It’s just so odd in so many strange ways. It manages to be bad in ways that I could never predict.
After last week, I thought “well, he’s finally fixed the writers room,” but no. It’s broken again. Now we know that none of them have ever read a book and are amazed at basic factual information - so much so that they stop working.
I think I could have liked Danny and Jordan… but he made me not.
Jack’s storyline was quite good - I’m not sure what it’s doing on the show though, nor how it has anything to do with Studio 60, nor why Jordan crashed a meeting exactly the same way that Ainsley did once (down to the obsession with the food service). And again, why am I watching it? I enjoyed the scene - but I’m not seeing the relevance.
On the other hand “To Catch A Predator” was funny. The first show within a show sketch that actually made me think the writers were good sketch comedy writers.
It was a better episode though and a little bit closer than last week. By this rate - Season 8 should be good.
That was literally a laugh-out-loud sketch, and one I could see working on SNL or Mad TV.
I am seriously hoping they keep Mark McKinney on-camera, because he’s making the writer’s room work. The entire Christmas tree exchange was great, as was Cal with the coconut.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a Christmas tree.”
“What are you, Linus?”
Considering the fact that no one on network prime time TV has had an abortion since the mid-70s, that doesn’t take much psychic power. It’s too hot an issue for the networks to deal with.
This was another good episode. The New Orleans subplot was sweet, as was Danny and Jordan. I really can’t think of anything that didn’t work.
I thought it was a great episode, right out of the gate with Matt and the Christmas tree. I especially loved the Matt and Danny “say it” bit, though I couldn’t really tell you why.
And I have to say, it’s nice to see something go Jack’s way for once. Sure, he’s been a dick for most of the show so far, but he’s had a lot of shit dumped on him. Now he’s learned the true meaning of a Christmas Show.
Huh? The classic Christmas carol of that tune is called “O Holy Night”; although it does contain the words ‘O night divine,’ I’ve never heard the hymn nor the tune called that.
Here’s a better cite for O Holy Night.
One other thing I really liked about this episode is that Harriet wasn’t a complete and total idiot, although she could hit Matt (her boss, remember?) with a harassment suit. In fact in this episode we had Matt kissing a subordinate, and Danny declaring his love for his immediate superior. I don’t think the NBS Human Resources department is going to be too pleased.
I’m not sure what you mean with the first part of this, but what gave you the impression that Matt “suddenly” decided to have Christmas spirit? This is the first year that S60 is doing a Christmas show because this is the first year that Matt is running the content and not Wes.
Did Danny propose to Jordan, or did he just say that he’s falling in love with her, so she better be ready for him? Hopefully it won’t take the rest of the season for them to get together. It has been pretty obvious for a couple of weeks how he feels about her, at least to me.
Couple of callbacks to some Sports Night and The West Wing I saw:
Harriet screwing up on air after Matt kisses her -> “The Hideous Cheese Incident” on SN (And a quick sidebar, your honor: Matt has previously said that Simon works for him, so then doesn’t Harriet work for him too? Sexual harassment anybody?) (Damn, on preview Skammer beat me too it!)
The coconut cooking in the lights - Dana’s turkey thawing out in the lights above the anchor desk in SN
A lot of the Matt and Danny rapid-fire dialogue reminded me of conversations between Josh and Sam in the first couple of seasons of TWW.
Asner’s response to the FCC sounded like something Leo would have said to Jed Bartlet on several occasions.
All in all, I liked this show a lot. They dealt comfortably with internal matters (even the FCC thing was more “how do we handle this” instead of “the injustices of the FCC”. I think that even Otto would have liked this episode.
I enjoyed this ep more than previous ones - which I attribute to the fact that I no longer expect anything out of it. Lower your expectations sufficiently …
The only thing that really grated with me was the decision to stretch the comedic envelope by having a pregnant woman constantly stuff her face. Never seen THAT before.
Maybe she wants to have the baby, the circumstances surrounding the conception and worthiness of the father notwithstanding. And it would certainly not be appropriate for any other character to suggest that she have an abortion. Dramatic, maybe, but more rude and tactless. Maybe if Kramer were in the show.
Particularly since all the people who have been told are male. How often in real life has a woman you know told you she was pregnant and your first response was ‘hey, so ya gonna get rid of that?’. I don’t think even Kramer would be that ignorant.
Not usually, no. Cheap, poorly-maintained buildings or ones without reinforcement, sure. That’s why relatively minor earthquakes do so much damage in Iran.
It was a little odd that they kept emphasizing how hot it was, and then they cut to the executive viewing room where Ed Asner’s grandchildren are all wearing matching sweaters…
Oh, right, the “not talking about an abortion” thing. When Jordan said that her ex-boyfriend had offered to “take care of it,” that’s what I thought she was talking about… that he had offered to pay for an abortion.
I think that was a relative term, not that the current temperature was in the 90s. Christmas is time for snow and warm fires - not something that gernerally applies to Los Angeles.
Yes, it was the funniest sketch they’ve put on, damn them. It made up for the horribly unfunny jokes they were rehearsing for the News.
I’ll give them this much: it has to be frustrating to write for what’s supposed to be a topical news sketch when you’re doing it months ahead of time. You’re stuck with generic commentary.
Mark McKinney has been a plus for the show as well. If Matt is doing the work of a dozen writers he shouldn’t have time to sleep. Or eat. Or breath. Somebody was needed to work with the new writers, and he’s doing a fine job. Now if they actually would write a sketch…
The problem with Jordan’s pregnancy is twofold. First, as someone pointed out, everybody she’s told except her assistant has been male. This is a continuing problem on TV. You have one lone female in the boy’s club and she is never depicted as having any female friends, female mentors, female relatives, any female she can turn to. Second, while there was no way an actually pregnant star could have a TV abortion, the first thought of every single person she told should not have been “how wonderful for you” but “you’re going to get fired tomorrow if you don’t take care of that now before you tell anybody.” That’s the real world, baby. Even on a Christmas show.
Jordan doesn’t have any friends, male or female, outside of the cast and crew of S60. Remember her conversation with Harriet and Jeanie at the Wrap Party episode where Harriet’s date hit on her?
