Dallas (1978)

J.R. is a prime suspect for murder as the mystery of the body in the Southfork swimming pool is unraveled. Both Cliff and J.R. accuse each other of the foul play involved in this misdeed.

J.R. and Cliff Barnes face each other at the inquest held to establish the facts behind the death in the Southfork swimming pool. J.R. has other problems on his mind as he plots to recover the custody of his son while Cliff is faced with the fact that he apparently is washed up in Dallas with even Afton Cooper turning her back on him. Lucy refuses to give up on her marriage to Mitch and looks to Donna for advice and the Ewings find that Clayton Farlow and his son, Dusty, can be powerful adversaries.

With the help of Miss Ellie, J.R. gains entry to the ranch domain of Clayton Farlow. In order to see John Ross, J.R. cons his mother into letting him accompany her to the Southern Cross and then tries to use her as a shield to snatch his son and return to Southfork. Back in Dallas, Afton helps her brother, Mitch, celebrate his graduation from medical school while Lucy struggles desperately to find ways of salvaging her marriage to him.

Even Miss Ellie seems to have lost all patience with J.R., which could severely hamper him in the custody fight for his son. As J.R. prepares to challenge Sue Ellen for temporary custody of John Ross, his plans for discrediting her backfire. Meanwhile, Bobby desperately tries to find an adoptive child for Pam and himself as his wife's emotional stability declines to the extent where she obviously needs medical help.

J.R. uses his power to try and force the Farlows to stop protecting Sue Ellen and John Ross. Unknown to J.R., Sue Ellen's relationship with Dusty is already being adversely affected by his feelings of inadequacy. Bobby is having troubles of his own, Pam has a life-threatening emotional breakdown and he has to deal with a possible extortionist after receiving a baffling piece of mail. Cliff Barnes' new role as head of Wentworth Tool and Die does not sit well with his new found half-sister, Katherine, and Mitch considers a new approach to his medical career in the hope of getting Lucy back.

In his vendetta against the Farlows for harboring Sue Ellen and his son, J.R. puts Ewing Oil on the line by secretly attempting to borrow $200 million to dry up the supply of oil to the Farlow refineries. Bobby buys information about Kristin's baby while his wife meets her half-sister in the hospital where Pam is under Dr. Conrad's care. Ray decides to try his business project alone when Punk Anderson is forced to pull out until an uneasy Donna convinces him to let her be his partner.

J.R.'s scheming seems to be backfiring when his efforts to force the Farlows to stop harboring Sue Ellen and his son don't work and the stockpile of crude oil he is withholding from the Farlow refineries threatens the Ewing fortunes. Dr. Conrad reports that Pam could be heading for a serious depression and Bobby continues to gather information about the identity of the father of Kristin's child. Lucy is delighted that Mitch will remain close to her in Dallas as an intern with Dr. Waring and Donna and Ray inspect the land on which they plan to build townhouses.

The Ewing family learns that Jock has instituted a plan which dramatically affects their relationships and the future of Ewing Oil. Most affected by Jock's new scheme is J.R. whose freehanded ways with the company could be at an end. Bobby declines to run for reelection to the senate and receives more information about Kristin's past. Pam's emotional stability seems improved but Dr. Conrad remains very concerned and Donna's book is accepted for publication but she doesn't know that Ray has run into trouble on their development project.

A triumphant Cliff Barnes forces J.R. to submit his demands for Ewing Oil property or face foreclosure on the note which Barnes now holds. J.R. tries to solidify his power base in Ewing Oil by plotting to acquire more voting shares but Gary and Ray refuse to be coerced. Ray is facing a serious business setback as Donna, unaware of her husband's dilemma, flies to meet with her new publisher. Bobby's investigation of Kristin's past turns up startling information which links her to J.R. even after she had fled Dallas.

Miss Ellie discovers that J.R.'s irresponsible wheeling and dealing has put Ewing Oil on the brink of financial disaster. With the intention of helping Ray out of his own financial crisis, Ellie tries to loan him money from the Ewing account and is shocked at its condition. J.R. desperately consults a stock broker about going public with Ewing Oil to rid it of Cliff Barnes' note. Meanwhile, Bobby is stunned when he finally learns the truth about Kristin's baby, while Pam arranges to get discharged from the hospital against Dr. Conrad's advice.

J.R.'s position at Ewing Oil hangs in the balance when Ellie takes matters into her own hands. An angry, determined Miss Ellie calls the family together to vote on whether J.R. should be removed as the company's president when it looks like he will be forced to default on his loan. Meanwhile, J.R. plots to gain custody of his son now that Sue Ellen has left the protection of the Farlows and Bobby becomes aware of the difficulties he and Pam have ahead of them in adopting Kristin's child without Pam learning of its parentage. Ray has no choice but to pull out of the townhouse development deal, leaving Donna angered by his refusal to confide in her.

Miss Ellie plans the annual Ewing Barbecue to coincide with Jock's expected return to Southfork. The barbecue gets underway with all of the intrigues inherent at most of the big Ewing functions. J.R. and Sue Ellen find a renewed interest in each other while Cliff Barnes realizes that he may still love Sue Ellen. Lucy is annoyed when Mitch is called away by a patient and Ray gets drunk and embarrasses Donna.

The Ewings are unable to accept the fact that their father, Jock, could be dead, and J.R., Bobby, and Ray fly to South America to see the crash site and determine his fate. In South America the Ewing sons find an injured man at the crash site who tells them his small plane collided with a helicopter which crashed into the lake. Ray and Bobby dive into the lake and find pieces of a helicopter and evidence that their father was a passenger. It is J.R. who has the most trouble accepting the reality of his father's mortality.

Jock's death has a devastating effect on J.R. and Bobby has to cover for himself as well as his brother in running Ewing Oil. J.R. is unable to deal even with the simplest of business demands in his grief. In the meantime, the rest of the family is puzzled at Miss Ellie's calmness in dealing with her husband's death and Bobby realizes that she is refusing to accept its reality. Cliff, ecstatic at his victory over J.R., tries to renew his relationship with Sue Ellen, who is having troubles coping with her new single life. Ray and Donna's marriage begins to fall apart with Donna's continued success as a writer and Ray's increasing depression over being a failure, and a drunken J.R. terrifies Sue Ellen by demanding Jock's only grandson be returned to Southfork.

With J.R.'s continued absence from the business and Ray's apathy and negligence toward the running of the ranch, Bobby is both struggling to keep Ewing Oil afloat without the authority to make decisions and trying to keep the operation of Southfork running smoothly. Bobby tries to convince Ellie to let him take over as temporary President of Ewing Oil until J.R. recovers from Jock's death but Ellie vehemently refuses putting added pressure on Bobby.

A recovered J.R. brings John Ross to the Ewing Oil offices to introduce him to what he hopes is his son's future. Later, when he tells Sue Ellen about it, she is far from delighted. Lucy's photography sessions continue with Roger becoming increasingly obsessive. Ellie becomes aware of Ray's continued negligence toward the ranch and angrily confronts him about it. After being pressured by Pam to find out more about Christopher's parents, Bobby consults his lawyer friend again and is referred to a lawyer specializing in adoption.

J.R. tries to convince Donna that the only way to save her marriage is to persuade Ray to give his ten voting shares to J.R., thereby severing his ties to the Ewings. Bobby has his first meeting with Eccles about adopting Christopher telling him the child's mother is dead and the father unknown. Donna leaves Southfork to work on her new book and Lucy gets angry when she sees Mitch with another woman.

J.R., behind the scenes, gets a job offer for Cliff to get him out of Southfork so he can make a move to rekindle his relationship with Sue Ellen. Ray is caught with another woman by Donna and Lucy confronts Evelyn about Mitch. Bobby surprises Pam with her own business -- an aerobic dance salon -- pointing out she is now able to work and be with Christopher at the same time.

J.R. has Ray arrested during one of his binges then shows up at jail and persuades a distraught Ray to sign over his ten voting shares in Ewing Oil. Cliff discovers J.R.'s plot to get him a phony job with Olco Industries. Roger's obsession with Lucy becomes increasingly warped and he becomes irate after she tells him she can't see him one night. Bobby wins temporary custody of Christopher at the adoption hearing.

J.R. returns to Southfork where the family is celebrating Christopher's adoption which serves to depress him further as he realizes he may be a long way from having his own son back. Ray cleans up his act and starts to put his life back together. Mitch shows up at one of Lucy's photo sessions and tells her he wants a divorce.

Katherine looks for J.R.'s help because Cliff has taken over Wentworth Tool and Dye. Donna uncovers a secret in the pasts of the Ewings and Culvers while Clayton does some investigating to find out if Cliff is good for Sue Ellen. Farraday attempts to blackmail Bobby about Christopher and Lucy gets threatened by Roger.

J.R., through his manipulations, dupes Cliff into spending millions on a phony land deal. Farraday meets with Bobby and wants money and a ticket to Rio while Cliff proposes marriage to Sue Ellen. J.R.'s belief about the true parents of Christopher leads him to a blackmail plan to garner the control of Ewing Oil. Lucy is kidnapped by a crazed Roger when she is granted a new photographer.

Bobby Ewing's worst fears are realized when Farraday is murdered but a much worse blackmailer takes his place, his brother, J.R. With copies of Christopher's adoption records in his possession, J.R. realizes that he is probably the real father and now he can force Bobby to do his will so that Pam will never find out. J.R. also believes he will soon have a clear field to get Sue Ellen back with Clayton Farlow leaving town and Cliff Barnes well on the road to ruin. Donna faces Miss Ellie with her findings on Jock's early career and a deep rift is created between the two women.

Bobby is in a difficult position when he is questioned by the police about the extent of his involvement with Farraday. Lucy is released from her bondage after she is found by Pam and Bobby. Cliff realizes he is facing ruin and tries to borrow money from Sue Ellen, which J.R. uses to try and win Sue Ellen back even as he draws the net around Barnes even tighter. Donna is distressed at Ellie's continued coolness and Bobby is contacted by underworld figures.

Miss Ellie makes a decision on the book Donna is working on and comes to accept that Jock has died. The police recruit Bobby's help in setting up a plan to catch Farraday's killers and Cliff is fired by his mother for embezzlement. J.R. continues his efforts to win back Sue Ellen.

Cliff is devastated by Sue Ellen's return to J.R. and when Afton visits him she makes a shocking discovery. Bobby comes clean and reveals Christopher's true parentage to Pam. Clayton makes a return to Southfork and Lucy admits to a terrible secret.