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Dallas fans got an answer to the second season’s big mystery Monday night — Who killed JR? — but there were more questions raised in the TNT drama’s season finale.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the two-hour finale.]
At first, all signs point to Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) as the killer, after John Ross (Josh Henderson) discovers he had been in Nueva Laredo, Mexico, at the same time as JR’s murder (Larry Hagman).
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Meanwhile, Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) heads to Zurich, where he learns that his mother, Pam, died from cancer 24 years earlier. Sorry, longtime fans: That means actress Victoria Principal did not make an appearance in Monday night’s finale, as many viewers had hoped. It turns out that Cliff had been paying Pam’s ex-husband off for two and a half decades to keep her death quiet, so that he could control her shares in his company.
Christopher then inherits his mother’s shares in Barnes Global and, combined with Pamela’s (Julie Gonzalo) shares, the Ewings now control Cliff’s company and devise a plan to get Cliff back to Mexico, where he can be charged with the murder.
Elsewhere, Christopher learns that Elena (Jordana Brewster) has been communicating with her brother, Drew (Kuno Becker), who built the bomb that exploded on the rig that killed Christopher and Pam’s unborn babies. “I can’t trust you anymore,” is his angry reply. Is this a breakup?
Emma (Emma Bell) drugs her father, Harris (Mitch Pileggi), to get her hands on his log of illegal activities, which leads to his arrest, and Cliff’s henchman Roy (Alex Fernandez), is framed by Drew and arrested on a drug charge. He’s murdered in prison. Two down, one to go.
That takes us to Mexico, where the Ewings confront Cliff in his hotel room. There, they reveal that they have majority ownership in his company, and authorities show up to arrest Cliff after the bullet in JR’s (exhumed) body is shown to be from Cliff’s gun. Of course, it’s all denials and accusations of a “frame-up.”
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Back in Texas, John Ross and Christopher demand that Bobby (Patrick Duffy) reveal the full extent of JR’s “masterpiece.”
So who really killed JR? The late oil baron wrote in his letter to Bobby — the contents of which were finally revealed in an emotional scene as Bobby, John Ross, Christopher and Bum (Kevin Page) gathered around JR’s grave — that he was actually dying of cancer and had only days to live. In the letter, JR also apologized to Bobby for all the “terrible, hurtful things” he did and told him how much he loved him.
But, seriously, who killed JR? John Ross wants to know.
Bum reveals that JR had asked him to steal Cliff’s gun and shoot him since he had so little time left. That, of course, would set up the Ewings to seek vengeance against Cliff and take control of his company.
“The only person that could take down JR was JR,” John Ross says, before shaking Bum’s hand.
After Bobby, Christopher and Bum take off, John Ross stays behind. “Thank you, Daddy, for watching over us,” he says to JR’s tombstone. “I love you.”
But there are still 15 minutes left, which is plenty of time for a new cliffhanger or three.
Land records mysteriously arrive at Elena’s door showing the split between Bobby’s and JR’s ownership of their property. They are from Cliff’s lawyer, and Cliff wants to see her right away.
Turns out that JR pulled a fast one on Elena’s father. JR’s oil-rich land is actually Elena’s dad’s, who died trying to find oil on his barren property.
“Make the Ewings pay for the sins against your family,” Cliff says.
Elsewhere, Emma goes to see Harris in prison, where she reveals that she’s “exactly her father’s daughter” with a menacing look on her face. His ex-wife, Ann (Brenda Strong), pops up long enough to call him a “sick, sadistic prick.”
Pamela urges Christopher to forgive Elena. “Don’t hold onto your anger the way my father holds onto his,” she says. “Look at the wreckage it left in his wake.”
Bobby and Ann make up, a toast to JR is held, and all seems right as far as the Ewings are concerned.
But a tearful, hurt Elena’s got vengeance on her mind now. Christopher shows up at her door to make up, only to find her gone. She’s driving to a fancy Mexican mansion/armed fortress to find someone named Joaquin, with whom she grew up in Mexico.
Meanwhile, John Ross pops up at what looks like a hotel room armed with flowers and a bottle of champagne, presumably for his new bride, Pamela. But wait, who’s this? Emma? He takes her into bed. And here we thought they were done with each other. Seems they’ve been conspiring this whole time.
What did you think of the Dallas season finale? Are you satisfied with the answer to who killed JR? And do you think Pam is really, truly dead? Sound off in the comments below.
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