(S01E21) Here's a question for you: if the love of your life was in critical condition and you were sweating it out in the waiting room, could there possibly be anything more annoying than a "friend" trying to "cheer you up" with a Holly Hunter or Juliet Lewis impression? I guess we should all just be thankful that Harriet's claim to fame wasn't juggling or stage illusions."I'm sorry Harriet, I'm having trouble paying attention to you because the woman I love is so sick."
"Well then, I know what'll cheer you up! Watch as I make this rare Siberian white tiger disappear!"
It was our good luck, though, that other than the small, usual failing of Studio 60 (ahemHarrietahem), we were treated to one its best episodes yet.
A lot of you have been saying that it's a shame that the show has been putting its best foot forward during its last gasp. Up until tonight, I really haven't been able to agree with you -- I've found the recent melodrama way too over the top and much different from what the first few episodes promised we'd be getting with this show. As Don Ameche once said, however, Things Change.
Here's what I don't understand about myself: I thought the first part of this four episode mini-arc was probably the worst episode of the entire season. I thought it was overwrought and ridiculous in a way that reduced the show to a soap opera with slightly cleverer dialog and infinitely more walk-and-talks.
We're now in the third part of this arc and even though the characters are in the exact same over-dramatic situations they were in during the first episode, I found tonight's installment to be among the best of the season. I don't understand this at all. It's completely illogical; so illogical, in fact, that I now have to retire my "women are unreasonable" line whenever my wife decides to yell at me because I was "mean to her in her dream." I must now admit to being just as illogical and unreasonable as she is.
If I had to venture a theory, it would be this: what tonight's show had that the first part of the arc didn't was a very real sense of family. Maybe it takes a full-season for a cast to come together enough to pretend that they care about each other, but tonight I bought it whereas two weeks ago I didn't. Whether it was Jack Rudolph trying to convince Simon to apologize or Matt and Jack dismissing the costs of saving Tom's brother, or watching Danny try to cope with Jordan's turn for the worse, you got the sense that these were smart people who cared about each other and were trying to deal with the crisis at hand as best they could.
I thought a lot of potential was realized with tonight's episode. Tonight the show moved away from the central premise of people trying to make a TV show and just became a group of characters that we care about dealing with a problem. For the first time, I wasn't thinking "When are they going to drop all this ham-handed religious hooey and get to some good behind-the-scenes stuff" and I was just concerned about the characters and their individual problems. Seriously, Sorkin's got me now. He can make next week's finale be Matt and Danny trying to pick up their dry cleaning but... bum-bah-bum... one of their shirts is missing a button. I'm there.
I finally get where you guys are coming from... the show is teasing us by being so good just as its dying. Being a fan of the show this week is like having a crush on a girl all summer and only getting to kiss her a week before you have to go back home. At least, I imagine that's what it's like as the only thing I got to kiss during my summers growing up was my Spiderman comics and even then I usually found them the next morning rocking back and forth in the shower repeating "can't get clean" over and over again.
Anyway, here's what was good tonight:
-- The flashbacks! I apologize folks! I thought they served no purpose at all when they were inserted two weeks ago. Tonight they were a fine counterpoint to what Jack is going through with Simon. Does it help that I realize that I'm an idiot? Probably not.
-- Danny dealing with Jordan. Maybe it's the fact that my wife is about ready to pop out our first child (the doctors, as helpful in real life as they are in the show, have said that my wife could give birth "in the next few hours" or the "next few weeks" and that we'll just have to "wait and see"), but watching Danny look at his daughter knowing, as a viewer, that if Jordan dies he could lose custody of her... well, I'm all man, so I didn't cry, but I swear someone must have been pepper-sprayed in my neighborhood because I was tearing up just a little.
-- The size of the pen Jack wrote Simon's apology with. Did anyone else notice how big it was? It was like NBS gets its writing utensils from Brobdingnag.
-- Danny's speech about God. More on this in a second, but it saved what could have been a terrible, terrible scene.
-- The dialog and the interplay. I realize that pointing out good dialog in a Sorkin work is like saying DaVinci was "pretty good with inscrutable smiles", but I thought tonight's was particularly good. "Why are you carrying your shoes?" "I guess because I was going to put them on."
-- Simon's reasoning for turning on the press. I thought his actual turn on the press last week was the worst part of an otherwise good episode and while I still think it's a bit much that a popular television star would be that unable to control his reactions in front of the cameras, I thought he justified his breakdown pretty well tonight.
-- I'm not sure if this was a national commercial or not, but did anyone else see that Lincoln is advertising their new, even bigger Navigator on Studio 60? I'm not anti-SUV by any means, but doesn't it strike you a bit odd that, affluent audience or not, Lincoln would choose what might be the most liberal leaning show on television to push an SUV so big that they might as well call it the "Blood for Oil EXT"? Krusty pushing the Canyenero made more sense than this commercial airing during Studio 60. Don't know if it counts as a "good point" of the episode, but it made me laugh...
-- The Bill Maher reference. I'm a big Bill Maher fan, so it's nice he gets a subtle defense of what he said six years ago that was so organic to the plot. I still think he got a raw deal. It's nice to know that Sorkin agrees.
-- The era-appropriate imac. Any other mac nerds in the readership?
Things I didn't like tonight:
-- No Cal. I know I harp on this whenever I don't get enough Busfield to get me through the night... but, seriously, no Cal. Budget or not, we need to see him for at least 10% of each episode. Do I have a homemade Jay + Cal airbrushed T-shirt? You'll never know.
-- Captain Boyle. I've been waiting and waiting for his "unorthodox grief counseling" to finally, you know, actually counsel some grief, but so far he's only been annoying.
Things I out and out hated:
-- Holly Hunter. Really. Honestly. If I were Danny, I would've punched her. No court in the world would have convicted me.
-- "Let me teach you how to pray." Really. Honestly. If I were Danny, I would've punched her. No court in the world would have convicted me.
-- Look, guys, I know it's getting cliched to talk about how much we hate Harriet, but... wow. Has there ever been a show this derailed by a character? It's like if Klinger from M*A*S*H actually really thought he was a woman. Each time he was on the show, you'd've just gotten kind of uncomfortable and have felt sorry for him. Eventually you'd hate his presence because it takes a great show and ruins it. That's how I feel about Harriet. And I'm not alone... my wife, who happens to be the most tolerant human being on the planet (as witnessed by the fact that she, you know, married me) turned to me right after Harriet so smugly offered to teach Danny how to pray ("You need to kneel", really, thanks for that, you've finally cleared up why they call that crouchy-looking bug a praying mantis! I get it now!) and said, "You know what? I hate her. I just hate her." I could be wrong, but I think my wife speaks for a lot of the viewing public.
I want to end this review with a special shout-out to my bud Rich Keller for taking over the reviewing duties last week. He did a great job!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-22-2007 @ 9:30AM
JW said...
In defense to Cal being gone...Busfield was behind the camera directing this episode.
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6-22-2007 @ 9:48AM
courtney said...
The Harriet character is one of the most awful, annoying, poorly conceived character in a show that I can recall in a very long time - zero chemistry with absolutely everyone especially the character she is supposedly in love with - ugh.
Other than that - I really can't stand all of Sorkin's preaching - as if the viewing audience is a collective bunch of dolts who can't think about anything substantive in a meaningful way all by ourselves without his paint by the numbers explanations. More than Harriet, the pretentious diatribes each week - (this week about religion and the press) - regardless of how spot on they are - are so tiresome and insulting.
I feel as if Sorkin thinks I couldn't figure out for myself about the fearmongering, etc we have had to deal with by the administration since 9/11 - I get it, I really do.
I tuned in this week just to see how they were planning on winding up the show - didn't see anything to care about - again....
I do like the three lead actors (Busfield, Perry and Whitfield) and hope to see them in something worthy of their talents sometime soon.
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6-22-2007 @ 10:02AM
Toonces said...
I know people don't like Harriet, and yes, much of her stuff lately has been fairly awful, but I still kinda like her. She is a great foil for Danny and Matt and she can be very funny. Just not when Sorkin is deliberately trying to show how funny she is, which is when she's embarrassing, because it's not coming from any kind of a an honest place.
What also tees me off is Harriet's religious side at least had some dignity and a little truth to it in the beginning. Now it's ridiculous and I were KC, I would want to beat the holy hell out of Sorkin for screwing up this character that's supposed to be based on her.
One last gripe - by screwing up Harriet, he's also screwing up Matt, engaging the two of them in ridiculous arguements that no one wants to watch. I tend to watch about 2 seconds of their scenes in hope of something better and when I realize all hope is lost, I fast forward, hoping Danny or Cal will walk in and stop the madness.
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6-22-2007 @ 10:41AM
mike said...
This is still a tightly-produced show. Wonderful sets. Well-acted. Having this final arc all mostly indoors saves a ton of money as it leaves. I liked the little blip to George Costanza character hosting flashback show. I also want to mention how cheesy NBC is for leaving in the taglines at the end "stayed tuned for more" where they used to promo the next week. I wonder how quickly the NBC site will blow up the links.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:00AM
MacGuffin said...
When I see excellent episodes like this, I wonder why NBC/Warner's didn't simply retool the show because it is (or was) one of the finest dramas/satires on TV.
It's sad watching it, because you know that it has already been canceled.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:02AM
graigbachman said...
Harriet sucks. This show is just awful. But I've wasted so much time watching it that I'm going to see it through to the end. Line of the century, something to the effect of:
"I begin and end every day on my knees."--Harriet
Brilliance, sheer brilliance.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:09AM
Dave said...
The only reason I still watch is because it's been cancelled. I've commited myself this far, so I can finish out a few more episodes. If this show were coming back, I would leave. It's not worth a full second season committment from me, but it'll do while there's nothing else on.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:18AM
JF said...
I did notice the old iMac in the flashback scene which I thought was great. If it were a flashback to 97 it would've been awesome to see a 20th anniversary mac.
I don't like Harriet either, but I definitely don't HATE her. Do you guys not realize that she's just playing the overly religious role to portray a message Sorkin wants to send out? I think Sorkin creates quality shows, but he definitely overdoes the social commentary sometimes.
I have enjoyed all of these K & R episodes so far. However, I think the reason this show got canceled was due to the fact that it got progressively less funny. If it was originally geared towards being a full out drama, I have a feeling it would've been back for a 2nd season.
It's pretty sad to see a show filled with such talented actors and actresses just fall off for no real reason. When the show is actually funny, we can see some of the best comedic delivery TV has to offer. Too bad people can't appreciate that enough to keep watching.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:30AM
John Hewitt said...
I wish I could agree about the quality of this episode, but I just can't. I feel as if this plot has been stretched out for way to long, and I find it especially frustrating because they keep talking about the same things over and over again. No news on the brother. No news on Jordan. We'll just have to wait. I got tired of waiting around the middle of the last episode. K&R has been explained to me so many times that I could write a Wikipedia entry on it at this point. And speaking of Wiki, the grief counselor is even less believable than Wikipedia.
Everyone pushes the Sorkin Dialog, and it is pretty good at times, but we have a corporate lawyer, a military grief counselor and doctor and they all speak in exactly the same way. I'm the most sarcastic person I know and even i would tone it down if somebody's life was on the line. I just can't believe that these people really exist.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:32AM
Jim said...
Taliban kidnappings... military officers on hand for wise, firm counsel... life-or-death decisions... arguments about patriotism... furtive, desperate, late-night deals with shadowy operatives on the other side of the globe...
If Sorkin wanted so much to keep writing The West Wing, why didn't he, you know, keep writing The West Wing? Maybe it would still be on the air.
Or, if he wanted to write a "show about a show," he could have stuck with that, too.
If his next effort is a medical drama, how many episodes will it be before the doctors put on a talent show -- you know, writing and performing a bunch of skits? (Sketches! sorry!)
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6-22-2007 @ 11:36AM
Will said...
I liked the first part in this story arc, but I haven't liked the last two. I think they have dragged in on too long. WHen others were complaining about this show I didn't have any major problems. This episode really bored me. I think they use flashbacks way too much and I cringed everytime they showed one. I'm still sticking with it though. I hope next week brings a satisfying conclusion.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:52AM
David said...
11 comments, 1 post, and no mention of Martin Sheen as the voice on the conservative radio show? :)
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6-22-2007 @ 11:53AM
adam said...
was that the voice of former Pres.Bartlett that was on Jacks computer last night?
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6-22-2007 @ 12:13PM
Benjy said...
Once again, another spot on episode with which I found absolutely no problems. As for your comments about how this cast gelled so well last night, I've felt that way throughout the entire season. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't change one damn thing about this cast (and its definitely one of the things about this show that I will miss the most).
Really, now that S60 is in its confirmed death throes, I'm just checking out this review every week to see what new and creative ways all of you find to rip Harriet Hayes/Sarah Paulson a new a**hole. I haven't found her character abrasive. In fact, I thinks she's held her own admirably throughout the season (and can be downright radiant at times).
Maybe Sorkin's next show will feature Timothy Busfield in the lead role and you can all get down on your knees and praise Sorkin's restored genius once more. Jay, are you sure you don't moonlight as Tim Busfield's agent?
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6-22-2007 @ 12:17PM
Matt said...
Even though the show was (rarely and surprisingly) in HD here, I couldn't really hear the voices on the radio, so I was mostly going by Matt and Danny's reactions to the audio playback.
Yes, I noticed the 2001-era iMac, but I also instantly noticed the Spotlight icon in the upper right corner, and Spotlight didn't appear until Mac OS X 10.4 in April 2005. I immediately told my friend, "God, I'm too much of a geek."
As for Harriet: God, do you all live on the Sunset Strip , have weekly meetings making fun of Christians while eating them for snacks? For the entire year of Harriet-bashing I've seen in criticisms of this show boils down to two separate themes:
1) "I don't think Sarah Paulson is hot, therefore Matt and Harriet don't have any chemistry," and
2) "I can't possibly imagine that people actually believe and behave as Harriet Hayes does, therefore the entire Christianity thing is contrived and annoying."
You lead very, very sheltered lives. Oh, for what could have happened had everyone not decided what they thought the show should be before it even aired...
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6-22-2007 @ 12:47PM
Joel said...
John Hewitt SSSOOO accurately posted: "Everyone pushes the Sorkin Dialog, and it is pretty good at times, but we have a corporate lawyer, a military grief counselor and doctor and they all speak in exactly the same way."
His point is so well taken. The characters really flatten out when they are basically carbon copies of one another. So Sorkin's own dialogue is characterized by witty, intelligent sarcasm-- that doesn't mean everyone else does. Variety is the spice of realistic life.
That criticism aside, I did like the episode. It was a vast improvement over the last few. I can't agree enough that the use of flashback was very effective in this episode (and that it was very not on the last few). It almost seems like Sorkin was using K&R 1&2 as his forum for telling anyone still willing to listen how stupid they are for allowing his masterpiece to be cancelled. This episode flirted with that notion as well, but put a more human (dare I say humble in the same breath as the great Aaron Sorkin?) slant to it.
He had some great potential with S60, as we saw in this episode, but his overwhelming need to consistently and constantly ramrod his "my opinion is right, yours is ignorant" message could only sustain itself for so long. Political discourse and dialogue is what this country is built on, but he can't be shocked when a large segment of his target demographic walks away after being demeaned and belitted episode after episode.
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6-22-2007 @ 1:12PM
David said...
God Damn, I guess Sorkin figured he had to throw in a lot more stuff once the show got canned. There was a lot of old storylines (the Chinese merger) that were dropped for this shit. I wasn't sure if I was watching 24 or Studio 60, but I think 24 moves faster.
"The Harriet character is one of the most awful, annoying, poorly conceived character in a show that I can recall in a very long time - zero chemistry with absolutely everyone especially the character she is supposedly in love with - ugh."
I couldn't agree more, she is terrible.
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6-22-2007 @ 1:18PM
mike said...
Mac Nerd here too... actually that Flat Panel iMac didn't come out until January 2002, so if it's supposed to be flashing back to ~October 2001, it wouldn't have been available.
Harriet just rings so untrue to me. She really irks me... and the line about beginning and ending her day on her knees just drove me nuts.
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6-22-2007 @ 1:48PM
Sharonlee said...
This is and has been one of the best shows on tv. Its really sad to watch and know that it is ending. I don't think it was really ever given a chance. It was smart & savy and even though Harriet is not my favorite she served a purpose for Matt & Danny. Now we will be stuck with one more reality or game show. What a waste of air time. Good thing Closer is back on nothing else to watch
makes you wonder what is wrong with the viewing public guess they just don't want to think and watch tv at the same time. How sad
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6-22-2007 @ 4:19PM
Jim said...
16 writes:
"The characters really flatten out when they are basically carbon copies of one another."
Ah, yes, the Tom Clancy Effect.
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