Sports Night: The Hungry & The Hunted

(S01E03) There's a great balance and symmetry to Aaron Sorkin's writing (and the writing of others who work on his shows). There's always a theme running through his shows, and callbacks to lines and jokes and incidents from earlier in the episode. Not just in his straight dramas but in his comedies as well. Sports Night is a mix of comedy and drama, of course, and this particular episode has a lot of what I just described above, and it's very well done.

Jeremy "gets the call," meaning he has been chosen to do a field assignment. But this is one he seems a bit uneasy about: he's to go hunting for CSC's outdoorsman show.

Jeremy doesn't want to go hunting, because he's against it. During the hunting session, a cute deer that he has befriended is killed by the hunters he is with, and he feels sick and guilty because he lured it with a Twinkie (when he should have given the poor animal his vest). The next day, he tries to lie to Isaac and Dana that nothing happened, but Isaac has already been filled in by others. After Jeremy explains what happened (Josh Malina should have been nominated for an Emmy based on this scene alone), Isaac understands and tells him that he doesn't have to lie. That he can trust them.

Meanwhile, the network is having a black tie party that Dan and Casey don't really want to go to. But it gives Natalie a chance to try to get Casey and Dana together. She tells Dan to make sure he goes to the party in one car with Isaac so Casey and Dana will have to ride together. Dan understands, though he thinks it's a really dumb plan.

As usual, a terrific mix of comedy and drama. I don't know what secret ingredient there is to make a show like this that mixes both so well (it goes beyond the writing and beyond the cast to...something else), but there aren't many shows like this:

Quotes:

"I gotta tell ya, at this point, the length of this conversation is way out of proportion to my interest in it." - Dan, to Casey, who wonders why Dan is trying to ride with Isaac to the party instead of him.

"I've been thinking a lot about soccer lately. I'm pretty much over with that." - Dan

"Honest to God, I have no idea what sport you're talking about." - Dana, to Dan, about yacht racing.

"All you need is $40 million and a dream." - Natalie, after Dan said that yachting is a great sport for kids.

"A.D. They're worried I might actually show up 2000 years before the birth of Christ." - Casey, about the elegant party invitations sent out by the network.