| "A House Divided" | |
|---|---|
| Dallas episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 25 |
| Directed by | Irving J. Moore |
| Written by | Rena Down |
| Production code | 54 |
| Original air date | March 21, 1980 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Mary Crosby as Kristin Shepard Randolph Powell as Alan Beam Dennis Patrick as Vaughn Leland Jeff Cooper as Dr. Simon Elby Don Starr as Jordan Lee James L Brown as Harry McSween Jeanna Michaels as Connie Brasher Meg Gallagher as Louella Caraway Lee | |
"A House Divided" is the 25th and final episode of the third season (1979–80 season) and 54th overall of the American television series Dallas. It is the episode known for spawning the eight-month "Who shot J.R.?" phenomenon. The episode ended with the mysterious shooting of J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) in his office by an assailant whose identity was not revealed until the following season. The mystery was resolved in the fourth episode of the following season, entitled "Who Done It", which remains the second most-watched episode in American TV history.
In the episode, nationalization of the Asian fields causes financial ruin that affects the cartel members and J.R. Ewing's banker. This leads to the suicide of cartel member Seth Stone (Buck Young). J.R. attempts to run both Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) and Alan Beam (Randolph Powell) out of town as they both plot revenge against him. He also attempts to move Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray) back into a sanitarium. With Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) having sought revenge upon J.R. based on an agreement he realized Jock Ewing (Jim Davis) and Digger Barnes (Keenan Wynn) had, J.R. has the oil fields closed down to keep Cliff from earning any royalties. Pamela Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal) and husband Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) move out of Southfork out of disgust at J.R.'s dealings. In the final scene, J.R. is shot while working late at the office.