him right now. He makes a subtle pass at Katherine but she tells him that she's only interested in Bobby. He also secretly admits that he doesn't plan to split evenly with Bobby, and she had better not say anything or else Pam and Bobby will find out who engineered their break-up.
Harve bails Ray out and Ray tells him he doesn't need or want a lawyer but Harve strongly counsels him otherwise. Ray and Donna come home to find a continually stuporous Aunt Lil and an angry Lucy who starts beating on Ray and yelling at him until Donna grabs her and drags her away. Despite his objections, Donna insists on getting Paul Morgan, a good criminal lawyer, to take Ray's case because she refuses to give up on him. Paul agrees to do it if he feels they can make a case.
Pam tells Mark she feels guilty about not being with the family when Ray was arrested. Mark says she has to break her ties from the Ewings and now would be a good time to start.
JR meets with Alan Murphy, who owns the Midland oil fields he wanted to buy. JR is told he's been outbid for the fields - and Murphy doesn't want to reveal who got them. Meanwhile, Cliff tells his new partners Pam and Mark that they got the deal from under JR's nose. Pam storms off because Cliff is starting the Barnes-Ewing feud all over again. JR accuses his broker, who denies it, of spilling the beans and tells him whoever did it will be sorry. Sly overhears the whole thing.
As Bobby gets another 'no progress' answer from the McLeish brothers in snowy Canada, he and JR share a drink and celebrate the end of the contest and the beginning of their even partnership. Bobby and Holly meet and she talks about the possibility of a relationship, despite her affair with JR. Bobby says he can't find a way to look past it, and Holly counters that she couldn't be comfortable just being his friend.
Cliff brings Mark and Pam to their new, nicely decorated offices. Pam has second thoughts about the venture but Cliff and Mark convince her that she should give the new business a try.
Sue Ellen goes to camp to pick up John Ross, who puts up a fuss about wanting to go for a swim. She wastes some time talking to Peter and says she wants to give a party at Southfork for the counselors to thank them for helping John Ross get adjusted to life again.
Ray tries to talk to Lil about the funeral arrangements for Mickey - he thinks Mickey should be buried at Southfork. She remains totally silent about it.
The day of decision arrives for Bobby and JR. Punk reads a letter from Jock which tells his sons that the contest was designed for them to gain respect for each other and use the same kind of energy they used against one another to make Ewing Oil the strongest company in Texas - and be a family. After hearing the letter, JR suggests that they at least find out who won. It turns out that JR did much better - by 16 million dollars!
JR then tells everybody that he's not sure whether he wants to split the company the way he thought previously... suddenly the buzzer beeps and Thornton McLeish arrives with a check for 26 million dollars, as Bobby's share of the recently successful drilling! Reminding JR that the contest isn't finished until the end of business today, Bobby is declared the winner by Harve. Suddenly JR feels a need to adhere to the spirit of Jock's letter and be equal partners. Bobby agrees and JR calls for a celebration of the new Ewing Oil.
Episode 138: Ray's Trial Aired: Fri, July 21
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
JR unwinds at a tavern and Holly Harwood comes by after hearing the news of the even split of Ewing Oil. Holly gloats at him for the fact that he still couldn't beat Bobby even after all of his shenanigans. Her one regret is that Bobby won't have anything to do with her because JR forced her to sleep with him.
Bobby and Ray check out some cattle in Fort Worth and talk about recent goings-on. Donna comes to collect Ray for his appointment with Paul Morgan, the lawyer. Bobby is concerned at Ray's nonchalant attitude towards his defense. Ray has little to say for himself, except that he was just doing what Mickey wanted him to do. Aunt Lil speaks for the first time in a long time, asking Ray to take her inside to lie down. Paul is upset that Ray is so uncooperative, especially about Lil's role in the matter.
Cliff, Pam, and Afton watch Mark Graison participate in a polo game. After the game, Mark has a collection of girls around him - which obviously perturbs Pam. A woman makes a backhanded comment to Pam about how great she must be in bed, which makes her feel guilty about not committing to Mark.
Sue Ellen throws her pool party for the Windsor Meadows counselors at Southfork, and it's a grand affair. Katherine stops by to see Bobby for a dinner date, but finds he hasn't come home. That's because he went to relax at a pool hall after the auction and bumps into a lovely waitress, who just happens to be his old girlfriend, Jenna Wade. They discuss their recent lives and Bobby mentions his divorce. He sticks around for her whole shift and they share a dance before she heads home. Bobby says he wants to spend more time with her but Jenna says he's broken her heart before and she doesn't want to get involved with him again right now.
JR arrives home and expresses concern about Sue Ellen 'showcasing' herself for Peter Richards. Sue Ellen counters that the lovely female counselors have been attracting his eye just as well. Katherine calls Southfork and JR picks up the phone, telling her that Bobby still hasn't arrived home.
Paul talks to Ray again later that night. Ray says he was responsible for Mickey's condition because he brought him to Dallas. He recounts the whole story behind Walt Driscoll's hit-and-run accident which hurt Mickey. He mentions that he fought with JR and tried to kill him. Paul tells him it's important that no one knows that he tried to hurt JR, which will make him look unstable and violent to a judge or a jury.
Mark, Afton, and the Barnes siblings have Sunday breakfast together and Bobby comes by to pick up Christopher. He mentions that he ran into Jenna Wade yesterday which obviously bothers Pam as well as Katherine. Bobby drives Christopher over to Jenna's place to invite her out to lunch. On the radio, Bobby hears that Ray's been indicted for felony murder.
JR helps John Ross with his swimming but doesn't do it the way Peter does, which puts John Ross in a really bad mood. Sue Ellen figures that JR is jealous of Peter's friendship with John Ross - and his relationship with her. JR makes overtures to get Sue Ellen back into his bed but she flatly refuses him again.
The trial begins and the assistant DA asks for the death penalty. The attending physician testifies that Ray held the door closed so that the rescue team couldn't get in to Mickey's room and it would have been possible to revive him. JR walks out of the courtroom after making a token appearance. Other doctors testify and then it's Lucy's turn. She tells the court that Mickey planned to accept whatever treatment could be provided and they planned to get married. She also says that she never heard Mickey say he wanted to die.
The district attorney then brings forward an affidavit that Ray has been known to be violent at times. Paul says that if he suspects that Ray is withholding information and he may be forced to call Aunt Lil to the stand. The next morning he does; Ray angrily stands up and says he won't allow it.
Episode 139: The Oil Baron's Ball Aired: Fri, July 21
LINE OF THE DAY: "Nothing brings out the best in you like other people's unhappiness." - Sue Ellen to JR at the Oil Baron's ball.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
Despite Ray's objections, Aunt Lil comes to the witness stand. She recalls, through a vivid flashback, how she suddenly came to the realization that the comatose boy in the hospital room was no longer her son, and never would be. She recalls trying to pull the plug on the machinery but was unable to muster up the courage. Ray arrived just then and Lil pleaded with him to do it to allow Mickey to die with dignity. Ray hesitated but eventually did what Lil asked, so she says that she is the one responsible for Mickey's death and if anyone should be punished, it's her. The assistant DA only has a few questions for Lil. The most important fact he confirms is that it was indeed Ray who pulled the plug, for whatever reason.
Cliff tells Mark, Pam, and Afton that he's reserved a whole table for the Oil Baron's Ball and he has inside information that he's a finalist for oil man of the year.
Ray is found guilty of murder. Instead of the death penalty, Ray gets five years in the penitentiary which is suspended to an 18 month probation period. The whole family rejoices.
Punk Anderson comes to Ewing Oil to talk about the upcoming ball. JR and Bobby say that with all of the problems the family has gone through, none of the Ewings really want to show up. However, they allow themselves to be convinced if only for the Jock Ewing memorial scholarship.
Sue Ellen takes a walk through the park and admires several happy young couples in love - as well as some buffed shirtless guys playing football, and being greeted by beautiful girlfriends. That night she comes to JR's room, horny as hell. Once their lovemaking is over, Sue Ellen leaves, saying that he's great to use for sex but she has no other need for him.
Katherine asks Pam whether she'll be bothered by being at the Oil Baron's ball and seeing Bobby there with someone else. Pam says it won't bother her any more than it will bother him to see her with Mark. Katherine tells Bobby that he really should find a date for the ball and Bobby agrees - he heads over to Billy Bob's to ask Jenna. It takes some arm-twisting because Jenna figures he just want to take her to spite Pam but Bobby denies it. Eventually she agrees.
Sue Ellen brings John Ross to camp early and talks to Peter privately. She invites Peter to come to the ball. Peter is surprised she wants to take him but she says that he was thinking of her as an escort for Lucy. Peter figures he'll be out of place but Sue Ellen says she'll take care of everything - including a tuxedo from JR's tailor.
JR is overjoyed to see Bobby with Jenna and introduces her to the family. Just then, Cliff's crowd comes to their table, conveniently placed right next to the Ewings. Bobby and Mark look at each other. Pam looks at Jenna. Katherine looks at Jenna and Bobby. JR just smiles at the way things have turned out and then tries to make introductions all around.
Cliff tells Katherine the story behind Bobby and Jenna's romance several years ago, until she went off to Europe and left him. He also insinuates that Charlie might be Bobby's daughter. Pam is visibly shaken by Jenna's presence but Mark reassures her that she has nothing to worry about.
Punk starts the official festivities and asks Lucy to come up and announce the first scholarship recipients, as an SMU alumnus. [She graduated?] Sue Ellen and Jenna head to the powder room and are followed by Afton, Pam, and Katherine. Pam, Katherine and Jenna exchange pleasantries and Jenna flatly declares that Pam has no hold on Bobby now that they're divorced, so they have nothing to banter about.
Punk announces the oil man of the year: Clifford Barnes, who gets a thunderous ovation. As he heads up to receive his award, he tells JR and Bobby that he plans to tell everyone the real story of how Jock Ewing screwed Digger Barnes out of a fortune.
Episode 140: Morning After Aired: Fri, July 28, 2000
LINE OF THE DAY: "Now I'm going to have to get a rabies shot..." - JR after getting "bit" by Cliff during the fight.
ALTERNATE: "Have you taken to hanging around street corners?" - JR to Katherine as she hangs around the Ewing Building looking for him.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
JR wants to leave the ball early before Cliff speaks but Sue Ellen dissuades him. Cliff gives credit to Bobby for testing the drill, and then says that it's really Digger Barnes, as an unsung hero, who deserves the award - and some of the profits from the Tundra Torque will go to fund the Willard "Digger" Barnes Memorial Scholarship. Then he starts to bad-mouth the Ewings as JR, Ray, and Bobby seethe, claiming that Jock wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything without Digger.
As JR and Sue Ellen leave, he goes by Cliff's table and tells him that the more fitting recipient for Digger's scholarship is a bar. After some banter, JR throws a tray of food at Cliff and a fistfight erupts. JR takes on Cliff, Bobby knocks Mark Graison for a loop and even Ray and Peter get in some licks against some unknown Barnes partisans.
Bobby comes back to Jenna's place to recuperate. They reminisce about old times and share a kiss. Meanwhile, Mark and Pam settle in at her place, with Mark wondering whose side Pam was on. Pam says she wasn't on anybody's side. Sue Ellen tends to Peter and JR back at the ranch and JR and Sue Ellen have a fight over her burgeoning relationship with Peter, who overhears from outside the kitchen.
The next morning, Bobby leaves Jenna's place after apparently sleeping on the couch. Charlie comes out and Jenna tells her that she thinks they'll see a lot more of Bobby in the near future.
Sly attends another secret JR meeting with Ben Clooney regarding a oil service company in need of cash that's a perfect fit for assimilation into an existing oil company.
Peter asks Sue Ellen to meet him at McNaughton's Point to discuss an urgent matter. He tells her that he doesn't want to continue working with John Ross because of his confused feelings for her. Sue Ellen tells him that the kind of infatuation he feels about her happens all the time but Peter says that the problem isn't their age difference but the fact that she's married. She says that's only one of the reasons and he wants her to continue working with John Ross because the boy is very fond of him and it would break his heart if he cut off their relationship.
Donna meets with Paul Morgan to wrap up their arrangement and Paul asks her if she intends to live the rest of her life with Ray, especially since they come from two different worlds. Donna huffily says she doesn't want to discuss her marriage with him.
Pam begins work at Barnes-Wentworth and her first order of business is to remind Cliff that the Barnes-Ewing feud has to end or she's walking. Cliff assures her that the feud's over and tells her about an oil service company that he wants to take over and asks her to dress her sexiest for the meeting. Pam is surprised but agrees to see what she can do.
Bobby and Katherine have a mid-day picnic and she asks him about Jenna. Katherine is shocked to discover that Bobby never realized that she loves him. Bobby is shocked to hear her revelation and Katherine is hurt to learn that he can only think of her as Pam's sister - unlike Jenna.
Pam entertains Ben Keesey, the owner of the oil service company, while they wait for Cliff. Cliff immediately takes the deal, making Pam angry because Cliff wasted her time. Cliff tells her that it's all part of the oil game, and she'll learn about it in time.
Donna reminds Ray about the second honeymoon they had planned before he went to Kansas. Ray says he doesn't feel like taking a trip right now but Donna is able to use her beguiling charms to convince him.
Katherine confronts JR about the situation developing between Bobby and Jenna and insists that JR break them up, especially in light of the fact that she helped him. She also reminds him that Jenna wouldn't take Bobby away from Ewing Oil, like she would. JR visits Jenna at Billy Bob's and talks to her about staying close to Bobby, especially for their daughter's sake. Jenna says she never claimed Charlie was Bobby's child. JR says he wants Jenna to keep Bobby away from the office and keep him happy so he'll marry her. Jenna says she'll think about his offer.
The next day, Sue Ellen brings John Ross to camp to find that Peter didn't show up for work and was really depressed after work yesterday. She manages to find him at McNaughton's Point again and tries to comfort him, reminding him that he can't put his life on hold because of his feelings. Peter still can't get over the fact that he must seem like a child to her but she says she doesn't think that at all. As they head back to the camp, he surprises Sue Ellen with a kiss.
Episode 141: The Buck Stops Here Aired: Fri, July 28, 2000
LINES OF THE DAY: Pam
and Jenna.
"I AM a tough act to follow."
"We'll see."
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie and Lucy.
John Ross tells JR about Sue Ellen's 'rescue' of Peter that day. JR confronts Sue Ellen about her new taste in younger men. Sue Ellen denies any improper relationship with Peter and tells him to leave them alone or else she'll take steps to officially end their marriage.
Mark Graison has another polo practice, with Pamela attending. They meet up with Mark's snooty old friend Tracy who goads them into attending next week's charity rodeo at Billy Bob's tavern. Mark asks why Pam is hesitant about going, even though he knows it's because she knows Bobby will be there. He says he's tired of jobbing to Pam's emotional ties to her ex-husband.
Bobby, Jenna, Charlie, and Christopher enjoy the day at a water park. Bobby asks Jenna again about whether or not he's Charlie's father but Jenna gets upset at the query and Bobby drops the subject.
Pam and Katherine discuss her conversation with Mark. Katherine tells her that she should consider Bobby out of her life for good and make a commitment to Mark. Bobby returns with Christopher and he and Pam discuss his renewed relationship with Jenna and she comments that she doesn't think Jenna is right for him. Bobby quite correctly admonishes that she's the last person to say what or who is good for him.
JR arrives at the office to find that Keesey has sold his company to Cliff and Pam. He storms over to Bobby's office as Sly looks on guiltily. He accuses Bobby of slipping information to Pam and causing them to lose two great deals to Barnes-Wentworth. Bobby reminds him that he hasn't been around enough to know what's going on. JR determines to find the spy in the office. He meets with his brokers and insists that they find new deals for Ewing Oil quickly. He also contacts Harry McSween to set up a trap to find the spy.
Katherine comes to Billy Bob's to see Jenna. She tells Jenna that she stands in the way of Bobby and Pam's reconciliation - and so does Charlie. She offers to set Jenna up with a great job in Houston to get out of Bobby's life. Jenna, by some unbelievable power of divination, is able to figure out that Katherine is more interested in getting Bobby for herself rather than Pam and tells her to get lost.
Mark buys Pam a mechanical bull to practice, since he's entered her in the bull-riding contest at the charity rodeo.
The next day, as Lucy pulls out of the Southfork driveway with John Ross, Peter pulls in to talk to Sue Ellen and asks her why she hasn't been driving him to camp. Sue Ellen claims she's just busy but Peter knows she's been deliberately avoiding him. She tells Peter that what he feels is infatuation - not love. Peter drives away, badly hurt.
Bobby and Jenna have a classy dinner and he asks her to accompany him to the charity rodeo. Jenna mentions her conversation with Katherine and Bobby says he knows about her feelings but isn't interested in her and confirms that he's had no one in his life since Pam. Jenna says she thinks he still has some feelings for Pam but Bobby says she's the one he wants to be with now.
The charity rodeo arrives. Pam makes a side bet with Tracy that Mark will do better than her friend. She also looks sidelong at Jenna, who returns the gaze. Mark finishes behind Ray and Bobby and then the festivities move back to Dallas for the ladies' contest. Tracy drags Mark away, and Jenna allows Bobby to have a dance with Pam. The contest comes around and Donna, Jenna, and Pam all ride a strangely slow bull. Even though Jenna doesn't put on a great performance, she and Bobby have a long kiss in front of the crowd. When Pam and Mark return home, they go to bed together for the first time.
Episode 142: To Catch a Sly Aired: Fri, July 28, 2000
LINE OF THE DAY: "One of the darkest periods of our city's history." JR about Cliff's time in the DA's office.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie.
Mark leaves Pam's place just as Christopher is brought in. Pam laments the fact that Christopher won't grow up as part of his real family because of the continued distance between his parents.
JR calls in a wiretapping expert to check all of the phones at Southfork. Sue Ellen gets the idea that he's spying on her but JR says he's not the least bit interested in what she does. The expert also checks the office and finds it to be clean. Harry comes by and JR tells him that since there are no bugs, he wants to put some in so that he knows exactly what's going on in his office - and at Barnes-Wentworth.
Cliff heads over to Sly's place and finds her in the pool. She tells him that JR hasn't been involved in any deals recently which Cliff finds hard to believe. He reminds her that her brother's chances for parole have improved - it would be a shame if someone ruined them.
Jenna calls Bobby to make plans for their day together. Bobby heads over to Pam's place to pick up Christopher and they talk about what happened between them. They come to the same conclusion as always - they've drifted too far apart to save their marriage.
Jenna brings Charlie to Southfork to see Bobby and they admire the fine Ewing horses. Jenna tells Charlie about the good old days when she and Bobby were in love. Bobby drives up and meets them. Jenna can see the concern on Bobby's face after his conversation with Pam. They have an outing and when they return to Jenna's place she asks him about whether his problems concern Pam and the rodeo. Bobby says he figures that Pam and Mark spent the night together and it hurt more than he thought it would. Jenna invites him to spend some time with her but Bobby says that now is not the right time.
Ray and Donna talk over the events of last night - how Donna won the bull riding contest and the Jenna/Pam one-upmanship contest that seems to be developing.
Harry tells JR that he managed to set up all of the bugs except the one in Cliff's protected office but he'll find a way. JR asks Kendall for the record of all of the visitors Ewing Oil has had over the last two months. Phyllis notices that Sly is on edge but Sly assures her that everything's fine.
Pam tells Katherine about the fact that she [sigh] still feels that Bobby is an important part of her life - and so is Jenna Wade. Katherine asks her what she knows about Charlie but Pam says she's doesn't want to talk about it.
JR comes to Cliff's office and offers congratulations for his recent successes. He offers a peace proposal to end their feud. Suddenly JR gets a page and asks to use Cliff's phone. Cliff suspects nothing and leaves JR alone in his office. JR snickers and applies the bug that Harry gave him. A week later, JR examines the tapes and finds that Cliff hasn't said anything to indicate who the spy is. They decide to have him followed.
Ray talks to Bobby and tells him that he looks good being with Jenna Wade again. Ray, Donna, Jenna, and Bobby all go out for drinks and Donna concurs that Bobby's happier than he's been in a long time. Ray agrees but knows he's still not over his divorce yet.
Lucy takes John Ross to camp and asks Peter whether or not he can accompany her to a friend's wedding. Peter distractedly tells her he'll think about it and rushes over to Sue Ellen's hairstylist to talk. He again demands answers about why she's avoiding him. Sue Ellen says that after Lucy wanted to invite him to her friend's wedding, she felt jealous and she can't afford to feel that way about him. Peter gives her another kiss and asks her to wait to talk but she drives off.
Katherine examines microfilm of newspapers around the time that Jenna left Dallas for Europe, searching for any clues about Charlie's parentage.
Harry's assistant comes in to JR's office and shows him some pictures, indicating who the spy is. That evening, JR asks Sly to hang around for a while and wonders why she's been so nervous lately. Sly says she's just having some personal problems. JR shows her the pictures of her and Cliff and Sly is forced to tell him about Cliff's blackmail. JR is pleased that she came clean and, since he trusts her, decides to continue to use Sly to feed Cliff false information to bring him down.
Episode 143: Barbecue Four Aired: Thu, August 27
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Clayton did the least.
Larry from Deltham Catering stops by and talks to Sue Ellen about the upcoming Ewing Barbecue, which will proceed despite Miss Ellie's absence. Peter calls Sue Ellen and wants to spend the day with her but JR comes out just then and Sue Ellen is forced to cut the conversation short.
Bobby gets let in on a good deal by Travis Boyd and JR promises to look it over as soon as he can. JR gets Sly to tell Cliff all about the deal and Cliff tells Sly he wants to continue their arrangement after her brother is released but Sly says she doesn't want a relationship right now. Lucy takes John Ross to day camp and spends some time with Peter.
Bobby comes by Jenna's tavern and sees some guys getting a little bit fresh with her. He asks her to quit but Jenna says she doesn't want to be indebted to him or anyone else for her welfare - not unless he's committed to her. The next day, they make up and Jenna says she'd like to get another job that allows her to spend evenings with Charlie. Bobby says he'll look into it and invites her to dinner for that night.
A private eye comes by Katherine's place with press clippings about Jenna's move to Europe and her marriage to Naldo Marchetta in Rome. Katherine comes over to Pam's place and tells her she's going to Rome for a while to get away from Dallas.
JR finds Ray and Donna having dinner with Edgar Randolph, a guy from the Energy Commission in Washington. Randolph tells JR about some offshore leases that the government plans on auctioning off some offshore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico and arranges to have lunch with him later.
Sly tells JR that Cliff was bluffing about using his influence to help her brother, who'll be out in a week. JR tells her to continue 'spying' for Cliff nonetheless, claiming that she needs the money. He laughs at the fact that Cliff will be paying for information that JR wants him to have anyway and tells Sly she's going to get a raise for her work. Bobby is surprised to find that the Boyd deal was closed - Travis thought he was the one who bought the field. Sly calls Cliff and says she wants to continue their arrangement.
As the Ewings sit down to dinner with Jenna, JR proposes a toast to family. As he does, Ellie and Clayton arrive and ask to join in. Ellie sits down at her normal place and asks Clayton to sit down in Jock's chair, visibly disturbing all of the boys and causing JR to lose his appetite.
JR and Bobby talk to Randolph about the offshore tracts and Edgar tells them that the prime tracts will be too expensive for any independent company to bid on. JR asks Bobby to get the cartel involved to try to get one of those leases.
Peter finds a new shirt and jeans in his closet and goes to a movie with Lucy. Lucy asks Peter to come to the barbecue next week as her date and Peter happily accepts.
JR comes over to Pam's place to talk to Cliff. He says that Ellie has asked him to invite Cliff and Afton to the Ewing barbecue to bury the hatchet in the Barnes-Ewing feud. He also gives Pam and Mark invitations and leaves smiling. In Rome, Katherine manages to get a copy of Charlie's birth certificate, which lists Bobby Ewing as the father.
At the barbecue, Cliff and Mark notice JR talking to Edgar Randolph. Peter notices Clayton and Sue Ellen dancing and is distracted until Lucy pulls him over to mingle. Ellie and Pam talk about her divorce and Ellie wonders whether she could have helped save their marriage. Pam says she couldn't have but admits she still loves Bobby. Pam meets Charlie and compliments Jenna on her lovely daughter. Sly tells Cliff about JR's conversations with Edgar Randolph.
Mark finds Bobby and they talk about Pam. Mark says he knows there are still feelings between them and he figures Bobby just wants Pam to be happy. Mark promises to be good to her and Bobby appears satisfied. Peter wants to talk to Sue Ellen but she puts him off. Later they meet behind the stables. Peter says he knows that she has feelings for him and says he loves her. They share a passionate kiss.
After the guests disperse, Clayton and Ellie tell the assembled family that they've been engaged.
Episode 144: Past Imperfect Aired: Fri, August 28
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy.
JR barges into Bobby's office, ticked off about Clayton's sudden smothering of affection towards Ellie. Bobby says he doesn't like it either but it's Ellie's decision. JR tells Bobby to handle the meeting with the cartel to co-operate in obtaining the off-shore oil leases alone.
Sly tells JR that she kept her description of Randolph to Cliff as vague as possible. Cliff leaves no stone unturned to find out more information about the man, even to the point of asking Pam about him. Pam, of course, knows nothing. Sly tells Cliff that JR doesn't have her take notes on his meetings with Randolph, which raises his curiosity even further.
Ellie asks Clayton to stay at Southfork and lay down some roots. Clayton is hesitant because of what the family will think. Ellie says that it's her house and her family, so their opinion is not that important. Clayton says he could never be comfortable living in Jock Ewing's house, and suggests that they find another place to live. Ellie, of course, gives him a "Hell no." [Good for you, Ellie!]
Sue Ellen prepares John Ross for his first day of school. John Ross wonders whether he'll be able to see Peter again because he misses him. Sue Ellen says she'll probably see Peter soon. When Sue Ellen drops John Ross off at school, she finds Peter waiting there for her and he insists on spending the morning with her. They drive off to a secluded park and Sue Ellen tells him again that their potential relationship is fraught with problems - for both of them. Peter says he promises not to put her in a difficult situation again.
Pam tells Mark that she's been overwhelmed by her recent foray into the business world. Mark tells her to take her time and she'll be fine. Cliff tries to convince Mark to put in with him to bid on the offshore leases and he says he'll think about it.
Bobby comes to Jenna's place and tells her he's got her a surprise for her. He takes her to a boutique and says he wants to buy it for her to run. Jenna is upset that he expected her to take a handout. She dashes off, leaving Bobby alone. In Rome, Katherine asks Armando Sidoni, her contact, to find out anything he can about Renaldo Marchetta.
Just before dinner, Clayton presents Ellie with a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Ellie says she can't accept it right now because they have things to work out first. Clayton says they'll work out whatever needs to be done and it'll be all right as long as they love each other.
Peter meets Sue Ellen at a coffee shop after he puts a note on her windshield. He tells her he's found an apartment for them to go and be alone. Sue Ellen says she doesn't want a relationship with him but Peter is adamant. Sue Ellen flatly declares she wants him out of her life.
Clayton meets with Ray and Bobby at the Cattlemen's Club. He asks to talk frankly about their feelings about his relationship with Ellie. Both of them say that they can't ever imagine anyone taking Jock's place. Clayton says he doesn't want to do that - he wants to make his own place in Ellie's life. Bobby says he knows he cares about Ellie and so he won't stand in Clayton's way. JR then shows up and says he's changed his mind about Clayton - he's come to the realization that Clayton cares for his mother and just wants her to be happy. He orders a bottle of champagne to celebrate the family's new understanding.
McSween comes to JR's office and JR asks him to find out everything he can about Clayton Farlow. Harry confirms that Clayton's wife died in the fire on the Southern Cross twenty years ago. No one was home at the time - Clayton, Dusty, and Clayton's sister Jessica were all away. He was unable to find out any details about Jessica, though.
Bobby comes by Jenna's place and apologizes for what happened the other day. He says if she wants to stay in her dead-end job, he won't stand in her way. He asks her out for dinner tonight and she says no. He asks for tomorrow night and she says maybe. Bobby talks to Ray and Donna about it and Donna tells him that Jenna just wants to do something on her own and not take his perceived charity. Bobby explains that he just wanted to finance the boutique for her, not to give her charity. Donna asks him to explain it to her that way.
Lucy asks Sue Ellen about Peter after she heard that he moved out of his dorm room - and left school. Sue Ellen lies and says she hasn't heard anything about Peter recently.
When Bobby comes over to pick up Jenna, she says she realizes Bobby is right - she would be happier working at a boutique than a bar. But she insists on having Bobby finance it and then she'll pay him back. Bobby gives her the credit for a great idea.
Clayton barges into Ewing Oil late at night, angrily looking for JR. He confronts him about digging into his past. JR tries to explain that he was just trying to protect his mother - he didn't want any surprises after they got married. Clayton tells him in no uncertain terms to mind his own business. JR tells Sly that if Clayton's this angry about JR's snooping, he must have something big to hide.
Episode 145: Peter's Principle Aired: Mon, August 31
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy again. JR was really close.
Lucy tries to find out where Peter is to no avail. Peter's roommate, Jerry Hunter, says that he still hasn't returned to the dorm. Sue Ellen finds Jerry at school but Jerry says he honestly knows nothing about what happened to Peter. John Ross misses his counselor intensely.
JR complains to the family about Clayton and Ellie's late nights recently. Bobby reminds him that it's none of his business. At lunch, Clayton tells Ellie that he's a bit sad that it's Dusty's birthday and he hasn't spoken to his son in some time. He also notes that Ellie has become more distant since they returned to Southfork. He says he hopes that her family won't come between them. Ellie says that the whole Ewing family comes with their marriage and he better get used to it.
Marilee and Jordan visit Cliff's office. Cliff tells them that he wants the cartel to help him get one of the offshore leases, because Mark Graison won't help him. Jordan says he's already talked to Bobby about it and he feels it's too risky. After he leaves, Marilee says she's interested and wants to meet Cliff privately to talk about it.
Harry's research in San Angelo turns up very little and JR asks him to redouble his efforts to find some dirt on Clayton. That night, during conversation, Clayton reveals that his sister Jessica lives in England and is married to Lord Henry Montfort.
Donna and Ellie spend some time in the exercise room and Donna notes that Ellie's not wearing her engagement ring. Ellie make an excuse and they discuss the problems that might result from their marriage. Donna notes that something else is really bothering her and Ellie reveals that she's having trouble being intimate with Clayton because of her past with Jock.
Afton reminds Cliff that she's starting a new act tomorrow. Cliff says he might be a little late - he has to talk to a new partner about the offshore oil tracts. Marilee and Cliff meet at his place and Afton comes home early because her show was canceled and assumes the worst, storming out of the apartment.
Jerry Hunter calls Sue Ellen and tells him that Peter called and plans to come by the dorm at about 4 the next afternoon to get some things. Sue Ellen says she'll be there and finds him by his car. She asks him not to leave school and ruin his life. Peter replies that it's his life and there's nothing left to say. Jerry tells Sue Ellen where Peter's new apartment is.
The next day, Pam storms into Cliff's office and tells him that Afton came to her place last night, devastated. She accuses him of having an affair with Marilee which Cliff flatly denies. He tells Pam that he plans on making Barnes-Wentworth a powerhouse in the oil industry so that no one will ever be able to hurt him again. Pam is upset that Cliff seems intent on continuing the feud with the Ewings.
Clayton and Ray have lunch. They talk about the fact that they're both considered outsiders to the family and Clayton's not sure whether he could ever live in the 'Ewing house'. Ray says it never bothered Jock that he was living in the 'Southworth house' - he carved out his own niche there and he should do the same.
Jenna comes to Bobby's office and excitedly tells him that she's used her contacts to get a great start for her boutique. Pam calls and says she needs to meet him for dinner - it's important. After pleasantries, Pam says she's worried about Cliff's obsession with beating the Ewings on the offshore drilling leases. Bobby says that Ewing Oil wouldn't take on that kind of risk, and there's nothing to worry about anyway because all of the bids are sealed until the auction so Cliff and JR would never be able to figure out what the other was bidding. Mark spazes out when he finds out that Pam talked to Bobby instead of him and wonders whether their relationship really means something. Afton decides to go back to Cliff's apartment.
Sue Ellen comes to Peter's apartment. He says he's leaving Dallas to find a job somewhere else. Sue Ellen tries to convince him not to go but Peter says he can't focus on anything else but her, and it eats him up inside that they can't be together. Feeling responsible for Peter's misfortune, she agrees to see him at the apartment when she can.
Episode 146: Offshore Crude Aired: Tue, Sept.1
LINE OF THE DAY: "Acne's not contagious, is it?" - JR to Sue Ellen about why she's avoiding Peter.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie is nowhere.
Bobby and JR talk about his conversation with Pam the other day and JR confirms that he's not interested in anything Cliff Barnes is doing - especially when it comes to the offshore leases.
Sue Ellen returns home late for dinner and tells John Ross that she saw Peter earlier, and John Ross will be able to see him real soon. JR asks Sue Ellen where she was and she gets defensive about her doings, reminding him that they have an open marriage and shouldn't ask each other any questions.
Afton returns to Cliff's apartment and finds that Cliff was waiting to take her back. Afton says she's only coming back to pick up her things and find another place to live. She gets mad at Cliff for his indifference towards her feelings and the fact that he would have slept with Marilee if she hadn't broken up their tryst. Cliff reminds her about her affair with Gil Thurman - sometimes there are things you do when business is involved. Afton calms down but still keeps her distance from him.
Armando Sidoni tells Katherine that Naldo Marchetta had only one talent when he married Jenna - losing other people's money. He tells her that Marchetta left the country a few years ago and has disappeared without a trace. Katherine decides to return to Dallas.
Peter calls Southfork and tells Lucy that he just needed some time away from things, but is back in school now. Lucy invites him over to hang out by the pool on Saturday and Peter gladly accepts the invitation. Sue Ellen wants to take John Ross to the Gulf to avoid Peter but the family convinces her to stick around.
Bobby tells JR that he's been unable to find a partner to bid on the offshore leases. JR tells Sly to tell Cliff that he's so sure about the offshore leases that Ewing Oil plans to unilaterally bid on them. Sly meets with Cliff and transmits the information. Cliff finds it hard to believe that JR could get inside information but then makes the connection between JR and Edgar Randolph and realizes that it's quite possible.
Ellie asks Clayton about his family, especially his sister. Clayton says that his sister left their home thirty years ago for England and they weren't very close.
JR meets with Edgar Randolph. He tries to offer him a subtle bribe for information about the offshore leases but Randolph says he's already a wealthy government official and doesn't need JR's kickbacks. He disgustedly walks away.
Peter comes to Southfork to spend Saturday with the Ewings. He manages to slip his new phone number to Sue Ellen and she promises to come and see him sometime. Ray, Bobby, and Peter have a swimming race, which Bobby wins. JR comes home and wonders why Sue Ellen is hiding in her room instead of being with the family. She throws him out without an explanation.
Cliff and Marilee meet and they agree to form a business/pleasure partnership. Katherine returns from Rome and talks to Pam about Jenna and Bobby's relationship. She mentions that Jenna's only hold on Bobby is probably the fact that Bobby thinks he's Charlie's father. Pam doesn't really want to discuss it.
Sue Ellen comes to Peter's apartment. While he shaves next to a noisy faucet, Sue Ellen tries to tell him that she only agreed to see him to placate him and get his life back on track - she doesn't want to continue their relationship any more. Of course, he doesn't hear her and tells her how much it means to have her around because he truly loves her and she makes him feel like he can do anything.
JR calls Edgar Randolph for a late meeting at Ewing Oil. He says he's pleased to learn that Randolph can't be bought and that any bids for the offshore leases are safe with him. He then shows Randolph some documents about an incident that happened several years ago that could ruin him. JR asks Edgar to rethink about the possibility of an arrangement between them.
Episode 147: Some Do, Some Don't Aired: Wed, Sept.2
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy.
Ellie tells Lucy and Donna some really boring stories about her time in Jamaica and Donna says she's lucky to be marrying Clayton. Ray and Clayton head over to a cattle auction and discuss the merits of laying down roots and taking care of the land that they love. Clayton tells Ray he'd like to live at Southfork.
Travis Boyd offers Bobby the opportunity to buy his company - quickly. Bobby promises to talk to JR and speed things along. Bobby talks to JR about it and JR hedges, saying that they may need the capital to bid on the offshore leases. Bobby says he'll proceed and make JR sign the deal when the time is right. JR learns from Sly that the company is Travis Boyd's and he asks her to pass on the information to Cliff.
Martin and Donna discuss his lunches with JR and Donna warns him that JR will probably try to bribe or blackmail him. Randolph tries to avoid the topic, wondering whether JR would really resort to such measures. Donna assures him that JR will do anything to get what he wants.
Because of the work involved in the boutique opening, Jenna forgets about a date with Bobby. Always the understanding type, Bobby says it's okay and they have a good evening anyway.
As Cliff and Mark play some video games, Sly calls and makes an appointment to meet the next day. She tells him about JR's desire to save his money for the offshore leases.
As they tuck John Ross in, JR tells Sue Ellen he thinks it would be great if John Ross had a sibling to spend time with. Sue Ellen tells him they'll never have any more children as far as she's concerned.
Marilee comes to Barnes-Wentworth to see Cliff, who's out. Pam asks her about their dealings and Marilee says it's strictly business. Pam says it had better stay that way because she doesn't want to see Afton hurt. Cliff returns and tells Pam about the information he just received. Pam tells him to slow down and stop spending so much money. Cliff agrees, saying he really wants Pam to be involved in company decisions and he values her advice.
JR meets with Randolph and Edgar says he'd rather resign his post than betray his public trust. JR says that if he does that, he'll give his information to every newspaper in the country, ruining his life for good. Randolph resigns himself to JR's ruthlessness.
The very nattily dressed Katherine comes to see Bobby and tells him that she went to Rome because of him - she needed to sort out her feelings towards him. She uses a lot of big words and says she just wants to be friends.
Sue Ellen and Peter go skating and they bump into some of his friends. Commander Ivanova...I mean, one of Peter's friends mistakes Sue Ellen for his mother. After Jerry Hunter explains their relationship through John Ross, Peter and Sue Ellen leave but she overhears them talking about their age disparity and is awfully embarrassed and hurt. They return to Peter's apartment and talk about it, with Peter reminding her about the fact that they care for each other and that's all that matters.
Katherine, in order to 'convince' JR to work harder to break up Bobby and Jenna, sleeps with him. JR tells her that he thinks Bobby and Jenna belong together - especially since Bobby is Charlie's father. Katherine is understandably upset at this - but even more upset when JR tells her that Bobby would never have anything to do with her if he found out she slept with him. Katherine tries to call his bluff but JR shows her a tape recorder with evidence of their tryst.
Mark Graison, who told Pam he was leaving town for a few days on business, calls her to check on things. Unbeknownst to Pam, Mark is actually in a hospital undergoing tests.
Jenna's boutique opens and is a huge success. Bobby tells her that he also had a good day, securing Boyd Oil. They return to Jenna's place, and Bobby decides to spend the night after learning that Charlie is away at a friend's place.
Ellie and Clayton discuss the fact that their relationship has stagnated and Clayton says he'd like to stay at Southfork - and he'd even like to spend the night if he could. Ellie quickly pulls away from him and says she was wrong about getting involved with him - she can't marry him and she can't marry anybody right now.
Episode 148: Eye of the Beholder Aired: Thu, Sept.3
LINE OF THE DAY: "In that case, you're going to need a drink." - JR to Peter, after learning he has a date with Lucy.
HONORABLE MENTION: "I was having such a nice dream." - Pam to Christopher as he wakes her up early in the morning. It's a irony-laden line, if you think about it. Submitted by AHN Tim.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ray.
Christopher pounds on Pam to wake her up and she decides to call Mark in Houston. His usual hotel says that Mark isn't registered, which Pam finds odd. Mark talks to his doctor, Jerry Kenderson, about his torn-up knee, which the doctor has repaired and released. Mark returns to Dallas and is forced to cancel a lunch date with Pam for a meeting. Bobby and Travis find Pam at the Oil Baron's Club and Travis suggests that Bobby and Pam eat while he flies off to Aspen. Bobby and Pam spend the whole afternoon talking about old times and meet Clayton as they walk out, drowning his sorrows. Pam wonders what's happened between him and Ellie and Bobby says he doesn't know -he hasn't been home the last few nights.
Jenna makes breakfast for Bobby and basks in the afterglow of their night together. She regrets ever having left him. Katherine meets with a guy named Earl Johnson and hires him to find Renaldo Marchetta.
Clayton comes to Southfork and talks to Ellie about her abrupt cut-off of their conversation last night. Clayton figures she became edgy when he suggested that he stay at Southfork for the night but Ellie says that it's more than that - there are too many problems with their potential marriage. She takes off the engagement ring and asks Clayton to take it back but he refuses.
Bobby tells JR he's completed the Travis Boyd deal and JR gets upset that he wasn't consulted. He demands that JR sign it and he does, under threat of physical violence. Sly updates JR about her latest conversation with Cliff and JR is pleased to learn that Cliff is still only interested in the offshore deals.
Lucy comes to SMU and finds Peter. She talks to him about her lack of desire to have a relationship since Mickey died and Peter says he understands. She asks Peter to come to Muriel's party tomorrow night, and after some arm-twisting, he agrees.
Cliff tries to get Marilee to finalize their business arrangement and Marilee says she'll only agree if Cliff provides her with some fringe benefits. Cliff is unwilling to cheat on Afton, but his advisors say it's too risky to go it alone - he could bankrupt his company. On the other hand, if he hits, he could become a giant on the oil business.
Clayton tells Sue Ellen about Ellie's sudden cancellation of their plans. He also says he thinks Ellie is hiding her real reasons- she sounded scared. Sue Ellen advises Clayton to stick with his plans and talk to Ellie again. Donna talks to Ellie about her change of heart and questions her about why she doesn't want to sleep with Clayton. Ellie reveals that she's still haunted by the memories of her marriage to Jock. Donna says she owes Clayton the truth but Ellie says she doesn't know if she can bring herself to tell him.
Peter surprises Sue Ellen by arriving at Southfork unannounced. She relaxes when she learns that he's there to take Lucy out. JR comes down and finds them, and gets in some playful shots at both about their relationship.
Afton finds that Mitch has been made Chief Resident at his Atlanta hospital and plans a trip. Cliff tells Pam and Mark that he's planning a trip to Houston to talk to some investors while Afton is away. He makes secret plans to meet Marilee there.
A drunk Clayton comes to Southfork in a rage and yells for Ellie to come downstairs. JR tries to head him off and even points a gun at him before Ellie says she'll talk to Clayton. He demands answers and Ellie admits her fear of intimacy with a man other than Jock, which Clayton says they can overcome in time. But then Ellie reveals the real reason she's afraid of being close is because of her mastectomy. Clayton tells her it doesn't matter and it doesn't change the way he feels about her.
Episode 149: Twelve Mile Limit Aired: Fri, Sept.4
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy.
JR vents his frustration over Miss Ellie's renewed marriage plans in the exercise room. Heading to the office, he manages to get geological reports on three of the offshore tracts that look promising. He also finds that almost all of the big oil companies are planning to bid on the tracts so it'll be a pretty penny to snag one. JR tells Sly to sell Cliff the reports to make them seem even more important than they are. Sly tells him she wants $ 10,000 for the reports and Cliff says he'll think about it.
Jenna stops by Bobby's office to drop off a rent check. She also mentions that Charlie has been fantasizing about the prospect of their marriage.
Ray assures Clayton he and Ellie can find happiness, despite his feelings about her surgery. Harry McSween comes to Ewing Oil and tells JR that finally found out some things about Clayton: he was heavily in debt when his first house burned down. JR figures that the insurance money wasn't enough to burn his house over, but Harry says that his wife had a huge trust fund, which he inherited on her death.
Mark tears Pam away from the office to see a ranch that he intends on buying - for their life together. He asks Pam to marry him but Pam says she's still getting over her divorce and she'll have to think about it. Pam and Katherine have a bedroom girl-talk session about it and Pam says she still thinks about Bobby every day. Katherine tells her that her relationship with Bobby is in the past and Pam mentions the afternoon they spent together - and the fact that she knows he's been sleeping with Jenna.
After Afton leaves for Atlanta, Cliff heads down to Houston for his session with Marilee. He assures her that the geological reports on the Gulf tracts are fantastic, but Marilee says she wants to read them first-hand. Cliff buys the information from Sly the next day and she insists on cash.
Edgar Randolph's wife calls Donna and says her husband's been drinking heavily and she knows something's bothering him. Donna agrees to go over to his hotel and check on him. They find him unconscious in his bathroom, among liquor bottles and pills, and rush him over to Dallas Memorial. When Edgar wakes up, he says it was an accident - he didn't want to commit suicide, he just took an extra pill he shouldn't have. Ray and Donna realize he's lying, and Donna figures it might have something to do with JR.
JR subtly asks Sue Ellen what she knows about Clayton's family, and finds that she doesn't know much. He only mentioned his wife once when they rode out to his old homestead. Sue Ellen says that he tore the entire house down after the fire because he was so traumatized but JR figures it might have been to destroy any evidence.
Ray and Donna barge in to JR's office and accuse him of blackmailing Randolph. JR, of course, denies it, saying he hardly knows Randolph. Ray says he figures JR wanted information about the offshore tracts but JR says he and Bobby have decided not to bid for the tracts because they couldn't find partners. Donna figures he might actually be telling the truth and the Krebbses leave.
Katherine finds that Naldo Marchetta left Europe for Argentina and married a countess, and then went to Montreal, where he stayed until about two weeks ago. The evidence indicates that he came to the States.
JR visits Randolph in the hospital and admonishes him of trying to take the easy way out of their arrangement. He says that even if Edgar did commit suicide, he would tell the newspapers - and his family - all the information he's collected on him. He also warns him, in no uncertain terms, never to reveal his name to Donna Krebbs again.
Episode 150: Where is Poppa? Aired: Mon, Sept.7
Rating [out of 10]:
LINE OF THE DAY: "We're a lot alike - I'm just smarter than you are." - JR to the unfortunate Katherine. It's a damn shame she's been jobbing to JR for the past few episodes.
The Lucy Award: Pam did the least.
JR comes to the full breakfast table and comments on how nice it is to have the whole family together. Mavis Anderson comes by and invites the family to come to her anniversary party next week. When Lucy mentions that she plans to bring Peter, Sue Ellen suddenly doesn't feel like going. JR tries to convince her to change her mind for old time's sake and she agrees after some cajoling.
Edgar Randolph is released from the hospital as his wife and Donna look on. Martha asks Donna how Edgar's 'accident' could have happened - she can't imagine what could have brought him to even contemplate suicide.
Sue Ellen comes by Peter's apartment and warns him about Lucy's planned invitation. She asks him not to accept because she has to go. Peter agrees, grumbling about the fact that she won't make love to him but she will to JR. Sue Ellen tells him that she hasn't slept with JR since their last break-up.
Marilee gets her experts to examine the geological reports for the offshore oil tracts and agrees to be Cliff's 'silent' partner and take one third of the deal. Cliff tells Sly he needs more information as Afton returns from Atlanta. When Afton pouts about Cliff's continued neglect, he's forced to skip his meeting with Sly until the next day. Sly says that JR has said he has inside information so he's sure to be the highest bidder on any tract he wants and Sly promises to transmit the info to Cliff.
Ray tells Bobby about Edgar's latest troubles. Bobby tells Ray that Ewing Oil isn't interested in the offshore deals but Ray says that Donna isn't convinced that JR didn't have anything to do with it. When JR arrives home, Bobby's waiting for him and questions him about his intention towards the offshore leases. JR says he put in an intention to bid but doesn't plan to go ahead without a partner - and he didn't blackmail Randolph.
Peter comes over to Southfork with a Frisbee for John Ross. Lucy asks him to the Andersons' party and he politely declines as planned. JR forces Katherine to spend another morning with him, to her utter disgust. Earl Johnson calls Katherine and tells her that he's found Naldo Marchetta in Los Angeles. Donna meets with Paul Morgan and asks him about how Edgar Randolph might be blackmailed. Paul says it's unlikely but he'll ask some of his sources. Pam wants to throw a party for Katherine so she can find a man to be part of her life, and Katherine says that'll be great but it'll have to wait until after she returns from Los Angeles.
Bobby and Clayton have lunch and talk. Bobby advises Clayton that one way to get in to JR's good graces is to invest with them in the offshore deals. Clayton says he'll think about it.
Sue Ellen comes to Jenna's boutique to buy a dress for the Andersons' party. On her way out, she turns around to accept a future lunch date with Jenna and then steps right in to the path of an oncoming station wagon and is thrown for a loop. She's rushed to Dallas Memorial and Jenna calls JR at Ewing Oil. Phyllis calls Lucy at home and she and Peter rush over as well. A doctor finally tells them that Sue Ellen will be just fine - but she miscarried her baby. Peter and JR worriedly look on.
Episode 151: When the Bough Breaks Aired: Tue, Sept.8
LINE OF THE DAY: "I can't believe he can feed himself." - JR commenting on Cliff's stupidity.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy
In the aftermath of Sue Ellen's accident, she wonders who was the father of the child she lost - Peter or JR. She asks the doctor how long she had been pregnant but the doctor says they're not sure - and why does it matter anyway? Pam visits her in the hospital and Sue Ellen explains that her life with JR has become a charade and they've only been together once since the accident.
Cliff tells Pam that he wants her and Mark to go into the offshore tracts because they're his family and he wants his family to be united, like the Ewings. JR listens to the bugged conversation between Cliff and Marilee the other day and calls Marilee to meet, unsure why she decided to join him in the venture. Subtly, he asks her whether she wants to invest with Ewing Oil, mentioning that even Barnes-Wentworth is in on the bidding. JR promises that Cliff will go broke on the deal.
Bobby meets with Clayton, who says that he doesn't want to run the risk of having the deal go sour for the effect that it would have on Ellie and the family. He also doesn't want anyone to get the impression that he's trying to buy into the family.
In Los Angeles, Katherine finally finds and meets with Renaldo Marchetta. They talk and Naldo tells her that he's positive he's the father of Jenna's child. Meanwhile, the excited Charlie tells Jenna about the horse Bobby bought for her as he takes her to Southfork for a ride. While there, Jenna worries about what might happen if they break up - Charlie would be devastated at losing all of the neat things she's been getting from Bobby. Bobby replies that he doesn't intend on letting them out of his life.
Pam tries to sound Mark out about investing in Cliff's tracts. Mark asks her again for an answer about their marriage. When Pam says she still hasn't decided, Mark says he's planning a business trip and when he returns, he wants an answer.
Paul Morgan returns from Washington and tells Ray and Donna that he found out that Edgar Randolph was once institutionalized - he's not sure why.
Sue Ellen returns home to Southfork. Peter calls from the hospital after learning she was discharged and says they have to meet to talk. They decide to meet at his place the next day. Peter buys a big bouquet of flowers and says he's sorry she lost their baby. Sue Ellen replies that he might not be the father, which sends Peter into a hissy-fit. Sue Ellen is forced to lay down the line: she would have aborted the child anyway, because their relationship has been a complete mistake. She says that Peter will have to stay out of her life for good from now on.
Episode 152: True Confessions Aired: Wed, Sept.9
LINE OF THE DAY: "Once
you give up integrity, the rest is a piece of cake!"
- Who else but JR? This is a timeless classic.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Sue Ellen
Katherine comes to Ewing Oil to see Bobby and tries to get a lunch date, but Bobby tells her he's already meeting Jenna at the Oil Barons' Club for lunch. Katherine calls Naldo before she leaves the office.
JR comes to Marilee's office and tells her he knows she's involved with Cliff in the offshore deal - and in the bedroom. He reminds her that Cliff's been a loser since he was born and his luck isn't about to change right now. Pam tells Cliff that Mark isn't interested in the offshore deal but she says she'll reconsider after hearing that Cliff has found a partner.
Lucy comes to Peter's apartment and offers him an opportunity to participate in a modeling shoot with her at Southfork. Peter says he'll think about it.
While Bobby and Jenna are having lunch, Dora Mae tells Jenna she has a visitor. It turns out to be [who else?] Naldo. He says the three of them have important things to discuss, but Jenna doesn't want Charlie to see him. He says he'll come to Jenna's place at 9 the next day. Naldo says he wants Charlie to visit his parents in Italy, so he had to find her birth certificate, which lists Bobby as the father. Naldo points out that Charlie was born in November 1970 - a full year after Jenna left Dallas. Bobby pointedly asks Jenna to explain and she just hides upstairs, telling both of them to get out of her house.
JR meets with Edgar Randolph and asks him who he's up against in the bidding for the offshore tracts. Edgar seems to be cracking under the pressure. Donna and Ray fly to Maryland and visit Edgar's place. The gardener tells them that he doesn't know why Edgar was institutionalized - only old Mrs. Mulgravey, the former housekeeper, would know. They go out to find her in a nearby city. Mrs. Mulgravey paints a very different of Edgar than we've seen - a violent, angry young man who got off too easy by being sent to a posh sanitarium. She says she wishes he was dead but doesn't spell out exactly what he did.
Katherine and Naldo meet and she encourages him to go after Jenna, but Naldo says he just ruined his chance for that - and she'll never land Bobby at this rate. Bobby picks Charlie up from school to take her to the ranch and they tell each other they hope they can be part of a big happy family some day. However, when Bobby brings her home that night, he can't bring himself to talk to Jenna.
Marilee tells JR she's going to pull out of the deal with Cliff because she thinks he couldn't keep his mouth quiet about their arrangement. JR says if she really wants to make Cliff's life miserable, she shouldn't tell him about her decision until after the winner has been declared.
The next day, Ray and Donna meet with Mrs. Mulgravey's daughter, a research psychologist. She tells them that Edgar tried to molest her when she was nine, but his life has completely changed since then with professional help. She thinks he considered suicide as an alternative to having his secret found out.
Bobby returns home from the Oil Baron's Club to find Jenna waiting for him. She tells him he's not Charlie's father and also admits that the biggest mistake of her life was leaving him, marrying Naldo and getting pregnant. She said she put Bobby's name on the birth certificate so that Naldo wouldn't have any claim on the child. Bobby understands but says he can't forget the fact that she led him on for all those years. Jenna says she was afraid of losing him if she told him the truth - and now that he knows, he'll need to decide whether or not he can accept it.
Episode 153: And the Winner Is... Aired: Thu, Sept. 10
Rating [out of 10]:
LINE OF THE DAY: "You wouldn't recognize oil if it fell out of your crank case!" - Ol' JR again, taunting Cliff about his oil-finding inability.
The Lucy Award: Jenna did the least.
Sue Ellen decides to get out of her room and move on with her life - and thank Jenna for her help after the accident. At the mention of Jenna, Bobby gets sullen and tells her and JR that he and Jenna aren't on the same loving terms as they were.
Jenna gets a visit from JR, who inquires about her trouble with Bobby. Jenna admits that Bobby's upset over the fact that she wasn't straight with him about Charlie's paternity. JR offers his help to fix things up between them, mentioning that it's coincidental that Marchetta happened to show up just now. He says he wants to make sure Jenna becomes a Ewing.
Edgar Randolph comes to JR's office for a late-night meeting. Edgar shows him the bids for the prime Gold Canyon 340 tract and mentions that Barnes-Wentworth hasn't bid yet. JR says to contact him when Cliff makes his bid, and also says he will bid just before the auction.
Clayton and Ellie have dinner with the Andersons and they reminisce about the time Ellie and Jock set them up. Punk also wonders when Ellie and Clayton plan to hitch up but Clayton says Ellie hasn't decided yet. She does admit, however, that she only wants a small wedding, with just family. She also says she wants Clayton's family to come, including Jessica. Clayton says Jessica probably wouldn't come but Ellie pooh-poohs that idea.
Cliff and Sly meet and Sly tells him that the highest bid for the Gold Canyon tract is $ 153 million; JR plans to bid $ 155 million. Cliff is visibly disturbed at the high prospective cost. That evening, Afton tries to calm him down but Cliff is still edgy.
Bobby goes to Pam's place to see Christopher, who's been sick but is feeling better. They go out and spend the day together. Katherine visits Pam and finds out about it. Pam says she now realizes that Bobby is still a part of her life and she might consider going back to him if not for Jenna.
When they return to their home, Donna asks the silent Ray what he thinks about the Randolph situation. Ray says he doesn't know what to think because he's so disgusted by what Edgar did that he doesn't want to get involved in helping him. Donna tries to make him see that Edgar's come a long way since then and everybody deserves a second chance. She calls Edgar and says they visited Maryland. Edgar rudely tells her he doesn't want to talk to her and he doesn't need her help. After hearing this, Ray says they're going to the auction to see for themselves whether JR has anything on him or not.
The auction finally arrives. Edgar tells everyone that Ewing Oil bid only $ 103 million for Gold Canyon 340; Barnes- Wentworth, which bid $ 157 million, is awarded the drilling rights. After the auction, the Krebbses visit Randolph's office and say they're glad JR didn't strong-arm him. Edgar says that they're wrong and he gave JR all the information he wanted. He also says that after the incident with Barbara Mulgravey, he was put in the sanitarium to avoid scandal for his family and sought good psychiatric help later, which was successful. But in light of recent events, he feels compelled to resign his post. Donna advises him to clear the air with his wife so that events don't repeat themselves.
Bobby angrily confronts JR about bidding on the oil tracts without consulting him. JR explains that he put in a low bid, hoping that they could turn it over for a quick profit. Bobby says he doesn't believe him and is upset that JR seems to be going back to the old way of doing business.
At the post-auction party, Marilee tells Cliff she's pulling out of their arrangement because he ran his mouth about it. JR watches their exchange and counsels Cliff to forfeit his deposit because he's not going to find any oil in that tract - he's a loser, just like his daddy, and he's going to bankrupt his mother's company. Hearing this challenge fires Cliff up, and he resolves never to rest until he strikes the richest gusher in history.
Cliff meets with Sly and gets totally upset about the inaccuracy of her information. Sly says that JR and Bobby had a fight and Bobby was adamant about not bidding at all. Finally, she says they must have compromised on bidding low and she had nothing to do with revising the bid. She also hints that JR has lost his edge a little bit but says that he's becoming more like JR - ruthless and smart. She ends by saying that he could be the top oil man in Dallas before long.
Edgar and Martha Randolph come to JR's office and wants to know why he blackmailed him for no apparent reason. JR tries to put a positive spin on it, saying that their marriage is going to be much better now that they have no secrets between them. Edgar gives JR a solid shot to the solar plexus and the Randolphs leave.
Katherine tells Pam that there's an important shareholders' meeting in Houston on the weekend that they must attend. Unfortunately for Pam, that means she's going to miss the Andersons' anniversary party on Saturday, which she was planning to attend with Bobby.
Peter and Lucy have their modeling session at Southfork as Sue Ellen arrives home with John Ross. She avoids eye contact with Peter and rushes John Ross into the house. When they finish, Peter finds Sue Ellen outside and insists on talking. Sue Ellen says she wants to forget everything that's happened. Peter is incredulous that she could so casually toss him aside, especially when he was probably the father of her child. Sue Ellen doesn't want to hear any more and heads inside. Above, on the balcony, JR develops an enraged look on his face.
Episode 154: Fools Rush In Aired: Fri, Sept. 11
LINE OF THE DAY: "You are the type of American that's made our country what it is today." The lady from the government to that fine upstanding citizen, Cliff Barnes. Good for a laugh.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy and Donna.
At the breakfast table, JR suggests to Sue Ellen that Peter should come to Southfork on a regular basis, for John Ross's continued social enjoyment. He also says he feels he can trust Peter - and Lucy seems to like him.
Cliff is told he has 12 days to come up with the balance of the money owing on his brand new tract - $ 125 million and change. Cliff tells the government rep that it will be no problem.
Ellie tells Clayton that she's decided on a date for their wedding - eight weeks from Sunday. Ellie calls Clayton's sister Jessica and invites her to come for the wedding. She accepts and Clayton is somewhat less than thrilled about it.
Somehow, Charlie manages to come to Bobby's office to talk about the fact that he's stopped seeing her mother and figures it's because of her. Bobby assures her that it has nothing to do with her and takes the afternoon off to spend some time with her.
Jackie tells Pam that Mark has gone AWOL and no one knows where he is. Pam congratulates Cliff on his big win but says she still doesn't want to be his partner in the deal. Pam leaves Christopher at Southfork until she returns from Houston for the Wentworth board meetings. She also tells Sue Ellen that she's going to turn down Mark's proposal because of her feelings for Bobby.
Katherine comes to JR's office and he gets mad at her for bringing Naldo to Dallas to break Jenna and Bobby up, because it could mean that he and Pam could get back together. He tells Katherine to do whatever she needs to do to get Pam and Mark married, or else he just might give Bobby the evidence of their affair.
JR talks to Peter about spending more time with John Ross. Peter agrees to try it out for a while to see how it fits into his schedule.
Cliff talks to a banker about financing the purchase of his tract. He's told that if he can demonstrate his ability to get oil out of the ground, the loan should be no problem - but at an 18% interest rate. Cliff later gets a call from Vaughn Leland, who says he can line up all of the money he needs at 13%. Afton returns and gives Vaughn a very cold reception, stemming from the time they last met a few seasons ago.
Bobby comes to visit Jenna to talk. Bobby wants to talk about Charlie but Jenna gets upset because of Bobby's self-righteous morality regarding what she had to do to protect her daughter and says she doesn't want to be with him until he accepts the fact that she's not perfect. Bobby tells Sue Ellen about his conversation with Jenna and she tells him about her conversation with Pam.
JR meets with Vaughn Leland to finalize their arrangement - he'll float Cliff the money he needs until Cliff is in dire need of more cash to drill, and then pull the rug out from under him, eating up his assets for a song.
Pam tells Katherine about her decision not to marry Mark. Mark calls Cliff from the Middle East and Cliff fills him in on recent events. Katherine throws a party for her friends on Sunday afternoon, and Pam attends. She meets Jerry Kenderson and he inquires about Mark but Pam says she hasn't heard from him for a while. Jerry says that he needs to talk to Mark urgently. Pam is somewhat disturbed to learn that Jerry is a doctor. She tries to find out if Mark has a problem she should know about but Jerry is hesitant to say anything because of their relationship as doctor and patient. Finally, Jerry tells her that Mark has developed a very rare form of leukemia which is incurable and will kill him before too long.
Episode 155: The Unexpected Aired: Mon, Sept. 14
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Lucy
Mark unexpectedly calls Pam from Dallas Airport, expecting an answer to his proposal. Pam tells him she'll return to Dallas in two days and will answer then. Pam tells Katherine the terrible news and wonders what she's going to do.
JR tells Serena about his plan to use Peter against Sue Ellen - and then destroy him. Lucy and the modeling agent Jan come to Peter's place to tell him that the photo shoot went very well and they want him to come to the Caribbean for another shoot. Peter makes excuses, claiming he has school and commitments in Dallas. Lucy wonders why he hasn't shown the least bit of interest in her but Peter is nonplussed.
Cliff finalizes his deal with Vaughn Leland over breakfast, which Afton nervously makes. Vaughn gives him $ 127 million to start off, telling Cliff to wait for the rest of the money to avoid paying interest. Cliff shows the deal to his comptroller who is skeptical about a clause with regard to 'acceptable collateral' for the second loan installment.
At the breakfast table, Clayton and Ellie prepare for their upcoming wedding and Ellie announces that Jessica will be arriving in a few days. JR suggests that Sue Ellen throw a reception to introduce Jessica to the Dallas crowd - and also suggests that Southfork entertain a double wedding, involving Bobby and Jenna.
Pam calls Southfork and tells Ellie she wants her to keep Christopher for another day while she meets with Mark. Mark gives Pam a pearl necklace and asks her again to marry him. This time she finally says yes.
Bobby visits Jenna and apologizes for his attitude the other day. He also tells Jenna that he still has feelings for Pam which hold him back. Jenna says she knows, and says that he can let go of their relationship any time he wants.
Katherine comes to JR's office and tells him about Pam's plans to marry Mark. She asks for her blackmail tape but JR says he won't return it until the wedding.
Cliff asks Vaughn to make the clause more specific but Vaughn says he'll just have to trust him. JR comes by their table and taunts Vaughn about dealing with Cliff, which will land them both in the poorhouse. JR tells Vaughn that Cliff is such a bad risk that no one in Dallas will loan him any money. After hearing enough, Cliff grabs a pen and signs Vaughn's contract as is.
Pam comes to Southfork to pick up Christopher and Bobby begins to tell her that he wants to be with her again but she replies that she's decided to marry Mark Graison. Bobby puts on a brave face but is obviously devastated.
Clayton returns to the ranch after picking Jessica up from the airport, and everyone finds that she's still a Texan at heart even after all her time in England. Jessica is introduced to the rest of the family and gives them all presents from jolly olde England. She also presents JR with a Montfort family heirloom - a sword that belonged to her husband's grandfather. She toasts the union of the Ewings and Farlows. However, once upstairs and alone, she soliloquizes and tells Ellie that she has no intention of letting her marry Clayton.
Episode 156: Strange Alliances Aired: Tue, Sept. 15
LINE OF THE DAY: "Oh, by all means, J.R., don't let family problems get in the way of your food!" - Sue Ellen with a great zinger to JR at the breakfast table.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ray and Donna.
JR and Jessica have a conversation about the changes their lives will take after Clayton and Ellie get married. Jessica and JR both express subtle apprehension about it, but both agree they only want their kin to be happy.
Pam cries on Katherine's shoulder again about her torn feelings for Mark and Bobby. Katherine reminds her again that she let Bobby out of her life when she divorced him. Pam agrees she can't back out of marrying Mark but doesn't know how long she can go on pretending that everything's okay in their lives.
Sly meets with Cliff and wonders why they haven't met recently. Sly says that JR's upset he didn't get the offshore tract that Cliff obtained, and is concentrating more on small land deals right now. She also says he's worried that Cliff will become bigger than Ewing Oil soon.
Lucy asks Sue Ellen whether she thinks Peter is a homosexual, especially in light of the fact that she's got nothing despite throwing herself at him. Sue Ellen assures her that there's probably some other reason for Peter's disinterest in her.
Clayton, Ellie, and Jessica have lunch at the Oil Baron's Club. Jessica mentions the redecorating at Southfork and Ellie tells her that Southfork nearly burned down a while ago. Jessica notes the coincidence that their home at the Southern Cross perished in a fire a long time ago, in which Clayton's wife Amy died. Clayton tells Jessica privately he wishes she wouldn't talk about those times.
Mark tells Pam he plans to meet Jerry Kenderson tomorrow but Pam stalls him, telling him she wants to go shopping for clothes and what not - but she suggests that they have dinner with him and Katherine. Mark goes along with it. When Pam gets home, she calls Jerry and asks to meet him privately before their dinner. Kenderson says she probably won't change his mind but agrees to see her.
Harry McSween comes to JR's office and JR asks him to plan to set up Peter Richards. Peter comes over the next morning with a big day planned for John Ross. Sue Ellen tells JR she doesn't want Peter to be around so much, for Lucy's sake - their relationship isn't going as well as she expected and it's painful for her to see him so often.
Bobby comes over to Pam's place to pick up Christopher and runs into Mark, who tells Bobby again that he plans to treat Pam and Christopher as well as he would and they agree to put aside their differences. He tells them he hopes they'll be happy together. Bobby and Christopher spend the day having a picnic with Jenna and Charlie. While Charlie pushes a bored Christopher on a swing, Jenna tries to get a sullen Bobby to talk. Bobby tells Jenna about Pam's engagement and tells her he's going to need some time to recover from the shock. Jenna says she'll wait for a while but not forever.
Ellie and Jessica have another get-to-know-you session in which Jessica tells her that she and Clayton had a very special relationship until he married Amy - and then things changed between them. She expresses some discomfort that Clayton sold the Southern Cross instead of passing it on to Dusty.
JR munches on a pizza as Vaughn Leland comes over. They discuss Cliff's situation - he's quickly running out of money to support his exploration crew. JR tells Vaughn to give him only as much as absolutely needs - with the 'acceptable collateral' being almost all of his land holdings.
Pam meets with Jerry Kenderson and asks him to reconsider telling Mark about his illness. Jerry wonders whether Pam might be interested in Mark's fortune but Pam assures him she's already wealthy enough - she even offers to sign an agreement not to accept any of Mark's inheritance. Jerry says that won't be necessary and Pam pleads her case again, begging Jerry not to say anything until after the wedding. Jerry is still unsure. At dinner, Mark asks Jerry what he wanted to talk about so urgently and Jerry replies he was just concerned about his knee.
Sue Ellen and Jessica talk about the time she spent at the Southern Cross after her divorce, and her plans to marry Dusty. Jessica compliments her, though, on her choice of returning to JR, who she admires for his tremendous self-confidence and 'aura of power and authority'. JR returns the compliment as he arrives home.
Cliff meets with the foreman at the drill site who says that they should move their rig, despite the tremendous cost. Cliff says he's running out of time but the foreman says that Weststar hit oil in a nearby tract - it's just a matter of time. Cliff tells him to get another rig, and he'll take care of the cost.
The next morning, JR brings Jessica breakfast in bed. They re-express the same sentiments as they did at the beginning of the episode: it would be a shame if something happened to mess up the wedding plans.
Episode 157: Blow Up Aired: Wed, Sept. 16
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Clayton did the least.
Pam tells Mark she'd like to get married next Sunday but Mark says that's not enough time for people to come from the far-off places that he's been. Jerry is fidgety about the delay but Pam assures him that she'll make the arrangements as soon as possible.
Cliff tells Vaughn Leland he needs more money ASAP. Vaughn says he'll try to convince the other directors at his bank to proceed with another installment but says he can't promise anything. Cliff tells his people in the Gulf to prepare for more equipment and longer hours. Pam and Mark come over and Pam shows him her new engagement ring. Mark mentions he hasn't been feeling well and Afton notices that Pam is visibly unnerved by his comment.
The Ewings have a barbecue. JR offers to be Clayton's best man but he's told that Ray Krebbs has already been chosen. Donna comes over to take pictures and Jessica has a rather strange look seeing Clayton and Ellie in loving poses. Later, Jessica tells JR that one member of the happy couple will probably change his...or her...mind soon.
The next day, Jessica helps Ellie in the kitchen as they talk. Jessica offers to help Ellie with lunch and ominously picks up a long knife. She stares evilly at Ellie until Donna interrupts their little chat...
Katherine meets JR for lunch and he tells her that he's very interested in some of Wentworth's land holdings to replace worn-out Ewing fields. Vaughn comes to Cliff's office and tells him he wasn't able to get all of the money he needed - only $ 10 million, minus a little bit for the interest on the other loan. He says that the bank directors are somewhat concerned about his need for money so soon, and have decided to take lots of his land holdings as collateral. Cliff is glumly forced to accept Vaughn's terms.
JR tells Peter he'd like him to be at the party for Jessica next Friday...for Lucy's sake. Peter is hesitant because he doesn't share Lucy's feelings but allows himself to be convinced.
Apparently nothing significant happens in this week and a half, because suddenly it's next Friday and the much-anticipated party arrives. Lucy spots Peter and gets mad at him for his neglect of her. JR watches from the sidelines with anticipation, and later talks to Lucy about how fond John Ross and Sue Ellen are of him.
Jessica tells Ray she's pleased he's going to be Clayton's best man - they have a lot in common. Donna seems very disturbed by their conversation. Bobby and Jenna share a dance in the living room and Punk and Mavis find them in there. Punk says he's really pleased to see the two of them back together and wonders when they're going to get married. Bobby says they're not going to rush into anything.
JR takes the moping Peter aside with Sue Ellen and Peter says he had a fight with Lucy. He asks Peter to take his place and dance with Sue Ellen for a while. Sue Ellen worries that super-nice JR is up to something. JR moves over to where Lucy sits and plants some seeds in her head that their relationship might be more than meets the eye. Lucy storms off into the house.
As the party finishes, Peter thanks JR and Sue Ellen for the invite. Lucy comes down the stairs and says she's figured out why he's been avoiding her - he's obviously in love with Sue Ellen and wonders how long they've been having an affair. JR goes ballistic at Lucy and admonishes her for saying such things about Peter, who's done so much for the family. Lucy heads to her room, crying, as JR apologizes to Peter and asks him to please forget about the terrible things Lucy said. Peter wants to come clean, but JR says there's no need to explain and ushers him out of the house.
That night before going to sleep, JR tells Sue Ellen he's disgusted at what Lucy implied about her and Peter. He says that they need to prevent such a thing from happening again - they should start living together, as man and wife before things get worse between them. Sue Ellen says she can't bring herself to do that. JR calls McSween and says it's time to care of Peter.
Katherine comes to Bobby's office and tells him that she wants to sell some of Wentworth's land to him in exchange for learning the ropes of the oil business - no strings attached.
Bobby, Jenna, Ray, and Donna go out for dinner and Donna asks the crowd why Jessica seems to be preoccupied with what Clayton does all the time. She also wonders why she questioned Ray so intensely about how he felt about the marriage. Finally, she wonders why she's spending so much time with JR, who she believes is still against the marriage. She says she has a funny feeling about Jessica...
That night, Jessica tells JR that when the time comes, she'll know what to do to stop the wedding but refuses to be specific when JR wonders whether she's thinking the same way he is. Jessica goes into her room and says she doesn't think their plans are the same, as she picks up a picture of Clayton and Ellie and cuts Ellie's image out of it.
Episode 158: Turning Point Aired: Thu, Sept. 17
The Lucy Award: Ray
JR shows Jessica around the ranch and she mentions that misses the Southern Cross. She also says that digging into Clayton's past is not going to reveal anything that will help stop the marriage. Sue Ellen and Donna help Ellie send out the wedding invitations. Jessica comes by and is upset that Dusty hasn't been invited yet. Clayton says that Dusty is incommunicado right now and he'll invite him as soon as he can get in touch.
At the office, Bobby tells JR he's cut a deal with Wentworth to get some of their best land, thanks to Katherine's help. JR tells Bobby that Katherine's attracted to him but Bobby says they're just friends. Katherine and Bobby celebrate the deal and she asks him to come with her to have a look at the fields. Bobby says he has a date with Jenna but they make plans for later.
Cliff tells Vaughn he needs more money - and not in installments. Vaughn says that his bank is disturbed that Cliff hasn't hit oil, when the other two companies have hit nearby. He says there are concerns about Cliff's inexperience and they've refused any more money for Barnes-Wentworth. Desperately, Cliff offers the rich Keesey and Murphy tracts as collateral to secure more money but Vaughn says there's no way though he offers to look for a buyer for the fields.
Peter comes over to Southfork and he talks to Sue Ellen about the events of a few nights ago. He says he feels like he betrayed JR, especially after JR defended him in front of Lucy. Sue Ellen tells him to be careful so as not to make JR suspicious about them.
Jessica and Clayton discuss the time she's spending with JR. He tells her that JR has been digging into his past but Jessica assures him that he will never found out about 'their little secret'. JR listens from behind a slightly ajar door.
Sue Ellen and Pam have lunch and they discuss her concerns that Mark wants such a big wedding which is causing delays. Sue Ellen says she's surprised about her sudden change of mind about getting married. Pam says she doesn't want to talk about that. Pam and Sue Ellen return to Southfork and meet up with Bobby, Jenna, and Charlie. Jenna wishes Pam the best with her new husband and Pam wonders when she and Bobby are getting hitched; Jenna says she hasn't been asked yet, but if he does, she says she'll make him happy.
JR meets with Cliff's man in the Gulf, who says he's been able to slow down operations so far and Cliff suspects nothing, but the crew is getting suspicious. JR assures him that Cliff will run out of money within a couple of weeks. The guy tells JR that it's so tough because Cliff has the richest tract in the Gulf - it's hard to avoid gushers.
Harry McSween comes to JR's office and tells him to take care of Peter soon. Harry tells him that he has news from San Angelo: Clayton bulldozed his house right after it burned down. JR asks him to find out as much as he can - if Clayton murdered his wife and covered it up, he wants to know before the wedding so he can stop it.
Afton returns home to find that Cliff is looking through her bank statements and he gets upset that Afton's spent most of the money from Rebecca's inheritance. Afton explains that she spent the money improving her family's life and says she still has enough to move out if he continues to berate her. But she can see that Cliff is really in trouble.
Sue Ellen says she doesn't understand Bobby's relationship with Pam. She tells him about her conversation with Pam yesterday, and that she didn't want to talk about Mark, which she finds odd. Pam tells Katherine about seeing Bobby with Jenna and Charlie yesterday and Katherine [yet again] wonders if she's having second thoughts about the wedding.
Lucy apologizes to Peter for her drunk rantings at the party. Peter says he just wants to forget about it and he apologizes for ignoring her. They agree to be friends.
After a mutually disappointing liaison with Katherine, JR says he's finished with her and is determined to keep her away from Bobby, because their marriage would make Bobby too rich and powerful. He says he's played their pleasure tape for Bobby and he won't have anything to do with her any more. Katherine promises to make him pay.
A Mr. McDowell comes to Cliff's office, telling him that he has a buyer for his fields - $ 10 million for both. Cliff says he paid much more for the fields and McDowell says he'll try to get him a better deal but Cliff says he's in a hurry. Later, McDowell says he managed to get $ 12 million for the fields - and that the buyer wanted to remain anonymous. Just as McDowell leaves, Vaughn calls [from JR's office] and tells Cliff that he managed to convince his board of directors to accept his fields as collateral for more money. Cliff dejectedly says he just sold the fields as JR laughs at his almost complete destruction of Cliff's company.
Donna asks Clayton why he seems uncomfortable around Jessica. Clayton says his sister is too outspoken and unpredictable, and he'll be more comfortable when she heads back to England. When Clayton rides back to the stables, Jessica comes to meet him and tells him he never should have sold the Southern Cross, which should have been Dusty's inheritance. Clayton angrily says that Dusty wasn't interested in the ranch but Jessica says he would have been when he wanted to start a family. She reminds Clayton that it was his decision to send her to England and she says she has every right to question his decision where Dusty is concerned.
As Peter drives home on a small country road, some officers pull him over. While one distracts him, the other plants some cocaine in his car. Peter stares amazedly as his rights are read to him.
Jessica tells JR that she had a fight with Clayton. When JR says he can't understand her anger, she cryptically replies that Amy Farlow died that they could keep the Southern Cross, not sell it. She leaves the perplexed JR in the hallway.
Episode 159: Love Stories Aired: Fri, Sept. 18
The Lucy Award: Donna.
Mark comes to Pam's office and discusses his continually growing wedding plans for the ceremony next week. Pam continues to long for a small wedding. Cliff interrupts and says he has to fly down to the Gulf to check on his rig, and Pam volunteers to go with him because Mark's throwing a stag party.
Katherine meets with Bobby at the Oil Baron's Club, and she breaks down and tries to explain that she only slept with JR because he promised to help her get closer to Bobby, and he's been blackmailing her with the tape ever since. Bobby says he doesn't know what she's talking about and Katherine realizes that JR lied to her. Bobby tells her it doesn't change anything - he's always thought of her as Pam's sister and he never considered her as a lover or a wife. As Katherine pleads her love for him, Bobby tells her to stay away from him and she starts drinking heavily.
JR talks to Jessica about what she said the day before. Jessica admits that Clayton was in financial trouble and might have been forced to sell the Southern Cross but was able to pull himself out of it with the money from Amy's trust fund - that's why she can't believe that he'd ever sell it.
Harry McSween tells JR that Peter is still in lockup - but he'll have a bail hearing soon. JR says he doesn't want to send Peter to prison and Harry says he can conveniently 'lose' the evidence any time. Peter calls Sue Ellen and asks for her help at the bail hearing. Sue Ellen tells JR what's happened and JR says he'll get Peter the best lawyer in Dallas.
Dora Mae calls Mark to pick up the zonked Katherine and she tells him in a stupor that Jerry Kenderson is the reason why Pam is marrying him, as she wails that no one wants to be with her. Mark takes her back to her room as she sobers up. He questions her further about what she said about Jerry and Katherine says she was just feeling bitter about her soured relationship with him. Mark seems unconvinced, so he heads down to Houston and finds Kenderson, who is forced to tell him about his condition. He asks Jerry not to tell Pam that he knows.
Bobby confronts JR about what Katherine told him and it washes off JR's back. JR counters that Bobby's being dumb to hesitate marrying Jenna, who obviously loves him and would make him the perfect wife. Bobby goes over to Jenna's place and demands that they all take a day out of their busy schedules to be together. The next day, Bobby proposes and Jenna accepts.
Jessica confronts Clayton about choosing Ray over Dusty as his best man - and not even inviting him to the wedding, and selling his birthright and all that. Clayton angrily replies that he's sick of talking about it all over again. Harry McSween finds that the night Amy Farlow died, Clayton let all of the ranch hands go to a party. That night, he also flew from Houston to Amarillo via San Angelo, and arrived at Amarillo an hour and a half late. JR is even more certain of Clayton's guilt.
Mark returns to Dallas to spend a 'perfect' night with Pam. In the morning, he quietly dresses, kisses her, takes a long look and walks out the door.
JR and Sue Ellen accompany Peter to a lawyer's office to discuss his case. The lawyer says the fact that Peter has no criminal record will help but the case will be tough because of the amount of drugs that he was found with, and the fact that they're in Texas. JR says he'll do whatever he needs to do to keep Peter out of prison.
Cliff is forced to tell his comptroller that he owes Vaughn a $ 1.4 million dollar interest payment. The comptroller tells Cliff that he'll be forced to shut down his operation in a week if he gives Vaughn the money but Cliff has no choice. When Pam arrives at the office, she tells Cliff that Mark suddenly flew to the Gulf. Cliff admits to her that he's in serious financial trouble and needs her help. Pam gets a call from Mark's office informing her that Mark's plane exploded over the Gulf.
Episode 160: Hush Hush Sweet Jesse Aired: Mon, Sept. 21
LINE OF THE DAY: "Oil, oil, everywhere, and not a drop for Cliff!" - Katherine to a dejected Cliff.
The Lucy Award: Sue Ellen did nothing.
Bobby and Jenna come home to Southfork to announce the happy news of their engagement but they learn from the family that Mark Graison's plane crashed that afternoon. Jenna asks Bobby to postpone their announcement with a very sad look on her face. They return to Jenna's place where Jenna voices her concern about how their relationship is affected but tells Bobby that he has to go and see Pam. Bobby assures her Pam's life doesn't affect him.
Pam crashes at Cliff's place and is put under sedation by a doctor. Afton is upset at Cliff's preoccupation with his own losses rather than Pam's.
JR ducks Katherine's calls. Cliff asks Katherine for a loan to keep his rigs going, which she refuses but she says she'll agree to buy his share of Wentworth Tool and Die, which is worth $ 25 million, for $ 18 million. Faced with no option [I've been saying this a lot lately!] Cliff glumly agrees.
Harry tells JR that his man in San Angelo found an insurance investigator who looked into the Southern Cross fire. He told him that an insurance claim was never filed; and a police report was never made. JR asks him to find the investigator at any cost and bring him to Dallas.
Mark's lawyer comes to see Pam and says that Mark gave him a sealed envelope yesterday which is addressed to her. Pam sits silently and asks Cliff to read it to her; in it Mark tells Pam about his conversation with Jerry and he says it was important to him that he leave her with only good memories, and so he decided to end his own life. Afton accompanies Pam home and Bobby shows up not long after. He tells her he's sorry about what happened and offers to take Christopher for a few days so she can be alone.
As Ray, Donna, Ellie, and Clayton prepare to take Jessica out to dinner, Dusty calls and speaks to Clayton and then Jessica. The conversation is kind of weird, ending with Jessica and not Clayton convincing Dusty to come for the wedding. When they return home, Ray and Donna ask Clayton why there seems to be so much tension between the two of them where Dusty is concerned. Clayton tells them that it's because Jessica is actually Dusty's mother, not his aunt; and he's really Dusty's uncle.
Clayton says that after his marriage Jessica became very wild and got pregnant. Clayton took her to London where she had her baby and went into an institution for proper care; Clayton and Amy took Dusty to San Angelo to be their son. Jessica married Lord Montfort and didn't return to Texas until Amy became sick and she returned to help Clayton take care of her. Clayton says that he's afraid that JR might get wind of the secret - especially if Dusty resurfaces, because he was never told about his real parentage.
Afton wonders about Cliff's rig crew in light of the fact that he hasn't hit oil while everyone else in the vicinity has hit. Cliff gets angry at her interference and they have another fight. As she storms off to the bedroom, he calls Jordan Lee and asks him to recommend some good crewmen.
As Ellie and Donna take Jessica to a fashion show that morning, JR goes to Jessica's room to snoop around. He find a small book with lots of press clippings about Dusty's doings over the years. He also finds her diary and looks at in horror as he proclaims, "Oh my god! Mama!". He rushes downstairs and tells Lucy to inform Bobby and the police to rush over to the Quorum Hotel, where the fashion show is taking place.
Pam talks to Bobby about all of the sadness she's been through the last few years, and she finally [WOW!] admits that she might have had a teensy weensy little bit to do with their break-up. She also says she wanted to try their marriage again when he told her that he wanted to let her go. Bobby tells her he only did it because of the letter Katherine showed him; Pam realizes she may have been wrong about her sister. Lucy calls just then and Bobby dashes off.
JR finds Clayton and Ray in Braddock and tells them about finding Jessica's diary, in which she indicates that the fire to the Southern Cross was set deliberately; that Amy's trust fund was very useful in saving the ranch from creditors; and that it was smart of Clayton to bulldoze the wrecked house. She ends by saying that she plans to stop wedding by 'doing away' with Ellie. Clayton denies having anything to do with burning the Southern Cross, and says he didn't even know that Jessica did it. His statements are confirmed by the next page's entry. The trio rush off to find Jessica and Ellie.
Pam confronts Katherine about the letter she never wrote. Katherine casually tells her that JR forced her to do it, which Pam doesn't believe. Katherine admits she wanted Bobby for herself which earns her a huge slap from Pam, who says she never wants to see her again.
Everyone convenes at Southfork and Bobby tells them that he never found anyone at the Quorum. Donna drives up and says that Jessica called Dusty from her house and told him that the wedding had been called off. When Donna tried to say something, Jessica phone-whipped her. When she came to, Donna found that her car was gone - and so was one of Ray's handguns.
Episode 161: End Game Aired: Tue, Sept. 22
LINE OF THE DAY: "Bottle up that sex appeal of yours. It could be worth more than oil." JR to his studly bro Bobby when they find out Katherine is in Bobby's office. Suggested by AHN Jason.
The Lucy Award: Jenna.
We start this episode with Jessica thundering down a lonely two-lane highway, talking to an absent Clayton about how he, she and Dusty are going to be so happy together back at the Southern Cross.
JR tells the Sheriff that Jessica's probably headed for San Angelo and the Sheriff, as usual, pulls out all the stops to find her and the stolen car. The Sheriff's men find blood in the Krebbs home and evidence of a struggle. JR gets mad at Clayton for letting his sister in to her house when he knew she was unstable. Clayton gets mad at JR for trying to sabotage the wedding and pushing Jessica over the edge. Later, Bobby tells JR that it's his fault this has happened because he forgot that his first duty should have been to the family. JR admits that he may have blinded by the prospect of someone taking Jock's place.
Jordan Lee visits Cliff's office and suggests that he replace his crew and says he'll try to arrange to get him the best foreman he knows.
Jessica stops at a hotel for the night at Comanche and the police manage to find her. They contact the Ewings who head down immediately. Clayton manages to talk Jessica out of the room, and takes the gun away from her. The Ewing boys search the room but find no trace of Ellie. Jessica continues to ramble about their new life back at the Southern Cross as Ellie is found in the trunk of the car, shaken but unharmed.
A few days later [I guess] Clayton and Ellie meet at the Oil Baron's Club. Clayton says that psychiatric evaluation has revealed Jessica as vulnerable to terrible mood swings, especially where he and Dusty are concerned and she must have resented having to give up her child. Then when she returned to take care of the ailing Amy Farlow she snapped again when she saw her with Dusty and set fire to the house, killing her. Clayton says that at the time he was so stricken with grief that he bulldozed it to remove all traces of it. Then when she thought Ellie was going to take her place as Dusty's mother she snapped again. Ellie asks Clayton if he wants to postpone the wedding but Clayton says they should put this episode behind them. The wedding day occurs without incident.
Pam comes by Southfork to spend the day with Sue Ellen. Jenna and Charlie happen to be there. Jenna lets slip that she and Bobby have gotten engaged. Pam puts on a brave face and wishes Jenna all the best but leaves without another word. Pam goes back to her place and tells Christopher she doesn't want to stay in Dallas anymore because she's lost everyone she cares about. Cliff calls a few days later and finds that Pam has taken Christopher away on a trip for a few days.
Bobby and JR come to Ewing Oil the next day and Bobby finds Katherine in his office. She tells him she wants a fresh start to their relationship - to start off, she has more properties to sell him. Bobby says there will never be anything between them, now that he plans to marry Jenna. Katherine tells him and JR that it's not over yet between them.
Vaughn Leland tells Cliff that he has to strike oil by midnight tomorrow or the bank is going to take over his company. JR arrives and tells Cliff that he was Vaughn's partner in bilking him. He also says it serves him right for trying to butt heads with him again. Cliff doesn't return home until the next morning after a massive drinking binge and tells a frantically worried Afton about blowing his mama's company - again. He also says that JR set him up again and when Afton tries to calm him down, Cliff tells her to get out and never come back. As Cliff drinks the apartment dry, he hears a newscast that another strike has been hit in the Gulf - but not his. He swears never to let JR mess up his life again.
Donna tells Bobby that she heard from Martha Randolph that Edgar is on his way to Dallas looking for JR.
JR and Sue Ellen meet with Peter for lunch again. Peter is even more worried now about serving jail time. JR finally reveals his plan: he knows about their affair and the only way Peter will avoid prison time is if Sue Ellen returns to his room - and to his bed. Peter says he'd rather go to jail and when JR taunts him, Peter attacks JR but is restrained. He's dragged away, swearing to kill JR for what he's done.
As Vaughn Leland comes by Barnes-Wentworth to foreclose, Jackie gets news that Cliff's tract finally came in. Vaughn dejectedly realizes that Cliff will destroy his career now that he'll have the money to do it. He resolves to get back at JR and his crooked schemes for ruining him again.
Later that evening, someone stealthily walks in to Ewing Oil and looks around. [Painfully similar to the manner things went down five years ago.] The person moves towards JR's office and fires three shots at his chair. After a few seconds, we see Bobby's limp body slide out of the chair and on to the floor.