Sports Night: The End of Season 2

Date: June 27, 2021

Season 2, Episodes 20, 21, and 22

Music Video of the Day:

Interstellar News: We’re back from traveling up North! I got to see my Dad and step-mom, our dear friends in NY, my godmother, some other dear friends in NJ, and some equally dear friends in VA. Professor Zoom was the absolute best he’s ever been on a trip and got to sleep a lot in the car because we hit ALL THE TRAFFIC. Today, I did five loads of laundry and recuperated from all the driving… so it’s time to get back into writing. These are the last three episodes of Season 2 and all of Sports Night, two of which feature our favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Phil Coulson.

Episode 20 – “Bells and a Siren”

“Red lights are gonna start going off on the computer with bells and a siren, and that means we’re all in trouble.”: Danny hires a publicist, Natalie goes on an interview at Saturday Night Live, Isaac’s grandson is a little scared of him post-stroke, and Casey tries to understand the stock market. Danny is an absolute shit to Catherine, but eventually she puts him in his place and he starts to turn a new leaf. Dana, Jeremy, Isaac and everyone else are horrible to Natalie, but she knows it’s out of love. Despite all the “head games” she kills the interview but turns them down to stay with the Sports Night family. The absolute best part of the episode, though, it when Jeremy is being snotty to Casey and it comes back to haunt him at the end when the fire alarms go off and the Continental Corp network is put up for sale.

Episode 21 – “La Forza Del Destino”

“John Rocker’s a big honkin’ doofus.”: The crew keeps going to Anthony’s for “luck” and Dana meets a stranger, who will become very important next episode. Danny realizes he never had a secretary and he gets flowers from the mysterious “R.W.”. Natalie can’t figure out if she loves or hates Jeremy while Isaac and Dana speculate on who is going to buy them. This episode isn’t terribly exciting but it’s a wonderful setup to the finale. There’s also a good bit in there where Danny is probing Casey and it’s clear Casey isn’t moving anywhere away from his son, the son the show basically forgot most of the time and Danny doesn’t seem to remember either. I also love the bit about fast internet and coaxial cable, it’s a subject I’ve taught on in the past. There are so many good lines in this episode, like “Is it possible I got flowers from Raquel Welch?”, that I love to watch it and the next episode back to back almost always.

Episode 22 – “Quo Vadimus”

“Anybody who can’t make money on Sports Night should get out of the moneymaking business.”: Calvin’s (the stranger) company buys Continental Corp, but no one knows it’s him until Dana pieces things together in the end (“I just wrote a check for $18 billion, Dana. My scouting says you don’t keep a secret so good.“). Rebecca Wells, newly and actually divorced, comes back for Danny. I love the banter between the two of them. For her, nothing has changed, but Danny’s whole demeanor is noticeably different and you can tell she hurt him really badly. This is a wonderful ending to Sports Night because it leaves it open for a third season and hope that the characters will be able to do their best once there is someone who wants them to succeed. I hate that this is all we get of the show, but every episode is wonderful in its own way… especially the snappy dialogue and the interesting characters. It was a wonderful product of the early 2000s with strong female characters, not enough diversity, and a complete lack of Luthor Sachs in the entire run. This is a show that mostly aged well and was not given nearly enough consideration.

TA Out!