“K&R, Part II” spoilers below:

Things that happened

We begin, as always, with the open. I laughed. I actually laughed. Then we got the happy opening music. Is this episode going to actually be good?!

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought since I watched it last night. The conclusion I came to is that it wasn’t great, but given how awful this show has been recently, an episode that doesn’t make me scream was refreshingly enjoyable.

Danny is at the hospital freaking out about Jordan and the baby. The surgery is going far longer than it should, but since Danny is a producer and not a doctor, he doesn’t know this. After some witty banter with Doogie Howser, it is revealed that the baby has been delivered, but Jordan is suffering from post-surgery complications. She won’t stop bleeding. The baby is perfect and 16 pounds (if you listen to Matt), which is relieving.

I’m betting she dies. Any takers?

While Danny is freaking out, Matt and Harriet show up, fighting as usual. But this time it isn’t a “I hate the fact you are Christian”/ “I hate the fact you are going to burn in hell” fight, but rather a “Holy crap, our friend is in trouble. I’m so stressed I can’t help but yell at you” fight and it is almost endearing. Danny decides it’s smarter to send Matt back to the studio to see what is going on with Tom, because apparently Tom in Studio-60-land is the equivalent to Paris Hilton in real life. Not only is his brother been taken hostage by an evil Arab militia, every reporter in Hollywood is out to ruin his good-guy persona and wants to know what he is doing right now.

With Matt gone, Danny and Harriet unsuccessfully try to get Danny to see the baby. The nurse won’t let him because he is neither related to the baby nor married to Harriet. However, Doogie Howser comes through, and Danny falls in love at first sight.

How much do you want to bet those facts become important later? Like, after Jordan dies?

Over at the studio, everyone is hanging out and trying to get as much information about Tom and Jordan as they can. They also don’t want to be bombarded by reporters as they go out the door. Is Seth Meyers ever bombarded by reporters? EVER?

Tom is freaking out, and rightfully so. What is weird about this entire situation is that Tom’s parents are in the studio. His father is drunk and his mother is in so much shock, they gave her drugs. So instead of hanging out and supporting his parents, like a good son should, he is getting drunk with an officer in Matt’s office (this is not as fun as it sounds) and Darius is with Tom’s parents. Can anyone explain this to me?!

Speaking of the officer, he is hilarious and delightful and a total asshole. He cannot tell Tom anything. While they are hanging out, on the television comes the story that Tom and his brother are estranged. This is not true and it really pisses Tom off. He wants it fixed, even though he really shouldn’t.

Simon decides he wants to save the day and organizes a secret rendez-vous with some really old white guy reporter so the truth can set Tom free. Instead, it sets the reporters loose on Simon, who instead of maturely ignoring them, goes royally ape-shit on them. Think Anne Coulter times a bazillion. And he’s completely sober. And supposedly sane.

This is not good.

Along the way, Lucy freaks out, Mary Tate is pimping the hostage-negotiation plan in an attempt to get Matt to sleep with her, and there are flashbacks that are trying to build up to when Matt and Danny got fired from Studio 60 six years ago. It involves a non-patriotic sketch in post-9/11 that pisses of the executives. They haven’t aired it yet, but I bet they will.

Any takers on that one?

Things that were good

• For the first time in a long time, I laughed multiple times during this episode. There were some worthy one-liners and dialogue in it. Most of the plot lines still drive me crazy, but if I’m laughing, I can handle it.
• Harriet and Matt were sort of likable and sort of believable. Wait, did I just write that?!
• The writer’s room was full and chaotic. Okay, it wasn’t full of writers but still!
• I want to be Lucy Davis. Even though her teeth are crooked and her real British accent sounds fake.
• Doogie Howser and the officer were awesome. They were great foils for Danny and Tom and every scene with them in it was enjoyable,

Things that were not so good

• While I’m evil and kind of want Jordan to die, her imminent dying and the legal battles that will ensue over the child seem to be the predictable way to go with this storyline.
• Why the hell does the lawyer-whore who has been around for THREE DAYS care so much about Danny, Jordan and the baby?!
• Where was Jack? I love him. I miss him. I need him.
• Are these flashbacks really, really necessary? I can’t figure out why they are here, except to push it into our heads that the war has been going on for a long time. This episode would have been far better without them.
• As famous as Tom may be, I highly doubt that the media would care that much about a sketch comedy star being related to a hostage. I’m sure they’d want an interview or two, and each entertainment show would run a story on it. But having every news team on the West Coast camped out outside the studio? I really don’t think the world cares about the SNL (or in this case, Studio 60 cast that much
• Simon Styles has been in show business a long time. He really should no better than to go off on a rant of that caliber. Make an inappropriate comment or two but a half hour tirade over a story that, while is unfortunate, would be expected in such a situation from those lame 24 news networks? How immature can you be?

Worth Watching if

While this episode was not without fundamental flaws, it was the best Studio 60 episode to air in a long time. For once, the focus was on the characters and their interactions with each other, not on the twin themes of Christianity and the War that have been thrown at us since the beginning. They were there and they dictated how the story went, but they weren’t the focus. And that made all the difference in the world.

In Five Words

Famouser* (and Crazier) Than Paris

*I recognize that famouser is not really a word.

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