'Dallas' Review - 1.04 The Last Hurrah

        In the newest episode of TNT's Dallas, John Ross seeks to gain an upper hand on a family member and resorts to blackmail, but J.R. decides to handle the situation his own way. Meanwhile, Christopher opens up to Bobby about his difficulty in choosing between the two women he loves, Elena and Rebecca.

        This entire episode was spent leading up to the barbecue party at Southfork which was to be the last before Bobby sold the land. This was a grand event that also allowed for yet another cameo from Charlene Tilton and Steve Kanaly. However, this episode felt mostly like buildup - it was entertaining, though - with no payoff quite yet. Hopefully, the resolution in the next episode two weeks from now will be more explosive.
        One thing that I have really enjoyed with this series so far is its pace from one episode to another. A character would learn something in an episode and then use that information immediately in the next one - like John Ross discovering that Rebecca sent the email last week and blackmailing her with it in this hour. A discovery like that would have been drawn out and used several episodes later on a lesser show but the quick pace of this series makes it so us viewers are always aware of who is trying to use who. This fact gives me hope that we will be seeing a lot more of crazy "Marta" in the next episode or two.
        J.R. continues to be the most fascinating and entertaining character. He just has this devilish charisma that is so enchanting and he also seems to be the actor who is having the most fun in his performance. He has recognized and accepted the camp in the material in a way that the younger additions haven't done so yet. His scene in the lawyer's office was the highlight of the episode as it proved that J.R. hasn't changed a bit as well as showing how manipulative he can be.
        With the exception of J.R., this episode spent a lot of time dealing with the escapades of the younger cast members. The only substantial thing Bobby did was help a cattle give birth. Now, I'm not saying that the younger cast is boring, they just haven't done quite enough yet to draw me in to them as individual characters. The love quadrangle of Rebecca-Christopher-Elena-John Ross is the foundation of their story and I just haven't found myself routing for any of the pairings to work yet.


So what did everyone think of the fourth episode? Are you starting to care about the young love quadrangle yet? Do you still find yourself staring at Larry Hagman's eyebrows? Share your thoughts in the comments.