Watching Studio60

We’re taking a second look at “Nevada Day Part II,” the eighth episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which originally aired on November 13, 2006. Following up on yesterday’s review, here’s a recap of the episode. Tune in over the next couple of days for memorable lines and five questions.

We start where we ended, with Matt summing up the situation for the cast, who needs to write a new show. There’s some bantering about what a funny name Pahrump is, the throwing out of names of sketches that need to have Tom’s part reassigned, and the reassignment of News 60 to Dylan in case Simon doesn’t get back in time. Dylan’s not comfortable with that — it’s Simon’s chair — but as Matt says, the show must go on. Another thing that must go on: Matt and Harriet’s debate over Harriet’s quote about gay marriage, and whether Harriet is a homophobe, and whether Matt has to end every argument with a blast of righteous indignation that leaves Harriet frustrated and speechless. This time, at least, she punches a wall afterward. And gets bleeding knuckles for her trouble.

Jordan’s sympathetic to her pain, both physical and psychological. If anybody’s in a position to understand how the press can spin things, it’s Jordan. And as an understanding and compassionate boss, she makes a suggestion: Harriet should stay out of the public eye for six weeks, and especially out of the spotlight of a group called Women United Through Faith, for whom she is performing concerts on the next six Mondays. It’s a group close to Harriet’s heart, a group that helped raise her when her mother died, a group through which she can reach out to other young girls. It’s also a group that opposes gay marriage, and Jordan is pretty sure that performing for them now will cause harm to the show and to Harriet’s long-term career. In the kindest way, and without raising her voice, Jordan makes it pretty clear that this is something Harriet needs to do. Then advises her not to hit a wall about it.

Jack’s about to hit the wall, or maybe the roof, when his little influence peddling scheme doesn’t work and the governor — for whom Jack’s been a major fundraiser — tells the judge not to show Tom any special favors. Apparently, buying the prisoner a slice of pie is not considered a special favor, because the judge’s next order of business is to order the whole crew to the diner across the road for some lunch. Not the best time to argue that you’re in a time crunch there, Jack.

The judge, in fact, isn’t much interested in hurrying the proceedings. What he is interested in is how Simon gets his hair like that. He’s also interested in why Tom was hurrying on that day he got caught going 120 mph through Pahrump. He’s particularly interested in whether Tom was on his way to a protest at a military base, one with which the judge obviously does not sympathize. And he’s interested — oh, who wouldn’t be? — in lording it over the city folk that they are on his timetable now. Can’t do anything until the prosecutor shows up from his paintball competition anyway, so why not talk hair for a while?

Danny, who’s already checked in to advise Jordan to do something about her PR problem, now checks in with Matt and Cal about what needs to be done for the show. They’re not the only ones feeling unsettled. Darius asks Lucy to define for him the rules governing when and which people get called “sir,” and Dylan’s having a fit of nerves over occupying the News 60 chair. Harriet helps him out, but then gets called out by Matt, who tells her he’s not going to use his producer’s discretion to make her drop the concerts, but he sure does think she should. They do their arguing thing some more, trading shots about who’s more hypocritical, Hollywood or evangelicals. Turns out the concert discussion is moot, though, because Harriet’s agent informs her that the group has dropped her for not being against gay marriage enough.

Back in Pahrump, the paintball-loving prosecutor finally shows up, nearly shooting red paint at Jack in the process, and the troupe troops back over to the courthouse for the administration of justice. Back at the studio, Matt’s showing that he’s been studying Danny’s moves a little bit as he craftily tricks Dylan into wanting to do News 60 after all. And back in the NBS corporate offices, Wilson White is letting Jordan know, in his flat sort of menacing way, that while he cares nothing for her personal life, she needs to make the bad PR stop or else. She’s a little shaken by it, and takes it out on Danny when she calls to make sure he’s handing the situation in Nevada.

Nobody’s handling that situation but the judge. And at first, it’s not looking good, with the paintball DA reading Tom’s charges in the worst sounding way and Jack finally blowing off that steam he’s been building up and becoming Exhibit A for contempt of court. But before the cuffs can be firmly snapped around Jack’s wrists, the DA notices something on Tom’s: a bracelet with the name of his brother in the military. And right there is what the judge has been trying to get at all day, and what Simon’s been trying to get Tom to tell. He wasn’t speeding to a protest, he was speeding to see his brother before Staff Sergeant Jeter went off for a third tour in Afghanistan. That’s all the judge needs to hear to dismiss all charges against Tom, and Tom’s word (and a convenient loss of evidence) is all it takes to get Simon and Jack off the hook, too.

Soon they’re all on the plane, jetting back as fast as the plane can go. Jack and Danny argue some more about Jordan, and who has the hardest job. Jack tries to distract Kim from the Jordan news in the tabloids by throwing Tom at her. That plane can’t get back fast enough.

At the studio, they’re making plans to start the dress rehearsal late, and Dylan’s a little more disappointed than he expected to be that he doesn’t have to do the news. Lucy takes advantage of the down time to pitch a sketch to Matt — single men playing the game “Operation” on a single girl, removing her heart, her soul, her dreams. Gee, Matt wonders, did you recently break up with someone? And then he’s got Lucy crying on his shoulder, and also hitting him. Maybe she’s been talking to Harriet?

When Tom finally makes it back to Studio 60, he kisses the ground. Then he and Simon scurry inside so the long-delayed dress rehearsal can begin. Tom’s bad day is over, but Jack’s still has a little badness left in it. Kim locates some bad Jordan gossip on her Blackberry and shares it with her father, then tells Jack that Dad says Jordan has brought shame to the company. And that’s it: Jack blows a gasket. Maybe Danny’s advice to stand up for his network president has gotten through somehow, but he launches into a tirade in which he tells Kim’s father to go ahead and deal with someone else, and outlines all the ways in which Jordan and all the Studio 60 types who have been in trouble that day showed nothing but honor. That makes the businessman backtrack pretty quickly, and tell his daughter to translate that no, no, it was Jordan’s husband who brought dishonor on himself. OK, then. Never mind.

Simon stops by Dylan’s dressing room and offers him a co-seat on the news for tonight, but Dylan’s OK with being back in a Santa suit where he belongs. Lucy’s not OK, but Danny sends her back to the writer’s room where she belongs. And then Harriet comes into Matt’s office to be where she belongs, arguing with him, again. And Matt admits that what’s really got him riled is the fact that Tom was there to defend her and he wasn’t. Is he crazy about her, or just crazy? I think it’s pretty clear by now that the answer is: Both.

Studio 60, NBC, Nevada Day Part II, recap