The Newsroom -- Season 3

I enjoy the show and I'm glad it's back. It's better than 90 percent of what else is on television and I enjoy seeing it set against recent major news events.

Criticism such as "life at work for most people -- no matter what you do -- isn't endless drama," is silly to me. First, the show doesn't portray every moment of every day. For instance, last season focused on Genoa, which occurred in 2011. This season opens in April 2013. So, no, not every moment of the characters' lives has been filled with drama.

They show us the drama because, you know, that's the interesting part. I doubt the show would have much success if it spent an episode showing us Will and Mac eating breakfast, going grocery shopping, talking about their 401k and ordering a pizza for dinner.

 

I thought tonight's episode was, maybe, the best the series has done.

I genuinely enjoyed the show because, as a work of fiction, I understand that it takes dramatic liberties to advance the plot but I don't understand the energy people put into "hate watching."

I don't have enough time in my day to watch a show, just so I can make snarky comments about it on twitter or elsewhere in the internet.

That is genuinely baffling to me.

Can someone explain?

 

In simple terms, people think they're in their own personal MST3K.

In broader more complicated terms, sometimes shows that have been good or that fans expect to be good do stupid things or aren't good. People noting as much on social media isn't "hating."

Episode was OK. I don't really understand what's going on with Jim's girlfriend, what the point of that whole mess was. She's smart enough to run her own site covering a Presidential campaign, yet she's relegated to such a small role at ACN, and is so foolish as to post that? Makes no sense at all. I was looking forward to some kind of new media/old media discussion from her brief exchange with Mac over not trusting the Tweets from Boston last week, but she's just some plot device for God knows what instead.

 

It's so funny to me how much Sorkin hates, but is still clueless about, the Internet.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/the-six-lessons-of-the-internet-according-to-the-newsroom/

 

Last night was outstanding, I thought. Like Jay said, perhaps the best of the series.

And ... Grantland has a hard-on for Sorkin. Always has. Like the fourth item: Hallie's tweet, as she read it, was too long? Give me a friggin' break. THAT is called suspension of disbelief.

 

My wife and I are really enjoying the show even with some of its obvious flaws. It is really sad it is ending this season.

That said, I wish they would have pinned down exactly who Sloan is supposed to be already. First she's an economics genius who is smarter than everyone in the room. Then she's an economics genius who works on TV but falls victim to having nude photos of herself leaked. After that she bumbles her way through election coverage, is routinely cut off by Will even though she might have something of value to contribute. Then she's the smartest person in the room who has nude photos of her floating on the Internet who embarrassed herself/was disrespected during election coverage who gets this shinny new toy she drools over. Then she is (all of the above) and is the only one to figure out the parent company is in the middle of a hostile take over. And I think all of that was seriously in the span of five episodes.

I don't know if she's supposed to be a ditz or a feminist icon.

 

During the scene at the bar where she said she outed herself it occurred to me that she was a plant used either by the Republican Party or a rival network to cause havoc at ACN. It seemed like a really stupid tweet, albeit a true one.

Watching this episode made me smirk after watching Seth Myers' and Amy Schumer's parodies of Sorkin. This episode had just about every Sorkinesq maneuver

 

True. They really hadn't done anything to show she was capable of doing something that stupid. There was some hint that she did it on purpose to make herself more attractive to a potential next employer (which she got very defensive about). Maybe that is what breaks them up so Sorkin can put Jim together with Maggie.

Or maybe, as others have suggested, it is just another example of his inability questionable writing of female characters.

 

Hey, I think Maggie should end up with Liam McPoyle.

 

Wait. McPoyle? I'm back in.

 

Liam McPoyle, the Fordham ethics professor. Epic casting.

 

Don't know anything about this character, but he has to turn out to be a weirdo. Jimmi Simpson plays weird too well.