Watching Studio60

Wondering what ever happened to that promised recap, memorable lines, and five questions for “K&R Part I” that were promised last week? Me, too — although really, what I’m wondering is what happened to the week? Let’s just say that the blog posts about “K&R” were kidnaped by a hectic schedule and competing obligations, and that I will be rescuing them this week, beginning with the recap tomorrow, really, I promise.

So we’re taking a little break tonight from our Monday marathon. What do you want to watch instead?

An episode of another Sorkin creation that’s been on my mind lately is “The Short List,” from the first season of The West Wing. I’ve been thinking about it since I heard the news that actor Ken Howard, who played ill-fated Supreme Court nominee Peyton Cabot Harrison III, is going to be guesting on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, where he will be playing a presidential candidate who, according to spoilers, makes an offer to a senator and failed presidential candidate played by Rob Lowe (possibly a vice-presidential spot).

That made my mind flash back to “The Short List,” and the way Sam Seaborn derailed Harrison’s court bid, earning the judge’s disdain. I don’t know if there will be any sly references to that episode in the B&S scenes between Howard and Lowe, but I want to watch “The Short List” again so I’ll be able to make some up if need be.

Watch it with me again, won’t you?

Photo of Whisper (who wants you to know she is innocent of recap eating, though she did eviscerate two perfectly nice dog toys) by Terri Mauro

Studio 60, ABC, The West Wing, Rob Lowe, Ken Howard

I watched “K&R Part I” again last night, and again I loved the bedside byplay of Danny and Jordan, alternately sweet and tart, culminating in that marriage proposal. I loved it, even though I had just watched it on YouTube a short while before. Bradley Whitford acting scared to death and cocky simultaneously never gets old.

Nice to see Mary Tate get down to business and not have to pause periodically to declare how brilliant and/or sexy she is. I also like the way Cal knew all about the K&R business, and was right in there expressing his viewpoint in those conversations. Good to hear another voice outlining the rights and wrongs of a situation instead of our old faithfuls.

“Old” is the operative word for the argument Matt and Harriet have been having forever. I kind of enjoyed the “argument montage,” and we’ve certainly seen enough additions to it this season. On the one hand, if they’ve been fighting over it all these years and still love each other, that bodes well for them being able to live through many more years of bickering. On the other hand, it’s always possible that the reunion we know is coming will be just one more get-together followed by one more break-up. Since we don’t get to see any more of their relationship, I’m going to decide they last.

Besides, what’s she going to do, go back with Luke, again? He’s been pretty consistently a jerk for eight years.

It was apparently Simon’s turn to be missing in action this week, but everybody else was keeping busy — Jack, yelling at people both present and past; Harriet, praying where prayer was most assuredly called for; Matt, trying to fix things; and poor Tom, being advised by the least-helpful military envoy possible.

And in flashback, happy Andy, rejoicing in a wife and child we know will be gone before we see him in present times. At least this time, there were no mysterious guys with anagram names hanging around the writer’s room.

Come back later this week for a recap of “K&R Part 1,” memorable lines, and five questions.

Studio 60, NBC, Breaking News, review

If you’ve been following along with my Studio 60 Revisited Monday marathon, we’re now coming closer to the end with the first of the three K&R episodes. K&R Part I was the nineteenth episode, and originally aired on June 7, 2007. The director was Cal Shanley himself, Timothy Busfield.

As I wrote back in November of last year, when this episode aired for the first time in the U.K.: “Among the other plots in this and the coming episodes was the approximately 3,685th take of Matt and Harriet’s conflict about religion; flashbacks to the days after 9/11 and the disagreements between Jack, Matt and Danny over the way the show should respond; and Jordan’s pregnancy complications, leading to an emergency C-section. But if you’re a romantic like me, the thing you’ll remember most from this episode is Danny’s marriage proposal — a perfect blend of sweetness and snappiness that perfectly captures the Jordan-Danny dynamic. Seeing it again makes me wish all the more that we could have seen their relationship grow over another season or two or four.”

This episode is, if I recall correctly, the last we see of Jordan until the series’ final episode, “What Kind of Day Has It Been” — though unlike “The Disaster Show,” at least this time she has a good excuse for being missing in action. Tune in tonight and join me for the start of the trilogy that took our Studio 60 heroes to the edge of disaster and back, then come back during the week for a review, recap, memorable lines, and five questions.

Studio 60, NBC, K&R Part I, commentary

Five questions that popped into my head while re-viewing “Breaking News”:

1. Couldn’t they have found something else for Jenna Fischer to do? Insert her into one of the sketches they showed or something? As it was, it looked like she was just passing by the building and they said, “Hey, Jenna, come in here and pretend you were the guest host!”

2. Who knew Nate Corddry could do drama? He’s been kind of a cute befuddled presence throughout the season, but he really came through in those scenes when he saw his brother in peril. If there was an Emmy for Outstanding Work in Facial Expressions, he woulda been a lock.

3. What’s Mary like in the courtroom? Is she all business? A cutthroat shark? Or does she do that flirty-and-then-serious thing there, too? ‘Cause I’d sure like to find her in contempt of court.

4. Does all that software Jack was going on about actually exist? The music one does (and notice that they have the S60 clip right on the front page of the site). The TV-making one I think was just a figment of a network executive’s fantasy, or we never would have seen an end to the writers strike.

5. Where was Cal? I hate it when the family’s not together. You could have traded in any, I don’t know, five scenes with crazy Mary to find some Cal time. Or was it Timothy Busfield’s turn to disappear?

Studio 60, NBC, Breaking News, commentary

As a follow-up to the recap of “Breaking News,” here are some memorable lines from the episode.

Simon: And while I still think you and Matt are each as dumb as a sack of doorknobs, we’re all pretty happy you’re at least speaking to each other.
Matt: She knows which side her bread is buttered on.
Harriet: I’ll butter your head, jackass.

Mary: You’re so cute, I could just put your poster up in my dorm room.
Matt: What does that mean?
Mary: I don’t know. I just say these things.

Mary: I have an IQ of like, 210. It’s ridiculous.

Jordan: He’s the boss, Danny. I work in the real world.
Danny: What world do I work in?

Matt: I have to ask, what does the computer consider to be the best of Sonny and Cher?

Matt: Ratings are cyclical, Jack. Who the hell knows why anybody watches anything.

Suzanne: Matt, if I ask you something, will you promise not to fire me?
Matt: I’m not going to fire you. What’s wrong?
Suzanne: Are you high right now?

Matt: Suzanne, you have to understand, it’s not like putting a hammer to a nail. Writing a comedy show, you can’t be depressed while you’re doing it. You gotta have energy, and you gotta be able to feel joy. And it’s not like I can ask everybody to sit and wait while I get over it. As soon as we have a hiatus, I’m gonna stop.
Suzanne: My mom said that when I was 9. And when I was 10, she slit her wrists.

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We’re taking a second look at “Breaking News,” the eighteenth episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Following up on yesterday’s review, here’s a recap of the episode. Still to come: memorable lines from the episode, and five questions about it.

We’re thrust right into the pre-show hustle and bustle. Matt takes a moment to mess with the head of the show’s announcer, who said “Studio City” instead of “Studio 60″ at dress, and now, having had it pointed out to him, will probably be unable to help doing it again.

Danny gathers the troupe for a huddle. Simon’s in charge of giving the good word this week, and he uses most of it to say he’s glad that Matt and Harriet aren’t fighting anymore. Well, goodness, aren’t we all.

Upstairs, Jordan and Jack aren’t fighting anymore, either, but Jack is bludgeoning Jordan with Hallie, threatening to involve her in hassling Danny about the Studio 60 ratings if Jordan can’t handle her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, backstage, Harriet’s received a phone call from Tom’s parents, who haven’t heard from his brother in Afghanistan. She wonders if Tom got his traditional e-mail from the soldier before the show. Simon doesn’t know, but is pretty sure they shouldn’t bother Tom with it while he has comedy to do.

In Matt’s office, Mary’s back to flirt and quiz Matt. On the docket tonight is something Harriet said to the litigious writer, about the writer’s room being a hard place for a woman. That, and Mary’s offer to be his date for the wrap party, still can’t distract Matt from hearing that, indeed, the announcer got it wrong again.

(more…)

I watched “Breaking News” again last night, and you can tell the show is really taking a turn for the dramatic in its last few episodes. About the only lightheartedness allowed was in the adorable flirting scenes between Tom and Lucy, and even they were colored by the knowledge that Tom was about to have the most terrifying night of his life. I really wish we could have had another season to watch this sweet little romance develop, but I guess we just have to imagine for ourselves that it does.

I also appreciated the subplot of Suzanne confronting Matt on his drug use — and then not taking his “Oh, I’m stopping” for an answer, but going to Danny. Suzanne’s been hanging around on the edges all season, providing funny exchanges here and there, and it was nice to see Merritt Wever get to play some serious stuff, too.

On the other hand, I could have done with a whole lot less of Mary Tate, that plot device in heels. I guess she has to be around this evening to get involved in the K&R stuff to come, but her continued questioning/flirting with Matt just grates. I guess if Luke was around to make Matt look good, maybe Mary’s around to make Harriet look better. Do we really have to wait four more episodes for them to get back together?

Speaking of annoying characters who need to go away, Jordan got bludgeoned quite a lot with Hallie, though at least we didn’t have to see that little weasel. Is this what Jack brought her on for, to threaten Jordan with? It put Jordan in an awfully uncomfortable position, and Danny didn’t make it any easier by doing what he wanted regardless. As glad as I am to not have to see Hallie anymore, it would have been kind of fun seeing her try to chastise Danny over the ratings. Jordan’s been too distracted by her pregnancy to put that girl in her place, but I’m thinking Mr. Tripp might have been up for the task.

But now we’re at the top of the roller coaster, and facing a long, scary, downhill race to the finish. Jordan’s off to the hospital. Tom’s brother is in captivity. And we’ve got just four episodes left with these people.

Come later this week for a recap of “Breaking News,” memorable lines, and five questions.

Studio 60, NBC, Breaking News, review

If you’ve been following along with my Studio 60 Revisited Monday marathon, we’ve now reached what turned out to be our final night with our friends from Studio 60. Not the final episode, of course — it’s going to take five episodes to get through this one particular night of hostage-negotiating and birth-giving and pill-kicking and media-baiting and flash-backing and conscience-finding and romantic reconciliation. But tonight’s pick — “Breaking News,” the show’s eighteenth episode, originally broadcast on May 31, 2007 — is the one that gets all of that action going.

As I wrote back in November of last year, when this episode aired for the first time in the U.K., “‘Breaking News’ was the one on which Jenna Fischer of The Office was the guest host for the show-within-a-show; Matt’s pill-popping out of a children’s vitamin bottle became a subject of discussion; the blonde lawyer was still wandering around flirting with Matt in a way that really should have been the product of a drugged imagination; Danny and Jordan argued over the show’s sliding ratings, and what might need to be done about that; and, oh yeah, Tom’s brother went missing in Afghanistan and Jordan collapsed, setting up the trilogy of ‘K&R’ episodes to come.”

Most importantly, though, after last week’s amusing but disorienting “Disaster Show,” it’s the one where Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet came back from wherever it was they were hiding last week. Welcome back! We’ve got a fresh batch of medical and psychological trauma waiting for ya!

Studio 60, NBC, Breaking News, commentary

Five questions that popped into my head while re-viewing “The Disaster Show”:

1. What the heck happened to Matt, Danny and Jordan? Or, maybe more to the point, Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, and Amanda Peet? It was just bizarre to have the three of them missing. Did the actors all have other commitments? Was there a mini-strike going on? Were they all trying to avoid Allison Janney? What?

2. Is Tom Jeter the hardest working man in show business? He seemed to be in every one of Janney’s disastrous sketches, and he still had time to exposition about the occurrence of disaster shows and help mess up his best friend’s love life.

3. What was with Lucy’s frumpy frock? She looked cute enough, I guess, but if you wanted to create a contrast between her and Simon’s scantily clad cuties, you couldn’t have done much better short of a burlap sack.

4. Does Matt have another reason for not being with Harriet besides the fact that they’re working together? It’s really not such a bad reason — Luke made an exception by trying to date and work with Harriet, and look how well that turned out.

5. Did anyone else notice West Wing references? It’s true, pretty much any Aaron Sorkin production is going to borrow from past Aaron Sorkin productions, but maybe it was the presence of Miss C.J. Cregg herself that made them pop up at me this time. Allison “making a list” reminded me of Leo on Big Block of Cheese Day, and Jack’s “I’m pretty drunk” took me back to Toby sitting in that hall in the early days of the Bartlett campaign, expecting to get fired. Did you pick up any references? Share them in the comments.

Studio 60, NBC, The Disaster Show, commentary

As a follow-up to the recap of “The Disaster Show,” here are some memorable lines from the episode.

Allison: It’s a catastrophe.
Cal: I think it could be fun.
Allison: How?
Cal: You’ll have a story to tell.

Cal: Danny was talking about the contract negotiations and he got frustrated, and he said something a little impolitic that may have been interpreted the wrong way.
Samantha: What did he say?
Cal: He said, “For the love of God, you’re just prop guys, you’re easily replaceable.”

Tom: Cal, I shoot a gun in a sketch.
Dylan: And he shoots it at me.
Cal: Gun will be there.
Dylan: I’m sure it will. I just want it to not have bullets.
Tom: I’ll aim low.
Dylan: That doesn’t make me feel better.

Cal: Danny’s on the phone with the union reps trying to make it better. In the meantime …
Allison: I want to break his neck.
Cal: I would think the Teamsters out in the parking lot are probably slashing his tires, if that helps.

(more…)

We’re taking a second look at “The Disaster Show,” the seventeenth episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Following up on yesterday’s review, here’s a recap of the episode. Still to come: memorable lines from the episode, and five questions about it.

We get “previouslies” that encompass silly show moments from the entire season, snippets of sketches and backstage bantering ending with Danny telling Matt “We live here now” — kind of ironically, because it’s the last we’ll see of the two of them this episode. They live here now, but nowhere the camera’s actually at.

And then we’re into the flurry of getting this night’s episode going, with your guest host, Allison Janney. Cal’s reassuring her that everything will be fine, in sort of the same way Wes was reassuring Felicity Huffman that everything would be fine, right before he went nuts. Be warned: When there’s a former female lead of an Aaron Sorkin show in the house, chaos will reign.

This week’s particular chaos involves the propmaster’s union, members of which took offense when Danny said they were all replaceable and went on strike early, leaving the show to fend for itself. That’s bad enough, but it turns out the cue card guys are also part of the union, and also took offense, and now, as Cal says, “We’ve got ourselves a ball game.”

Allison’s not so sure she wants to play. She asks Cal for confirmation that the cue cards will be there, and he’s happy to provide it, as well as an earphone so he can talk to her from the booth when she’s onstage, for, you know, absolutely no reason at all. Good show!

(more…)

I watched “The Disaster Show” again last night. That was an odd little outing, wasn’t it? In a show with a big cast, it’s not unheard of to leave a character out of the mix — Jack, for example, was missing for a couple of episodes there — but for Matt, Danny, and Jordan to all be otherwise occupied? What show is this, anyway?

It was great to see Allison Janney, and boy, is she a good sport. It was fun to see her interacting again with Timothy Busfield, and it didn’t bother me, as it did some, that she was her actual starred-in-West Wing self and Busfield, who often acted with her on The West Wing, was playing another character. But it seems like such a missed opportunity for her not to get a chance to yell at Bradley Whitford. Bring Danny in from the parking lot already!

I’m happy to see Tom and Lucy’s relationship continuing with a trip to Hawaii. Not so happy to see a drawn-out illustration of the fact that Simon is a dog. We knew that already, right? Like we knew that Harriet is conflicted about Matt, and everybody is pretty sick of Harriet being conflicted about Matt. Without Matt actually being there, it’s like we’re marking time.

And yet, I’d still have to say it was an enjoyable episode. Cal in crisis-control mode is always fun to watch. I’ve been missing Jack, and it was great to have him back, drunkenly commenting on the ridiculousness of the bomb threat situation and the strike-impaired show. And if you’re going to throw a lot of slapstick physical comedy around, Janney will sure make it work for you.

I guess this was kind of a little rest between the emotionally heavy cycle that started with “The Harriet Dinner” episodes and ended with “4 A.M. Miracle,” and the long “K&R” day that actually starts with next week’s “Breaking News.” Nice to have a bit of a break from the angst, I guess, but now — bring it on.

Come later this week for a recap of “The Disaster Show,” memorable lines, and five questions.

Studio 60, NBC, The Disaster Show, review

If you’ve been following along with my Studio 60 Revisited Monday night marathon, tonight’s the night for “The Disaster Show,” the episode in which Danny, Jordan, and Matt all apparently took a vacation day, because they appeared not at all … but Allison Janney did appear, as guest host, and who can complain about that? I’ll be watching that episode tonight and writing about it tomorrow, but first, there’s some unfinished business from last week, namely, five questions that went through my mind while watching 4 A.M. Miracle:

1. So what is NBS’s “policy on sexual behavior between willing and reasonable co-workers”? You’d have to expand it to include “complex and unresolved romantic longing” to truly capture the whole Harriet-Matt dilemma, wouldn’t you? Plus, take in account that, while breaking up with Harriet has caused Matt writer’s block that impacts negatively on the show, being in love with her made both of their careers in the first place and has had enormous benefit for the show. Which is why Danny, as a responsible producer, has to kind of order Harriet to fake it, if she has to, and be nice to the guy.

2. Speaking of sexual behavior, is it appropriate for a sexual harassment lawyer to come to a workplace late at night, wearing a low-cut dress, and drink vodka with a witness? Maybe Matt should sue for sexual harassment.

(more…)

As a follow-up to the recap of “4 A.M. Miracle,” here are some memorable lines from the episode.

Matt: What we’re looking for is a 4 a.m. miracle.
Suzanne: Is that what it sounds like?
Matt: An unexplainable and extraordinary event that happens around 4 a.m. Sleep deprivation erodes your internal censors and allows you to come out of yourself.

Matt: What are you eating?
Suzanne: Veggie burger.
Matt: Don’t do that. If you want vegetables, go ahead, but don’t eat pretend food. That’s prop food you’re eating.

Matt: I’m going down into the darkest depth of darkness. And depth.

Matt: I’ll tell you what I don’t like making fun of: soft-core porn. I’ll tell you why, ’cause I could be at a party and meet someone from the world of soft-core porn …
Suzanne: And she’ll realize you’re the one who makes fun of her craft, and she won’t dress up as a stewardess?

Matt: The judge will be hearing an argument that could only take place on Nutsopolis.

Matt: Lucy, have you ever been sexually harrassed on this job?
Lucy: You’re telling me there’s money in it?
Matt: Alright, that’s it. Sit your fine, fine ass down at the other end of the table.

Matt: She’s over there with Luke and his feature crew and his movie budget on a bedroom set wearing a nightgown, snorting coke, with Luke’s on-set mood music going on, trying to seduce a 17-year-old actor.
Danny: Well, the coke is actually powdered baby’s milk, so I wouldn’t worry about that.
Matt: Well, that’s not the point.
Danny: I know that’s not the point! The first day at work, I said, “You and Harriet, is it gonna be a problem?” You said, “No, Danny, no. It’s not gonna be a problem.”
Matt: Did I say it in the same creepy little voice you just used?

Luke: Thank God you’re pretty.
Harriet: Well, I do every day.

(more…)

We’re taking a second look at “4 A.M. Miracle,” the sixteenth episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Following up on yesterday’s review, here’s a recap of the episode. Still to come: memorable lines from the episode, and five questions about it.

It’s 10 o’clock at night, and a lawyer who’s seriously into racking up billable hours is questioning Danny about an employee harrassment situation that happened when he wasn’t even with the show. A female writer is suing NBS claiming that she was fired from Studio 60 for not being one of the boys. As opposed to being fired for being a bad writer, which is Danny’s take, even though, as he’s pointed out a bunch of times during their conversation, he wasn’t there.

Matt’s there, at 10 o’clock at night, and the writers are there. Yet there are no good sketch ideas happening between them. Matt’s counting on a 4 a.m. miracle, a brilliant inspiration that will dawn when sleep deprivation removes their internal sensors. He and Suzanne banter a bit about ideas and work schedules and making fun of soft porn, and just as he’s sharing his fantasy of a woman in a business suit with glasses, who should walk in but Mary Tate, the lawyer who was talking to Matt and the image of Matt’s naughty businesswoman. If Suzanne and Danny hadn’t seen her, it would’ve been a pretty good bet she was another drug-induced phantom.

But she’s not, and Jordan’s given her permission to check out the writers room as part of her research, and so Matt brings her down. He and the writers all confirm that the sue-er was fired because she was a bad writer — even though none of them was there, either — and engage Lucy in some mock sexual harrassment. Matt leaves them to come up with new sketches, and goes back upstairs.

Danny’s there to berate him about the lack of sketches, and urge him to reconsider something called “Jason the Mason,” but Matt’s counting on a miracle. And counting the minutes ’til Harriet gets back from Luke’s set. He’s bugged that she’s late, even though there’s nothing for her to rehearse — because, of course, she’s with Luke. Danny reminds him that when they came back to the show, Matt promised working with Harriet wouldn’t be a problem. Ha! As if.

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