Synopsis of The Head Coach, Dinner and the Morning Mail
Written by Bethany
The scene opens during a Sports Night commercial break. Dan complains of the freezing temperature in the studio due to a malfunctioning heater. Natalie misplaces a segment and begins searching for it frantically, while Dana tells a tired-looking Jeremy not to panic, and asks whether he got ANY sleep last night. Dan rips Casey for riding too hard on a mistake his alma mater's college football coach Rostenkowski made, and for the annoying sound effects Casey used for the segment.
Next we see Natalie coming to Dan and Casey's office saying she got the air conditioning fixed, and they remind her that it was the *heater* that was broken. Casey continues to complain about Rostenkowski's errors.
Jeremy busts into Isaac's office and tells him and Dana that he figured out Natalie's email password so he could intercept the hate mail she was getting as a result of the charges she was pressing against Christian Patrick. He says he found a death threat. Dana and Isaac assure Jeremy that he shouldn't be obsessing over it, because the FBI and network security have it covered. They tell Jeremy he looks like he hasn't slept in a week; he insists he's fine, but he doesn't want Natalie seeing all that hate mail. Dana sends him to wait for her in the conference room so they can talk.
Casey reads fan mail supporting his stance on Rostenkowski to the crew, they applaud him. Dana runs in to him on the way to the conference room and asks Casey to try to cover any mistakes or problems Natalie would have to cover normally, because Natalie's been so distracted with the Chris Patrick thing and has been screwing up a lot lately.
In the conference room, Dana asks Jeremy if he likes Natalie, as in really likes her. She tells him Natalie has been throwing herself at him, which he says he hadn't noticed. She tells Jeremy the best thing he can do to help Natalie right now is nothing. Just to take her to a quiet dinner where she doesn't have to think about anything else. Then she tells him to go take a nap in her office. He says he'll try.
Later, Casey asks Dana if she got the sound guys to find a "crash-and-burn" sound for that night's Rostenkowski piece; she says they didn't have one, but when he demonstrates the sound to the crew, the guys say no problem, they've got it!
Jeremy, looking terrible, comes into Dan's office asking for help in choosing the right restaurant to take Natalie out to. He has written a software application that will help him weigh factors like menu, ambience, location, etc. and rambles on about how important it is that it's perfect. Dan tells him he's going nuts and to get some sleep. He should just take her to a place that HE likes, because she'll like that too.
Gordon comes to sit in on a broadcast before taking Dana out, and he and Casey discuss Rostenkowski. Gordon asks Casey what he would have done in Rostenkowski's place. Casey decides he doesn't really know what he would have done because he now has all the hindsight and outside info. He decides not to ride him any more on the air, and asks the crew to come up with a replacement segment.
During the broadcast they come to a segment called "You Should Know" and Dan ad-libs some total BS about singer Tony Orlando, because Natalie made a mistake and the real info he was supposed to say (about Troy Aikman) never made it to the teleprompter. Dana rushes onto the set and tells them Natalie wasn't on time with the new material because of the Rostenkowski change, not to give her a hard time about it, and thanks for covering.
Natalie overhears and says they SHOULD be mad at her, because she does want to get it right and when she doesn't she expects to be treated like a professional, like her job is important. Dana says they just want to help cuz she's been going through a rough time. Natalie storms out of the studio, and finds Jeremy asleep on the office floor, lying next to a "picnic" he's set up for her.
She asks if he did it because he feels sorry for her, he says no, it's because he likes her. She sits down on the floor and has Jeremy lay his head in her lap to get some rest. She asks Dana to stay and have a drink with her; Dana can't because she's going out with Gordon, but before she leaves she tells Natalie "You've been screwing up all week and it's gotta stop. Get your act together and do it fast." Natalie smiles and thanks her.
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