Clayton Farlow - Storylines

Storylines

Clayton helped his son, Dusty, recover from his accident when he first met Sue Ellen and the rest of the Ewing's. Sue Ellen found Dusty after he secretly put up her bail when she was accused of shooting her husband, J.R. Ewing. Sue Ellen filed for a divorce from J.R., taking their son John Ross Ewing III with her to Southern Cross. When he found out Jock was furious and told J.R. that he wanted John Ross back on Southfork no matter what. After failed attempts to get John Ross back, J.R., with Jock's full support, bought all of the oil that went into Clayton's refineries. J.R. agreed to give it back if Clayton kicked Sue Ellen off of the Southern Cross. Clayton refused, but Sue Ellen left on her own, returning to Dallas, and eventually remarried J.R. and moved back to Southfork. The oil was sold back to him by Miss Ellie, and they became friends. During this time, Clayton became romantically attracted to Sue Ellen and defended her against J.R.

Later, after Jock was killed in a helicopter crash in South America, Miss Ellie dated and eventually married Clayton. During his courtship of Miss Ellie, Clayton became very jealous of the life Jock had: having sons carry on his legacy in the oil business, a devoted wife, and a big family with sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.

Shortly before her marriage to Clayton, Miss Ellie was kidnapped by Clayton's mentally unstable sister Jessica, who conspired with J.R. to stop the wedding. Clayton and Miss Ellie honeymooned in Greece, and returned to Southfork, in spite of Clayton's reservations about living in Jock's home and his constant "shadow". To ease his transition, Miss Ellie redecorated Jock and Miss Ellie's bedroom, but Clayton went on business trips to avoid staying at Southfork. Finally, Miss Ellie had J.R. and Bobby move Jock's portrait from the living room at Southfork to Ewing Oil. Clayton became very good friends with Ray and stepson Bobby, but remained a self-imposed enemy of his eldest stepson, J.R., getting into many arguments and fights with him. Clayton has a brief infatuation with a young model, mirroring Jock's near-affair with his former secretary Julie Gray, after feeling neglected by Miss Ellie. He also suffered from amnesia and nearly left Miss Ellie until recovering. Clayton sold his refinery businesses to Ewing Oil and at one point began a horse-breeding enterprise with Ray.

In 1990, Clayton, unable to live with the shadow of Jock's memory, and Miss Ellie left Southfork to travel extensively. In the final season, he returned to Dallas briefly, without Miss Ellie, to convey sole ownership of Southfork to Bobby, much to the objection of J.R.