Well, was Gleason's rant not effective?
Certainly. My point is that the reason we talk about it is because it was such utter crappe.
I am getting the vibe from what you have said, and from what I know about you and your love for the show, that you are defending the Bobby Ewing thing. (If I'm wrong, I'm happy to be corrected.) My point is, just because it was legendary enough to still be brought up 25 years after the fact, that does not justify it as good television.