Dallas

Dallas - The Complete Third Season
$39.98
I'm new to "Dallas" only having seen brief random snippets here and there up to now when it was syndicated on broadcast TV years ago and I was channel surfing. I am now watching the DVDs from the very beginning. So far, I believe this Season (called "Season 3" but really this is Season 2 since "Season 1" on DVD was in fact the miniseries) is a step down in quality. Now video quality has definitely gone up compared to the prior season box set (colors are snappier and the video a bit sharper), instead I'm talking about a bit of a decline in the show as a whole. Some people have applauded the cast changes made in this season, but I prefer the original versions of Kristen, Digger Barns and Gary Ewing. The plots (writeres) now have the cast members also liking to talk to themselves in this season. I don't think the shark has been jumped yet, but there is a bit of a letdown in my opinion, thus the 4 stars instead of 5 stars.

I got a brand new set of discs and yet disc 1 on both sides has several places where the show would stop entirely, yet the discs are physically pristine. I checked on a brand new DVD player to determine this isn't a problem that can (almost always) happen with older players. I also noticed this issue to a much lesser extent on a small part of one episode in Season 1/2. Be warned, hopefully you won't have a problem.

Dallas - The Complete First and Second Seasons
$27.98
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE BEST SOAP OPERA OF ALL TIME . THOSE OF US WHO REMEMBER STAYING UP ON FRI. NIGHT TO WATCH THIS SHOW HOW GREAT IT IS TO OWN IT ON DVD AND LIVE THOSE MEMORIES ALL OVER AGAIN.IF YOU WANT TO SEE A RICH FAMILY DRAMA IT DON'T GET ANY BETTER THAN DALLAS.

Dallas - The Complete Fourth Season
$39.98
Thank you so much this product came to my house super fast and in great condition.

Dallas - The Complete Ninth Season
$39.98
A most controversial season for sure, so let's try to see both sides.

***** SPOILERS****

THE PROS

1¡ë) For the first time in the entire series, every character has an interesting storyline to deal with. In previous seasons, at least one, sometimes two, major character(s) was (were) a bit left aside, only supporting the others. It was often the case with Sue Ellen at the beginning, then alternatively Miss Ellie, Ray or Pam, then Bobby after the end of the fight for Ewing Oil (which caused P. Duffy's, who got bored by the role, temporary departure).
This time, EVERYONE (with the possible exception of Jenna Wade) have strong issues to deal with and have to stretch their personality out of their usual limits. Special mention to Linda Gray/Sue Ellen whose part is truly memorable and acting job amazing. The storyline of Ray and Donna is extremely intense too, which was rarely the case in previous seasons.
Anoter good point: second-hand characters this time have real weight. Subplots are all here for a reason, they are well entangled with the main action. Special mention for the love affair between Jack and Grace. Grace's character, the hot and the cold (the cold THEN the hot) was a treat. And very well played, by an actress who didn't just rely on her beauty.

2¡ë) For the first time ever too, there's no release of the dramatic intensity throughout the season. During previous seasons, numerous episodes were mere transition episodes. Sometimes there were 8 or 10 filler-ups in a rank, which could cause a certain humdrum and loss of the viewer's interest. Seasons 7 and 8 were very disappointing in this regard. No such thing here. Only 2 or 3 episodes may be considered as pure transition episodes. They were necessary to release the pressure caused by the main plots (Mark's resurrection, the Marinos scam, Pam's kidnapping in Columbia, Sue Ellen's descent to hell, Donna's accident, etc.). During season 9, the necessary transition phases are craftfully melted with the intense phases. Some characters re-catch their breath while others are in the eye of the storm, alternatively. Hence the action never bogs down, but no episode leaves a feeling of "Hey, that's too much now!". "Dallas" was, and always remained, a family entertainment.

3¡ë) For the first time ever, JR faces a first-hand villain, smart and dangerous like him, probably even more. This had only be the case, with a much lesser extent, with the character of Jeremy Wendell before (it will be FULLY the case with Wendell later). Angelica Nero was a great incarnation of evil. For the first time, JR does not lead the game, he has to think fast and anticipate on the blows. For sure he has to play defense for most of the season (which is why most of Dallas' fans and apparently Larry Hagman himself didn't like the season), but he does it well, he's as smart and tough as always, and, in the end, he strikes back - and brilliantly. I don't think Mr Hagman should despise his part in this season, he's flamboyant throughout all his relationship with angelica Nero, and very touching with his son or Sue Ellen. No shame to have about all that's been done. The character didn't become the good guy of the series (thank Lord!), here he's a shark facing a different kind of shark, maybe a little more human than usual on the surface (with Sue Ellen, Pam and Jack), but only on the surface.

4¡ë) The writers and producers tried an audacious change of scope with this season, taking out "Dallas" out of the city limits, which is considered as another bad point by most fans because it seemed to be a way of surfing on the "Dynasty" trend. Well - let's think of it! After 8 years of action taking place in the same geographical area, do you think a single city and a single state (even Texas) can provide enough material for a soap opera like this one? "Dallas" had started to repeat itself during season 8: legal affairs, broken marriages, long-time rivalities between families and between men... "Dallas" had to make a step into the unknown, which it did. I agree it couldn't reproduce over-the-top plots like the Marinos affair of the Columbia mines every year (although the B.D. Calhoun's during season 10 is something too), but what was done had to be done, and it was well done.


THE CONS

Of course, the flaws of season 9 are numerous. They are well known, just report to the other reviews. The main one, in my opinion, is the recurring lacks of coherence. What makes Angelica Nero think that her scam will succeed and that nobody who knew Jack Ewing will claim it's him who died in Martinique and not Dimitri Marinos? Why does JR hires a private eye to get some info on Marinos, and later doesn't care what he has become and why his report hasn't arrived? Why does Pam accept to step into Bobby's steps at Ewing Oil and spend half his day working with a man she despises? Why does Sue Ellen, in the end of the season, falls in love like a teenager for a man who brought her near self-destruction at the beginning? Why does Pam dream of a man (Ben Stivers) she has never met before and who will appear (as Wes Parmalee) during season 10? She's never been very witty before, so it's hard to imagine she has some sort of psychic abilites...

Another bad point in my opinion is the sad destiny of Jack Ewing / Dack Rambo. Rambo did some very good job replacing Bobby as the good guy. Too bad the producers decided to write him off the story during season 10 because of Patrick Duffy's return. Althoug I have no problem with P. Duffy returning, nor with the fact that this entire season had all been a dream, I do have some with the fact that all storylines developped during season 9 had to be reconsidered and reorientated brutally at the beginning of season 10. It was sometimes sad for the characters (especially Ray and Donna, who were close to have found happiness), and, in the case of Dack Rambo and John Beck, for the actors themselves.

Anyway, to me this season was a masterpiece of invention and energy. For those who haven't seen it, don't panic: it IS "Dallas". Not "Dynasty". For those who have seen it and don't like, just think of it as "what would have happened if Bobby had died?". Think of it as a fiction within the fiction. If you do so, honestly, don't yu think it's all great fun?