In case no one realized it, Larry Hagman is absolutely killing his reprisal of his classic '80s role as scheming oil tycoon John Ross ("J.R.") Ewing, Jr. This dude (the actor as well as the character) is just on another level, compared to the other characters/actors on the show as well as those outside of the "Dallas" universe. Sure, there are other characters that we might say we "love to hate", but none of them does it with such surefire ease and pizzazz as Mr. Larry Hagman. He's a joy to watch, even when the material doesn't live up to the task, and especially when the other characters (particularly the younger ones) fail to excite. And they fail often.
Here are a few observations I have about Larry Hagman as "J.R. Ewing" in the TNT "Dallas" reboot:
1. Hagman still has his trademark grin and his undeniable swagger. This dude had swag before anybody ever called it "swag". It's the grin that seals it. Hagman just seems to morph into this character as soon as the director says, "Action!" He is totally immersed. Evidently, he was born for this role. It's in his DNA. I wish he could do this forever. I'd watch it. Of course, I'd also have to live forever to watch it, so there's a bit of a snag. But I will work that out and then work out the logistics for Hagman and that'll be that. The other characters are superfluous anyway, except maybe the guy playing Cliff Barnes. That dude is excellent too.
2. Hagman's age (he's 80, I think) affects the realism of what the character can do. Luckily, the J.R. Ewing character wasn't much of a fighter. He got into a few scrapes and every so often he got a good punch off, but usually he was getting thrown into a pool or cracked across the jaw or pushed off a building or shot at, so he's not really comfortable as the aggressor. That's great because JR Ewing is too old to be fist fighting. He's better at chess.
3. The biggest issue for Hagman's age then is the fact that his character can't really seduce women the way he used to. The character incorporated something about this in the first few episodes, sort of letting you know that he's not going to be the ladies man he used to be. Thank goodness for that, because it's not necessary. NO-body wants to see that. However, that presents a problem, because JR Ewing was always good at getting what he wanted, and sometimes that meant seducing a woman for his own economic benefit, not just for the pleasure of the conquest. So, the downside here is that we're losing a vital side of this character, a memorable side at that, and there isn't any way to substitute for it. Tough break there, JR.
4. There is a lot of double dealing and backstabbing on this show, far more than there was on the original drama. Oh yes, there were plenty of agendas back in the 1980s, but the "Dallas" reboot has found a way to pit every single character into the central mix with a specific stake in the outcome. Everybody has something to lose. This, I think, is a tribute to Hagman's style and the legend of his character. If you let JR Ewing back in the oil game, that means other people have to be up to the task or else he's going to destroy them in two episodes. This way, everybody is trying to double cross everyone else, so the stakes are higher and maybe even JR Ewing won't see everything coming. Also, when some of the actors/actresses are as dull as these people are, twisting up the plot a bit makes sense.
5. JR Ewing really needs to teach his son, John Ross Ewing III, how to be more charming. This kid is too brash, too abrasive, too under-confident. Maybe that's the result of the back-story in which JR failed to spend time with his son. So his son has daddy issues. Maybe. But I think it would have been more fascinating to find someone with the charisma to go toe-to-toe with the old man, really challenge him and take him on.
Peace & JR Ewing Forever!
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