Director: Daniel Attias
Cast: Bradley Whitford (Danny Tripp), Amanda Peet (Jordan McDeere), D.L. Hughley (Simon Stiles), Matthew Perry (Matt Albie), Nathan Corddry (Tom Jeter), Sarah Paulson (Harriet Hayes), Steven Weber (Jack Rudolph), Timothy Busfield (Cal Shanley), Columbus Short (Darius Hawthorne), Nate Torrence (Dylan), Josh Stamberg (Lucas Scott), Mark McKinney (Andy), Lucy Davis (Lucy), Merritt Wever (Suzanne), Edward Asner (Wilson White), Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (Himself), William Stanford Davis (Floor Manager), John Mahon (George), Teresa Huang (Nurse), Mimi Cozzens (Mrs White) & Scott Lawrence (NBS Legal Counsel)
With Christmas on the horizon, Matt is determined to bring the festive spirit to Studio 60. Meanwhile, Danny confronts his feelings for Jordan...“How is it I’m Jewish, and I’m the only one with Christmas spirit? Come to think of it, how is it I’m in the only Jew in a comedy writer’s room?”
-- Matt Albie (Matthew Perry)
I'm now convinced Studio 60 has played all its cards. I can't see it ever improving beyond being slick, overconfident and dramatically dead. Thankfully, The Christmas Show plays to the show's strengths; an engaging cast, snug atmosphere, slick production and zingy dialogue.
Events get underway with Danny (Bradley Whitford) taking Jordan (Amanda Peet) for a pregnancy scan, highlighting the pair's increasing ease with each other personally. Indeed, Danny will spend this episode debating whether or not to reveal his feelings for Jordan, as Jordan finds herself unable to button her lip in a meeting with Jack (Steven Webber) and some network lawyers...
The lawyers are on hand because NBS broadcast a reporter swearing after a RPG blew up next to him in the Middle East. They can expect a $325,000 fine, which Jack and Jordan aren't very happy about. It's another example of Sorkin's West Wing politics mixing with Studio 60 showbiz, but works quite well. Again, the corporate, office politics of NBS are often more engaging than the trivial plots going on at Studio 60.
Speaking of which, Matt (Matthew Perry) demands the writers come up with a festive show to celebrate Christmas, but finds the cast and crew become fixated with debunking various myths surrounding Jesus and Santa Claus. Bah, humbug! It's more an excuse for Sorkin's research into this subject to reach the airwaves, but throws up some amusing pieces of trivia.
I enjoy anything with a festive atmosphere, so The Christmas Show generally provided a warm viewing experience. The jokes were a little better this time, too -- particularly a Nazi-saluting Santa and excellent interplay between Matt and Harriet (Sarah Paulson), who's been offered a movie project. But I could have done without the revelation Tom fancies Lucy (Lucy Davies), as it probably means Davies will be given more time to sit around, doing her best kooky, twee little English girl routine. Yuk.
The spirit of Christmas is really invoked in a late subplot for a gifted trumpet player, who wows Danny during a rehearsal, and subsequently is rewarded with a 4-minute starring role on the show... leading a small band in a tribute to the New Orleans disaster following Hurricane Katrina. Sure, it's a little schmaltzy, but what's Christmas without a bit of schmaltz?
By the episode's end, the positive vibe is really on a high, as Jack's boss proves to be a decent, upstanding humanitarian, by choosing to side with Jack over the potentially messy situation with the news report swearing. Quite why the NBS bigwig is shoved in a tiny ancillary room, with his young family, to watch the Studio 60 Christmas Show is anyone's guess, though!
In a surprising move, Matt kisses Harriet, which comes as a welcome relief after so much build-up these past weeks, and fits with the festive atmosphere. I'm just relieves this will they/won't they storyline actually seems to be progressing now. Likewise the sudden Danny/Jordan "relationship", with Danny announcing his love. Cue a snow-dappled cut to black.
Overall, The Christmas Show is as syrupy as you'd expect from a US drama series, but the focus on relationships works better than the TV-related dilemmas we're supposed to find tense and interesting. If you work in TV, you can probably sympathize with Studio 60's production-related dramas, but to the general public they're interesting (like this episode's indecency rules), but ultimately seem like a lot of fuss over nothing.
Studio 60 is flawed in many areas, but the ensemble cast are always been enjoyable to watch, and this episode gives them plenty of opportunities to sparkle. It's a safe, predictable, cosy episode (as befits a Christmas episode), with enough heart and development for the characters to make it worthwhile.
4 October 2007
More4, 10.00 pm
