Directed by Leonard Katzman Production code 356-357 ← Previous
"The Decline and Fall of the Ewing Empire" Next →
— | Written by Leonard Katzman Original air date May 3, 1991 | |
Episode no. Season 14
Episode 22 & 23 |
"Conundrum" is the two-hour series finale of the television series Dallas. The episode originally aired on CBS on May 3, 1991, and in subsequent reruns in syndication, "Conundrum" aired as two-part one hour episodes.
Contents
Nearing the point of suicide, J.R. Ewing is visited by Adam, who takes him on an It's a Wonderful Life-style journey to see what would have become of the Ewings, had he never existed.
Background
J.R. is contemplating committing suicide. Southfork was taken out of his control and given to Bobby by Miss Ellie, while Cliff Barnes now had control of Ewing Oil. Clayton had given J.R. voting rights at WestStar, but J.R. was tricked into believing he would become Chairman of WestStar by Carter McKay. J.R. had sold his half of Ewing Oil to Cliff to take over WestStar, but old foe and stepbrother Dusty Farlow revealed that he had sold his WestStar shares to McKay, thus making McKay the majority stockholder. McKay fired J.R. from WestStar after revealing that he had set him up (McKay had sent two WestStar directors to J.R. and convinced him to sell Ewing Oil to pave the way for a WestStar takeover that would never happen). John Ross, his own son, disowned him and moved to London to be with his mother.
Events
With J.R. now having nothing left, the episode begins with him walking around the Southfork pool in a drunken stupor with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a loaded gun in the other. While J.R. is in this state a spirit named Adam (portrayed by Joel Grey), whose "boss" has been watching J.R. and likes him, enters the pool area to J.R.'s disbelief. In a parallel with the storyline of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, Adam proceeds to take him on a journey to show him what life would have been like for other people if he had not been born. Among what he shows him:
After being taken through this journey, J.R. is encouraged by Adam to pull the trigger and kill himself. J.R. scoffs at the idea, saying that Adam's boss would not be happy— implying that Adam is an angel. However, Adam reveals himself to be actually a demon sent by Satan himself.
By this time J.R. has either fallen asleep or passed out, and he wakes up with a start in his bedroom with the gun and bourbon still in his hands. He appears relieved that it was a dream, only to find Adam staring at him from his bedroom mirror dressed in red. In the midst of this, Bobby returns to the ranch to check on his brother. Adam continues to egg J.R. on as Bobby enters the house, and J.R. raises the gun to his head. Finally, Adam's eyes roll into the back of his head and glow bright red and he screams "DO IT!" to J.R., who fires a shot (although the audience cannot see where he shot). Bobby hears the gunshot and runs up to J.R.'s room. Looking at the scene, he gasps and says "Oh, my God" when he sees what has happened. The episode and series end on that note, with J.R.'s fate left unknown.
Resolution
The "Conundrum" cliffhanger was not resolved until 1996, with the first Dallas reunion movie, Dallas: J.R. Returns. It was revealed in the beginning of the movie that J.R. had not, in fact, shot himself, but had instead shot at the mirror where Adam was appearing to him (despite there being no sound of shattered glass when he pulled the trigger), and that Bobby's horrified reaction was simply in response to J.R. having shot his favorite mirror.
Reception
Although the audience had dwindled considerably, with the series ending at #63 for the 1990-91 season, Dallas' final telecast was the second highest rated program of the week. "Conundrum" pulled a 22 rating and 38% share of the audience. This was Dallas' highest rated episode since the January 23, 1987, broadcast.
The two-part season finale is the 14th most watched television series finale in U.S. history. The sharp decline in the soap's audience had been largely attributed to the early 1990s decrease in Friday primetime viewership as Friday nights gradually had become graveyard slots on U.S. television. In 2011, the whole two-part finale was ranked #13 on the TV Guide Network special, TV's Most Unforgettable Finales.