Sports Night replay: Episode 1-08
I watched “Thespis,” the eighth episode of Sports Night, again last night, and I still don’t understand why Dana would want to find out how long it takes a turkey to thaw on a light grid. Wouldn’t thawing in, say, her kitchen or her fridge be more to the point? Doesn’t matter, though, ’cause it’s worth it for the pay-off of the water dripping onto the desk followed closely by the turkey. I’m willing to suspend disbelief for that.
Any disbelief concerning Thespis gets suspended pretty quick, and I love the way this episode plays on Jeremy’s geeky yet passionate knowledge of obscure information. For a guy who can sometimes be awkward and insecure, he did a pretty good job of freaking Dana out.
Instead of Dana/Casey squabbling this time around, we got Dan/Casey squabbling, with Casey looking like a jerk for not remembering the anniversary of his first show with Dan. I’m not sure about the wisdom of bringing a real show into the Sports Night world by having Casey reject his chance to do “Conan’s show,” but I liked getting more information about their history together, and the advice Isaac gives Casey to show appreciation to the people who are important to him.
And it was nice to have a little break from the Casey/Dana/Gordon triangle.
The other serious subplot amongst the Thespis silliness was the drama of Isaac’s daughter and her pregnancy complications, which had some resonance with Dana’s turkey trauma (Isaac’s daughter was cleaning the house for her mother’s visit just like Dana was obsessing over Thanksgiving dinner) and Casey’s (Isaac worries that he didn’t show enough appreciation for his daughter and unborn grandchild). It makes for a nice package, with a range of emotions and a variety of happy endings.
What did you think about this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sports Night, ABC, Thespis, review
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