Dallas:Season 13

 

 

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**NOTE - This review contains SPOILERS**

It's Season 13 of "Dallas" and JR has gotten Ewing Oil in hot water again by buying a run-down oil tanker that causes an oil spill by "accidentally" ramming a rival tanker belonging to Carter McKay (George Kennedy)!

That pretty much sums up the main business storyline in this penultimate season of the now-decayed prime-time soap. With the original, strong female leads gone (Principal, Gray and Susan Howard), the show has become too male-dominated. Since the cast and crew stopped filming in Texas as of this season, there is a sterile feeling about the show as hardly any of the action takes place at Southfork, indoors or out. It just doesn't seem like the same "Dallas" anymore--it's tired and limping along as many long-running programs do at the sputtering end of their run.

The old flame (Gayle Hunnicut) that JR reunited with last season in Europe shows up in Dallas--and her son James Beaumont (Sasha Mitchell) arrives with her and drops a bombshell: He's JR's firstborn son! Things get complicated when Cally begins turning to James when she realizes her marriage is disintegrating and to keep things interesting the writers have JR commit himself to an insane asylum in order to make contact with Clayton's deranged sister Jessica. This allows the wonderful Alexis Smith to return not having been seen since Season 7. Unfortunately, she isn't given much to do that's worthy of her talents.

With Cliff now a partner at Ewing Oil and old nemesis Jeremy Wendell out of the picture, JR's main foil is Carter McKay. The business backstabbing has become stagnant and old and Kennedy's emotional outbursts are often hammy.

Bobby's love life is in a whirlwind having hooked up with April, he soon meets a Pam lookalike (Margaret Michaels) and questions his own interest in her; reconnects with Kay Lloyd (Karen Kopins) before finally proposing to April and marrying her at seasons' end.

When Bobby leaves Cliff out of an important business desicion one time too many, Cliff jumps ship and comes full-circle by going back into politics with the help of publicist Stephanie Rogers (Lesley Anne Down). He has softened somewhat though because he goes easy on JR in relation to a costly oil spill instead of nailing his lifelong enemy to the floor. At the beginning of the season, Cliff reconnects with Afton (Audrey Landers) and her little girl but things don't work out; at season's end he's taken up with new semi-regular Liz Adams (Barabara Stock).

Once again, Lucy (Charlene Tilton) gets the shaft as the writers offer her none of the juicy opportunities she had in the early seasons. Instead, they piggyback her onto Cally's storylines. The refreshing change-of-pace Cathy Podewell brought to the show in Season 12 as the backwoods child-bride has already worn off, as her character has quickly devolved into the insecure, hysterical wife Sue Ellen was in the beginning. Podewell does show some range when Cally masquerades as an over-the-top flashy trophy wife to get some dirt from JR's lawyer.

Clayton and Miss Ellie seem to be performing in an entirely different show or their very own "Murder She Wrote" episode as the writers first ship them off on a boring road trip to Montana, all because of a mysterious letter that arrives addressed to Jock. Somehow, this leads to Miss Ellie buying and revitalizing the ghost town where Jock made his first oil strike years before. Upon their return, Clayton's old cronies are being offed one-by-one after each being named as beneficiaries in the will of an old rival.

The best thing about Season 13 is the arrival of April's gold-digging sister Michelle, who doesn't waste any time sinking her claws into Cliff. Kimberly Foster absolutely sizzles in the role and if there's one reason to stick around for these later episodes, it's her. There's a naturalness in her acting right from the start that Priscilla Presley could only dream of owning and she has more charisma and screen presence than her TV sister Sheree J. Wilson. The producers and writers were likely impressed because they give Foster plenty to do to get the plots rolling. It's Michelle who manipulates Cliff into quitting Ewing Oil; then she beds the equally-opportunistic James and calls on Carter McKay for favors in achieving her business goals.

Kimberly Foster, Sasha Mitchell and Lesley-Anne Down are immediately added to the opening credits which seems a little unfair--even Wilson and Kennedy had to wait (years) for than honor.

If you've made it this far, you may as well weather the storm and watch the final two seasons. But this is NOT the same "Dallas" we loved in the early '80s. Watch it for the fantastic Kimberly Foster as conniving hottie Michelle. Otherwise, not much to recommend here.

THREE STARS.

Season 13 has some very timely events a major oil spill in the gulf and who is at fault? Ewing Oil or Westar or both? Considering the major spill by BP in the Gulf right now - it is quite stunning to see behind the scenes as they both try to shirk blame on the other. Meanwhile Bobbie Ewing spends more than 50 Million to clean it up and save the environment, as that has a higher priority to him than who is at fault!! We need a Bobby Ewing today as the Government and the BP Execs discuss and talk it to death but the leaking underground oil source continues to pollute and cause unspeakable damage!
JR goes where Angels fear to tread and a diabolic plot by a son from his past has him secreted away -- how will he escape? His darling young wife feels betrayed and confused will she leave or rescue him? The great cliffhanger ending has you begging for more.....stay tuned

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