Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip: Season 1, Episode 7 – “Nevada Day, Part 1”

Originally written on November 08, 2006.

With declining ratings, there is much talk of Studio 60 being canceled.  Being the best show on television right now, I for one hope it isn’t so.  Before I get into this week’s episode I am going to rant for 446 words.

The Rant:

In the article I just linked to and all across the internet there is quite a bit of heated discussion about this show and Aaron Sorkin in general.  As is typical for internet discussion the talk quickly turns nasty and we get a fine bit of banter consisting of “this show is too smart for the stupid, slovenly masses” and “Actually I’m a genius and this show has terrible writing.”

All of this has made me ponder why I like the show so much, and as my captive audience, you get to follow me through it.

I’ve always dug behind-the-scenes looks at whatever and especially dig behind-the-scenes looks at movies.  I’ve never seen a movie about making movies I didn’t like, and it is fascinating to me to watch these guys struggle to make TV every week.

The fact is I haven’t watched Saturday Night Live in years, but I don’t care.  This show isn’t SNL.  It isn’t even a behind-the-scenes look at SNL.  It’s fiction.  The argument that SNL isn’t relative anymore doesn’t make sense to me.  This isn’t a show about how awesome sketch comedy is, it’s about making a sketch comedy show.  Are the characters passionate about making their show?  Certainly, but why is this a negative?  Should they just throw the slop together?  In its prime SNL was top-notch comedy, and you can bet it took a lot of work to make it.  That’s what these guys are trying to do.

I also love the ensemble and that we get to follow multiple storylines.  If the show lasts, this will make for better TV as we have so many characters’ lives to take part in.  Though the show is taking hits for taking shots at Christianity I find that it is carrying on some of the most thoughtful debate on religion in the media.  Harriet is the kind of Christian that I find in real life, not the ones you see on TV.   She’s not Catholic nor the die-hard fundamentalist that runs from everything liberal.  She’s a normal sort of person trying to live her life right but is still kind to those who don’t believe.

Sure, the non-Christians get the better lines, but there is a real dialogue going on which is more than you can say for most outlets.

I like the writing, I like the dialogue, I like the actors.  Geez, I even like Matthew Perry and he’s usually as annoying as crap.  I don’t care if others don’t like it or think the dialogue is crap.  I’m not better than them.  But I do hope enough people watch to keep the show going.

The plot:  This is the first part of a two-parter which will conclude next week.  It was also an experimental episode chronologically, meaning that the opening scene actually takes place at the end of this episode and most likely in the middle of the action of the two parts.  From the opener, the rest of the episode jumps around in time explaining the peculiar events that we see as the show opens.

The peculiar event is Tom (who is dressed as Jesus) who has been arrested and put into a Pahrump, Nevada jail.  There to rescue him are Simon (who is there because Tom was wearing his jacket, which contained a marijuana joint), Danny, an NBS lawyer, Jack, and two unknown Chinese people.

Tom is dressed as Jesus because he was rehearsing for a skit when the LA police arrested him.  He was arrested because he assaulted a gay man.  He assaulted a gay man because the man and his buddies were harassing Harriet.  They were harassing Harriet because she was quoted in a tabloid as having said that the Bible condemns homosexuality.  She was actually misquoted and her real speech spoke more towards tolerance than condemnation.  He is in a Nevada jail because there was a warrant out for his arrest.  He has a warrant against him because he got a speeding ticket there and never showed up to pay it.

Jack is at the jail because the older Chinese man (who could be responsible for a very lucrative NBC deal) is there.  He is there because his daughter (and translator) is there.  She is there because she wanted to meet Tom, and was willing to take a detour from her flight to New York.  And Tom is there because…well you know why Tom is there.
The review:  ***1/2

Another very good episode.  The whole Pulp Fiction time blender was both interesting and annoying.  Interesting because it is fun to see the weird ending and see how they got there piecemeal.  It is annoying for basically the same reason.  That maneuver kind of ruins the impact of the events.  When the dog finds the pot in the jacket, we already know there is pot in the jacket and that the cops will find it.  We only don’t know how they find it, but when they do it isn’t a surprise, and thus not emotionally impacting.  This type of thing has also been done plenty of times before, but every time it is done they act like it is innovative.

It isn’t.   Stop doing it.  Show the events in order.  It’s better that way.

Otherwise, I liked it.  I really do like the Harriet character.  I really do like that everyone mocks her beliefs but she hangs tight with them.

I still say the skits are funny.  Everybody else disagrees.  But Jesus as the head of Standards and Practices is funny.  The skit a few episodes ago with Simon in the rain was funny.  Sure, not all of them are killer (at least what we are allowed to see) and Harriet isn’t brilliant with impressions, but what I’ve seen here is much funnier than the last skits I saw from SNL.

Oh, and I loved John Goodman as the judge.

Best Lines:

Harriet: I said the Bible says it’s a sin. It also says judge not lest ye be judged, and that it was something for smarter people than me to decide.
Matt: “Ye” is a word you don’t hear a lot.
Harriet: I manage to see every piece of my press.
Matt: We have a press department, I get a daily press packet. They highlight what they want me to see – this one has a highlight, an arrow, and a sticker!
Harriet: Well, as I said, they left out the second sentence.
Matt: Yeah, can I ask you something? Does your ass hurt from straddling the fence like that all the time?

Matt: It’s one thing to be asked to respect someone else’s religion, it’s another to be asked to respect their taboos. In my religion, it’s disrespectful to God not to keep your head covered. You don’t see me insisting that the cast of CSI: Miami wear yarmulkes.
Danny: That’d be an unusual creative direction for CSI: Miami

Matt: You don’t like kids and dogs?
Jordan: Yeah. Or orphans. Why? Is that bad?
Matt: Half the shows in prime time start with two strippers getting strangled after a lap dance, and that’s fine with me but if it’s also fine with Jesus then I don’t see the need to tiptoe around his name