Dallas/Conundrum

Conundrum
Season 14, Episodes 22 & 23
Airdate	May 3, 1991
Production Number	446172
Written by	Leonard Katzman
Directed by	Leonard Katzman
← 14x21 The Decline and Fall of the Ewing Empire	M1 → J.R. Returns
Dallas — Season Fourteen

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Conundrum is the twenty-second and twenty-third episodes of the fourteenth season of Dallas, and the three hundred fifty-sixth and three hundred fifty-seventh episodes overall.

Starring in Alphabetical Order: Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Kimberly Foster (Michelle Stevens) (credit only), Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Howard Keel (Clayton Farlow) (credit only), George Kennedy (Carter McKay), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Sasha Mitchell (James Beaumont) (credit only), Cathy Podewell (Cally Ewing), Barbara Stock (Liz Adams) (credit only), Sheree J. Wilson (April Stevens Ewing) (credit only)

Mary Crosby (Kristen Shephard), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Pearce), Joel Grey (Adam), Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs), Jack Scalia (Nicholas Pearce), Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing), Joan Van Ark (Valene Wallace)

Guest Stars: Kim Johnston Ulrich (Bootsie Ewing), Leslie Beavis (Jeanne Lawrence), Patrick Pankhurst (Jason Ewing), Barbara Rhoades (Judy), Richard Lineback (Eli), James Callahan (Mr. Smith), Anthony Addabbo (Jeff Peters-Sue Ellen's Agent), Katherine Justice (Alice Kingdom), Tricia O'Neil (Barbara Barnes), Rosalind Allen (Annie Ewing), Denise Gentile (Courtney), Katherine Cannon (Beth Krebbs), Teri Ann Linn (Kimberly Kavanaugh)

Co-Starring: Herman Poppe (Wally Ford), Jerry Potter (Bartender), Tony Auer (Ted), Edson Stroll (Charlie Haas), James Newell (Walter Kingdom), Robert Neches (Bob), Brioni Farrell (Alice Anne), Virginia Watson (Secretary), Dan Livingston (Edgar), Sylvia Brooks (Carol), Deborah Marie Taylor (Debbie), Christine Joan Taylor (Margaret)

Featuring: Gregory White (Kleever), Stephen Held (Young Man), John Mueller (Harry), Kim Delgado (Stage Manager), Wayne Chou (Gary's Houseboy), Conor Duffy (Little J.R.), Kate Horton (Little Ellie), David Katzman (Bobby, Jr.) Kenyon Moad (Cally's 3 Year Old), Mike Simmrin (Andy Krebbs), Nicolas Read (Cliff Barnes, Jr.), Michael Gonda (Cally's kid #1), Jonathan Gonda (Cally's kid #2), Tim Eyster (Jock Krebbs)

Uncredited: Victoria Principal (Pamela Barnes Ewing) (archive footage)

Plot Overview

Gary becomes the oldest son without J.R. in the picture. He never was much of an oil baron nor had any desire for the cutthroat tactics of his father, and it leads Ewing Oil into ruination. Jock Ewing and Ellie both die, shortly after one another, due to illnesses related to bankruptcy proceedings. However, Gary does find success as a divorce attorney ... and is excellent at it, and without J.R. to torment him he is more than confident. He also finds attraction in a pretty middle-aged woman named Valene ... yes, the same Valene that, in the actual Dallas universe, he met as a teenager and became a father of her daughter before they were out of high school. J.R. wonders why, as Adam tells them there always was a mutual attraction and their destiny was always for each other ... and without J.R. to intervene ... .

Adam also shows J.R. what Callie Harper's life would have been: She never left her impoverished community and was forced to marry a drunken millworker named Eb, with whom she has three young sons. With domestic violence resources non-existent, Callie is at Eb's complete mercy ... and he's not very merciful, until one night, when Eb – after an argument over whether their kids should go to the doctor – declares he's going to beat the hell out of Callie, and then the kids ... but is stopped when Callie shoots Eb dead. J.R. is horrified at the events and that it came to what he says is a self-defense shooting ... until Adam reminds him that there will be no justice for Callie and implies that (in the very least) prison is in her future.

Ray Krebbs never finds out he is Jock's illegitimate son and is unaware of his ties to the Ewings, and becomes an itinerant worker, drifting from job to job, and on the side is a big-time rodeo star. When he becomes injured at an Ewing Oil-sponsored event, Ray becomes a ranch hand, where he struggles to do his work and treated poorly by his unsympathetic bosses. However, there is a silver lining in this: His home life, where he has a wife and children who loved him unconditionally, even if he could not always provide for them. One of his sons is named Jock.

Late in the episode, J.R. is told Bobby had settled his gambling debts and is now in the money. But Adam tells him that Bobby's victory is short-lived: Remember that Bobby is a chronic gambler and, Adam suggests, by the end of the first night with his new fortune, he will have lost everything. J.R. scoffs at the thought of others being successful, including Cliff Barnes as acting president of the United States, a sober Sue Ellen being a successful soap opera actress and so forth, and still is in self pity that he has nothing left.

Adam then suggests to J.R. that he should go ahead and take his life. J.R. balks at Adam's suggestion and doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of sending him back to Heaven. Adam chuckles at that thought and then asks what made him think he was dispatched from Heaven, before laughing evily and revealing that he is really an agent of Satan.

J.R. is jolted awake at this nightmarish ending, then realizes that he still has nothing left. He tries to laugh off his nightmare ... but is it really a nightmare?

Adam appears to J.R., this time in the bedroom mirror and wearing a red suit, becoming more and more demanding that he shoot himself right now and that everyone would be better off without him. Just then, Bobby arrives home, unknown to J.R., as J.R. is still focused on Adam and, having pointed the revolver at his head, pondering whether to pull the trigger. Adam, his eyes glowing red, finally screams out, "DO IT!"

There is a loud gunshot as Bobby is walking upstairs to his room to retire for the night, and then goes to J.R.'s suite. He is shocked at whatever he sees: "Oh my God!"

The aftermath is unseen to viewers, and since this is the last episode ... .

Trivia

Allusions and References

• It's a Wonderful Life: The very antithesis of the legendary 1946 Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart, as a down-on-his-luck banker but all-around good guy George Bailey, who is harassed by by real estate tycoon Henry Potter. When it seems Potter had finally won his battle to ruin George, George attempts to wish he'd never been born and to kill himself, sending his guardian angel, Clarence, into action ... and to show him that his good deeds indeed made a huge positive difference ... and that had he never been born, Potter would become unstoppable in his greed and desire to dominate "Pottersville." This final episode of Dallas is the direct opposite: J.R., facing financial and personal ruin, also wishes out loud he was never born and is considering suicide ... but instead of a good angel coming to dissuade J.R., "Adam" is instead a demon, an agent of Satan, who seemingly only encourages J.R. as he shows how without him how much different the lives of brothers Gary and Bobby, his father and mother Jock and Miss Ellie, ex-wives Sue Ellen Sheppard and Callie Harper, arch enemies Cliff Barnes and Carter McKay, and others including Ray Krebs, Valene Clements (here with the married surname Wallace) and Katherine Sheppard would be.