TVSquad

the new head of alternative programming was power hungry, she had read the 48 laws of power. she quoted it verbatim.

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I watch tv to escape the day to day problems I watch for entertainment. I do not want tv to mirror life as we see it. This is a favorite show I mine love Danny /Matt. and their war of words. Even Jordon/Danny ok stalking aside its cute. Harriet/ Matt it just won't work out. Could hardly wait for this to come back on after the holidays which only means it will be cancelled like "Saved" and some other great shows.

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I liked the way that Matt/Harriett danced around each other... until this episode. I'm tired of it. Really tired of it. Not that I am saying that they should get rid of her, but it seems... well... I just don't think that they have chemistry.

And yes, my mouth hit the floor when the "n" word came out.

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I was really looking forward to the return of S60, but Sorkin really disappointed me. This show has jumped the shark. I am sick and tired of Sorkin's preaching at us. He writes a character that is supposedly a reasonable adult who is actually -against- teen abstinence? Give me a break. Not one of these contrived romances seems believable. And it still escapes me how such dour people purportedly produce a comedy show. Goodbye.

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I prefer the shows where they concentrate on the actual making of the sketch show. I think that they should spend some more time concentrating on DL's and the new Tom/Lucy romance and take some attention away from Harriet. I find her nauseating and I don't know if it's the character or the actress that portrays her that's throwing me off. I personally know 10 girls myself included that can make a damned dolphin noise, so re-casting Harriet or removing her character and replacing her with an equally talented but more tolerable female cast member would not be hard. The Danny/Jordon thing is a little too much. If more of Danny's attempts to call Jordon had been sardonic/comic/cartoonesque (ala Screech/Lisa in SBTB) and less desperate-for-her-attention then I would've been able to tolerate it. Unfortunately, he genuinely got too pushy with the phone calls (especially over holiday break -- geez) for my comfort. At any rate, they need to swing the focus back to making the show and the big network battle with the FCC.

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Hey new guy -- great review! And love the shout out to Dawn from the British Office. I'm so happy to see her on S60 and love that she's getting more screen time. Harriet -- blechh! I echo everyone else who wonders what the deal is with her. At least Amanda Peet, who is not the greatest actress, has grown on me a bit. I think you hit it on the head when you said Harriet sold her soul to the devil!

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Great first review, Jay! There was a really interesting article on the book 48 laws of power in the New Yorker a few months back if you're curious to read more about it.

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@ #1 - Did you think that the new VP of Alternative Programming was power hungry? That is a good observation, I guess I thought she was saying she thought Jordan was like a war lord.....

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You would think that NBC would get the hint that Harriet is the charater wrecking the show and make her go away. I would really like the show more if that happens. 95% of the people hate her, and it's not really the charater, it's just the actress is so annoying and you can't believe she is suppose to be god of comedy. Terrible casting. At least Amanda Peet who can't act at all doesn't need to, she is supposed to play a cold hearted bitch.

And where is Bob? I was going to make fun of his pointless reviews because they never say anything negitive about the show. Your review was much better, and in fact funnier than the show.

And the beginning was very much like that of the season 2 primere of Sports Night

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Afraid I have to disagree with you on everything but the Lucy/Tom hookup and the Darius/Simon dialogue (both of which were great!).

Danny is a coke addict. He has an addictive behavior. Sorkin is creating a 21st century character here, not a cardboard cut out. I applaud what he's doing. And I have faith it'll work out well.

And yeah, I am loving the Jack/Wilson stuff and I DO buy the 20 year old girl being a viola protege (cos guess what, guy? That's the real world - it's really happening). I especially loved her line to her father , "You're NOT going to lose your daughter!"

I loved this episode for pushing us out of our expectations. Next Monday isn't soon enough.

BTW, I'm not alone in my opinions.

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I guess I'm the only one who HATED the opening with all the damn phone ringing?

When did Danny ask Jordan out three times?

The N word was forced. Sorkin looking for shock value. People don't go from easy going to that pissed off that fast. That scene just didn't work.

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and why didn't they look for/hire more writers during the Christmas break?
I don't think Danny is stalking her; she is reciprocating. otherwise, why would she be concerned about him being alone in the studio by himself or how many marriages are between them. I think she is having pregnancy hormonal swings

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does anyone else think that "lukes5858" is not really luke scott, but harriet. matt wouldn't sign the scripts in the beginning, and harriet would want to get matt to donate money to her cause, so she made up the name, knowing that matt would think it was luke, and would immediately bid against him...

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Where has all the snappiness of the first episode gone? The pilot was the best and it's been downhill since then.

This is the first Sorkin show I have ever watched and I have a really hard time believing that Sorkin is an A grade writer. The show is so heavy-handed it's ridiculous.

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Christine, I think they didn't hire new writers because they're still dealing with budget cuts (Sorkin did stick in a line about that re: people buying their own sodas or something).

Very good first review, Jay. I agree about the stalking thing - I kept shouting "Get a restraining order NOW, Jordan!" at the TV - but, more than that, I'm tired of adults suddenly acting like children. I've come to like these characters, and I don't buy for a moment that lovesickness or pregnancy suddenly makes them act stupid and immature. Especially disappointed about Jordan - the food thing is a great running gag, but the overall behavioral thing is just too unbelievable, even given that the show itself is, as you observe are all of Sorkin's shows, a wish fulfillment thing.

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The 48 Laws of Power, specifically, is not a Sorkinism, aside from setting up a plot point already mentioned. However, pickup up some random (and occasionally dated) bit of pop culture and have characters bat it about is quite Sorkin. He did it on "Sports Night" (Pluto's status as a planet comes to mind) and "The West Wing" (the odd computer virus, a list of how life was in colonial times, and other memes) for both good an ill.

For good, at a minimum, it was usually a nice riff that gave the characters a bit of a workplace banter. Where my office might talk about last night's game or episode of "24," they were talking about this. It worked, and, by discussing something like this (as opposed to a TV show), it never felt dated. At best, it became the launching off point to a plot point.

For ill, sometimes he used it as a crutch. An episode of "The West Wing" had Bartlett quoting scripture to a Dr. Laura avatar, asking how to determine the price for his daughter, etc. It similar to an Internet mailing that was going around a few months before. Though he did substitute different verses, it was clear what was going on.

I so agree with the whole stalking thing. Asking once or twice: OK. The faxing of references: possibly cute, but getting into creepy territory. When she met him, face to face, and told him to stop, he needed to apologize and drop it. That he didn't is probably grounds for termination. If it pays off for him, I am going to be upset.

I'm digging the FCC plot, though.

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I think people are being a bit too hard on the show...

The first poster was absolutely right. The 48 Laws of Power thing just served to illuminate the true personality of the new programming VP. When Matt said the line, Jordan realized she got played by this new girl. I can't wait to see her "bitchy" reaction :)

And you know what, a few weeks ago people were picking on the fact that Sorkin created this "ghetto to glory" stereotype with the black characters. Now in this episode Simon betrayed his own bigotry when he said that Darius would never have amounted to anything without his help. And Darius called him out on it. Was the dialogue heavy-handed? Yeah, but I'm glad they brought the whole thing out into the open.

I'm sick of people just complaining about everything on this show (and worshiping it as well). There are good and bad things about it just like any other show.

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"He writes a character that is supposedly a reasonable adult who is actually -against- teen abstinence? Give me a break."

I don't think he's against teen abstinence per se, but like many reasonable adults he's against programs that try to force it on teenagers but end up doing more harm than good.

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The Christmas Show, was in my view one of the most compelling 44 minutes of television ever, certainly in 2006.

The greatest challenge with ending on such a high note is that you have to go somewhere. This is the same problem that Sorkin faced with the series premiere of the show. You had so many layers already set-up, the whole plot reeked with history, that you needed to be able to keep up with all of that.

I think it's telling that romance was only ever a dalliance in the West Wing. And, it should be noted, that the only relationships that ever actually worked were those of the presidents and their first ladies. But the romance was compelling, in spite of the brevity and inevitable failure. In SportsNight, the romance was near torturuous. Vieweres experienced the loneliness in the characters and pined for the characters to find one another. Again, the only relationship that was flawless and strong was that of the big boss and his lady.

When a writer puts a man and a woman in close proximity to each other and they experience so much together, there is this expectation that they will enjoy a romantic relationship eventually. When Chris Carter put Mulder and Scully together he had no expectation or intention to introduce romance. But the audience expected - nay, demanded it. So in the trailer, the most startling and discussed moment in the teaser was the shot of the two characters kissing. From there the romance went no where and became a burden for the show as it continued.

Sorkin kept romance out of the relationship between Josh and Donna for as long as he could. There would be brief glimpses of their commitment to each other. But no matter how close they seemed they were still purely platonic. When the dam broke it was sexual to the point of comedy. It was anything but romantic. And then it fizzled and passed.

Framing the show around the relationship between Harriet and Matt was a mistake that Sorkin nearly avoided. Whatever happened to Matt and Jeannie? Jeannie's gorgeous and when the two of them were on camera together you felt chemistry and affection. But somehow instead we're left with the two people who have the least amount of chemistry as anyone else in the room.

Further, we're being kept in suspended terror by a well cultivated parody of unpredictability. Was there any reason for any of us to believe that Danny had anything but respect for Jordan? The last time they spoke before there was some sort of tension between them she revealed she was pregnant while looking sickly. Prior to that they had fought over budget cuts. This was forced and hackneyed.

Was there any earlier tension between Darius and Simon in a previous episode? The last time they really spoke to each other was when he got hired. Since then Simon hit on Lucy and Darius got ignored. That tension was forced and hackeneyed.

The problem, as I see it, is that Sorkin is feeling pressure to tell his story because he feels like his show is going to get canned. This happened to him in SportsNight, but in SportsNight, he was willing to pace himself inspite of the risk of cancellation. With Studio 60 Sorkin has tried to fill each episode with vitally important stories everytime. It took an entire season plus one episode for Casey and Dana to get together and another half a season for that to fizzle out completely. Now, in the span of half a season Matt and Danny have taken over S60 after their mentor went nutty and got booted, Matt took over all writing duties and alienated the writing staff to the point that they all quit, Matt's been involved with Harriet and Jeannie, Harriet's been involved with a hockey player, Matt and Luke Scott(the stupidest name I've ever heard), Danny's professed his infatuation for Jordan, Jordan got knocked up by a squealer who outed the man that's now obsessed with her as a drug addict, Tom and Lucy are dating, Simon found a funny if esoteric comedian, Darius, and got him to join the show, and now Darius and Simon are pissed with each other, Harriet got harrassed by homosexuals for being associated with homophobes, Tom spent a day in jail in the middle of nowhere because his brother, a soldier, got a speeding ticket, Jack and Wilson have become a dynamic duo intent on bringing down the FCC, Tao's daughter has fallen in love with Tom and decided to someday join S60, and we STILL don't know anything about any of the "secondary" characters. This is not Sorkin. We've had two episodes encompass one "show," three episodes encompass one "show," and now we're going to be treated to a three episode arc entitled 'The Harriet Dinner' parts I-III.

Sorkin would have done the take over plus a side story revolving around some orphan who lost his brother in Iraq getting to see the show and becoming Tom's pen pal. We'd've seen Tom and Lucy start dating by way of some elaborate plot to spend more time together leading to them going on a business dinner while Matt tried to think up ways of ruining Harriet's relationship with the hockey player while not letting Jeannie, his then SO, from finding out. We would've seen Darius get picked up by the show, flourish, get big for his britches get knocked down, get picked back up again by Simon, then get into a pissing contest with Simon, all in secondary flashback to a confrontation between Danny and his drug addiction while he tells the story of his day while in a therapy session. We'd've seen Jack try to force Jordan to hire new writers in exchange for keeping control of the show while Wilson had a show down with some hotshot at a competing organization regarding the revelations about Jordan's past. AND the show within the show would've been consistently funny!

I think the honeymoon is entirely over. Noone waits expectantly for the next episode to be the best episode. Instead everyone sees faults in the show and hopes for goodness to come by the show being renewed and Sorkin loosening up a little bit. But we have to know that whatever we've been stuck with so far will have to be dealt with before we can move on. Harriet and Matt have to have a falling out and . . . she must leave the show. Danny and Jordan have to have a relationship and then he must fall back into his old ways and they will break up and he will quietly take a back seat while seeking treatment and hire an assistant to fill in (say the guy that got booted at the beginning of the show). And all the secondary characters have to be featured in stronger roles, preferably as hilarious sketch artists, to fill in the gaps. And yes, the show within the show has to be funny. I hope this works out. I secretly hope that the three episode Dinner arc is actually the opening of the door for Harriet to leave. But I'm not holding my breath.

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All You Need Is Love is really a show in holland.
it's about people who make up live on tv.
Lovers who haven't seen each other come together.
If you have crush on Someone they will set it up.

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