Dallas on TNT: Out of jail and back on Southfork

Last week on Dallas, Rebecca's conception with twins foreshadowed a bond between the two Ewing boys, Christopher and John Ross.

Last night, Christopher Ewing made it clear that blood is thicker than water, and oil. Christopher saved John Ross’s life twice over when he negotiated a deal with Vincente. Christopher offered Vincente South American rights to his methane extraction drilling technique in exchange for the oil John Ross promised, but could not deliver.

Christopher also wanted the videotape that proves John Ross did not murder Veronica Martinez a.k.a. Marta del Sol. Vincente wouldn’t release that tape to John Ross. Vincente actually suggested that he’d take that tape, edit it, and make it look like John Ross murdered Marta.

Until Christopher shows up, it looks grim for John Ross.

Vincente doesn’t look too willing to agree with Christopher’s deal. But soon after Christopher and Vincente meet, police find the videotape that will clear John Ross straggling roadside.

The Christopher/Vincente deal may very well be the end of Vicente’s run on the Dallas program. That particular plot has the potential to get really dark fast. The conflict between the Venezuelan oil men and the Texas cattle ranchers with a little oil on their land reeks with a cosmetic ethnic tension especially made for TV.

The same stereotyping that kept Don Johnson’s and Edward James Olmos’ Miami Vice popular back in its heyday where most of the bad guys were armed Latino drug lords with big guns, sharp knives, thugs, Armani suits, booze, drugs and females.

Christopher’s a literal savior and the cowboy wearing a white hat. Christopher’s deal with Vincente rights a number of J.R. and John Ross’s wrongs. There’s even the possibility that he’ll forgive pregnant Rebecca who remains a thorn in the Ewing side.

Rebecca’s “brother” isn’t her brother, he's planting kisses on her lips and refusing to leave town. And it’s too bad for Rebecca because she swore to Christopher that she has no more secrets.

Rebecca may not deliver those twins in the final two episodes of season one, but it's all too imaginable that she’ll die in labor next season. Of all the drama, revenge and deceitful storylines hovering over Southfork, Rebecca’s is the hardest to forgive. Her relationship with Christopher began in a hopelessly insincere place. When she gets a chance to correct her lies, she falls frail.

J.R. and John Ross’s mess have taken a high toll on Sue Ellen and Bobby. Honor is a running theme on the show. Heartbroken that her son John Ross was beaten senseless by Latino prison thugs, Sue Ellen bribed the medical examiner to declare Marta del Sol’s death a suicide.

The medical examiner grants Sue Ellen’s, not because he’s really intrigued by her offer to become state medical examiner once she’s elected. But because he’s been writing prescriptions to dead people for a really long time now.

In the end, Sue Ellen’s deceit was needless because Christopher had everything taken care of. Or because the cops found the tape, suddenly.

There’s no telling what’s next on the Southfork show, even if the compromise and reconciliation between John Ross and Christopher was imminent and predictable.

Dallas has been cast for another season, unsurprisingly. It’s 7 million average viewers is higher than any scripted program on television. Most of the filming is done on location in Texas, contrasted to the original series which was shot on location in L.A.

There are only two shows left this season.

photocredit: TNT/DALLAS/Facebook

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