Release Date: 7/31/07

The Show

Perhaps one of the great television series of all time, Dallas took the drama genre to the next level with engaging characters and riveting plots. And unlike other series that would rest on its laurels toward the latter stages of its run, Dallas continually pushed the limits right to the edge and over it. The ball kept rolling strong until The Complete Seventh Season where the jealousy, treachery, and blackmail came to an exciting and dramatic end.

The stories continued to revolve around the Ewing Oil business where the millions flowed like water and the romances between Pam (Victoria Principal) and Mark (John Beck), Sue (Linda Gray) and Peter (Christopher Atkins), and Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Clayton (Howard Keel). While the show took a turn for the more refined look in the final season, it still doesn’t hinder the gritty drama. In fact, coupled with the darker tone the show took for the series’ final go at it, it makes perfect sense that the show go out on top in this manner.

The 5 double-sided disc set comes with all 30 episodes from the seventh season with a Play All option found on each disc.
Disc 1 Side A
1. The Road Back
2. The Long Goodbye
3. The Letter
Disc 1 Side B
1. My Brother’s Keeper
2. The Quality of Mercy
3. Check and Mate
Disc 2 Side A
1. Ray’s Trial
2. The Oil Baron’s Ball
3. Morning After
Disc 2 Side B
1. The Buck Stops Here
2. To Catch a Sly
3. Barbecue Four
Disc 3 Side A
1. Past Imperfect
2. Peter’s Principles
3. Offshore Crude
Disc 3 Side B
1. Some Do… Some Don’t
2. Eye of the Beholder
3. Twelve Mile Limit
Disc 4 Side A
1. Where is Poppa?
2. When the Bough Breaks
3. True Confessions
Disc 4 Side B
1. And the Winner Is…
2. Fools Rush In
3. The Unexpected
Disc 5 Side A
1. Strange Alliance
2. Blow Up
3. Turning Point
Disc 5 Side B
1. Love Stories
2. Hush, Hush Sweet Jessie
3. End Game

The DVD

The main menu contains static backgrounds with music. The submenus have silent stills.

The video transfer is offered in 1.33:1 Fullscreen Format. Given the age of the content, it looks about average. However, Warner Bros. did nothing to clean up the picture at all. There’s a lack of detail but the colors are semi-bright. This is a serviceable video transfer as long as you don’t let the flaws bother you too much.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital Mono. Like the video, the sound is okay with the occasional hiss and pop. The dialogue and music sound fairly clean, which is important.

The Extras

The 5 double-sided-disc set comes in 3 slimeline cases encased within a cardboard box. Episode guide, descriptions, and original airdates are provided on the backs of each case.

The sole bonus option offered is The Music of Dallas which runs about 14-minutes and features information on the song’s theme song and Bruce Broughton’s work on the show.

Final Thoughts

Fans of Dallas will definitely want to pick up The Complete Seventh Season. As the conclusion to a wild series, this is a must have for collectors and television enthusiasts.

- Morris Tang