Patrick Duffy On Bobby’s Emotional ‘Dallas’ Opening Scene

“Dallas” opened Season 3 with Patrick Duffy’s Bobby Ewing paying tribute to the show’s lost loved ones, but the moment wasn’t originally set to kick off the TNT drama’s return.

Patrick recently explained to AccessHollywood.com how the touching moment came about — where Bobby visited the graves of Jock, Miss Ellie and J.R. Ewing on the Southfork estate, and realized he is the only one from that old generation left.

“That was Cynthia’s idea ,” Patrick told AccessHollywood.com, referring to the show’s executive producer, Cynthia Cidre. “But the interesting [thing] was — that scene takes place, in terms of the original script, about 30 minutes into the show. And when we filmed it and when she saw it — and I’m never a part of editing or anything – [she] and the staff looked at it and they said, ‘Oh no, we can’t put that in the middle of the show. That’s the beginning of the new ‘Dallas.’ It’s the starting over, it’s the retrospective of the family. It’s the making that statement about I’m the only one left.’

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“I think I said, ‘I’ll try not to disappoint you,’” Patrick continued. “It was a great scene to do, it was appropriate for the show, but they accidentally realized that it’s the way to start the new season, and then everything goes from that. It was great.”

Saying those words, though, hit home not just for Bobby, but for Patrick.

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“I loved it because it’s a beautiful scene as well. Looking down at those graves though, I must tell you, when I had to say that line, that I’m the only one left, I looked down, I thought, ‘Crap! I really am…’ … in terms of the regular people that are on the show. Of course, you know Steve [Kanaly, who played Ray Krebbs, Jock’s illegitimate son] and people are still alive, those characters are seminal characters in television history and they’re not Jock and Miss Ellie and J.R. … It’s just such a strange, wonderful thing to be a part of a show that has this kind of mythology attached to it.”

“Dallas” airs Monday nights at 9/8c on TNT.

— Jolie Lash