Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.
Not unlike the previous two installments, tonight's episode of The Newsroom focused on fantasy – a sort of what if scenario -- as Will McAvoy's rebooted News Night 2.0 launched, with a rousing opening speech from McAvoy that rivaled his rant from the pilot in both brilliance and passion.
McAvoy immediately begins targeting groups attempting to confuse and corrupt politics and news media. This week, in particular, the episode set its sights directly on the Tea Party, a controversial political power that emerged quite quickly within the Republican party, and took the world by storm during the November 2010 elections.
It's really in “The 112th Congress” where The Newsroom establishes it's hardline, sometimes latching on to ideas, theories and facts that don't sit well with others, namely those with a fondness for the Tea Party or radical neocon values.
That's not to say the show is wrong or bad for taking the stances it does. As many characters reiterate throughout virtually every episode thus far, news isn't about appeasing both sides -- it's about presenting the facts, even the harsh ones. And the show's facts are actually pretty accurate, sometimes unfortunately so.
Fact checking the episodes has become a key part of prepping for these reviews, and the show's points largely hold true. With that in mind, anyone with a sweet tooth for the Tea Party, “The 112th Congress” is not going to be your episode – in fact, it'll probably be the last episode you watch, or at least enjoy.
It'll be interesting to see how this show will evolve as we inch closer to real time (this episode spanned about six months). Will The Newsroom lose it's edge, or will it go off air long enough to soak up a few fresh news stories and angles to dissect and analyze? For some, the focus on past issues has been a sticking point of this series, so perhaps moving the show into a fictional universe, where McAvoy is doing good and actually changing how we look at news, will be an interesting deviation. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
There's a fine balance of Sorkin-isms going on throughout this series thus far, and episodes like “The 112th” define what people both love (and potentially hate) about his work. The execution, like the previous two episodes, is quite stunning, though. Performances remain sharp and focused, dialogue is top notch, and direction is tangible and entertaining.
The big highlight here was the scene between producer Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) and Leona Lansing, the head of the network (played by Jane Fonda). Fonda delivers a speech so staggering, so biting, cynical and tragic (for the whole of TV news journalism), it's likely to earn her some acclaim down the road. And Waterston's drunken, morally righteous fire matches her candid, frank nature. Their final scene together stands out among an already great episode, filled with wonderfully rich monologues and snappy dialogue.
But some of Sorkin's cliches do shine though. Again, the episode spends some time on romance, though it is dialed back much more than last week's episode. While the romantic elements are certainly well written, each subplot continues to feel borrowed from other Sorkin shows.
This series would be better served to perhaps drop one of these subplots, unless of course it's attempting to draw a parallel between Will and Mackenzie and Maggie and Don. Regardless, there is more to life outside of work than romance and dating. It would be nice to see the show step outside that arena for its human interest segments.
So, after all the Tea Party bashing and “leftist” theories the show has explored thus far, are there are any Republicans left? Naturally, The Newsroom is going to be a bumpy road for both sides of the fence, but with sketchy politics corrupting the playing field, that's to be expected. Let's hope McAvoy and his news team can fend them off long enough to actually make a difference (in their tragically fictional world).
Source : ign[dot]com
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