Dallas: The Furious and the Fast Recap

In Episode 7 of Season 2 of Dallas (3/4/2013), John Ross and Sue Ellen are the Furious because the Fast Ricky Rudd won the race using Christopher’s miracle methane. Most viewers tuning in knew this was going to be the episode in which J.R. Ewing dies and, yeah, we weren’t particularly thrilled with how that went down, but we’ll get to that.

We began with a board meeting at Ewing Energies where Sue Ellen and Pamela Rebecca are the latest interlopers to show up in the wonderful world of Bobby and Christopher. Everyday thorn in the side John Ross is there, too. Why is the world of Bobby and Christopher wonderful? Because if they have control, it’s good. If anyone else does, it’s bad. John Ross and his mama are a team and he also thinks he has Pamela Rebecca in his corner. Bobby and Christopher unveil their plan to put new screws to John Ross and Sue Ellen: they’ve got Gary and mineral rights on their side and that means John Ross can forget about drilling under Southfork, unless he restores Elena’s shares in the company. Pamela is horrified at this turn of events but Christopher begs her to check out his methane-fueled race car before she decides to side with John Ross.

When Gary Ewing shows up, he is greeted most impolitely by his nephew. “Uncle Gary, who the hell let you out of the cul-de-sac?” John Ross sneers (a reference to Gary’s residence on Knots Landing, the spinoff of Dallas in which Ted Shackleford and Joan Van Ark starred as Gary and Valene Ewing). Gary meets with Bobby and explains that he and Valene are separated because he fell off the wagon. Apparently, the alimony and child support are putting him behind the eight ball. (They had twins, Betsy and Bobby, that are way younger than their oldest daughter, Lucy). But Bobby assures him they can help each other. Later Sue Ellen “runs into” Gary at the Ewing Energies coffee machine, she invites him to go with her to the race on Saturday. Gary can’t remember her being such a charmer in the past but agrees.

When J.R. sends Sue Ellen a bunch of their old love letters and a new one, she tells John Ross his dad is jealous but she is clearly pleased that J.R. held on to their old love letters. She’s not going to open the new letter because she knows J.R. is trying to manipulate her. Bet she opens it next week, huh?

Christopher meets with Alison Jones of the Dallas transportation offices (who looked like she had more than a business interest in Christopher, but maybe she just wants a methane powered town). Elena’s brother Drew catches up to her jogging. He convinces her that he has to do some seismic testing on the land that their father used to own that their mother sold to the Ewings.

Christopher has car problems to deal with at the Texas Motor Speedway. John Ross meets with J.R.’s investigator, Bum, who fills him in on a gambling problem a mechanic on Christopher’s crew has. John Ross decides to have a race tampering talk with Denny and Bum says he’s just like his daddy. Really? Wouldn’t J.R. have sent someone else to set that up? Bum has a cryptic conversation with J.R. that involves Harris Ryland. Bum says “The pieces are falling into place.”

At home, Christopher comforts an angry Elena who is pissed about Pamela Barnes being on the board instead of her. She’d be a lot more pissed if she could see the way Christopher looks at Pamela when they’re alone.

When the race gets underway, a serious snafu sends Christopher scrambling to fix it. He does but it puts Ricky Rudd a whole lap behind. Well, either that methane is the stuff of gods or Ricky Rudd is a miracle man. He wins the race and a quarter of a million. Alison Jones tells Christopher that in her eyes (eyes that look like they are undressing Christopher), he’s the golden boy. The win gets Pamela Barnes in Christopher’s corner, but she makes it plain a vote from her is a vote from her daddy, Cliff, too. Bobby and Christopher can’t wait to rub John Ross’s nose in it, who says he and his mama are calling their bluff and won’t give Elena back her shares.

Elena probably doesn’t give a rat’s patoot now. Drew’s testing is oil positive. He tells Elena if he can buy back the land from the Ewings, she can have her own company and be a huge independent success and not have to be involved with the never ending battles of Ewing Energies. Too bad one of the Ewing cousins doesn’t follow that advice too.

In the very last scene, John Ross ruefully shares his defeat with J.R. on the phone. “Don’t worry, son,” J.R. said, “I’ve got a plan.” John Ross listens to all these things we’ve heard J.R. says before in earlier episodes: “This is gonna be my masterpiece. You shouldn’t have to pay for my sins. Just remember, I’m proud of you. You’re my son, tip to tail.” Then just like when J.R. was shot before, the door opens and two shots ring outl. John Ross gets up and begins screaming “Dad!” into the phone.

Well, what can we say? We truly hoped they would not recreate the “Who Shot J.R.” scenario, but a lot of folks seemed to like the idea of his last conversation being with John Ross.

We didn’t leave out The Emma Storyline on purpose — we just separated it:

Harris Ryland and his looney mom Judith told Emma that she’s going back to London tomorrow. Nothing to say, nothing to plan, Judith will pack her stuff while she’s off at her final dressage lesson in Dallas. Emma leaves and runs off to see her mother Ann Ewing. She spills her guts about being treated just like Ann: “I wanted to get my hair cut once, and my grandmother told me my face wasn’t the right shape. She didn’t tell me I couldn’t, but she made me feel ugly, and stupid for even asking.” Ann takes Emma horseback riding and shows her a different way to handle a horse. But Emma is in for it when the sicko Rylands find out she’s missed her lesson. Harris throws a chair in a rage and his mother orders him to pick it up. Judith says: “I won’t let you lose our daughter.” WTF? Harris confronts Emma with sweet talk at first, saying she should have just asked. When Emma asks if she can stay in Dallas, he goes a little nuts. Then he makes her take medication for anxiety so there won’t be any “chaos.” (Just like he used to do to Ann). Emma runs away the first chance she gets and Judith blames and belittles Harris when she finds out. She demands to know what he saw in Ann. Harris looked like he was going to strangle Judith. “I loved her because she wasn’t you,” he spat, pushing her away so that she fell in a corner to think that one over. When Ann and Bobby came home from the race, there was Emma seeking sanctuary and she was welcomed with open arms.

Next week, in addition to Gary, Ray and Lucy, it’s been reported that Mandy Winger and Cally will be in attendance. IMDB has Valene as part of the cast of “J.R.’s Masterpiece.” Afton Cooper (Pamela’s momma) is also rumored to make an appearance, and the previews show Cliff Barnes getting a beat down after crashing the funeral.