Tonight, the K&Rs end, but the story arc doesn’t
If you’ve been following along with my Studio 60 Revisited Monday marathon, we’ve now come to the final of the three “K&R” episodes. “K&R Part III” was the twenty-first — and next to last — episode, and originally aired on June 21, 2007.
The plot continues juggling all those balls tossed around in “Breaking News” and the first two “K&Rs” — Jordan’s still in the hospital, having delivered the baby but not overcome a blood-clotting problem; Tom’s brother is still a hostage in Afghanistan, leading Tom to spar with a stonewalling military man and contemplate a rescue effort proposed by Mary Tate; Matt and Harriet are still Matt and Harriet; and Matt and Danny are still appearing in flashbacks about the time they got fired from Studio 60 for not being patriotic enough, or rather, for letting a sketch go on that was perceived by foaming-mouthed talk-show-hosts as being not patriotic enough, and perceived by Jack as not having been worth all the trouble.
As I wrote back in December, when this episode first aired in the U.K., “The biggest development differentiating this episode from its fellow plot puzzle pieces is the aftermath of Simon’s stupendous PR implosion from Part 2, in which he was sound-byted blaming the American public for the war and allying himself with the Taliban. For that, Jack thinks he should issue an apology. Simon respectfully disagrees, and they spar throughout the night, as flashbacks to a similar stand-off four years ago between Jack and Matt inform and eventually transform Jack’s demands of Simon. Meanwhile, Tom’s about ready to give the OK to the secret plan to rescue his brother, and Danny’s got to find a way to get a critically ill Jordan to sign papers giving him custody of her baby, lest he lose both his girls.”
Jack, who was out of the action last week, is back now, though Jordan is still ailing offstage. And of course, the episode brings no resolution, because this three-parter is really the middle of a five-parter. It’s going to be a long night, people.
Watch this episode with me tonight, and stay tuned throughout the week for a review, recap, memorable lines, and five questions.
Studio 60, NBC, K&R Part III, commentary
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