Watching Studio60

We’re taking a second look at “The Focus Group,” the third episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which originally aired on October 2, 2006. Following up on yesterday’s review, here’s a recap of the episode. Tune in tomorrow for a listing of memorable lines, and Saturday for five questions.

The episode starts with the familiar Studio 60 closing music and goodnights, but we’re not at the end of the live show. We’re at the end of the show being shown to a focus group, from whom opinions are now solicited on what they didn’t like. The first commenter starts out by saying he thought the show was terrific, better than ever, but surely the guy in charge will get him to hate something. Before we can hear much more, though, we’re in another room watching Jack and Jordan watch the focus group, with Ricky and Ron (Evan Handler and Carlos Jacott, above) in attendance as well. Because she’s not a cynical suit but someone who’s for real, Jordan is annoyed by the whole focus group process, as well as by the fact that nobody seems to be able to properly place Commedia dell’Arte in theatrical history.

The four of them walk and talk their way back to Jack’s office, where there’s more discussion of the focus-group process, the results from other groups already surveyed, the split response on the question of whether Studio 60 is sufficiently patriotic, and the need for Ricky and Ron to take the results back to Matt and Danny, and make sure they pay particular attention to that patriotism question. Jordan would probably have something to say about that, but she’s distracted by the sight of her mug shot on the TV news. True to Shelly’s word, her enemies are already digging up dirt.

And now, there’s a title card telling us it’s Monday, and we’re onstage at Studio 60 watching a sketch called “Science, Schmience” take shape. Rob Reiner is onboard as guest host, and in this sketch he’s playing a rabbi on a panel with a Muslim cleric, an evangelical college student, Tom Cruise, and a witch for a game show that capitalizes on their contempt for science.

It’s a funny sketch, but Matt’s still changing lines, Danny would like wardrobe to find a witch hat for Harriet that doesn’t cover her face, Harriet would like to do the whole thing in a Holly Hunter voice, the voice work of the cast member playing Tom Cruise could use some work, and, oh yeah, the power is going on and off randomly. Just another stress-free day of putting on a show.

The power’s still on at the NBS executive suite, where Jordan’s being grilled over the DUI that’s hit the news. It happened eight years ago, and was supposed to have been wiped off her record. But, of course, if people want to find this stuff out bad enough, people can find this stuff out. And the people who are hating on Jordan? Want it pretty bad.

“Pretty bad” is a pretty good description of the pep talk Ricky and Ron are giving Simon about his new job on the news desk. No one seems to be particularly fond of these guys. Since the power’s still out, there are candles everywhere, and maybe if they’re having a seance or something they could cast these evil demons out. Instead, the Big Three advise the Annoying Two that they can find Matt and Danny upstairs.

Of course, Ricky and Ron get no friendlier reception there. They’re not happy that Matt has put Tom in charge of the news, which of course bothers Matt not at all. The likelihood of these guys getting a sketch on the air ever again? Not high. It’s clear that there’s plenty of hatred and resentment to go around, and when the two of them have to wait with Matt in his office for Danny, it’s a wonder the countdown clock doesn’t freeze up due to the chilliness in the room.

Back downstairs with the Big Three, Tom is searching the newspaper for jokes. And here’s one — easily offended folk in a small town have cancelled the high school’s production of Grease for its sexual content, and The Crucible because it puts Christians in a bad light. Their substitution of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, hardly a beacon of chasteness, makes for a great joke … or so thinks everybody but Harriet. She would like for them not to do it, and just to drive her point home, apparently makes the power come back on.

Danny finally makes it to the icebox that is Matt’s office, and tells Ricky and Ron to get rid of that focus group report, don’t show it to Matt, don’t show it to the cast, get the heck out of there. R&R declare that though they may report to Danny, NBS is the one that finances their paychecks, and they’ve been given a job to do. Danny makes a big enough deal of Matt not seeing the report that Matt now insists on seeing the report, and immediately obsesses on it … and is still obsessing on it when we come back from commercial. The thing that bugs him most? The very topic R&R made clear that Jack wanted them to focus on: the show’s perceived (lack of) patriotism.

Danny appears to do everything he can to get Matt to give it up, finally pointing out that the lack of patriotism should no longer be a problem since the show is no longer doing political sketches. That gets Matt’s attention, and although he declares that the reason he rejected all the dumb Bush ideas last week was because they were dumb ideas, Danny calls him a “pussyboy” and all but dares him to go political. It works, and Matt’s soon moving up the one political sketch they had and ordering in some newspapers for more.

Downstairs, the Big Three are still debating the small-town Christians joke, and Harriet is proposing to substitute one that hinges on her making a scary-funny bear sound. She’s not got it quite yet. What’s scary and not so funny is that Ricky and Ron have worked their evil wiles on Jeannie, showing her the focus-group diss of her Commedia dell’Arte sketch and filling her with doubt, fear of firing, and self-loathing over the fact that she even suggested it in the first place. In her anger, she hits a fuse box, and the lights go out again. Danny yells for Cal, who in his patented “everything’s under control, or will be real soon” voice explains that a tree hit a transformer and nobody knows how to fix it.

Jordan’s trying to fix her DUI problem by having Studio 60 make fun of her arrest. None of the news shows are cutting her any slack, so the comedy show shouldn’t either. Danny’s more concerned about the ratings — how much of last week’s looky-loo numbers do they have to retain to keep Jordan out of trouble> Aww, he wants to keep her out of trouble. Too bad he wasn’t there eight years ago to give her a ride home. Jordan tells him not to worry about it, but he’s going to, and so is she.

A title card tells us we’re at “Camera Dress,” and here’s “Science, Schmience” with costumes and everything. Ricky and Ron, now facing another week of none of their work being used, confront Danny about when Matt’s going to let them do some writing. Danny’s not sure, but “never” works for him, too. And now, we finally find out the source of all the bad, bad blood between them. When Matt was taking the heat after 9/11 over a sketch that was considered unpatriotic, Ricky answered a question about the situation in a way that made himself look flag-waving and Matt look like a member of Bin Laden’s inner circle. And what was that answer? Ricky can’t recall, but Ron still knows it word for word. For a guy who’s usually the mute member of this pair, he’s got a long memory.

So, unfortunately, does Jordan’s ex-husband. Oh, did she fail to mention she had an ex-husband? Yeah, apparently this lowlife was wed to her for about nine months eight years ago, and now he’s shopping a tell-all tome revealing all her most embarrassing secrets. Right now, all she has to do is sign a statement for the shareholders expressing her extreme remorse over the long-ago DUI. But come Monday, she’ll need to open up her own personal box of secrets and empty it for the examination of lawyers. And as if that wasn’t enough to worry about, Jack lets her know that Studio 60 needs to retain 90 percent of last week’s audience, or else.

Jeannie’s still worried that her Commedia dell’Arte sketch is going to scuttle any chances the show has of retaining any audience at all, and she begs Matt to cut it. He believes in it, though, he believes in her, and he believes that at least one more focus groupie will get the idea this time around, though he doesn’t quite believe that even Danny can’t put Commedia dell’Arte in its proper historical context. He also can’t believe that Harriet managed to talk everybody into substituting her beloved bear joke for the hated small-town Christians joke. She’s got special powers, Matt, whadya want.

We now get some special powers, too, to roll through an entire episode of Studio 60 in montage style, grabbing a good laugh line here and there and enjoying the roaring appreciation of the studio audience. And then, when it’s over, we’re off to the wrap party. Everyone’s a little tense to get the rating and focus-group results in, and Danny and Jordan in particular have a stiff conversation in which he points out that while his cocaine habit put himself at risk, her drunk driving risked the lives of many others. He admits to her, though, as he walks away, that “You look like one of them, but you talk like one of us.” So the spark’s still there.

Matt’s explaining the intricacies of focus groups to Harriet, why they ask what they ask, who gets to put questions in, when … lightbulb moment! … he realizes who put that patriotism question to the focus group, and that it wasn’t Jack. Nope, it was Danny, skillfully manipulating Matt into overcoming his fears of going political. In a fit of anger, Matt tackles Danny on the beach, Danny quickly gets the upper hand, and then they both realize how it looks for them to be rolling around together and get up, brush off, and talk it out.

Whatever they’re doing with the show, they’re doing it right, because when Jordan finally gets the fax about the ratings, and Jack comes to confirm them, it turns out that the show not only retained, it gained. Jeannie’s sketch gained as well, with two more focus-group participants deciding they got it, so she has to pay off her bet by wearing a “Matt Is My Hero” T-shirt. One of the affiliates that bailed over the “Crazy Christians” sketch last week is now being besieged by viewers angry because they want the show on their air.

Jordan congratulates the guys — kissing Matt on the cheek and Danny on the lips — and then we’re back into montage land to the tune of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” seeing Ricky and Ron sitting alone and rejected; Simon fixing Tom up with a groupie; Danny dancing with Harriet (although not slow-dancing, because that would make Matt’s head explode); and Matt wandering out of the party, signing a few autographs, and driving off … to go start writing the next one? That countdown clock is a jealous mistress.

Studio 60, NBC, The Focus Group, recap