tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post5951468127474983895..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Sports Night rewind: "Ten Wickets," "Napoleon's Battle Plan" & "What Kind of Day Has It Been?"Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-32996653523887580402009-09-12T00:34:39.861-04:002009-09-12T00:34:39.861-04:00Thanks for doing the SN rewatch, as I'd never ...Thanks for doing the SN rewatch, as I'd never got around to watching it before, and I really enjoyed it.<br /><br />I don't have a lot to add to this - everyone's pretty much covered it - except that as a cricket fan, it annoyed me that they had no idea what had happened. I get that they're a US-centric show, but there should have been someone on the staff vaguely familar with the basics of the game, which is a fairly major sport. At the very least they should have had some Cricket For Dummies book somewhere they could refer to. Ten wickets just means that one person got the entire team out. And the nature of the game means that never happens. It's not that difficult to understand. And "wickets" is basic cricket terminology. It's not a "googly" (a particular type of bowl) or "third man" (a specific fielding position). It's just the number of people out. This is a sports show, even if they didn't know off the top of their head what it meant, they shouldn't have had that much difficulty finding it out. So that bothered me.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196372589248892579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8328485871312549742009-09-11T18:30:05.346-04:002009-09-11T18:30:05.346-04:00Regarding the second season, I felt like a lot of ...Regarding the second season, I felt like a lot of the twists were being thrown in there just for shock value (hi there, Danny meltdown), and so it felt rather disconcerting. All the same there are still wonderful moments: as much as I disliked a lot of the Sam Donovan story (just what did he do to bring up the ratings, other than monkey around with the order of the show? and the plot in his last episode really seemed to come out of nowhere), his passionate defence of the team to the network suits is marvellous. I hope we'll get to reminisce about season 2 one day!Isaac Linnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-31675629766855992902009-09-11T15:36:21.208-04:002009-09-11T15:36:21.208-04:00I think we've all discovered in these reviews ...<i>I think we've all discovered in these reviews that "Sports Night" is a show best not over-analyzed.</i> I cannot agree with that. Every episode is so rich with language and character and emotion that to give less than 100% commitment to a series discussion short-changes the show dismally. That being the case, given how much richer and more complex much of season two is than the relatively straightforward season one, you're probably wise to give it a miss. Thank you, however, for what you did write. I can at least hope that it brought this classic series to the notice of a new generation of viewers.Anna Lawrencenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-52759239234498701832009-09-11T07:20:09.898-04:002009-09-11T07:20:09.898-04:00I think you're wise to not bother with Season ...I think you're wise to not bother with Season Two. I found it tremendously depressing. I would have thought I would have loved it given that it got rid of the damn laughtrack and brought more of Sorkin's bravura with story structure to bear. But I actually found a lot of it melancholic, bordering on depressing: <br /><br />{SPOILERS follow) <br /><br />Dan's nosedive into therapy, the Natalie/Jeremy breakup (which was utterly pointless), the killing and<br />abandonment of the unrequited romance between Casey and Dana (which was the whole point of the first season)... if seasons one and two were Woody Allen movies, they moved from Annie Hall to Interiors.<br /><br />The thing about Sports Night is it's got the bad as well as the good of Sorkin. There's really funny dialogue and moments and brilliant drama...but it also, particularly in the second season, lacks focus and is constantly changing its mind on what it wants to be and where it wants to go with<br />its characters. You can see a lot of The West Wing in it (hell, some<br />Sports Night episodes are essentially rough sketches of what would become great West Wing episodes) but you can see a lot of the making-it-up-as-it-goes-along madness of Studio 60 in it as well.Graemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874622261770189776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78265917152725348862009-09-11T01:06:03.347-04:002009-09-11T01:06:03.347-04:00As others have mentioned, Chuck "Cut Man"...As others have mentioned, Chuck "Cut Man" Kimmel almost single-handedly makes Season Two worth watching. Sure, there are other good moments throughout the season, but Cut Man's interaction with Dan and Casey is a brief tour de force of screwball dialogue. To this day, I still use several of those lines on a regular basis:<br /><br />"This fighter's got tremendous skills!"<br /><br />"There's a joke there, I just can't get the bat off my shoulder." (Jeremy's line, actually)<br /><br />"One of these fighters is gonna win this bout tonight, and the other will almost surely NOT!"Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11021669129682431727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36474424028423922862009-09-10T08:15:44.903-04:002009-09-10T08:15:44.903-04:00I always thought that Dana's wardrobe change i...<i>I always thought that Dana's wardrobe change in S2 was to hide FH's pregnancy. </i><br /><br />I think you can see the pregnancy at the end of the first season, but only if you look carefully; it's pretty artfully concealed. In season two she's much thinner, and there's the "biker chick" and other wardrobe choices that I found pretty unreal.Tinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47810515675188722082009-09-10T07:32:34.004-04:002009-09-10T07:32:34.004-04:00Thank you for the journey back through the first s...Thank you for the journey back through the first season. I've enjoyed viewing the episodes again and reading your thoughts and the comments left by viewers. This brought back memories of all those passionate discussions that went on at various websites when the show was on the air. <br /><br />I wish you'd reconsider the second season. For me, the relationship between Danny and Casey was always the heart of the show and the second season is so much about that. There are such strong currents running through both seasons -- and they are revealed in season two in several very powerful scenes.: Danny's words to Dana near the end of "The Giants Win the Pennant, The Giants Win the Pennant" tell us so much about Casey (and Danny, too); Casey's words to Danny at the end of "Shane"; that powerful argument in the editing room; Danny's meltdown on "Draft Day".<br /><br />I also wonder about the video store -- Casey finally realizing how insufferably self-important he'd been and how much he stood to lose -- and then returning to at last do what Isaac had told him to do in "Thespis": You've got to learn to show people how you feel about them, Casey -- something Danny was, at the same moment, trying to do for his friends at the Seder. Their "You do it good" and " You do it good" in the hallway are perfect.<br /><br />And, of course, there are Casey's words to Danny near the end of the series: You can do it without me. What an amazing thing to admit to Danny, but, most of all, to himself. <br /><br />I treasure their Finland moment, too, in "La Forza del Destino".<br /><br />I'd love to have your take on those moments -- it might even be worth revisiting the porn star nonsense and the dating plan -- well, maybe not the dating plan -- but, remember, without the dating plan you don't get that great conversation between Danny and Dana.<br /><br />Thanks again, Alan -- and Linda, too. And everyone who contributed their comments.gracielanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10462570104690836152009-09-09T18:24:05.376-04:002009-09-09T18:24:05.376-04:00And The babysitter is Nina Siemaszko, who plays El...<i>And The babysitter is Nina Siemaszko, who plays Ellie Bartlet in that episode of the West Wing. </i><br /><br />Then in some future Sorkin show, she should play a woman who says "all you would have to do to to make me happy would be to come home at the end of the day" to a picture of her late father, played by Richard Jenkins.Mike Schillinghttp://mybabyisabasketcase.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-71241634343152046622009-09-09T18:04:14.012-04:002009-09-09T18:04:14.012-04:00* Casey's line to his son of "all you hav...<i>* Casey's line to his son of "all you have to do to make me happy is come home at the end of the day" is word for word the same line Jed Bartlet says to his daughter in the season 2 episode "Ellie".</i><br /><br />And The babysitter is Nina Siemaszko, who plays Ellie Bartlet in that episode of the West Wing. (I think it's her first appearance...)<br /><br />Just last night I watched Josh Malina in an iCarly episode in which he plays the head writer on a show that's blatantly ripping of Carly's webcast. <br /><br />Thanks, Alan.Eyeball Witnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-16271880308591447832009-09-09T08:18:49.961-04:002009-09-09T08:18:49.961-04:00I always thought that Dana's wardrobe change i...I always thought that Dana's wardrobe change in S2 was to hide FH's pregnancy. <br /><br />Alan, many thanks to you and Linda for the SN rewind. How about TWW for next summer. Pretty please? *batting eyelashes*Ellienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85397843067048836402009-09-09T03:34:13.406-04:002009-09-09T03:34:13.406-04:00History too.
Dan: Napoleon wad defeated at Water...History too.<br /><br />Dan: Napoleon wad defeated at Waterloo and dies in exile on the isle of Elba.<br /><br />Casey: Actually, he was murdered on Elba.<br /><br />Well, no. Napoleon was exiled to Elba, then he came back, then he lost at Waterloo, then he was exiled to St. Helena, where he died (possibly murdered.)Mike Schillinghttp://mybabyisabasketcase.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45860380096966712192009-09-09T02:57:43.346-04:002009-09-09T02:57:43.346-04:00And yet another bit of Sorkin sports ignorance -- ...And yet another bit of Sorkin sports ignorance -- In "Ten Wickets", Dan thinks that Barry Bonds plays <b>right</b> field.Mike Schillinghttp://mybabyisabasketcase.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57362362186239058032009-09-08T15:16:57.904-04:002009-09-08T15:16:57.904-04:00Thanks for the rewatch Alan, and all the insights ...Thanks for the rewatch Alan, and all the insights along the way. <br /><br />I, for one, hope you decide to come back to season two next summer. It may not be up to season one's standards (personally, I'm not sure if I agree with that sentiment) but there's still plenty of good and I'd love to read your take on the good and the bad, and have a forum for discussing such.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34423788822197371872009-09-08T15:15:39.571-04:002009-09-08T15:15:39.571-04:00Aw, the part where they reconciled by talking abou...Aw, the part where they reconciled by talking about the video store always made perfect sense to me. When you have a fight, a lot of times, you don't talk about everything. You just...start talking about something normal, and then it's over. I find that especially true with guys. I think that's a very realistic conclusion to that estrangement.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08184669198971626945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-51265317256890471252009-09-08T12:52:11.139-04:002009-09-08T12:52:11.139-04:00Everyone's already mentioned the wonderful mom...Everyone's already mentioned the wonderful moments in WKoDHIB. Couldn't agree more.<br /><br />I have to mention one of my favorite moments in the previous episode: When Dana storms into the office after hearing the truth about Gordan Sally and Casey, interupting Dan and Casey's fight, she lets off a tirade at Casey. To which Dan responds "Which one of us are you talking to?" I love that he tries to diffuse the situation/take the bullet. <br /><br /><br />Thanks for doing this rewind, Alan (and Linda) It's been fun to revisit these episodes. <br /><br />Sorry to hear you won't be revisiting season 2. It's that stupid dating plan, isn't it? That was funny, and ridiculous, for about 1 episode, and then just smacked of an artificial way to keep Dana and Casey apart. I did like the way it ended (and The Cutman Cometh in general) plus it gave us Dan's speech to Dana.<br /><br />*** Season 2 Spoiler-ish comments follow ****<br /><br /><br />There were a lot of good things in the 2nd season. <br /><br />Some little: <br />I’ve always liked the Dan/Casey bit in Shane where they’re both having a bad day (Casey’s put himself in a tough spot professionally, Dan’s having a complete mental collapse) and come across each other, share their current problems and then calmly say “So I guess we’re each on our own today”) <br /><br />And Dan wheeling and dealing to get the night off to see Tom Waits: Casey: You’re mocking me and asking a favor at the same time?<br /><br />And Dan talking to Isaac about missing the big moment in The Giants Win the Pennant "You were there for the birth of your daughter, right?"<br />And some big: such as Draft Day Pt 1 & 2, April is the Cruelest Month. Dan and Casey’s fallout was heartbreaking to me at the time, and I was relieved that it got resolved so quickly. I thought the scenes with Charles/Krause in those episodes were really well acted, and there were little touches (like Dan casually holding Casey back from drinking the seder wine) that underscored their relationship (Though I could never understand the jump from “video store visit” to “reconciliation” ...ah, well, that's what you get with Sorkin sometimes)Hannah Leenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9487962980152681582009-09-08T08:43:25.310-04:002009-09-08T08:43:25.310-04:00there's no way season 2 was not at least as go...there's no way season 2 was not at least as good as the first season. sure, it had the crazy dana, but it also had sam donovan. just about all the things that happen in the 2nd season work, and that includes things in the periphery of the crazy dana storyline, like pixlie.<br /><br />the cutman cometh, anyone?Alex Popahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03080855676871252911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39506650264114101812009-09-08T06:35:07.811-04:002009-09-08T06:35:07.811-04:00Agree about the change in Dana's wardrobe bein...Agree about the change in Dana's wardrobe being distracting. I have always assumed it came from network notes ("let's make her hotter") since she also wears noticeably more makeup in season two. But I've always preferred Dana's look in season one and I think there was a way to vary her clothes without making the change so extreme.<br /><br />Mel T, I also love the "third place...first place" line very much. That whole scene is wonderfully written and played. I also like Dana's line that if someone in the room is allowed to be angry, it should be her.<br /><br />Thanks for the rewind, Alan. I completely understand your decision to skip season two, although I'll always love Dan's "you've just been hanging out in the men's room." It almost -- almost, mind you -- makes up for what came before.Tinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3034859052330784492009-09-08T01:04:12.045-04:002009-09-08T01:04:12.045-04:00Oh, and J.J., both Dana and Natalie definitely wen...Oh, and J.J., both Dana and Natalie definitely went to more casual clothes in Season 2. The change was probably more true to life - I work with TV professionals (gumdrop) and they are mostly fairly casual dressers - but it was a distraction, I agree. Plus, Felicity Huffman just looked better in the formal clothes (and shorter haircut).filmcrickethttp://filmcricket.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-75684143592726798682009-09-08T00:59:43.065-04:002009-09-08T00:59:43.065-04:00I'm sorry that you won't be doing Season 2...I'm sorry that you won't be doing Season 2, if only because I'd enjoy having you and the commnenters on the site point out things I've missed while being excessively irritated by a lot of the storylines. That, and William H. Macy rocks. <br /><br />But thank you for doing Season 1, Alan (and thanks to Linda for pinch hitting). While I came to Sports Night after The West Wing and still think the latter is the superior show (at least if we're comparing the first two seasons) there's a lot to love about Sports Night, and Isaac's reappearance at the end of WKODHIB is unquestionably the best moment in the whole series. Any time you decide to revisit TWW (and kick the writerly ass of the poor guy doing the S1 recaps over at the AV Club), count me in.filmcrickethttp://filmcricket.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2474856378570875312009-09-08T00:54:26.027-04:002009-09-08T00:54:26.027-04:00Season 2 definitely got weird with Casey/Dana.
I...Season 2 definitely got weird with Casey/Dana. <br /><br />I don't know what Sorkin's deal is with writing romantic pairings. <br /><br />Maybe he lent too much weight to all the comments he must've gotten over "A Few Good Men." I mean any other screenwriter probably doesn't resist the temptation (or studio pressure) to make Tom Cruise and Demi Moore couple up in that movie... so perhaps he thinks it's the ballsy thing to not let his leads go there. So, once he danced around and made it seem like Dana and Casey were going to go there, he thought he had to abort, and the best he could come up with was that bizarre Season 2 storyline where Dana makes Casey date other women.<br /><br />Honestly, though, one thing that strikes me when I watch season 2: it seems like Dana has completely changed. Granted, I'm a dude and so I'm not well versed on female fashions, but it seems like Dana went from looking totally professional in season 1 to incredibly casual in season 2. Maybe I'm imagining things. Or maybe it's supposed to be some unspoken character change where she's feeling more free or confident. Or maybe there was a hit show around that time where everybody was super casual or quirky around the office and ABC convinced them to loosen Dana up to try and appeal to different people. I don't know.J.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11999053649820732449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48497671648163180332009-09-07T22:11:40.129-04:002009-09-07T22:11:40.129-04:00I just want to express that I have enjoyed your su...I just want to express that I have enjoyed your summer rewinds, Alan. I especially like that you chose Sports Night, a show that I rather enjoyed but which is arguably the least successful one to have had the summer rewind treatment bestowed upon it. Season One did, in my opinion, finish strong.Drew Johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33904388707036695242009-09-07T20:38:34.236-04:002009-09-07T20:38:34.236-04:00Thanks for doing this. This wasn't a show I r...Thanks for doing this. This wasn't a show I regularly watched when it aired, but I Netflix'd it this summer and watched along with your and Ms. Holmes reveiws.<br /><br />As a self-diagnosed West Wing addict, I had a different perspective, having seen each episode of WW many times before seeing SN. For me, it was sort of like watching highlights of Derek Jeter from AAA after having watched his career with the Yankees.<br /><br />So many of the great things that Sorkin would go on to do in WW were there in SN, but with plenty of uneven moments and (obviously) a more sitcom-my vibe.<br /><br />All and all, an enjoyable show, and enjoyable reviews from both of you to pass the summer. Who knew it'd end with a Mad Men about Jai Alia and a Sports Night about Cricket?The Chancellorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06020996168793824545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26827080872165593352009-09-07T18:57:26.735-04:002009-09-07T18:57:26.735-04:00OK, Lagaan is not four-plus hours. It is three and...OK, <i>Lagaan</i> is not four-plus hours. It is three and a half. Why does everyone always exaggerate its length? It doesn't need exaggerating. Unless people really feel like it lasts over four hours, but I definitely don't feel that way. It is my favorite Bollywood movie, except perhaps for <i>Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak</i>, a modern version of <i>Romeo & Juliet</i> from 1988, also starring my love Aamir Khan.<br /><br />BUT ANYWAY. ABOUT SPORTS NIGHT. i actually don't have much to say about these episodes.<br /><br />"Ten Wickets" really telegraphed Dan getting his heart ripped out. I can't decide if that was actually a good decision or not, because it might have made it more painful when it happened, but it also made it really obvious that it was going to happen.<br /><br />And I absolutely agree with you about Isaac/Robert Guillaume's return in "What Kind of Day Has It Been?" That kind of made my heart leap. This has been my first time watching the second half of the season, and I was not expecting that.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15758923671028899249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66534003687110419522009-09-07T18:39:03.030-04:002009-09-07T18:39:03.030-04:00Yeah, it's a nice moment with Dana and her bro...Yeah, it's a nice moment with Dana and her brother. Sigh. Season two has some good moments... plus wine and spackle. :).Brandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04760396392766842671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73754799819992050382009-09-07T18:10:20.272-04:002009-09-07T18:10:20.272-04:00"Casey: I know. [pause] I'm right here.&q..."<b>Casey:</b> I know. [pause] I'm right here."<br /><br />Love that moment too. And it reminds me of probably (*) the only <i>Sports Night</i> moment I find more moving than Issac's reappearance in the season finale: when Casey tells Dan about Isaac's stroke, and Dan has to keep presenting the show, but Casey stays just off-camera as if he realises that Dan needs him to be physically nearby at that point.<br /><br /><i>(*) The only other moment that runs it close is between Dana and her brother: ".. do you have any idea the kind of... You look tired" "I'm not done being your big sister yet. And it seems to me that these are the moments that big sisters get paid for".<br /><br />I'm the eldest of 4. It hits home.<br /></i>A Nonny Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08299115662973012452noreply@blogger.com