Dallas: Dead Reckoning Recap

“Dead Reckoning” (Dallas S3 E10 – 8/25/14) had a bit of everything: a murder made to look like a suicide, a selfless breakup, cold hearts, remorseful hearts, more infidelity, a faulty diaphragm, yet more treachery and some incriminating evidence left behind by J.R. that Bobby, Bum and John Ross were too stupid to destroy. Heck, that letter even survived the fire set by Drew, but that was hardly the strangest thing about the letter anyway. The strangest thing was that J.R. wrote the letter to his own brother and signed it J.R. Ewing.

Do you sign your last name when writing to your family members?

Nicolas, Luis and other henchmen set up Drew’s body to look like he shot himself near his father’s grave. Meantime, Bobby and Ann are sad when they wake up alone in their separate places. John Ross is acting out amidst the debris of his bedroom. He takes out J.R.’s final letter with the details of how he really died and the Cliff Barnes frame-up. He is about to set it on fire when Bum shows up and stops him, saying that is the last letter that J.R. ever wrote. Carmen is lurking nearby and overhears some of their exchange. She sees John Ross put the letter in his wallet. Then she makes her presence known, asking him if he wants some breakfast. Sheriff Derrick arrives much to Bobby’s chagrin, but he has come to inform Carmen about her son’s death.

Nicolas is trying to explain to an angry Elena why he sent the sex video to Pamela when Carmen calls to inform her about Drew’s death. They hurry to Southfork and all go to the morgue to identify Drew’s body. Carmen is certain Drew would not kill himself. When she is given his personal effects, she notices his missing St. Christopher medal. That’s the one Nicolas pulled off Drew’s neck before he was shot. Elena speculates that Drew removed the medal since suicide is a mortal sin. He could not do it while wearing it. Privately, she tells Nicolas that she wants to come clean about their activities. Nicolas looks panicked. He knows Drew won’t be the only dead body if the Ewing Global takeover doesn’t go the cartel’s way.

Sue Ellen pays her daughter-in-law Pamela a visit in the hospital, who is only too glad to see her so she can get rid of the suicide watch doctor. Pamela says she wasn’t trying to kill herself. She was making a point. Sue Ellen makes the point that there are other ways to make a point than taking an overdose. Even if it wasn’t her intention, she needs to realize she could have died. Pamela snippily tells Sue Ellen to be careful — she suddenly is wishing the doctor was back.

Later, John Ross tries to bribe the desk nurse to get in to see Pamela but his name is not on the list and the nurse is not impressed with his bankroll. He falls asleep in the waiting room. The nurse wakes him up when Pamela decides to grant him an audience. Oh bore of all bores, he starts out with his sorrowful puppy dog act, but Pamela tells him that it’s over and she wants him to go away. She has realized and accepted the facts. He will always put greed and ambition before her, just like her daddy did. The next time Sue Ellen comes, she is getting discharged. Sue Ellen offers her a place to stay, but Pamela informs her astonished mother-in-law that she isn’t going to divorce John Ross as much as she would like to. She can’t risk him getting his hands on her shares of Ewing Global and they don’t have a prenup. Sue Ellen is aghast at the ice water in this woman’s veins.

Christopher has been lurking around Bo McCabe’s hospital room, observing what a loving family Heather, Bo and Michael make. Then he learns that Bo is refusing pain medications to prove to Heather that he will be a different man if he gets another chance. With the handwriting on the wall, he decides to drop out of the picture but gets a neurologist to fly in and examine Bo. She advises that Bo will need three surgeries by a Tel Aviv surgeon to be able to walk down the aisle at his son’s wedding. Christopher makes and pays for all the arrangements. A tearful farewell with Heather ensues, leaving him free to take up with someone else in the near future. Let’s see. Pamela, Elena and Emma are all about to be free. He’s already been involved with two of them.

Ann arrives at Southfork to comfort Elena and Carmen after Bobby tells her about Drew. When Harris Ryland and Emma show up to get Emma’s stuff, Bobby blows another fuse. Carmen runs up and gives Emma the letter that Drew gave her in the supermarket. Ann says she will send Emma’s stuff over and Bobby tells Harris he won’t make a scene this time out of respect for Carmen, but he doesn’t ever want to see him around his property again. Harris wisecracks that he shouldn’t talk about Ann that way. Yes, he gets the Bobby Glare.

Back at home, Emma reads Drew’s letter full of sorrow over their failed chance at romance. (In case you have forgotten about how Harris had Drew beaten to a pulp rather than let him date Emma, click here.) Now Emma blames Harris for his interference, claiming it eventually led to Drew’s suicide but Harris rejects her faulty logic. Emma later pays a visit to Luis to inform him that her grandmother has made her next in line to take over Ryland Transport. She wants him to put Harris back in jail.

While Carmen arranges to have Drew buried in his Army uniform, the coroner alerts the fire inspector to something that turned up and he, in turn, gets an evidence bag. After Drew’s viewing, Carmen learns that the autopsy has confirmed that Drew died by his own hand. They also found evidence that he set the fire at Southfork. Carmen, Elena and the Ewings are all shocked but none more than Elena who is fitting the puzzle pieces together. She takes Carmen to her place and tells her the truth about why Drew would do such a thing. Elena shows her the proof that Cliff Barnes supplied and assures her mother that she researched it well.

Carmen realizes that Nicolas (Joaquin, as she calls him) and Elena are working together against the Ewings. She knew JR was capable of anything but does not want to consider that Bobby would be involved in any wrongdoing. Elena tells her the Ewings also framed Cliff for JR’s murder and Carmen remembers the letter that she first saw Bum give Bobby after JR died. She tells Elena it is now in John Ross’ wallet.

Elena later sees John Ross outside drinking. She starts drinking herself and breaks out her diaphragm – the one Nicolas poked holes in. She goes to John Ross, fully intending to seduce him. He says his marriage is over. Elena says every time something bad happens, you get a little scar. They build up until one day, you don’t know yourself anymore. John Ross recalls her more hopeful philosophy that every day was a new chance to do right. He says there was nothing she could have done to save Drew, totes unaware of just how true that is. Elena moves in on him and sho’ nuff, they end up comforting each other in bed. As John Ross sleeps, Elena gets up and goes through his wallet. She finds the JR letter and reads it. Now she can get Cliff out of jail and they can destroy the Ewings. The bigger problem seems to be that she probably just conceived a brand new Ewing.