Soap: Season 4 [1980] (3 discs)
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Composer:

George Aliceson Tipton

Length:	524 minutes (8 hours 44 minutes)
MPAA Rating:	UR
Sorting Category:	TV Show
Sorting Tub:	Kilo

IMDB Rating:	8.2/10
Amazon Rating:	4.0/5 stars
User rating sites like above are subject to change
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Classifications:

Comedy
Family
Drama

Available Formats:

VHS	DVD
HD DVD	Blu-ray
3D Blu-ray	Digital

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Series

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Synopsis: Jessica gets involved with a south american revolutionary, Jodie goes on an eventful search for his daughter, Danny falls in then out then back in love. Lots of stuff like that.

Reaction: This season gets back to some more standard story lines and less of that whole alien abduction or demonic possession. Not that this show needs to be all that realistic, but it's interesting.

Personal Rating: 7/10

Select Guest Cast

Art LaFleur

Bartender (as Art Fleur) ^{(Episode #4.7)}

Frank Corsentino

Tailor ^{(Episode #4.7)}

Chico Martínez

Juan Three ^{(Episode #4.9)}

Laurie Faso

Juan Two ^{(Episode #4.9)}

Earl Boen

Dr. Drell ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

H.B. Haggerty

Warrior No. 1 ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

J.J. Barry

Godfather ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

James Hong

Peking Tom ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

James Saito

Hiro ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

Joel Brooks

Morty Stevens ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

Michael Currie

Governor ^{(Episode #4.12 Part 1)}

George Wendt

Counterman ^{(Episode #4.15 Part 1)}

Jay Garner

Gene ^{(Episode #4.15 Part 1)}

Luis Avalos

General Sandia ^{(Episode #4.15 Part 1)}

George Wyner

Dr. Rudolph ^{(Episode #4.14 Part 1)}

Thomas Callaway

Phillip ^{(Episode #4.14 Part 1)}

Granville Van Dusen

Dr. Hill ^{(Episode #4.1)}

Hamilton Camp

Elmore Tibbs ^{(Episode #4.1)}

Michael Durrell

F. Peter Haversham ^{(Episode #4.1)}

Rae Allen

Judge Betty Small ^{(Episode #4.1)}

Jim Staahl

Bigelow ^{(Episode #4.16 Part 1)}

Joseph V. Perry

Mr. Phil (as Joe Perry) ^{(Episode #4.6)}

Lynnda Ferguson

Hooker ^{(Episode #4.6)}

Ralph Manza

Digger ^{(Episode #4.13 Part 1)}

Robert Costanzo

Carny ^{(Episode #4.8)}

Select Cast and Crew

J.D. Lobue

Director

Barry Vigon

Writer

Danny Jacobson

Writer

Dick Clair

Writer

Jenna McMahon

Writer

Stu Silver

Writer

Susan Harris

Writer / Creator

George Aliceson Tipton

Composer

Allan Miller

Dr. Alan Posner

Arthur Peterson

The Major

Barbara Rhoades

Maggie Chandler

Billy Crystal

Jodie Dallas

Cathryn Damon

Mary Campbell

Diana Canova

Corinne Tate-Flotsky

Donnelly Rhodes

Dutch Leitner

Eugene Roche

E. Ronald Mallu

Gregory Sierra

Carlos 'El Puerco' Valdez

Jay Johnson

Bob Campbell

Jennifer Salt

Eunice Tate

Jesse Welles

Gwen

Jimmy Baio

Billy Tate

Joe Mantegna

Juan One

Katherine Helmond

Jessica Tate

Marla Pennington

Leslie Walker

Nancy Dolman

Annie Selig

Rebecca Balding

Carol David

Richard Mulligan

Burt Campbell

Robert Mandan

Chester Tate

Rod Roddy

Announcer

Roscoe Lee Browne

Saunders

Ted Wass

Danny Dallas

Random Trivia For This Title:

The last 5 episodes lasted originally an hour each. They were later re-edited into normal length in such a way that the credits does not fit with the original episodes any more.
The show was intended to run for only five seasons. Even if ABC renewed the series, there would only have been one more year to resolve all the cliffhangers.
The series ended with several cliffhangers unresolved, including Jessica about to be executed by a communist firing squad. A 1983 episode of spin-off series [Benson] mentions Jessica's disappearance, noting the Tate family is seeking to have her declared legally dead. In this episode, Jessica appears as an apparition whom only Benson can see or hear, revealing to Benson that she is not dead, but in a coma somewhere in South America. The other cliffhangers are not referenced, leaving it to the viewers' imagination as to what might have happened.

Episode List:
Episode Name	Disc	Disc Order	Directors	Writers	Synopsis	Reaction	IMDB	Personal Rating
Episode #4.1	1	01	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver Dick Clair Jenna McMahon	Jessica flatlines, but she is resuscitated and eventually emerges from her coma. Mary has a baby boy, but the hospital is very concerned over the infant's color and keeps him for observation. Burt and Danny find themselves in a no-tell motel surrounded by women's clothing ... then later receive photos of themselves with naked women. Corinne and Eunice make Dutch choose between them. Jodie wins custody of Wendy, but the baby's mother vows vengeance against him. Leslie aims for Billy, but ends up shooting Saunders.	Oh, come on, Dutch. Why Eunice?	6.5	7
Episode #4.2	1	02	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver	After making a miraculous recovery, Jessica decides to move on with her life without any of her suitors. Burt and Danny are blackmailed with X-rated photos. Adding insult to injury, Danny is devastated when Polly turns down his marriage proposal. Corinne leaves to begin a new life in California. Mary brings home her baby, while baby Wendy is kidnapped.	Eh, it's a fine episode.	6.1	6
Episode #4.3	1	03	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver	Jodie takes the law into his own hands to get his daughter back. Jessica returns home. Dutch and Eunice announce their engagement, while Jessica tells Chester their marriage is over ... but she will allow him to stay in the pool house.Mary receives the blackmail photos of Burt. Leslie tries to kill Billy.	Yeah, I'm a little sick of the constant misunderstanding storylines between Burt and Mary. A little communication would do wonders in their marriage.	6.4	6
Episode #4.4	1	04	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver	Dutch and Eunice marry, while Chester hits on the maid of honor. After the blackmail photos are released, Mary promises to help Burt through the scandal. Jessica takes a vacation to the Caribbean where she gets mixed up with a Latin American revolutionary, El Puerco.	And just what was Jessica thinking when she unlocked those chains? It's standard procedure for her to not think anything, but a chained up man warrants a little forethought.	8.1	8
Episode #4.5	1	05	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver	When the family learns Jessica's been kidnapped, Billy rushes to Malaguay to rescue his mother. Meanwhile, Jessica finds herself in the middle of a revolution. Danny and Burt decide to go undercover, while Jodie hires a P.I. to find his missing daughter.	I'm ready for the dirty pictures storyline to be over.	6.7	7
Episode #4.6	1	06	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver	Danny enlists Gwen's help to bring Tibbs to justice. Leslie continues her campaign to kill Billy. The romantic revolutionary, El Puerco, invites Jessica to spend the night in his tent ... and she accepts. Since she is the only Tate to have access to the bank account, the family finds itself going from riches to rags.	I really like Saunders. He's an interesting character.	6.5	7
Episode #4.7	1	07	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver	Jessica gives El Puerco a pep talk, convincing the depressed revolutionary to continue his battle from her Connecticut home. Someone spies on Danny and Gwen, the hooker and star witness against Tibbs. The Tates have a garage sale to raise money. Burt and Mary make an appointment to have sex. While searching for carol and his missing daughter, Jodie ends up in a saloon.	Carol is just getting more and more on my Do Not Like list.	7.5	8
Episode #4.8	2	01	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Danny Jacobson Barry Vigon	Chester and Dutch become business partners when they buy Burt's construction company. Jodie finds out that Carol has run off with a carnival fire-eater. Billy rescues Jessica and El Puerco, who are lost at sea. Finding himself attracted to Gwen, Danny asks her to quit the profession.	I'm a little surprised Burt decided to sell his company to Chester. Dutch, maybe, but Chester's track record is ridiculous.	7.0	7
Episode #4.9	2	02	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Danny Jacobson Barry Vigon	Jessica returns home with El Puerco and his merry men, the three Juans, in tow. Chester is jealous. Gwen goes stir crazy in a motel room, so Danny invites her to move in with his family. En route to Alaska to find his daughter, sparks fly between Jodie and Maggie. Burt has a crisis of faith.	Quite the melancholy ending. What do are you supposed to think about a satire that ends with a priest dying after a main character expresses a lack of faith?	6.9	7
Episode #4.10	2	03	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Danny Jacobson Barry Vigon	Jessica and Chester announce their divorce, and Chester announces his engagement to Annie. Jodie announces his love for Maggie. After declaring his love for Gwen, Danny is shot at a party for El Puerco.	I like that bit about Chuck not understanding Bob because he doesn't speak spanish.	6.6	7
Episode Name	Disc	Disc Order	Directors	Writers	Synopsis	Reaction	IMDB	Personal Rating
Episode #4.11	2	04	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Danny Jacobson Barry Vigon	Chester plans to marry Annie, even though he's still in love with Jessica ... who is desperately trying to seduce El Puerco. Burt vows revenge against Tibbs, who shot Danny. Meanwhile, Danny needs a life-saving kidney transplant, leading Mary to confess a shocking family secret.	I really like the part where Bob is talking with the doctor about Danny. Nothing particularly special. It just tickles me.	6.7	7
Episode #4.12 Part 1	2	05	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Danny Jacobson Barry Vigon	Mary's bombshell reveals that Chester is Danny's real father. To save Danny's life, Chester reluctantly agrees to donate a kidney. Jodie and Maggie's search leads them to a kung fu fortress. Mary is convinced her baby can fly. Jessica continues hitting on El Puerco, who does not want to consummate their relationship until they're married. Burt becomes a local hero when he brings down the neighborhood mob.	Okay, so now we get the whole "Your uncle's your father" storyline. Yup. It's a soap opera.	7.0	6
Episode #4.12 Part 2	2	06	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Danny Jacobson Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Barry Vigon	Mary devastates Jessica by telling her the identity of Danny's real father ... Chester. The news shocks Danny as well. But Chester's kidney is his only chance to stay alive. Burt is interviewed by the local news.	Standard but fine.	7.0	6
Episode #4.13 Part 1	2	07	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Danny Jacobson Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Barry Vigon	Mary recounts her fling with Chester, and how he was blackmailed into marrying Jessica. Burt tells Mary that her history with Chester does not matter in the face of Danny's crisis. Dutch and Eunice act out their fantasies. Mary develops a drinking problem. Held captive in the kung fu fortress, Jodie and Maggie face execution at sunrise. Jessica continues to give Mary the cold shoulder.	Why should a past relationship between Mary and Chester matter if it happened before he met Jessica? It may be different for a woman, but I just don't see the problem.	6.5	7
Episode #4.13 Part 2	2	08	J.D. Lobue	Dick Clair Susan Harris Danny Jacobson Jenna McMahon Stu Silver Barry Vigon	Burt revels in his sudden fame, causing a rift between him and his wife. Danny announces his plans to marry Gwen, but Burt worries how having a hooker in the family will affect his political career. Meanwhile, a gangster threatens Gwen. Jessica has a heart-to-heart with Chester about his affair with Mary. To rescue Jodie, Burt mobilizes El Puerco, the Major, Saunders, Chuck and Bob.	Okay, so Gwen is being squeezed and Burt's acting a bit like a prick. I guess it was only a matter of time on both fronts.	6.5	6
Episode #4.14 Part 1	3	01	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver Barry Vigon Danny Jacobson	Jodie, Maggie and Wendy are rescued from the fortress. Jessica finally forgives Mary, who finally admits her drinking problem. Mary still thinks her bizarre-acting baby may be an alien. Jodie and Maggie discuss marriage, which sends Jodie to therapy. Gwen leaves Danny.	I like the bit about breaking Jodie out of the dungeon. It's frustrating but funny.		7
Episode #4.14 Part 2	3	02	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver Barry Vigon Danny Jacobson	After finally sleeping with El Puerco, Jessica finds he was not worth the wait. Dutch and Eunice's love life hits the skids. Chester announces he's eloped with Annie, but his jealousy over Jessica and El Puerco ruins his new marriage. During a dinner with the governor, a drunken Mary embarrasses Burt. Jodie's therapy session taps into his past life ... as a 90-year-old Jewish man.	I'm beginning to get a little disappointed in Burt's newfound ambition getting in the way of his family relationships.		6
Episode #4.15 Part 1	3	03	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver	Burt is offered a position as Lieutenant Governor. Mary tells Burt she thinks their son Scotty has superhuman strength. Chester realizes he still loves Jessica and wants her back. Heartbroken Danny and Annie comfort each other. Jodie is trapped in his past life as an old Jewish man.	It took long enough for that "I think my baby's an alien" storyline to bear real fruit.	6.9	7
Episode #4.15 Part 2	3	04	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver	While El Puerco plots his next revolution, he challenges Chester to a duel. Danny and Annie carry on a torrid affair. Jessica worries about Burt and Mary's marriage. Maggie meets Jodie's 90-year-old Jewish alter ego. Sheriff Burt speaks to the Senate, but his new power earns him some deadly enemies.	And Danny takes after his biological father and starts up a forbidden affair.	6.9	7
Episode #4.16 Part 1	3	05	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver	Political spin doctors warn Burt that his family may hinder his political future, and try to convince him to leave them. El Puerco's enemies kidnap Jessica, take her to Malaguay and threaten to kill her if they do not receive El Puerco in return. A depressed Mary gets advice from Jodie's alter ego. Burt's enemies plot his assassination.	Well, there are definitely lots of storylines here playing out with not much time to finish them in the season. Of course, they expected to have one more season that never came.	7.6	7
Episode Name	Disc	Disc Order	Directors	Writers	Synopsis	Reaction	IMDB	Personal Rating
Episode #4.16 Part 2	3	06	J.D. Lobue	Susan Harris Stu Silver	Danny has fallen in love with his stepmother, Chester's wife. The Tates await instructions from Jessica's kidnappers, who give the family 36 hours to deliver El Puerco in exchange for Jess. Jessica prays for her family's health and happiness. Chester catches Danny and Annie in bed, and threatens to kill them. Jessica faces a firing squad.	Okay, the bit where Chester catches Danny with Annie is pretty funny. But they really did need another episode to finish up all these storylines.	7.6	8

Soap: Season 4 [1980] (3 discs)Pick a Random Episode

Soap: Season 4 [1980] (3 discs)
Pick a Random Episode