We’re two months into the run of Sorkin’s Newsroom with all of his pseudo reality as to how he hoped the news was reported. So that means that over a year of story-time passed it’s time for reality to hit a head in the office space of News Night and viewership has hit a rock bottom that’s so bad that Will and Charlie are worried enough to make some sacrifices and cave on the reporting of the Casey Anthony & Anthony Weiner.
I’ve always said that while our protagonists’ job is the news we as a viewer shouldn’t care about the news being reported, but rather the method of how it is reported. So this week we’re greeted with possibly one of the most interesting takes on the news… that is the news at its intentionally worst. With this ratings drop Mackenzie calls in the help of Don, former EP before News Night 2.0, to remind Will (and explain to us) how to make the news into the vile thing that is… entertainment. It’s amazing how well Don does in breaking down how to present the news in a way that makes you not want to change the channel at any point in the broadcast. It’s almost as if Sorkin is purposely breaking down CNN broadcasts for us so that we have some basis for all future viewings to critique them even better.
There’s even further explanation of the world of journalism in a highly cynical manner as we’re introduced to Brian, who’s come to Will’s office to possibly do an interview piece on Will and News Night. However, it turns out that Brian is a slightly outcast journalist for the same reasons that six months from now Will will be if he can’t turn things around. So using this fact, as well as the fact that he was Mackenzie’s ex-boyfriend that she cheated on Will with (as previously mentioned earlier this season), as leverage to force him into doing the piece. While it becomes obvious that he won’t be bullied too far into writing word for word that Will demands it’s also obvious that Will values that much more than any positive press he would get from ghost writing the piece himself with as much fluff commentary as he can muster in a couple thousand words or so.
In addition to providing some actual, non-repetitive, commentary on the news, The Newsroom actually decided to provide narrative. I’m so shocked I’m willing to already brand this the best episode thusfar in the series.
Leona Lansing, ever since the beginning of News Night 2.0, has been looking (and doing her best to manufacture) a reason to fire Will from the show, or at least direct him towards the outlook of the news that he’s had for the years prior. However, with recent discoveries, via Skinner’s meeting with “Late to Dinner” (a NSA employee) who is willing to provide evidence that AWN’s tabloid outlet (TMI) has been illegally hacking into people’s personal information at the request of Reese Lansing, also the fact that the US. Government is doing the same on a much larger scale. The leverage that Charlie Skinner and the News Night team has just been handed is almost ready to create a conflict that’s worth waiting another episode or two for as we lead into the final few episodes of the season.
Otherwise I give Sorkin a fun nod for the exchange between Sloan and Neal this week. With Neal about to start a possible “undercover” assignment as an internet troll and asks Sloan for permission to say slightly misogynistic things about her, and her “big ass”. She has these wonderfully honest, nerdy character moments that I love and this is up there as she has conflicting emotions and physical responses to Neal’s requests/statements.
