Monday Morning Quarterbacks and Sunday Morning Drinking Games

Somehow, I’ve made my way far enough through my Tivo to catch the second episode of Studio 60. (I’m forever placing the clumsy “On the Sunset Strip” portion of the title in the implicit category.)

Last week, I recommended the pilot to the dozens of readers of this blog. Even though Studio 60’s pilot still stands as the best pilot episode I’ve seen for this Fall season (Full disclosure: I’ve yet to watch the pilots for 30 Rock or The Nine. If anyone wants to send them my way, drop me an email.), I found myself enjoying the second episode more (and I wasn’t yet aware of the Studio 60 Drinking Game). Now with all nice things I say, there is a “but” coming. It’s a flaw. I can never leave well enough alone. However, let’s cover the good points first.

“The Cold Open” does not share in the pilot episode’s burden of massive exposition. The audience now understands the hierarchy of the players and the major conflict facing all of them. The second episode gets to explore the characters more closely and strengthens the elements that I enjoyed in the pilot. Sorkin’s dialogue continues to impress. Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet and Steven Weber continue to shine. (By the way, Steven Weber? The other guy from Wings is kicking ass? Who’d a-thunk?) They manage to clearly define Perry’s character, Matt Albie, as a separate entity from Chandler Bing. Plus, there is a massive Pirates of Penzance reference.

Now, here come the buts...

First off, while Perry’s role is clearly differentiated from his previous popular character, Bradley Whitford still feels like he’s playing Josh Lyman from The West Wing. Since Sorkin never wrote for Friends, it is easy to see how this can occur to one lead and not the other.

While I like the character of Josh Lyman very much, I’m not interested in watching a retread. The character of Danny Tripp needs to stand on his own. I have a notion that Sorkin might use Tripp’s sexual preference as a way to distinguish the character. While there is nothing wrong with that in the “nothing wrong with that” way, if I can predict such a turn coming, then it’s by definition predictable.

“The Cold Open” gives us more exposure to the cast of the show within the show and I’m slightly underwhelmed. First off, they all seem rather passive for a troupe of performers with the exception of the jilted lover/branded catholic, Sarah Paulson. I’ve liked Paulson in other roles, but her character here is rather distracting. Plus, as Ken Levine points out in his blog, “they keep talking about how unbelievably talented” her character is, but fail to offer up actual proof.

However, my major complaint about the episode is the storyline’s acknowledgement of Lorne Michaels and his Saturday Night Live. I’d wager due to pressure from NBC, Sorkin makes clear that this is not SNL. Having Studio 60’s fictitious show come about in the 80s, broadcast on Friday nights and shoot in Los Angeles was not enough, they had to explicitly clarify that this is not SNL, which has its season premiere this Saturday night.

Having that distinction stated like that came off as back-pedaling to me. The pilot episode condemned the current state of TV, especially their fictitious effigy of NBC’s Saturday Night stalwart – a stalwart that, honestly, needed the condemnation.

Now, I still watch SNL. I don’t know if many of my friends still do. Every Sunday morning with my breakfast and paper, thanks to my trusty Tivo, I go through the episode. Truthfully, I fast forward through most of it. The repeated concepts that weren’t funny the first time. I’m looking at you, Carol. The parody commercials that they’ve repeated way too many times. Taco Town. The sketches that just do not end. None of them memorable.

Why do I do that? Because when they get it, when they make me laugh, I’m their bitch. Unfortunately, I rarely have to play that role.

Maybe I just need a SNL drinking game? It’ll give me an excuse to start boozing up on Sunday mornings.

wojr

Labels: Hollywood, Intoxication, Snide Remarks

  ¶ 4:15 PM