Season 10 Summaries
Episode 252: After the Fall/Ewing Rise Aired: Fri, Jan.29
LINE OF THE DAY: "You can't be in the Oil business without drilling a dry hole now and then" - JR on his triumphant return to the oil business. Nominated by Jason.
Rating [out of 10]: 
The Lucy Award: Jenna, I guess. With the reduced cast, this is actually going to be difficult.
Pam is airlifted to Dallas Memorial in critical condition and heavily bandaged, and no one knows who she is because her ID went up in smoke. As she is brought in, Jenna, Ray, and Charlie leave with Lucas in Ray's new minivan. Bobby gets a call from the hospital informing him that his car was in an accident. He confirms that Pam was driving the car and rushes right over. Bobby is told that Pam is stable but has several injuries and no one can be sure if she'll live.
Cliff gets $ 58 million dollars from the dissolution of Ewing Oil but is bitter about losing what he fought so hard to get. He apologizes to Digger for letting him down. April finds him brooding later, still apologizing and staring at the Ewing building, and begins to understand where he's coming from.
JR takes John Ross looking for new offices. Sue Ellen meets up with them and suggests they take a vacation for a while. JR says he needs to get working again to rebuild his empire for his son.
Ellie drives to the stables to bring Clayton back home for lunch. She says she'd like to have him around the house more for companionship. Bobby calls home to tell them about the terrible news after hearing that Pam will probably make it through. Bobby asks them to call Cliff and stay home with Christopher. Cliff arrives and gets upset that he can't see his sister, though he and Bobby are finally convinced to go home and get some rest.
Marilee and Jordan bump into JR and the family and cabbage the events of the last episode. JR assures him that he's still in business and the spirit of the company is alive and well. He also assures Ellie of the same thing but she says she hoped that losing Ewing Oil would change him and is disappointed that is hasn't. JR says that he's Jock Ewing's son, and nothing in the world is going to change that. [Editor's note: OH HELL YEAH!] Later, JR and Sly check out their new huge offices and toast JRE Industries - their new company.
April comes over to Cliff's place to comfort him after hearing about the accident. She offers to drive him to the hospital and even makes him coffee. At the hospital, Bobby and Cliff are allowed to see Pam after getting dressed up in hospital gowns. Unfortunately for them, there's not much to see because Pam is semi-conscious, in traction, and bandaged from head to toe.
April comes to Weststar to see Jeremy Wendell but ends up finding Wilson Cryder, his executive assistant, who knows all about her doings in Dallas. Cryder says that he's now the temporary head of Weststar because Wendell has gone on sabbatical. April asks him to lay off of Cliff for a while, and she is informed that Cliff is small potatoes to them - and so is she. He also says they plan to keep the Ewings down - especially JR.
Bobby tells Christopher about the accident and says that Pam won't be home for a long time. JR finds him outside and explains that he didn't come to the hospital so as not to get mixed up with Cliff and Bobby says he understands. Bobby tells JR about how happy Pam was after hearing about her renewed fertility and bursts into tears.
Episode 253: After the Fall/ Digger Redux Aired: Mon, Feb.1
LINE OF THE DAY: "Her health means a great deal to me." - JR about Pam, after discovering the terms of her will.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Jenna again.
JR strong-arms a guy who owns him a favor to get him a very important document. He tries to buy a private oil field but the seller jacks up the price on him, figuring that no one else in Dallas will do business with him. JR laughs the offer away, figuring that he'll start his empire some other way. On their way back, Sly gets all mournful at seeing Ewing Oil signs taken down and Weststar signs being put up in their places.
Ozwald gets upset at Sue Ellen for tearing up Mandy's contract and she figures that it's not worth her time to deal with him, so she says she's going to buy him out. Ozwald protests but Sue Ellen reminds him of a clause in their agreement allowing her to buy him out any time she wants. Sue Ellen tells JR she wants to expand and he advises her to talk to a stock market expert.
Cliff and April come to the hospital to see Pam and April chats Bobby up. She says she hopes he's not keeping his pain bottled up inside and Bobby assures her he's fine. Cliff tells Pam he wishes he could make up for all the times he hurt her and then heads off to a bar to unwind. He finds a guy who talks a lot like Digger Barnes, claiming to have a 'nose' for oil but always getting screwed by high-class geological experts. Cliff rescues him from a fight and the guy introduces himself as Harrison "Dandy" Dandridge. Dandy says he met Digger once or twice, and really admired the man. Cliff takes him back to his apartment to crash and wakes up the next morning to find most of his food and money gone.
Ellie takes her daily ride out to chastise Clayton for leaving his room without permission. Clayton says he refuses to be tied to his home and Ellie gets understandably upset. The next day, Ray comes to Southfork to gather up Clayton for a horse auction and learns about Clayton's heart condition from Ellie. Ray understands and says he'll try to keep Clayton from doing anything strenuous.
JR's debtor manages to get the document he wanted - it turns out to be Pam's will. JR examines it and rather boringly finds that Christopher inherits everything - and Bobby gets to manage the estate. Christopher says he wants to see his mother and Bobby tells him he'll just have to be patient.
Cliff returns home to find Dandy there and confronts him about the lost cash. Dandy shows him that he just went out to buy groceries so he could cook him dinner.
JR finds Bobby at the hospital and offers to take him for a ride to get his mind off of things. He takes Bobby to show him a new office he bought for him. Bobby says he knows JR means well but his focus is on Pam right now.
Sue Ellen meets with JR's stock advisor, who introduces her to his assistant, Nicholas Pearce, who'll be helping her out with her expansion plans. Nicholas definitely has bedroom eyes for Sue Ellen.
Charlie comes home looking rather depressed and very untalkative. Jenna figures it's because she been turned down by a boy at school or something and goes back to rocking Lucas in his crib.
Bobby continues his round-the-clock vigil at the hospital until Pam's doctor tells him to go home and get some rest. Ellie hears noise in the exercise room late at night and figures it's Clayton but it turns out to be Bobby. She counsels him to keep his hopes up for Pam's well-being. The next morning, John Ross tells Bobby that Christopher went out bike-riding a while ago and hasn't returned.
Meanwhile, in Pam's room, a female voice speaks to her about all of the things that Pam's had and she's lost. Katherine Wentworth says it's her turn to get what she deserves.
Episode 254: The Son Also Rises Aired: Tue, Feb.2
LINE OF THE DAY: "I'm still your son...and this is still our town." - JR to Jock's portrait after finally getting a plan together.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Nicholas Pearce is credited but is AWOL.
Bobby mobilizes the available family to head out and look for Christopher. He spots Christopher's bike, with a flat tire, at a nearby gas stop. The grease monkey there tells Bobby that he fixed the bike but Christopher got into a car with a woman and drove off. Teresa calls and tells Bobby that Christopher has been located at Dallas Memorial Hospital.
After a hot morning love session with Sue Ellen, JR comes to the office to meet Harry McSween. The detective has a bunch of personal documents for JR about a mysterious someone and says that he also located a long-lost relative of that person.
Bobby finds his son at the hospital and they have a father/son chat about never pulling a stunt like this again. Christopher figures that he's not being allowed to see his mother because he's adopted. Meanwhile, bandaged Pam is finally able to make small movements with her hands.
Charlie and Marnie come over to the Krebbs home and Marnie gets all excited about seeing Lucas. Charlie doesn't share her enthusiasm and Ray asks her about what's going on. Marnie reveals that Charlie is having a tough time at school because her mother is a dirty slut [not in so many words]. Ray talks to Charlie about it later and she says that she feels that he is the real problem - everything would be okay if he and Jenna were married.
Wilson Cryder finds JR having a drink and shoves the recent loss of his company in his face. JR calls Sly and asks her to get in touch with a fellow named Carswell Denault in Oklahoma.
That night, as Bobby sleeps by Pam's bed, he is disturbed by a veiled figure entering the room. Katherine Wentworth tells him that she just wanted to be with her sister. They go outside the room to talk and Katherine says she's gotten past her psychosis and feels much better. Bobby shoos her away and says he plans to put a guard outside Pam's door. That night, Bobby reassures Christopher that the world isn't different for adopted people.
Sue Ellen, John Ross, and Clayton work out in the exercise room and Sue Ellen is the latest in line to tell Clayton to take it easy, and gets the same predictable response.
Cliff talks to the bandaged figure at the hospital again about how bad he feels about mistreating her, and also about Dandy. Dandy comes to Barnes-Wentworth and feigns mock surprise that Cliff is in the oil business.
JR asks Bobby about the guard outside Pam's door and he tells the family about Katherine. JR berates him for letting Katherine go and they get into a fight about his disturbed state of mind. Bobby comes to his new offices and finds Phyllis opening up boxes. He decides to move on with things but Phyllis can see that he's still very distracted. Returning to the hospital, he finds a small note in Pam's hand. He finds the spidery writing to read "I love you both."
Clayton comes over to Ray's place to get some work done and Ray makes the excuse that he has to take Jenna to a doctor's appointment and run some errands.
JR comes over to the Singletree to find his friend Mr. Denault but it turns out to Casey Denault, Jr by the pool. Casey tells him that his father died last year, but he was told all about the Ewing reputation. JR returns to the office and decides to finally hang Jock's portrait on the wall because he knows he's done something worthwhile.
Episode 255: Gone with the Wind Aired: Wed, Feb.3
LINE OF THE DAY: None. Even Jason couldn't find one.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: April. This is getting a bit tough.
Bobby decides to get a specialist in from Los Angeles to see Pam, and Ellie misses Clayton at the breakfast table. She finds him in the exercise room and they have their daily yelling session. Bobby goes [where else?] to the hospital to see Pam and tells her about Christopher's wild ride to see her. The bandaged face appears kind of sad.
Ray and Jenna talk about the fact that she and Charlie would both like to become part of Ray's family. Ray tells Jenna he thinks that she should allow Bobby to see his son, especially after everything he's been through. Later, Ray brings Bobby over to see Jenna and Lucas. Jenna tells him she agreed to Ray's plan only grudgingly and still hates the fact that the Ewings don't treat Ray like one of their own.
Sue Ellen is late for a meeting with Nicholas Pearce which bothers the prompt man. He practically orders Sue Ellen to meet him for dinner or face cancellation of their working relationship. They meet as planned and Nicholas encourages Sue Ellen to expand her operations before she even considers going public. He also encourages Sue Ellen to become more personally involved in the marketing of her product. April comes by and greets them because it turns out it's her restaurant.
Cliff comes to the office to find that Jackie's incompetent deed for the day was to let Dandy in to Pam's office, where he seems to be making phone calls for oil deals. Cliff tosses Dandy out. Later, Cliff is unable to find Dandy at his usual haunts.
Casey Denault meets with Jordan Lee and Marilee Stone and tells them his daddy spoke very highly of them, and he wants to get involved in the Dallas oil scene. JR comes by their table at the Oil Baron's Club and he and Casey put on an great act for the cartel folks to convince them that they dislike each other. Later, JR and Casey have a late-night meeting and he asks him to talk to the oil man who rebuffed him two episodes ago.
Ellie tells Clayton that if she won't listen to his doctor's advice she wants him to leave Southfork. Clayton finally comes to his senses and agrees to see his doctor again. He does the next day, but just to tell him that he had no right to tell Ellie about his condition and he's never going to be coming back to him again. He returns home and reconsiders his position, telling Ellie that he plans to take the recommended tests.
Nicholas interrupts a meeting between Sue Ellen and the new Valentine girl and says he's arranged for them to see new offices in Los Angeles for her expansion. While waiting for their plane, Nicholas manages to pick up some phone numbers from ladies who are hanging around him, but assures Sue Ellen that he never mixes business with pleasure.
The doctor tells Bobby and Cliff that Pam's bandages will be taken off tomorrow, but he says it will be easier for her if she's alone to minimize the chance that someone might react badly to her new face. When Pam is told about what's to come, she nods a slight assent that she understands.
Ray tells Jenna that he thinks he made a mistake by inviting Bobby over, but realizes it's too late to change his mind now. He decides to try and live with his muddled feelings.
Bobby tells Ellie about the doctor's orders to stay away from the hospital and says he's scared about how his relationship with Pam will change after everything she's been through - he figures she probably won't feel like she's the same woman anymore and might not even want to be with him. Bobby goes to his favorite spot in front of the hospital entrance and finds his security guard standing outside, claiming it wasn't his fault. Bobby rushes upstairs only to be told that Pam is gone.
Episode 256: The Lady Vanishes Aired: Thu, Feb.4
LINE OF THE DAY: "I hope one of us knows what we are doing..." Sue Ellen to Nicholas.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ray and Jenna are being repackaged. April also gets the day off.
Bobby is told that Pam was taken to hydrotherapy at 6:30 AM by a Nurse Johnson. Later another nurse came by for the same thing, and then it was found that Pam - and the nurse - never got there. Bobby questions the orderly who helped the nurse out. He says the nurse sent him away when she took Pam in the elevator, and that was the end of it. The doctor says security has tried to contact Nurse Johnson but to no avail. Bobby uses his Ewing influence to get her address and says the police are not to get involved yet.
Serena Wald returns to Dallas to see JR. She says she's divorced now and hasn't returned to her old ways because of the recent AIDS scare. They make arrangements to meet later. Casey manages to get an oil field for JR at a great price and they head out to celebrate. JR tells Casey about his "golden rules" of business with a subtle warning that he's going to watch him very carefully.
Bobby immediately heads over to Ms. Johnson's place and gets no answer at the door, so he leaves and decides to give up the chase [KIDDING!] No, of course he does the Bobby-like thing and kicks the door down but finds no clues. He takes a picture of Ms. Johnson and leaves without closing the door. He heads over to Cliff's office and tells him about Pam's disappearance, and Katherine's presence in Dallas. Cliff rightly makes him feel dumb for letting Katherine go.
Nicholas brings Sue Ellen to a shop in Los Angeles which is very similar to hers and says that the company is America-wide - and looking for a buyer. Nicholas proposes that Valentine's buy the stores and gain an instant market - with Sue Ellen as the new Valentine girl. Nicholas says he's arranged a breakfast meeting with the owners of the company so that the deal can be finalized. Sue Ellen tries to figure out what makes him tick and finds that he's just as motivated by the ratrace as the Ewings are. The next day, Sue Ellen signs an agreement in principle to buy the company.
Bobby and Cliff meet with a PI and ask him to find Pam - likely taken away by Katherine, with Ms. Johnson as her accomplice. Cliff comes home to find Dandy crashed beside his door. Cliff takes him in and finds he still has a soft spot for the old coot. Bobby gets a call from Ms. Johnson and says she wants to meet him tomorrow at a mall, but only if he promises to let her go when they're finished.
Bobby and Cliff meet with the nurse the next day and tells her story: Pam handed her a note with a Houston phone number, which she called, and gave them the instructions that were on the note. A man at the other end said he would be there soon. That night, she got a phone call from a woman who said that Pam wanted to leave the hospital and gave her details of the plan. Ms. Johnson took her down to a waiting car, where she was given $10,000 by a older gentleman and thanked for her help.
Bobby investigates the ambulance company that took Pam away and discovers she was taken to a small airfield. He questions the guys at the field who says the plane went to Houston with Pam, the older gentleman, and a woman. Further investigation determines that the plane never got to Houston. He returns to his office and tells his PI to start looking for the plane. Phyllis learns that the plane is owned by Wentworth Industries and Cliff learns that a man will be coming to Southfork that night with some information.
JR comes to Serena's room that evening and she tells him that her new boyfriend's company is in bad shape and he needs money quickly. JR tells her not to worry - he'll take care of everything.
Parker Ellison, Chairman of the Board of Wentworth Industries, comes to Southfork that evening. Bobby asks him about Katherine, who Ellison claims he hasn't seen in years. The woman he was with was a nurse assigned to take care of Pam. He says that everything that was done was according to Pam's wishes. He says he came to Pam's room the day after he received her call and she gave him a note with specific instructions about the way she wanted to leave the hospital. Ellison ends by saying that Pam has said she doesn't want to have any contact with her family, but has left a note for Bobby, who reads it aloud to the family. Pam essentially says that she didn't want anyone to see her the way she is now - least of all her husband and son. She also asks Bobby not to try and find her - ever.
Episode 257: Tough Love Aired: Fri, Feb.5
LINE OF THE DAY: "And don't forget to stop at the drugstore on the way." - JR to Casey Denault about his trip to Marilee's place.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Tough pick today. I'll take Clayton.
Bobby decides to put all of Pam's pictures away, and throws a watch she gave him as a gift against the wall. He storms out of the house to head to the Longhorn bar and JR calls Ray to help him out. Bobby gets into a fight, which, as usual he wins despite the stacked odds. Ray arrives, flattens him with one punch and takes him out over his shoulder.
Cliff comes home and is still depressed over Pam's departure. Dandy tells him to shrug him off, to which April takes exception. She gives him some money and throws him out.
The next morning, Bobby talks to Christopher who seems to handle the news rather well. Ellie says that Christopher is hiding his true feelings and warns him to be vigilant.
JR meets with Wilson Cryder on his way to work. Cryder says that Weststar is looking to buy the building and evict all of the current tenants. He also comments that JR's modest offices probably aren't going to be expanded any time soon. JR makes a call telling someone to proceed with a plan, and then heads over to see a banker about Serena's boyfriend's loan. JR pays the loan and says he'd like to have all of the failing company's assets transferred to one of his subsidiaries.
John Ross and Christopher go to a museum for a school field trip. A lovely blonde woman seems rather interested in the younger boy's mental health. Bobby and Christopher have another father/son talk later that day and Christopher says that he doesn't want to talk about his mother anymore because he knows the reason she left - because he's adopted. Bobby reassures him yet again that that's not the case.
Nicholas has a late night liaison [with Michelle Stevens!] interrupted by Sue Ellen to arrange a meeting the next day. Sue Ellen starts to feel guilty [and rightly so] that she didn't visit Pam when she had the chance. Strangely enough, Sue Ellen bumps into April, who's also been invited to their meeting. He says that he proposes an investment on April's behalf which will give Sue Ellen an opportunity to get the capital she needs to expand. April likes it but Sue Ellen doesn't seem to thrilled with the idea.
Casey comes over to JR's office and tells him that Jordan Lee's been scared out of investing in a certain property, but Marilee Stone isn't. JR has Casey talk to Marilee and set up a meeting at her home - and she wants him to arrive wearing swim trunks. JR bids him adieu and gives him the Line of the Day. The predictable happens at Marilee's place.
Jenna drives over to Southfork to see Miss Ellie and runs into Bobby, offering condolences. She apologizes for all of her bitchiness last season and says she didn't mean any of it.
Serena tells JR that the bank foreclosed on her boyfriend because he was two hours late making his payment and is leaving Dallas. JR gives her some money and later tells her he has a plan to get her set for life - all she has to do is get close to Wilson Cryder.
Cliff talks to some people about leaving the oil business and maybe going back to being a lawyer. Dandy arrives at the office and tells him that he owns a piece of land that has more oil than Spindletop under it, and he wants Cliff to have a look.
During Christopher's skating lesson, Bobby quite literally bumps into the blonde woman from the museum, who still seems quite interested in his son.
Episode 258: Last Tango in Dallas Aired: Mon, Feb.8
LINE OF THE DAY: "I've got a reputation to uphold." - Ray to Jenna. Jenna, my girl, you don't know the half of it.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Casey Denault...we guess. Tough call.
Bobby and Christopher introduce themselves to the blonde, who says her name is Lisa Alden. They talk for a while about Lisa's relatively boring life and Lisa mentions that she recently lost her mother, which sets Christopher in a sullen mood. As the pair heads off, Lisa says she hopes she'll see them again. Later, Lisa gets some pictures developed and it turns out that most of them are of Christopher.
Serena comes to JR's office and says that she couldn't find out any dirt on Wilson Cryder, so JR says they may have to look for something on his wife. JR tells Casey about his plan to string Marilee along and then scare her into selling her share of the project off cheaply.
Clayton and Ellie have a mild workout in the exercise room and she tries to encourage him to get the blockage in his heart taken care of. Clayton insists he's following the doctor's orders so everyone should quit nagging him.
Jenna realizes she hasn't had sex since she got knocked up by Bobby so she heads out to find a sweaty, shirtless Ray working in the stables with a 'come hither' look in her eye. As the porn music plays in the background...well, you figure it out. The next morning, a very satisfied Jenna tells Ray about their invitation to the Oil Baron's Ball and Ray hints that he might like to get married very soon. Jenna says she'll think about it.
Bobby goes to Houston to meet with Parker Ellison and asks him why Pam hasn't been in touch. Parker shows him that Pam has signed over her control of Wentworth Industries to Bobby, who realizes that she never intends to return. After hearing the news, JR figures that Bobby might need some investment advice.
Nicholas and April find each other taking morning runs. Nick tells her that Sue Ellen has decided to go it alone with her expansion project, but he says he could find other ways for April to invest smartly. He later stops by at Sue Ellen's latest promotional video filming to get some contracts signed.
Dandy comes to Cliff's office again and tries to convince him to check out the land he owns. He admits that it was once tested for oil, but says that the tests were wrong. He asks Cliff to give him a chance, for Digger's sake, and of course, Cliff can't resist. Cliff performs his own test and it turns out negative too. He returns to the office and tells Dandy that the test was positive so he'll consider going ahead with the drilling.
Lisa comes to Bobby's office and she says she wants his advice for investing in oil but Bobby makes her admit that she just came by to see him - personally. She says she can see that they're both kind of lonely so they head out for drinks.
Another Oil Baron's Ball rears its head and the Ewing family - but not Bobby - goes all out for it. JR is introduced to Nicholas Pearce and Lana Rogers, who arrive together. Bobby calls Lisa [brutal NIT] and they agree to go out for dinner. Ray asks Jenna to marry him but she wonders whether it's too soon. Ray assures her they'll work out the trouble. April is Cliff's date and finds him to be in a very good mood because of his decision to humor Dandy, so he doesn't die with lost dignity like Digger did.
Punk tries to announce the Oil Man of the Year but finds the card to be blank. Clayton steps up to the podium and tells the assembled throng that Punk has been given the award. Clayton gets very excited during the presentation and encourages everyone to bring the noise. Suddenly, he clutches his left arm and starts having chest pains. JR rushes up and grabs the mike, searching for a doctor.
Episode 259: The Mummy's Revenge Aired: Tue, Feb.9
LINE OF THE DAY: "Thought you'd need these too." - JR passing a plate of oysters to Casey right before his meeting with Marilee. Nominated by AHN Jason.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Nicholas is AWOL.
Ray and Jenna accompany Ellie to the hospital and they cabbage the angioplasty Clayton will have the next morning. The doctor says that he hopes further surgery is not necessary. After a brief look-in, they return home. Ray and Charlie talk the next morning about Clayton - and about his marriage proposal last night. Charlie gets upset that Jenna selfishly refused to commit herself and figures that she still loves Bobby.
JR and Sue Ellen return home and tell Bobby about Clayton. JR calls Harry McSween and asks him to find out whatever he can about Kimberly Cryder. After telling Harry that it doesn't matter whether Clayton lives or dies, JR comes downstairs to comfort his mother and tell her how much he respects her new husband. Ellie puts on a brave face as Clayton is wheeled in to surgery but breaks down and cries immediately afterwards.
Cliff decides to pay the back taxes on Dandy's land so he can start drilling on it. He returns to the office to find Dandy waiting for him there. Dandy gets upset that Cliff lied to him about the sniffer test results. Cliff replies that he trusts Dandy's judgment and has a drilling team at the site waiting for him.
Casey complains about having to satisfy Marilee to cinch their deal and JR reminds him that he'll have to learn to do whatever it takes to get the job done. As planned, Marilee tells Casey she needs to sell out in order to get ready cash for another deal with Jordan Lee and asks for some nookie before committing to figures.
Clayton's surgery is a complete success to the relief of the assembled family members. Ray sees Jenna comforting Bobby and wonders whether Charlie may have been right about them. Upon his return to Southfork, Clayton apologizes to the family for being so stubborn about his condition.
Sue Ellen meets April for lunch and she explains her reasons for going on with her expansion alone: she wants to prove to all of the nay-sayers that she can make it on her own. The ladies discuss the mysterious nature of Nicholas and April comments that Nicholas seems just as interested in the bedroom as the boardroom in his subtle way.
Lisa Alden gets a late-night call and tells the caller that the plan is proceeding perfectly - only she wishes Bobby wasn't such a great guy.
Nicholas sends a female assistant to meet with Sue Ellen and discuss details of their future arrangement, which ticks her off somewhat. The assistant explains that Nicholas is out of town and Sue Ellen insists on talking to him personally before proceeding. Sue Ellen tells JR about her Nicholas problem and he offers to help her out but she says she'll take care of things herself. Despite her request, JR meets with Nicholas's boss and tells him that he's not happy that John didn't personally take care of Sue Ellen's account - but at this point, he wants John to make sure that Nicholas gives Sue Ellen his personal attention.
April comes to Bobby's office and complains about her continual boredom, even after her new-found wealth. Bobby advises her to start a new venture and a call from Lisa Alden comes through. Lisa and Bobby make plans to meet on Sunday and April suddenly remembers she needs to wash her hair or something.
Ray asks Jenna whether there are any other reasons for her hesitation to marry him and she is typically noncommittal. Jenna visits Ellie at Southfork the next day and tells her about Ray's request - and that she still loves Bobby. She wonders whether she can feel the same magic with Ray. Ellie tells her about her experience with her husbands and says that in the end, it's real love and trust that matters. Jenna returns home and Charlie tells her that Ray's gone to Washington to be with Donna and she's lost her chance with him.
Bobby, Lisa, and Christopher head to an amusement park on Sunday as planned. We're subjected to two television minutes of family fun. Coming home, JR finds a letter from a Houston law firm addressed to Bobby. He opens the letter and examines it, commenting that everything seems perfect. When Bobby returns home, JR comments that it's good to see him enjoying life again and shows him the letter - it's from Pam, indicating that she wants a divorce and is giving him custody of Christopher.
Episode 260: Hustling Aired: Wed, Feb.10
LINE OF THE DAY: "It's your favorite charity." - Jackie telling Cliff that Dandy's calling.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Clayton.
Bobby tells Christopher that Pam has requested a divorce. Christopher figures that if Pam doesn't want to be with them, then he doesn't want to be with her either. Bobby asks for Harve's advice and he is advised to fight the divorce, but Bobby says that Christopher is right and if Pam wants to be let go, then that's what he's going to do.
Harry McSween gives JR some information on Wilson Cryder's wife and JR decides to get Casey in on the arrangement. Casey complains about having to service Marilee and JR reminds him about the need to get the job done. JR arranges to have something spilled on Mrs. Kimberly Cryder, to whom he manages to get introduced.
Sue Ellen comes to work wearing a dress cut down to her navel and bumps into Nicholas, to whom she gives the cold shoulder. Nicholas responds that she's got a lot to learn about the business world - and about him. Nicholas arrives at April's restaurant that evening and a guy passing by Nicholas thinks that he's an old school chum named Joey Lombardi from Bensonhurst, but Nicholas claims that it's a case of mistaken identity. Later, nosy April gets a private investigator to check into the mysterious Joey Lombardi.
Ellie comes over to Ray's house to see Lucas. Jenna tells Ellie about the terrible mistake she's made in hesitating to marry Ray. The bills start piling up on Cliff and Dandy keeps telling him that he's really close to hitting. Dandy's rig continues to come up dry but Cliff decides to stick with the old coot.
Marilee visits Bobby's office and offers to sell her deal for 70 cents on the dollar but he says he doesn't want another partner right now. Nicholas comes to Southfork to find Sue Ellen truant from work on a weekday. Sue Ellen says she wants an apology from him but Nicholas says he doesn't feel he has anything to apologize for.
Bobby tells the family that evening that he's agreed to Pam's divorce, and says he doesn't want to discuss her any more. Bobby tells JR about Marilee's offer that day and JR tells him that he did the right thing in turning her down.
Meanwhile, at the Krebbs home, Ray returns from Washington and tells the Wades that Donna wants to get married - to Senator Dowling. He and Jenna avoid any further marriage talk. Clayton advises Ray to give Jenna some more time and eventually she'll come around. Later, Jenna tells Ray she was thinking about moving out - unless he re-asks her to marry him. He does and everything is happy again.
Casey talks to some of his rich friends about starting up a cartel of their own, and except for one lady, they're not very impressed. JR calls at an opportune moment and says that Marilee seems desperate to sell and Casey won't have to debase himself either. Later, Casey looks at some offices he can't afford and promises himself he'll make it there some day.
During a social function, Kimberly Cryder gets a boxed dress as a gift. She figures it's from Wilson but it turns out to be from JR. JR gets a note from Kimberly thanking him for the dress, and decides to call the Cryder home. He asks Wilson and his wife to have dinner with Sue Ellen and himself tomorrow night, and Wilson accepts on a purely social basis. JR calls Sue Ellen the next day and says he'll be eating alone. Nicholas arrives at Sue Ellen's office that evening and says he's decided to forget her faux pas and is willing to take charge of her account again. He orders dinner for them and prepares for a long late-night think-tank session, to which she agrees.
Bobby, Lisa, and Christopher go fishing. Bobby wonders why Lisa's spending all her time with them instead of someone of her own generation, and she responds that she just likes being with them. Later, Bobby takes Ellie out for a day and tells her he'll be fine despite all of the stress he's going through.
JR has dinner with the Cryders and tells Wilson that he wants to avoid any trouble with Weststar. Wilson gets a well-planted phone call which allows JR and Kimberly to come to an understanding about how their relationship might progress...
Episode 261: Bedtime Story Aired: Thu, Feb.11
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Everyone except Bobby, JR, and Sue Ellen. What happened?
Ellie has indigestion from yesterday's hot dogs at the breakfast table and gets a ribbing from Clayton. Bobby decides to name his company Petro Group Dallas. Ray and Jenna come by and announce their wedding plans to everyone. Ellie and Clayton are happy, JR is confused, and Sue Ellen seems politely unimpressed.
April's PI learns that there was a Joey Lombardi at Bensonhurst PS 74 about twenty years ago but his trail was lost. A search of Joe Lombardi who went to local high schools shows nothing promising; but no criminal record or death certificate has been found either. April calls Nicholas and makes a lunch date. She inquires about his childhood and Nicholas is typically evasive.
Casey looks for hazard pay from JR because of the work Marilee put him through to get their deal consummated, but JR says he wants Casey to stay hungry and the deals will come. Casey decides to use his new-found money to rent the offices he looked at yesterday.
JR calls Kimberly and arranges another meeting to discuss their future. JR tells her he was just outbid for an oil deal and Kimberly replies that she thinks some good things are going to come his way very soon. Nicholas confronts JR about his talk with John Cate, and says that if JR has a problem with the way he's helping Sue Ellen, he should have the guts to say so to his face.
Lisa finds Bobby outside his office and he tells her that he thinks that Christopher isn't ready for another relationship so soon after his mother left him [it comes out as lame as it sounds], and he thinks they should spend some time away from each other. Lisa sadly says it was fun. Bobby heads to a bar to unwind and bumps into Tammy Miller, an old college friend, who's just coming off a divorce herself. They talk about the attraction they had in college which went nowhere and Tammy says she's going away to Europe tomorrow and doesn't know when she'll be back. She invites him in her hotel room and Bobby is hesitant but allows himself to be convinced to enter.
As JR planned, Casey gets a call from Wilson Cryder who said he was interested in buying the company they just purchased. JR instructs Casey to make the deal but only in exchange for preferred Weststar stock.
Sue Ellen is upset about Nicholas's argument with JR and she admits that she's grown to trust him and believe in him. She badly cabbages the story of how she got involved in Valentine's Lingerie and started to stand on her own feet. That night, Nicholas calls his parents and tells his father about the guy from April's restaurant who thought he recognized him from the old neighborhood. His dad reminds him to be careful.
After Christopher's skating lesson, Bobby tells him about his decision to stay away from Lisa and does his best to explain his reasons. Lisa watches them from the upper floor of the mall. JR tells Bobby about a great plan he has to get revenge on Weststar, using his control of Pam's Wentworth stock. Bobby says he's not interested at all.
Cliff's accountant tells him about all of the bills that are piling up because of Dandy's drilling and Cliff decides to head out to the drill site. Once there, he is told that the drilling is still unsuccessful and Dandy's been incarcerated for getting too wild and drunk. Cliff tells the crew to keep drilling till the end of the day and then shut the operation down.
Lisa tells her lawyer she's decided to leave Dallas because she's content that Christopher is happy. The lawyer advises her to pursue her case - if only for the sake of her brother, Jeff Farraday, and the fact that Christopher is her only living relative.
JR and Kimberly have a quiet dinner at an apartment she keeps. She wonders about his intentions and they both assure each other they have happy marriages. Kimberly says she has the power to help him fight Weststar - because she's interested to see who would be the winner in a fight between Wilson and himself. She says the price is no more than JR would want to give anyway.
Episode 262: Lovers and Other Liars Aired: Fri, Feb.12
LINE OF THE DAY: "Sex and hotels...what a combination." - Sue Ellen as she spots JR and Kimberly together in a hotel elevator.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Clayton is mute.
Sue Ellen tries to interrupt a Nicholas poker game with his buddies but he hangs up on her.
Cliff's crew begins to dismantle their rig as Dandy returns from jail. Dandy can't believe that Cliff would bail on him and calls the office. Jackie lies to him and tells him that Cliff is out, prompting Dandy to beg the crew to wait for a couple of hours and he promises to come up with some money of his own to have them continue on. He returns after a while with a shotgun and tells everyone to keep drilling. The next morning, Cliff feels guilty about shutting Dandy down.
JR tells April about the recent upheaval of Weststar and asks her to invest in the company. He also meets with some of Wendell's friends and tries to get them on his side in the fight against Cryder to control Weststar. April talks to Nicholas about buying a piece of Weststar and he thinks it's a great idea. JR discovers that the major shareholder in Weststar is someone named Dr. Herbert Styles, who he has never heard of. He calls Kimberly and arranges a meeting.
hyllis tells Bobby she thinks he's wasting his time with his non-functioning business, and he agrees. Bobby gets a huge poster from April inviting him over for some company and they head out to a weird disco/country bar. They discuss her antics with Cliff and his non-functioning business. Bobby stops by Ray's house and asks him how he really feels about his impending marriage to Jenna. Bobby assures him that he's fine with it, and pleased that he will be close to his son. Jenna overhears their conversation from upstairs.
Lisa stops by Christopher's school to drive him home, despite John Ross's insistence that they shouldn't take rides from strangers. At the young boy's request, Lisa is introduced to Miss Ellie, and after some playful banter, Ellie allows Lisa to stay a while and go riding with Christopher. Bobby returns home and realizes that she's been following his son. Lisa says she's just fond of the boy and doesn't like the way Bobby is isolating him.
Meanwhile, back at the rig, the foreman manages to get to the phone and warn Cliff about the impending danger the crew is in and he flies out right away. Cliff tells Dandy the jig is up and rather easily relieves him of the gun. Just as the crew is about to shut the rig down, oil starts spewing out - for about fifteen seconds. Cliff is brought to the brink of ecstasy and then disgusted again.
Nicholas takes Sue Ellen to a hotel and suggests that she open boutiques in them to cater to couples in love. Sue Ellen spots JR and Kimberly kissing in an elevator. Later, she calls home from Miami and is told by Miss Ellie that JR hasn't returned home. She calls Nicholas over to her room and gives him a passionate kiss. Meanwhile, JR asks Kimberly about Dr. Styles, who she reveals is her father - and he doesn't have very long to live.
Episode 263: Brothers and Sons Aired: Tue, Feb.16
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Clayton and Ellie have little to do.
Cliff wakes up with Dandy at a dirty old bar and they laugh off their latest escapade. The foreman comes by and says that a huge pocket of natural gas was discovered at the drill site.
In Miami, Sue Ellen and Nicholas share an awkward morning after and agree to put it behind them. The opening of the new store is a smashing success and Sue Ellen seems surprised that Nicholas wants to stay out of the spotlight.
Casey manages to get a sizable chunk of Weststar stock in exchange for the company he recently bought and JR gives him some information on another company he's got his eye on. JR sees Kimberly again that evening and asks her about her father's influence over Weststar and she tells him that her father will back the strongest person in a position to run the company.
Bobby gets a visit from an old developer friend who needs investment capital. Ray tells Jenna he wants Bobby to be his best man so as to prove to everyone that her feelings for Bobby are finished. Jenna, as usual, complains about it, but allows herself to be convinced.
April gets a visit from her PI and is told that some thugs were asking questions about his probing into the life of Joey Lombardi. He says they seemed to be looking for him too and he doesn't feel he can continue with the case for his own safety. April meets with Nick's boss and inquires about his background. She's told that Nicholas insists that he's from San Diego. Later, Nicholas angrily confronts April about her snooping and tells her in no uncertain terms to stay out of his personal life.
JR comes to the office to find a cardboard cutout of Cliff, along with some balloons, waiting for him. "Cliff" tells JR about the natural gas strike, to his utter disgust. Sue Ellen returns home and gives JR a very cool reception. Cliff gets congratulations on the strike from Jordan Lee and then finds himself confronted by an angry Dandy, who's discovered that he registered the land in his own name when he paid the back taxes on it. Casey tells the girl from the Next Generation Cartel about his latest deal and actually gets some non-disgusting sex. Sue Ellen attends a DOA meeting and is introduced to Kimberly Cryder.
Ray and Jenna's wedding dawns. Clayton's happy that Ray and Bobby have made peace. Charlie tells Christopher about Lucas's parentage, which bothers the young man.
The Ewing barbecue dawns and Christopher seems bored with the world again. Sue Ellen shows Nicholas around and bumps into Kimberly again. On a lark, she introduces JR to Kimberly as well and they pretend to be total strangers.
Cliff shows up in the same shirt as last year and taunts JR again about his recent success. Dandy shows up with a gun in his belt and takes aim at Cliff, though he's quickly disarmed by Clayton and Bobby. Cliff explains the situation to the old coot and promises to name the field "Barnes-Dandridge".
Lisa Alden shows up with a lawyer and apologetically tells Bobby that she's been left with no choice - she's suing for custody of her nephew Christopher.
Episode 264: Brother, Can You Spare a Child? Aired: Wed, Feb.17
LINE OF THE DAY: "I've been called a lot worse, honey." JR of course. Nominated by Jason.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: April.
Bobby has to chase Christopher back to the house as Lisa tries to explain her motives. JR comes to Bobby's aid and tells Lisa to get off the ranch. Bobby does his best to explain the precarious situation to his son. Mavis Anderson tells Ellie to help the DOA out with their latest project and she's coerced into doing it.
Cliff is inexplicably distracted away from a liaison with a really pretty young lady to look at old pictures. Instead of taking her to bed, he decides to tell her the story of two guys named Digger and Jock. The next day, Cliff meets with Miss Ellie at a park and shows her the old box of pictures. He tells her about what happened between Dandy and himself and notes the similarity with what happened between Jock and Digger, and says he realizes the truth about things now - Jock never tried to cheat his father out of anything. He asks Ellie to forgive him for all of the trouble he's caused the Ewings over the years and they agree to make peace. Cliff comments that it's a shame that Pam isn't around to see him learn his lesson.
Lonely April sits at home, drinking, listening to music, and crying. Nicholas comes by with flowers to apologize for yelling at her yesterday and wonders what's going on. April whines about not being invited to the barbecue and Nick offers her a shoulder to cry on.
Casey tells JR that the Brinker Oil deal fell through at the last minute and manages to do a rather convincing act. JR contacts his oil broker and asks him to find out whatever details he can about the sale.
Nicholas asks Sue Ellen about why she chooses to stay with JR when she knows he's playing around. She says she plans to remain a devoted wife - until she can leave on her terms, and find out what it is that would hurt JR the most.
Bobby tries to talk to Christopher after he gets into a fight at school and learns that Charlie has told him about Lucas's parentage. Bobby retains that moron Paul Morgan as his attorney to fight the case and tells him he wants to pay Lisa off to avoid a messy court battle.
JR and Kimberly share another evening at her hotel room and he asks her to arrange a meeting with her father. Kimberly just tells him to be patient. She gets a phone call from Sue Ellen inviting the Cryders to have dinner with the Ewings. At the get-to-know-you dinner, Sue Ellen dominates the conversation and does her best to make everyone else feel rather uncomfortable.
Ray and Jenna return home from their Caribbean honeymoon to find Charlie blaring loud music and engaging in a passionate kiss with Brad Pitt. [Really. I'm not kidding.] Punk tries to shake Clayton out of his funk by making him see that he's got nothing to do but wait for Ellie to come home. Clayton begins to see that he should be doing more with his life.
Bobby waits for Lisa at her condo and tries to buy her off, as planned. Lisa tells him she knows that he bought Christopher from her brother those many years ago and no judge will take kindly to hearing that. She rushes into her apartment and finds JR waiting for her. Lisa says that she doesn't feel right about his plan but JR assures her that he's doing it for Bobby's own good.
Episode 265: Daddy's Little Darlin' Aired: Thu, Feb.18
LINE OF THE DAY: "That must have been a pretty short meeting considering how cheap he is." - JR to Lisa about Cliff's offer to buy her off.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Jenna.
As Bobby watches his son sleep, we see a flashback to Episode 87 and watch him buy Christopher from Jeff Farraday. Bobby comes to Sue Ellen's office and tells her about the possibility of a court battle which could affect her and she assures him that he shouldn't worry about that. Later Bobby visits Paul Morgan and tells him about the money he paid Farraday. Paul says that it will weigh heavily against him at a trial.
The DOA has a meeting at Southfork and Clayton is made to feel like a house-husband. Cliff is told that an old farmer is denying him pipeline passage across his land, which is holding up production on his gas field.
JR meets up with Mary Lou Lassiter [Casey's friend from the other day] and her father and learns that she was involved in the purchase of Brinker Oil - and found out through Casey. He decides to spruce up the reports on some property he owns in order to teach Casey a lesson.
Bobby finds April drowning her loneliness and she gets upset at not being invited to the Ewing barbecue - and the fact that he hasn't seemed to notice her despite all of the time they've spent together. Later, April gets a big blue card as a dinner invitation from Bobby and starts giggling like a ten-year-old. They have dinner as planned and April gives him a big kiss.
At the next DOA meeting, Clayton is absent. He's at an art gallery, staring at a painting of a striking young woman. He visits the gallery the next day and decides to buy it, also asking that the artist get in touch with him.
Lisa Alden gets a visit from Cliff who tries to buy her off, just as Bobby did. Lisa rips up his check and tells him to take a hike. She tells JR about it later, and he suggests that she try to get close to Cliff so as to pick up information about his doings.
Ray channels the spirit of Bob Saget and breaks up a fight between Christopher and John Ross. Christopher explains his fears that his father will let him go now that Lucas is around and Ray tries to straighten him out by saying that he himself is really Lucas's father because he'll be the one who will raise him but the boy is still unwilling to listen.
Sue Ellen and Nicholas stop by his place to pick some stuff up and she admires some old pictures of him with his two brothers. Nicholas quickly whisks her away.
Marnie and Randy come by to take Charlie to a school dance. Ray gives Randy the third degree about bringing her home on time and not doing any drinking.
Kimberly tells JR that her father has finally agreed to meet with him. They discuss the recent shake-up at Weststar and JR comments on how incompetent Wilson Cryder is at running his company. Dr. Styles says that he agrees that her daughter married the wrong man - perhaps he might want to take Wilson's place. He asks for a decision very soon. As JR leaves, Kimberly comments that her father did his job perfectly.
Episode 266: It's Me Again Aired: Fri, Feb.19
LINE OF THE DAY: Almost everything Ray says to Charlie is funny in a pedophilic sort of way.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie is invisible.
JR is told that "The Cartel: The New Class" has purchased his low-value land as he expected. Casey arrives and mentions that Weststar just bought Andy Bradley out. JR asks him whether their recent deal has been closed and Casey tells him he's still working on it. JR feigns being thrilled because new information has arisen that the land is worthless. Casey dejectedly leaves.
Lisa Alden arrives at Cliff's office and she tries to explain how their situations are similar in that they have no family left. Cliff begins to understand and they agree to be civil to each other. Cliff actually decides to take her to lunch.
Clayton meets with David Shulton, who painted the picture he just bought. Clayton says he'd like to meet the girl in the picture, whose name is Laurel Ellis, and is given her address.
JR and Kimberly talk about his conversation with her father and says he won't leave Sue Ellen unless she decides to divorce Wilson first. Kimberly says she'll do it soon.
Lisa comes over to Cliff's place the next morning and overhears a conversation about the farmer who's stymieing his plans to tie in to the main gas pipeline. Lisa informs JR about it at a subsequent meeting.
Bobby comes over to the Krebbs home to see Lucas, for whom nanny services have FINALLY been arranged. Bobby tells Jenna that Christopher has found out the truth about Lucas so he might not be able to see their baby for a while. They talk about the rocky road their relationship has crossed over the years, and how Charlie and Randy are now in the same situation. [This wasn't a very good use of television minutes.]
Sue Ellen and Nicholas finalize their deal to put Valentine's outlets in hotels and Nick comments that he's done everything he can for her company, so he's withdrawing from her account. Sue Ellen questions him about it and he says that the real reason is because of the burgeoning sexual tension between them - though he admits he has feelings for her, he doesn't want to be her tool for getting revenge on JR.
John Ross is brought to JR's office by Clayton. JR says he plans on taking over Weststar so he'll get back everything that was taken away from him, and then rebuild Ewing Oil back into the power that it was.
April finds the guy who thinks he recognized Nicholas from public school. She asks him about the mysterious Joey Lombardi and is told that rumour had it that the Lombardis were involved with the Mafia.
Mary Lou confronts Casey about their worthless field and he tries to explain that he was cheated but she's in no mood to listen to that kind of talk. She tells him to get out of town because no one in Dallas will ever deal with him again.
Ray's keen ears pick up the sounds of teenagers fooling around in the stables and he finds Charlie with Randy, who he proceeds to throw off the ranch. Charlie gets predictably mad at him for wrecking her fun.
Clayton comes to see Laurel Ellis, who happens to be a "tree person", originally from London. They have some playful banter and he decides to stick around for tea and sympathy.
Wilson Cryder visits Cliff and says he want to buy Barnes-Wentworth. Cliff tosses him out on his proverbial ear and Cryder promises him that he'll be out of the oil business before long one way or the other. JR decides to pay a visit the farmer who's holding out on Cliff - along with an EXTREMELY scantily-clad Sly. He offers him a rich tract of farmland in exchange for his own, and as the farmer stares transfixed at the beautiful blonde, he signs the deal immediately.
Episode 267: Marriage on the Rocks Aired: Mon, Feb.22
LINE OF THE DAY: Yet again too many pedophilic lines to choose from. How about, "You want to talk to Charlie about sex?" - Jenna to Ray.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie again, although Jenna and Bobby were surprisingly close.
Kimberly tells JR that Wilson has moved out of their home and divorce proceedings have been initiated - the next step is his. JR sees a lawyer and inquires about the possibility of getting custody of John Ross and says that now that John Ross is older, his chances are better than even.
Ray tells Jenna about Charlie's barnyard shenanigans and says he'd like to handle the situation so that he can feel like a real father. The next day, Ray sits DJ...I mean Charlie...down and has the authoritative talk on teenage sex. Charlie is rather unresponsive in the face of Ray's hypocrisy.
Sue Ellen stops by Nicholas's apartment and says she really needs his friendship. Nick says that it's unusual for him to just be friends with a woman but he'll try. Nicholas also says that he's discovered that April has been investing heavily in Weststar, and so has another company which is in Sly's name. He and Sue Ellen both figure that JR's main interest in Kimberly is business-related.
JR comes to Cliff's office and surprisingly asks for his help in getting revenge against Weststar before he gets swallowed up like Andy Bradley. Cliff says he'd never do business with JR but is told never to say never.
That night, JR recounts some of his old affairs to Sue Ellen and says he wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to leave him. Sue Ellen says that she has no such intention right now - but maybe someday. Sue Ellen has lunch with April the next day, who tells her that she's interested in Bobby. Sue Ellen questions her about her investment in Weststar and warns her that JR is not be trusted when he's in a tough fight.
Bobby confronts Lisa Alden again about how her presence has disturbed Christopher's life and almost gets physical with her before he thinks better of it. Cliff has dinner with Lisa that night and tells her that though he's put his grudge aside, he won't support her custody battle for Christopher. Bobby and April happen to be at the same restaurant and Bobby rips into Cliff about eating with the enemy.
Cliff comes to JR's office after finding out that he bought the farmland he needs to put his pipeline over. JR says he's willing to give him the right to pipe his gas for the low, low price of a dollar a year - as long as Cliff buys a substantial amount of Weststar stock and signs over his voting proxy to him. Cliff says he'll think about it.
Clayton visits Laurel again and decides to accompany her on her plant deliveries. A few days later, they have lunch and Clayton decides to give Laurel her painting back because he feels she should have it.
At another DOA meeting, Kimberly and Sue Ellen find each other again. Kimberly asks her how to deal with a man who puts business before family and admits that she's divorcing Wilson to look for another powerful man.
Nicholas is invited to JR's office for lunch and says that he doesn't want to stand in the way of his relationship with Sue Ellen, who he claims talks about no one other than him. He says he feels Nick can make Sue Ellen happy and they have his blessing. Nicholas disgustedly tells him that he's way out of line and leaves. That night, Nicholas prepares for another poker night with his buddies but Sue Ellen happens to come over and...well, you figure it out.
Episode 268: The Anniversary Waltz Aired: Tue, Feb.23
LINE OF THE DAY: "He is a crackpot, but let him in anyway." - Sue Ellen when Ozwald arrives. Nominated by Jake.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ray is depushed. [Yay!]
JR continues to wow Sly and Kendall with oil baron stories at the Oil Barons' Club until Casey shows up. Casey says he's learned his lesson about trying to mess with JR. Casey plans to return to Tulsa but JR says that he wants to let bygones be bygones and keep Casey around.
Nicholas and Sue Ellen bask in their afterglow and they talk about the mutual uncertainties they have about their relationship. Ellie comes home late from a DOA meeting and feels guilty about leaving Clayton alone so often. He assures her that he's fine with her absence and continues to visit Laurel who asks him about why he's spending so much time at her place. Clayton doesn't really give her an answer.
Dave Culver visits Bobby's office and exchanges pleasantries about Donna. He says that because of all of the turmoil that is going on in the Middle East, most people in Washington have forgotten about the BD Calhoun affair - it might actually be possible to get the Ewing Oil name back.
Ozwald Valentine visits Sue Ellen and apologizes for doubting her business ability. He says he'd like a chance to help her out but she flatly refuses him. Ozwald promises to be back.
Cliff agrees to JR's terms and buys up Weststar stock in exchange for right to pipe his gas. JR tells Sly that he's almost to the point of getting enough shareholders together to shake the company up - if only Bobby would join his fight, it would be much easier. Kimberly tells her father that she's really interested in winning JR's heart but is getting impatient. Dr. Styles tells her that JR will come to her because control of Weststar is the key.
April and Nick have another run together and she tells him about the guy who thought he was Joey Lombardi. She gets a call from her PI who says that despite her incessant messages, he won't take her case.
Lisa returns home to find JR waiting for her and says that he's arranged a new lease for her because he doesn't like the fact that Bobby knows where she lives. Cliff stops by to take her to lunch, forcing JR to hide in the kitchen and hear Cliff insult him from the livingroom.
Ray wonders why Bobby has been avoiding him lately. Bobby tells him that he's doing it for Christopher's sake, as Christopher listens from upstairs. After hearing him talk, Christopher begins to understand how much his father loves him.
Clayton brings a present to Laurel's place to find David Shulton there and Laurel coming out of the shower. Clayton jumps to conclusions and leaves. Laurel tries to explain to David that Clayton's just a lonely old guy and David tries to convince her that Clayton's become a lovesick ox and soon she will have a tough decision to make.
Ozwald brings a bunch of rather ordinary models to JR's office and decides to take him up on last year's offer to invest in his lingerie company. JR tells the buffoon that he'll think about it.
Bobby comes to Cliff's office, and Cliff explains how he got involved with Lisa in the first place. He says he's found that she's a very nice person, and she's just doing what anyone would do in her situation.
Jenna overhears Charlie talking to Randy about arranging a rendez-vous, for which Marnie is going to cover. She confronts her daughter about it and grounds her for two months. Charlie gets exceedingly mouthy about it and Jenna slaps her.
Kimberly visits JR and says she's waiting for him to get rid of Sue Ellen. She decides to lay the cards on the table and says that he'll never get Weststar without her father's support, and he'll never get that without her. JR grabs her and forcefully tells her that he can see right through her and realizes how desperate she must be for him. He cools her off by giving her the flimsy excuse that he has to be home for his mother's anniversary.
Before the anniversary dinner, Bobby and Jenna exchange uneasy glances. Clayton comes down the stairs with Ellie and finds that he's forgotten the occasion. Ellie laughs off the forgetfulness but it is not lost on JR.
Apparently, April's PI agreed to meet with her one more time but decides not to show up. She calls him and offers him a huge bonus for showing up, which he seems to accept.
JR talks to Bobby after the dinner, and says that he may have found a way to get rid of Lisa Alden for good - but he wants Bobby's help to use Wentworth money to buy Weststar stock. Bobby sees through the whole thing and realizes that Lisa's been working for him. He menaces JR back in to the pool and starts to hold his head under.
Episode 269: Brotherly Love Aired: Wed, Feb.24
LINE OF THE DAY: "You can look at his pictures..." - JR to Lisa when she says she really cares about Christopher.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ray is depushed yet again. That doesn't mean we didn't see a LOT of him, though.
Everyone rushes out to the fracas and Ray and Clayton extricate the two combatants from the pool. The water must have brought JR to his senses a little bit because he tries to explain his plan a little bit better by saying that he just found a way to get rid of Lisa and was looking for a little bit of help on the side.
Bobby tells Sue Ellen that he's going to make JR sorry for what he's put his son through. Sue Ellen confronts JR about his continued manipulation of people and wonders aloud when her turn will come.
Ellie gets frazzled again about the fight and Clayton reminds her that her children have their own lives to lead [where I have heard this before?]
Casey visits JR's office but he is out. He makes an appointment with Sly and they make some small talk, which leads to his asking her for a date. Sly says she's on the rebound but ultimately accepts. Dave Culver calls Bobby and says that he might be able to help him get the Ewing Oil name back but it will take some time.
JR tells Lisa to get out of town now that his jig is up. He explains to the surprised girl that he was never really intending to allow her to take Bobby to court. Lisa protests, saying that she really cares for Christopher, but JR just stresses her insignificance.
Cliff finally gets connected to the gas pipeline and decides to throw a party. His glee is diminished when he finds that Lisa's phone has been disconnected.
April gets a visit from her PI. He says that the Lombardis were definitely in the mob and Mr. Lombardi appears to have faked his own death and then the family disappeared.
Nicholas comes to Sue Ellen's office and tries to get some business done, but the conversation ultimately turns to their on-again, off-again relationship. Let's just say they don't get much work done.
Clayton learns from David Shulton that he and Laurel are just friends and David questions his motives for being around Laurel so much. Clayton says he just likes being with her and he has no romantic intentions at all.
Bobby and April go out dancing and are interrupted by JR, who says he just wants to make peace between them for the family's sake. Bobby refuses to accept his excuses and goes back to dancing. The next day, Bobby learns that Lisa appears to have left town.
Mavis picks Ellie up for their DOA meeting. Ellie invites Clayton to come along but he says he's busy. He heads over to see you-know-who and they have more boring conversation about the weird directions their lives have taken. Laurel tells him she likes being his friend but doesn't want to be the focus of his life. The next day, Clayton gives Ellie a belated anniversary present.
Sue Ellen visits Nicholas's place and he gets upset at just being part of her weekly schedule. She figures he's just being a control freak and for the first time in a while, they leave each other unsatisfied. Kimberly meets JR for drinks and tells him that he had better make a decision about their future soon.
At school, Marnie and Charlie talk about how terrible her home life is. Jenna visits Bobby and says she regrets what she told him in the nursery the other day if it drives a wedge between him and Ray. Bobby reminds her that it's a little bit late for that.
Casey and Sly eat at the Oil Baron's Club and they talk about how magnanimously JR decided to take him back after everything that happened. They apparently have a fairly nice evening. Meanwhile, Cliff's party is sadly under-attended, and he's still distracted by Lisa's sudden disappearance.
JR visits April and he tells her that he can see her interest in Bobby, and he thinks that she should buy more Weststar stock. April protests that she's already invested a lot of money for him, but he tells her the story of Holly Harwood and Bobby's staunch dislike for getting involved with women that JR has slept with. April seethes but gets the message.
Episode 270: The Best Laid Plans Aired: Thu, Feb.25
LINE OF THE DAY: "Don't go away mad." - JR to April after she confirms that he intends to blackmail her.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Casey is listed as a guest star but does not appear.
Paul Morgan tells Bobby that Lisa's lawyer hasn't been in touch with her, and she only has a week to show up for the trial. He's willing to bet she won't return. Bobby gets another call from Dave Culver [who has not moved a muscle since yesterday] who says that with the right contributions, he might have the Ewing Oil name back within the year.
Laurel shows Clayton some old San Angelo newspapers in which his many accomplishments are documented. She encourages the real Clayton Farlow to stand up.
Nicholas comes to Sue Ellen's office and apologizes for snapping at her the other day. He tells her that Cliff has bought a large chunk of Weststar and Sue Ellen says it must be a coincidence because Cliff would never work with JR. They talk about what it would take for JR to take over Weststar and Nicholas says that JR would have to control much more stock than he already does, and he would need Dr. Styles' help to do it. Sue Ellen learns that Styles is Kimberly's father.
John Ross tells his mother that JR plans to get the Ewing Oil name back through control of Weststar. Sue Ellen later visits with Bobby and they talk about JR's plans to take over Weststar, which they agree they must stop at any cost. She explains everything she's learned from Nicholas and Bobby says he's begun the process of getting the Ewing Oil name back for himself.
April tells JR she doesn't believe his threats and plans to ask Bobby about it first-hand. JR tells her to suit herself. That evening, she talks to Bobby about Holly Harwood. He admits that her involvement with JR is what prevented them from getting together. April meets with JR the next day and is told she'll have to live with the blackmail despite her idle threats.
Jordan Lee finds Cliff at the Oil Baron's Club and apologizes for not making it to his party. Cliff gets upset because he's sure that all of the cartel jobbers will come knocking on his door one day and promises they'll be sorry.
JR makes plans with Kimberly to put on an act for Sue Ellen, in which she finds the two of them in bed together. She goes over to Nick's place and starts to laugh uncontrollably at his worst sweater yet. She tells him about JR's setup, which she says doesn't change her mind any. She won't divorce him - and she won't be checking her watch when she's with Nicholas.
During one of Laurel's deliveries, she meets up with Brett Lomax, an obsessed old boyfriend with whom she had called it quits. Turns out he still has plans of marrying her. Later, Laurel has lunch with Clayton, who says he's decided to get back into the refinery business. He offers to help set her up in a better business than she has now, but she says she's very happy where she is. She gives him a kiss just as Ellie walks in to the restaurant with Mavis. That night, Ellie questions Clayton about his sudden rejuvenation and he assures her it's just something he feels he has to do.
Charlie confides in Bobby about how terrible life with Ray is, and how unfair it is that she's been grounded for two months just for kissing her boyfriend. Bobby doesn't want to interfere but Charlie lays a guilt trip on him and convinces him to talk to Ray. Ray gets righteously upset at Bobby's perceived meddling and tells him he'll take care of his own family. He tells Bobby to stay away from his house and Bob says that'll suit him just fine. Jenna tries to talk some sense into her daughter that evening and says that if she apologizes to Ray, they might work something out.
Cliff and Bobby take Christopher bowling and begin to relax now that Lisa appears to be gone for good. Unbeknownst to all, Lisa watches them from the nearby arcade.
Sue Ellen decides to pack up her things and JR tries to apologize for being such a bad husband, figuring that Sue Ellen plans to divorce him. She says she's just moving down the hall to her old room, and things will go back to the "open relationship" that they once had - but there's no divorce.
Episode 271: Farlow's Follies Aired: Fri, Feb.26
LINE OF THE DAY: "I had to drink alone, Clayton; there was nobody to drink with." - Ellie after her bender. Kinda ominous. Suggested by Jake.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Kimberly is credited but doesn't appear.
The breakfast table is kind of quiet as JR glares at Sue Ellen, Bobby takes the kids out to get breakfast, and Clayton prepares to check out his new office. Ellie is distracted during lunch with Mavis and says she has something to do. Laurel brings Clayton an officewarming gift and they head out to lunch arm in arm - just as Ellie arrives to see her husband.
Charlie apologizes to Ray as she promised Jenna, and they agree to allow Charlie to see Randy - as long as Superdad can talk to him first. Nicholas and Sue Ellen visit Barnes-Wentworth to talk to Cliff about his purchase of Weststar stock. Cliff admits that JR blackmailed him into doing it.
Bobby goes to Washington to see some Senators about getting the Ewing Oil name. He meets Kay Lloyd, Senator Dowling's administrative assistant, who gives him some moral and political support, and also offers to drive him back to the airport. He returns home to find April very desperate to see him.
Sue Ellen returns home and the boys tell her that Miss Ellie is up in her room after a monster bender. Ellie goes off on a very uncharacteristic tirade of disappointment. Sue Ellen tries to give her a hand but gets yelled at and told to leave. She finds Clayton at the breakfast table the next morning and he notices her obvious pent-up hostility.
April and Bobby talk about their relationship, and she talk about her early days in Dallas. She mentions that she slept with JR and that JR is blackmailing her over it. She says it was important to play straight with him, even though it might mean that they won't see each other again. April returns home the next day to find her apartment trashed and she has no idea why.
JR tells Sly he wants her to sell her Weststar stock. Clayton, Laurel, and David visit an art gallery featuring some of Shulton's new work. David says he hasn't had many takers recently and is running low on cash. He asks Clayton for a small short-term loan, and he agrees for Laurel's sake.
Jennaray has its conversation with Randy and Charlie. It decrees that they should double-date, and stay out of each other's bedrooms. Ray visits Bobby to apologize for snapping at him the other day and they agree to forget to the whole thing.
Clayton tells Ellie he has to make an emergency flight to check out a refinery so he'll probably be away for a day or two. Sly and Casey go to a movie and she wonders why he seems more interested in JR than her. Casey says that he's just got the oil business on his mind but it's her that he really cares about. Paul Morgan calls Bobby and tells him that Lisa Alden's back in town and the hearing is on again for next week.
JR visits Dr. Styles and tells him that it's taken longer than he thought to get rid of Sue Ellen and the doctor says he's not interested in his excuses. JR tells him that he's responsible for the sudden drop in Weststar stock as there'll be a war if he doesn't agree to back him in his fight to control the company.
Episode 272: Malice in Dallas Aired: Mon, Mar.1
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Cliff is totally absent.
Bobby accuses JR of being behind Lisa's return to Dallas, and JR predictably denies it. Bobby doesn't believe it and the brothers almost come to blows until Ellie breaks them up. JR immediately gets Harry McSween to track Lisa down.
April finds that her PI was murdered in Bermuda, and suddenly realizes that the Lombardi file that he gave her has gone missing since her apartment was searched. She immediately meets with Nicholas and lets him know the whole sordid story. Nick angrily tells her that she's gotten herself into a lot of trouble and she better check into a hotel until he contacts her again.
Mavis and Ellie talk about Clayton's possible involvement with that young English homewrecker, and the fact that he's been gone from the ranch almost all the time. Mavis reveals that Punk had an affair a few years ago, but she didn't do anything about it for fear of losing him. Turned out to be a phase he was going through.
Kimberly bursts into JR's office and gets upset at him for seeing her father behind her back. JR says he doesn't owe her any explanations or apologies. Kimberly wonders whether he'll still want her after he gets control of the company and JR assures her that she's the most exciting woman he's ever met.
David and Laurel have lunch and the starving artist tells her she needs to continue her relationship for Clayton because of all the money that could come their way. Brett Lomax shows up and tells David to take a walk. He again tries to convince Laurel to return to England, to no avail.
Jenna finds Charlie's latest report card, which is absolutely terrible and reflects a lot of absences. Jennaray starts to consider that drastic measures might have to be taken, like a private school far, far away.
The family returns home to find that Miss Ellie went on a trip to the Virgin Islands - alone. Clayton figures that she just needed some time away from her feuding sons. David comes to Clayton's office and tries to sell him a copy of Laurel's painting, claiming he needs the cash, and Clayton agrees. Shulton promises not to tell Ellie anything about his doings with the younger woman.
We find Nicholas at a small Indiana house, where he is greeted warmly by his parents. He explains about the boys on his trail and says his parents have to move but Mr. Lombardi, Sr., says that he's decided to take his chances. Nicholas says he's willing to try and fool the hitmen, despite the price he would have to pay if discovered to be lying.
Sly tells JR about her ongoing relationship with Casey and JR says he has no problem with it. Kimberly meets with Casey to talk about JR's plans to take over Weststar. She says that if Casey works on Weststar's side, she'll find a way to make it worth his while.
Lisa Alden's custody case dawns, and Uncle Phil from the Fresh Prince is the judge. Lisa maintains that she just wanted to be near the only family she has left, and Paul Morgan tries to prove that she had several other motives - money not least - and so did her brother. Sue Ellen also testifies that Kristin led everyone to believe that JR was the father, so blackmail was probably intended from the get-go. Bobby recounts the story of all of the money that Farraday asked for, and the discovery that Jeff was the real father. Uncle Phil talks to Christopher in his chambers, with Bobby and Lisa present. The boy tells the judge that he doesn't want to be separated from his father, and Lisa decides to drop her case.
Episode 273: Crime Story Aired: Tue, Mar.2
LINES OF THE DAY: [Nominated
by many]
JR: "There's only two things I love: my company and my
son".
Sue Ellen: "Probably in that order."
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Ellie. Dr. Styles is credited in the closing but does not appear.
Bobby celebrates his court victory by planning a trip to Washington. Cliff brings Lisa to Southfork and tells Bobby that she just wants to say goodbye to Christopher. Bobby is angry at first but eventually relents and allows the farewell to occur.
Casey visits JR's office and they discuss his meeting with Kimberly, and that she believes that he owns a significant chunk of Weststar stock. JR tells him to continue the charade, and in order to do so, he needs to stop seeing Sly for a while.
Ellie tells Clayton she's going to see Lucy in Atlanta before coming back to Dallas. Jenna confronts Charlie about her poor report card and all of the lies she's been telling lately, and says that Jennaray has decreed that she can't see Randy outside of school any more.
JR again tells Sue Ellen he's willing to give her a divorce and she says that she's on to his tricks - and knows all about his plan to get control of Weststar through Kimberly and her father. She says she'll never give him a divorce as long as he has a chance of getting Ewing Oil back, because she knows how important it is to him.
Nicholas calls a frantic April and says he's returning to Dallas the next day. April checks her messages and finds that the hitmen who searched her place are still looking for her. Nick returns and tells April to go home and tell the bad dudes where to find him.
Bobby arrives at Kay Lloyd's place for a party and learns that a big player from the Justice Department will be there. Kay's impressed with Bobby's political know-how and ability to charm people. She asks him to leave before things go too far.
Laurel meets with Brett for dinner and tries to play on her sympathies. He says he's not the jealous type any more and has really learned his lesson. He tries to convince her again to return to England with him and she predictably declines.
David Shulton tells Clayton that he's leaving Dallas and wants $ 50,000 for his silence about his relationship with Laurel. Clayton bitch-slaps him and tells him he'd kill him if he ever approached Ellie. He sees Laurel later and tells her about David's scheme. She's properly shocked at the dreadful affair.
Late that night, Charlie stealthily sneaks down the stairs and prepares to leave the house...until Ray catches her heading out the door. Jennaray decides that it's the last straw.
Kimberly visits Sue Ellen's office and wonders why she's staying with JR after what she's been put through. Sue Ellen replies that she plans to stay married to him as long as she has to in order to ensure that he'll never get Kimberly, Weststar, or Ewing Oil, and ensures Kimberly that JR isn't really in love with her. Nicholas stops by later and says he's going to be out of touch for a while until he can deal with his family problems.
Cliff skillfully gets past both of JR's secretaries and bursts into his office. He says he plans to sell his Weststar stock now that it's dropping and JR says that if he does that, he'll lose his right-of-way to pipe gas. Faced with no choice, Cliff storms out of the office.
JR goes to April's apartment and tells her to sell her Weststar stock before she loses a bundle. April tells him she's got other things on her mind but his persistence drives her to finally agree. April meets with Bobby later and he says that he doesn't really feel they can have a relationship - mostly because of his remaining feelings for Pam. April returns home to find two thugs waiting for her.
Episode 274: To Have and To Hold Aired: Wed, Mar.3
LINE OF THE DAY: [Suggested by Nitpicker Redux Jake]:
Clayton: "Let's go home and talk about this."
Ellie: "No. No you -- you go home...and get your things. I want you
out."
A difficult choice - there were quite a few
good submissions.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Cliff, who takes some pills and then disappears.
April dumbly tries to reason with the thugs until they threaten to do some real harm to her face. She finally tells them Joe Lombardi's new name and address. They take her away to be with another accomplice for safekeeping, and is told that her fate is in Nick's hands.
Weststar stock continues to tumble and JR prepares to mass his troops to rebuy the stock. Cliff struggles with the news and starts to take more pills than usual. JR contacts Ray and arranges a meeting at the Oil Baron's Club. He asks for Ray's help in getting back at Weststar but is politely rebuffed.
Dr. Styles is bombarded with phone calls and assures everyone that the situation is just temporary. Kimberly worries about all of the stress he's putting himself under but he says that the crisis has truly rejuvenated him.
Jennaray decides to send Charlie to a boarding school in Switzerland, despite her vehement protests. Jenna says she's going to go with her to make sure that Charlie is okay and so that she knows that her family isn't abandoning her or crowding her out.
Sue Ellen visits Nicholas's room and demands an explanation for his sudden lying low, but Nick isn't prepared to give her one and tells her to leave. The thugs find him boarding his office elevator and take him back to his apartment to interrogate him about his father. He refuses to crack and is subjected to tremendous punishment until he finally agrees to take the dudes to his parents' home in Indiana. They find a young family there who claim that there was an auto accident six months ago which claimed the Pearces' lives, just before they moved in. Nicholas can't believe it until a neighbor confirms the story.
Ellie returns home from her trip to find the family assembled at home - but not Clayton, who's still in Texas City. She seems preoccupied with where he is and what he's doing. The next morning, Clayton returns and everyone notices how distant he seems from Ellie.
Casey brings Sly to his empty office, which he finds he can no longer afford. He tells her about his big plans to strike it rich in Dallas, which were stymied when he tried to cross JR. They find they have a genuine mutual attraction to each other.
The thugs don't leave Nick alone, wondering whether there's actually physical evidence that his parents are dead - like tombstones. Nicholas seems kind of disturbed at their resoluteness to search for hard evidence. They find news clippings about the accident and death certificates at the Hall of Records, and then finally come to a graveyard where they find final evidence of the Pearces' demise. Finally the thugs seem satisfied.
Kay Lloyd arrives at Bobby's office and says she's only in for the day. He decides to leave his busy [snicker] schedule and show her around town. They have a good time and Bobby tries to convince her to hang around longer.
Ellie finds Clayton at his office that night and prepares to ask him about Laurel. She spots the painting in his office and gets totally upset when Clayton continues to play dumb. Ellie says she's seen them together and Clayton finally tells her that he and Laurel are just friends, which she says she finds hard to believe. Ellie says she doesn't feel she can trust him anymore, and doesn't think she can live with him in that state. She asks him to pack up his things and leave the ranch.
Episode 275: Dead Reckoning Aired: Thu, Mar.4
LINE OF THE DAY: [Suggested by Jason]: "I was tied
up." - April to JR.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Sue Ellen who does absolutely nothing. Kimberly is credited but does not appear.
Kay decides to return to Washington despite the closeness she feels to Bobby. April is finally released by her guardian thug after he gets a phone call from the other dudes. Nicholas also returns home and finds messages from April and Sue Ellen.
Ellie tells the family that Clayton's not going to be living at Southfork but doesn't give them any details. JR is happy, telling Ellie that Clayton never belonged with her in the first place.
As the Krebbses prepare to ship Charlie to Switzerland, they again argue about whether they're doing the right thing. Jenna regrets feeling torn between her husband and her daughter. Charlie turns down a gift from Ray and says she can't wait to be rid of him.
JR gets Casey to sign an agreement for his voting proxies in Weststar. Casey expresses disgust at working really hard to make JR rich, while he's just sliding by. JR just pats him on the head and pushes him along.
Clayton comes to the ranch and argues with Ellie, with Bobby listening from the house. Ellie says that David Shulton told her that Clayton and Laurel were lovers. Clayton denies it and they get nowhere. Bobby comes to Clayton's hotel room later and gets him to explain the whole story. Clayton practically barges into Laurel's room and gets Shulton's address from her book. He heads over to David's apartment and waits for him there, and then proceeds to give him a jolly good thrashing.
On his way back from the airport, Ray stops to help a woman named Connie with a flat tire. He brings her back to his place so she can call a garage and she admires his big, empty house with no family to keep him company.
April comes over Nicholas's place and he tells her to stay out of his life for good after all the potential harm she's caused. Nick later visits his brother and tells him that he's going to have to keep their parents in hiding for about a year until the thugs are called off for good.
Casey and Sly have dinner later and bump into Cliff, who takes the opportunity to bad-mouth JR and remind Sly about the favor he did for her brother. Cliff visits his doctor for more tranquilizers and is denied because he's obviously becoming addicted. Jackie later finds dozing in his office and unable to stay awake very long.
JR tells April that it's time to buy Weststar stock again to prepare for a final showdown with Dr. Styles. He tries to get April to sign over her voting proxies but she assures him that her word is sterling. Casey meets with Mary Lou again and tells her about his inside information on Weststar. He asks her to invest heavily and cut him in on a share of the profits from the deal but she flatly refuses.
Kay tells Bobby that their quest to get Ewing Oil is progressing well and he makes plans to visit Washington soon. Clayton is surprised in his hotel room by police officers, who arrest him for the murder of David Shulton.
Episode 276: Never Say Never Aired: Fri, Mar.5
LINE OF THE DAY: "Never say never to JR Ewing." - who else but JR?
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: April is invisible. So is Jenna, but that's by design.
Bobby, Harve Smithfield, and Ellie bail Clayton out of jail and have to go past a throng of reporters as they leave lockup. Clayton tells Ellie that he hopes their relationship will improve because of the gesture but she responds that she only did it to protect the family and nothing has changed between them. JR is incredulous that Ellie would bring Clayton back to the ranch after all that's happened and Ellie throws his hypocrisy back in his face.
Casey visits Cliff and tells him that Weststar stock is going to skyrocket very soon and advises him to buy as much as he can, but Cliff mistrusts him because of his relationship with Sly. Kimberly is next to visit Cliff as he continues to pop his tranquilizers. She says that Dr. Styles would very much like to meet him because of his substantial holdings in Weststar.
After doing some long-forgotten ranch work, Ray returns to his empty home and gets a call from Connie, who wants to take him to dinner. Ray says he appreciates the gesture but declines.
The next morning, JR rags on Clayton again, who admits to the family that the smackdown he laid on Shulton might have killed him, although it wasn't intended to. Brett Lomax returns to Dallas after hearing about the whole sordid affair in the British tabloids and offers to be a shoulder for Laurel to lean on during her trying time.
Kay tells Bobby that his quest to retain the Ewing Oil name has hit a snag because of some opposition in the Senate and he heads to Washington immediately. He meets with Senator O'Dell, who not so subtly hints that in order for his support in the fight for the Ewing Oil name, he wants Bobby to buy him a huge estate in Scotland. Bobby seems somewhat surprised at the candor, but says he'll think about it. Kay reminds Bobby that Jock would have the deal without hesitation.
Ellie gets a visit from Laurel Ellis, who says she just helped Clayton get through a tough time in his life and confirms that nothing ever happened between them. Laurel leaves as JR returns home. He's instantly charmed, although she's instantly repulsed. JR calls McSween and asks him to arrange another meeting with Laurel. It happens the next day and JR very obviously comes on to her. She rebuffs him and says she'd never have anything to do with him, to which he replies with the Line of the Day.
Nicholas visits Sue Ellen and says and apologizes again for not being to tell her about his family problems and says they're only going to meet at the office, for her own protection.
Connie shows up at Ray's place with an armload of groceries and says that she'd like to make him dinner. This time, he accepts. As they finish dinner, Ray gets a call from Jenna, who says that the school in Switzerland was unsatisfactory and she plans to take Charlie around Europe for a while. He decides to take Connie out for drinks.
Harve helps Clayton gets his story straight and recants the evidence against him: several people saw him threaten Shulton at the Oil Baron's Club, and he's admitted to beating Shulton up. Harve figures an involuntary manslaughter plea might be Clayton's best chance.
Cliff meets with Dr. Styles, who offers him a position with Weststar in exchange for his support in his upcoming fight with JR. Cliff wishes a pox on both their houses and leaves in a huff. The doctor tells Kimberly he thinks they might have lost the fight. Kimberly visits JR and says she wants him to call off the fight and says she'll convince Dr. Styles to support him as head of Weststar, as long as he agrees to spare the doctor from the stress of the fight. JR refuses, saying that the matter's become personal and he won't rest until Weststar is brought crumbling down.
Episode 277: Last of the Good Guys Aired: Mon, Mar.8
LINE OF THE DAY: "You have no idea what getting Clayton off the hook means to me." - JR to the family after a sweet time with Laurel. Suggested by Anne and seconded by me.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Jenna, again by design. Casey is credited but does not appear.
Ray wakes up in bed with Connie, who tells him that she's very attracted to him and that he claimed the night before that his marriage is over.
Bobby tells the Senator that he's decided to decline his bribe, and asks Phyllis to check into the Ewings' past dealing with him. Kay arrives to take Bobby to the airport and says she'll miss him while he's gone.
JR tells Clayton that after meeting Laurel, he's impressed with his choice of paramours. He heads over to Laurel's place to try and clear the air and she says that she plans to head back to England as soon as she can. He offers to let her stay at the Ewing condo until things blow over. Brett Lomax shows up for another argument, which JR overhears. Brett tells Laurel that he's determined not to let anything stand in his way of getting her back.
Clayton tells Ellie that he doesn't like the way his family is putting on a public show of support for him, while privately he seems to be ostracized. Ellie says that despite the hurt she feels, she still loves him and will back him in whatever happens.
Nicholas and Sue Ellen have another business meeting teeming with sexual tension. She says she wants to buy $ 30 million worth of Weststar stock in an effort to stymie JR's efforts. Kimberly later comes to Sue Ellen's office and says she's fed up with being JR's toy. They seem to come to an agreement to work together after Sue Ellen mentions the large amount of stock she plans to buy.
Phyllis finds nothing in the files about O'Dell and tries to make Bobby see that if he has to play dirty to get the Ewing Oil back, it really doesn't matter what lengths he has to take. JR tells Bobby he'd like them to share offices again, for old times' sake. Bobby mistrusts his intentions and turns him down flat.
JR meets with Brett Lomax in a restaurant and says that he intends to keep Laurel in Dallas to help at Clayton's trial. He keeps him talking for a while as a photographer takes some pictures. He asks Harry to check at David Shulton's place to see if anyone had seen Brett there the day he was murdered. Laurel moves into the Ewing condo and she agrees to work with JR for Clayton's sake. He also gives her assurance that she won't be bothered by Brett or the reporters.
Cliff gets a visit from April [remember them?] and they cry on each others' shoulders about their troubles with the Ewings. Ray gets a visit from Connie, who says she doesn't think their relationship was just a one night stand. They go out for dinner... and more.
Bobby returns to Washington and visits Senator O'Dell again. Instead of giving him a lease for his retirement property, he hands over a conditional land trust, which takes effect as soon as he gets the Ewing Oil name back. A deal is struck.
At Dr. Styles' home, news arrives of Sue Ellen's stock purchase and the doctor is depressed until Kimberly arrives and says that Sue Ellen is on their side. Styles starts celebrating but overdoes it a little bit and needs his oxygen.
JR visits Laurel and says that thanks to Harry McSween, he's discovered that Brett is the one who murdered Shulton, after Clayton left the slacker's apartment. JR says that he plans to allow Harry to release the new-found evidence - as long as he gets what he wants from the ripe young English babe. Laurel is disgusted but allows herself to be coerced. JR returns home and tells the family that Lomax has confessed and Clayton's off the hook. Everyone is grateful at JR's selfless act, and he responds with the Line of the Day.
Episode 278: Top Gun Aired: Tue, Mar.9
LINES OF THE DAY:
"I'll never forget this, Sue Ellen."
"I certainly hope not."
Our two favorite lovebirds after the Weststar meeting.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Jenna, again by design. Among those who appeared, Ellie had little to do.
Kimberly barges into Southfork as Teresa does a great Ewing Oil secretary impression and follows her in. She tells JR and Sue Ellen that her father suffered a massive heart attack last night and died. She also promises to make JR pay for what happened and Sue Ellen realizes that JR was only interested in a divorce so he could marry Kimberly and get control of Weststar.
Casey visits Cliff with the hopes of getting some business done after a conversation from last episode which was cut, but Cliff is suffering from tranquilizer withdrawal and is totally distracted. April is next in line and learns about Cliff's problem.
Bobby gets a visit from a Justice Department representative who tells him that the Ewing Oil name is dead and buried, and as far as he's concerned, the family got off too easily. Bobby unsurprisingly prepares to head back to Washington and talks to Dave Culver. Dave and Kay calm him down and assure him that they will look into exactly what's been going on. That night, Kay and Bobby start to get hot and heavy until she gets an urgent call from Senator Dowling. The sex-starved Bob-man is, shall we say, disappointed. The next morning they talk and Bobby says he has to sort out how he feels having a relationship with a career woman.
JR meets with his investment partners [minus Cliff] and says that his path to controlling Weststar is completely clear with Styles out of the way. April says that in exchange for her continued support, once he's in power, she wants a seat on the Board of Directors and JR graciously says she'll have it. Casey is not so fortunate because JR points out that he owns most of the stock that Casey controls.
Ray [sigh] gets another call from a lonely Connie, who he surprisingly turns down. Sue Ellen visits Nicholas, who tells her that the only probable way to stop JR from controlling Weststar is to get someone to turn against him. She asks him again about why their relationship has stagnated, and Nick decides to tell her the whole story, and impresses on her that the fact that she knows about his deception could place her in danger one day.
Cliff complains to JR about the struggles he's going through and JR assures him, in writing, that as soon as he's in control of Weststar, he's not going to bother Cliff about his gas field ever again. April talks to Casey about his simultaneous dealings with JR and Cliff, and says she's concerned about Cliff's welfare.
Laurel sees Clayton again before she decides to head back to England. Clayton expresses surprise that JR would help him out the way he did, and Laurel lets slip that she met JR, and is forced to tell him about their whole sordid affair. Clayton confronts JR about it that evening but is reminded about all the grief he caused Ellie and the rest of the family. The next morning, Clayton tells Ellie that he never really allowed himself to be the man of the house at Southfork, and Ellie applauds his resolve to change that.
Connie sneaks into Ray's house late that night and surprises him in bed. He unceremoniously tries to toss her out of his house and his life. She persists but Ray is firm and escorts her out. The next morning, Ray finds a huge red heart with an arrow through it painted on his door, stating to the whole world that "RK loves CH".
The big Weststar board meeting dawns and JR tries to take center stage as Chairman of the Board. Kimberly comes in and tries to rain on his parade by saying that she's inherited her father's shares of the company, but JR is undeterred - until Sue Ellen walks in to stand with Kimberly. No one amongst the major shareholders seems to be behind JR after that. Kimberly says that her group controls 31% of the company, and JR counters that he controls about 34%. Nonplussed, Kimberly brings in one more friend who controls a substantial piece of stock...Jeremy Wendell, who the board unanimously reinstates as Chairman and CEO. We end with the Lines of the Day.
Episode 279: Things Ain't Going Too Good at Southfork, Again Aired: Thu, Mar.11
LINE OF THE DAY: "The only thing you know about class is that is starts with a 'C'". - JR to Casey on his way out.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Jenna.
JR angrily returns home to find Sue Ellen packing up her things. They argue for a while about the Weststar fiasco, and then about John Ross. Sue Ellen reminds JR about their last custody battle, which she won.
Jenna calls Ray from Paris and says that Charlie has settled in to her new school there. She says she's going to come home just as soon as she can. Ray notices that one of Jenna's pictures has been removed from its frame. Ray visits Connie, who's changed her hair, clothes and makeup to look just like Jenna, and tries to talk some sense into her again. As usual, she doesn't seem to get the message.
Christopher asks Bobby why he's been taking so many trips to Washington, and is promised that they'll stop very soon. Bobby puts an important meeting with Dave Culver on hold for a father/son banquet that he promised to attend. JR gets angry at Bobby for not backing him in his fight and wonders what happened to his sense of Ewinghood.
JR picks up John Ross from a camping trip and tells him that his mother has left them for another man. John Ross affirms his desire to remain at Southfork with his father, and when Sue Ellen arrives the next day to get him, JR tells her that his son is safe from her - and that's the way things will stay.
Ellie and Clayton visit Garrison Southworth's gravesite on the ranch and she tells him the story of his disappearance and reappearance. She says she'd like Clayton to become co-owner of the ranch, further disrespecting Jock's memory.
Casey visits JR and is told his services are no longer needed. They argue about it for a while until JR tells Casey that he seems to be the next in a long line of losers in his family. Sly is perturbed by the news. Fur-coated Kimberly barges herself into JR's office and demonstrates that she's got nothing on underneath. She gloats that JR could have had it all until he decided to throw it all away.
Bobby and Kay have another awkward evening as they try to piece out their confused feelings about their relationship. Dave calls and said that Senator O'Dell finally came through - he's got the Ewing Oil name back.
Sue Ellen visits a lawyer to remedy her situation, who says he'll get the wheels rolling to have a judge instruct JR to produce John Ross within three days. She and Nick celebrate their new life together that night but she's still distracted about her son. Meanwhile, JR [who seems to be the only one without a sex partner this evening] enrolls John Ross in a secluded private school, claiming that the boy is under threat of being kidnapped. The next morning, JR is served with papers ordering him to produce his son. He immediately tears them up.
Casey finds April at her restaurant to try and forge a partnership to find oil on his father's land. April tells him to take his two-bit hustling act back to Oklahoma and Casey decides to lay the smackdown, reminding April that she didn't exactly take the straight road in achieving her riches.
Cliff meets with Jeremy Wendell at the Oil Baron's Club. He offers to sell his gas field to Wendell, because he doesn't feel that he can make the field achieve its full potential - and also to strengthen his fight against JR.
Connie sneaks through Ray's [sigh] unlocked door, up his stairs, and into the bedroom again, much as she did on Tuesday. She grabs a pillow to surprise Ray again - but then quickly decides to exchange it for a knife.
Episode 280: Pillow Talk Aired: Wed, Mar.10
LINE OF THE DAY: "I tried with Charlie, you know that..." Another pedophilic line from Ray. Suggested by Jason.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: Clayton, I guess. Tough call.
Connie gives Ray a good stab in the chest and they struggle down the stairs. Ray manages to knock her unconscious and contact the police before falling to the ground himself. Jenna returns home that morning with Lucas and his nanny, and finds blood all along the staircase. She calls Bobby who rushes over and takes her to the hospital, where they find Ray recovering nicely.
Sly tells JR he's unhappy at the way Casey was treated but JR says that the esteemed Mr. Denault wasn't really good for her anyway. Cliff barges in and says he sold his gas field - and all of his Weststar stock - to Jeremy Wendell for a huge profit. April brings Cliff to a surprise party in his honor, attended by all of his friends this time.
Sue Ellen tells Nicholas that she plans to take John Ross away from the ranch, with the help of Braddock police. She finds JR calmly waiting for her, and he tears up Sue Ellen's court order, presenting one of his own, overturning hers for 30 days. She rushes back to Nick's place, who suggests that they use a PI to locate John Ross. Sue Ellen worries that JR will poison John Ross's mind against her in the meantime.
Bobby and Dave Culver meet with Justice Department officials to sign a provisional agreement officially getting the Ewing Oil name back, subject to review after one year. Bobby and Kay head out to celebrate and come to a final realization that they're in two different worlds, and can't really have a relationship unless a lot of things change.
Ellie and Clayton tell JR and Bobby that they are now co-owners of Southfork, to JR's utter disgust. Bobby says it's difficult to accept, but he will. JR says the he won't stand for the indignation to his father's name and decides to leave the ranch. JR and Bobby reminisce about Jock and JR says that the ranch is not the same place they grew up in, before he leaves to take up residence at the Ewing condo.
Ray decides to come clean with Jenna and tell her the truth about Connie. Jenna predictably has a hard time dealing with it and they decide to have a long talk to decide their future. Cliff convinces April to try and give Casey and his partnership a chance.
A long-gone stranger arrives at Southfork to find nobody home except Christopher, who is finally introduced to his cousin Lucy. Lucy learns that JR's decided to leave the ranch and is glad of her good luck. When Ellie returns home, Lucy tells her that her marriage to Mitch has left her lonely and empty inside.
JR visits John Ross at his school and tries to paint a great picture of what life would be like on their own ranch, away from Southfork. The next day, JR pays a visit to Jeremy Wendell, and congratulates him on being the proud owner of Cliff's gas field - but not the land that his pipeline runs over. This is quite a surprise to the Jeremy, who says that Weststar can afford to sit on the field for a long time. JR counters that while that may be, there's no way that he could personally survive the embarrassment the news would cause. He tells Wendell to be at his office the next day to discuss further terms.
Episode 281: The Fat Lady Sings Aired: Fri, Mar.12
LINE OF THE DAY: "You just can't seem to keep your zipper up." - JR to Clayton. Nominated by Mike and Anne.
Rating [out of 10]:
The Lucy Award: April.
Clayton visits JR at the condo and tries to convince him to turn John Ross over to Sue Ellen. JR explains that his son is the one person who accepts him the way he is and he could never let him go without a fight.
Nicholas's private investigator doesn't find John Ross but three heads are put together and suddenly everyone realizes that JR must have enrolled John Ross in a school somewhere under an assumed name. Sue Ellen asks that JR be trailed so that eventually her son can be found.
Trouble in the Krebbs paradise: Jenna is still upset that Ray refuses to press charges against Connie, and he replies that her lawyer has said she'll leave the state. Ray admits that he still has an inferiority complex about his childhood and not having any sense of belonging to a real family or ever really being successful at anything, and he regrets his overparenting to try and correct past imagined mistakes.
Lucy has lunch with her old friend Mary Lou and Casey stops by to gloat about his new-found partnership in the oil business. Lucy and Casey talk about how JR duped him and find they have a mutual dislike of the man in common. She brings him to the Southfork set and they seem to hit it off.
Jeremy Wendell visits JR, as requested. JR offers him the deed for the land over which his pipeline runs, in exchange for all of the assets that Weststar took away from Ewing Oil. Jeremy protests that the assets are worth several times more than the land, and also mentions that the Ewing building has been sold. JR calmly tells him to take the deal or leave it, and Wendell decides he has no choice but to go ahead with it. JR celebrates his victory with Jock's portrait.
Jenna visits Ellie at Southfork and talks about her hurt feelings after Ray's affair. Ellie tells her to keep the rest of their lives in mind before she makes a rash decision and tells her that everyone deserves a second chance. The next day, Jenna tells Ray that she thinks their marriage will work - but not near Southfork. They decide to head to Europe and talk to Charlie about it, and Ray asks Clayton to sell his ranch for him.
JR visits John Ross at his school, with Sue Ellen's PI not far behind.
JR tells Bobby that he got all of the Ewing assets back and is preparing to live out his father's legacy. Bobby points out that he's missing one thing - the Ewing Oil name, which belongs squarely with him. JR disappointedly confirms the news with another Senator. That afternoon, JR comes to the ranch and tries to convince Bobby to team up with him again, which Bobby says will never happen.
Cliff and April make travel plans together and Jordan Lee stops by with interesting news: he says he just returned from vacation, and saw Pam. Cliff comes over to Southfork to tell Bobby the news. Bobby is nonplussed, saying that if Pam wants to be with him, he's not hard to find.
JR gets a phone call that evening which sounds urgent and says he'll be over in thirty minutes. Sue Ellen and Nicholas visit John Ross's school the next day and demand to have her son returned. They're told that after the investigator had been around the school asking about John Ross, JR was contacted and immediately came to pick up his son. Sue Ellen and Nick head to JR's condo and Nick kicks the door in, demanding to know where John Ross is. JR points a gun at Nick and tells him to get out. A struggle ensues which heads out on to the balcony, and Nicholas is tossed over to his death. Sue Ellen fires three shots at her husband and calls the police to report a double murder.