# Studio 60 - 11/27 (B-12) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026 "2006-11-28T03:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/21 "2006-11-28T09:06:45Z")
The Mark McKinney part was quite good. But neither Jordan nor Harriet make any sense as characters. (Isn’t the news all jokes? Why can she make up and tell that, but not “banana-knockknock”? How do you run a network entertainment section with absolutely no media savvy whatsoever?) They need to go. The sooner the better. I’m not sure what he thinks he’s trying to do - but as it is, it is strange and sad. However, as an anonymous internet voice, I certainly have no point worth hearing. Or so I have been told… by the man who thought “science/schmience” was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/22 "2006-11-28T13:36:41Z")
[QUOTE=amarinth] (Isn’t the news all jokes? Why can she make up and tell that, but not “banana-knockknock”? How do you run a network entertainment section with absolutely no media savvy whatsoever?) [/QUOTE] Maybe she can recite jokes if they have been scripted out, but she can’t tell them off the cuff. Doing a sketch is slightly different from telling a joke straight out. [/fanwank] ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/23 "2006-11-28T13:58:42Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] The plotline about Harriet didn’t ring true however. We keep getting told week after week that she’s supposed to be a great comedian who makes people laugh and can make borderline material work and now we’re supposed to believe she can’t tell a joke? [/QUOTE] I saw this as a combination of factors: 1. She isn’t good at telling jokes, but she’s not _that_ bad. 2. She’s coming down with the flu and isn’t completely right in the head. 3. She nervous about the award ceremony, particularly since she knows that she’s not good with jokes and the whole thing snowballs. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/24 "2006-11-28T14:09:05Z")
[QUOTE=Only Mostly Dead] Ha! “Stand right there another minute” ::DOORFACE:: “Metaphor.” [/QUOTE] Yes! That was so funny it set me off into a coughing jag that was worth it. McKinney is an awesome actor/writer and can carry this show far if they’ll let him. I get the West Wing deja vu thing all over the place, but then realize that’s Sorkin’s style as much as Bruckheimer’s obvious stamp on all the CSI episodes. Flashbacks don’t have to be confusing but they keep me on my toes, which is fine. Maybe he’ll move on to some other device as he grows, no? If I see 2 characters trapped in an elevator or somesuch where they’re forced to look past their diferences and bond, though, I’m outta here. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/25 "2006-11-28T14:28:42Z")
> [@Nawth Chucka](#): > > I get the West Wing deja vu thing all over the place, but then realize that’s Sorkin’s style as much as Bruckheimer’s obvious stamp on all the CSI episodes. There are a lot of devices that started out on _Sports Night_ and moved on to _West Wing_ at one point or another, and I’m okay with that, because I thought Jeremy’s letters to his sister and CJ’s letter to her dad were entertaining. Before the season’s over, I’m guessing Tom will write a letter to his brother, regaling the troops with Tales of Studio 60. And I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. I thought last night was definitely the most enjoyable episode so far, if not necessarily the cleanest. I almost didn’t recognize Mark McKinney, but he was brilliant, and I really hope they keep him around. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/26 "2006-11-28T14:31:15Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] The only thing I didn’t like about tonight’s episode was that I thought Harriet’s inability to tell a joke was overly broad and unrealistic. McKinney was good, though. [/QUOTE] See, I bought the fact that harriet can’t tell a joke. I’m one of those people, too. I’m am just physically unable to tell a joke like that effectively. (But I can do knock-knock jokes, though. “Banana! Banana! Banana! Four-year olds can tell that joke!”) That arc had me comparing Harriet (favorably) to Dana (_Sports Night_) more than ever before. [QUOTE=Little Nemo] A lot of the references make me suspect that Sorkin wrote this episode’s script after reading the negative comments on the show’s early episodes; Danny’s complaints about anonymous bloggers, complaints about ratings being used to define a show, Harriet supposedly not being funny, Jordan supposedly being too girly. But maybe this is a good thing - Sorkin also made a point of how writers can improve by having their work fail before the audience. Sorkin appears to be shaking off the early mistakes he made and heading in better directions. [/QUOTE] So who of us is Dilbert27? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/27 "2006-11-28T14:52:26Z")
A slight dropoff from the previous episode, but still pretty good. I agree that Harriet’s inability to tell a joke was overstated (it didn’t help that it was such a lousy joke). But the comedy routines were good (though I don’t really care – it’s the backstage information; the comedy is just a placeholder) and the trial by fire of the newbie writers was well done – including having the sketch pulled. Jordan’s interview did seem over the top, even with the pregnancy as an excuse. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/28 "2006-11-28T15:13:21Z")
I really liked this episode. What was the Fallmumble thing that Harriet was going to be inducted into? It is a real society? One thing that did strike me was how much Mark McKinney’s character reminded me of Toby. He had that same serious/sad thing going on. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/29 "2006-11-28T15:20:22Z")
I thought they weren’t going to write Peet’s pregnancy into the show? Then again watching her hide behind desks, notebooks, big purses and coats was getting distracting. I’m not sure of the preview discussion policy in these threads so I’ll spoiler it; The preview showed Steven Weber’s character saying to Jordan that he’d have to resign. Did he and Jordan have a thing and maybe he’s the baby daddy? I actually paid more attention to this show more than previous ones so I’d guess that means it was better. I agree that McKinney’s character made it interesting, I hope he sticks around. Harriet annoys me to no end so her being imperfect and not having as big a role and everyone getting told to spit on her at the end probably had something to do with me enjoying this episode more. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/30 "2006-11-28T15:32:51Z")
[QUOTE=jacquilynne] I really liked this episode. What was the Fallmumble thing that Harriet was going to be inducted into? It is a real society? [/QUOTE] She called it the Falstaff Society. Falstaff is a comic character from Shakespeare. My assumption was that it was a fictional version of the Friars Club. If there is really a Falstaff Society, I’ve never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/31 "2006-11-28T16:18:45Z")
I found it interesting that the host was Howie Mandel, a known germophobe. And it was a flu episode with spitting and Amanda Peet getting sick and fainting mere minutes after imbibing the tainted bottled water. Must’ve been one powerful superbug. (and if I were a network exec, I wouldn’t be grabbing random opened bottles of water, but that’s just me) ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/32 "2006-11-28T16:28:07Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] And it was a flu episode with spitting and Amanda Peet getting sick and fainting mere minutes after imbibing the tainted bottled water. Must’ve been one powerful superbug. (and if I were a network exec, I wouldn’t be grabbing random opened bottles of water, but that’s just me) [/QUOTE] I thought it was complimentary water in the VIP room, or whatever. Jordan was looking pretty sickly already in Jack’s office, and sweaty and pale by the time she got to the studio. The bottle looked pretty full when she opened it. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/33 "2006-11-28T16:29:52Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] A lot of the references make me suspect that Sorkin wrote this episode’s script after reading the negative comments on the show’s early episodes; Danny’s complaints about anonymous bloggers, complaints about ratings being used to define a show, Harriet supposedly not being funny, Jordan supposedly being too girly. But maybe this is a good thing - Sorkin also made a point of how writers can improve by having their work fail before the audience. Sorkin appears to be shaking off the early mistakes he made and heading in better directions. [/QUOTE] That’s very perceptive commentary. I have no insider information but it makes sense. In West Wing they did an episode where Josh Lyman was mocking people at an online website called LemonLyman so it’s not like Sorkin hasn’t done this before. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/34 "2006-11-28T17:49:42Z")
Can someone help me out? At the beginnning, Matt is making fun of Danny by calling him so pregnant he can’t have B-12. I think Danny says something like, “you can call back to that joke all you want, it’s still not funny” Was this supposed to mean something to us? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/35 "2006-11-28T18:13:48Z")
Jordan’s interview was vintage Sorkin: someone smart and insightful in a position of authority saying what they think instead of what they’re supposed to say. Sure it’s unrealistic, but it’s one of the reasons I watch his shows. After seeing half a dozen John Mark Karr stories on the news over the weekend, the ‘hairdressers’ crack seemed pretty on target to me. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/36 "2006-11-28T18:17:53Z")
[QUOTE=FlightlessBird] Can someone help me out? At the beginnning, Matt is making fun of Danny by calling him so pregnant he can’t have B-12. I think Danny says something like, “you can call back to that joke all you want, it’s still not funny” Was this supposed to mean something to us? Thanks! [/QUOTE] I figured it was supposed to mean “Make sure the audience is _really_ solid on the idea that B-12 + pregnant = bad, so they’ll understand why Jordan refuses the shot at the end.” That scene cracked me up, however, because I have a friend that likes to hammer a joke into the ground like that, and it just reminded me of him. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/37 "2006-11-28T18:18:33Z")
[QUOTE=FlightlessBird] Can someone help me out? At the beginnning, Matt is making fun of Danny by calling him so pregnant he can’t have B-12. I think Danny says something like, “you can call back to that joke all you want, it’s still not funny” Was this supposed to mean something to us? Thanks! [/QUOTE] …I don’t quite get your question. Are you asking about the terminology? A “call back” is a comedy term meaning “referring back to”. You make a joke then sometime later you refer to that joke again. You “call back” to it. God help the best example I can think of is from “Friends”. The “We were on a break!” line from Ross became pretty famous from the time when he slept wit another woman because he and Rachel were on a break and Rachel would not forgive him. Episodes, hell maybe even years later a plot came up on another episode with a similar situation. Someone asks “Why would they do that?” And Ross quietly says “Well… if they were on a break.” BIG LAUGHS! The fact that Dawn from the Office and new kid are so fucking clueless to sketch comedy always struck me as ridiculous. Then I remembered that a friend of mine was a writer on Xena and was up for a staff job on MAD TV this season… He had never written sketch comedy before. And you wonder why that show sucks… Mark McKinney needs to become a regular on the show. Anyone else sick oh the horribly misleading to outright lying in the “next week on” promos? ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/38 "2006-11-28T18:20:11Z")
[QUOTE=Fiddle Peghead] Loved the _My Favorite Year_ reference: [/QUOTE] Yep, that got a big laugh out of me. It’s one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/39 "2006-11-28T18:41:10Z")
A better example of a “call back” from _Seinfeld_: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026/40 "2006-11-28T18:54:06Z")
No, my question was misunderstood. Lemme try again. If the line was: “you can call back to that joke all you want, it’s still not funny” What joke was he calling back to? It doesn’t seem to make sense, I spent most of the episode waiting for some B-12 joke re: Danny being pregnant from in the flashbacks, and it never came. Did I miss it? The only thing close was the Danny/Jordan pregnant last line but that was in the future from Matt’s remark. Such minutiae to be bothered with, but I guess that’s what the internet is for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-11-27-b-12/382026.md?page=3)