Is this Dallas or General Hospital?

Normally, this question wouldn’t be that ambiguous: “Dallas” is a high paced drama revival of a popular 1970s soap set in, well, Dallas, while “General Hospital” is an entertaining-yet-trash daily drama set somewhere in New York. But with every major character from the “Dallas” premiere in the hospital for some thing or another, it’s hard to tell the difference.

“Dallas” focuses on the Ewings, a rich oil family from South Fork ranch. The patriarch is Bobby Ewing, who’s married to Anne Ewing and has a son named Christopher. Bobby’s nephew is John Ross, whose mother is Sue Ellen.

After a riveting midseason finale, this half-season premiere picks up with the aftermath of the fire at South Fork Ranch and the following game of whodunit. As if that wasn’t enough of an opening, John Ross’s wife Pamela appears to have attempted suicide after catching her husband cheating with his uncle’s wife’s daughter Emma, after a bizarre twist in the midseason finale where Pamela joined John Ross and Emma for a surprise threesome.

There’s no question this premiere was dramatic. Pamela’s motives are far more complicated and interesting than a woman scorned who is so depressed she commits suicide. In addition, the suspected arsonist is actually innocent, as is the confessed arsonist, who actually did believe she set the fire. Many of the questions from the last season were answered.

However, the plausibility is questionable. “Dallas” isn’t known for its reality, but the idea that three people went into the hospital with life threatening injuries and all of them were essentially unharmed is highly unlikely. Perhaps it would’ve added some drama to match the previous episode if one of the main characters had died.