Soap - The Complete Second Season

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, again!
Review: The second season of Soap is about as funny as the first season. Pretty much all the same characters returned (with a few new characters) in the continuting story of two sisters: Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell. The excellent cast once again provided big laughs in every episode (just as in season 1). But one major cast member would famously depart after season 2. Robert Guillaume, who stole scene after scene in his role as Benson, left after the second season of Soap to go on to his own spin-off show Benson (which was a good show, though not as good as Soap). Just as Benson made its debut in 1979, Guillaume won Soap's first acting Emmy (Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series). That was a well-deserved honor and a wonderful way to go out. It'll be interesting to see how seasons 3 and 4 of Soap play out without Benson. Nevertheless, I'll be looking forward to those last two seasons.

Rating:
Summary: even better than the first season!
Review: The second season of SOAP picks up the story right after the cliffhanger ending of season one. Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) has been convicted of murdering Peter, and now is about to be sent to prison. But as we know, she is innocent. Her husband Chester (Robert Mandan) confesses his guilt and Jessica is a free woman.

This season has many many plots going at once (much more than season one which mainly focused on establishing the relationships and the dominating storyline of Peter's murder and the subsequent trial).

Chester's incarceration and escape from prison sets up the main story for season two. He hides out in the Tate cellar with fellow escapee Dutch (Donnelly Rhodes) who later becomes the unlikely love interest of Eunice (Jennifer Salt). Corrine's (Diana Canova) marriage to `fallen priest' Timothy Flotski ( Sal Viscuso) and Danny's (Ted Wass) marriage to Mob boss' daughter Elaine (Dinah Manoff) are the 2 big weddings of the season.

A dissatisfied Mary (Cathryn Damon) goes back to college, which sets up her marriage to Burt (Richard Mulligan) to have a complete breakdown. After he finds her in a compromising position with her teacher, he gets drunk and spends the night with secretary Sally (Caroline McWilliams), who is actually being blackmailed by the one and only Ingrid (Inga Swenson)!

Confused? That's the idea! SOAP is a complete send-up of the convuluted plots and subplots of soap-operas.

Other choice moments, like Corrine's baby from hell and Elaine's kidnapping, only add to the zaniness and sheer genius that Susan Harris created in SOAP, which can be hilariously funny and yet deeply moving. By this time we have really come to care about these characters. SOAP does indeed walk the line between comedy and drama, which is why the show is still timeless and recommended viewing. And of course there's the trademark season cliffhanger (Burt being abducted by aliens!).

Unlike the bare-bones release of season one, the second set of SOAP contains interviews with Susan Harris as well as the other producers, and an `encore presentation' of the first episode.

Roll on Season Three!

Rating:
Summary: Funnier and Sadder than the first!
Review: What a follow up series!!

In some ways this second series is better than the first, mainly for the understandable fact that there was no need to familiarise yourself with the characters at the start. We are already now on close terms with both families, so right from the very first episode of this series we are engrossed by all of their traumas and care about them lots too!

The only criticism I have of this series is the pacing of the season. I feel the events leading up to the cliffhanger should really have been dealt with by midway through the season. This is because the season builds itself up so much through the first 12-15 eps and culminates in two fantastically sad epsodes in a row that what comes after is a bit of a let down as it feels alittle tacked on, rushed; the new plots, though fun, aren't allowed to grow as much.

But what a first 12-15 eps!!! The twists and turns are just brilliant, you care for each and every character, the new characters are likeable/believable too, and the laughs come even harder than the first season. There are some real emotional scenes too. There is one scene with Jodie and Mary which is hugely sad, yet there is absolutely no dialogue at all. It;s a tribute to the actors and the writers also; so many other shows would shove the sentimentality down your throat.

Indeed, the mixture of laughs and tears is one I have never experienced before watching a TV sit com, it is quite bewildering and tiring!!

The last couple of storylines are extremely far fetched, so realism lovers be warned. However, the fact that the families deal with them in such a matter of fact way lets the show get away with it.

All the characters have a chance to show off. This time even Eunice is likeable!! Her illicit love story this time round is MUCH more engaging than the politician thing from the first season. Billy gets some better lines and even his own (underdeveloped) storyline! Benson is better than in the first series. He is at the same time ruder and more compassionate towards the Tates, especially towards Billy and Jessica. What a great, touching scene at the start of the series when Benson visits Jessica in jail. Jessica herself is on top form throughout ALL of the season, unlike in season1 when by the end she was overdoing the wacky type woman (apart from that season's clifffhanger, where she reverted back to a more intelligent wacko with feelings)) Her new admirer is a great addition to the cast, and is a really original character, a smart/dumb mix, and importantly, likeable! Chester undergoes a personality change which is fun as it may have gotten tiring seeing him act the superior for the whole season as he did in season1!

To conclude, there are scenes after scenes of pure inspired hilarity (dry cornflakes, coffee on the leg, drunk on a table, a dummy doing e.s.p...you just have to see them!) and loads of sudden jolts into serious territory. This is a must buy for any real fan of comedy!!

Rating:
Summary: Pure genesis
Review: You forget how well written and acted this series was. It shows something that we all remember a character or at least that it was on the air for such a short period and we still think of it today. They could hardly get by back then showing and saying on tv what they did but with the PC police it couldn't be done today. They may fun of everything and everyone equally. They said "fagalots", "homoboy", "chinks", "sambo" and we're just up to show 10 in the first season. Filmed before a live audience, what great actors!!!! Everyone needs to see SOAP again!!!!