Soap
Episode 85
TV Flash files “Episode 85” as hour 85 of 90 in the TV Flash guide — Soap (1977–1981) on ABC, season 4, episode 16, aired 1981-04-20, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E16: listed hour 85 of 90 in the Soap guide, hour 16 of 21 in season 4. It aired 1981-04-20 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Episode 84” (S04E15). Next is “Episode 86” (S04E17).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Jodie, Maggie and Wendy are rescued from the fortress by Burt, Chuck, Bob, Billy, El Puerco, Juan One, the Major, Dutch, and Saunders; Jessica and Mary come to an understanding; Mary tells Jessica that she has a drinking problem, the baby may be an alien, and she fears she is losing Burt; Jodie decides to see a therapist so he can be sure about his relationship with Maggie; Danny blames Burt when Gwen runs away; Jodie signs up for hypnotherapy with Dr. Rudolph.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Episode 85 sit in the Soap guide?
S04E16 is listed hour 85 of 90 — hour 16 of 21 in season 4, season 4 episode 16.
When did Soap S04E16 air?
Episode 85 aired 1981-04-20 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I need daytime-soap literacy first?
No. Harris's recaps and serial plotting teach the parody in motion. Knowing soaps adds flavor; the jokes still land as outrageous prime-time serial.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Susan Harris's primetime soap parody smuggles murder, aliens, possession, and Billy Crystal's Jodie past boycotts and Standards. Katherine Helmond's Jessica, Robert Guillaume's butler, serial recaps as scripture. The boldest network satire ABC greenlit — scandal as marketing, structure as the secret.
So about the pre-air group chat that tried to sink the show before episode one: boycotts, advertiser theater, and then Billy Crystal's Jodie, Katherine Helmond's Jessica, and a mansion full of murder, affairs, and demonic possession made ABC's Soap (1977–1981) the primetime spoof that bit hardest. (I said spoiler-free, mostly. It is a satirical serial. The recaps are scripture. You are already in it.) Susan Harris roasted daytime soaps while smuggling boundary-pushing characters into network laughs — four…
Filed against
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- Richard Mulligan as Burt Campbell
Richard Mulligan’s Burt Campbell survived Soap’s murder-and-aliens recap scripture — Katherine Helmond’s Jessica, boycotts, Billy Crystal’s Jodie — then moved next door to the Golden Girls as Empty Nest’s widowed pediatrician. ABC’s…