I don’t see “reacharound” as tired and cliched. 
Well, I did. I sat completely still and opened my eyes more widely, trying to notice things that weren’t directly in my line of sight, but were just at the edge of my… oh, never mind.
Still hoping for a (doubtless TMI) explanation of what a “reach around” is.
Full Metal Jacket quote:
You’re the kind of guy that would fuck a man up the ass and not even have the common decency to give him a reach around.
That help?
If it makes you feel better,
The DI who delivered that line gets wasted by one of his guys.
“Reach around” = reaching around to jerk a guy off while you’re…um…sodomizing him from behind.
When two men are engaged in anal sex, it’s considered good manners for the guy in back (who’s having all the fun) to “reach around” and manually stimulate the man in front (who’s being the good sport by receiving) so that a good time may be had by all. Colloquially speaking, it’s semantically analogous to “hey, throw me a frickin’ bone here!” if that isn’t too suggestive in this context… 
Personally, I love Sorkin’s work and I don’t care if a show isn’t wham bam right off the bat, as it’s worth it to me to watch an hour long episode just to get a fix of his dialogue delivered by actors I like–or even DON’T like–as Sorkin’s writing is miles better than pretty much anything being turned out these days, especially that which can be had on basic cable. “Sports Night” was a faster paced show in general, but the overall pacing and character development as a series was deliberate and measured.
I think I can validly make the judgement that Sorkin is hands down the best writer for true ensemble drama working in TV today. His ability to take what appear to be marginal sidekick characters and bring them effortlessly to the forefront and then equally seamlessly integrate them back into secondary roles is astonishing. He has equal facility in writing episodes which don’t rely at all on the “stars” of the show, and the audience never feels cheated–to the contrary, it’s fascinating to see the depth of what would in the hands of any lesser writer be paper cutout characters with “quirks” instead of real fleshed out people.
I’m more than willing to give Sorkin leeway to fully develop his characters and plot arcs–I don’t think he’ll disappoint those of us with the patience and discernment to allow drama to flower in its proper time.
And I loved the opening number–the solemn faced professional choir singers really put across their glee in singing about the “hundred dollar hooker reacharound” without mugging or telegraphing a thing, it was fabulous! Loved the conductors shrug and “whaddaya want” insouciance as well…
Moments ago I was wondering about the West Wing
Did Sorkin whack Mrs. Landingham?
carnivorousplant,
[spoiler]If you’re asking if Sorkin killed her off, the answer is yes. End of the second season.
If you’re asking if he nailed Kathryn Joosten, I have no idea and don’t want to know.[/spoiler]
Good gad, Sir, I never…
I didn’t think…
Who would ever…Perhaps my Grandfather.
Which, and I wasn’t really planning on discussing this but as long as it’s already under discussion, how does it work that a hooker would be giving a reacharound? Unless it was either a) a boy hooker or b) a girl hooker engaged in pegging, both of which seem somewhat beyond the pale. Is there some other meaning to “reacharound” that has somehow escaped my notice?
coughDavidSimoncough
…And, as much of a Sorkin fan as I am, I don’t think it’s particularly close.
…Seriously? :dubious: You come up with a better title that actually serves the story. For the love of God! Calling the sketch “Gay Jesus” would have saved a few pages of dialogue where they tried to convince me that this sketch was worthy of a controversy.
I understand that not everyone is going to have this issue with the show but last time I checked this thread wasn’t the ass kiss rodeo for the show. People bitch and moan about shows getting science wrong or even minor details about professions. I finally get to lambast some minor point that could have been handled better… so back off and let me.
What does it mean, “pegging”?
Perhaps it is a metaphor.
The Wire is epic literature, while Sorkin creates great entertainment.
I really enjoy Perry. If you never watched Friends, you’d see him in a different light. He’s not channeling Chandler Bing, but a person way more troubled and dark. Perry is doing a great job. And I think the duo is modelled from Parker and Stone.
Another thing. Most people in the Western World consume 6-8 hours of media every day. The logical step for Sorkin is not to go from WW to UN, but to something that influences people a lot more: tv.
My WAG is not that this is going to be autobiographical, but a comment about media in general. As such, I think it’ll be important and entertaining, maybe like the movie Wag the Dog. But nowhere near the level of social critizism **The Wire ** delivers.
Katherine Joosten was written out of The West Wing at her request, from what I understand. She was offered a recurring role on another show, bbut I’m not really sure what show it was. She did make a couple of appearances as one of the aspects of God in Joan of Arcadia at about the same time, but I don’t think that was the show in question.
And pegging is when a woman dons a strap-on dildo and uses in a guy’s ass. But since it’s a woman doing it, it’s not a gay thing. Oh no.
I’m pretty sure it was Joan of Arcadia. She was a fairly important God avatar, dubbed by TWoP as Mrs. LandingGod.
Perhaps Sorkin overestimated the intelligence of…a certain segment…of the viewing public.
I got two letters for you. Want to guess which ones?
I hope Sorkin is smart enough to keep a similar message of intellectual elitism to a minimum. I don’t think Sports Night failed because the network suits sabotaged it or because the public was too dumb to appreciate it - it just wasn’t sufficiently funny. Studio 60 might end up sharing the same fate. It’s mostly a drama about a comedy, but if the comedy core isn’t interesting (or if Sorkin keeps telling his audience unconvincingly that it is, it really really really is, and if they don’t find it so, it’s because they’re dumb) neither will the surrounding drama.