Studio 60 1.7: "Nevada Day: Part I"
Written by Aaron Sorkin and Mark McKinney
Directed by Leslie Linka Glatter
As I write this review, somewhat belatedly, I am armed with the knowledge that the series has been given a full season order. I still have my suspicions that the network will cancel the show before the first season concludes, but at least the production staff will get the opportunity to make a solid case for the series’ survival.
This particular episode, the first in a two-part story, continues to highlight the series’ pros and cons. On the positive side, this was one of the funniest episodes yet, with some wonderfully absurd elements. By starting the episode in the middle of the story, the writers gave the audience a reason to see how everyone arrived at this unlikely moment. The result was an amusing escalation from the relatively mundane to the truly bizarre.
Tom is beginning to stake his claim as an interesting character, even if he works best as a straight man for Simon. He also demonstrates a capacity for self-sacrifice when it comes to his friends. He’ll stand up for them and cover for them. Not every character has to be massively demonstrative, after all.
Jack also figures prominently in the episode, and as usual, his scenes are some of the most entertaining of the hour. In particular, he brings a certain realism to the business end of the story. How many of us know management with this kind of cutthroat attitude? Watching him stew in his own juices is just plain fun, and Steven Weber has one of the best sarcastic line deliveries in the business!
Unfortunately, most of the drama in this episode hinges once again on the exploration of religious, political, and social issues. It’s beginning to get a little tiresome. While a sketch comedy is going to have to attack sacred cows to be relevant, the situation in this episode seems a bit forced. Every time the issues creep into the story, I find myself losing patience.
Similarly, the fight over the use of “Jesus Christ” in a manner other than referring to Jesus Christ is funny at first, but the resulting sketch is hardly the “comedy gold” that Matt and everyone else seems to think it is. As with most of the comedy sketches so far, it sounds awkward rather than clever. In fact, if anything, the situation with Tom would make a very funny comedy sketch, if handled properly, which is why it seems odd that the writers can’t produce one in the proper context.
(As a sidenote: I also have a new podcast associated with my various reviews called “Velocity TV”. Current episodes cover “Studio 60”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://velocitytv.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Leslie Linka Glatter
As I write this review, somewhat belatedly, I am armed with the knowledge that the series has been given a full season order. I still have my suspicions that the network will cancel the show before the first season concludes, but at least the production staff will get the opportunity to make a solid case for the series’ survival.
This particular episode, the first in a two-part story, continues to highlight the series’ pros and cons. On the positive side, this was one of the funniest episodes yet, with some wonderfully absurd elements. By starting the episode in the middle of the story, the writers gave the audience a reason to see how everyone arrived at this unlikely moment. The result was an amusing escalation from the relatively mundane to the truly bizarre.
Tom is beginning to stake his claim as an interesting character, even if he works best as a straight man for Simon. He also demonstrates a capacity for self-sacrifice when it comes to his friends. He’ll stand up for them and cover for them. Not every character has to be massively demonstrative, after all.
Jack also figures prominently in the episode, and as usual, his scenes are some of the most entertaining of the hour. In particular, he brings a certain realism to the business end of the story. How many of us know management with this kind of cutthroat attitude? Watching him stew in his own juices is just plain fun, and Steven Weber has one of the best sarcastic line deliveries in the business!
Unfortunately, most of the drama in this episode hinges once again on the exploration of religious, political, and social issues. It’s beginning to get a little tiresome. While a sketch comedy is going to have to attack sacred cows to be relevant, the situation in this episode seems a bit forced. Every time the issues creep into the story, I find myself losing patience.
Similarly, the fight over the use of “Jesus Christ” in a manner other than referring to Jesus Christ is funny at first, but the resulting sketch is hardly the “comedy gold” that Matt and everyone else seems to think it is. As with most of the comedy sketches so far, it sounds awkward rather than clever. In fact, if anything, the situation with Tom would make a very funny comedy sketch, if handled properly, which is why it seems odd that the writers can’t produce one in the proper context.
(As a sidenote: I also have a new podcast associated with my various reviews called “Velocity TV”. Current episodes cover “Studio 60”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://velocitytv.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 14:55
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