Pamela crashed into an oil tanker at the end of the tenth season of "Dallas". The exit storyline was the subject of notable controversy. It was left open ended after Principal left the show and the audience had no idea where the character was going. Hal Erickson of MSN.com said, "Although Victoria Principal had left "Dallas" at the end of season ten, by the time the series' 11th season rolled around, Principal's character, Pamela Ewing, was still lingering about, swathed in bandages after being seriously injured in a car accident. As if to lead viewers to the conclusion that Pamela would suddenly make a complete recovery in the tradition of her husband Bobby Ewing's (Patrick Duffy) "return from the dead" at the outset of season ten, the ultimate fate of Pamela was left unresolved for several weeks—and further complicated when the poor girl suddenly vanished from her hospital bed."