Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Option Period(S1E09)

Once again Studio 60 rebounds from 3 decent episodes with another boring preachy one. I really don’t know what to think about this show anymore. Just when I think it’s horrible they have a good episode and then just when I start to have faith they have a bad episode.

I honestly can’t think of a single highlight tonight aside from Lucy Davis. I applaud the Studio 60 crew for giving her an actual character rather than a cameo like the Ugly Betty folks did.

But who am I kidding, you don’t want to hear me bitch about the show. Odds are you found this blog by searching Studio 60 so without further ado here’s the full recap of The Option Period:

Cal rips Ricky and Ron a new one for printing the script in the wrong format, this causes Danny to ask Jessica Simpson to fill the missing 40 seconds in her wrap. She tells the audience to pray for peace in the mid-west. This of course happens off screen.

Matt once again feels like a failure. I think it’s obvious by now that the fate of the world relies on Matt’s writing skills. He sure thinks so. Jordan enters having been at the show again. I wonder why TMG wants to fire her, she spends all her time at Studio 60 making eyes at Danny. Speaking of, Danny and Jordan flirt. I feel like I’m supposed to care about these two and their relationship with one another but I really don’t.

Harriet goes to her dressing room and undresses only to be interrupted by Simon and Tom who refuse to leave because they’re staging an intervention. If this is another Harriet is religious bits I will scream. Turns out Tom and Simon know about Harriet appearing in some elusive(ie offscreen again) magazine. She runs to bitch out Jeannie for telling them about it. Harriet huffs her way back into her dressing room ranting about how she should have joined the CIA because they wanted her. Are the writers even trying anymore? Simon and Tom appear at her dressing room door telling her it’s not a good time in her career to pose in a magazine like this. So it’s obviously a take on this photoshoot. Sorkin needs to start paying Chenoweth for these ideas.

Jordan/Matt/Danny debate the hypocrisy of both the religious right and Hollywood liberals going after Harriet for her comment to the Post. They really expect the audience to still care about that, after two freaking weeks of it already. Jordan then tells the boys the deal in Macau has gone through and because of it every show on NBS has to face budget cuts. Danny apparently has to fire 15 below the line employees. He refuses and Jordan goes on a rant about debt to equity ratio that immediately puts me to sleep. Is this show just making fun of itself now? I really can’t tell. Matt apparently shares my feeling and puts a fake gun to his head. Jordan then says they should consider product placement. Wait a second, I seem to remember another show on NBC basing their episode around product placement this week. When Sorkin looks like he’s starting to rip off 30 Rock you know things have gone horribly wrong at NBC. (Have I mentioned how much I love Snapple?:)

Cal interrupts and the conversation returns to Ricky and Ron and the script snafoo. Turns out they’re writing a tv pilot and that’s why they forgot to change the format. Jordan tells the guys no one is leaving the room until she gets 15 names of people to fire. Wow, no wonder she’s so popular.

Matt and Danny want Jordan to find out if it’s legal for Ricky and Ron to shop around another pilot. I would think it probably is since Sorkin shopped around West Wing before dumping Sports Night on its ass.

Tom and Simon are trying to convince Harriet not to pose in the lingerie spread. Apparently Harriet turned down the offer before but only recently accepted. Simon wants to know why. We’re 20 minutes into this episode I and I don’t care about any of the plots. Yay! Turns out Harriet lost a movie because she wasn’t sexy enough. Simon and Tom tell her the magazine is paying for money shots of the Church Girl and she won’t exactly get a sexier reputation from them.

Danny is complaining to Jordan about product placement which leads Sorkin to go on his product placement is here, get used to it rant through Jordan. She then goes on about the levels of production integration. I’m not kidding. She actually goes step by step. My first year media communications professor was better at pitching Product Placement. The hysterical thing about this is that this entire scene is one giant series of product placements. Sneaky Sorkin, Sneaky. I liked the Snapple better.

Turns out Ricky and Ron are exclusive to Studio 60 with the exception of Peripheral Vision Man. Just so happens the copyright on that skit is expiring in an hour and a half. So looks like the show might be able to solve it’s budget crisis just by letting the two dumbass writers go. You know it won’t do that because that would just be too obvious. Instead we’ll get an intricate series of scenes with walk and talks discussing completely irrelevant and annoying subjects until someone has an epiphany, an epiphany that took the entire viewing audience 10 seconds to reach. And we’re the idiots.

Lucy Davis is back! This makes me so happy. Studio 60 is not worthy of her talents. Matt asks Ricky and Ron what’s up with Peripheral Vision Man. Turns out Fox has bought 6 episodes. Look at that, Sorkin’s making a comment about how horrible tv shows on Fox are. Matt rants a bit and then throws in a Final Draft product placement. Man I love the hypocrisy on this show.

Simon and Tom are still boring me over Harriet. Turns out she lost her movie to Debra Messing. Seriously, has Sorkin watched tv in the past five years? Debra Messing getting a movie is like Lauren Graham winning an Emmy. It may have a chance in the past but it will for sure as hell never happen now.

Danny and Jordan rant again about product placement, just enough to get in an iPod mention. Then a Sony and Samsung one. Matt enters and tells Jordan she need to pick up Peripheral Vision Man’s option to protect his reputation. I love how Sorkin thinks that basing Matt on himself was a good idea and not a horribly stupid self destructive one. Danny then tells Jordan that Jack’s about to fire her. Her face drops. I once again don’t care. They then discuss it. I’m not repeating what they say because it’s boring.

Back to Harriet, Simon and Tom. She gets bored with them and leaves. She then runs into Matt where they talk about religion. It takes Matt a second to realize Harriet is really doing the photo shoot to get back at the religious group that tried to silence her. They once again don’t kiss.

Lucy’s back! And she kisses Matt to piss of Ricky. Turns out Ricky and Ron are taking the entire writing staff minus Lucy and Darius. Matt wants Ricky and Ron to stay because Peripheral Vision Man is gonna suck. Matt then decides to let them out of their contract. Ricky fights and stomps off like a child. Ron is more mature about it and leaves on a good note. Lucy and Darius get to keep their jobs. Yay!

Jordan and Danny have a horribly boring conversation about only having a year to live. Danny gives her advice about press. The writers are trying really hard to make these two have chemistry. Peet is not Janel Maloney, they need to learn that.

Cal finds a way to save the budget by designing the set after the Sunset Strip which is conveniently full of billboards. Matt lets everyone know about the writing changes and then they buckle down to watch where he went wrong with the show.

Chuckle Worthy Skit of the Night:
‘Quentin Taratino’s Hallmark Movie: Turkey Won’t Die.’