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Benson Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
24 Episodes 1979 - 1980
Episode 1
Pilot
Thu, Sep 13, 197930 mins
Benson arrives to help the Governor with his transition to the mansion, meanwhile he helps prevent the deportation of beavers from the state that would inhibit the building of a multi-billion dollar industry.
Episode 2
Trust Me
Thu, Sep 20, 197925 mins
Katie is forbidden from attending a KISS concert which she attends by deceit.
Episode 3
The President's Double
Thu, Sep 27, 197924 mins
Benson stands in for the poisoned president of a newly formed African nation, meanwhile a fourth assassin comes looking for him.
Episode 4
Benson in Love
Thu, Oct 4, 197925 mins
Benson falls in love with, and later proposes to, a senator who isn't too keen on the idea of being married.
Episode 5
Conflict of Interest
Thu, Oct 18, 197930 mins
The governor must decide between attending a political hearing, or attending his daughter's school play. He had promised Katie he would be there to see her on the stage.
Episode 6
The Layoff
Thu, Oct 25, 197924 mins
Benson has to layoff some of the staff and among the ones he has on the block is the kindly pastry chef.
Episode 7
Snowbound
Thu, Nov 1, 197925 mins
The governor and his staff go on a retreat to a cabin in the mountains. They get trapped in the cabin by a snow storm and emotions run rough.
Episode 8
Jessica
Thu, Nov 8, 197930 mins
While a Baron visits the state and has meetings with the governor, he meets Jessica Tate. The two start an affair, and the Baron is later found dead in her hotel room.
Episode 9
Don't Quote Me
Thu, Nov 22, 197926 mins
Problems arise for the governor when a Senator friend of his is connected to a scandal and the information is released to the media.
Episode 10
War Stories
Thu, Nov 29, 197925 mins
Marcy starts dating an army friend of Benson's, not knowing that he is married.
Episode 11
Ghost Story
Thu, Dec 6, 197930 mins
Now that the governor, his family and staff are settled in the mansion, strange things begin to happen that cannot be explained. Stores surface about a 19th century governor who was murdered in office, and his ghost is haunting the mansion.
Episode 12
Taylor's Bid
Thu, Dec 13, 197926 mins
Taylor quits to run for political office...and snubs the governor's endorsement. Unfortunately, Taylor's lust for power doesn't go his way, and he finds himself returning to the governor's mansion swallowing a huge dose of pride as he accepts an offer - from Benson - to have his job back.
Episode 13
One Strike, You're Out
Thu, Dec 27, 197930 mins
A dinner party at the governor's home is at risk of chaos when the domestic staff goes on strike.
Episode 14
Just Friends
Thu, Jan 3, 198025 mins
The governor tries to convince a business owner to move his operation into the state so that more jobs are available. When Benson meets the business man and his wife, he is uncomfortable because he used to date the wife when she was single.
Episode 15
Chain of Command
Thu, Jan 10, 198030 mins
The lieutenant governor takes over the governor's office for a few days when Governor Gatling is sick. Ed Sherman tries to get a bill passed into law, knowing that the governor opposes the bill.
Episode 16
Bugging the Governor
Thu, Jan 24, 198025 mins
Bugs are found around the mansion. Some people advise the Governor to remove them but Benson says if they do that they won't know who is doing it. So they leave them alone and it becomes difficult to watch what they say. That's when Benson decides to give them what they want something juicy so he stages a conversation with him, the Governor, Kraus and Taylor. And sure enough someone comes with the tape.
Episode 17
Kraus Affair
Thu, Jan 31, 198026 mins
Kraus has a crush on the butcher.
Episode 18
Checkmate
Thu, Feb 7, 198030 mins
An eleven-year-old prodigy in chess visits the governor's mansion. The young Russian is tired of being show-cased everywhere, so he asks Katie to hide him from his caregivers. When he is missed, the Soviets threaten war.
Episode 19
Cold Storage
Thu, Feb 28, 198026 mins
Kraus asks Benson to help her get some items from the basement. The door locks behind them and they are trapped in the basement together.
Episode 20
Old Man Gatlin'
Thu, Mar 6, 198026 mins
The Governor's father visits, and is not hesitant to share his opinions on everything.
Episode 21
Power Play
Thu, Mar 20, 198030 mins
An environmentalist visits the governor's mansion in protest of the waste that is being allowed in the state. He refuses to leave until he his heard.
Episode 22
Takin' It to the Streets
Thu, Mar 27, 198025 mins
The Governor and Benson visit a bar and listen to the conversations among the other patrons. They learn what others think of the politics in the state.
Episode 23
The Army Wants You
Thu, May 1, 198025 mins
Everybody in the Governor's mansion, except Benson, has come down with the flu when Benson receives a letter from the Army ordering him to report to the nearby base. While there, he learns that while he was in the Army a top-secret experiment in germ warfare was conducted on servicemen returning from Korea, who were exposed to possibly dangerous bacteria and never told what had been done, and Benson is one of those subjects. Now he has to find out whether or not he's sick and everyone else is more worried than him.
Episode 24
Marcy's Vacation
Thu, May 8, 198025 mins
Marcy is hesitant to take a vacation because there is a lot of work to do at the mansion and she is needed. When she does take a vacation, she worries someone else will do her job better.