"Who Done It" is the fourth episode of the
fourth season (
1980–81 season) and 58th overall of the American television series ''
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
''. The episode aired on
CBS on November 21, 1980. The episode was written by
Loraine Despres, and revealed who had shot
J.R. Ewing (played by
Larry Hagman
Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American actor, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera ''Dallas'', and the handsome astronaut Major Anthon ...
) in the
third season finale "
A House Divided". The perpetrator's fate was revealed in the subsequent episode one week later.
Overview
For an eight-month-long period of
media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
frenzy after the broadcast of "
A House Divided" episode (wherein ''Dallas'' archvillain J.R. Ewing was shot by an unidentified
perpetrator outside his office), oddsmakers created a set of odds for the possible
culprits. The favorite was Dusty Farlow, who was Sue Ellen Ewing's lover (Sue Ellen being J.R.'s wife), with odds installed at 6:4. Sue Ellen herself was given 25:1 odds, as was J.R.'s mother Miss Ellie Ewing. At 4:1 were Sue Ellen's sister and her husband's mistress, Kristin Shepard and banker Vaughn Leland, who fell victim to a J.R. swindle. After Sue Ellen's
fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...
s were found on the gun in subsequent episodes she became the favorite at 3 to 1 according to some oddsmakers,
while others listed Kristin and
Cliff Barnes as favorites (Cliff being J.R.'s rival from childhood).
J.R. Ewing is a fictional character that William K. Stevens of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described as "the nastiest man on television, the
Iago of Texas oilmen, the smiling snake of a star of Friday night TV's ''Dallas'', a man so venal, so low, so mean, so diabolical that he has become an absolute delight to an estimated quarter of a billion viewers around the globe." His ''New York Times'' colleague John J. O'Connor described him as "the eldest son of the oil-rich Ewing family..." who is "...a sadistic bully and a swindler" that "captured the public's imagination". Prior to the episode, there were numerous people to suspect for the attempted murder:
*
Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing is a fictional character and one of the female leads in the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas''. Sue Ellen was portrayed by Linda Gray and appeared on the show since its Dallas (1978 TV series) (season 1), pil ...
(
Linda Gray
Linda Ann Gray (born September 12, 1940) is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing, the long-suffering wife of Larry Hagman's character J.R. Ewing on the CBS television drama series ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' (1978� ...
), J.R.'s wife: J.R. had threatened to reinstitutionalize her for her bout with
alcoholism
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
.
*
Kristin Shepard (
Mary Crosby), J.R.'s ex-mistress and Sue Ellen's sister: J.R. broke his promise to marry her and gave her 24 hours to leave town.
[ J.R. threatened to have her framed for prostitution in response to business pressure she put on him.
*Dusty Farlow ( Jared Martin), Sue Ellen's lover: Supposedly killed in a plane crash.]
*Vaughn Leland ( Dennis Patrick), J.R.'s business partner: J.R. swindled him out of $20 million (US$ million in dollars).
*Miss Ellie Ewing
Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing Farlow (maiden name Southworth) is a fictional character from the primetime CBS television series ''Dallas'', a long-running serial centered on the lives of the wealthy Ewing family of Dallas, Texas. Created by writer ...
(Barbara Bel Geddes
Barbara Bel Geddes (October 31, 1922 – August 8, 2005) was an American stage and screen Actor, actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost 5 decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in th ...
), J.R.'s mother: J.R. mortgaged the family ranch, unbeknownst to his parents, and had plans to drill for oil on the property.[
* Cliff Barnes ( Ken Kercheval), J.R.'s brother-in-law (through his sister's marriage to Bobby Ewing) and business rival: His father Digger Barnes was swindled by J.R.'s father Jock Ewing out of his half of their combined oil company (Digger's side of the story; Jock claimed he had kept the company in his name due to Digger's recklessness),][ leaving him penniless except for some oil wells that J.R. had shut down.][
*Alan Beam ( Randolph Powell), Political fixer: Beam knew too much, making him expendable. After J.R. tried to extinguish him, he had motive.][
*Marilee Stone ( Fern Fitzgerald), widow of a business associate: Husband committed suicide as a result of business dealings with J.R.][
*]Bobby Ewing
Bobby James Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' and its Dallas (2012 TV series), 2012 revival. The youngest son of Jock Ewing, Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing, he was portrayed by actor Patri ...
(Patrick Duffy
Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American television actor and director widely known for his role as Bobby Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' (1978–1991). Duffy returned to reprise his role as Bobby ...
), mild-mannered brother: Sibling rival, who is fed up with J.R.'s handling of family business and slights to Bobby's wife.[
Although generally regarded as somewhat rivals of J.R. in the fictional world of ''Dallas'', Gary Ewing ( Ted Shackelford) and his wife Valene (]Joan Van Ark
Joan Martha Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing.'' A life member of The Actors Studio, she made her Broadway debut in 1966 in '' Barefo ...
) were not suspects due to their activity in the related ''Knots Landing
''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...
'' world. Similarly, their daughter Lucy
Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
(Charlene Tilton
Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She is widely known for playing Lucy Ewing on the CBS prime time soap opera ''Dallas''.
Career
Tilton had early roles on television series such as ''Happy Days'' ...
) had an alibi provided by liaisons with a married college professor.
In order to preserve secrecy before the episode aired, multiple endings were filmed, including the aforementioned characters each firing the gun.
Plot summary
After a considerable number of suspects have been identified, Sue Ellen deduces that it was Kristin who shot J.R. At her psychiatrist's office, as she is discussing the gun and how it made its way to her bedroom, she remembers that the last time it was in her possession was when she was at Kristin's condo. She finds J.R. at home, when Kristin shows up and Sue Ellen reveals all.
When Sue Ellen earlier showed up at her sister's apartment with the gun (looking for J.R.), Kristin calmly offered her a drink, with the knowledge that she was drunk and would most likely pass out. Once that happened, after placing Sue Ellen back in her car, unconscious, Kristin took the gun and shot J.R. and planted the gun in Sue Ellen's closet the next day in order to frame her.
After J.R. hears everything and is about to notify the police, Kristin reveals she is pregnant with J.R.'s baby and threatens to reveal everything if the police are brought in. Facing the prospect of another scandal should his child be born in prison, J.R. decides the matter should be handled quietly.
Broadcast and reception
'"Who Done It'" resolved the " Who shot J.R.?" cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
from the previous season, entitled " A House Divided". Some suggest that the resolution of the whodunit was delayed until the November " sweep" period as a ratings ploy by network CBS for the 1980–81 television season. Between 83 million and 90 million American viewers (or 76% of all U.S. television viewers in the United States in November 1980) watched the episode; the 53.3 Nielsen rating was the highest rating of any television episode in U.S. history, a record broken in February 1983 when the final episode of ''M*A*S*H'' aired (on the same network). "Who Done It" still attained the second highest Nielsen rating for a single television broadcast in U.S. history, and remains second on the list of all-time most watched U.S. television episodes (behind the 1983 ''M.A.S.H.'' final episode).
''Dallas'' went on to finish at #1 in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
for three of the next four seasons as a result of the publicity this episode generated, although since the final episode of ''M.A.S.H.'' in 1983, the resolution episode of ''Dallas'' 1980 cliffhanger fell into the second most internationally watched single U.S. television episode in history (watched by about 98 million international viewers in more than 8 countries worldwide during the November 1980 broadcast). The episode also marked the start of widespread usage of cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
s as a core element of television season finales in the United States since the 1980s, and also remained as the highest rated Friday primetime broadcast in U.S. television history (at the time when Friday nights experienced a steep decline in viewership by the end of the 20th century).
References
External links
*
{{Dallas (TV series)
1980 American television episodes
Dallas (TV franchise) episodes