ByJoe Reid,
who has been covering movies and pop culture since 2007
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: HBO, Netflix
The new three-part Netflix documentary The Comeback tells the story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, a team you may or may not have heard of. Just kidding, you have: They rallied in historic fashion during a postseason series against their rivals the New York Yankees, erasing nearly a century of futility, breaking the curse of the Bambino, and propelling them to their first World Series win since 1918. On the 20th anniversary of that momentous playoff matchup, filmmakers Colin and Nick Barnicle collected interviews with a staggering number of Red Sox luminaries and adjacent notables to tell the story with greater depth than ever before.
But you know who doesn’t appear in the documentary? A person who also stood under the brightest lights and attempted to revive their flatlining hopes and dreams: Valerie Cherish, the resurgent sitcom star played by Lisa Kudrow in HBO’s The Comeback. We got one glorious season of The Comeback in 2005, then a second one in 2014, during which time Val filmed a reality show, starred in an awful sitcom, and fought to maintain her dignity in an entertainment industry determined to humiliate her at every turn. David Ortiz could never.
What do these two Comebacks have to do with each other? Don’t worry about that. What’s more important is determining whether you know if Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein raised the 2004 World Series trophy and yelled in an unhinged voice, “WELL, I GOT IT!†The following quotes come from either The Comeback (the story of how the Red Sox defeated the Yankees and won the American League Championship Series) or The Comeback (the story of how Valerie Cherish defeated Paulie G and won an Emmy). Can you tell which is which?
Which Show Is It From:The Comeback (Kudrow) or The Comeback (Baseball)?
We give you a quote, you tell us which show it’s from!
Base hit! A Red Sox fan said this after the Yankees went up 3 games to 0 in the 2004 ALCS.
Oof, strikeout: This was said by a Red Sox fan after the Yankees went up 3 games to 0 in the 2004 ALCS.
You survived! You knew this was Val performing “I Will Survive†in a music studio.
Gloria Gay-NAUR! This was said — sung, in fact — by Valerie Cherish while recording a performance of “I Will Survive.â€
You got it! This was Val in the episode where she thought the Room & Bored cast were staging a walkout, only they didn’t, and Val had to race back to the set.
Nice try, Curt Schilling! This isn’t about the infamous bloody-sock game, it’s Val rushing to the set and unable to navigate her footwear.
Yeah, you remember! When Val’s frustrated director, Ron, flipped her the bird after an argument on set.
Go back to the Bronx, ya bum! Just kidding, but yeah, this isn’t about abusive baseball fans, it’s Valerie reacting to getting flipped off by her director, Ron.
Rocket on target! This was Roger Clemens talking about being put out to pasture by the Red Sox before joining the Yankees.
Swing and a miss! This was Roger Clemens talking about being put out to pasture by the Red Sox before joining the Yankees.
[Taps nose] Yep, this was a gleeful Yankees fan when asked if Aaron Boone’s injury paving the way for the Yankees to trade for Alex Rodriguez was Boone screwing the Red Sox all over again.
Bullshit! Val wasn’t into Oliver Stone conspiracy theories. This was a Yankees fan talking about the Alex Rodriguez trade.
Take a bow! This was Valerie Cherish after she won a long-awaited Emmy award.
Not like that it didn’t! This wasn’t anyone on the ’04 Sox. This was Valerie Cherish after she won a long-awaited Emmy award.
You got it, Jimmy! This was, of course, Valerie Cherish leading the studio audience of Room & Bored in a chant to pressure director Jimmy Burrows to give her another take.
You’re not gonna be heard on this one. If you don’t remember “Give her another take,†it’s time for you to watch Lisa Kudrow’s The Comeback.
Nomah! You remembered that this was a Boston sports-radio host after the Sox traded away star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs.
No (... mah)! But honestly, a Nomar Garciaparra cameo on HBO’s The Comeback could have been pretty rad.
Nerves of steel and a spine to match! Good job avoiding our little trap and remembering that Valerie Cherish does indeed have a steel rod in her back.
Gotcha! Sorry for the capitalization trickery, but no, this isn’t about Alex Rodriguez, it’s a reference to the steel rod that Valerie has in her back.
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