Dallas - Series 1 And 2 (Box Set) (DVD)

...2 rather questionable reunion movies, Dallas covered the ongoing fued between the rich Ewings and the bitter but poor Barnes'. Many years before, Digger Barnes was ousted on a major life changing oil discovery by Jock Ewing. The fued has carried on into the next generation, with eldest sons Cliff Barnes trying to avenge his fathers loss, and JR Ewing doing what he can to protect the family name and the integrity of his father. The bad news for all ...
...The Cast:

Dallas introduced a new style of opening credit which has long since been emulated by soaps and comedy's alike. Comprised of images from around the city of Dallas its merged with alphabetical introductions to the main cast. Its also one of the most notable and memorable theme tunes in tv history, instantly recognisable even by people who haven't watched the show. The cast consists of Barbara Bel Geddes, Larry Hagman, Jim ... more

The Story:

In 1978, the face of night time drama changed with the introduction of the warring Ewings in Primetime soap "Dallas". Lasting for 13 years, and followed by 2 rather questionable reunion movies, Dallas covered the ongoing fued between the rich Ewings and the bitter but poor Barnes'. Many years before, Digger Barnes was ousted on a major life changing oil discovery by Jock Ewing. The fued has carried on into the next generation, with eldest sons Cliff Barnes trying to avenge his fathers loss, and JR Ewing doing what he can to protect the family name and the integrity of his father. The bad news for all concerned is that younger son Bobby has just married the Barnes daughter Pamela and brought her back to the family home "Southfork". Trouble is soon brewing between the two families, and internally between JR and Bobby as they both vie for their father's acceptance by running the family company "Ewing Oil".

Miss Ellie is the matriarch of the family, soft but firm, who is forever trying to keep the peace between her eldest and youngest son, as well as protect her own marriage. She not only supports her sons, but their long suffering wives Pamela and booze-swilling Sue Ellen (former Miss Texas beauty pageant winner). On top of that, she has taken on responsibility for her granddaughter Lucy, who indulges in sex with the ranch hands, as well as the odd drug fuelled party. It all makes for an explosive mix as JR continues to deviously tramp all over everybody around him in order to become the president of Ewing Oil and keep the money rolling in. That he treats his wife like she's something he has trodd on, and does it all with a smirk on his face only makes the character all the more disagreeable and yet loveable.

The Cast:

Dallas introduced a new style of opening credit which has long since been emulated by soaps and comedy's alike. Comprised of images from around the city of Dallas its merged with alphabetical introductions to the main cast. Its also one of the most notable and memorable theme tunes in tv history, instantly recognisable even by people who haven't watched the show. The cast consists of Barbara Bel Geddes, Larry Hagman, Jim Davis, Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal, Linda Gray, Ken Kercheval, Charlene Tilton and Steve Kanaly. Larry Hagman and Linda Gray were instantly recognisable as their characters, Larry delivering a fun role with that trade mark tilted stetson, whilst Linda was vulnerable as the battered down alcoholic Sue Ellen. The rest of the cast were decent enough, with the exception of Charlene Tilton, who couldn't act her way out of her sleep.

The Cliffhangers:

Very few shows at the time of Dallas' conception had the now famous cliffhanger. It didn't instantly happen in Dallas either. Starting as a mini-series, each episode was wrapped up within the 50 minute episode, but as the show took off and revved up in the ratings charts, each episode started to end with a minor cliff hanger which led up to the final episode in each season ending with a major cliffhanger (usually the death or threatened death of a major character). The most famous storyline in soap is the "Who shot JR" climax, which didn't happen til the third series. But its one of the most watched cliffhangers in television history, and has never been matched again in Dallas or any other show since.

The Boxsets:

Dallas, like many other nostalgic tv shows, is now finding its way onto DVD release. As Season 7 gears up for release this summer, Dallas continues to sell well enough to continue getting a release from Warner Brothers. This first boxset consists of the mini-series and the first officially commissioned series. Opening with the arrival of Bobby and his new wife Pamela, we also find that Sue Ellen is having an affair with Cliff Barnes, who might or might not be the father of her child. As the series closes, JR has Sue Ellen committed after she continues to drink throughout her pregnancy. Its a captivating tale of family life when the family are stupidly rich, and how miserable a group of people in an enclosed environment can make each other. Cynics mused that Dallas was so popular because poor tv viewers enjoyed seeing that rich people were more miserable than they were. No tv show can survive 14 years on that premise alone. So then its up to the often dramatic, sometimes funny, and always intruiging storylines that each week ended in the freeze frame cliff hanger. The boxsets have been released sporadically over the past few years, and now up to Series 7, its most likely another 4 years before we'll get to see the ultimate fate of the Ewings.

The Episodes:

Series 1 (or Mini series as it was originally known): Diggers Daughter; The Lesson; Spy In The House; Winds of Vengeance; Barbecue
Series 2 (or Series 1 as it was originally known): Reunion Part 1; Reunion Part 2; Old Acquantance; Bypass; Black Market Baby; Double Wedding; Runaway; Election; Survival; Act Of Love; The Triangle; Fallen Idol; Kidnapped; Home Again; For Love Or Money; Julie's Return; The Red File Part 1; The Red File Part 2; Sue Ellen's Sister; Call Girl; Royal Marriage; The Outsiders; John Ewing III Part 1; John Ewing III Part 2

The Extras:

The Dallas DVD extra's have indeed improved slightly with each box set. We have since had reviews into the phenomenon that was the show, and of course analysis of its biggest storylines. But this original boxset was pretty sparse in extra's which is disappointing. Because other than that, its a nicely presented package with some good episodes.

The episodes are spread across 5 multi-sided discs. Prices range from £14 and upwards from websites such as www.amazon.co.uk, www.play.com, www.hmv.co.uk
 

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