Ep 5. Truth and Consequences

In the fifth episode of the 2012 revival of the classic television show Dallas, titled "Truth and Consequences," the battle for control over Southfork Ranch continues to heat up between the Ewing and Barnes families.

At the beginning of the episode, John Ross Ewing (Josh Henderson) is still trying to convince his father J.R. (the late Larry Hagman) to help him take control of the family business from Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), but J.R. is reluctant to get involved for fear of taking sides against his own brother. Meanwhile, Bobby is dealing with a personal crisis of his own, as his wife Ann (Brenda Strong) struggles to come to terms with the fact that they are unable to have children together.

As tensions rise between the two families, both sides begin to resort to underhanded tactics to get what they want. John Ross and his girlfriend (and Bobby's foster daughter) Elena (Jordana Brewster) hatch a plan to use the leverage they have over the Barnes family to force them to back off. At the same time, Bobby and his new ally Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) try to uncover evidence of wrongdoing on the part of John Ross and his father, but their plan hits a snag when they discover that someone in their own camp may be feeding information to the enemy.

Against this backdrop, the episode delves into some of the show's overarching themes - primarily, the idea that secrets and lies have the power to destroy even the closest of relationships. Throughout the episode, characters are forced to confront their own painful truths and acknowledge the consequences of their actions.

Perhaps the most interesting character arc in this episode belongs to Sue Ellen Shepard (Linda Gray), J.R.'s ex-wife. In previous episodes, Sue Ellen had been portrayed as a washed-up alcoholic, bitter over how her life had turned out. But in "Truth and Consequences," we begin to see a spark of something more in her. Sue Ellen becomes involved with a local politician and begins to take an interest in his environmental advocacy work, showing a glimpse of the intelligent and driven woman she used to be. At the same time, J.R. starts to take notice of her renewed spark and begins to see her in a new light as well.

Overall, "Truth and Consequences" is an episode that continues the season's trend of pushing the characters to their limits in order to reveal their true selves. With secrets and betrayals aplenty, there's plenty of drama to go around - but at its core, the show is ultimately about people trying to find their way in a complicated world.