Dallas (1978–1991): Season 7, Episode 17 - Eye of the Beholder - full transcript

Miss Ellie changes her mind about marrying Clayton and J.R. is delighted. Clayton broods over Ellie's decision about their wedding and then shows up at Southfork demanding an explanation but J.R. meets him with a gun.

Mommy.

Mommy. Mommy.

Hi, sweetheart. Good morning.

What are you doing,
huh? What do you want?

Come here. Come back here.

Want some breakfast?

Want some breakfast? Is that
what you want? Come here first.

Oh! What are you
doing up? It's still early.

Come here.

Well, I'll be glad when you're
old enough to sleep till noon.

I was having such a nice dream.



How are you?

You know what?

I think as long as we're both up,
we ought to call Mark in Houston.

We'll wake him up, too, okay?

Okay. Let's see.

Here you go. Hold that. Hold
that. There you go. Thank you.

Sing/Erma, Houston.

Hello, may I have Mark
Graison's suite, please?

Just a moment, please.

Mr. Graison isn't registered.

Well, are you sure? I talked to
him yesterday. Did he check out?

Let me see.

No, Mr. Graison wasn't
registered here yesterday either.

- All right. Thank you.
- Yes, ma'am.



That's funny. He
always stays there.

Well, I guess we'll just find
out when he gets back, right?

Bobby.

I'm coming. I'm coming. Hold on.

God, you take forever.

You didn't have to
go through this trouble.

Oh, it's not any trouble. It's nice to
be able to make breakfast for a man...

instead of just for
Charlie and me.

- Oh, that looks wonderful.
- Thank you.

Oh. Mmm.

- Do you know what?
- What?

I think I'm still on a
high from yesterday.

With the grand opening
of the boutique...

and just being here with you.

It's been a wonderful 24 hours.

It was a wonderful
day for me too.

- And you know what?
- What?

I can't understand how I could
have ever left you before our wedding.

- I was so young.
- And dumb.

I think maybe you just
didn't wanna be tied down.

Well, I guess what I really
needed was time to play.

I think maybe I needed a little
time, too. And you sensed it.

I don't know...

because right now, with you.
It's the best time of my life.

- Katherine Wentworth?
- Yes.

- I'm Earl Johnson.
- Thank you for meeting me, Mr. Johnson.

It is an odd way to do
business, even for me.

Well, I didn't wanna come to your office.
I want this to be very confidential.

Confidential is my specialty.

I'd like you to
find a man for me.

I could make a joke about
you not needing me for that.

Well, thank you. I really
don't have very much to go on.

His name is Renaldo Marchetta.

Now, he's supposed to have
left Italy about three years ago.

- For where?
- Well, that, I don't know.

I understood that you had
contacts in many countries.

Yes.

These clippings are
about 13 or 14 years old.

- Nothing newer?
- No.

That makes it a little
harder. You in a hurry?

Well, it is important.

I'd like you to find him
as quickly as possible.

Old boyfriend? Former husband?

No. He was married to a woman
from herein Dallas, Jenna Wade.

There's a possibility that he
may have some information...

that would be very
important to me.

All right. I'll call you as
soon as I know something.

Thank you.

- Hello, doc.
- Hey, Mark.

- Where do you think you're going?
- Dallas, that's where I live.

Well, I haven't
released you yet.

You're supposed to
be wearing one of those

funny gowns where
your backside sticks out.

One of the nurses got my clothes so
she could keep her mind on her work.

And besides, I
feel great, Jerry.

Well, your knee is okay. This
time, I thought you'd really tom it up.

That body of yours is held together with
nothing but spit and rubber bands anyway.

This polo, skydiving, racing.

Don't you think it's time you settle
down to a little more sedate lite?

There's a lady that I wanna many
who feels the same way you do.

That's why I didn't tell her
I was coming to see you.

Maybe she doesn't like seeing you carted
all playing fields all over the world.

So I've broken a
couple of bones.

It hurt bad enough for you to
come all the way to Houston.

You're the only one with
the road map of my body.

You mean the only male.

Enough with the jokes. Will you
sign the release papers for me?

Well, there's no infection in the knee.
The cortisone reduced the inflammation.

It feels better, doesn't it?

The only thing I feel
is the pain of the shot.

Gonna be in Dallas for a while?

Well, unless I'm in
London or Sydney 01 Nice.

- Mark, get the hell out of here.
- Thanks.

Daredevils.

Ellie?

I was hoping
you'd still be here.

Clayton, I really don't think we
have anything left to say to each other.

Ellie, we have shared too many
weeks and months together...

for you to dismiss me as
abruptly as you did last night.

I'm sorry, Clayton. You above
all people don't deserve that.

Well, then, tell
me what's wrong.

I've changed my mind. I don't want to
get married to you or to anyone else.

That's not good enough.

We were together all evening.
We had a marvelous time.

I know.

And then I suggested that
we spend the night together.

Was that it, Ellie?

It... It brought
everything to a head.

It made me realize that our
marriage wasn't something...

that was just going
to happen in the future.

It was reality.

And it also made me realize
that we have enormous problems.

I've told you, I'm prepared
to deal with the boys...

- deal with Southfork.
- Clayton.

You're a deal and lovely
man, but I can't burden you.

There are too many problems...

and I've come to a point in my
life when I just want some peace.

Ellie, you're holding back.
You're not telling me something.

Clayton, there's nothing to say.
Our getting married just won't work.

You'll have to accept that.

- Take it, Clayton, please.
- No.

Ellie, I know that I could
make you very happy.

I know that you care for me.

And I know that I love you.

But for some reason I don't
understand, you're ignoring all that.

My mind is made up, Clayton.

Please, don't make it any
more difficult for both of us.

- J.R.
- Hey, Bob.

You look like a man
who just struck oil.

I did. I just wrapped
up the Travis Boyd deal.

What Travis Boyd deal?

I bought out Travis Boyd's company,
lock, stock and producing fields.

So that was the deal you were so
secretive about, Travis Boyd Company?

That's the one.

Bobby, I thought we
had an agreement.

We're gonna make deals
together, keep each other informed.

Wonderful. You're teaching
me business ethics?

You're damn right, I am.

You're not to go doing things
separately and spending company money.

I let you in on the
Travis Boyd deal.

You sat on it so long, Cliff Barnes
swiped it out from under our nose.

All right, so I made a mistake.

Does that mean from now on, you can
run off, sneak around behind my back?

You're making a lot
of noise over nothing.

I'm not a rookie in this business anymore.
It was a good deal and I had to move fast.

You said it was gonna
cost 35, $40 million.

Forty.

Forty million dollars just like that? How's
that gonna affect our drilling plants?

I wanted capital held
in reserve for that.

J.R., that's pie in the sky.

This is real and solid. The Cattleman's
Bank came up with the money overnight.

I need your signature
right there, next to mine.

Well, let me read it
at least, would you?

It might not be as good
a deal as you think it...

You know Boyd's company
could be worth twice that.

The Ewings in charge,
we could double the profits.

Sign it. I got things to do.

- Don't push me.
- I'm not gonna push.

I might bounce you off a couple
walls, but I won't push you. Now sign it.

I don't like doing
business this way.

Well, I'll consider your delicate
sensibilities some other time, all right?

Sly, come in here, will you?

- J.R.?
- Come in and shut the door, honey.

Sit down.

Did you talk to Mr. Barnes
about the Travis Boyd Company?

- Yes, sir, I did.
- And how did he react?

Well, he wasn't wildly impressed,
not like the other deals I brought him.

He didn't think it
was any good, huh?

No, it's not that. I'm sure he
was convinced it was a good deal.

Well, Bobby just closed
the deal with Travis Boyd.

Barnes passed on it.

- I'm sorry.
- Well, don't be.

Oh, it's an excellent buy for Ewing
Oil, but I don't want Bobby to know that.

He's gotta believe, along
with everybody else...

that all I'm interested
in is offshore

drilling, or there's
liable to be a slip-up.

- Well, not from me.
- No, I know that.

All Mr. Barnes really wanted to know is if
I had any news about Edgar Randolph...

and the upcoming
offshore lease auction.

Oh, I tell you, everything is
going the right direction, huh?

Bobby is replacing
our old and dying fields.

And Mr. Barnes is
setting himself up...

for the biggest fall in the history
of independent oil companies.

I tell you.

Hey, Peter. Peter Richards.

- Well, hi.
- Hi.

I used to take Psychology
1 in that building.

You're thinking of coming back
to school? Is that why you're here?

No. I wanted to see you.

Oh, well, I've got a lot of
research to do in the library.

I get the feeling you think
I'm being a little pushy.

I mean, if you don't like
me, just say so. I'll go away.

I think you're a very nice person,
Lucy. I have a lot of fun with you...

but I really do have a
lot of research I gotta do.

- Can I walk with you to the library?
- Sure.

Peter, you know. Since
my boyfriend Mickey died...

I haven't been out with anyone,
except to the movies with you...

and to the Oil Baron's Ball,
but that wasn't exactly a date.

Well, it... You know, it takes
time to get over something like that.

He was very special. I still
think about him all the time.

I don't want to get involved with
anyone else yet. I don't think I could.

I can understand that.

I guess what I'm
leading up to is that...

I am ready now to go
out and be with friends.

I guess what I'm asking is
that I'd like you to be my friend.

I am your friend, Lucy.

Well, then maybe I
can ask you a favor.

This girl I've grown
up with, Meryl Gillie.

Well, she's having this party
at her house tomorrow night.

And I'd like you to go with me.

Tomorrow?

Everyone is gonna be there with
their husbands and their boyfriends.

I'd really feel out of place.

I just don't know if I can.

What if I bring John
Ross as our chaperone?

You don't have to do that. I
would love to go with you, Lucy.

Great.

- Why don't you pick me up at 7:30?
- Okay.

Thanks.

- Bye.
- Bye.

Spinach salad for you, Mrs. Stone, and
the baron's burger for you, Mr. Barnes.

- Yeah, with the...
- Extra ketchup?

Extra ketchup. Yeah,
thank you, George.

- Anything else right now?
- I think that's it, George. Thank you.

You can bring my
coffee anytime you want.

Yes, sir.

Marilee, we've got to come
to some sort of a decision.

Because I have to file my intention to
bid on those offshore tracts pretty soon.

So you tell me, do we
have a deal together?

I don't know, Cliff.

I've run into some unexpected
problems from the people around you.

Well, what are you
talking about? Who?

Didn't your sister Pam tell
you about our little meeting?

Yeah.

She made it very clear that
she wants me out of your life.

Well, she doesn't run my life.

She thinks we're
involved personally.

Well, I don't care what she thinks,
I don't care what anybody thinks.

We're talking about
business, strictly business.

Strictly business.

Do we have a deal?

You understand what my
price is, involving fringe benefits.

Is that price negotiable?

Not at all.

Well, then, I think this deal is
gonna require another meeting.

Or several meetings,
preferably away from Dallas.

- Right.
- When?

- I'll call you.
- Soon.

Come in.

Pam, here are the
Thomas contracts.

If you don't need me anymore
tonight, I'd like to go home.

Jackie, I'm sorry. I didn't realize
how late it is. I'll see you tomorrow.

- Okay, good night.
- Good night.

Thank you.

Pam, Mark's here.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- This is a surprise.
- How are you doing?

I called the house and Louise
said you were still working.

Seems there's always
something to catch up on.

Well, it's nice to see that
you're gainfully employed.

I'd hate you to become a
clingy dependent woman.

No chance.

- How was Houston?
- Humid.

I tried to reach you at the Singletree.
They said you weren't registered there.

I didn't stay there this time.

Can't I take you away from
all this? How about dinner?

- I'd love it.
- Great.

You aren't limping anymore.

Well, I got all the sympathy
I could out of it, 50...

- Hello, Mama.
- Hello, J.R.

Where you been?

I spent the evening
at Mavis Anderson's.

Can I fix you a
drink or something?

No, I don't think so.

You feeling okay?

Yes, I'm all right.

Where's your engagement ring? I
thought you were that all the time.

I've called the wedding 0”.

Well, what happened?

Nothing I wanna talk about.

Well, I'm sorry, I really am.

Are you?

Well, of course. I always
wanted what's best for you.

If marrying Clayton Fallow would
make you happy, I was all for it.

I'd like to think you were.

Good night, J.R. I'm very
tired. I'm going up to bed.

Good night, Mama.

Hello. San Angelo Hotel?

Harry McSween's room, please.

Say, Harry, it's J.R. here.

How's that investigation into
Clayton Farlow's background coming?

Uh-huh. Well, just hold on. Yeah.
There's no rush about that now.

But I tell you what,
keep at it, will you?

I might need some information
on him down the line.

You know, little leverage.

Yeah. Thank you, bye.

Well.

I tell you what I really
want to do, Wakefield.

- And then you tell me what's possible.
- Okay.

I wanna bid on one or more
of those offshore tracts...

that the federal
government's gonna auction.

And I wanna do it alone.

Alone? Do you mean
without Graisco or your sister?

Yeah, I wanna do it all alone.

Well, I suppose it is
theoretically possible

for Barnes-Wentworth
to take a plunge...

but as your comptroller, I
certainly wouldn't recommend it.

But our credit's good. Could
certainly raise the cash at the banks.

Mr. Barnes, you may have to invest
as high as 200 million in any one "act.

Several tracts would send the
investment that much higher...

if you won the
bids on all of them.

I'm sure you're aware of the
enormous cost of offshore drilling.

And we're talking federal auction. All
those tracks are out 12 miles and more.

You could be drilling for six months
before you even knew you had a dry hole.

You need a partner,
Mr. Barnes. Maybe several.

No. There may be a lot of strings that
I don't want attached to a partnership.

Then step up your
exploration on land.

If you go it alone offshore,
you will at the very least...

place Barnes-Wentworth in
a precarious financial position.

At the worst, you could
bankrupt the company.

You must have
additional capital.

A lot of money to be
made out there in the gulf.

You don't pay me to think
like a gambler, but yes.

If you hit one good strike, you
could be a giant in the 0” business.

I could be a giant?

Oil Baron's Club. Yes.
Just one moment, please.

Mrs. Ewing, you
have a phone call.

Oh, thank you, Dora Mae. Hello.

Pam, it's me.

- Mark, where are you?
- I'm still tied up in that meeting.

Well, don't worry about it.

- I hate to stand you up.
- Na, I'll be fine. These things happen.

Thanks. I'll see you tonight.

All right. Bye-bye.

Would you send Cassie
over? I'd better order.

Certainly.

I can't believe it. I'm finally
out of the oil business.

Travis, I have never known
anybody as actively lazy as you.

Lazy? Hey, you haven't
seen me on a ski slope.

- Isn't that Pam over there?
- Yeah, I guess it is.

Mr. Ewing, Mr. Boyd,
your table is ready.

- Thank you, Dora Mae.
- Wait a minute.

I haven't talked to Pam in ages.
Would it make you uncomfortable?

Oh, no, of course not. Dora
Mae, will you hold our table?

- Yes, sir.
- Thank you.

- Pam, hello.
- Well, Travis.

- Bobby.
- Hi.

Travis, you're
looking wonderful.

Well, that's because Bobby
has just bought me out.

So I guess I'm a playboy again.

Anyway, we came here to
have lunch and celebrate.

Well, would you like to join me?

You're lunching alone?

I've been stood up.

Come on, I'd love the company.

Why don't you two eat and I'll
go catch that plane to Aspen?

This is supposed to
be our celebration lunch.

That's a good idea. You two
celebrate and send me the bill.

- Pam, it was nice seeing you again.
- Thank you.

Bobby, take care of my
daddy's company, all right?

I'll do my best.

You don't mind?

I'd love it.

Have you already ordered?

May I bring you a
cocktail, Mr. Ewing?

No, thank you. I'll just have
whatever Pam's already ordered.

Right.

Well, this is unexpected.

Yeah. It's a nice surprise.

Shall we get things out of the
way first, like we did the other night?

- What?
- Mark is fine.

Jenna's fine.

Well, why the hesitation?

There's no hesitation.
She's doing fine.

Well, what are we
having for lunch, anyway?

Watercress sandwiches.

Oh, you're kidding.

- Yes, I'm kidding.
- Oh.

Clayton, am I gonna have to wait until
lunch to find out what's troubling you?

No, it's just hard to
talk about it, that's all.

I guess your dreams of my
being your father-in-law are over.

- Oh? Why?
- Ellie called off the marriage.

- No. She didn't.
- Yes, she did.

I'm thinking about moving
back down to San Angelo.

There's a spread
there I'd like to buy.

Why did she do that?

Oh, she gave a lot of reasons. I
don't really believe in any, though.

But what did she say?

Marriage will cause problems.

Problems with the boys,
problems with Southfork.

But you've been over
that ground before.

I thought you'd reached
some kind of an understanding.

Besides, Bobby and
Ray are no problem.

I don't believe any of
the boys are a problem.

You don't think that J.R.
has anything to do with it?

No.

Ellie sounded scared
and that's not like her.

Very little scares her,
and certainly not J.R.

He could have made her
feel guilty in some way.

No. It has to do with me.

I don't know what it is.

Clayton, how much has Miss
Ellie told you about herself?

About her life with Jock?

I think I know most of it. We
spent a lot of time together.

But not as together as you
would be if you were married.

No.

Then... don't give up on her.

I don't think she's
told you everything.

Sue Ellen, I do have my pride.

The woman says she doesn't
want me and I have to believe her.

Talk to her again.

Good afternoon. May
I get you a cocktail?

No, no, no. Thank you.

Would you mind if
we skipped lunch?

I'd like to spend
some time with myself.

Of course. I understand.

J.R., your taste in restaurants
seems to have taken a nosedive.

I would think, with
all that bribery money

in the safe, you could
eat in a better place.

A man with his back
to the wall can still joke?

I have to admire that, Edgar.

It's like refusing a blindfold when
you're standing in front of a firing squad.

That's an interesting metaphor.

Look, I also thought that, since we
were gonna be working together...

it might be best to meet
in out-of-the-way places.

Working together? Aren't
you taking a lot for granted?

Well, we're having lunch.

That's a sure sign you got
the message to cooperate.

I will not do anything
to hurt the government.

That's the beautiful
thing about this.

You're not gonna be
hurting the government.

The government sets a minimum
value on those offshore tracts, right?

- Yeah.
- And an oil company...

has to meet or exceed that
value in order to win the leases.

It also has to beat the competition
from other 0” companies.

Exactly. So if I know what
the top bid is and I hid higher...

then those leases are mine.

Yes, of course.

Well, that's the
information I need.

I want to know the highest
offer before I place my bid.

It can't be done.
The bids are sealed.

Oh, Edgar, I'm sure you
could find a way to unseal them.

I told you, I won't
cheat the government.

You're not going to be
cheating the government.

I'm bidding high. The government
is gonna make more money.

J.R., you have the amazing ability to
make a crooked scheme sound noble.

Edgar, that's part of my charm.

Well, I knew you had to
come out sooner or later.

But I was prepared to
wait all day if I had to.

Donna, I'd like to be alone.

I'm not surprised.

Seeing as how Clayton came over the
other night and brought us the problem...

I just somehow felt that gave me
a right to ask you a few questions.

- Did Clayton ask you to come?
- No, ma'am, he did not.

As a matter of fact, he said
that he would handle it himself.

We talked yesterday.

Well, you obviously
didn't solve anything.

There's nothing to solve,
Donna. The wedding is off.

I explained everything
to Clayton. I don't

think I have to go
through it with you again.

No, you don't.

You know, we've been friends
for a long time, Miss Ellie.

- Doesn't that count for something?
- Yes, of course, it does.

Then why are you
mad at me, Miss Ellie?

I don't think it's
because I'm prying.

No, maybe not.

What did you tell Clayton?

I told him that I didn't think that we'd be
able to solve the problems of the family.

Miss Ellie, I don't believe that
that's why you called off this wedding.

You see, you told
me, that in all the

months that you and
Clayton were together...

that you had never made love.

I really don't want
to talk about this.

And he told me that he had gotten a
little amorous with you the other night.

He, uh...

He wanted to stay the night.

Well, Miss Ellie, it
that was the problem...

and you just wanted to wait until
after the wedding for moral reasons...

why didn't you
just tell the man so?

Well, that would have
only postponed the problem.

The real problem.

Yes.

When, um...

When Clayton took
me in his arms...

it brought back so many
memories of Jock and me together.

Donna, before you
came to Southfork...

I went through things with Jock that I
could never go through with another man.

What things?

Okay.

You didn't tell Clayton this.

You let him believe
that it was just the family.

Yes.

He loves you so much.

You owe it to him
to tell him the truth.

I don't know if I can.

Oh, do you remember what
our wedding music was?

How could I forget, “The
Saints Come Marching In“?

Played by the wife of the justice of the
peace on the worst piano I've ever heard.

- Who said elope to New Orleans?
- I did.

But who picked the motel
on the drive back to Dallas?

Oh, guilty, guilty.
And there was no heat.

The coldest winter
in the history of Texas.

And I married a man who swiped
the covers in the middle of the night.

I don't remember you
suffering a great deal.

No matter how cold
it was in the hotel...

it was warmer than the
reception we got at Southfork.

I'll never forget the
look on Miss Ellie's face.

She couldn't believe her youngest
son had married a dreaded Barnes.

Well, she got over
it. She loves you.

I know, and I love her.

Even Daddy and Sue
Ellen came around.

Everyone but J.R.

I hate to interrupt, but we'd
like to reset the table for dinner.

- You're welcome to stay.
- Dinner?

My, where did the afternoon
go? Thank you, Dora Mae.

I hope you didn't
have any appointments.

Oh, I hope J.R. didn't nail my
office shut while I was gone.

- I hope I didn't keep you.
- I really enjoyed it.

Thank you, so did I.

Let's go. Can I drop you somewhere
on my way back to the office?

Well, I have my car.

Oh, that's right. You were
stood up, weren't you?

Sony.

Hello, Clayton.

Hello, Bobby, Pam.

Clayton, is
something the matter?

No, I have some things
I have to figure out.

- Can I help in any way?
- No, thanks. I gotta do this alone.

- All right. We'll see you.
- Bye.

Clayton seems awfully troubled.

Has there been a problem
between him and Miss Ellie?

I don't know. I haven't been
home the last couple nights.

If you'd like to wait in the living
room, I'll tell Miss Lucy you're here.

- Hello.
- Peter, what are you doing here?

I tried to call you, but
I couldn't reach you.

Don't discuss it now.

I'm going to a party with
Lucy and I couldn't get out of it.

Oh, it's all right,
I understand.

- Do you?
- Yes.

Would you like to
help yourself to a drink?

Sue Ellen, you trying to
corrupt that young man?

- What brings you to Southfork?
- I've got a date with Lucy.

- In that case, you're gonna need a drink.
- No, thanks. I'm fine.

- Mind if I have one?
- No. Not at all.

Sue Ellen, can you remember when
we were as young and innocent as Peter?

Peter is not a child, J.R.

Oh, yeah, I forgot.

Well, his generation is
a lot different from ours.

Kids grow up so fast
nowadays, you know.

Pretty soon, they'll be dating before
they get out of kindergarten, huh?

It's really not that way at all.

Maybe it's the movies
that are around nowadays.

Kids jumping in and out of bed
without thinking twice, you know.

- Hi.
- Oh, Lucy, you look beautiful.

You certainly do.

Well, thank you. You look
very handsome yourself.

Thanks.

Well, is it time to go?

Yeah, I guess so.

- Good night, everyone.
- Goodbye.

Better have that drink, Peter.
Looks like you're gonna need it.

Well, he seems like
a nice enough boy.

I'm glad he settled on
somebody his own age.

For a while there, I thought I was
gonna have to challenge him to a duel.

What are you talking about?

I thought I might have to fight
him for the sake of your honor.

Unless, of
course, it's too late.

I don't think that's very funny.

Well, I thought it
was kind of amusing.

You would.

Mitch, I am so happy for you.

Well, of course I'll be there.

I'll fly out tomorrow. Okay.

Give my love to Mama. Bye.

What's that all about?

My brother has just been made chief
resident at the Atlanta Burn Center.

You know, that's incredible
for someone his age?

- So you're going to Atlanta?
- Mm-hm.

Mama's gonna be there
and a lot of our fiends.

Well, that's terrific.

I'm so proud of him.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Sony. I've been
running behind all day.

Don't worry, we've got plenty of
time to get to the restaurant. No sweat.

Good, because at the moment,
your sister isn't talking to me.

Of course I am.

- You were very quiet all the way over.
- I'm just quiet tonight.

Well, we've got
reason to celebrate.

Afton's brother just
got a big promotion.

Afton, that's
wonderful for Mitch.

I know.

So she's going to
Atlanta tomorrow...

and I think I'm gonna
take a quick trip to Houston.

Well, what's in Houston?

Since you two won't commit
to the offshore project...

I think I found an
investor in Houston.

You're still thinking
about going ahead?

Hey, listen, Mark.

My daddy used to be able to
sniff out oil underneath the ground.

Now, wouldn't it be something it I was
able to do the same thing in the gulf?

Now he thinks he's
The Man From Atlantis.

That's not bad, huh?

It's time to go, though.

You just got back from Houston.
Where do you stay when you go there?

Singletree is nice. Lot
of oil people stay there.

- There's the Houston Fairview.
- Thanks. Whose car are we taking?

- We'll go in mine.
- I love that car.

And you won't have
to spend money on gas.

Listen, will you all
go on down and I'll

meet you in the car,
huh? I forgot something.

Hello, Marilee. It's Cliff.

How would you like to meet
me in Houston tomorrow?

Yeah, I'll fly down
in the afternoon.

Sure, yeah, you go ahead
and make reservations.

Then I'll call you back and
find out what hotel, huh?

Okay. Marilee, I don't want to stay at
the Singletree or the Houston Fairview.

Okay. Bye.

- Miss Ellie home?
- I think she's in her room.

Ellie, I want to talk to you.

Ellie, will you come down here?

Who the hell does he
think he is, anyhow?

- J.R., leave him alone.
- No.

Ellie, will you come down here?

Now, you stay out of this, J.R.
It's your mama I wanna talk to.

She doesn't want to talk to you.

If she doesn't come down
here, I'm gonna get her.

Oh, no, you're not.

Oh, you don't think that
you're gonna try to stop me?

Well, I think
this will stop you.

J.R., I'll talk to Clayton.

Mama, he's drunk and dangerous.

J.R., get back upstairs.

How dare you come
into my house like this.

I had to find a way
to get your attention.

You got it. What do you want?

I want to know why you're
hiding behind your family.

Why you're using them as an
excuse to stay away from me.

I was protecting myself.

From me?

In a way, but
mostly from myself.

I haven't been
completely honest.

Well, that doesn't
sound like you. Why?

Fear, I guess.

The problem with
the family exists...

but the real problem
is that I'm afraid.

Afraid? Afraid of what?

01 being close? 01
being intimate with me?

In a way.

All those years,
there was only Jock...

and I don't know if I'd know
how to act with another man.

Ellie, I understand, but
these things take time.

If two people love each other...

- they have to learn to trust each other.
- Please, Clayton.

Clayton.

There's... There's
something else.

I was married to Jock for a long
time when something happened to me.

We had over 40 years
of a strong marriage...

but it still caused
problems for us.

I was... I was very
unkind to Jock.

We've only known
each other a short time...

and I just don't know if you'll be
able to accept what happened.

Accept what?

Clayton...

I, uh...

I had surgery.

I've had a mastectomy.

The doctor found cancer.

They... They cut off my breast.

Is that what this is all about?

How in the world could that possibly
affect the way I feel about you?

It affects how I feel about myself
and I know it's got to be harder for you.

Ellie, you couldn't
possibly know how I feel.

And I'm telling you, it
doesn't change anything.

Oh, Clayton.

Are you sure?

I'm sure.