Sony Drops The Ball On SOAP Season 4

Brian Himes · 11-02-2005, 12:12 PM

Just an FYI for those how haven't gotten their set for the final season of SOAP. After the first episode, EVERY episode is missing the 'On the last episode of SOAP' opening.

Also, the final eight (or six, I don't recall off the top of my head) episodes were broadcast as one hour shows so ABC could finish up the season before cancelling the show. However, several of these episodes contained scenes that ARE NOT on the DVD of season 4. Now, and again this is where it gets confusing, Columbia House released the shows on VHS as one hour shows complete with the missing scenes. Now, I'm not sure if what we have on the DVD is considered syndicated cuts or not because what scenes are in each episode are complete and uncut. Meaning that every bit of dialogue that was originally in the shows is there and not the hacked up versions that appear in syndincation. The only thing that I can think of to explain this is those few scenes that are missing were never to be included if the shows had ran in the half-hour format instead of the hour format. I know this is confusing.

I just can't believe that Sony has really messed up the final season of this great show.

JeffWld · 11-02-2005, 01:31 PM

Quote:

I just can't believe that Sony has really messed up the final season of this great show.

Considering that Sony messed every other season with some edited episodes, this doesn't come as a surprise...unfortunately.

Ethan Riley · 11-02-2005, 02:24 PM

So there are missing scenes on the dvd, but those same scenes are intact on the Columbia House releases?

ElijahS · 11-02-2005, 02:58 PM

It's sad, but it's sadder that it's to be expected from Sony.

Bill GrandPre · 11-02-2005, 04:08 PM

I think the real tragedy is that the original poster missed a great opportunity to put a "drop the soap" joke in the subject line.

**HTF Ads**

Stephen Wight · 11-02-2005, 04:31 PM

I never even got the first season,because I read that episodes on that were missing the "On the last episode of Soap" bit,also.

Ethan Riley · 11-02-2005, 06:01 PM

At this point I may just skip this show on dvd and wait 5 years for it to come out on BluRay or whatever. So far, my Columbia House videos are superior, from what I can gather.

Brian Himes · 11-02-2005, 07:58 PM

Ethan, yep that's correct. The Columbia House set has scenes that are not on the DVD. The Columbia House set is by far the most complete to date.

MatthewA · 11-02-2005, 09:42 PM

The Columbia House tapes are uncut except for 2 episodes, that I think are uncut on DVD:

1. The episode in which

Spoiler:

2. The episode in which

Spoiler:

.

Those are both in season 3.

Season 1 also snips out a short clip of Jody in a dress singing "There is Nothing Like a Dame" because they were too cheap to pay for the song.

David Rain · 11-02-2005, 11:00 PM

I was never even aware that this show ever aired as an hour. You would think they would have simply aired 2 hour hour episodes back to back. I don't get why they would have needed extra scenes. However, I'm sorry to hear that they are not on the set. But this show hasn't really been treated properly from the beginning. No commentaries or a doc about the making of the show and how controversial it was.

Does anybody know which extra scenes are not included and what purpose they served to the plots ?

David Bixenspan · 11-02-2005, 11:18 PM

Quote:

I was never even aware that this show ever aired as an hour. You would think they would have simply aired 2 hour hour episodes back to back.

Sometimes, when a 2-part episode of a show is aired as one, double-length episode, scenes are added to fill the time where the 2nd set of opening credits would be. The Buffy Season 6 opener is an example of this.

Brian Himes · 11-03-2005, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Does anybody know which extra scenes are not included and what purpose they served to the plots ?

I would have to go back and watch my Columbia House tapes to be sure, but there are two scenes that I know of that are missing.

The first one that comes to mind is a scene with Dutch in the bathtub. I don't recall off the top of my head what is talked about in the scene or who else is in the scene with him. The only reason that I even remember the scene is because it is the only time we see Dutch without a shirt.

The second second scene that I remember as missing takes place after Mary has walked out on Burt when Burt accuses her of being drunk in front of the Governor. She goes to Jessica's house. Then her, Jessica, Eunice and Annie have a long discussion about sex and thier respective relationships at the time while they are all doing their nails. It's a really funny scene. Especially when Jessica is blowing on her toenails to get them to dry.

I don't think either of these scenes were essential to the overall plot, and that's why I think that they were only included in the episodes as filler when the shows ran as hour shows. I like the scenes and I think they should have been included on the DVDs.

Ethan Riley · 11-03-2005, 04:13 PM

Awful! I had no idea there were so many cuts. Geez, if I was going to release a tv show on dvd, I'd do a lot of research and check multiple sources against one another, making sure I had the proper materials on hand before I even dare put this out before the public.