Conundrum (Dallas)
"Conundrum" is the title of the 22nd episode of the fourteenth season of the American television drama series "Dallas". It is also the 356th and last episode of the original "Dallas" series. The episode originally aired on CBS on Friday, May 3, 1991 as a double-length episode. Subsequent airings in syndication split the episode into individual hours, which raises the total episode count to 23 for the season and 357 for the series. The plot of the episode mirrors that of the film "It's a Wonderful Life", as J.R. Ewing is taken on a journey to  visit what would become of the Ewing family had he never existed. Plot. Background. It has taken many years and numerous efforts by a multitude of people over the course of his life, but finally J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) has been reduced to practically nothing. He has lost control of the Southfork ranch, which was given to Bobby (Patrick Duffy) by Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel) after he decided to spend more time traveling with Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes). J.R.'s business empire has also crumbled. Clayton gave him voting power on the board at WestStar Oil, but through the  scheming of Clayton's son Dusty (Jared Martin) and WestStar executive Carter McKay (George Kennedy), J.R. was tricked into selling the controlling stake in Ewing Oil to his archenemy, Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval). After McKay revealed the ruse to J.R., he promptly fired him from WestStar and left him with no form of employment. Additionally, J.R.'s long-time secretary Sly Lovegren (Deborah Rennard) left Ewing Oil to marry, and Bobby's secretary Phyllis Wapner (Deborah Tranelli) refused to help J.R., telling him that "Hell would freeze over" before she worked for him. Finally, J.R. lost his closest family member  as his son and namesake John Ross (Omri Katz) disowned him, deciding to stay in London to be with his mother Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) and her new husband Don Lockwood (Ian McShane). The fallout from these events appeared to be too much for J.R. to bear. Events. The episode begins with the defeated J.R. walking around the Southfork pool in a drunken stupor with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a loaded pearl handled six-shooter in the other. J.R. is seriously contemplating whether or not to turn the gun on himself. A spirit named Adam (portrayed  by Joel Grey) pays a visit to J.R., who cannot believe what he is seeing. The white tuxedo-clad Adam tells J.R. his "boss" likes him and has dispatched him to Earth. In a parallel with the storyline of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", Adam proceeds to take J.R. on a journey to show him what life would have been like for other people if he had not been born. Among what he shows him: After being taken through this journey, Adam tries to get J.R. to shoot himself. J.R. tells Adam he does not want to  give Adam the satisfaction as he went back to Heaven. Adam then asks J.R. what made him think he was dispatched from Heaven and begins laughing demonically, revealing his true purpose. J.R. is immediately jolted awake in his bedroom while still holding the bourbon bottle and the revolver. He appears relieved that it was an only a bad dream, but once again reality sets in for J.R. and the current state of his life. Once again Adam appears to J.R., this time in the bedroom mirror in a red suit. Adam is determined to have J.R. shoot himself, reminding him  how better off everyone concerned would be. J.R. seems willing to oblige. Meanwhile, Bobby has returned to Southfork for the night. J.R. does not hear him pull up or enter the house, as his focus is solely on Adam in his mirror. He slowly raises the gun to his head and cocks the hammer, and the frustrated Adam finally screams "Do it!" to J.R. with glowing red eyes. Bobby hears a gunshot and runs to the second floor to J.R.'s bedroom to see what has happened. The episode concludes with Bobby standing in the doorway, saying "oh my God  in disbelief; the series thus ends with J.R.'s fate unknown. Resolution. The Conundrum" cliffhanger was not resolved until 1996, with the first "Dallas" reunion movie, "". It was revealed in the beginning of the movie that J.R. had not, in fact, shot himself, but had instead shot at the mirror where Adam was appearing to him. The 2012 revival series did not acknowledge the reunion movie. However, when the revival series began, J.R. was still alive. According to the Dallas Facebook page, J.R. had indeed shot the mirror, but unlike the Reunion film, he didn't flee to Europe to  recover. Reception. Although the audience had dwindled considerably, with the series ending at #63 for the 1990-91 season, "Dallas" final telecast was the second highest rated program of the week. "Conundrum" pulled a 22 rating and 38% share of the audience. This was "Dallas" highest rated episode since the January 23, 1987 episode "Night Visitor". The two-part season finale is the 15th most watched television series finale in U.S. history. The sharp decline in the soap's audience had been largely attributed to the early 1990s decrease in Friday primetime viewership as Friday nights gradually had become graveyard  slots on U.S. television. In 2011, the whole two-part finale was ranked #13 on the TV Guide Network special, "TV's Most Unforgettable Finales".