Dallas s09e11 Episode Script

174111 - The Prize

If everybody loves me, why are they doing this to me? Each of them wants you.
That's me and Dimitri Marinos.
Jack looks so much like him.
Jack is Dimitri's son.
Have you forgotten how rough J.
R.
Can play? He almost destroyed you the last time you took him to court over John Ross.
John Ross? John Ross.
Are you telling me I should hold off on closing this deal? If I were you, I'd hold off till you hear from me.
John Ross.
Where are we going? Come on, John Ross.
Come on, we're almost there.
Where are we going? Home.
We are home.
No, to our new home.
To Grandma Shepard's.
And then we'll be safe? That's right.
We'll never be apart again.
What is it, Mama? Daddy's coming.
No.
- Come on, Mom.
- John Ross, don't stop.
- Keep running.
- Come on.
No, go.
I'll catch up with you.
I can't leave you.
John Ross, keep going.
Mama, help me.
Mom.
- Come on, boy.
J.
R.
, stop.
Help me, please, Mom.
- J.
R.
- Help me, please.
Stop.
Mama, help me.
Please, Mom.
Help me! Help me, please.
Mama, please.
J.
R.
, no.
Please, Mama, help me! John Ross, wait.
Don't.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop! Calm down, Nicholas.
You're overreacting.
That's not like you.
I'm quite aware of the time frame.
The delay cannot be helped.
The deal should already be closed with Ewing.
What's holding it up? The deal is all but closed.
There is nothing to worry about.
Well, I am worried.
An American flew into Athens yesterday.
He's been asking a lot of questions about Marinos Shipping.
Now, would you care to guess who he's working for? We expected J.
R.
Would make inquiries sooner or later.
After all, he's been asked to commit a tremendous amount of money to this project.
This man is not an investment analyst checking out our financial credibility.
He's a private detective.
Now, if he should turn up anything anything that contradicts what you've already told J.
R we could have a problem.
I've not told J.
R.
Anything yet.
He hasn't asked why Ewing Oil is so essential for this co-venture to work? I've avoided the issue.
Well, it can't be avoided forever.
That is my problem.
This detective is yours.
I expect him to be guarded very closely.
Suppose he stumbles onto something? Then you'll just have to take care of him, won't you? We cannot afford any further complications.
Not now.
Do I make myself clear? Yes, Angelica.
Then this conversation is over.
Nicholas is a fool.
I don't know why I thought he was capable of a promotion.
Has J.
R.
's detective found something? Not yet.
But we better close this deal before he does.
Thank you, Miss Ellie.
That was very thoughtful of you.
They're beautiful.
It's so good to have you home.
It's nice to be home.
I really need to get these in some water.
If there's anything that I can do to help while you get your strength back, please just Just ask me.
I'm fine, Miss Ellie.
Just fine.
Thanks.
I won't tell you that I know what you're feeling but I do understand how How terribly painful it must be.
There's no No explaining the loss of a child.
I'm not looking for explanations.
The only thing that I can tell you is the pain will lessen.
Little by little.
You You just have to give it time.
I don't wanna forget the pain.
I don't wanna forget any of it.
Because that would mean I was forgetting the child.
I'm never gonna do that.
Well, as horrible as it's been for you that doesn't mean that you and Ray can't have another baby.
I won't go through this again.
Well, you may feel that way now Miss Ellie, don't you understand? It just isn't meant to be.
You seem a little tired.
You all right? I just didn't sleep very well last night.
Any reason in particular? We all have our bad nights, Clayton.
I was thinking that the, uh custody fight over John Ross might have something to do with it.
You always could read me like an open book.
Well, that's because I care about you very much.
Well, believe me, it wasn't an easy decision to make.
Mrs.
Ewing, Mr.
Farlow.
It's nice to see you again.
Come right this way.
Your table's right here.
Thank you.
Enjoy your meal.
I wanna be with my son, Clayton.
And because J.
R.
And I are legally separated filing for legal custody is the only alternative.
I'm not here to question your decision, but I am concerned about its timing.
Well, I don't quite know what you mean.
If you think it has anything to do with Dusty No, that's not what I'm getting at.
Dusty told me about you two agreeing that you would take it easy until this suit for John Ross is resolved.
Then what are you getting at? You have been through a lot, Sue Ellen.
Not a very long time since you left the rehabilitation program.
Now, don't take me wrong.
The way you pulled yourself together is a tribute to your strength.
And I'm continuing to get stronger every day.
But are you strong enough for this? - Supposing you lose the custody fight? - I don't plan on losing.
But you can't ignore the possibility.
Have you forgotten how rough J.
R.
Can play? He almost destroyed you the last time you took him to court over John Ross.
- Why should it be different this time? - I'm different this time.
You're also alone this time.
I don't want J.
R.
To hurt you again.
Clayton I must admit I'm frightened.
But I'm not gonna let that stop me.
Mr.
Ewing? There's a man holding on the phone for you.
It sounds like long-distance.
All right.
See if you can find John Ross.
Tell him to come up here, would you? Yeah.
Hello? J.
R.
, you're gonna have to speak up.
This connection is no good.
All right.
What'd you come up with? I'm still trying to put the pieces together.
But I have a strong feeling that something odd is going on.
- What's that supposed to mean? - I'm not sure yet.
At this point, I've got more questions than I've got answers.
I've arranged to meet with an insider at Marinos Shipping late tonight.
Should have a clearer picture after that.
Are you telling me I should hold off on closing this deal? I'm not telling you anything.
But if I were you, I'd hold off till you hear from me tomorrow.
All right, I'll do it.
Mm.
You wanted to talk to me, Daddy? Oh, yeah, sure, son.
Come on over here, sit down.
Uh Well, you know that, uh, your mother has filed for custody of you.
Yes.
You understand what that means? I'll live with her instead of you.
Well, only if the judge decides in her favor.
But you and I, we both have a chance to talk to him too.
And when he's heard what we each have to say then he'll make his decision.
John Ross, I didn't want this to happen.
But now that it has, there's just nothing I can do about it.
So So when you talk to the judge, you just tell him the truth.
And when he hears how much you care for Southfork and the family there's just no way in the world he'll decide to let you live anyplace else.
I still have some homework to finish.
Guess I'd better get back to it.
Yeah.
All right.
John Ross.
Don't you worry about a thing.
Everything's gonna work out just fine.
If you don't wanna finish everything on your plate, that's all right.
I can finish it.
I just don't want you to get sick.
I won't get sick.
I'm so glad you were able to join us for dinner.
John Ross, I know how confusing things must seem for you right now.
It hurts me to know that what's happening between your daddy and me I love you very much.
We both love you very much.
I know that doesn't make much sense, does it? Maybe one of these days, you'll understand.
We're each doing what we think is best for you.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, the dessert.
One thing about living here, John Ross, there's never a dull moment.
I know it's nobody's birthday, but I love candles on a cake.
The dessert forks, I forgot them.
I'll be right back.
I hope you saved some room, John Ross.
To us.
To our partnership.
I hope you don't mind, but I've instructed Grace to arrange a meeting with your partners to sign the papers.
My partners? Pamela Ewing and your cousin Jack.
Uh, we don't need Jack's signature.
Oh, Jack must sign too.
No, it's not necessary.
There can be no deal without him.
Angelica, if you want Jack in your bed, that's your business.
But as far as this deal is concerned, he's unimportant.
He's critical.
Why don't you believe me when I say that? I don't understand why he's so critical.
He only owns 10 percent of Ewing Oil.
He has no say in a matter like this.
Well, that looks like, that's you and Is that Jack? That's me and Dimitri Marinos.
Oh, that's amazing.
Jack looks so much like him.
He should.
Jack is Dimitri's son.
Clayton told you we might be going into business together, huh? Raising bulls.
No, breeding livestock.
Big business.
A man could get rich.
You already are rich.
Hey, you know what? That's right.
I forgot.
I was under the impression that you were getting more involved with J.
R in the oil business.
That's the impression that J.
R.
Would like for everybody to have especially Angelica Nero, the mystery lady herself.
There's no mystery there.
She has eyes for you.
Wait.
Eyes for me? She probably collects young men.
Many years ago, when he was 21 years old Dimitri inherited his fortune.
He ran wild all over the world jet-setting from here to there, to there to Texas.
He was making oil deals and connections with everyone.
Mm-hm.
Go on.
Around 1950, a grubby little man by the name of Jason Ewing approached him with a get-rich-quick scheme.
He wasn't interested in Jason or his deal but then he met Jason's wife.
Her name was Nancy Shaw Ewing.
He fell in love with her, and they had an affair while Jason was piecing together a deal.
She became pregnant with his child.
Do you really expect me to believe this? He wanted her to divorce Jason and to marry him, but she wouldn't.
Despite Dimitri's wealth, she was in love with Jason.
And, actually, she was ashamed of her indiscretion.
- What'd Jason have to say about all this? - He never knew.
Then they moved to Montana, and Dimitri finally went back to Greece.
The following spring, she gave birth to Jack.
Jason kept track of them regularly and sent them money all the time which she never refused.
Well, now, tell me.
Why would a billionaire like Dimitri Marinos care so much about Jack? Because he never had another child.
Ten years later, Nancy Shaw died.
Dimitri was heartbroken even then.
Jason left Montana with the children, and, uh, Dimitri lost track of them.
Until a few months ago when he saw a picture of Jack in the Dallas society column.
Your family was celebrating the legal victory over Jack's sister.
Well, I'll be damned.
Ironic, isn't it? Yes, it certainly is.
Now Dimitri's very sick.
And before he dies, he would like his real son to have what is his, and that is where our deal comes in.
You want it to look like Jack struck it rich with our oil deal make it seem as if he earned it? - Exactly.
- Ah.
For helping him, Dimitri will make sure that you also earn a fortune.
I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth but what do you need me for? Well, you said it yourself.
Jack doesn't know much about the oil business, really.
And he wouldn't believe me if I told him that Dimitri needed his expertise.
- So I pull him in.
- Yes.
You must convince him to become a partner.
But you cannot tell him what you know.
If Jack discovers the truth, the deal is off.
How much is Jack really gonna be worth? When all is said and done, your cousin Jack is gonna be one of the richest men in the world.
Will you help him, J.
R? Well, what are cousins for? You and Jamie don't look very much alike.
Yeah, I always thought she looked more like Daddy.
And you look more like your mother? Yeah.
What was her name? Nancy.
Do you remember much about her? Oh I remember a lot about her, even though I was young when she died.
How young? Oh, Charlie's age.
No.
No, younger.
What was she like? I could trust her.
As long as she was there, nothing could hurt me.
And she was strong.
Not physically.
Morally.
And I remember her voices.
Her speaking voice, which was clear and filled with truth.
And her singing voice.
It seemed to come from a deeper part of her soul.
A sadder part.
I could never quite figure that out.
When she sang she seemed so far away.
And I would put my head on her lap and I would close my eyes.
And I would try Try to dream with her.
You remember a lot for having been so young.
I loved her.
Good morning, Teresa.
Good morning, Miss Ellie.
Where's John Ross? Oh, I thought you were gonna wake him up.
No.
You said that you were gonna wake him.
- Do you want me to get him? - No, thank you, Teresa.
You know, I think he's gonna find this day quite a strain with the court hearing and everything, and he probably just doesn't wanna face it.
I have the feeling today is going to be a strain on a lot of people.
John Ross? John Ross? John Ross, it's time to get up.
John Ross? John Ross.
Any sign of him? - Not yet.
I talked to the helicopter pilot.
I'm gonna meet him right now and see if we can spot John Ross.
Call the sheriff.
- I already have.
He's got his men all over Braddock County.
Anyone checked the stables to see if his horse is there? Yeah, his horse is still there.
I'll check South Creek with the helicopter pilot.
You and Clayton take the boys out to the east perimeter.
- Have you found him yet? - No.
What did you do to make John Ross run away? What did I do to him? I didn't do a damn thing to him.
I'm the only stability that boy's got, and what kind of a mother are you? You wouldn't know what's going on if somebody didn't telephone you.
That's enough.
This isn't gonna help us find John Ross.
Miss Ellie, we're gonna go out and look for him again right now.
We'll find him.
Don't worry about it.
When I discovered John Ross missing, I figured you'd have taken him.
I just wish to God it'd be that simple.
I'm gonna meet the pilot.
There's a phone call for you, Mr.
Ewing.
It's Mr.
Adams from Greece.
Take a message.
I haven't got time for that now.
I can't stand around.
Let's take the jeep and find him.
I'll go with you.
I'll have to take a message, Mr.
Adams.
I need to talk to him.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Adams.
If you'll just get me a number.
Tell him to meet me at the Dallas Airport tomorrow morning, 10 a.
m.
I'm coming in from Athens.
How long has she been waiting? About 15 minutes.
Do you want me to reschedule her appointment? No.
I'll meet with her.
Miss Nero.
Mrs.
Ewing.
I've been waiting for J.
R.
Yes, I know.
I'm sorry.
It's not like him to miss a meeting.
Would you tell him that when he's ready to do business, he could call me at home? Yes, but as long as you're here, maybe I can help you.
As I told you the other day, I am an equal partner in Ewing Oil.
So you did.
Please forgive my impatience.
It's just that I'm not used to being kept waiting.
Oh, well, I understand.
Would you like some coffee or tea? No, thank you very much.
I understand that J.
R.
Gave you all the information regarding our co-venture.
Yes, he did.
Did you have an opportunity to look it over? Yes.
It's a very exciting proposal.
And lucrative for all parties involved.
Yes.
But I'm afraid that it may be too great of an investment for Ewing Oil at this time.
That's quite the opposite impression that J.
R.
Gave me.
Well, we're two different people running the same company.
Anyway, we haven't discussed it fully yet.
But if you want an answer from me, at this point, my answer would be no.
Well, perhaps we can reach a compromise once we all have a chance to get together J.
R.
And you and Jack and myself.
Jack has nothing to do with running Ewing Oil.
He is a partner, is he not? Yes, but only on paper.
I can assure you that Jack has no interest in any involvement in Ewing Oil beyond that.
In fact, he's about to go into ranching on a full-time basis.
I see.
Miss Nero, if you would excuse me, I have some work to get to.
Certainly.
Thank you very much for your time.
It's been most informative.
It's a pleasure doing business with another woman.
Women always manage to dispense with subterfuge, do they not? What do you think about a house with a tennis court? - You don't play tennis.
- I'll learn.
I'll get that guy John McEnroe to give me lessons.
- That, from the cheapest man in Dallas? - Why not? What do I bust my butt for to have all this money if we can't have a good time? Oh, I'm having a good time right now.
What would you say if I told you I was gonna get out of the oil business and then you and I were just gonna travel the world? I tell you to stop lying or else your nose is going to grow.
No, I'm serious.
I mean, what do I need it for? You know, I'm relatively young.
I'm rich, got a beautiful wife.
I mean, why am I busting my head against the wall every day? Okay.
We'll turn the company over to somebody else.
We can close this place up and take off.
We can go to Paris, to London, to China.
We can take a cruise.
And then what are we gonna do? Take another cruise, I don't know.
Things.
There are lots of things to do.
Cliff, I don't think we're the kind of people that can be happy not doing anything.
I mean, I wasn't raised that way and neither were you.
Okay, spoilsport, what do you wanna do? What do I really wanna do? What do you really want to do? I wanna go to work with you.
I want you to teach me everything to know about the oil business and I wanna stand by your side every step of the way.
Cliff, I'm not the type of girl that can be happy living in a big fancy home and having her nails done all day long.
That might be fine for some people, but it's just not my way.
Well, what do you say? It's been a long time since anybody wanted to stand by my side and be a part of my life.
And if that's honestly what you want nothing could make me happier.
I'm going up to the house, see if anybody's heard anything.
I'll ride on to that dry creek bed, take a look around.
Hey, Rocky, Charlie, you go on along with Hal.
Come on, the rest of you men, you stay with me.
Everybody stay in touch.
John Ross could be anywhere.
He may not even be at Southfork.
What if he went on the road and got a ride with someone? Stop thinking like that.
We're gonna find him, Sue Ellen.
John Ross? John Ross? John Ross, are you up there? Oh, sweetheart.
Please come down.
Please.
Come on, please.
I'm so glad you're all right.
Everybody was so worried about you.
How did you know where I was? Oh.
I know a lot about where little boys go and hide.
Your Uncle Bobby used to come here when he ran away.
Tell me what it is, John Ross.
Tell me what it is.
I'm scared, Grandma.
Of what? What are you scared of? I want things to be like they used to be when we all lived together.
I don't wanna pick between Mama and Daddy.
I love them.
Now, you listen to me, John Ross.
Nobody's gonna make you do any such thing and nobody's gonna do anything to hurt you.
Because we all love you very, very, very much.
If everybody loves me, why are they doing this to me? This is hard to understand, but I want you to try.
Your mommy and daddy are having a very hard time being together right now and because they love you so much, each of them wants you.
Can you understand that? I know it's a very painful way to work things out.
But I promise you that they will work out.
Will you believe me? Have I ever lied to you? No.
And do I love you? Yes.
How much? How much? How much? Oh, John Ross.
This isn't like school.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions I'm gonna ask you.
But I don't wanna have to choose.
Choose between your parents? You don't have to do that, John Ross.
It's my job to decide, after I talk to all three of you.
Now, why don't you tell me what it's like living at Southfork? Who do you play with? What kinds of things do you do? Well, I have my own pony.
Sometimes I go riding with Charlie.
She's this girl who lives with us.
And I won a prize at the rodeo.
Who helped you train for the rodeo? Clayton did.
He's sort of like my grandfather.
What about your father? Do you ever do things with him? Well, usually he works a lot.
He's very smart.
When I get older, I'm going to help him at Ewing Oil.
He knows the answers to all the questions I ever ask him.
He taught me how to tie my tie, and he taught me how to swim.
Are you a good swimmer? Just going to ask about my mother now? Well, what do you wanna tell me about her? Well, she helps me with my homework.
She always wants to make sure that I'm not watching too much television.
That's if I'm real good.
She takes me places, and I don't know, just have fun.
Well, sir, she would have you believe that she's made some miraculous recovery, but Well, the truth is that she hasn't proven to anybody yet that she's fit to take care of the boy.
It wasn't two months ago that she was in the drunk tank at the county jail.
I'm well aware of Mrs.
Ewing's recent history.
What I would like to discuss with you here is what you feel you specifically can offer John Ross as the custodial parent.
Well, a stable home life, for one thing.
John Ross was brought up at Southfork, and he has me and his grandmama and his whole family that love him and wanna take care of him.
How much time do you personally spend with your son? Oh, we spend a lot of time together.
We have breakfast together every morning and on weekends, we go swimming, and I'm teaching him how to dive.
I suppose he told you about that.
And I always try to be there at night to tuck him in.
But I have a huge company to run a company that I'm building as a legacy for John Ross, you understand.
- Wouldn't hold that against me, would you? - Certainly not, Mr.
Ewing.
Certainly not.
No, yeah.
I realize that I've only been out of the rehabilitation program a short time now, Your Honor.
But I've sworn to myself that I'll never take another drink as long as I live.
And I mean it.
I'm sure you do.
That wasn't the first time you were in treatment for alcoholism, was it? No.
But I never understood why I had the problem, and now I do.
I was always so worried about what everyone thought about me that I never built my own self-confidence.
That's never gonna happen again.
John Ross means the world to me and I'm gonna make a new life for myself and for him.
Where do you intend to live? I'm gonna buy a nice house right here in Dallas with a big backyard and neighbors close enough so that John Ross will have children to play with.
- Just the two of you? - Yes.
There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Of course not, Mrs.
Ewing.
Thank you all for your cooperation.
Now, I'm going to review the legal petitions and everything that I've heard here today.
And I'll make my decision as quickly as I can.
I know how difficult this is for you and I want you to know that I'll do everything in my power to make a fair and just determination of custody.
Did I receive any calls? Yes, the London office, and, uh, the gown you ordered is being sent from Paris.
It's about time.
They certainly took long enough.
Would you cancel my dinner reservations this evening? I'm going to have my meal in my room.
I'm expecting a call from Nicholas.
What would you like? Oh, you choose something.
Order something wonderful.
Or as close as you can come to it here in Dallas.
Did your meeting with J.
R.
Go badly? I didn't meet with J.
R.
At all.
He spent the afternoon in court.
- Then what are you going to tell Nicholas? - I don't have to say anything to Nicholas.
He takes orders from me.
But if I were to say anything at all to him, it would be that as far as J.
R.
Is concerned we have nothing to worry about.
He's highly motivated to see things my way.
And Pamela Ewing? Huh.
Pamela Ewing.
She thinks she's more important than she really is.
She actually thinks she can put a halt to our co-venture.
If she becomes too much of a problem, we can deal with her rather simply.
Can we not? Yeah, I was there for that one.
One of the best games I ever saw.
Dallas Cowboys, the American's team.
I can't remember the last time I went to a football game.
Well, you're just gonna have to drop into our crown suite at Texas Stadium.
Set me back, what, a million and a half dollars.
Ha-ha-ha.
A million and a half? Well, what the hell, huh? Jack, you're just gonna have to get used to having money.
That's all there is to it.
Say, you know what? We haven't started to talk about the salary you're gonna be pulling at Ewing Oil.
- Salary? - Yeah, give me a bourbon and branch.
- What you having, Jack? - I'll have a beer, thanks.
No, J.
R.
, I never said anything about coming to work for you.
Not me, us.
Us.
I'm setting up a deal with Clayton and Ray.
We're thinking about taking Ray's land What, punching cattle? Now, we talked about that.
Ha, ha.
Look, I'm just not interested in juggling piles of paper, J.
R.
And meetings? No, thank you.
I don't like meetings.
I hate them, as a matter of fact.
- I appreciate the offer but I'm not your man.
- Wait, you got the rest of your life to ranch.
I'm just asking for, what? Six months of your time.
You'd be doing me favor if you helped me out on this.
- What? You can't find anybody else? - I can't find anybody else in time.
This Marinos deal is moving too fast.
It's important to me, Jack.
How does Pam feel about me coming in on this? What difference does it make? Because I just don't wanna get stuck in the middle, J.
R.
No.
Nope, I wanna talk to her before I give you my answer.
- What can I do? Nothing.
It's all done.
Just come and get it.
No, Mark, leave the glasses there.
We have fresh ones here.
Different vintage.
Now, when are you going to make the announcement you invited us over for? Patience, just patience.
In time, after dinner.
Come on, Cliff.
What's all this mystery about? No mystery.
Drama.
I'm gonna get the soup.
Well, I'm not gonna eat until you tell us what the surprise is.
Cliff.
Okay.
Jamie and I are engaged to be married.
- You're already married.
- Legally, technically, we are.
We just didn't do it right the first time.
So we're gonna do it all over again.
With the dress, the veil, the cake, the honeymoon, the entire works.
Been sounding like you're already on your honeymoon.
Pam, will you be my matron of honor? - Thank you.
Mark, the best man? You got it.
I can't wait to have this wedding.
Just to let the whole world know that Jamie and I are together for keeps.
Air Southern passengers you can claim your baggage at Carousel Number 10.
Air Southern passengers, you can claim your baggage at Carousel Number 10.
Hello, Sly.
It's me.
Has Pete Adams checked in? No, he hasn't.
But it's a good thing you called.
You're supposed to go to the courthouse.
The judge is ready to hand down his decision.
I'm on my way.
I got here as soon as I could.
Sorry about the short notice but I presumed you'd wanna hear as quickly as possible.
All things being equal, precedent gives substantial weight to the value of a child of John Ross's age being given over to the care of his mother.
Of course, things are never quite equal so I want to assure both of you that I have taken pains to judge each of you on your abilities and qualifications to raise the child.
And I must say that while your abilities and qualifications are distinctly different I am convinced you both love your son.
My decision will not be a reflection on the depth of feeling you each have for him.
But it falls to me to award custody of John Ross to only one parent.
So I have therefore made my decision to award that custody to Mrs.
Ewing.
Mr.
Ewing, the court will require that you relinquish custody of your son to his mother no later than one week from today.

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