IMO, it was more than the comedy that made Soap such a great show; it was the serious moments, when the characters would act and react like we expect characters to.

Here are a few of my favorite "serious" scenes

Danny's reaction to Elaine's death. One of the most powerful moments in the show's history.

Jodie's suicide attempt, coupled with Barnie's speech.

Jessica's plea to have the real killer of Peter Campbell come forward.

The Major's speech before rescuing Billy from the Sunnies

Burt's reaction to hearing that he only has five months to live.

An interesting, but overlooked S4 moment when Burt talks to a priest, wondering what it is all about, only to have the priest die on him.

That is what made this show so great. Just about every character had a moment like that (with the possible exception of Chuck/Bob).

I also liked the scene where Jessica told off Chester and kicked him out of the house, she finally had enough of his cheating.

There were scenes where Jessica would talk to Mary about how sometimes she felt left out and lonely. They were very poignant and relatable. Another powerful one was where Jessica learned that Chester was the father of Danny.