'Dallas' Mid-Season Premiere Preview: After the Fire, Southfork Still Burns

Brenda Strong, Jordana Brewster Jesse Metcalfe and Patrick Duffy in
the August 18 episode of Dallas on TNT.

The Ewing family searches for answers as to who set the fire at Southfork Ranch and who will survive, while John Ross and Emma struggle with their role in Pamela's overdose in the mid-season premiere of Dallas, Monday, August 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Dallas centers on the Ewing family, which has made a fortune in cattle ranching and oil. Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) is now the family patriarch following the death of his older brother, J.R. Ewing. The complicated and often bitter relationship between the two brothers can be seen reflected in the relationship between Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe), Bobby's adopted son, and John Ross III (Josh Henderson), the son of J.R. and former wife Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray).

The summer run of TNT's Dallas opens in the aftermath of a devastating fire at Southfork Ranch and the unexpected overdose of John Ross' wife, Pamela Barnes Ewing (Julie Gonzalo). Each member of the family struggles to understand what's happened, including John Ross, whose two-timing behavior may have finally caught up with him after Pamela discovered him with another woman. To make matters worse, that other woman is Emma Ryland (Emma Bell), the daughter of Bobby's wife, Ann (Brenda Strong).

Christopher continues to reel after his engagement to Elena Ramos (Jordana Brewster) fell through, and the search for his mother ended with news that she died in 1989. He has found some comfort in a new relationship with Heather (AnnaLynne McCord), a 20-something ranch hand and single mother. But Heather's ex-husband has just returned, bringing turmoil back into her life and the life of her 5-year-old son.

Elena, who grew up at Southfork as the daughter of the Ewings' cook, Carmen Ramos (Marlene Forte), recently learned that the Ewings may have cheated her father out of valuable land by altering the original deed. Consumed with thoughts of justice for previous wrongs against her family, Elena has turned to an old childhood friend, Nicolas Treviño (Juan Pablo Di Pace).

The Ewings' chief nemesis, Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), has done everything he can to bring the Ewing family down, including getting his daughter, Pamela, to infiltrate the family by marrying Christopher. But after an attempt to sabotage an oilrig resulted in injuring Pamela and killing her and Christopher's unborn twins, Cliff suddenly found his daughter turning against him. Pamela helped the Ewings gain a controlling interest in Barnes Global, then settled in for what she hoped would be a happy life with her new husband, John Ross.

Bobby’s wife, Ann, continues to battle with Harris Ryland (Mitch Pileggi), her scheming ex-husband who claims to be a government informant helping to shut down a drug smuggling operation. Ann also continues to build a relationship with her daughter, Emma, a sheltered beauty who has jumped in bed with John Ross – both literally and figuratively – in a bid to stir up trouble for her father, Harris. Things become even more difficult for everyone with the return of Harris' controlling mother, Judith (Judith Light), who not only owns a controlling interest in her son's transportation business but also runs a high-price prostitution ring.