Upon reading her old journal, John Ross states that his grandmother Miss Ellie spent some time in a mental institution, which JR confirms was because his father (Jock Ewing) had just died and Miss Ellie was having difficulty coming to terms with his death. This never happened. Although Miss Ellie was indeed upset by Jock's passing in 1981, as seen in the fifth season of the original show, she never went into a mental institution.