Soap: Episode 25

Soap: Episode 25
ABC
March 28, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B+

Carol asks Jodie to live with her, shortly before Dennis shows up.  His wife has left him and he's realized he still loves Jodie.  Father Tim tells Corinne he's leaving the priesthood and wants to marry her.  (Eunice has to leave the room because she's laughing too much.)  And Mr. Lefkowitz wants Danny to marry Elaine in three weeks' time, or else he'll kill Danny's family.  Mallu confesses his love to Jessica, who pretends to be teaching Mallu the Hustle when Chester walks in.  And the jury finds Jessica guilty, although Rod Roddy, in one of the best cliffhangers ever on TV, tells us that Jessica Tate did not kill Peter Campbell, but one of these five people did: Benson, Burt, Chester, Corinne, or Jodie.

I got chills watching and hearing that in '82, but at least I didn't have to wait months to find out the answer.  (I think it was just the weekend, since Soap aired every weekday in syndication.)  Assuming you already know, I won't put spoiler space as I talk about the plausibility of each:

• Benson could've possibly killed Peter because he is fond of Jessica and to a lesser extent Corinne, and he might've done this out of protection.  Still, I just can't see Benson committing murder.  Going over and beating up Peter, or at least devastating him with a put-down, sure.  If he had been guilty, then his scene where he promises, with few words, to take care of the family if Jessica is jailed, is less touching and more Machiavellian.
• Would Burt kill his own son?  Yes, he killed Johnny Dallas, but that was in self-defense.  Burt was thrilled to have both his sons in town after not seeing them in years.  Also, we saw Burt discover the body and he was devastated by grief for weeks.  Furthermore, that was the night that he finally made love to Mary again and he celebrated the next morning by making pancakes.  Not exactly the behavior of a murderer.
• Chester seems not to have known that Peter was having an affair with Jessica, although he could've been pretending that he didn't find out until after Peter's death.  Would he have been upset enough about Peter shacking up with Corinne that he'd have killed Peter to defend the honor of his far from virginal daughter?  Unlikely, but possible.
• Corinne did threaten Peter and she certainly had motive enough.  Of the five, she's the one I probably would've put my money on, although she likely didn't expect her mother to be sentenced for the murder.
• Eunice said of Jodie, "Please, the man couldn't even kill himself."  I suppose it's possible that Jodie used the date with Nurse Nancy as a cover to kill Peter, but then why would he admit skipping the date?  And what's his motive?  Hypothetically, he could've been dating or wanting to date Peter (there's no proof one way or the other that Peter wasn't bi and he would fit the stereotype of an "anything that moves" bisexual, which was particularly strong in that era), but it's hard to imagine that going on at the same time that Jodie was planning to get a sex change as a way to hold onto Dennis.  Of the five, Jodie is the least likely suspect after Burt, although I may be influenced by how sweet and likable Crystal is in the role.

Tim Rossovich again plays the Bodyguard and, without any lines, manages to have a funny moment with Jodie.

Well, I enjoyed the first season much more than I expected.  Perhaps enough time had passed, or maybe seeing it in context with other shows of its era helped.  Also, I know that the last season is weaker, so maybe I'd forgotten how good Soap could get in the early days.  In any case, except for the misstep of the "Elaine rapes Danny" episode, I gave out mostly Bs, in a B- to B+ range.  It's one thing for Three's Company to average a B in its six-episode first season, but this is really impressive.  I don't recall if Season Two is this good, but I recall some threads and moments I liked.

Soap: Episode 24

Soap: Episode 24
ABC
March 21, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

There's more fun with the trial, although the Major's attempt to "rescue" Jessica goes on a bit too long, like a lot of his material.  Burt and Mary decide to work things out, despite him killing Johnny.  (Danny puts in a good word for Burt, showing they've come a long way from the first episode, where they "hated" each other.)  Chester is arrested for SEC violations although able to post bail in time to go to court to support Jessica.  Corinne returns home and refuses to return to Ingrid, who swears revenge on the Tates.

And Jodie sleeps with Carol.  It's interesting to see how this is handled, in light of the times and in light of what would happen between them later.  We're of course not shown anything of the sex, but he's angry and confused the next morning.  They say that they love each other, platonically in his case, which seems awfully quick, considering they met so recently.  But Crystal and Balding have enough chemistry and are good enough performers that they make it convincing.  Jodie still identifies as gay (Crystal does a funny bit about his hormones), and she claims she's not just after his body.  The irony is that, if she weren't so manipulative, they'd have a sweeter relationship than the one he had with Dennis.  And, while it may seem like a cop-out to have the gay character sleep with a woman, I appreciate that it's not shown as a "cure" for his homosexuality.  I'll get back to this when he again becomes involved with women (more than with men), but for now I'll say that this plot twist has actually aged better than the one about him planning on becoming female just to keep his boyfriend.

Soap: Episode 23

Soap: Episode 23
ABC
March 14, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B+

This episode is better than usual, helped along by the guest cast and some resolution for some plot threads, as well as two laugh-out-loud moments: Bob moving his lips when he reads, and Jessica defending herself for stepping on ants.

Mrs. McCallam threatens to ruin her husband's career if he doesn't end things with Eunice, so he ends things with Eunice.  Burt confesses to Mary about murdering Johnny.  Ingrid sleeps with the Judge to sway Jessica's trial, and Corinne realizes that her birth mother hates the Tates more than she loves her, so she leaves.  Father Tim tells his mother, Flo Flotsky (Doris Roberts, then 52 and of course playing this sort of role for the next thirty-some years), that he's in love with a woman and leaving the priesthood.  And Franklin's surprise witness turns out to be Mrs. Fine (Nita Talbot, as marvelous as ever).  Note that she had already left Peter's apartment when Jessica made her threat to Peter, but perhaps she was listening at the door.

Luis Avalos plays the Doctor and would return as Gen. Sandia.  Note that it's more plausible that Eunice and Walter are meeting at Nino's, Ann Marie and Donald Hollinger's favorite restaurant in New York, than that Greg Brady and Phil Packer took their dates there.

Soap: Episode 22

From the "judge's chambers" episode

Soap: Episode 22
ABC
February 28, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Carol fails to see why Jodie being gay means he won't sleep with her, but he does agree to go away with her for the weekend, as friends.  Mary commits Burt.  Danny tells Mary why he's marrying Elaine.  Billy briefly runs away because he got a bad report card and doesn't want to add to the family's woes.  And Jessica's trial continues, with Mr. Franklin promising a surprise witness.

Milt Oberman, who was the man whose hotel room Eunice climbed into, here plays Harold Bronfman.  Fred Iwasaki would return a couple more times as the Chef at the Japanese restaurant.  Corinne, Chuck, and Bob are absent.

Soap: Episode 21

Rebecca Balding

Soap: Episode 21
ABC
February 21, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

Corinne continues to stalk Tim, this time to his remote mountain retreat, although he does admit he can't get over her.  And the even more dysfunctional relationship of Danny and Elaine moves to the next level when he takes her home, hoping that meeting his family will scare her off.  The best scene here is the trial scene, from Mallu's assistant Carol finding "suicidal homosexual" Jodie adorable to Jessica's entrance and subsequent behavior.  Unlike nurse Nancy, Carol would be around awhile (Rebecca Balding would return eighteen times) and definitely impact the course of the show.

Ian Wolfe, who previously was the Monsignor, makes his first of two appearances as Father Juniper.  Tim Rossovich makes his first of three appearances as Elaine's Bodyguard.

Soap: Episode 20

Charles Lane as the Judge in a later episode

Soap: Episode 20
ABC
February 14, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

Eunice makes it back inside the hotel, is mistaken (by Milt Oberman, who would return in a different role) for a call girl, meets up with Walter, plans a future in Aruba, and then is left in the mail room when he gets the incriminating photos back from the Messenger (Martin Braverman again).  Then there are a bunch of "Campbell" scenes, the best of the lot definitely being the scene where Jodie hides Bob in the refrigerator in an attempt to talk to Chuck.  Danny tries to break up with Elaine but instead finds out he has to marry her, or be killed.  And Burt finds out that Mary wants him committed.  The last scene is set in the judge's chambers (which Jessica has a wacky interpretation of) and the judge turns out to be veteran character actor Charles Lane, then 73 but still with many roles ahead of him, including as another judge on Mork & Mindy.  Also, Hesseman returns as Mr. Franklin's twin brother, the prosecutor.

Corinne, Billy, and the Major are absent.

The Bob Newhart Show: Group on a Hot Tin Roof

The Bob Newhart Show: Group on a Hot Tin Roof
CBS
January 28, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B

Andrew Smith seems to have been one of the better Season Six writers.  (He also did "Carlin's New Suit.")  In this one, Mr. Plager, on the advice of the group, decides to write a play.  He sets it in World War I but the characters suspiciously resemble Bakerman, Carlin, and Peterson.  Their leader, Major Hartman, is handsome and heroic, so Bob doesn't mind, but the others are upset.  We get to see some of the play, as well as the party afterwards.  It's fun to watch everyone bounce off each other.  And the subplot has Emily practicing Chemistry experiments at home, including a self-tossing salad.  I'd go with a B+ but there are some relatively slow moments in the first half.

Amzie Strickland, who did a lot of television going back to the '50s, including two appearances on That Girl, had previously played Mrs. Walhauser and is the Bakerman character here.  Lou Cutell least resembles his inspiration (Peterson) and had previously played a Delivery Man.

Soap: Episode 17

Soap: Episode 17
ABC
January 17, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

Ingrid spends a lot of the episode gloating over Jessica's arrest.  Elaine takes Danny to talk to her father, Charles Lefkowitz (Sorrell Booke in his first of four Soap appearances), and we find out (though Danny doesn't yet) that Lefkowitz wants Danny to marry Elaine.  Howard Hesseman (briefly appearing onscreen with his future co-star Gordon Jump) plays Jessica's lawyer, Mr. Franklin, who refuses to continue since he's sure the case can't be won.  Congressman McCallam is being blackmailed.  And Burt thinks he can make himself invisible.

Susan Harris returns as Babette, this time answering Jessica's questions about prostitution.  Lee Weaver, who plays the Sergeant, would be Gus on Mork & Mindy.  Billy, Corinne, and the Major are absent.

The Bob Newhart Show: Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson

The wrong Robinsons

The Bob Newhart Show: Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson
CBS
December 4, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this story by the Farrs, Jerry returns from several months' travel in Europe with the goal of finding his parents.  It turns out he's half English and his mum lost him during the Battle of Britain (1940, when Jerry would've been two).  He uses up all his savings on the search and so has to come out of retirement.  Meanwhile, Howard takes up the bass.

Steven Anderson, who's the Young Man here, would be Higgins on Three's Company.  It sounds like Hesseman announcing the midget wrestling show.

The Bob Newhart Show: Some of My Best Friends Are...

The Bob Newhart Show: Some of My Best Friends Are...
CBS
October 9, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is more messagey than BNS usually gets, but I think it's handled well, including that Bob tries to be tolerant but isn't 100% comfortable about Mr. Plager being gay.  I also like that the main group needs "new blood" with Mr. Gianelli gone so long, and that we've already met Mr. Plager, including in a different group (the one with Mr. Herd).  My guess is that this episode was somewhat ground-breaking, and watching it four decades later, I'm reminded how far we've come.  (Now maybe one person would quit the group, not all four.)  Yes, it's not as big a step as Jodie being a regular character on Soap the following year, but it is a step.  And obviously it didn't kill Hesseman's career.

This is Peter Bonerz's 100th program, since he did that That Girl episode and hasn't missed any of BNS.

The Bob Newhart Show: Who Is Mr. X?

The Bob Newhart Show: Who Is Mr. X?
CBS
November 8, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
B

This first of three BNS stories by Bruce Kane is funny, especially Bob's television interview that turns into a surprise attack and the preceding scene where we find out that Emily is emphatically not an early-morning person.

Claudette Duffy has very few acting credits but she's not only Sister Mary Catherine here but would later be Scavenger 2.  Alan Manson, who plays Congressman Avery, was Col. Hersh on M*A*S*H.  Hesseman is uncredited but he does the voiceover for Augie (confirmed on the commentary).  Bonerz directed again.

The Bob Newhart Show: Emily Hits the Ceiling

The Bob Newhart Show: Emily Hits the Ceiling
CBS
February 22, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Jerry Mayer story about Emily possibly starting a summer camp with Howard and her co-workers, including Rex Pottinger (George Wyner) and Rita Montez (Lillian Garrett), just doesn't quite click.  There's nothing terribly wrong with it.  There's just not anything great here, with Mr. Prager's TV show concepts being a good example of the not-quite-funniness.  And Emily doesn't really hit the ceiling.  She just gets irritated a few times.

The Bob Newhart Show: The Battle of the Groups

The Bob Newhart Show: The Battle of the Groups
CBS
September 21, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Patchett & Tarses story has its moments (yes, some of them include Jack Riley streaking), but it doesn't work as well as it could.  On the one hand, the idea of Bob's two therapy groups going on a marathon weekend in the woods, with Emily tagging along, has potential, but unfortunately there are two many performers, and some of them are either not fleshed out or they're clearly substitutes for other characters or performers.  Meanwhile, Ellen apartment-sits for Bob and Emily, and Bob is clearly worried that Howard will spend the weekend there, too.  (He does, but only because Ellen gets the flu.)

Group #1 is comprised of Mr. Carlin, Mr. Gianelli (played by Daniel J. Travanti this once), Mrs. Havlicek (Lenore Woodward, doing her best Florida Friebus impression, knitting and all), Michelle, and Mr. Peterson, while Group #2 is Carlin again, Mr. Herd (Oliver Clark), Craig Plager (Hesseman), Shirley Ullman (Millie Slavin), and Mr. Vickers (Lucian Scott).

The Bob Newhart Show: The Jobless Corps

The Bob Newhart Show: The Jobless Corps
CBS
January 19, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Patchett and Tarses story shows that Mr. Carlin will join almost any group, in this case the one for the Out of Work Workshop, composed of some new patients who would all return: Mr. Ed Herd (Oliver Clark), Craig Plager (33-year-old Howard Hesseman), Shirley Slavin (Millie Slavin, with her character later renamed Shirley Ullman), and Mr. Edgar Vickers (Lucian Scott).  When Howard is fired from his current job-- replaced by a computer, very timely-- he joins the group and gets his confidence back.  And he gets another job, for a cargo airline, at the end.