thoughts on the premiere of the Dallas reboot

So. I don't really remember the original Dallas. Watching the premiere tonight, I recongized the theme song, as well as the actors who played J.R., Sue Ellen, and Bobby. And, of course, I'm aware of some of the major storylines from the original series, like the "Who shot J.R.?" cliffhanger and the whole thing with a whole season of the show turning out to be a dream. Though I wasn't overly familiar with the original, I thought the reboot looked fun. Prime time soaps are pretty much my favorite, and there aren't too many good ones around right now.

Here's the basic plot: John Ross (J.R.'s son) and Elena, his girlfriend and coworker, who is the daughter of one of the Ewing's employees-- a cook or a maid or something?-- strike oil on South Fork Ranch. They want to drill, but J.R. and Bobby's mother stipulated in her will that no one would ever drill on South Fork; Bobby wants to honor this. Additionally, Bobby's adopted son, Christopher (who is played by Jesse Metcalfe from Desperate Housewives, and who occasionally walks around in his underwear just 'cause) feels like he needs to earn the Ewing name and is working to develop an alternative energy source. Bobby wants to sell South Fork Ranch to the Del Sol Conservancy, supposedly so John Ross can't drill for oil, but also because he secretly has cancer and is afraid of what his brother and nephew will do to the ranch once he's gone. J.R. secretly has a deal with Marta del Sol to buy the ranch back from her after the sale goes through...only Marta might not be who she seems. Also causing tension is the fact that Christopher comes home with his fiancee, Rebecca (who he marries in this first episode), only he's still in love with John Ross's girlfriend, Elena, who he was once engaged to. Elena told John Ross that she broke up with Christopher, but in reality, she received an e-mail from Christopher on the night before their wedding saying that they were from two different worlds and that he couldn't go through with it. However, Elena learns in this episode that Christopher didn't send the e-mail. She assumes that John Ross did, and breaks up with him, only we get confirmation late in the episode that he didn't send the e-mail, either. Also, it is revealed that Rebecca is a con artist, though it seems that she might actually have real feelings for Christopher.

John Ross is the best character, I think, or at any rate, the most complex. Like, at one point I said out loud, "John Ross is a DOUCHE!," yet just a few minutes later I found myself feeling sorry for him. He also comes across as kind of dumb, yet this seems to be at least partly an act, since he pulls off some fairly complicated business in this episode. Rebecca also becomes interesting once we find out she is a con artist, and I like Elena, too; I think what's going on with her is that she's torn between her working class roots and her ambition, which is also why she's torn between Christopher and John Ross. Christopher, Bobby, and J.R. aren't as interesting so far; Christopher and Bobby come across as just a little too good, and J.R. seems to be just pure evil, though I assume all of those things might change over time. J.R.'s ex-wife, Sue Ellen, and Bobby's wife, Anne, haven't been given a lot to do so far, though Sue Ellen seems pretty badass.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. The premiere was actually over two hours long, which felt a little long, yet it mostly kept me interested; like, in the beginning I was kind of doing other stuff while I watched, like walking back and forth between my living room and bedroom to put laundry away, but after awhile I found myself wanting to stay where I was and see what happened. I gasped out loud multiple times, and sometimes said, "What?!" I consider all of those things good. Anyway, I think it should make for some fun summer viewing.