Dallas

J.R. is a prime suspect for murder as the mystery of the body in the Southfork swimming pool is unraveled. Both Cliff and J.R. accuse each other of the foul play involved in this misdeed.

J.R. and Cliff Barnes face each other at the inquest held to establish the facts behind the death in the Southfork swimming pool. J.R. has other problems on his mind as he plots to recover the custody of his son while Cliff is faced with the fact that he apparently is washed up in Dallas with even Afton Cooper turning her back on him. Lucy refuses to give up on her marriage to Mitch and looks t...

With the help of Miss Ellie, J.R. gains entry to the ranch domain of Clayton Farlow. In order to see John Ross, J.R. cons his mother into letting him accompany her to the Southern Cross and then tries to use her as a shield to snatch his son and return to Southfork. Back in Dallas, Afton helps her brother, Mitch, celebrate his graduation from medical school while Lucy struggles desperately to f...

Even Miss Ellie seems to have lost all patience with J.R., which could severely hamper him in the custody fight for his son. As J.R. prepares to challenge Sue Ellen for temporary custody of John Ross.

J.R. uses his power to try and force the Farlows to stop protecting Sue Ellen and John Ross. Unknown to J.R., Sue Ellen's relationship with Dusty is already being adversely affected by his feelings of inadequacy. Bobby is having troubles of his own, Pam has a life-threatening emotional breakdown and he has to deal with a possible extortionist after receiving a baffling piece of mail. Cliff Barn...

In his vendetta against the Farlows for harboring Sue Ellen and his son, J.R. puts Ewing Oil on the line by secretly attempting to borrow $200 million to dry up the supply of oil to the Farlow refineries. Bobby buys information about Kristin's baby while his wife meets her half-sister in the hospital where Pam is under Dr. Conrad's care. Ray decides to try his business project alone when Punk A...

J.R.'s scheming seems to be backfiring when his efforts to force the Farlows to stop harboring Sue Ellen and his son don't work.

The Ewing family learns that Jock has instituted a plan which dramatically affects their relationships and the future of Ewing Oil. Most affected by Jock's new scheme is J.R. whose freehanded ways with the company could be at an end. Bobby declines to run for reelection to the senate and receives more information about Kristin's past. Pam's emotional stability seems improved but Dr. Conrad rema...

A triumphant Cliff Barnes forces J.R. to submit his demands for Ewing Oil property or face foreclosure on the note which Barnes now holds. J.R. tries to solidify his power base in Ewing Oil by plotting to acquire more voting shares but Gary and Ray refuse to be coerced. Ray is facing a serious business setback as Donna, unaware of her husband's dilemma, flies to meet with her new publisher. Bob...

Miss Ellie discovers that J.R.'s irresponsible wheeling and dealing has put Ewing Oil on the brink of financial disaster. With the intention of helping Ray out of his own financial crisis, Ellie tries to loan him money from the Ewing account and is shocked at its condition. J.R. desperately consults a stock broker about going public with Ewing Oil to rid it of Cliff Barnes' note. Meanwhile, Bob...

J.R.'s position at Ewing Oil hangs in the balance when Ellie takes matters into her own hands. An angry, determined Miss Ellie calls the family together to vote on whether J.R. should be removed as the company's president when it looks like he will be forced to default on his loan. Meanwhile, J.R. plots to gain custody of his son now that Sue Ellen has left the protection of the Farlows and Bob...

Miss Ellie plans the annual Ewing Barbecue to coincide with Jock's expected return to Southfork. The barbecue gets underway with all of the intrigues inherent at most of the big Ewing functions. J.R. and Sue Ellen find a renewed interest in each other while Cliff Barnes realizes that he may still love Sue Ellen. Lucy is annoyed when Mitch is called away by a patient and Ray gets drunk and embar...

The Ewings are unable to accept the fact that their father, Jock, could be dead, and J.R., Bobby, and Ray fly to South America to see the crash site and determine his fate. In South America the Ewing sons find an injured man at the crash site who tells them his small plane collided with a helicopter which crashed into the lake. Ray and Bobby dive into the lake and find pieces of a helicopter an...

Jock's death has a devastating effect on J.R. and Bobby has to cover for himself as well as his brother in running Ewing Oil. J.R. is unable to deal even with the simplest of business demands in his grief. In the meantime, the rest of the family is puzzled at Miss Ellie's calmness in dealing with her husband's death and Bobby realizes that she is refusing to accept its reality. Cliff, ecstatic ...

With J.R.'s continued absence from the business and Ray's apathy and negligence toward the running of the ranch, Bobby is both struggling to keep Ewing Oil afloat without the authority to make decisions and trying to keep the operation of Southfork running smoothly. Bobby tries to convince Ellie to let him take over as temporary President of Ewing Oil until J.R. recovers from Jock's death but E...

A recovered J.R. brings John Ross to the Ewing Oil offices to introduce him to what he hopes is his son's future. Later, when he tells Sue Ellen about it, she is far from delighted. Lucy's photography sessions continue with Roger becoming increasingly obsessive. Ellie becomes aware of Ray's continued negligence toward the ranch and angrily confronts him about it. After being pressured by Pam to...

J.R. tries to convince Donna that the only way to save her marriage is to persuade Ray to give his ten voting shares to J.R., thereby severing his ties to the Ewings. Bobby has his first meeting with Eccles about adopting Christopher telling him the child's mother is dead and the father unknown. Donna leaves Southfork to work on her new book and Lucy gets angry when she sees Mitch with another ...

J.R., behind the scenes, gets a job offer for Cliff to get him out of Southfork so he can make a move to rekindle his relationship with Sue Ellen. Ray is caught with another woman by Donna and Lucy confronts Evelyn about Mitch. Bobby surprises Pam with her own business -- an aerobic dance salon -- pointing out she is now able to work and be with Christopher at the same time.

J.R. has Ray arrested during one of his binges then shows up at jail and persuades a distraught Ray to sign over his ten voting shares in Ewing Oil. Cliff discovers J.R.'s plot to get him a phony job with Olco Industries. Roger's obsession with Lucy becomes increasingly warped and he becomes irate after she tells him she can't see him one night. Bobby wins temporary custody of Christopher at th...

J.R. returns to Southfork where the family is celebrating Christopher's adoption which serves to depress him further as he realizes he may be a long way from having his own son back. Ray cleans up his act and starts to put his life back together. Mitch shows up at one of Lucy's photo sessions and tells her he wants a divorce.

Katherine looks for J.R.'s help because Cliff has taken over Wentworth Tool and Dye. Donna uncovers a secret in the pasts of the Ewings and Culvers while Clayton does some investigating to find out if Cliff is good for Sue Ellen. Farraday attempts to blackmail Bobby about Christopher and Lucy gets threatened by Roger.

J.R., through his manipulations, dupes Cliff into spending millions on a phony land deal. Farraday meets with Bobby and wants money and a ticket to Rio while Cliff proposes marriage to Sue Ellen.

Bobby Ewing's worst fears are realized when Farraday is murdered but a much worse blackmailer takes his place, his brother, J.R. With copies of Christopher's adoption records in his possession, J.R. realizes that he is probably the real father and now he can force Bobby to do his will so that Pam will never find out. J.R. also believes he will soon have a clear field to get Sue Ellen back with ...

Bobby is in a difficult position when he is questioned by the police about the extent of his involvement with Farraday. Lucy is released from her bondage after she is found by Pam and Bobby. Cliff realizes he is facing ruin and tries to borrow money from Sue Ellen, which J.R. uses to try and win Sue Ellen back even as he draws the net around Barnes even tighter. Donna is distressed at Ellie's c...