As has been noted by many other critics here on DVDTalk, it can get difficult writing about subsequent seasons of a long-running show - particularly when the show maintained its high quality for years and years, as Dallas did. I discussed Dallas's place in pop culture in my previous review of Season Five (please click here for that review), so let's just jump right in discussing the specifics of Season Six, and the Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season box set.

At the start of this 1982 - 1983 season, Dallas was coming out of its second-in-a-row #1 finish in the year-end Nielsen ratings, and the sixth season wasn't going to disappoint the millions of loyal fans who followed the saga of the Ewings every Friday night. As with previous seasons, what most impressed me about Dallas then and now is the amount of detail that it expected its audience to remember from episode to episode. Unlike regular soap operas that asked the viewers to largely remember personal dalliances only (with endless repetitions of love triangles that varied not a bit over the years), Dallas has a definite progression from the season opener to the cliff-hanging finale, and you had better listen up if you don't want to get lost. This particular season, the main story arc is Bobby's and J. R.'s epic battle for control of the family company, Ewing Oil. As you may remember, Jock Ewing, the family patriarch, has died in a South American jungle, and this season, Miss Ellie, his wife, has finally realized that his will must be read. Once she goes ahead with the proceedings to declare Jock legally dead, the provisions of Jock's will cause a disastrous schism that threatens to tear her family apart. As to who will control Ewing Oil, Jock has set up a contest: Ewing Oil is to be divided equally between J. R. and Bobby (weakling son Gary and half-brother Ray aren't considered for the contest). At the end of the year, the brother who has made the largest profit will gain controlling stock in the company, and run the whole show. Naturally, this is just the kind of contest J. R. relishes - and everybody else dreads.

The stories in Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season really depend on the oil business angle this season, and the viewer is expected to remember details of deals and double-crossings throughout the year. Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season isn't just about who's hopping into to bed with whom this week; the viewer is expected to follow the intricate, sometimes complex strategies of J. R. as he manipulates both family and business associates to his own ends. Much of the credit for keeping these story arcs compelling for the viewer goes to series producer Leonard Katzman. Katzman, a veteran TV producer of such hits as The Wild Wild West, Hawaii Five-O, and Gunsmoke contributed quite a few scripts to this season, as well as directing many of the best episodes, and his emphasis on story, story, story keeps Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season charging along. Screenwriters Bernard Lewis, David Paulsen, Howard Lakin, Will Lorin, as well as regular directors Michael Preece, Bill Duke (and Hagman and Patrick Duffy, also), keep the pressure on to deliver the best dramatic show of the 1980s.

Of course, great scripts would mean nothing without actors suited to tell those stories, and by Season Six, Dallas's regular cast of actors had firmly established their characters with the audience. Clearly, the show's main interest is in Hagman's J. R. Ewing, and by this point in the series, Hagman is clearly relishing the role of a lifetime. There's a certain look in Hagman's eyes, an unwavering, penetrating glare when's he's moving in for the kill as J. R., that audiences never suspected was there in Hagman's other iconic TV creation: I Dream of Jeannie's Major Nelson. But just being a hard, tough villain with little expression wouldn't have made J. R. stand out in a crowded field of fictional bad guys, so Hagman takes a page from no less than Simon Legree's book, and adds a devilish laugh to cap off his most rotten moments. At that instance, when Hagman snickers, and his eyes go bright and beady, we see not only an actor thoroughly enjoying himself (which all audiences love to see), but also a direct appeal to the absolute worst in all of us: the power to crush somebody - and to enjoy it after we've done it. Of course, he's a fictional character, so we can laugh, too, but the resonance of his actions, and our vicarious (and deep down, uncomfortable) enjoyment of them, thoroughly define and illuminate that old cliche: the man you love to hate.

But a villain needs a hero to chafe against, and Patrick Duffy's Bobby character fits the bill very nicely. Handsome and clear-eyed, Duffy's Bobby is the thoughtful, essentially moral counterpart to the rampant, uncontrollable Id that is J. R.. But again, if Bobby was just a "cleft chin and true heart" character, he would be no match for J. R., so Duffy's Bobby is constantly torn by his desire to beat J. R. at his own game. This inner conflict is very front and center in this particular season, as Bobby, fighting his own past as Jock's "company pimp," realizes that he's just as ambitious as J. R., and that he's just as capable of pulling dirty deals as his alter ego, J. R.. It's a welcome broadening of the Bobby character, and an essential one to keep up with Hagman's runaway success as J. R.. Lest anyone think that Duffy was secondary to Hagman, just remember that when Duffy briefly left the show, the ratings sank, and Hagman personally implored Duffy to return. Family was always the core element of Dallas, and the eternal fight between Bobby's "Good," and J. R.'s "Evil," was the show's central dynamic.

Rounding out the excellent Dallas cast are Ken Kercheval's marvelously weak, emotional Cliff Barnes, the perennial loser to the Ewing clan; Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie, the strong, proud matriarch of the Ewing family; Linda Gray, who's excellent as the constantly flailing, sinking Sue Ellen; the beautiful Victoria Principal, the ever-suffering wife of Bobby who's torn between the Barnes and the Ewings; Steve Kanaly, who's stalwart as half-brother Roy Krebbs; Charlene Tilton, as troubled Lucy Ewing, Susan Howard, poised as Ray's wife Donna; strong, solid Howard Keel as Clayton Farlow, love interest for not only Sue Ellen but also Miss Ellie; Audrey Landers, who's quite good as Afton, the put-upon love interest of Cliff; as well as series regulars Morgan Woodward as Punk Anderson; Fern Fitzgerald as Marilee Stone; George O. Petrie as Herb Smithfield; and Don Starr as Jordan Lee (who are all terrific).

DISC ONE: Side A:

Changing of the Guard
Miss Ellie, Bobby and Lucy vote J. R. out as president of Ewing Oil. J. R. down -- but for how long?

Where There's a Will
J. R. really wants a peek at Jock's will. And if he has to blackmail someone to do it, that's even better.

Billion Dollar Question
Back in circulation, Cliff, out of the hospital, starts a new job. And Miss Ellie decides to attend the Oil Barons Ball.

DISC ONE: Side B:

The Big Ball
Honey, meet the missus. Dusty introduces a stunned Sue Ellen to his new wife, and Sue Ellen skedaddles home to Southfork.

Jock's Will
A codicil to Jock's will sets loose a Texas tornado in the Ewing family, pitting brother against brother.

Aftermath
Bobby or J. R.? Place your bets on who will emerge as head of Ewing Oil. Everyone else is.

DISC TWO: Side A:

Hit and Run
Accidents waiting to happen: J. R. stages a hit-and-run to set up a blackmail scheme. And Ray introduces bad-boy Mickey to the family.

The Ewing Touch
As the Ewings celebrate Christopher's adoption, Uncle J. R. plots against proud papa Bobby.

Fringe Benefits
Take my wife, please. J. R. tries to use Sue Ellen as a sexy fringe benefit to close a refinery deal.

DISC TWO: Side B:

The Wedding
For better, for worse. When Sue Ellen remarries J. R., sure as shootin' it's going to be for worse.

Post Nuptial
Screaming, tears, grown men slugging it out in the swimming pool. The Ewings sure know hot to throw a wedding reception.

Barbecue Three
It's time for the Southfork barbecue. And this year it may be Cliff and the cartel who get skewered.

DISC THREE: Side A:

Mama Dearest
Battlefield Southfork. When Miss Ellie decides to contest Jock's will, war breaks out among the Ewings.

The Ewing Blues
Holly Harwood learns that having J. R. as a partner is like going into business with a rattlesnake.

The Reckoning
Judgment Day. Miss Ellie's case is heard -- and only some Ewings walk out of the courtroom happy.

DISC THREE: Side B:

A Ewing is a Ewing
When J. R. puts the moves on Holly, she pulls out a gun. Miss Ellie gets a warmer howdy from Clayton Farlow.

Crash of '83
Blackmail and double crosses take a back seat when the family hears that the Wentworth jet crashed.

Requiem
Another death darkens Southfork. While other grieve, J. R. tends to the important thing in life: making money.

DISC FOUR: Side A:

Legacy
Hello: Lucy and Mickey get chummy, Cliff and Katherine reconcile. Goodbye: Pam leaves Bobby.

Brothers and Sisters
J. R. could make a fortune selling oil to Cuba. There's only one tiny downside: it's illegal.

Caribbean Connection
Bobby and Ray uncover J. R.'s Cuban deal. If the feds make the same discovery, it's the slammer for J. R. -- and the end for Ewing Oil.

DISC FOUR: Side B:

The Sting
Walt Driscoll takes the fall for the Cuban deal. While he cools his heels in jail, J. R. is hot on the trail of his $40 million.

Hell Hath No Fury
Can a hound dog change his fleas? Sue Ellen discovers that J. R. is back to his skirt-chasin' ways.

Cuba Libre
Foreign affairs. Pam is in France with Mark. J. R. is in Cuba with less romantic companions: Castro's cops.

DISC FIVE: Side A:

Tangled Web
Bobby and J. R. are neck-and-neck in their race for Ewing Oil -- until J. R. gets back from Cuba, his pockets full of pesos.

Things Ain't Going Too Good at Southfork
A boozed-up Sue Ellen makes a play for Clayton, then crashes the car...with Mickey in the passenger seat.

DISC FIVE: Side B:

Penultimate
The blame game. Clayton blames J. R. for Sue Ellen's drinking, Lucy blames Sue Ellen for Mickey's injuries.

Ewing Inferno
An incendiary season ends with a real fire...and with J. R., Ray, Sue Ellen and John Ross trapped by the flames.

The DVD:

The Video:
I found the full screen video image for Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season much improved over the previous season's DVD transfer. While there are still occasional scratches and dirt specs, the image seems quite a bit brighter (although some individual scenes still look a tad fuzzy).

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English mono soundtrack accurately reflects the original television presentation. Subtitles are available in Portugese, and while there is no option stated for English subtitles, English close-captioning does work for the episodes, through your TV.

The Extras:
There is an eleven minute documentary called Power and Influence: The Dallas Legacy that gives a quick, fair appraisal of the show. Unfortunately, that's the only extra here: no commentaries, no TV trailers -- nothing.

Final Thoughts:
Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season is one of the series' strongest seasons, with an epic, nasty battle between Bobby and J. R. for control of Ewing Oil as the main story arc. Hagman was never better as evil incarnate J. R., and the scripts keep the viewer hooked -- and wanting more. One of the 1970s and 1980s best series, Dallas is required viewing for anyone who loves television drama, and Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season is as good a place as any for diving right in if you're new to it. I highly recommend Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season.