iVillage Entertainment

Tonight's episode took us back in time. In fact, it took us back to a simpler, more innocent time. A time when the prostitute to the stars, Heidi Fleiss, became a free woman. A time when a large-lunged American won the Tour de France. A time when people feared that the computer would overthrow civilization and ATMs would terrorize innocent cardholders the world over. A time when Hollywood focused on actual talent, namely Jennifer Love Hewitt and that insatiable group of musicians, N*Sync. (God, do I miss seeing that asterisk.)

Seems so long ago, doesn't it?

And yet. Lance is still kicking bike, computers are steadily taking over the world and N*Sync is bound to come out with a hot new record any day now. Not a heck of a lot happened in seven years, huh?

Side Note: Did anyone else miss the usually peppy intro music? I knew this episode was going to be a few extra doses of drama when they completely bypassed the "BA! Ba da BAH bah. Ba da BAH!" jingle.

Matt Needs Zoloft
The episode begins with Matt looking off in the distance. Stoic. Solemn. He watches a dress rehearsal of a relatively unknown singer (played by Gina La Piana) crooning, “I Don’t Want to Start Over.”

Flashback to 1999. A young Matt -- FYI, the backwards baseball cap will be the official cue of a “back in time” moment -- is sitting on the floor in a crowded hallway when fellow writer Tim Battale confides that he’s just been fired for taking pills. Matt, eerily shaken by the news, tries to encourage his blue-Oxford-and-khaki-wearing friend to fight for his job.

Matt makes his way to the writer’s room, which is oddly filled to capacity with actual writers. (No wonder we rarely see good “fake” sketches from the show-within-a-show… all the “fake” writers are missing.) Harriet walks in late. She and Matt exchange an electric glance from afar. So let it be done.

Back in 2007, Danny, Matt and Cal are going through the motions of the typical “Friday Night Slaughter,” the hours after rehearsal when they decide which sketches make it to the show and which fall to the symbolic cutting room floor. Apparently, they notice a trend: It’s a Harriet-heavy lineup.

Matt Needs to Keep Quiet
Flashback to 1999. FYI, the inclusion of a song by Eagle-Eye Cherry also serves as a cue that we’re heading back to the ’90s, as if you couldn’t tell. Matt approaches Harriet with a proposal. No, not that kind, silly. He’s willing to write a sketch for her. She doesn’t understand. After all, Matt’s a newbie writer, so he’d have a better chance getting his sketch on the air if he wrote for one of the “bigger guys.”

He doesn’t budge, and they have their very first fight. Surprisingly, it’s not any cuter then than it is now.

If he didn’t dig that grave deep enough already, he shared the perfect sketch idea with Harriet. “It’s you as a crazy Christian radio host who believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible.”

Um, she is -- er, minus the radio hosting gig. Aww-kward

Matt Needs a New Confidante
Danny’s much more chipper than usual, sure. He got the girl. But if I were a betting woman, I’d say his borderline-stalker tendencies fail more than they succeed. With that in mind, the man who said, “Look out because I’m coming for you,” shouldn’t be trusted with relationship advice. His tip for Matt? “Just tell her five words: ‘I can’t live without you.’”

Seems sweet enough, but I just don’t trust it.

He decides to get some words of wisdom from the guest singer, but all she offers him are some eye drops and more pills. Just say no, Matt! Bah. Before he leaves, she tells him about how sometimes she’ll dream that she said, did or saw something that never happened. Can you say for-shad-ow-ing?

Flashback to 1999. FYI, the inclusion of yet another totally dated song (this time by Smash Mouth) also serves as a cue that we’re heading back to the turn of the century. (It seems like yesterday when “All Star” was a hit and all seemed right in the world.) Luke, also a young writer and a friend of Matt’s, decides to write a sketch for Harriet as well. Luke comes up with a singing teacher skit, and Matt writes a “Being Neve Campbell” one. The show’s head writer informs them that as they’re both newbies, it’s not likely that either of their sketches will get approved, but both won’t for certain.

And guess what. Matt’s sketch didn’t make it. Luke’s did.

Matt Needs a Break
That way, some of the other, less disgruntled actors can get more airtime. The show’s redeeming subplot was Tom and Dylan’s nervous energy over whether their “Metric Conversion” sketch will make it on that week’s show. They bribe, they beg, they shout “Big sketch!” and call Matt a disgruntled electrician. Their work pays off, and yet I’m still waiting to see the actual sketch. They better show it next episode.

Matt Needs More Zoloft
The Matt of 2007 looks at a picture of the 1999 writing crew and comes to a not-so-healthy realization. Tim Battale, blue-Oxford-and-khaki-wearing pill-popping writer friend, is him. Tim is Matt. Matt is Tim. The first rule of Fight Club…

The episode ends with Matt looking off in the distance. Stoic. Solemn.

“4 a.m. Miracle.” Matt struggles with (survey says…) writer’s block. Plus, he must contend with a young lawyer (guest star Kari Matchett of

pseudo-fame) who’s investigating a sexual harassment clain while Harriet continues shooting her movie. Not to worry -- the fun doesn’t stop there: Jordan and Danny enter into a contest to see who’d make the better parent. My guess is it’s the one of them that will actually

a parent.