"This isn't going to be a reality show. We don't do good TV. We do the news."
The Newsroom
is a show that I typically hate watch. I
know that among people who write about TV, I am in the majority. However, many people I talk to who are just
casual TV viewers really do enjoy the show and are said that it is entering its
third and final season. It’s understandable. Often times hearing dialogue written by Aaron
Sorkin is enough to block out some truly horrible aspects of shows. Sports Night is one of my favorite television
shows but upon rewatching at an older age, it is clear that many weaknesses the
show had were covered up by that damn catchy writing.
And while I normally
do hate watch The Newsroom, I really want it to be good. I have a feeling this will be Sorkin’s
goodbye to television, at least for quite a while, and I would love it to be a
one season masterpiece to close out what has been an aggravating show. The first episode of season 3, “Boston”, is
at least a step in the right direction.
Last we left
our ACN crew, their credibility was shot to hell from Genoa and some sneaky
video editing from the nefarious Hamish Linklater. The season picks up in the aftermath of all
that, on the day of the Boston Marathon bombings. Because of the credibility issue that ACN
has, they are one of the last stations that report the story of the bombings,
needing 100% confirmation to avoid anymore shoddy reporting. Not focusing on the sensationalism of the
actual bombings and avoiding using that story as a manipulation of feelings is definitely
a pleasant surprise. The story leads to
the revelation that ACN has fallen to the fourth ranked, a fact that has Will
wanting to quit his job. Amidst the
chaos of the Boston bombings, Neil receives a note requesting his encryption
key. The person requesting it wants to
send Neil some classified government documents.
Upon receiving them, Neil requests more documentation which he then receives. Upon sharing this news, Will quickly points
out that by requesting more classified documents, Neil has aided in committing
a felony. The show has always had issues
with how to incorporate Neil into the ongoings of the newsroom, often
regulating him to crackpot theories and coming relief. This is a story that could be interesting and
have some legs, although there is a lot of work to do to successfully resolve
it, given the limited amount of episodes left in the series run.
The episode
falters, as it usually does, when it comes to dealing with the women of The
Newsroom and the relationships in the workplace. Sloan and Don (who will from here on out be
known as hairline) are a thing I totally forgot happened at the end of last
season. I wish Sorkin would have
forgotten about it to because those 2 have absolutely zero chemistry. Sloan is investigating a secret sale between
undisclosed parties, which she later finds out is actually Reece’s step siblings
trying to sell the company out from under him.
The story seems a bit ludicrous, but if it leads to some great speeches
from Jane Fonda in coming episodes, sign me up.
Mac on the other hand is not given much to do, other than give Will crap
and be shocked at the amount of twitter followers people have, because in the
world of Sorkin, technology is hard for women.
I will say that after completely murdering the character of Maggie, she’s
actually allowed to resemble a real life person for a week when she has to go
on air to report a story because Elliot has an allergic reaction to walnuts. I’m sure all that will be ruined tough by
Sorkin’s blatant copying of the Jim and Pam romance on The Office, but hey, I’m
trying to stay positive
All in all,
this was a pretty good episode of a show I often hate. Hopefully they can focus on the good, drop
the bad, and make a decent season. As maddening
as he can be, Aaron Sorkin deserves to get out of TV on a high note.
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