Soap: Episode 77

Soap: Episode 77
ABC
January 7, 1981
Dramedy
DVD
C

The number of writers swells to six, with Barry Vigon and Danny Jacobson joining the pack for this and the following five and six episodes respectively.  The "too many cooks" saying comes to mind, although this is by no means the worst episode of the season.  It's just kind of there.

Jessica and El float around in the ocean until Billy finds them while scuba-diving in Martinique.  (His plane couldn't land in Malaguay.)  Jodie and Maggie go to a carnival and get a lead that Carol is in Albuquerque.  Chester and Dutch try to buy Burt's construction business with an IOU.  (Yes, the writers had to do double duty with writing "moron" lines for Dutch and Danny, no wonder they had to hire more.)  Later Danny admits he wants to "make love" with Gwen and is uncomfortable with her "making love" with clients while he's protecting her.  I yawn and wait for either something good or something enjoyably bad to come along again.

Dan Barrows, who plays Dr. Yalowich, the guy in the hamburger costume, was Mr. Keeney on The Bob Newhart Show and Dittman on Mork & Mindy.  Carny Robert Costanzo also has a BNS credit, as Sal Petrone.  The Major, Eunice, and Saunders are absent, but then no scenes are set at any residence.  Mary is also absent, as she will be in the next episode, but then she's mostly sleeping these days; there will definitely be things for her to do later in the season.