Farewell to The Newsroom

Ramblings
1

I’m slowly catching up on Season 3 of the Newsroom (been watching Walking Dead) via DVR. For any who don’t know, this is the final season of the show.

The show has its faults, but I’m realizing now how much I’ll miss what it’s trying to be. I am in the camp of liking Sorkin’s trademark snappy dialogue, and I’m pretty forgiving of the attempts to steer the show in certain directions, or force issues into the episodes. It’s tough to do without a heavy hand or sounding preachy.

For that reason, I really loved Episode 3’s jarringly unexpected/catch you off guard climate interview. For those that watch the show, in addition to all the other things going on, including the possible shutdown of ACN, and the FBI investigation of the network/Neal, it also calls into question whether EPA director Westbrook’s offer to Maggie was truly as altruistic as it came off on the train, or if he just saw an opportunity to be heard, and took it. In hindsight, it seems much more the latter.

Anyway, here’s the interview segment of the show - no one on the staff was expecting it, and in fact, they went to some lengths discussing how boring climate debate is on the news cycle and how the producer team (Jim and Maggie) were trying to find a way to sell it. That’s an issue - no one listens to climate news. At best, it gets met head on with denier level dismissal. The general public just doesn’t care. So, I’m going to give Sorkin some kudos for his delivery. It caught me off guard too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0uZ9mfOUI

And here’s some fact checking:

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/11/climate-desk-fact-checks-aaron-sorkins-climate-science-newsroom

I’m not so in love with the show that I ignore its bigger flaws, but I genuinely like many of the characters (even the flawed ones), and, IMO, I think people who are hypercritical of a thinking show and overanalyze every aspect of what it does (and this show gets ripped with the most nasty cynicism), are going to find there’s a void when it goes off the air, and it will be missed.

Anyone else gonna miss it?

2

It is one of my favorite shows on TV. I am a Sorkin fan. It is fast-paced, smart, acerbic and appeals to the news junkie in me. I hate that the seasons are so short, and that it is going away. In a world where there are several “Housewives of…” shows on TV at the same time, and Honey Boo Boo was a star it is probably a miracle that it lasted three years.

3

Tonight’s episode was painful. I dont think Charlie could live in the world where modern news has become a gossip page. I think Sorkin is really angry about it. FWIW I agree.

I am just bummed Charlie wont be in the final scene.

I am glad Maggie and Jim got together… one of the few silver linings.

RIP Charlie.

4

Got into the show over the summer by binge-watching the first two seasons and loved it. Unfortunately, my roommates that I live with now don’t have HBO, so I haven’t been able to watch recently.

5

I didn’t realize it was back.

6

clt asks who is playing mike p?

7

Farewell Newsroom. :frowning:

8

I just had to youtube the Daniels “Why America is the greatest country in the world” rant… awesome TV

9

That should be required viewing.

10

The ending was a rush job to sloppily tie up loose ends in what should have been a midseason story arc, instead of a series finale ( season 3 was only 6 episodes vs 10 each for the prior two). It felt that way the whole way through, but that didnt stop the same hacks who have eviscerated the series from lauding what was one of its sloppiest episodes. Typical. TV critics suck.

I said how I feel about the show above and the finale didnt change my mind. It only made me sad. I love that the show tried to intelligently tackle issues, even when it failed (with one painful exception in a bad 1st season monologue).

But when the show got it right (eg Will McAvoy’s rant mentioned above), it was such great TV. I am really going to miss it.

America is NOT the greatest country - http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WLh8XIT1HNM

While I agree that Neil Sampat should have gotten a much warmer, more involved welcome back, most of the other crticisms of the characters I found to be so much BS. Charlie was fanastic. The way the show ended, it became his story, not Will’s. Will is perhaps a blowhard, but no different than Id expect him to be. And Jim, who apparently everyone hated, was progressing to be charlie all over again, though he made multiple missteps along the way. Maggie transformed into a capable and assertive producer… the journey was a little uneven, but it was fleshed out. And I really liked Don Keefer. Everyone panned the rape episode, but his character was great. Loved watching him.

I am really going to miss this show. I feel like the internet did its damndest to kill it because Sorkin took on the internet and most cable news on for their lack of integrity and that pissed off the bloggers big time. Screw them. He was right and it was a really good show that will be replaced by shitty reality teenage vampires or some other truly awful shlock.

Sad.

11

I generally liked the show but hated the final episode.It was like a sorry soap opera,and had nothing to do with a news show.Found myself progressively hating most of the characters along the way.