That’s how you do it. This episode gave us Studio 60 as it should be, and we also, finally, moved on to a new week. While this episode was again very heavy on the romance front, it also dealt with the actual process of writing and producing a TV show, this time focusing on the 90 minutes timeframe between the dress rehearsal and the live show (Not that kind of live show, you pervs), when the final decision about the sketches that make it on the air is made.
While Sorkin excels at various aspects of writing, flashbacks have always been one of his strongest suits. The best episode of The West Wing is “Two Cathedrals” which featured a flashback to President Bartlet’s school days, and “The Friday Night Slaughter” took us back to Harriet’s first days on the show and Matt’s awkward attempts at romance. We got our first glimpse into the kind of relationship they had, as Matt was trying to impress her on one hand, and sticking his foot deep in his mouth with his comments about the religious right, before learning Harriet’s a card carrying member of that group. This also gave us an idea of what “Crazy Christians” was all about, as it was the very first idea Matt pitched to Harriet (And a few years later became the reason Matt and Danny are running the show). We also found out why Matt was obsessed with breaking up Harriet and Luke it’s not just his feelings for Harriet. Matt’s probably still jealous over the fact that during Harriet’s first week the sketch Luke wrote for her made it on the air while Matt’s was cut. I just wonder whether or not Harriet realizes that.
The flashback also featured Simon’s first visit on the set as he was waiting for his audition. Interesting enough, he had this “too cool for school” attitude even before making it on the show, unlike Tom, who’s still insecure about his position even today. However, Tom’s obsession about his sketches is more believable than his relationship insecurities I wrote about last week, as this time he’s portrayed as the artist who’s concerned about his work getting recognition and not a shy country boy who doesn’t know how to behave on a date. It was also nice to see him work with Dylan, as they both created that sketch and both are obsessed with it, even though one is a big star and the other is “supporting” cast member.
On the first episode Matt told Danny he’ll be the one screwing up. It didn’t take him long to start doing that, as he’s back to popping pills. Of course he’s in denial about that at first, even when Diana Valdes, this week’s musical guest star, talks to him about it and gives him pills (BTW nice touch on bring back The White Stripes, and having them cancel again). Later in the episode, when Matt realized that created Tim in his own mind, as a way to deal with his drug problem (a writer being fired for doing drugs could they make it any clearer that Matt’s worried about his own future?) it seemed like it will be a wake up call for him, but instead he just went on with the pills. So the series started with Danny failing a drug test and now Matt’s popping pills, all the while Simon’s smoking pot. If they continue down this road, Studio 60 might reach 90210 levels of drug use, and I don’t want to see that.
While I liked most of the episode, something was missing. That something was Wes. I realize that Judd Hirsch is bust with Numb3rs (Not necessarily, seeing as Peter MacNichol is pulling double duty on 24 and Numb3rs – Kevin), but seeing how he’s the mythological creator and producer of the show within a show, I’d like to see him in the flashback. Even if it had been a small cameo, for a two minutes scene, he should have been there in the flesh and not just talked about by the other characters. Wes appeared to be a very interesting character in the pilot, and I’d like to see more from him.
This mix of TV backstage and relationship drama is working. This is due to toning down the relationship aspect and putting more emphasis on the production process. Sorkin needs to realize that and follow in that trend, to keep the show strong.
