Dallas Recap: ‘Playing Chicken’ [ Episode 3]

 

[Photo: TNT]

Ann and Bobby are shaken as they are returning to their car.  Ann knows that Emma is in danger and worries about her being safe even at SouthFork. Bobby vows that she and Emma will always be safe, he’ll make sure of it.  Bobby Ewing, the one nice guy character that writers can’t ever flub up; he’s just perfect.

John Ross is making pancakes for Pamela and their sweet, playful, banter makes me wish that he wasn’t so badly chromosomally damaged. He “accidentally” covers her in whip cream licking it off when Emma enters the kitchen to taunt him in her new swimsuit the moment Pamela looks away. Sue Ellen watches from a side hall. It’s clear to Sue Ellen that Bum is either incompetent or a liar.

[Photo: TNT]

Later that morning, John Ross is fighting with Bo, a ranch hand.  Instead of stopping the fight as he arrives, Bobby lets him take a few hits before protecting his nephew.  The cattle ranchers are expressing their anger when Bobby makes a second vow, to stop Jr. as he did his father. He tells John Ross that taking away a person’s livelihood brings this sort of thing about.  John Ross feels no remorse.

Ann and Sue Ellen are planning the seating arrangement for the wedding when Sue Ellen confesses that she thinks that John Ross and Emma are involved. Ann is in disbelief as the newlyweds seem happy and she and Sue Ellen are in the midst of planning a vow renewal.  Sue Ellen tells Ann about seeing Jr. leaving Emma’s room.  Ann thinks Sue Ellen should talk to Jr. but Sue Ellen reminds her that cheaters are also liars.  Ann thinks her instincts must be right since she was right about Emma’s drug use.

Christopher visits Cliff and warns him that he knows that his relationship with Nicholas/Joaquin is pure B.S. Cliff calls Christopher J.R.-like to accuse him of wrongdoing when the family is guilty of framing him.  Christopher fully believes that Cliff is guilty and warns him that he’s in prison because he belongs there for what he did to J.R.  As he’s leaving the prison, his pocket is picked by a child who claims to be running from a friend, but delivers it to two burly men watching from a distance.

Nicolas/Joaquin approaches Rhonda Simmons with an envelope full of money pretending it’s hers. She is honest and tells him it’s not.  He tries to bribe her with it and she refuses.  He tells her that he’s offering her money, and her freedom from the lie the Ewings have asked her to tell.

Back at SouthFork, Ann catches a look between John Ross and Emma. She tries to tell Emma to stay nearby and stay safe (and consider wearing more clothes around John Ross).  The safety warning causes Emma to go off and attack her mother for trying to control her (this kid I won’t miss if anything happens to her).  Pamela tries to cheer her up by asking her to go Honeymoon shopping with her.  Emma sees an opportunity to sabotage Pamela. Awful awful Emma.

Bobby tries to have John Ross’ drill permit denied when his luncheon companion, Stan, launches into a tirade being able to deny permits but who will protect against the tree huggers, squirrel lovers, the Sierra Club?. Stan is thankful environmental impact studies are hard to prove. Bobby looks disgusted and thoughtful.  While Bobby is trying to stop John Ross, the young devil, himself, is meeting with Bo. He uses Bo’s drug dealing against him, threatening to talk to the police.  He wants Bo to get the other hands to join him, or be run over.

Ann wants Harris’ help with Emma and reveals that she may be sleeping with John Ross.  At that same moment, Emma pretends to want to know the John Ross-Pamela love story and tells Pamela that has a hot sex-only relationship with someone. Pamela, needlessly, tells Emma that John Ross is EPIC at lovemaking. Sue Ellen butters Bum up, letting him think that she was heartsick, thinking that she’d projected the sins of J.R. on John Ross. Bum looks guilty.  She even thanks him for telling her the truth and wants Bum to know she thinks of him as a good man, knowing he feels guilty he never warned her about J.R.. She doubles down by talking about Pamela’s past pain and that she deserves a happy life.  You could buy Bum for 2 cents and make change at this point.  Sue Ellen learned a lot in her life with J.R.

In Mexico, Christopher finds the partner Nicolas Treviño (Joaquin) swindled out of a fortune by stealing his drug patent.  The former partner shows Christopher his research, alerting him to the fact that Nicolas Treviño didn’t exist before 1997. SCORE!

[Photo: TNT]

Talking with Harris, Grandma Judith seems to realize that Emma is involved with John Ross and is not at all concerned about the betrayal, until she realizes that the files Emma turned over put her at risk for exposure as well.  She agrees to find something that will compromise John Ross enough to encourage him to return the files.  I’m starting to wonder how Ryland made it out of the crib with that mother of his.  Methinks he has a nanny to thank.

Bum and John Ross are talking as Emma slinks her way into Jr’s office.  Bum is upset with John Ross’s behavior.  He warns John Ross that grandmother/mama Ryland is the person to worry about – betting that Emma never told him that. John Ross tells Bum he’ll stop sleeping with Emma as soon as Bum finds a way to put Ryland back in prison. When he leaves, Emma exposes green lingerie she bought while shopping with Pamela.  She wants him to leave it on so he’ll remember her in it.  Surely that means it’s the same lingerie she talked Pamela into buying. Only 22 years old and all #hotmess.

Bum is at Sue Ellen’s, confessing the truth about John Ross and Emma.  Christopher is picked up by the men who paid the child candy to steal his wallet.  Bo has turned the hands who are now working for John Ross.  Bobby brings a “Lesser Prairie Chicken” to the fracking site as John Ross is addressing his crew.  It turns out that they are rare, and Bobby has contacted the Sierra Club to determine if the rare bird lives in the Fracking area, bringing the drilling to a halt. Love Bobby.  Have I said how much I love him?

Now that I know that Treviño/Joaquin is a thief… all hell, he’s still sexy, and I love to see a man in the kitchen, even with Elena.  He gets a phone call that stops him from getting grabby.  Rhonda Simmons has called and he rushes to meet her in an empty lot.  As he approaches Rhonda with the envelope, Bobby steps out of the car.  Rhonda tells her story and Bobby tells Treviño/Joaquin sometimes the truth hurts.  His retort is that they will have to wait to see who the truth hurts most – Treviño/Joaquin is a baddie… I wouldn’t miss him either, however. Too bad no one has introduced him to Emma.

Sure enough, John Ross gets home and his wife is in the same lingerie, waiting for him. The flashbacks begin.  Is it Shame? Guilt? Lust for Emma? John Ross can’t perform and goes to take a shower instead.  Well played, young psycho.

Nicolas and Elena talk about Rhonda and Bobby.  Her comments imply that she believes that even Bobby is crooked and covering for a frame up. Nothing about Elena tracks for me.  Nicolas/Joaquin tells her he wants to make her happy and kisses her (I’m still seeing them as brother and sister-ish so this is gagging me).  They give way to their non-familial feelings as Christopher is being driven to a heavily guarded compound.  A woman greets him with moon flowers and two children at her side – no, seriously… she’s Nicolas Treviño/Joaquin’s wife. Oh DEAR ME!!!!  The scene cuts back to her cheating husband getting hot and heavy with Elena.

I need oxygen!