Friends

"Friends" is the sixth episode of the second season of NewsRadio, and the thirteenth episode overall.

Synopsis
Bill is harassed by two security guards for forgetting is employee ID, preventing him from getting to the station, despite the fact that they don't bother to check the IDs of his coworkers. He threatens to call their superior to have them fired, but the pay phone is out of order. Lisa eventually helps him get in.

Beth is tasked with refiling news stories from the past three years, undoing the bizarre filing system of the former station manager. Dave hires a temp to help her. Jimmy helps by shredding any controversial documents, but gets carried away and starts shredding food and other items.

The temp arrives: it's Sandi Angelini, an old friend of Beth's who happens to be dressed very similarly. In private, Beth asks Dave to fire her immediately, claiming she stole her high school sweetheart and her style. To prove it, she drops hints that she likes Matthew, which causes Sandi to take notice of him and ask him out for sushi. Dave and Lisa are never around to see it, however.

Bill tries to make amends with the guards, and offers to get them snacks, but they still prevent his admission back into the office without ID. He tries unsuccessfully to rush into the elevator. When the guards call up to the station, Catherine claims that Mr. McNeal is already there as a prank.

Beth tries to provoke Sandi more by kissing Matthew, but it backfires on her when Dave sees it. He and Lisa do take notice of how misled Matthew has become by both women. Beth starts to confront Sandi about her copycat behavior, but she makes Beth aware of how miserable she became copying her when it meant that she had to work in the Peace Corps, something Beth only joked about doing. She stole Beth's boyfriend as revenge, and admits to being pathetic, which Beth denies. Matthew makes the ladies choose him amongst themselves, but they both turn him down, breaking his heart. The women do come to an understanding, and Dave covers for them by telling Matthew that they had been told that there was a company policy against dating him.

Joe gives Bill his lost ID, but the guards trick him into tearing it up, claiming it is expired.

Quotes
"She's like a slutty version of the singing frog in that cartoon!"

-Beth, regarding Sandi

"Shreddin' a heart! If that's not a metaphor for... something, I don't know what is!"

-Jimmy

Main Cast
Dave Foley as Dave Nelson

Stephen Root as Jimmy James

Andy Dick as Matthew Brock

Maura Tierney as Lisa Miller

Vicki Lewis as Beth

Joe Rogan as Joe Garelli

Khandi Alexander as Catherine Duke

Phil Hartman as Bill McNeal

Guest Stars
Bebe Neuwirth as Sandi Angelini

Tone Loc as Security Guard (Lorenzo)

Toby Huss as Guard #2 (Junior)

In-Universe
Bill once had a boat that got repossessed by the bank.

Jimmy makes first mention of Richard Nixon, a recurring theme.

Jimmy also apparently invested in Whitewater, but shredded the evidence.

Production
First appearance of the security guards Lorenzo and Junior, played by Tone Loc and Toby Huss respectively.