Drama, like oil, bubbles just under the surface on Dallas

It seems like it’s been forever since we last saw the Ewing clan on TNT’s updated version of Dallas, but apparently it’s only been about 12 hours! If you’ve been following the show, you know that we lost TV icon Larry Hagman midway through the second season. His passing left producers scrambling to wrap up some storylines (which seem to have curtailed appearances by Ted Shackleford and Joan Van Ark, reprising their roles as Gary and Val Ewing) and create a new “Who Shot J.R.” plot that actually gave us a resolution by the end of the season (his right hand man Bum shot him because J.R. was dying and he wanted to frame Cliff Barnes) that united the Ewings and put Cliff Barnes in a Mexican jail. But Cliff had a bombshell for Christopher’s on again/off again girlfriend Elena — J.R. had switched deeds to the property which gave him the oil that belonged to her family.

The new season picked up 12 hours later and the biggest surprise so far is the fact that Christopher can grow a full beard in half a day! But there is more drama ahead for the Ewing, Barnes and Ramos families as Elena confirms that what Cliff told her was true (or was it?). The Ewings basically became rich by stealing her family’s oil, and she’s now out for revenge. The question is — do Bobby, Christopher or John Ross even have a clue to what J.R. did those many years ago? She’s plotting to bring down the Ewings, who gained control of Barnes Global when Cliff was thrown in prison, by working as Cliff’s proxy (he still owns a third of the company, even if it has been renamed Ewing Global), but is she going to find she’s just become Cliff’s pawn in his never-ending quest to destroy the Ewings?

Dallas has always been a show with ever-changing allegiances, and for the moment it’s nice to see cousins Christopher and John Ross working together … at least it seems like John Ross is playing nice. You can never tell if he’s a team player or just looking out for himself, but the fact that he’s now in possession of, and proudly wearing, his daddy’s ginormous J.R. belt buckle is probably a telling indication of where things will go later in the season. He’s already having an affair with arch rival Harris Ryland’s daughter Emma (whom he successfully brought into the fold after revealing her daddy was involved in some kind of Mexican drug cartel … more on that) minutes after eloping with and re-proposing to his new wife Pamela. His antics are bringing back some bad memories for his mother Sue Ellen, and it looks like she’s about to take up with an old friend of hers … booze. Everyone loves a drunk Sue Ellen.

We’ve seen a couple of new characters introduced in the first two episodes, including a new ranch hand, Heather (AnnaLynn McCord), who may be a possible new love interest for Christopher (or will most likely be one side of a triangle between him and Elena … well, at least until he finds out Elena’s working for Cliff), and a mysterious man who claims to be Cliff’s proxy, Nicholás Treviño (Juan Pablo Di Pace), but who has ties to the Ramos family and is actually Elena’s proxy. I was wondering how she’d march into the Ewing board room and tell them she was working for Cliff, but she simply marched in and got herself re-hired and can now sneak around and hack into their computers while telling Nicholás what to do. Except, that is, until Christopher does his own digging about Nicholás’ background.

One of the more gleeful twists in the first two episodes was the release of Harris Ryland from prison under mysterious circumstances. Was a judge bought off by the cartel? Something seemed fishy, and Emma was surprised to see daddy home and even more surprised when he threatened to have her put away for psychiatric evaluation for screwing up his business (and giving the Ewings the use of his ice breakers so they could drill in the Arctic). But Emma surprised him by springing his mother Judith (the delicious Judith Light) from the rehab facility he had her locked up in after he pushed her down the stairs. Mama is back and taking over, making new deals with the cartel. Without J.R., the writer have not had anyone to write some juicy bon mots for, and Light can pull them off with aplomb. Best moment of the second episode had Judith testing the Mexican cocaine. She actually did a line and said, “Hot damn! Mama like.” Had to be the first real OMG moment of the season.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the episodes yet, read no further as we will discuss the big twist involving Harris Ryland.

The season’s biggest bombshell had to be the revelation that Harris Ryland in fact isn’t a drug lord but has been working with the Feds to bring down the Mexican cartel! When Emma found his ledger and got him arrested, she had no idea these were records of transactions for the government (she still doesn’t). Not even Judith knows, and in a possible twist of fate — and to be rid of her once and for all — Ryland let her think she was in total control of the company, took her to meet the Mexicans and then recorded their conversation, possibly to frame her as part of the organization! Bobby’s digging into Ryland’s release from prison nearly put the operation in jeopardy, and Harris had to bring Bobby and Ann in on the secret … and to warn them that if anything went bad that Ann and Emma were both in mortal danger.

I don’t know how long this plotline will stretch out, or how long Harris will be a “good guy,” but between this, Cliff Barnes and Elena’s possibly misguided attempt at revenge, season three of Dallas is going to sizzle! And I almost forgot to mention, but whoever it was that decided to finally do the opening titles and cast credits like old school Dallas … I tip my Stetson to you!