Ep 8. Artie's Gone

Larry Sanders Show season 2 episode 8 titled "Artie's Gone" centers around the absence of Artie, the show's producer. Artie's father passed away, and he is taking time off to attend the funeral and take care of family matters.

The episode opens with Larry and Hank discussing the logistics of filling Artie's position. They debate whether to hire a temporary producer for the week or split Artie's responsibilities amongst the current staff. Ultimately they decide to divide the workload. This decision leads to chaos throughout the episode, with each staff member struggling to fill Artie's shoes.

The first person to feel the weight of Artie's absence is Paula, Larry's assistant. She typically relies heavily on Artie but now with him gone, she feels overworked and overwhelmed. Paula spends most of the episode struggling to keep up and is relieved when Artie returns.

Next, we see Hank attempting to fill Artie's role as producer. Hank takes the position very seriously and tries his best to manage the show's guests and segments. However, he quickly finds the position is more challenging than he anticipated, and he struggles to keep up.

As the episode progresses, we see Larry becoming increasingly upset with the crew's poor job handling Artie's responsibilities. He is frustrated with the constant mistakes and tensions rise as production comes to a head. Larry vents his frustrations to his therapist, who tells him that his anger is a way to cope with the loss of his friend.

On the production side, the absence of Artie takes a much more significant toll. With no clear leader, the show begins to fall apart. The guests are confused about what they are supposed to do, and the staff is constantly arguing, which results in rushed, poorly produced segments. The tension reaches a climax when Larry pulls the plug on a sketch after it comes in way over budget. This decision upsets the writers, who go to Larry's therapist to report his erratic behavior.

In the second half of the episode, Artie finally returns to work after being away for a few days. He quickly settles back into his role, restoring order and reestablishing the hierarchy. Artie's return allows everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. Larry is no longer angry, the writers are happy, and the segments begin going smoothly again.

As the episode comes to a close, Hank realizes how critical Artie is to the show's success. He acknowledges his newfound respect for Artie's hard work and commitment to the job. The episode ends with Larry apologizing to Hank for being so angry, and the two of them reflect on how much they depend on Artie.

Overall, "Artie's Gone" is an episode about the importance of friendship and the vital role of a support system in the workplace. The show's recurring theme of office politics is on full display as the staff struggles to fill Artie's shoes. However, in the end, Artie's return signals the importance of having the right people in the right position. The Larry Sanders Show is an interesting and well-written show, with excellent character development and subtle humor.