The Injury

"The Injury" is an episode of NewsRadio that was originally produced early in the second season, but was initially unaired by NBC until after the conclusion of the third season. In terms of airing order, it is the fifty-third episode overall.

Synopsis
Matthew and Joe compete to jump up and grab a coffee cup from the top of a light fixture in the hallway. Despite Dave's warnings to avoid injury, Matthew hurts his hand and requires a trip to the hospital. Once there, he admits to Dave and Beth that he was still shopping around for a medical insurance carrier and is not currently covered.

Bill attempts to asks Dave to sign off on his latest report for "The McNeal Perspective", but Dave gets tied up with helping Matthew. Bill goes ahead with the report anyway, in which he protests another broadcaster's excessive usage of the word "penis."

Dave returns and asks for Lisa's advice in how to handle payment for Matthew's injury. She suggests that it be written off as workman's comp, even though it wasn't technically work-related; Joe agrees to the plan to corroborate the story. Jimmy sees through the story and is concerned about OSHA getting on him, but is also worried about the legal precedent that would be set by paying the medical bills outright. He insists on having his lawyer, Roger, talk to Matthew at his home.

Dave and Lisa visit Matthew first and warn him to stick the story that he was helping Joe so he can get workman's comp, but he is uncomfortable with lying, despite the $14,000 medical bill. Jimmy and Roger show up soon afterward, asking him to sign a statement saying that he was goofing off when the injury occurred.

Bill gives a follow-up "McNeal Perspective" report, again without getting sign-off from Dave, in which he admits that the broadcast he mentioned previously was, in fact, a medical report about prostate conditions. Nevertheless, he still protests usage of the word "penis", regardless of context.

John, an OSHA representative, visits the station regarding Matthew's case. Jimmy snags Matthew first; having changed his mind with the OSHA guy around, he and Roger ask Matthew to lie. He initially refuses until Roger calls him out for having lied on his job application regarding details of his previous employment.

Later, Dave talks to Bill, apologizing for not getting around to signing off on his reports. Despite initially claiming ignorance on the report topics, he reveals that the station will have to fine him for what he said on air.

Jimmy talks to Matthew in the break room, and admits that Roger found out about the job application lies by contacting Matthew's mother. As gratitude for lying to the OSHA guy, Jimmy agrees to put him on his own health plan, including full medical and dental.

Roger tries to confront Dave about info from his job application, but in Dave's case, they were not lies, even though he didn't mention them to his mother. As Dave and Jimmy are talking, Jimmy notices a coffee cup on top of the light fixture. He successfully jumps up and grabs it, but as he and Dave enter the elevator, the entire fixture crashes to the floor.

Quotes
Dave: "Are you referring to the letter that described you as Andy Rooney without a sense of humor?"

Bill: "Nonsense. Andy Rooney is Andy Rooney without a sense of humor."

"Freedom of speech is one thing; the word 'penis' is another."

-Bill

Jimmy: "I got fired from my first job as a stockboy, too."

Matthew: "For stealing pies?"

Jimmy:'' "No, for funneling register overcharges into a shell account in a neighboring state. Same principle, though." ''

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
Norm MacDonald as Roger Edwards

Bob Odenkirk as Dr. Smith

Wayne Wilderson as OSHA Guy (John)

In-Universe
Catherine previously dated a male nurse and retained an extraordinary amount of detailed medical knowledge, which comes in handy in diagnosing Matthew's injury.

Second appearance of the speeding ambulance for comic effect.

Matthew admits being allergic to cat dander, despite the fact that he said he had a cat in "Rat Funeral."

Matthew wears an Emerson College t-shirt, though it's not known if he went there.

Matthew previously worked at a Kroger's supermarket as a stockboy, and was fired for stealing a pie, which he claims was past its expiration date and was given to a homeless person.

Matthew gives his birthdate as 12/21/65, which would have made him 29 at the time this episode was intended to air. However, later episodes would establish him as being a year or two younger.

Jimmy was also fired from his first job while working as a stockboy, but he was fired for funneling register overcharges into a shell account in a neighboring state.

Production
NBC did not initially air this episode, ironically enough, due to Bill's excessive usage of the word "penis." The version that finally made it to air edited out some instances of the word. This episode is included on both the Season 1-2 and Season 3 DVD collections.

First appearance of Bob Odenkirk on the series. He would later return in another role in Season 4.

The intended first appearance of Roger Edwards, as played by Norm MacDonald.

In terms of airing order, this was the last appearance of the standard opening credit sequence from Seasons 1-3.