Dallas: A House Divided

"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.?" hysteria. The episode ended with the mysterious shooting of J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) in his office by an assailant that would not be revealed until the following season. The episode served as both an introduction to the now common practice of season-ending cliffhangers and the beginning of an eight-month international media frenzy. The mystery was resolved in the fourth episode of the following season, entitled "Who Done It", which continues to be the second most-watched episode in 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 stopped 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 end, J.R. is shot while working late at the office.