“Dallas” went back to basics this week, delivering a character-driven episode in the spirit of the original series. Fittingly, the cast spent much of this episode wearing basic black.
The episode, “Hurt,” opened with Drew’s funeral, although the action soon shifted to Southfork, where Elena confronted the Ewings about J.R.’s sins against her family and Bobby’s scheme to frame Cliff. My favorite look during these scenes belonged to Brenda Strong, who was radiant and regal in Ann’s elegant black dress. The costume worked on multiple levels: The sleek, clean lines draped Strong’s figure beautifully, but the simple design also fit Ann’s role in this episode as the no-nonsense voice of reason at Southfork.
I also love how costume designer Rachel Sage Kunin outfitted Strong’s on-screen husband, Patrick Duffy, who made his triumphant return to the “Dallas” director’s chair with this episode. Bobby spent much of “Hurt” in black suit trousers, a white dress shirt with a barely noticeable pattern and a striped, deep red tie. The contrasting colors were the ideal choice for Duffy’s morally compromised character; the black and white symbolized the struggle between the darkness and the light within dear old Bob.
Elsewhere, Linda Gray looked magnificent in her black suit, and I enjoyed seeing “Dallas’s” younger leading men in their dark suits, although no one pulls off a black suit quite like Juan Pablo Di Pace. Meanwhile, Jordana Brewster’s tight ponytail made Elena look a little severe, but the style worked for the revenge-minded character.
Even the characters who weren’t part of the Southfork showdown climbed aboard the black bandwagon: The always cool Mitch Pileggi sported a dark leather jacket when Harris met with the CIA agent in the alley. Not to be outdone, Pileggi’s on-screen daughter, Emma Bell, wore a knockout black dress with cutouts across the chest in the somewhat surreal scene where Emma negotiated with drug cartel leader Luis over tea and chit chat about the Beach Boys.
Bell looked fun and vampy here, but I couldn’t help but wonder: If Emma isn’t careful, the next funeral the “Dallas” characters attend might be hers!
What were your favorite looks in “Hurt”? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and read more “Dallas Styles.”
