Dallas…I’ve never seen a single episode of the original Dallas, but I’ll miss J.R. Ewing, who unquestionably made the first season of TNT’s reboot better and stole most of his scenes in the second season. Larry Hagman’s J.R. is a textbook example of a villain so iconic, he’s actually the hero. [Who would really want to watch a show based solely on “good-guy”/idiot Bobby’s boring relationship with his wife and son?] Tonight’s episode dealt with J.R.’s funeral (attended by Dallas royalty from Jerry Brown to Mark Cuban) and memorial service, and I was more than relieved to take a break from the dull-as-mud subplot dealing with Brenda Strong’s estranged daughter.
Everyone’s reaction to J.R.’s death was a little different: It hit his son the hardest, rendering him unable to give a eulogy. Bobby felt conflicted and lost as to what he’ll do now that J.R.’s no longer around to fight. And Sue Ellen returned to the bottle but gave a moving speech where she read a letter from J.R. and called him the love of her life. I even enjoyed the opening credits sequence featuring a slowed-down, funeral horn version of Dallas’s iconic theme song…sniff, sniff…BUT at least Dallas had the good sense to spin this potentially show-killing event into a juicy plot line, as we’re now left to wonder “Who Killed J.R.?” nearly three decades after viewers were asked “Who Shot J.R.?” Grade: A-
The Staircase…For those that don’t know, this is an excellent documentary series airing on The Sundance Channel about the arrest and conviction of Michael Peterson for the killing of his wife, although most of the evidence points to it being an accidental fall down, you guessed it, a staircase. I won’t lie, I’m definitely of the opinion that Peterson is innocent and rail-roaded by a good ole boy prosecution (that relied heavily on prejudicial, irrelevant evidence), a wrathful sister-in-law, a hasty medical examiner, an intolerant climate, and an entirely corrupt crime lab that fabricated results. But part of the beauty of the miniseries is that I only came to that conclusion after the initial 8 episodes (the final two deal with Peterson’s request for a retrial).
The first eight episodes break down the case step-by-step, evidence-by-evidence as things shift in Peterson’s favor and then shift away from him. By presenting a case in such a meticulous way, this is like the world’s best Dateline episode, with a tawdry mystery that just keeps spinning wilder. See it. Grade for the Series: A…Grade for the two new episodes: A