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FeedsFarm.com > TV Review: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - "Nevada Day Parts I & II"

TV Review: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - "Nevada Day Parts I & II"

17th Nov 2006, 00:23 GMT

Nevada Day is a two part episode which concluded this week, and includes John Goodman as a small town Nevada judge controlling the fate of several Studio 60 actors. The episode begins with Tom Jeeter (Nathan Corddry) and Simon Stiles (D.L. Hughley) sitting in a small sheriff's office waiting for Tom's arraignment along with several studio executives and an unknown Chinese businessman and his daughter. Through a carefully crafted flashback, we're shown how this all took place. The basic conflict set up in the episode is over a quote of Harriet Hayes's (Sarah Paulson) in a magazine where she says that according to the Bible, homosexuality is a sin, but also that "thou shalt not judge lest ye be judged," and that it is something for people smarter than her to decide. The magazine only reported the first part of her comment. While in Los Angeles, a group of the Studio 60 actors are confronted on the street by a group of gay people upset over the comments, and while defending Harriet, Tom Jeeter pushes one of the men over, and then all the actors flee. The man who was pushed subsequently files a complaint, and Tom is arrested while wearing Simon Stiles's jacket, Tom was cold and Simon let him borrow it, which had a half-smoked joint in it. Matters are complicated even further when it's discovered that Tom has an outstanding warrant against him for going 115 MPH through a small Nevada town named Pahrump. This causes even more trouble because NBS is trying to close a deal with a distribution outlet in Hong Kong, and the only way that the deal will go through is if the Hong Kong executive's daughter gets to meet her favorite Studio 60 actor, Tom Jeeter, now in cuffs in Nevada. The group of executives and a lawyer make their way to Pahrump to throw their weight around and get Tom released, while Simon goes to try and fall on his sword. He wants the judge to know that the joint was in his jacket and was his joint, and Tom shouldn't be charged for possession or use. Things only get worse for the group, since it's Nevada Day, which celebrates the day Nevada was admitted to the Union, and all public offices are closed. The fact that the judge (John Goodman) is pulled from a fishing trip by the Governor who received campaign contributions from the NBS chairman doesn't help. Of course, the fact that the judge is an old-fashioned small town judge who hates Studio 60, and its attitudes towards society, hurts even more. The stage is then set for a two episode debate over homosexual marriage. The dynamic Studio 60 gives to this debate is actually quite unique, and is far more real than anything else you normally see on TV. While most shows that broach the topic tend to have everyone on one side or the other, and create a very confrontational atmosphere, Studio 60's writers have forced friends who know and respect each other, and in some cases love each other, to debate the issue both within themselves and with each other. Harriet is attacked for her viewpoint, and her friends come to her defense without question (though we don't necessarily know how they feel on the topic). Even the head writer, Matt (Matthew Perry), after spending the majority of both episodes berating her for her beliefs, finally confides in Harriet that the thing that upset him most was not being the one to defend her on the street. A similar conflict carries over into Pahrump's sheriff's office, where it's discovered that Tom was originally speeding so he could meet his brother who was deploying for a third tour in the Middle East. Tom refused to tell this to the judge because he didn't want his brother getting him out of the mess. The connection is discovered because Tom wears a bracelet that his brother gave him. We're left with a strong reminder that not everything is cut and dry in the political debate. The judge may hate the show that these guys create, but they are not their show. Matt may hate Harriet's beliefs, but she is not the sum total of those ideas. And whether Matt likes it or not, her fierce grip on her values is one of the things that draws him to her. It's a lesson that we could all stand to remember. Nick Schweitzer is a software consultant in the Milwaukee area. In his spare time he is an amatuer triathlete, political pundit, and is a recovering geek. He maintains two blogs: The World According to Nick and The Coding Monkey.

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