Mother of the Year

Dallas 

Season 3 Episode 13

Original Airdate:  December 14, 1979

Recap:  Baby John Ross is crying Sue Ellen and Pam both get up.  When the nanny comes into the room, she finds Pam with John Ross, she tells her that it isn’t natural that Sue Ellen pay so little attention to the baby.  Sue Ellen gets back into bed, where JR questions her.  She doesn’t want to talk, but he wants to know why Pam always gets to the baby before she does.  He tells her that everyone has commented on it, and to top everything off nicely he calls her an unfit mother, and she retorts that he is an unfit father and husband.

   Bobby wakes up to the arguing, he gets up and when Pam comes back in asking what’s going on, he tells her that they are arguing about her taking care of John Ross.  He tells her that they need to talk about why she is always going to the baby.

   Miss Ellie and Jock are overseeing the oil drill being set up, Jock tells her he will do something if he could.  She says what needed to be done should have been done long ago.  She gets back into the truck and they go back to the house.  Jock tells her that he has to go to a meeting with Vaughn, they pass by Ray who is working on the building of his house.

   At Ewing Oil Kristin tells JR that everyone is there, he goes inside.  Jock tells him that he is going to sell the South East Asia oil leases.  JR tells him that he can’t do it, Jock asks Vaughn to find some buyers, Vaughn tells him he will get back to him.  Bobby asks Jock when he decided to sell.  Jock tells them that he decided this morning when he saw their mother’s face.  Bobby thinks that they should ride it out, but Jock is adamant.  JR excuses himself, he tells Kristin that he’s going to the Cattlemen’s Club, she asks him when he will be back, he tells her that he doesn’t know.

   At the Cattlemen’s Club Bobby finds JR drinking a lot, JR tells him that he’s just too good to be rich, when Bobby tries to apologize for telling their parents about everything, JR tells him that he is no longer his brother.

Sue Ellen goes to the Daughters of the Alamo meeting all the ladies are surprised to see her, the original speaker had to cancel, but they got Cliff to talk, Sue Ellen says that she isn’t feeling well and leaves, but she runs into Cliff.  He tells her that he wants to see her and even though she tells him she doesn’t want to see him, he insists that she come over to his place the next day.

   John Ross is crying and Sue Ellen is talking to him, JR overhears her and thinks that she is with the baby because of their talk.  She tells JR to take care of the baby when he starts to cry, and leaves the room.

JR meets up with Alan, he tells him that he is cutting off the campaign, they won’t be getting anymore money from him, he got what he wanted Cliff out of the OLM.. 

   Sue Ellen tells her therapist that Cliff wants to see her, she decides that she will go see him, she tells her therapist that she wants him to just give her a straight answer fro once.

JR has Kristin call the office overseas, he goes into his office and asks his father to just wait another week.  Jock tells him that he won’t ask for anymore favors.  After Jock leaves the phone rings, it’s Hank from the oil rig in Southeast Asia, JR tells him that he wants to know what’s going on and tell shim that if they don’t strike oil by Friday then it’s all over.

   Lucy is helping Pam with all the bags of things she bought for the baby.  Bobby is disappointed that she can’t stop thinking about the baby.

   Sue Ellen gets to Cliff’s house, she asks him what he wants, she asks her how she is and how the baby is, she tells him that they are both fine.  She accuses him of using her to get back at JR.  Cliff tells Sue Ellen that she is the one that is the user.  She used JR and them him, she tries to leave, but her grabs her and he tells her that now she is using her baby and that she is incapable of loving, she hits him and tells him that she does love her son, but he says no that she only uses.

   JR asks Vaughn to stall his father, he tries to call on a favor that Vaughn owes him, but Vaughn tells him that he can’t do anything for him,.

   At Southfork Sue Ellen hides her tissues when JR comes into the bedroom, she asks him if she has changed, he doesn’t’ know what she is talking about.  She asks him if she is different with people, does she hurt or use them.  He tells her that she is the same as when he married her, she is affected by what he says.

   When the baby starts to cry Pam goes to him, but Bobby tries to stop her, when she goes into the baby’s room she finds Sue Ellen there.  Pam asks her why she wont’ pick up the baby to comfort him, and she tires to go to him, but Sue Ellen tells her to leave they pay the nanny to take care of John Ross.

   At her therapist's office, Sue Ellen asks him whet they are paying him for since she still can’t touch her baby.  He asks her what happened at Cliff’s, she tells him what Cliff said about her.  She admits that she is afraid of being hurt.  He tells her if she continues to be afraid she may never be able to love.  She asks him if she rejected her baby, she tells him that she does love him, he tells her to show the baby how much she loves him,  She tells him that she is afraid of letting her guard down, the doctor says that its worth a dry for the baby’s sake and her own.

   Lucy comes home and talks to the nanny about the baby.  Lucy finds Sue Ellen hanging up the phone, she confronts her about her behavior toward the baby.  Lucy tells her that she will teach her cousin how to survive in the Ewing Family.

   Bobby tells Jock that they will be able to start drilling in two days, he asks him to try to get another week.  Jock says no, he still is waiting to hear back from Vaughn about the leases.  When Bobby and Jock are driving back to the ranch, they pull over to Ray’s land when they see a police car, A body was found at the site.

   JR is talking to the press when Hank calls with the news that they finally struck oil.  JR leaves to tell the family the news.

   Back at Southfork, the press has broke the news to the family, when Bobby and Jock get home, Lucy and Pam tell them the good news.  When JR gets home he is disappointed that he isn’t the one to give them the news.  Miss Ellie tells him that everything may have worked out, but she was suffering.  Jock tells JR that he is going to come back to work, to make sure Ewing Oil is run the right way.  The baby starts crying, Pam leaves, and Bobby follows her, when Pam gets to the nursery, Sue Ellen is there holding her baby, she tells Pam that she has the baby now.  Pam leaves and goes to their room, she cries that she lost him, Bobby comes in and puts his arms around her.  

Final Thoughts:  It seems like things are being wrapped up so they can leave us with a cliffhanger, I'm glad that they were able to save Southfork, like they really would have lost it.  The Pam and Bobby thing is getting pretty old, I understand that it must be hard to know that she could pass on this disease to a child, but she really needs to get over this guilt and the nonsense that goes on between the two of them, it just isn't as interesting as the whole Cliff, Sue Ellen and JR triangle.

Best Outfit:  Ugly jacket, the skirt isn't cute, if it was a bit shorter I think it would look better, the only thing I like is the shirt.