J.R.'s Masterpiece

"J.R.'s Masterpiece" is the eighth episode in the second season (2013) of the television series Dallas. The episode features the funeral of J.R. Ewing (played by Larry Hagman), who was killed in the previous episode "The Furious and the Fast".

"J.R.'s Masterpiece"
Dallas episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 8
Original air dateMarch 11, 2013 (2013-03-11)
Guest appearances
Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing
Marlene Forte as Carmen Ramos
Kevin Page as Steve "Bum" Jones
Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing
Steve Kanaly as Ray Krebbs
Castulo Guerra as Carlos Del Sol
Kate del Castillo as Sergeant Ruiz
Cathy Podewell as Cally Harper
Deborah Shelton as Mandy Winger
Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes
Jerry Jones as himself
Mark Cuban as himself
Mike Rawlings as himself

Plot

The plot of the episode featured the funeral service of J.R. Ewing, as well as the memorial service, held at the Dallas Petroleum Club.

Guests in attendance include Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), J.R.'s longtime rival who comes to pay his "disrespects"; Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford),[1] J.R.'s reformed alcoholic brother; Ray Krebbs, J.R.'s half brother;[1] Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton), Gary's daughter and J.R.'s niece;[1] J.R.'s second wife Cally Harper Ewing (Cathy Podewell); and Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton), J.R's longtime mistress in the 1980s.[2] Appearing as themselves are Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones,[3] and Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings.

As a result of Hagman's death, and therefore his character's, the remaining season's plot will focus on the same question raised in the original series, "Who shot J.R.?" dubbed into "Who killed J.R.?"[3][4]

Production

Larry Hagman appeared in seven of the fifteen episodes slated for the season before his death. The plot of the season had to be retooled in order to compensate for the character's absence.[5] Producers were keen for Victoria Principal's character, Pamela Barnes Ewing to make a return appearance to the show, especially following the death of J.R.[6] In response to rampant speculation, Principal released a statement explaining the reason she would not be appearing any more as Pam.[7]

Writing

Hagman's sudden death from throat cancer had caught the writing team off-guard; it was revealed J.R.'s absence from earlier first-season episodes was written in to accommodate Hagman, who was being treated for cancer.[8] This was also not the first time J.R.'s absence from the show had to be written in. Cynthia Cidre's original pilot script included J.R. in a relatively important role to the series, but due to contractual disputes between Hagman and TNT, she was made to rewrite the script to utilize archive footage of the character,[8] as well as reduce characters Sue Ellen Ewing and Bobby Ewing to recurring characters.[9] As negotiations with the actors were completed, the roles of the series veterans were restored in the pilot and beyond.

Broadcast and Reception

References
  1. Fitzpatrick, Kevin (15 January 2013). "'Dallas' Preview: J.R.'s Funeral To Bring Back Which Characters?". Screen Crush. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  2. Jeffery, Morgan (16 January 2013). "'Dallas' stars confirmed to return for JR funeral". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  3. Moore, Frazier (8 March 2013). "'Dallas' funeral for J.R. honors Larry Hagman". AP (Yahoo News). Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  4. Jeffery, Morgan (March 11, 2013). "'Dallas' exec on JR murder plot: 'There's a delicious reveal'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  5. "'Dallas' Season 2: TNT Soap Sets Date For J.R. Ewing's On-Screen Funeral". The Huffington Post. December 10, 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  6. Jeffery, Morgan (12 December 2012). "'Dallas' producers 'want Victoria Principal for JR Ewing funeral'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (1 March 2013). "Victoria Principal Won't Appear On TNT's 'Dallas' Series". The Deadline. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (4 November 2012). "How Will Larry Hagman's Death Affect TNT's 'Dallas'?". Deadline. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  9. Andreeva, Nellie (16 December 2010). "Good-Bye J.R.? 'Dallas' Ready To Move On Without Larry Hagman Over Money Demands". The Deadline. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
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