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<i>Great News</i> – “Night of the Living Screen” Review. Old Dog, New Tricks.

GREAT NEWS -- Pictured: "Great News" Logo -- (Photo by: NBCUniversal)

Season 2, Episode 5

Air Date: Thursday, October 26, 2017, 8/7c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Katie, you’re trying to have a life that does not belong to you.” – Portia

Katie (Briga Heelan) and Jessica (Cecily Strong)

During a baby reveal party for Katie’s (Briga Heelan) friend/rival, Jessica (Cecily Strong), Katie realizes almost everyone her age is either married, buying a house, or having kids. Determined to show her peers her single lifestyle is one to be envied, not looked down upon, Katie reaches out to Portia (Nicole Richie) to help make her look popular. Can Katie keep up with Portia or will the pressure to maintain her colleague’s hip lifestyle prove to be too much?

I enjoyed “Night of the Living Screen,” particularly because of Katie and Portia’s storyline. The two haven’t had much screen time together and the combination allows the audience to see a different side of Katie. Her attempt to bond with Portia by tagging along on her escapades and posting their adventures on Instagram is hilarious. The writers do a wonderful job highlighting how, for good and for bad, the use of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram influence how we want our lives to be perceived by others.

Katie and Portia (Nicole Richie)

Throughout the first season of Great News, Portia was basically a secondary character, the butt of jokes, and never taken seriously. The lines between Richie and Portia are often blurred on the show as Richie’s ditzy, partying blonde character is essentially a personification of how Richie was perceived by many for years. The jokes almost become funnier because the audience is aware of Richie’s past. While Portia still isn’t necessarily taken seriously, it’s nice to see her in a storyline where she’s front and center. As entertaining as Richie’s performance is in “Night of the Living Screen,” she’s earned the right to be given more storylines to show off her acting talents rather than treating her real-life past as part of the punchline.

Meanwhile, Greg (Adam Campbell) tasks Chuck (John Michael Higgins) with incorporating the station’s new smart screen into The Breakdown’s broadcast. After Chuck’s first attempt leads to an epic, not to mention embarrassing, disaster, Chuck announces he is done. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t stop laughing each time I replayed Chuck’s unfortunate error with the Senator’s photo while using the smart screen.

Hoping to teach the old dog new tricks, Carol (Andrea Martin) tries to show Chuck new technology should be embraced, not feared. Concerned about a repeat performance, Chuck enlists Justin (Horatio Sanz) to help convince Carol the smart screen is possessed and shouldn’t be used.

Chuck (John Michael Higgins) and Carol (Andrea Martin)

I absolutely love the bond shared between Chuck and Carol. I appreciate how the writers find ways to create situations that highlight the humor of Chuck and Carol’s age gap when compared to their peers without degrading them or being offensive. Together, Higgins and Martin are a comedic powerhouse and it’s hard not to laugh when the two are on screen together.

Themed episodes are usually hit or miss with me because the storylines often take liberties with the characters, which only works because it’s a certain time of year. While “Night of the Living Screen” has a Halloween motif, the overall storyline doesn’t feel out of place from the rest of the season.

Directed by Victor Nelli Jr. and written by Robert Padnick, “Night of the Living Screen” is an entertaining holiday episode. The writing is well done and I especially enjoyed the surprising revelation about Jessica at the end, which helps bring the risks of social media full circle.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Night of the Living Screen.”

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Photos © 2017 NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.