Directed by Thomas Schlamme
Written by Bill Wrubel & Aaron Sorkin
The crew prepare to cover a climb on Mt. Everest, Dana reluctantly goes to see The Lion King, and to her surprise, ends up enjoying it, Dan worries about what charity he should contribute to, and Casey is perturbed by the fact he can't get any food delivered to the studio.
This episode contains examples of:
- Actor Allusion: Isaac gives Dana tickets to see The Lion King. Robert Guillaume, who plays Isaac, had appeared in the original animated film version of The Lion King, providing the voice of Rafiki.
- An Aesop:Natalie: Two guys have ascended five miles into the sky. They walked up a wall of ice and are prepared to knock on the door of heaven itself. There's really no end to what we can do. Know what the trick is?
Dan: What?
Natalie: Get in the game. - Big Applesauce: Lampshaded by Kim.Casey: Nobody's delivering?Kim: Nobody's delivering.Casey: But we're in New York City!
- Captain Obvious: Everyone feels this way about Dana explaining the drill for Sunday.Dana: We do our regular Sunday show. We stick around and wait for the live feed from Everest. We kick it to Mike and Libby in Nepal, and we anchor the special.
- Comically Missing the Point:Casey: What about the kitchen?Kim: They took all the food out of the kitchen to spray for bugs.Casey: Shouldn't there be some dead bugs lying around that I could eat?
- Department of Redundancy Department: This famous exchange:Casey: It's a vicious circle.Dan: It is.Casey: It's a never-ending circle.Dan: Just keeps going round and round.Casey: Never ends.Dan: Which is what makes it vicious.Casey: And a circle.
- Guilt Complex: Dan's problem this episode.
- Hypocritical Humor: Jeremy and Natalie agree they have to act professionally around the office and save their coupling for later...and then they start kissing each other.Jeremy: I think we're gonna need a new plan.
- I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham: Before she goes to see The Lion King, Dana tells Isaac she doesn't like Broadway musicals:Dana: I've tried. I've really tried. But the singing and the dancing, and there's oftentimes a hoedown.Isaac: There's no hoedown.Dana: Don't tell me there's no hoedown, mister, I've been there.
- After seeing the show, of course, Dana is hooked, and she declares to everybody she's going to see more Broadway musicals. When Will confesses they're not his cup of tea, Dana says she used to feel the same way, but "the trick is, you find the ones without the hoedowns."
- Idiot Ball: A bit of context; at the time, The Lion King was the hottest ticket on Broadway, yet Dana only decides to get tickets for her and her niece on the day she decides to go.Isaac: (as Dana calls the box office to buy tickets) What's he (the ticket seller) saying?Dana: It's tough to say, he's laughing pretty hard. And now he's telling his friends. And there, he just hung up.Isaac: Screwed?Dana: Totally screwed.
- Lucky for Dana that Isaac has tickets.
- Product Placement: The Lion King was put out by Disney, which owns ABC, which ran Sports Night.
- Shaped Like Itself: Casey's attempt to explain how, because he climbs a wall at his gym that supposedly simulates a mountain, he understands what those climbing Everest are feeling.Casey: You know, mock me if you must, but I hold in my heart what few men possess.Casey: The spirit of the hill.Jeremy: Tell 'em, Casey!Dana: Yeah, tell us.Casey: (foundering) There's a hill...and there's spirit...Jeremy: (Beat) Man, did you drop the ball!
- Take That!: When Dan asks Isaac who he gives his money to, Isaac says he used to give it to the Democratic Party, but "you get your heart broken enough times, you learn your lesson."
- That Came Out Wrong:Jeremy: I like you. You like me. Everybody knows. Let's just go out and be done with it.Natalie: That's right.Jeremy: So what if it's unprofessional.Natalie: You think it's unprofessional?Jeremy: I didn't say that.Natalie: You did say that.Jeremy: But I didn't mean it.
