Season 3 finale with Benson goof

[CharlotteXavier]

When Jessica flatlines, Benson is by her side in the season 3 finale. In the 4th season opener, he’s gone and the other men are there and jump to her side.
No way would Benson dash out if Jessica died right on front of him.

I realize Robert Guillaume had his own show by then and probably could not schedule a return for the season 4 opener.

Here’s what they could have done:

Benson could have told Jessica to get some rest and she agrees, “I think I will.” They say goodbye, and she drifts off to sleep as he leaves. As soon as he’s down the hall, she flatlines and the other men rush back in to her side and Benson doesn’t know she sort of died.

[opus]

That works if they definitely know Robert Guillaume’s not going to be there for the opener. But maybe at the time everyone felt he would be available to be back to finish things up.

[CharlotteXavier]

Good point. I was thinking they probably had very tightly arranged schedules far in advance, but maybe this one slipped through the cracks. It was a beautiful scene with Benson’s last appearance on Soap.

[opus]

Originally Posted by CharlotteXavier

Good point. I was thinking they probably had very tightly arranged schedules far in advance, but maybe this one slipped through the cracks. It was a beautiful scene with Benson’s last appearance on Soap.

Condolences, by the way, in case you're off to watch season 4 again. Unless of course you like season 4, in which case forget what I just said.

[CharlotteXavier]

Originally Posted by opus

Condolences, by the way, in case you're off to watch season 4 again. Unless of course you like season 4, in which case forget what I just said.

I LOVED season 4! Sure, there were some disappointments but there were also with the earlier seasons.

I don’t like how they kept setting Jody up with women since he was gay. They made the bold move of having a gay character, but they kept him sort of straight.

Burt and Mary’s unraveling was heartbreaking as was her alcoholism. But it was realistic. That’s what fame and an ego being fed can do to a person. I wanted to see that resolved.

Chester was annoying as ever but still funny. The storyline of Mary and Chester was shocking, and with Danny too, but that’s what happens in real soap operas. Much crazier stuff happens in real soap operas, like 60 year old women running off to Vegas and performing as the lead in a showgirl review, or a blond blue eyed young woman turning out to be an Aztec Princess.

I was never crazy about Eunice or Corrine or Dutch for that matter. So I didn’t care that Corinne left. I missed Benson though.

One of the funniest things from the whole show is in the finale when Danny is in bed with Annie and Chester comes in with a gun and Danny’s legs are sticking out under the covers where he’s hiding, so it looks like Annie has the legs of a giant. So silly!

[opus]

Originally Posted by CharlotteXavier

I LOVED season 4! Sure, there were some disappointments but there were also with the earlier seasons.

I don’t like how they kept setting Jody up with women since he was gay. They made the bold move of having a gay character, but they kept him sort of straight.

Burt and Mary’s unraveling was heartbreaking as was her alcoholism. But it was realistic. That’s what fame and an ego being fed can do to a person. I wanted to see that resolved.

Chester was annoying as ever but still funny. The storyline of Mary and Chester was shocking, and with Danny too, but that’s what happens in real soap operas. Much crazier stuff happens in real soap operas, like 60 year old women running off to Vegas and performing as the lead in a showgirl review, or a blond blue eyed young woman turning out to be an Aztec Princess.

I was never crazy about Eunice or Corrine or Dutch for that matter. So I didn’t care that Corinne left. I missed Benson though.

One of the funniest things from the whole show is in the finale when Danny is in bed with Annie and Chester comes in with a gun and Danny’s legs are sticking out under the covers where he’s hiding, so it looks like Annie has the legs of a giant. So silly!

That's cool. Most people I know seem not to be into season 4, and I tend to join that thinking. A common sitcom problem occurs, of characters being reduced to one note. For example, Dutch constantly crying over Jessica and Bob constantly crying over Wendy. And Danny seemed to get dumber and dumber. And that flashback of the characters much younger but played by the regular actors?

Even the writers admit the show drifted off course, as mentioned in interviews in the book below, which, if you don't have, you should get immediately, if not sooner.

[CharlotteXavier]

The book looks good! I should get that.
I agree with you on some of those one notes. Dutch was annoying but he did have some funny moments. Danny too. “The man is a carp!” But if im in the right mood I find it mostly funny. Bob did have the Wendy, Wendy crying thing, but then 2 seconds later he would be totally recovered and obnoxiously insulting someone. Chuck and Bob could do no wrong by me. One of my favorite scenes is when Jody puts Bob on the refrigerator! “You’re sick you know that!” and his teeth are chattering! You can see Billy Crystal holding in the laughs when Chuck is using the grapefruit as a hand puppet. And the sound it makes when Jody smashes it into the counter! Priceless. Then Burt shows up and makes a speech about how excited he is to make and eat a bagel and goes to the fridge and sees Bob! Hahaha!
He gets so weirded out he just leaves the room!
But yeah, the whole 50’s flashback was silly as heck but that’s how soap operas are.
One other thing I didn’t like was how Jessica treated Mary. Jessica annoyed me sometimes but Mary never did. But I guess Jessica was funnier. And as the show progressed they made it apparent that she was joking a lot of the time when she seemed so ditzy. Kind of like Gracie Allen.

[opus]

Originally Posted by CharlotteXavier

The book looks good! I should get that.
I agree with you on some of those one notes. Dutch was annoying but he did have some funny moments. Danny too. “The man is a carp!” But if im in the right mood I find it mostly funny. Bob did have the Wendy, Wendy crying thing, but then 2 seconds later he would be totally recovered and obnoxiously insulting someone. Chuck and Bob could do no wrong by me. One of my favorite scenes is when Jody puts Bob on the refrigerator! “You’re sick you know that!” and his teeth are chattering! You can see Billy Crystal holding in the laughs when Chuck is using the grapefruit as a hand puppet. And the sound it makes when Jody smashes it into the counter! Priceless. Then Burt shows up and makes a speech about how excited he is to make and eat a bagel and goes to the fridge and sees Bob! Hahaha!
He gets so weirded out he just leaves the room!
But yeah, the whole 50’s flashback was silly as heck but that’s how soap operas are.
One other thing I didn’t like was how Jessica treated Mary. Jessica annoyed me sometimes but Mary never did. But I guess Jessica was funnier. And as the show progressed they made it apparent that she was joking a lot of the time when she seemed so ditzy. Kind of like Gracie Allen.

So, how would you have resolved all the season 4 cliffhangers if there had been a season 5?

[CharlotteXavier]

Now there’s some food for thought! Only 4 Cliffhangers?
I am on the beginning of the 4th season, so I still have some memories to refresh on the plot action.

I do have some hopes though:

Burt would have a near death experience, like Jessica did, after the thug stabs him.
He would see how much more important he was as “a regular guy” to the people who loved him; that he was needed more by them than the world in general. He would wake up in the hospital and apologize for his insensitivity and lack of compassion and concern when she fell down stairs. She had been sober for a week or so and I think she would’ve pulled it together. Then on to the next zany experience for them.

I’ll have more after I rewatch the final season. I loved how Jessica embarked on an adventure but I didn’t care for the El relationship. It was depressing. It was too sad: this romantic guy who couldn’t make love to her because he had a virgin/non-virgin complex. I wanted Jessica to find the love of her life but she never did.

[opus]

Originally Posted by CharlotteXavier

Now there’s some food for thought! Only 4 Cliffhangers?
I am on the beginning of the 4th season, so I still have some memories to refresh on the plot action.

I do have some hopes though:

Burt would have a near death experience, like Jessica did, after the thug stabs him.
He would see how much more important he was as “a regular guy” to the people who loved him; that he was needed more by them than the world in general. He would wake up in the hospital and apologize for his insensitivity and lack of compassion and concern when she fell down stairs. She had been sober for a week or so and I think she would’ve pulled it together. Then on to the next zany experience for them.

I’ll have more after I rewatch the final season. I loved how Jessica embarked on an adventure but I didn’t care for the El relationship. It was depressing. It was too sad: this romantic guy who couldn’t make love to her because he had a virgin/non-virgin complex. I wanted Jessica to find the love of her life but she never did.

Every character probably at least had a little one, but the big ones I remember are

- Jessica and the firing squad

- Burt and the ambush

- Chester about to shoot Danny and Annie

- Jodie still an old Jewish man

[CharlotteXavier]

Oh I forgot about the guy who had a heart attack at a 2nd Ave deli! Lol.
Wasn’t Jessica on a Benson episode in a dream sequence? I haven’t seen it but I seem to recall it being mentioned that she was in another coma in South America.
I don’t remember what happens to Dutch and Eunice. I’m sure she starts cheating on him again. She takes after her father.
I also forget how Chester gets together with Annie.

And also, there’s the alien baby. And I think Leslie is gone after she shoots Saunders.

Something that’s been bothering me is that Jessica once mentioned that she had 4 kids! Who is the 4th? The same thing happened with Burt. He once said he had 3 kids, but before Scott. Maybe they were flubs but that doesn’t seem like network TV!

One other thing was the brother. Why did he have a British accent? Lol. And I like the Billy character. He was funny, but why would he have a Brooklyn accent? Lol

[CharlotteXavier]

Also! Susan Harris has said that she had written the arc of the show for 5 seasons. But I can’t find any articles that outline how she would’ve wrapped it up.