Guest Review by A.Snow
Well, this episode just goes to show that although Sorkin’s The Newsroom is airing its final season, it doesn’t mean that it’s going out without a bang. This episode’s pace was incredible and gave fast-paced shows like Scandal a run for their money. This episode picked up almost immediately after the premiere ended with Neal and Will waiting for ACN’s lawyer Rebecca Halliday, played by the spectacular Marcia Gay Harden.
The episode had five storylines playing out simultaneously, which aided in the show’s quick pace. Maggie dealing with the subject of ethics on a train though a bit heavy from a thematic standpoint, definitely served its purpose and reminded me of season one and Aaron Sorkin’s idealism.
Don and Sloane provided a welcome dose of comic relief as they wondered if they considered themselves a couple or not. On the other hand, Reese had his hostile take-over and his step twin siblings, guest stars Kat Dennings and Christopher Nicholas Smith, which culminated in Jane Fonda’s commanding return as Leona (aka Mama Lansing).
Finally, Jim, who in many ways had no storyline until now, had to scramble to try and save his girlfriend from getting fired for tweeting an offensive and controversial status.
However, Neal’s storyline was by far the most powerful in the episode and Dev Patel is really growing up to be one hell of a brilliant actor. The final sequence of the episode brought together our ACN crew as SPOILER ALERT the FBI raided the station and began commandeering the hard-drives and all papers that lay on Neal’s desk. The sequence’s whole tone paid homage to great political/journalism cinematic thrillers.
Newsworthy Moments
– The awkward scene in the elevator between Sloane, Jim, and Don post Sloane outburst.
– Jane Fonda’s return and putting her daughter in place.
– The final sequence in the episode was one of the most suspenseful moments in Newsroom history.
Soundbytes
Mac: A PR company killed 38 killed. We do nothing and the 39th is on us.
Maggie: There’s news happening right in front of me. It’s my job to report it.
Neal: Other people have gone to jail for refusing to give up a source. I’d consider it a badge of honor.
Leona: You know what happened last month without anybody noticing? This is for real. Webster’s dictionary expanded the definition of the word “literally” to include the way it is commonly misused. So the thing is, we no longer have a word in the English language that means literally. It literally doesn’t have a synonym. So we’re going to have to find a Latin word for it and use it, but see, I don’t know any Latin. So when I say that I am literally going to set fire to this building with you in it before I hand over the keys to it, you don’t know if I’m speaking figuratively or literally.
Conclusion
This series is the reason standard network television is becoming boring to me nowadays, brilliant episode!
A. Snow Rating
A+