Devastation. No; not at the death of Bobby Ewing - Dynasty finally beat out Dallas for the number one show this 1984-1985 season, and things would never again be the same at Southfork Ranch. This morale-busting blow to the '80s' Nielsen powerhouse, coupled with the loss of key personnel both behind and in front of the cameras, set Dallas on the path to artistic decline and sagging, ever-falling ratings. In Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season, as much if not more of the drama was behind the scenes, rather than up on the screen.

And if you're ticked off about me mentioning Bobby's death at the top of this review, that little tidbit can hardly be called a genuine spoiler, since that character's spectacular demise set in motion one of the greatest audience cheats a TV series ever perpetrated on its viewers: the whole "It was all a dream," opener of the tenth season. Who hasn't heard about that seminal moment in TV cop-out history? No, the surprises in this eighth season of Dallas have very little to do with the actual storylines, but with the unfolding dramas that plagued the show's production. And when a show gets more press for its backstage shenanigans and maneuverings, it's usually a sign that creatively, the series is in decline.

Catching up with events at Southfork and Ewing Oil, season eight opens with a shocking discovery: Bobby (Patrick Duffy), who was mistakenly shot (or was he?) in J.R.'s (Larry Hagman) office, is now blind, putting his wedding to long-lost love Jenna Wade (Priscilla Presley) in jeopardy. Meanwhile, arch Ewing nemesis Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) has lucked into the deal of a lifetime: offshore tract 340 has come in, and it may be one of the largest oil finds of the past decade. Now Cliff Barnes is a power to be reckoned with, even by J.R. Ewing standards, and with his newly acquired power, Cliff trades up to a new spectacular girlfriend: the luscious, luscious Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton). But J.R., initially unaware that gorgeous model Mandy is Cliff's girlfriend, also has eyes for her - which makes it all the dirtier when he eventually beds her, beating out that loser Cliff Barnes once again.

Naturally, problems arise with Jenna and Bobby, once he regains his sight, including that little dust-up involving Jenna shooting to death (or did she?) her slimy ex-husband, ridiculous Italian stereotype Renaldo Marchetta (Daniel Pilon). Bobby's other great love, Pamela Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal) finds herself on a heartbreaking quest to discover if her lover, Mark Graison, is indeed dead. Mysterious signs point to his being alive, signs which take Pamela and Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray) all the way to Hong Kong in pursuit of Mark. Speaking of that lush lush Sue Ellen, she's hit the bottle again, after foolishly believing J.R.'s sweet talking again (will she ever learn?), and after loosing her self-respect when the emptiness of her life is held up to a mirror by newly-minted Jamie Ewing (Jenilee Harrison), the daughter (or is she?) of Jock's long-lost brother. Jamie's arrival at Southfork presents the greatest threat to the Ewing empire because documents she possesses may not only split Ewing Oil apart, but throw those parts to Cliff Barnes. Luckily, newly minted Miss Ellie (Donna Reed, taking over for ailing Barbara Bel Geddes) has new husband Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel) to lean on as the Ewing family spins wildly out of control, culminating in the tragic death of Bobby Ewing at the hands of a crazed motorist/murderer.

In my review of season seven of Dallas, I mentioned the phenomenon of "Dynasty creep," which was a gradual fear on the part of the producers and writers of Dallas that the glitzy, upstart Dallas imitation over on ABC was quickly overtaking the young female demographics that advertisers sought, and that Dallas had to follow suit, beefing up the female character-driven storylines, while pushing the glamour quotient well past Dallas' more realistic guidelines. Watching season eight, it's easy to see that indeed, "Dynasty creep" is gaining momentum, with J.R.'s and Bobby's epic feuding starting to be shunted to the side in favor of Pam's search for Mark Graison, Sue Ellen's somewhat weird, intense friendship with Jamie Ewing (you could read a lot of subtext into their scenes if you're so inclined), and Jenna's dramatic murder trial. Clearly, emphasis is shifting from the men (Dallas had always been considered a "man-friendly" nighttime soap, masquerading as a serious drama) to the women, and with the loss of the Bobby character in this season's finale, the central axis of the series has been irrevocably shattered.

And I write "irrevocably" because, even though Duffy was persuaded to come back for the tenth season (after sitting out the ninth, waiting for his post-Dallas career to take off - which never materialized), once you break that fantasy wall of suspended disbelief, you can't get the audience back, particularly in such a ridiculous manner as the whole "Pam's dream sequence" explanation. Dallas was always J.R. and Bobby, the ying and yang opposing forces of the Ewing empire. Their struggle against each other was outsized, elemental, and (seemingly) eternal. But the minute Duffy left the cast, the spell was broken. Season nine elevated Pam to co-starring status with J.R., and glitz and glamour took over. Shoulder pad sizes became more notable than J.R. double-crosses.

Equally distressing to season eight viewers, almost on a par with Bobby's year-end departure, was the re-casting of Miss Ellie. Barbara Bel Geddes, who had become world-famous in the role of the strong-willed Ewing matriarch, had long suffered from heart-related illnesses, and decided to opt out of the series at the end of the seventh season. The role was recast with beloved TV icon and Academy Award-winning actress Donna Reed, who promptly encountered a wall of unprecedented hostility from critics who panned her performance, fans who could only see Bel Geddes in the role, and even from, according to Reed, some of the major cast members (Reed stated quite clearly that Hagman made no bones about his displeasure with the role being recast with Reed, a charge Hagman has steadfastly denied). Watching Reed, it's obvious she's tentative and unsure of her place among America's most popular drama, but total pro that she is, she soldiers on through her meager scenes (Reed also claimed the producers marginalized her role, which, after watching this season, certainly looks about right). When Bel Geddes asked for the role back at the end of the season, Reed was unceremoniously fired (despite having recently re-upped for two more years), a classless act that resulted in Reed filing suit against the producers for breach of contract (she won). All of this played out in the papers at the time, and combined with the audience's obvious disappointment in not seeing Bel Geddes in one of the series' signature roles, further pushed audiences away from the series.

With Bobby left for dead, Miss Ellie replaced, and J.R.'s screen time reduced for diversions like a multi-episode travelogue to Hong Kong (courtesy of Pam's search for Mark Graison), it's obvious after watching season eight of Dallas that the show had already peaked. The original fragile chemistry between actors and characters, and actors with other actors, had been altered, and no amount of fiddling around could reconstitute it. The final nail in the coffin was a departure that probably didn't make the mainstream newspapers: executive producer Leonard Katzman, the guiding force behind the show's strongest, best years, would leave the series at the end of season eight. His absence would be for only one year, before he returned to finish out the remaining seasons, but it was too little, too late. Dallas finished second in the Nielsen's this eighth season; sixth for the 1985-1986 Bobby-less season; 11th for his improbable return, and 22nd and 30th for the next two, before sinking to the depths for its last two, little-seen seasons. It was a sad, slow decline, both artistically and in the ratings, for this once mighty show, and the seeds of that deterioration can be clearly traced back to this tumultuous eighth season.

Here are the 30, one-hour episodes of the five-disc box set Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season, as described on their slimcases:

DISC ONE: SIDE A

Killer at Large
Reversal of fortune: Cliff hits a gusher and Bobby is left blinded by the attempt on his life.

Battle Lines
J.R. fumes when Donna moves into Bobby's office. Meanwhile, the Bobby-Jenna wedding is put on hold.

If At First You Don't Succeed
Cliff's accused of murder, but he has one person on his side: Pam joins her brother in a plot to ruin J.R..

DISC ONE: SIDE B

Jamie
An old enemy takes another stab at Bobby, and a new Ewing joins the family at Southfork.

Family
Jamie's arrival has J.R.'s undies in a Texas-sized twist. And when J.R.'s riled up, bad things happen.

Shadow of a Doubt
Scam or miracle? Flowers arrive for Pam - from Mark. Definitely scam: J.R. tricks Cliff - again.

DISC TWO: SIDE A

Homecoming
The honeymoon is over: Miss Ellie and Clayton arrive home and step right into a hornet's nest of trouble.

Oil Baron's Ball III
Another ball, another blowup. J.R. shares some news with the partygoers - news that leaves one Ewing devastated.

Shadows
Old sins cast long shadows. The past haunts Clayton, Miss Ellie, Jenna and J.R..

DISC TWO: SIDE B

Charlie
Charlie disappears. Did her father kidnap her? Also, Cliff enlists Mandy to spy on a smitten J.R..

Barbeque Five
It's barbeque time again, so you know something's going to ignite. This time it's Jamie with the match and gasoline.

Do You Take This Woman...
Bobby and Jenna's wedding day dawns, but there is a detour on the way to the altar.

DISC THREE: SIDE A

Deja Vu
Afraid that Jenna's desertion will bring Bobby and Pam together, J.R. does what comes naturally: cheat.

Odd Man Out
Pam searches for Mark, hoping he may still be alive. Meanwhile, someone else is definitely - and suddenly - dead.

Lockup in Laredo
Jenna is a guest of the good citizens of Laredo, charged with murder. And her memory of events is a mite hazy.

DISC THREE: SIDE B

Winds of War
Jamie moves out, Bobby hunts for Charlie and the battle begins for control of Ewing Oil.

Bail Out
"Got a feeling in my bones!" Cliff shows up at Ewing Oil, boasting he'll soon be taking over.

Legacy of Hate
Dark days for J.R.: Mandy dumps him, and Pam joins Cliff and Jamie's attempt to take over Ewing Oil.

DISC FOUR: SIDE A

Sins of the Father
J.R. and Ray track down a grizzled roughneck who has startling information about Jock, Digger and Jason.

The Brothers Ewing
After years of dust-ups, Bobby and J.R. agree to fight on the same side...even if they have to fight dirty.

Shattered Dreams
Some girls just can't get a break: Jenna has another close encounter with a dead body.

DISC FOUR: SIDE B

Dead Ends
Pam and Sue Ellen search for Mark in Hong Kong, J.R. decks Cliff after he insults Mandy.

Trial and Error
Jenna's murder trial begins amid fears, lies, betrayals, suspicions and marital strife.

The Verdict
A surprise verdict will change Jenna's life forever - and impact everyone around her.

DISC FIVE: SIDE A

Sentences
Bobby does the right thing to protect Charlie; J.R. does the wrong thing (what else?) to protect Ewing Oil.

Terms of Estrangement
After conniving every which way to keep Bobby and Pam apart, J.R. now schemes to get them together.

The Ewing Connection
It's deal time over Ewing Oil, so you know J.R.'s dealt himself a winning hand. Or has he?

DISC FIVE: SIDE B

Deeds and Misdeeds
A marriage begins: Cliff and Jamie exchange vows. Does another end? J.R. promises Mandy he'll get rid of Sue Ellen.

Deliverance
A killer confesses, Pam and Bobby pledge their love and the fight for Ewing Oil becomes courtroom drama.

Swan Song
Old friends return. So do old enemies. Couples find...and lose...each other. And stark tragedy revisits the Ewings.

The DVD:

The Video:
As with previous releases of Dallas, the full-screen, 1.33:1 transfers look marginal, at best. Some episodes look close to original broadcast quality, while others are soft, grainy, or scratched all to hell. It's a shame this once-great series has received such a slipshod, shabby DVD treatment.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English mono audio track accurately reflects the original network broadcast presentation, but wouldn't it be great to hear that theme in 5.1? Subtitles and close-captions are available.

The Extras:
Dallas Makeover - Travilla Style, running 9:52, looks at the influence of noted Hollywood costume designer Travilla had on Dallas, when he was hired half-way through the series to boost the fashion quotient.

Final Thoughts:
Bobby is dead, and J.R. tears up over the corpse - the show's corpse, I mean. Once Dallas got rid of Bobby and recast Miss Ellie, and started competing with classless imitators like Dynasty, the series started a long, slow, slippery descent, both artistically and ratings-wise, and it can all be traced back to Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season. Still, you're not going to watch Bobby get plastered by that car? Come on; you know you want to. I highly recommend Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season, but don't count on that rating for the next Bobby-less season.