It was a "A Call to Arms" on Dallas this week,as the Ewings circled the wagons to ward off an attack by Cliff Barnes, Harris Ryland and the Governor himself. The question was, would it be enough?

The Governor was in Harris Ryland's back pocket but he was pushing back as he told Harris his gratitude would only go so far. Wouldn't it be great to watch these jackals turn on one another?

In their effort to stick with J.R.'s master plan, John Ross attempted to convince Pamela that Cliff was behind the rig explosion. He really needed to show her some sort of proof if he expected her to buy it. She'd never want to believe that her father was behind the death of her babies so it wasn't a surprise when she turned on John Ross. 

When Cliff swooped in and bought the Ewing Energies loan, John Ross played it smart. Pamela's intelligent enough to see his logic. Why would her father try to take over a company with a $1 billion fine hanging over it and faulty technology unless he knew the technology wasn't the problem and he was assured he could make the fine disappear?

Cliff hadn't seen his daughter in the weeks since the accident. Now he shows up with a small bouquet of flowers (he never was a big spender) and the news that the Barnes family would get everything the Ewings stole from Digger Barnes. He couldn't see past his own selfish need for vengeance to understand that none of that would assuage his daughters pain.

There was a look of pure horror on Pamela's face as the realization sunk in that John Ross was correct. Worse yet was when Cliff told her that the death of her children was a blessing in disguise as they would have linked her to the Ewings forever.  

Cliff's hatred of the Ewings far eclipses any love he would have had for his own grandchildren. I'm not sure if that makes him a monster or a pathetic excuse for a human being. Perhaps both. 

When a heart broken Pamela showed up at South Fork, I was struck by how these highly emotional scenes always seem to play out in the pouring rain. She wasn't incorrect when she told John Ross...

He was never going to love me more than he hates your family. | permalink

It appears she's never been a priority in his life, simply another tool to take down the Ewings.

Back at South Fork, I loved the conversation that John Ross and Bobby had over J.R.'s bourbon. The look on Bobby's face as he shared this Dallas quote was reminiscent of a much younger man, madly in love with his first wife.

Well, if anyone in this house knows how complicated a relationship with a Barnes woman can be, it's me. | permalink

No kidding. It's nice to see he and John Ross bonding over something.  

Elsewhere on the ranch, Emma was playing her mother like a pro. Then again, it looked as though she's been addicted to those pills for quite some time. It didn't take her long to figure out where to get more and what was needed to wrap the ranch hand around her little finger.  

Drew's desire to protect her and his threat to take down her Daddy was interesting. How far will he go to save Emma and will she let him? I'm still unsure if Drew's being selfless and brave or naive and foolish. 

And would the real Pamela Barnes Ewing please stand up? I really couldn't blame Christopher for wanting to declare her legally dead. No one had seen or heard from her since 1998. Either she really was dead or having her declared so might coax her out of hiding.  

When Elena questioned how easy this was for him, I had to agree with his response. Pamela walked out when he was seven years old. She's in essence been dead to him for most of his life. 

But I knew it wouldn't be that easy. It appears Pamela Barnes, now Patricia Barrett is living in Switzerland, or at least she maintains a bank account there.

So does this mean the original Pamela Barnes will be a player in the Barnes/Ewing feud? With only three episodes left, it may not take long to find out. 

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.