Recap: Most of this episode is taken up with Tina Louise's superfluous guest appearance as Julie Grey, former Ewing Oil secretary and betrayer. As she lounges around her modest apartment (soon after moving back to Dallas), she calls up the Cattleman's Club and asks her old pal Victor, the maître d', to give her a heads up next time he happens to see Jock Ewing dining at the restaurant. On Sunday morning, Bobby and Pam run into Jock as they head off to play tennis. Jock tells Bobby there are a few stray cattle that need to be herded back to the stables, but Bobby tells him he already took care of that...and adds that he didn't dare wake him up early on a Sunday morning for fear of invoking Miss Ellie's wrath. Jock grunts something unintelligible in reply, then says they're going to have to move the entire herd to a new grazing area. Bobby says he's already on it, and that he instructed Ray to take care of it first thing tomorrow morning. Over in the study, Miss Ellie and Sue Ellen are hosting a Daughters of the Alamo meeting. The women are gabbling about how they're usually apolitical...except, of course, when they're dutifully supporting their husbands' positions. A feisty woman in the group makes a face and asks, "What about our positions? Our opinions?" - hee! You go, sister! - just as Jock ambles into the room to pour himself a drink and ask whassup. Miss Ellie snaps, "Just soda, Jock", and Feisty cheekily informs him, "We're plotting the revolution." Jock asks if their husbands know about this, and Feisty tells him that her husband is too busy to care, given that he and JR are currently locked in a closed door meeting on a Sunday afternoon. Miss Ellie urges Jock to [go away and] lay down and promises to call him when dinner's ready. Lucy is hanging by the pool with a group of friends...and when one of her friends clumsily crashes into the barbecue, Jock appears out of nowhere and starts to move it out of the way. Lucy chides him about straining his tired old body and gets one of her husky male friends to move the barbecue, and Jock frowns unhappily. As the family happily gabbles about their day, Jock stares broodily into space. When he reaches for the salt, Miss Ellie tut tuts him like he's a five year old and reminds him that the doctor told him no salt. Jock frowns in annoyance, then changes the subject and asks JR how his meeting with Feisty's husband went. JR mutters about how there's some oil plugged up on the panhandle...then breezily says to not worry his pretty little head about it. Jock tells him he'd like to be at the next meeting, then mentions that he also needs to make an appointment with his lawyer to update his will so that Sue Ellen's and JR's/Cliff's..? spawn is included as a beneficiary. When JR cautions him about overdoing it, he snaps, "Damn it! I'm not an invalid!" and says he refuses to take orders from anyone. He gruffly declares that he's damn well attending tomorrow's meeting so that he can offer up his outmoded ideas to help solve the oil problem...then angrily shuffles out of the dining room.
A group of white oil men are gathered in JR's office, discussing the plugged up oil well situation. The men discuss fracking, 'cause of how efficient [not to mention awesome for the environment] it is, but Jock suggests it might be better to inject the wells with a little nitrogen. JR disagrees and says that fracking is a faster, cheaper option...and when the rest of the men concur, an irked Jock throws in the towel and exits the office. He asks one of the secretaries to book him his favorite corner table at the Cattleman's Club, then dejectedly heads out. Tina Louise gets a call from Victor, who informs her that Jock Ewing has just made a lunch reservation. She cackles gleefully, then exclaims to Jock as if he were standing in front of her, "You're in for a surprise!" Cattleman's Club. Tina Louise approaches Jock at his table and tentatively asks, "Remember me?" and Jock nods and invites her to join him. She tells him that she just moved back to Dallas after living in New York, then apologizes for her part in the betrayal of Ewing Oil of favor of Cliff Barnes storyline... and Jock just kind of shrugs and concedes that the Ewings have also done some pretty nasty shit to Cliff over the years. The two order lunch, along with a bottle of champagne...and Jock clutches Tina Louise's hand and welcomes her back to Dallas. Three hours later, Jock and Tina Louise are the only customers left in the Cattleman's Club, deeply immersed in conversation. She tells him she didn't like New York and missed her friends in Dallas, and Jock fills her in about Sue Ellen's pregnancy and says he's looking forward to gruffly romping around the ranch with his grandson. He lights up a cigar and chuckles about how Miss Ellie would blow a gasket if she ever saw him smoking, then sadly adds, "I don't do much of anything lately." Tina Louise wanks him about how virile and strong he still is, but Jock grumbles about how most of his life is behind him now - while she, on the other hand, has everything ahead of her. She flashes him a coquettish smile and says she hasn't been this happy in a long time, then announces that she's off to do some shopping. Jock perks up and asks her if she'd like company, and she chirps, "I'd love it!"
It's 6:30pm, and Miss Ellie is wringing her hands with worry 'cause Jock hasn't returned home yet. She wails, "I can't imagine what he's spending the entire day doing!" a few seconds before Jock breezes through the door, his arms filled with shopping bags. He ignores the wigged out look on Miss Ellie's face and casually asks, "What's for dinner?" The next day, Jock meets up with Tina Louise for lunch, and the two chit-chat about her upcoming job interview (he offers to put in a good word to the prospective boss, she declines and says she'd like to do it on her own). Bobby and Pam enter the restaurant, quickly spot the two, then stare at each other and are all, "Wha-at's going on?" and make a beeline over to their table. Bobby shoots Tina Louise a brazen look of disdain, so she hastily explains that Jock has forgiven her for her betrayal in Season 1 and hopes that he will too. Bobby politely says, "Of course", and a happy looking Jock tells him he's planning to stop by Ewing Oil later for an impromptu meeting. As he and Tina Louise stroll off together, Bobby changes his default blank expression to one of grave concern. Ewing Oil. Bobby blabs to JR that he saw Jock and Tina Louise eating lunch together, and that he just tried to reach Jock at Southfork but was told he isn't home yet. JR furrows his brows suspiciously...and when Bobby says he doubts that their grizzled daddy would mess around with another woman - 'cause eww the visual - JR says he's only human, and that he wouldn't put it past Tina Louise to lure the old man into the sack to carve out a 'sugar daddy/kept woman' dynamic. Jock escorts Tina Louise to her apartment and tells her that he's greatly enjoying their three hours lunches. He suddenly realizes he missed his meeting with Bobby, then chuckles and tells her she's the first woman who's ever made him miss an appointment. She gives him a squeeze, gushes about what a good friend he is, and the two arrange to get together the next day. When Jock arrives home that evening, Bobby and JR tell him that his daily excursions into the city are causing Miss Ellie angst and therefore have to stop...and Jock tells them to go pee up a rope and that since he's a grown fucking man he has no intention of answering to them about his personal business or comings/goings. JR (pot) snidely says he's pretty sure he knows what this "personal business" is all about, and Jock (kettle) snaps at him for being a disrespectful little snot. Miss Ellie appears on the patio and asks Jock why he didn't call, and he tells her he had a lovely day and that she needn't fret every time he spends a few hours away from the ranch. After the two go inside, JR covertly tells Bobby he's pretty sure that the old man is getting is getting his wick dipped. Tina Louise receives a flower delivery with a card that reads Welcome home, pretty lady...and a few seconds later, JR appears at her front door to make sure she knows that he was the sender. She looks less than thrilled to see him and says, "I figured you'd turn up" ... and he invites himself inside, pours himself a drink, and gives her a from-behind hug while telling her he's missed her. She tells him she heard about Sue Ellen's pregnancy, then asks him what he's doing here...and he gets all pissy and asks, "What are you doing with my daddy?" She admits that her initial motivation in befriending Jock was to bring him (JR) running...but after a few marathon lunches and shopping excursions, she realized she actually enjoys the old man's company. She says he's lonely and has a wife who treats him like a child and a family that treats him like an invalid...then contorts her face all pouty-like and purrs, "I treat him like a man." She chuckles and tauntingly tells JR she knows he's probably worried about the red file, and that Jock would be royally pissed if he ever learned that he tampered with his will 'cause he wants to turn Southfork into an oil field once the old man dies. She then pronounces to JR that things are different now...and that she's no longer going to sit around, waiting for him to drop by every now and then for a quickie. JR accuses her of taking advantage of Jock, and she shoots back, "He's twice the man you ever were" ... and a miffed looking JR says he hasn't yet gotten what he came for. Tina Louise sternly retorts, "And you're not going to!", but JR argues that sooner or later he always gets what he wants, then stalks out of the apartment.
Jock returns to the house after a morning run and tells JR he's tired of sitting around the ranch and wants to go back to work. JR snarkishly asks him if that's his idea or Tina Louise's...and when Jock's all, "Wuh?" JR warns him to stay away from the woman 'cause she's nothing but trouble. Jock insists that they're just friends, but JR says it's impossible for a woman that inherently sultry to remain just friends with any man. He calls her dirt and says the only thing she's interested in is "money and more money", and Jock snaps, "She's a fine lady!" and stubbornly insists on continuing their lunches and day trips to the mall. He storms into the house and runs into Miss Ellie, who concernedly asks him what he and JR were arguing about. When he refuses to fill her in, she goes out to the patio to ask JR whassup with all the arguing, and he comes right out and says, "We have a problem." He tells her that Jock has been lunching and shopping with Tina Louise, his hot new gal pal, and Miss Ellie looks appalled and upset at the revelation, then orders him to never speak of this to anyone ever again. Jock is getting himself all dolled up when Miss Ellie enters the bedroom and says they need to talk. He's like, "No can do" and tells her he's heading into town. She asks him what he does all day in the city, and he says it doesn't concern her...and that when they got married, he made it clear that he was going to err on the side of being a rude dickwad of a husband and not answer to her about anything. Ever. He gives her a tiny peck on the lips and heads out...and Miss Ellie stares after him sadly, then goes over to the phone to summon Tina Louise to Southfork for a stern, woman-to-woman talkin' to. Tina Louise tells the Ewing matriarch that, despite her very milquetoasty aura, she's rather intimidated to be in the same room with her. She assures her that she and Jock are strictly platonic friends...and that all they do is shop, lunch, get mannies/peddies, and generally make each other feel needed. Miss Ellie looks stricken by the admission and orders her to stop spending time with her husband immediately. Tina Louise goes, "Why?" then says, according to Jock, whenever he's home he's constantly being nagged about overdoing it...whereas to her, he's The Great Jock Ewing, and it means a lot to her to have his friendship. She challenges Miss Ellie to deny that ever since they've started hanging out, Jock has seemed younger, higher energy, and a lot happier. Miss Ellie says she can't argue with any of that, then says it's precisely why their non-affair is a lot more serious than she first thought. Jock is at a jewelry store, shopping for something glittery to give to Tina Louise. He then stops by Ewing Oil for no real purpose and gets lectured by Bobby for spending so much time with his new girlfriend. Jock gruffly insists that he's not cheating on Miss Ellie, and that his personal life is none of his business...and a few minutes later, Miss Ellie arrives at Ewing Oil to try to settle this dull-as-fuck platonic dating situation. She tells Jock she spoke with Tina Louise earlier and wants their friendship to stop asap. She says she realizes they aren't hitting the sheets or anything...but since Tina Louise is so young and impossibly sexy, she knows that things wouldn't stay platonic forever. She then reminds him that dinner at Southfork is served every night at 6pm and insists that he be there...but he defiantly tells her he has other plans, then makes a beeline for the exit. Miss Ellie stares after him looking startled and teary.
Dinner at Southfork is quiet and awkward, and everyone keeps glancing over at Jock's empty chair. Lucy asks to be excused from the table so she can pretend to study, then makes a break for it. JR finally snaps and says he's had enough of this awkwardness. He says they all know that Jock is hanging with Tina Louise right now, then demands to know what Miss Ellie is going to do about it. Miss Ellie admonishes him for meddling in her marriage, says she'll manage her life as she sees fit, then flees the dining room in tears. An incensed Bobby grabs JR by the collar and tells him to butt out of their mother's life, and Pam's all, "Ack!" and grabs Bobby, then drags him away from JR before any punching can occur. Miss Ellie is sitting on her bed, staring sadly into space. Pam drops by her room to give her a quick pep talk and remind her about the disturbing story she once told her about needing to horse-whip Jock into submission when he dragged his feet about proposing to her after he knocked her up. She asks, "What happened to that [psychotic] woman?" and Miss Ellie smiles her dumb vacant smile and says, "She's here" and gives Pam a quick hug before exiting the room. Jock is over at Tina Louise's apartment, being served a snack. He grimly tells her he's not very hungry, and that he probably shouldn't have dropped by since he's such lousy company. He hands her a small box...and she opens it, squeals at the pretty necklace inside, and happily puts it around her neck. She then puts her solemn face on and asks him if this is a goodbye present, and he just kind of shrugs and says he has no idea why he purchased it. He tells her that their friendship has meant a lot to him - but that the producers have zero intention of stretching this asexual, May-December yawnfest into another episode. Tina Louise nods sympathetically and says it's understandable, then urges him to toddle off home. He nods and says, "I'll call you tomorrow", but Tina Louise quickly says, "No you won't" ... and Jock pauses to stare at her for a few seconds, mutely agrees, then leaves the apartment.
Miss Ellie exits a taxi in front of Tina Louise's apartment building and encounters Jock while on his way out. He wryly asks her if she has her horse-whip with her...and when she [jokingly, but probably not] asks him if he just did something that requires a whipping, he quickly says no. Jock apologizes for latching onto a pretty young woman and hanging with her for so much of the episode, and Miss Ellie says it probably wasn't all his fault...and then the two hug, kiss, and climb into his car together. JR, meanwhile, is watching the tender moment from across the street...and when his parents are safely out of viewing range, he enters the apartment building and knocks on Tina Louise's door. When she answers, she irritably reminds him she ordered him to stay away...and he responds by barging in, pinning her against the wall, and forcibly kissing her. She cries, "I don't want you!" - but then a few seconds later looks really into the forcible kissing. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
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