Recap: JR has a freakout on the phone with whoever he's talking to when he learns that a typhoon has struck Ewing Oil's Asian drilling platforms and caused major damage...and that it's estimated to cost the company 500K a day until the rigs become operational again. A panicked JR barks, "If we don't strike oil in the next week, Ewing Oil is out of business!" ... and after he slams the phone down, Kristin cooingly tries to comfort him - but he tells her to skedaddle 'cause he has a lot more important calls he needs to make. Once she's out of earshot, he calls up Alan Beam, who's in bed canoodling with Lucy, and says they need to meet up asap. Miss Ellie runs into Ray at the stables and asks him why he hasn't started building a forever home on the plot of land Jock gave him last season, and Ray says he doesn't want to build a big house just to rattle around in all by himself. Miss Ellie urges him to lay down roots, regardless of his inability to attract a live woman, and reminds him that land is a precious thing to own. JR and Alan meet on the side of a quiet road to discuss the Cliff for Congress Situation. Alan assures JR that it's "the beginning of the end" for Cliff at the OLM and will need just 25K to wrap up the faux campaign. JR grumbles about how much money he's poured into this scheme, but then opens his briefcase and hands Alan several stacks of cash. He sternly tells Alan he expects results within the week. Bobby arrives at work and asks Kristin if JR is around...and when she shrugs cluelessly and says he's out somewhere, he asks to speak with her privately. Inside his office he asks her again where JR is, what she knows about the southeast Asia deal, and if anyone from the cartel is in on the deal...and when she just stares at him blankly and goes, "Dunno", he accuses her of lying and barks, "I need answers!" Kristin gets upset and snarks back that she doesn't deserve to be treated this way, and Bobby brusquely dismisses her and irritably says he's off to have lunch with Jordan Lee to see if he's able to squeeze any intel from that dumb fossil. Over lunch at a fast food joint, Cliff tells Pam he's making a speech tonight...and that if he senses a high level of support from the important ecology groups in attendance, he'll formally declare his intention to run for Congress. Pam wryly says that his resignation from the OLM is bound to make JR and Jock happy, then implores him not to walk away from his plum job. Cliff points out that he can do a lot more damage to the Ewings as a congressman, then changes the subject and says he really really wants to talk to Sue Ellen this episode. After muttering about how she doesn't want to get involved with anything extramarital affair related, she "lets it slip" that Sue Ellen has therapy appointments with Dr. Ellby several times a week, then sashays off without eating her fast food. Kristin tearfully recounts for JR how angry Bobby was at her when he questioned her about the southeast Asia deal...and JR looks relieved when she assures him she didn't spill the beans about anything. He gives her a dry hanky, offers to take her home, and gives her a smooch. Over lunch with Jordan Lee, Bobby pretends to float the idea of the cartel drilling for oil overseas, and Jordan says he can't afford that kind of gamble...and to his knowledge, JR is the only cartel member who's taken actual steps in that direction. He tells Bobby that JR used "something real big" as collateral, and Bobby turns ashen-faced as he stares worriedly into space. Bobby heads straight to the Hall of Records and quickly learns that JR has mortgaged Southfork in order to finance Ewing Oil's overseas drilling. Alan and Cliff are watching a replay of Cliff's recent 'I may possibly run for Congress' speech, during which he remarks on all of the support he's been getting for a prospective run. Alan tells him that the money has been pouring in and asks how much longer the writers are going to drag out deciding whether or not he'll make his candidacy official, and Cliff promises to let him know before the end credits roll. Bobby is waiting for JR on the patio when he returns home and demands answers about mortgaging Southfork. He thrusts a stack of papers at him and orders him to explain this abomination, and JR mutters something about the mortgage being a mere formality. When Jock and Miss Ellie come outside to see what the ruckus is all about, Bobby blurts out that JR is planning to drill for oil in southeast Asia...and that he was able to raise $100 million by mortgaging Southfork. Miss Ellie's all, "Wha-a-a-a?!" and looks alarmed, while Jock growls about how angry he is...but somehow refrains from pointing out how implausible it is that no one from the bank would bother to at least inform either him or Miss Ellie of such a major re-mortgaging, given that his and/or Miss Ellie's name would surely be listed on the property's deed. JR meekly says he didn't want to trouble him, and insists that the overseas deal is well worth the risk...but in the next breath admits it'll be a miracle if they're able to make the first mortgage payment, given that a monster typhoon has just wiped out a bunch of their oil rigs. LOL. Jock stares mournfully into space and moans, "We're finished.." but Miss Ellie sassily declares that she has no intention of losing her beloved ranch over a stupid oil deal. As she and JR wander into the house, Jock tells Bobby he blames himself for being the moron who taught JR everything he knows about business, and that he never thought to teach him when to stop. Sue Ellen smugly tells JR, "You've finally done it" ... and by it she means lost everything. JR breezily says it will all turn out fine - but Sue Ellen argues that, for the first time, she senses fear in his voice. He snarls at her to go to sleep 'cause of how haggard she always looks when she doesn't get her full eight hours - meow - and Sue Ellen mockingly asks him if he's planning to spend the entire night with Kristin, who's never actually contemplated the idea of bedding a poor man. JR shoots her the stink-eye before storming out of the room. OMG, please get divorced. Bobby tells Pam he figures every Ewing could probably bear the pain of losing Southfork - except for Miss Ellie. He mournfully adds that he doesn't see a way out of this pickle, then watches JR storm over to his car and squeal off into the night. Bobby muses on how ironic it is that it's JR himself who's about to destroy Ewing family...and I can't help but wonder if Pam is secretly tempted to do a happy dance, now that it looks like she and Bobby have an excuse to no longer live under her in-laws' roof and finally get a damn house of their own. JR arrives at Kristin's condo and snappishly tells her to get rid of whatever man-whore she currently has stashed in her bedroom, and Kristin looks insulted and assures him that he's the only man she's currently whoring herself with. She starts railing about how mean Bobby was to her during his earlier inquisition, and JR tells her to not be so hard on his simpleton of a brother, who sees everything as black or white...then gives her a smooch and says he intends to stay the entire night at her condo. Jock is sitting on the patio in his bathrobe, despondently staring out at Southfork. Bobby joins him and says they could probably start over again on a new, maybe less sprawly ranch - but Jock says there's not enough time for that, and that there's no way Miss Ellie could build another Southfork. He laments how badly hurt she is over this, then sadly says this Asian drilling clusterfuck feels like the end of forty years of sweat, hopes and dreams. JR arrives at Ewing Oil the next morning, looking tired and disheveled. He gets a call from Alan, who informs him that Cliff requested a press conference at noon, during which he's expected to formally resign from the OLM and officially announce his run for Congress. JR cackles evilly and tells Alan he deserves a giant bonus for pulling this off. JR races home to happily inform everyone that Cliff will soon be out of the OLM, which means that Ewing Oil can go back to pumping oil from all of their idle wells. Bobby perks up at that and points out to Jock that this might bode well for getting a loan extension from the banks...and Miss Ellie looks hopeful and urges Jock to please try. Later, Jock works the phones to see how fast he can get all of the rigs operational again, and learns it will take a minimum of two weeks. He then tells Bobby he talked to the bankers about their cash flow problems and will hear back from them later regarding their final decision. Cliff intercepts Sue Ellen as she leaves Dr. Ellby's office building. He asks her if Baby John is OK, and she stares back at him with her cold dead eyes and says she assumes so, and that his nanny takes him for checkups to the best pediatrician in town. Cliff excitedly says he's planning his future - but she cuts him off and barks, "No! Don't", then sashays over to her wood paneled station wagon. Bobby apologizes to Kristin for his bitchitude the other day, and she concurs that he was pretty dickish to her and thanks him for the apology. In the next scene, Jock, JR, and Bobby settle into JR's office to watch Cliff's press conference. Cliff arrives at his press conference venue...and once the news cameras start rolling, he tells viewers he's done a lot of soul searching and finally came to the conclusion that he probably has enough support to win a congressional seat. With that said, he formally announces his resignation from the OLM. JR cackles gleefully, while Bobby glumly says this'll probably mean the end of his marriage. JR happily calls that "killing two birds with one stone", and an enraged Bobby responds by lunging at him - but doesn't get in a face punch before Jock breaks up the fight. Vaughn Leland tells Jock that he and the other bankers aren't willing to extend their mortgage loan. After he beats a hasty retreat, Jock tells JR and Bobby that, barring a miracle with the Asian rigs, it's a certainty that the Ewings will lose Southfork. Oooooh nooooo! The next morning, Sue Ellen chuckles at a hungover JR for his epic failure and rubs it in his face that Jock is back at the helm of Ewing Oil. She then heads over to the nursery to break it to her tot that he probably won't get the chance to grow up amid the awe-inspiringness that is the Southfork ranch. Miss Ellie quietly stands in the doorway as she eavesdrops and stares contemplatively into space. Back at Ewing Oil, Jock and Bobby are searching through various documents to find something JR hasn't mortgaged, but don't have any luck. Jock gets a call from the governor's office, informing him that a man named Bill Watson has been appointed to the OLM. Jock gruffly says that Watson is a good man, but that his appointment is too late to matter in terms of saving the ranch from foreclosure. Ray watches Miss Ellie as she spacily strolls around Southfork with her face contorted in a strange, dream-like expression. JR tells Kristin he'll stop by her condo later, then tells her he may not be able to provide for her in the pampery way he knows that Shepard women like to luxuriate in. Kristin pretends that money means nothing to her, and insists that she digs him for him. JR mulls over that pantload for a few seconds, then says he's far too distracted to focus on work and is heading out to the nearest bar for a stiff drink. Once he's out of earshot, Kristin calls Jordan Lee and says she's finally taking him up on his standing lunch invitation...which I can only assume will lead to something icky. Miss Ellie spacily wanders over to Section 40 of Southfork, aka the area where JR once tested for oil without permission, and glances around with a serene smile on her face. That evening, Miss Ellie informs the family that since her father's will grants her the right to drill for oil on Section 40, she's going to go against his wishes to keep Southfork as one giant cow pasture and drill for oil so that they'll be able to make the upcoming mortgage payment. Jock looks relieved as he weakly asks, "Are you sure?" and she assures him she is, then quietly exits the room. The next day, Vaughn Leland arrives at Ewing Oil with all of the requisite papers needed to extend the mortgage loan - on the condition of imminent drilling on Section 40. Miss Ellie signs the papers, shoots JR the stink-eye, and snarls, "I won't ever forgive you for this." She then tells Jock she wants to rush back to her beloved ranch so she can sit on her patio and smile serenely at her acreage. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
2 Comments
Amina
11/29/2019 01:18:11 am
I remember this episode very well. I cringed watching J.R making his lame excuses to his parents
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Jerome Scott
9/30/2020 06:19:59 pm
When did barns sell his oil well pipe line. How much did jr spend to to re start pump 5. Did pica 6 and 27 have anything to sell to Texas oil, and Texas oil and crude
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