'Dallas' Episode Two: Five Key Scenes

TNT reboot's manipulative double-crossers mix business and pleasure.
By Kara Warner

Jesse Metcalfe, Julie Gonzalo, Josh Henderson and Jordana Brewster on "Dallas"
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Hoo boy! How about these wheelin', dealin' and totally deceiving folks on "Dallas"? If Wednesday night's new episode taught us anything, it's that too many people in and around Southfork are a bunch of manipulative double-crossers. We've already touched on the TNT reboot's new blood and the lingering questions we had after the first episode, so now it's time to tackle episode two's talking points:

Elena Still Loves Christopher
The last we heard about Christopher and Elena's broken engagement was that it happened because of an email. Well, in this episode, we learn all about that email and that neither Christopher nor John Ross are responsible for sending it — or so they claim. The most emotionally charged revelation that comes from Elena's frank discussion with John Ross about the subject is that she is still in love with Christopher. Not that she confesses her feelings outright, but it's written all over her face when John Ross asks her if the only reason she got together with him in the first place was because of her heartbreak over Christopher.

John Ross and J.R.: Wolves in Wolfskin Coats
One minute, we see John Ross all worked up and emotional in learning Elena's true feelings, and the next, he is getting all hot and heavy with alleged business partner/fellow Bobby Ewing conspirator Marta del Sol. Not to mention the dirty dealings and bribery he's orchestrating with lawyer Mitch Lobell. And then there's the patriarch, J.R. himself, who plays up his recent hospitalization for sympathy and pretends to have genuine feelings for his brother Bobby and ex-wife Sue Ellen. That old adage about not trusting a man as far as you can throw him is certainly apt with regard to John Ross and J.R. Ewing. Sheesh.

Mixing Business With Pleasure
Clearly, no one is concerned with the ramifications of mixing business and pleasure in this town. There's the very obvious kind, as demonstrated by the hanky panky between John Ross and Marta, along with the subconscious kind, as exhibited by the professional agreement orchestrated by Christopher and Elena. Both practices will likely end in a bad way. We've already seen several levels of shady behavior from Marta, and can expect to see a sex tape/blackmail scandal somewhere in the very near future. And despite the innocent nature of Christopher and Elena's partnership, their unfinished business will most definitely come to a head in an adulterous manner.

Rebecca: A Good Girl Gone Bad?
Well, well, well — it appears that the new Mrs. Christopher Ewing is not at all the innocent doting wife she appears to be and has a hidden agenda. Thanks to a heated conversation between the newlywed and her brother Tommy — who may or may not be her actual blood relative given the twists and turns we've already seen in this show — we now know that she and Tommy have been working on getting close to the Ewings and Southfork for two years, a plot that snake in the grass-esque Tommy refers to as a "job." So, what kind of job are they doing? Our guess is trying to pull a con or coup of some sort.

Will the Real Marta Del Sol Please Stand Up?
Actually, we don't need the real Marta to stand up, because we meet her in the final minutes of the episode! What a fun twist for us — and J.R.! Because he took the initiative to discuss the sale of Southfork to the del Sol conservancy with Mr. Carlos del Sol himself in Mexico, J.R. is presented with an unpleasant surprise: The real Marta del Sol lives with her father in Mexico, and he and his son have been dealing with a cunning and stealth imposter.

Share your thoughts on the second episode of "Dallas" in the comments below!

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