It is big money, deals, plans, and actions, mixed with big hair and ever growing big shoulders in women’s clothes! Welcome to Season 8 of Dallas, the all-time King of night time soaps!
Long before people gathered in television watching parties for Twin Peaks or more recently Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they were banding together for Friday nights with Dallas. In the dorms it was pizza and Dallas, and in the outside world older adult viewers were having dessert and Dallas and/or drinks and Dallas.
The television audience was captivated by the styles and stories of the oil barons lives, led by the all powerful Ewing Clan of Southfork and Ewing Oil. Was J. R. (Larry Hagman) the very devil he seemed? Would Pam (Victoria Principal) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy) EVER realize they were meant for each other and settle their differences?
Could Miss Ellie keep control over her wild bunch of boys, or would she give up once and for all and leave them to their wicked ways? Was the next gen of Ewing oil represented by Lucy,(Charlene Tilton) John Ross and Christopher, destined to travel shady paths or would their elders keep them from making their own desperate mistakes?
In the world of the Ewings, romances and deals were about as substantial as rainbows, and everyone wanted to see if J. R. would succeed in his latest malevolent plan. On the surface people called him evil personified, but secretly envied his business strength and assured power. It was the eighties when everyone dreamed big dreams of success, and Dallas was a glimpse into that world of privilege.
Many elements of the show crept into daily lives. When Pam showed up in an episode with a wild long curly perm, hairdressers all over America were immediately besieged with requests for Pam’s “do.”
Many believe that the wide-shoulder retro-1940’s look would never have become as popular, had the Dallas women not worn elegant outfits with this design.
Season 8 of Dallas (which the official Dallas website says is actually the Seventh season of the show) had many new things going on. Jamie Ewing (Jenilee Harrison) daughter of Jock Ewing’s deceased brother Jason appeared to make her claims on the family fortune, and married Cliff Barnes (Ken Kerchival.)
Barbara Bel Geddes was ill, and was temporarily replaced in the series by Donna Reed playing the indomitable Miss Ellie opposite Howard Keel’s Clayton Farlow. Season 8 was a big time for Dallas, as Cliff Barnes finally had a gusher and was financially able to fight J. R. at his own games.
Pam and Bobby were apart, and Pam was sent off on a wild goose chase, looking for the missing and presumably dead Mark Graison, by some skullduggery instituted by J. R. Bobby healing his heartbreak, rescued Jenna (Priscilla Presley) from jail, and they made wedding plans. J. R. promised his “love” of the minute Mandy (Deborah Shelton) that he would get rid of the long suffering Sue Ellen (Linda Gray.)
And the season ended with a cliffhanger that depending on your point of view or preference made the next season completely fictitious! How is that for excitement?
Dallas Season 8 is presented on six discs containing all 30 episodes. Running time for this is 1421 minutes. Episodes are presented in standard television format, and there is no notation of editing for content or music.
Special features for this set includes a new featurette on the style of Dallas, “Dallas Makeover- Travilla Style,” showing the “new look” brought to this season’s stylish fashions by Emmy award winning designer Travilla.
Full of angst, and joy, beautiful faces and lots of money, Dallas Season 8 belongs in every fan’s collection as well as those who collect “time capsule” like series. Always entertaining, it is still great fun to watch!
Dallas - The Complete Eighth Season is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story