Soap: The Complete Second Season

As with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Norman Lear's groundbreaking series, Soap's flouting of soap opera convention wouldn't work if we didn't absolutely care about the characters, and it's a tribute to the ensemble cast that viewers stuck with the show through this sophomore season's most outrageous plot twists (including a possessed baby and extraterrestrials). More down to earth are the compelling subplots: Jessica (Katherine Helmond) dallies with the detective (John Byner) she has hired to find her husband, Chester (Robert Mandan), who has lost his memory; Jodie, who is gay (Billy Crystal in the role that put him on the map), becomes an expectant father, while his brother Danny (Ted Wass) comes to love his mafia princess bride, who is kidnapped and murdered. In other developments, Burt (Richard Mulligan) is targeted by the vengeful Ingrid Swenson (Inga Swenson), while young Billy Tate (Jimmy Baio) is recruited into a cult. All of this is viewed and commented on by sardonic butler Benson (Robert Guillaume, who was honored with an Emmy). Masterful in the way it could turn on a dime between big laughs and poignant drama, Soap was one of the 1970s' defining series, and nearly 30 years later, it's still bubbly fun. Presented with a solid DVD transfer, this triple-disc set also features the bonus pilot episode and a featurette with the show's creators. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)