Watching Studio60

I watched “Mary Pat Shelby,” the fifth episode of Sports Night, again last night, and I think this was probably the sportsiest Sports Night so far, with the various twists and turns involving the Christian Patrick interview dominating the episode.

Though there were some strong scenes with Natalie and Dana, and the other characters supporting them, my two favorite moments are ones involving Jeremy — his realization in the meeting that the woman Christian Patrick assaulted was Natalie, at which he bolts from the room, leading the others to realize it, too; and the confrontation in which Jeremy says that if Patrick touches Natalie again, he’ll pay somebody $50 to have the big guy killed.

I loved the way that even the usual running gags wound up getting woven into the Patrick story. Dan’s talking endlessly about getting a goatee paid off humorously when he used it as a threat to get Patrick and his lawyers out of the room. The allegations that Dana could not tell a joke paid off sweetly when Natalie, overwhelmed by the evening’s events and the ones sure to come her way when the story got out, asked Dana to tell her a joke. And of course, “How much do you love me?” went from a jubilant celebration of coming ratings victory to a bittersweet exchange between Natalie and Patrick as both their worlds were about to be turned upside down.

What did you think about this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Sports Night, ABC, Mary Pat Shelby, review