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<i>Great News</i> – “Pool Show” Review. Losing the Spark.

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

Season 2, Episode 6

Air Date: Thursday, November 2, 2017, 8/7c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“I just wish I could do something exciting for once.” – Katie

Is Katie (Briga Heelan) hiding something from Carol (Andrea Martin)?

Seeking some excitement in her career, Katie (Briga Heelan) goes on a stakeout with Jeremy (Reid Scott), the New York Times reporter she met at the American Journalism Awards in “Award Show.” With the two competing journalists working so closely together, are Katie’s intentions purely professional or will things develop into a full-fledged romance?

I don’t know about you, but the Katie/Jeremy storyline doesn’t work for me. I’m not sure if it’s because their pairing seems rushed or because Jeremy is kind of a douche. Perhaps fans of Great News see Greg (Adam Campbell) as Katie’s inevitable partner and Jeremy simply buys the writers time to develop that relationship. I would’ve appreciated seeing more of a seed planted when it comes to Jeremy other than just a brief encounter in a previous episode. Scott is a talented actor yet the writers seem unsure of what to do with his character other than as a generic love interest for Katie.

Despite Katie’s storyline fizzling, her secret rendezvous with Jeremy has some entertaining consequences because Carol (Andrea Martin) drags Greg along to stake out Katie’s stakeout. I enjoy the chemistry between Carol and Greg, and the banter between the two as they watch from the car is some of the funniest dialogue of the episode. Carol’s slip of the tongue about Katie’s true feelings for Greg should make for some interesting scenes between Katie and Greg in the next few episodes. Will Katie finally tell Greg how she really feels or will Greg confess he knows?

Boys will be boys.

Meanwhile, Chuck (John Michael Higgins) becomes BFFs with Portia’s (Nicole Richie) fiancé of five years, Carvell (NFL running back Rashad Jennings). I got a kick out of watching Chuck and Carvell goof around in the pool and playing video games, much to Portia’s chagrin. Jennings’ dance moves are hysterical and Higgins’ performance is hilarious as Chuck’s mentality goes from hard-hitting journalist to teenage boy finding a new best friend. Even though several of the boys-being-boys scenes are over the top, I wouldn’t have minded seeing their antics played up even more.

As Chuck and Carvell’s bromance grows, Carvell confesses the magic with  Portia is fading. Determined to help their relationship, Chuck shows Portia a series of marital therapy videotapes he made in the ‘90s. Oddly enough, Chuck’s videos have a unique way of bringing the two back together again, although no wedding date has been set yet.

I never thought I’d admit this, but I’m starting to miss having Tina Fey on the show. While I hated her character, Diana St. Tropez carried influence while Greg’s scenes often portray him as a close equal to his co-workers rather than an authoritative executive producer in the newsroom. Station bosses like Greg’s grandmother (Christina Pickles) during season one and Diana this season have made brief appearances but the lack of a consistent leader limits the potential for some entertaining storylines, as well as giving Greg someone to butt heads with on a regular basis.

Having complained about the repeated use of the word “bitch” in earlier reviews, I applaud the writers for their restraint in the last few episodes, that is until “Pool Show.” The writers made up for lost time by using the foul language twice. It’s not that I’m against cussing; there’s just a time and place for it. For a show that uses adult language sparingly, I can’t help but wonder what the writers’ fixation is on the B word.

“Pool Show” reminds me of working in an office setting when the winter holidays approach and the day-to-day work slows down as employees begin to look ahead at the upcoming year. It’s not that “Pool Show” is a bad episode; the writers simply appear to focus more on laying the groundwork for the second half of the season than the story at hand. Things like a potential relationship between Katie and Jeremy, and Greg learning about Katie’s true feelings, are brought to light but won’t be resolved until the show returns following the winter hiatus.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Pool Show.”

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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.