The Changing of the Guard

Dallas

Season 1 Episode 1 

Airdate:   6-13-12

Recap:  Elena wakes as the computer starts to go off, she wakes John Ross and he goes over to the rig, they have just struck oil, she thinks it’s about 10,000 barrels.  Elena asks him how he is going to tells Bobby about the oil, since no one is supposed to drill oil on Southfork.

Bobby is waiting in the doctor’s office, when he comes back, he tells him that it’s what they thought, he has cancer.  Bobby tells him that he doesn’t want him to tell anyone about it.  The doctor tells him that he can start an oral treatment, but tells him that he needs to tell his family.  Bobby tells him that his son is getting married in a few days and he doesn’t want this on his shoulders or anyone else in the family.  His doctor tells him that the window to beat the cancer narrows every day.  Bobby gets up and tells him that he’s got family business to take care of before he will let anyone know that he is dying.

 Christopher is meeting with two men about his methane energy project, they ask him about Bobby, he tells them that his father has retired from the energy business.  They give him a number, but he turns it down, it’s too small.  They tell him to take it or leave it, Christopher gets up to leave, but a girl comes over and speaks to him in French asking him for his help, he goes with her to the ladies locker room.  She takes her top off and they stumble into the lockers, and a lady on the other side of the lockers overhears them and asks if it’s Christopher Ewing.  He tells her it is and they come around and he introduces her to his finance Rebecca Sutter.  Rebecca asks her if she will be coming to the wedding, she tells her that she wouldn’t miss it.

Ann, Bobby’s wife asks him if Elena has seen Christopher since he’s been back.  He tells her that she knows that he is getting married and reminds her that she is with John Ross now.  She says that something happened between Christopher and Elena that caused him to run off and into Rebecca’s arms.  Bobby tells her that he has planned a world cruise for them since he knows that is something that she has always wanted to do.

John Ross is giving a speech to all the men, he thanks them all for sticking with him, he gives a man a roll of cash and thanks him for not telling Bobby about him drilling on Southfork.  John Ross goes outside and meets with someone in a red sports car.

Bobby goes to visit JR, who is now in a nursing home, he is suffering from depression.  Bobby goes to sit by his brother, he talks to him about all the years they spent fighting, he tells JR that he wants their children to be a family, and that he doesn’t want them to be like they were.  Bobby tells him that he misses him, he gets a pain in his stomach and tells JR that he will always love him.

Christopher and Rebecca go over to Southfork for a family dinner.  Bobby asks Christopher about the meeting, and asks him if it’s really so hard for him to ask for money.  Christopher tells him that it is.  Bobby tells him that they will talk about his later.  John Ross and Elena arrive and it’s a bit tense between Christopher and Elena.  Sue Ellen arrives and John Ross meets with her.  At the table Elena asks John Ross when he will talk to Bobby about the oil.  Rebecca tells everyone that she has just told Sue Ellen that her bridesmaid can’t come to the wedding after all.  Christopher explains that Rebecca’s parents were killed and that she only has one brother, who will be arriving soon.  John Ross suggests that Elena could be her bridesmaid, Rebecca thinks that is a great idea, though Christopher and Elena seem uncomfortable about this.  Sue Ellen asks Bobby if he has seen JR, he tells her that he saw him this afternoon and tells John Ross that he should go see his father.  John Ross starts asking Christopher about his alternative energy, and tells him that he should be wildcatting with him.  Bobby gets up and tells them that he is planning on selling Southfork.  John Ross tells him to get his truck and come with him, they go out to the field and he and Elena tell Bobby about the oil.  

Bobby tells them that he has no right to drill on Southfork.  John Ross tells him that he is a Ewing and has every right.  Elena tells him that they only found the oil this morning, Christopher tells her that he can’t believe that she is a part of this.  She tells Bobby that they are sitting on top of the most sought after oil in the world, and John Ross tells him that it will make them richer than they ever imagined.  Bobby says that this is what he didn’t want to happen, and reminds them that he promised Miss Ellie that there would be no drilling on Southfork.  John Ross tells him that they are long past caring about Miss Ellie’s wishes, Bobby gets upset and tells him never to speak his mother’s name in front of him again, he tells them that Southfork is for sale and that oil alternatives are the future.  Christopher tells him to keep him out of this.  John Ross brings up the fact that Christopher isn’t a real Ewing, since he was adopted, so he will never be a real Ewing.  Christopher punches him and they start to fight.  Bobby separates them.

Later Christopher is telling Rebecca about what happened, she tells him that John Ross is only after money and power and that he is just using Elena just like he did when they were kids.  Rebecca asks if Elena is what this is all about, but he tells her no, it’s about him and John Ross.  Rebecca tells Christopher not to let John Ross get in is head. Elena tells John Ross that they knew that this might happen.  She tells him that it’s not worth going to war over, he tells her that he thought Bobby would listen, but now he is forcing his hand.

Bobby talks with his lawyer Mitch Lobell, he tells him that he wants Southfork to be left intact after it is sold, they want it sold to a conservancy that will preserve the land and prevent any further developments.  The sheriff comes and serves Bobby papers, John Ross has filed an injunction against the sale of Southfork, he wants the terms of Miss Ellie’s will overturned on the grounds of incompetency.  Bobby says that he will give John Ross the fight of his life and tells Mitch to look for a conservancy with deep pockets.

Bobby and the police go to the field and stop John Ross from drilling any further.  The guys tell John Ross that they won’t mess with Bobby and they all leave.  Bobby tells him to go find oil somewhere else, John Ross tells him that they aren’t done here yet.

Elena joins Rebecca while she is trying on dresses.  Rebecca tells Elena how she and Christopher meet.  They are joined by Sue Ellen and Ann, Sue Ellen is telling Ann that Bobby can’t take away John Ross’s home and turn it into a museum, Ann says that they should stay out of it, but Sue Ellen tells her that it isn’t her son being robbed of his birthright.  They stop when they see Rebecca, they tell her how beautiful she looks.

At his office Christopher learns that they may have triggered an earthquake when they were going for the methane hydrate.  They have to shut down production till they can figure things out, there could be a link between earthquakes and the harvesting of methane.  

John Ross goes to see JR, he tells him about Bobby’s plan to see Southfork and that he has filed papers to overturn Miss Ellie’s will, but Bobby has thrown him off the ranch, he tells him about hitting the 2 billion barrel reserve.  He tells him that Bobby is just doing this because Christopher came home with an alternative energy scheme and can’t get funding and that Bobby is going to give him the money he gets from selling Southfork.  JR, who has had his eyes closed this whole time, making it seem like he was asleep, finally speaks and tells John Ross that Bobby has always been a fool and stubborn, he looks over at him and asks him on what grounds he is contesting the will.  He tells him mental incompetency.  JR tells him that they got some catching up to do, he tells him that he forgives him for not visiting.  Later he asks JR to tell him what to do, he tells him that he knows that he could win but he can’t afford the lawyers since Bobby has also cut him off.  JR tells him that court is for amateurs, he tells him that this is personal.

John Ross asks Elena to go talk to Christopher and find more about his methane hydrate.  She asks him if he wants her to spy for him, he tells her that he just wants to know if what Christopher is doing is real or not, she tells him that there got to be another way.  He tells her that they are both black sheep, he will always be JR’s son and she will always be the cook’s daughter, who Christopher will use and throw away.

Elena goes to Christopher’s office, he is asleep, she starts to look around, he wakes and she goes to make coffee.  She notices the article about the earthquake and asks him what happened.  He tells her that it happened when they were getting the methane.  He asks her why she is there, she tells him that she just wants him to be happy, she gives him the box with a ring inside back and tells him she is sorry about his work and leaves.

John Ross asks her what she learned she tells him that he wouldn’t tell her anything, and they only talked about the wedding.

Bobby wakes up with a start, Ann wakes up and asks him what’s wrong, he tells her it’s his stomach, she says that she will get him something, while she is gone she hears a noise coming from the office, she gets a shotgun and goes to the room, she sees a intruder and tells him that she never misses a shot, he runs off.  She goes back to the desk and looks around, she finds the pills that Bobby’s doctor gave him.  When the police come they tell her to shoot next time, she tells them that she will.  After they leave Ann asks Bobby how his stomach is doing, he tells her that he is fine, and that they should get some rest since tomorrow is the wedding, she says that she will be right up.   She goes on line and looks up the medication and learns about Bobby’s cancer.

The man who broke into the house goes to Christopher’s office, and gives a coworker some money, they go on Christopher’s computer and download the files on the computer.

At the wedding Bobby and Mitch watch as a helicopter lands, the daughter of a big shot in the conservancy business will be working on his behalf on this sale.  She and Bobby go up and look over the property, she tells him she has heard about the lawsuit, but he assures her that John Ross’s petition will be thrown out of court.

Later on Christopher talks with Ray and Lucy he tells them that Cliff and JR can’t come to the wedding.  Lucy tells him count his blessings since they would still find a reason to fight, Bobby comes over and introduces them to Marta Del Sol, and tells them that her father will be purchasing Southfork.  Christopher tells Bobby that he needs to talk to him before he closes the deal, but before he can say anything else, Tommy, Rebecca’s brother arrives and wants to wash up before the wedding.  Christopher tells Bobby not to do anything till they talk.

Sue Ellen tells John Ross about the Del Sol Conservancy and that Marta and Bobby just got finished touring the ranch.  He tells her that JR is the first born and that he is the first grandson and that Bobby won’t steal their birthright.  He tells her that if she hadn’t sent him off to boarding school, then JR would have taught him the oil business and he would be running Ewing Oil now, instead of Cliff Barnes stealing it from them.  She admits that she made mistakes, and tells him that he needs to think of her as an ally and that she can help him with all her connections.  A waiter comes over and tells him that he has a phone call, but it’s really a way to get him away so he can give him a flash drive with the information that he asked for.  John Ross goes into the house and goes onto the computer and looks at the information from the flash drive, he reads about the earthquake and about the problems that methane hydrates can create for the world.  John Ross tells Christopher that they need to talk.  He asks why he never said anything about his alternative energy being unstable.  He asks him what Bobby would link about his experiment causing 1000 of people’s death.  He tells Christopher that unless he tells his father that he has changed his mind and can’t bear to lose his home and get Southfork off the market, he will expose him as a fraud.  Christopher agrees, he finds Elena and asks her why she told John Ross, she denies it, he tells her that John Ross just tried to blackmail him and said that he would tell Bobby everything.  Christopher says that she did it for nothing because John Ross doesn’t love her, he only uses people, he tells her that he was just beginning to trust her again.  Elena smacks him, she tells him to take a look in the mirror, she tells him that she will always love him, but they are just two different people from different worlds.  She asks if she was so wrong for him.  He tells her that he doesn’t know what she is talking about, she tells him it’s about the email he sent her the day they were supposed to get married.  He denies sending an email telling her that he waited hours for her thinking she was dead.  Then he found out she went to Mexico, and they the next thing he knew she was with John Ross.  

Elena tells him that he sent her an email telling her that they were a mistake, and that she only went to Mexico because she couldn’t stand to be there, and she tells him that John Ross found her.  She tells him that she thought she wasn’t good enough.  He tells her that she should never think that.  

Christopher goes to John Ross and grabs him, he tells him that he knows it was him. Christopher tells Bobby that methane is dangerous, but that John Ross is wrong, he tells him that he was going to tell him, and that he isn’t’ moving forward till he can develop a safe technology.  Bobby asks him if he thinks he will find a way to extract the methane, Christopher tells him that he knows that he can do it.  They come out of the office and Bobby tells Marta that the deal is still on and they shake on it.  John Ross walks out.  The wedding goes on, and Christopher and Rebecca are married.

John Ross goes to his father’s room, and finds that he isn’t alone, JR introduces him to Marta again, who has been working with JR this whole time, he asks his father why he never said anything.  JR tells him that he is the successor of the will and that he’s the one who belongs on Southfork.  He tells John Ross that Bobby isn’t stupid, but he is a lot smarter.

 

The red car pulls into a large garage and a woman gets out of the car, she walks out onto the Cowboy’s field, and goes to meet John Ross at the center of the field.  The woman is Marta, she tells him that he was right not to trust JR, and that she hopes that he knows what he’s doing.  He tells her to trust him, that Southfork will be his and that the fun is only beginning.

Final Thoughts:  I thought this was really good, it reintroduced characters we all know, and we got to meet new characters.  I don't really care for the whole cancer storyline, but we'll see where it goes.  It was really great to see all the original actors from the old show.  I hope that we get to see more familiar faces in the future.