Recap: Jock and Ray are on horseback, herding cattle on the Southfork ranch with the aid of a helicopter flying overhead. Elsewhere on the estate, the womenfolk are hosting a charity committee meeting. They vote on whether or not to have a dance during a fundraiser, then adjourn. Pam, who does her best not to look bored stiff, announces to Sue Ellen and Miss Ellie that she's going to call Bobby to see if he wants to meet up for lunch. Sue Ellen frowns disapprovingly and tells her that men don't like their wives calling them at the office, and Pam refrains from rolling her eyes and politely thanks her for her "experienced opinion". Ewing Oil. Bobby looks deep in thought as he studies a giant map of Texas. When Pam calls to ask him if he's free for lunch, he declines and says he has an important meeting with JR and two Texas cronies (aptly named Willie Joe and Jeb). After the call, Bobby barges into JR's office and remarks on all the land Ewing Oil owns, so JR explains that Jock bought up as much land as he could during a time when there was a demand for oil leases. Bobby suggests putting the non oil field properties to good use, and JR's like, "Yeah, whatever" and tells him he needs to take a meeting, like pronto, with someone from Luke Hailey Freight Lines about some missing rigs. Bobby says he'd much rather attend the meeting with Willie Joe and Jeb, but JR insists that the freight line meeting requires his immediate attention. Bobby acquiesces and storms out of the office just as Willie Joe and Jeb arrive. JR greets the two yokels in an over-the-top, jovial fashion and suggests they go out for lunch and then indulge in a steam bath (er...OK) and he tells his secretary to call his wife and let her know he won't be home for dinner. Meanwhile, when Bobby returns to the office after his freight line meeting, he's furious to learn that JR excluded him from his lunch/steam bath plans. The next morning, Sue Ellen is irritably slamming drawers closed as she bitches at a hungover JR for staying out until 4:00am. He reminds her it was for business related reasons, but she doesn't buy that and huffily says she's off to meet Miss Ellie to go to another of their charity meetings. She needlessly adds that Pam is no longer invited 'cause she doesn't seem to fit in. Pam is enjoying a swim in the Southfork pool while Bobby sits nearby and does paperwork. She tells him she's having lunch with her old boss, Liz Craig, in lieu of sitting through another boring luncheon with Sue Ellen. Bobby remarks that she's been having lunch with Liz Craig a lot lately and asks her if she's contemplating going back to work. Pam asks, "Is that bad?" and Bobby replies, in a totally non-jokey way 'cause it's 1978, "Hmm...I'm going to have to think about that." He then takes a call from a developer named Harold about possibly building apartment complexes on some of the empty land owned by Ewing Oil, and proposes they get together to discuss it further. Bobby drives over to the stables to talk to Jock about his development ideas, and proposes creating a separate company to coordinate all the construction. Jock asks him if he's spoken to JR about this, and Bobby says he has no real desire to discuss it with JR 'cause he never includes him in his various business dealings...plus, they always seem to be in conflict about everything. Jock says he doesn't like the sound of that, but Bobby's just like, "Tough nuts" and says he has a plane to catch. He promises his daddy he'll update him later and rushes off...and Jock stomps toward the house looking a lot grumpier than usual. JR is on the patio, making himself a raw egg concoction to soothe his hangover. Jock asks him where he was all night...and when JR tells him about his swingin' night on the town, he grumbles about what shady lowlifes Willie Joe and Jeb are, who apparently are nothing like their sainted fathers. He demands to know where Bobby fits into his non-stop partying with the Texas cronies, then snarks that he knows full well he's been excluding his brother from important Ewing Oil business. He then informs his eldest son that Bobby is talking about branching out and starting a construction firm, and JR's all, "Wha-a?" and says this is the first he's heard of it. Jock makes it clear that he wants his sons (uh, minus Gary) to work together...and when JR starts whining about how little experience Bobby has, Jock reminds him that Ewing Oil is a family business. As the two bicker back and forth, Jock suddenly clutches his chest and contorts his face in a fake, funny looking mask of pain and starts moaning unintelligibly. JR asks him if he's OK, but Jock is unable to answer and collapses...and JR rushes over to the phone and barks at the operator to send an ambulance to the Southfork ranch asap.
Lucy scrunches her face concernedly when she notices an ambulance arrive at the ranch...but doesn't pursue obtaining any actual information. She calls the place where Sue Ellen and Miss Elllie are attending a charity committee meeting and tells them about the ambulance sighting, and Sue Ellen says she should probably alert Bobby. The ambulance arrives at the hospital, and the paramedics quickly wheel Jock into the ER while JR chases after them. Pam tells Liz Craig she loves being married to Bobby, then grimaces and says, "Southfork's another story." She admits to being bored to tears at the ranch, so Liz offers her a job at her store - but before Pam can reply, she gets a call from one of the secretaries at Ewing Oil about Jock's collapse. Hospital. Miss Ellie and Sue Ellen arrive at the ER, and Pam rushes in shortly afterward and informs the family that Bobby isn't here 'cause he flew to Houston for a quick business trip. Lucy runs into the stables shrieking, "Ray!" and says she needs someone to talk to and canoodle with, but Ray irritably tells her to go pee up a rope 'cause he's got a ranch to run. She tries to hug him and then whimpers about how scared she is, but he pushes her away and says, "Not now." She tells him how frightened she is about getting old, and Ray tells her that since Jock could be dying at this very moment, her thoughts should probably be on him, not herself. She throws herself at him one last time and says she desperately wants to feel alive - as in, not old - and Ray snaps, "So does Jock!" and stalks off.
The Ewing family doctor, who has rushed to the hospital to monitor Jock's heart situation, tells the family that their patriarch had a heart attack...and that he's recommending moving him to a better hospital. JR snarks at Pam about Bobby's absence and the way "he started in on him him"...and then nonsensically blames her for putting her husband up to it. Pam makes a beeline over to the nearest pay phone and tries to get a hold of Bobby. On the way to Dallas Memorial Hospital, Miss Ellie rides with Jock in the back of the ambulance and implores him not to die. JR paces the waiting room while the womenfolk patiently sit still...and a few minutes later, the doctor comes out and tells them that Jock is being stabilized before undergoing more tests. He urges them to go home and get some rest...and when Miss Ellie says she'd prefer to stay, he tells her that Jock would not like the idea of her sitting vigil. JR blames Bobby for upsetting Jock with his "development scheme", but Bobby denies saying anything that would have worked up their father to the point of having a heart attack. Willie Jo and Jeb, meanwhile, arrive at the hospital...and after the requisite niceties and faux concern about Jock, they tell JR they'd like to take a look at the red file. JR tries to explain that his mind isn't really on business at the moment...but when the yokels insist, he promises to pull the file and call them later. Bobby tiptoes into Jock's hospital room. He caresses his father's head then kisses his forehead while whispering, "Sorry, daddy." In the next scene, Bobby returns to Southfork and joins forces with Ray to herd the cattle. At the house, Pam asks Miss Ellie if she's seen Bobby, and Miss Ellie tells her he's cattle herding with Ray. Pam remarks on how guilty Bobby feels about possibly causing Jock's heart attack and that she's very worried about him...and Miss Ellie says she has bigger things on her mind and snappishly tells Pam that Bobby is her responsibility and that she alone has to handle it. She then dials back her bitchitude and says she has to get back to the hospital, then goofily grins as she says, "Jock gets peeved when I'm not around when he wakes up in the morning." That...was kind of a weird thing to share.
Miss Ellie tells Jock he needs to undergo a few more tests, after which the doctors may have to open him up. She then tells him that Bobby's been cattle herding with Ray, and Jock frowns and says he's worried he's been a bad father...then moans about his failure at allowing Gary to become a drunken drifter. Miss Ellie concedes that while he definitely screwed the pooch with Gary, JR has done wonders with Ewing Oil, and Bobby is loving working at the ranch. Jock orders her to keep the family (minus Gary, I guess) together if he dies...and then the two marvel about how long they've been married and agree it's been a good life. Southfork. Pam asks Bobby why he didn't visit Jock in the hospital yesterday, and he mutters, "He doesn't need a crowd." She asks him if he's hanging out at the ranch 'cause he feels guilty about Jock's heart attack, and Bobby casts his head down and says he could have killed him. Pam assures him it's not his fault, then hugs him and says, "Pleeeease...he needs you now" and they both tear up. Jock is gabbling with a gaggle of old cronies who have come to visit, until the nurse tells them they have to leave 'cause they're being too disruptive. Bobby arrives and lets Jock know how much everyone at Southfork misses him...and when Jock asks him how the new construction firm is shaping up, Bobby tells him it's on the back burner for now. Bank. JR opens a safety deposit box and pulls out what looks like the red file. Pam is in the living room at Southfork, working on some sketches when Sue Ellen enters the house looking visibly drunk. She twirls around the foyer and goes upstairs, then walks back down as though she's making a grand entrance before an adoring crowd. Pam tries not to laugh as she asks her whassup with her debutante act, then tells her she's considering going back to work - unlike a certain someone who's just sitting around waiting for Jock to die so she can become the lady of the manor. Sue Ellen snarks, "You have a disgusting mouth" so Pam asks her what the heck she was doing on the stairs just now...and Sue Ellen sneers that when she takes over Southfork, her first order of business will be to throw her out. Miss Ellie, who looks like she overheard the conversation, suddenly appears at the top of the stairs and sternly declares, "No one is taking over. Not while I'm alive." Sue Ellen looks up at her sheepishly and quietly scampers upstairs, and Miss Ellie comes downstairs, shaking her head in mock bewilderment and smiling at Pam as if to say, "Do you believe that wily scamp?"
JR meets up with Willie Jo and Jeb to hand over the red file, which contains Jock's will. Apparently, it gives JR the rights to all the land owned by Ewing Oil, which seems kind of unfair of the crotchety old coot. What about Bobby or Gary? The two yokels look relieved and say they just wanted to make sure Jock didn't change anything in his will. It remains unclear why any of this is their business, or why JR thought his father's will is any of their business. Hospital. The doctor tells Miss Ellie that Jock has a blockage in his artery and needs a bypass graft. He assures her he's a tough man, and that if the surgery is successful, he'll be able to lead a normal life. Miss Ellie tells Jock the surgery is routine...but he gruffly says if he dies, he won't be able to blame anyone but himself. Well...with all the drinking and cigarette smoking we've seen you do thus far in the series, no fucking duh, Jock. Miss Ellie heads over to the waiting room to let everyone know that Jock is in surgery. She then says she'd rather wait alone, and urges them to go home until the doctors finish operating. After everyone leaves, Miss Ellie sits alone and stares into space looking tearfully worried. Bobby strolls down the street with Pam and recalls memories of his childhood, and all the special things the old coot has done for him. Pam remarks on the very special relationship he and his father have...and then Bobby starts bitching about how JR is up to something shady, which is probably why he's being excluded from meetings with Willie Joe and Jeb, who he refers to as sharks. Willy Joe and Jeb drive JR to the hospital and stroke his ego by insisting he'll be bigger than Jock ever was. As JR makes his way inside the hospital, he runs into Bobby, who snarks at him for conducting secretive business with Willie Joe and Jeb, who he accuses of "circling the hospital like vultures". Operating room. Jock's heart briefly gives out, but the doctor shocks it with paddles and successfully brings the geezer back to life. Phew. Post surgery/recovery, the Ewings line up outside the hospital as they wait for their patriarch to be wheeled out. When he makes his appearance, Lucy squeals happily and hugs her grandfather, who then turns toward Bobby and asks him if he's quitting Ewing Oil. Bobby says he's going to focus on the ranch for the foreseeable future, and JR perks up at that tidbit. And so...to recap: Jock had a heart attack, underwent surgery, and is totally fine now. And that's pretty much all that happened during this pointless hour of television. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
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