The Newsroom [HBO - Spoilers]

Footoo

syklops wrote: »

Any one find it weird how this episode happened after africa but before Maggie cut her hair? Suggests to me Maggie is going to get a lot worse before she gets better.

My head was melted trying to figure out the timeline of this episode. For some reason, I thought this was another flash forward. So did this take place after Africa but before the deposition?

Apart from that it was probably the best episode of the show so far. No sanctimony, no huge hissy fits by 'the best in their profession' just decent storytelling.

That's not to say it's suddenly a great show or anything, just not s
as despicably bad as it was.

syklops

How did Jim know the call was a hoax?

Otacon

syklops wrote: »

How did Jim know the call was a hoax?

Isn't it implied that because the 'victim' said "Thank God" when Jim was first talking to him, that he became suspicious?

Prop Joe

syklops wrote: »

How did Jim know the call was a hoax?

I guess they needed a 2nd source before it could go to air and the more he looked into it the more red flags showed up.

When they said "Thank god" would of been a strange thing to say in for a person with an arab background

thesultan

When is it back on Sky Atlantic?

leggo

Prop Joe wrote: »

I guess they needed a 2nd source before it could go to air and the more he looked into it the more red flags showed up.

When they said "Thank god" would of been a strange thing to say in for a person with an arab background

Yeah, they confirmed as much by noting the "Thank god" in the control room, just didn't clue the audience in as to the significance of it so it'd be a nice twist at the end.

I'd also imagine it'd be fairly random for a distressed Syrian wife with her husband under rubble to call a New York-based TV newsroom minutes after it happened.

One thing I'd love to know is how pertinent the little things in the show are in the industry: pranks like this, threatening tweets, site hack etc. I know the bigger picture stories have been written off as dramatised for TV, along with the near-unanimous ideological world view that the entire team possesses, but little things like this are plausible. I'd be interested to find out if they're a legitimate recurring issue that bigger networks have to take into account.

syklops

leggo wrote: »

I'd also imagine it'd be fairly random for a distressed Syrian wife with her husband under rubble to call a New York-based TV newsroom minutes after it happened.

The wife said she was at the W which is a hotel in New York.

leggo wrote: »

One thing I'd love to know is how pertinent the little things in the show are in the industry: pranks like this, threatening tweets, site hack etc. I know the bigger picture stories have been written off as dramatised for TV, along with the near-unanimous ideological world view that the entire team possesses, but little things like this are plausible. I'd be interested to find out if they're a legitimate recurring issue that bigger networks have to take into account.

Well I work in Information Security and can tell you sites absolutely do get hacked. Also twitter is rife with abuse and threats. Most people are followed by people who like them, but thats not always the case for companies and organisations. I really woudn't like to be manning the twitter account for Ryanair, UPC or the HSE.

gavmcg92

leggo wrote: »

One thing I'd love to know is how pertinent the little things in the show are in the industry: pranks like this, threatening tweets, site hack etc. I know the bigger picture stories have been written off as dramatised for TV, along with the near-unanimous ideological world view that the entire team possesses, but little things like this are plausible. I'd be interested to find out if they're a legitimate recurring issue that bigger networks have to take into account.

A very recent story about tweets journalists received from an anonymous poster. These things definitely do happen.

Metro: 1 Aug 2013;
Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman, the Independent’s Grace Dent and Time magazine’s were all sent menacing tweets saying their homes would be bombed.

Anonymous account holders on the social networking site said they had placed bombs outside the reporters’ homes, primed to explode at 22.47pm and claimed the bomb has ‘trigger destroying everything’.

tommy2bad

A tweet ended a presidential candidates campaign here, it's a huge issue. The rush to be first sometimes trumps the need to be accurate.

ixoy

It's a bit sad that the way to make Maggie's character bearable is for the show to rip her soul to shreds :P

I think it's improved in the last few weeks. Agree with others that this episode worked well. They actually felt as close to a professional news crew as in any episode aired so far. The balance between on screen and off screen was right and none of them seemed to jar with each other. More of this.

syklops

ixoy wrote: »

It's a bit sad that the way to make Maggie's character bearable is for the show to rip her soul to shreds :P

I think it's improved in the last few weeks. Agree with others that this episode worked well. They actually felt as close to a professional news crew as in any episode aired so far. The balance between on screen and off screen was right and none of them seemed to jar with each other. More of this.

On professionalism, I really disliked Mac's behaviour towards Neal. Losing her sh!t on him for something that isnt his fault is a bit out of line. Meaningless twitter bulsh!t is either important or it isnt. She shuould choose. He's a smart guy, clue him in. Or tell him Wills Dad has been rushed into hospital and can he handle things for a while? Maybe there was a kind of duality in her saying "Whatever you are for today, I hope it ends badly", without realising that whatever he is for, she is for also. She just hoped for her own failure.

CastorTroy

syklops wrote: »

Any one find it weird how this episode happened after africa but before Maggie cut her hair? Suggests to me Maggie is going to get a lot worse before she gets better.

This threw me as well. Because didn't Maggie start cutting her hair at the end of the last episode?

I feel that since this show is mostly based around real stories, that those pictures of Sloan should've been posted online. Just to maintain the realism, of course.

syklops

CastorTroy wrote: »

This threw me as well. Because didn't Maggie start cutting her hair at the end of the last episode?

We saw a flash back of maggie cutting her hair but it didn't necessarily happen straight after Africa.

CastorTroy wrote: »

I feel that since this show is mostly based around real stories, that those pictures of Sloan should've been posted online. Just to maintain the realism, of course.

Er... Ahem. Do some googling.

CastorTroy

syklops wrote: »

We saw a flash back of maggie cutting her hair but it didn't necessarily happen straight after Africa.

Ah okay. All this jumping around is getting confusing.

syklops wrote: »

Er... Ahem. Do some googling.

Oh don't worry, I know about those ones, but I was just thinking for consistency's sake they should have the photos that were described in the episode. :pac:

fisgon

Just watched this ep, found it a bit of a mess. I kept thinking that I had missed an episode, though in fact I worked out that it was confusing because it depended on a thorough knowledge of personalities and events that were prominent in the US in 2012, and actually assumed this knowledge among its viewers.

It skipped over a lot of narrative too. Is Jim now going out with the journo girl from the Romney campaign? And who was the person who she wrote the article about? There was something about Limbaugh and sluts, that I remember vaguely from the time, but only vaguely. And who is the guy who Don jokingly said had spoken to the Islamic sisters of Jihad, or whatever they were called? Is this a real person? I must stress that I am not looking for answers to these questions, the very fact that I have to ask them shows how the show has failed.

I am still enjoying the experience of watching the show, clever and quick and funny as it is, while unable to escape the fact that it is totally up its own asshole. Sorkin is just too clever clever for his own good sometimes.

crybaby

Just starting episode 1 of the new season, thank christ they sorted out that credits sequence at least....

The Black Oil

thesultan wrote: »

When is it back on Sky Atlantic?

Sept 2nd, if I'm remembering their promo correctly.

titan18

Not bad, quite like the Genoa storyline. On the raw footage, you can see the cut on the game footage, surprised none of the room saw it. I'd imagine that's the thing about by 10.05, we knew it was wrong.

wp_rathead

really liked this episode and really looking forward to next week

Although thought Will on the morning chat show had potential to be alot funnier

ReacherCreature

Usual romantic stuff is dragging it away from focus but I liked this week's episode. I'm completely enthralled by the Genoa storyline. Charlie's last segment before the credits rolled was brilliantly paced.

syklops

I wonder if reality will mirror fiction again this year. Last season amid a back drop of real life news events, part of the story involved a fictitious storyline involving the NSA spying on its citizens. Then the PRISM revelations came out.

I know that Genoa is meant to be a based on a news report from the 70s, but part of me wonders if there is something a little closer to home.

steve_r

Struggled with the latest episode:

Why no mention of where we left Will after episode 5?
Some of the old Sorkin sins of waxing lyrical about events gone by, the Romney stuff just doesn't grab me at all. Its nothing that hasn't been said before about the candidate. Same with Will pointing out failings from congress.

At the same time, the Genoa story is moving well. I liked the chat Don and McKenzie had. She can be annoying but it was nicely toned down.

The timeline is again wierd with Maggie's hair!!

Watching episode 2 and struggling with the show more than ever. Maggie is just excruciating and it's a shame that she wasn't killed off in Uganda as she drags any scene she's in down. She's an anchor which alongside the poor writing and the sense of smugness makes the show hard to warm to. I can still see the potential in the show and the fact that there are now two people who are not Sorkin credited with writing the story bodes well. Hopefully it'll eventually turn into other writers handling the week to week scripting as its clear that Sorkin still has no idea what he wants to do with the show.

Just to add, the scene where the town techies watch Will's first broadcast is amongst the most crungeworthy thing that I have ever seen. I think I may have thrown up a little in my mouth during it.

KevIRL

Anyone reckon the basketball game in the background is whats gonna do for yer man editing the vid?

syklops

steve_r wrote:

Struggled with the latest episode:

I did as well. It was very disjointed. I dont care about Romney or Paul(I read the spoilers, I know what happens in the election).

Bit annoyed with constant references to Maggies drinking yet with very little evidence. She's drinking about a fifth of what your average Irish girl of a similar age drinks, and none of them have been in hairy situations in Uganda. She was having, at a guess vodka and cokes or G&T's at the bar(judging by the type of glass), she didnt have a line of shots lined up.

Genoa is getting interesting. I suddenly have more interest in Jerry's character. He was a bit meh before. The question now is, is he a plant or were his intentions good but flawed?

SteveIRL wrote:

Anyone reckon the basketball game in the background is whats gonna do for yer man editing the vid?

I do now!. Good call. I thought when Charlie/Mac said "let me see the raw version", that Jerry was gonna go "Oh Sh!t", but he is smarter than that.

Now we know what Maggie saying "It Happened" at the start of the Africa episode was about, although I had my suspicions(I was right!)..

obliviousgrudge

KevIRL wrote: »

Anyone reckon the basketball game in the background is whats gonna do for yer man editing the vid?

Thought the exact same thing while I was watching. The players suddenly skipped from one side of the court to another, though in real life, surely you'd notice that? And also, wouldn't the guy move his position noticeably?

syklops

obliviousgrudge wrote: »

And also, wouldn't the guy move his position noticeably?

Not if he is trying to remain anonymous in a taped interview, he would stay still, but basketball players randomly dotting around the screen would arouse suspicions after analysis. At the time, I thought, why not just turn the game off? but Stanislou seemed a bit eccentric and maybe demanded it be kept on.

Sweet Jesus both episode 3 is absolutely dreadful. The whole Maggie on medication was beyond stupid. The show managed to hit a new low and the sooner Maggie goes off and gets raped or murdered or walks into a door the better. I'd never wish a vile crime such as rape on anyone but its got to the stage where the mere sight of her has me reaching for the remote to turn off the TV and the sooner someone shuts her up the better.

If you take the new producer, Don, Sloane, Charlie and Will and kill off the rest of the cast you have the foundation of quite an interesting show. One where we actually like the characters and don't find them irritable.

syklops

Deleted User wrote: »

Sweet Jesus both episode 3 is absolutely dreadful. The whole Maggie on medication was beyond stupid. The show managed to hit a new low and the sooner Maggie goes off and gets raped or murdered or walks into a door the better. I'd never wish a vile crime such as rape on anyone but its got to the stage where the mere sight of her has me reaching for the remote to turn off the TV and the sooner someone shuts her up the better.

If you take the new producer, Don, Sloane, Charlie and Will and kill off the rest of the cast you have the foundation of quite an interesting show. One where we actually like the characters and don't find them irritable.

Dude, take up up yoga. Or Judo.

syklops

syklops wrote: »

Dude, take up up yoga. Or Judo.

Assume that's an attempt at a joke or some such.

The last few minutes of episode 3 were genuinely great and show just what the show could do if Sorkin moves away from all the relationship crap. The Genoa stuff is riveting and feels like something out of a 70s thriller. I'm pretty certain that the Genoa storyline mirrors the events of The Valley of Death reports by CNN in the late 90s. So far it's been quite similar

The Genoa stuff has managed, in it's brief scenes to surpass everything that the show has done before and it'll be a real shame if the show doesn't go somewhere with it, after all we are talking about a show that begins major storyline and then forgets all about them.

syklops

Deleted User wrote: »

Assume that's an attempt at a joke or some such.

You need to relax a little. Learn to critique a show with out resorting to the extreme You have keyboard warrior written all over your posts.

The show managed to hit a new low and the sooner Maggie goes off and gets raped or murdered or walks into a door the better. I'd never wish a vile crime such as rape on anyone but its got to the stage where the mere sight of her has me reaching for the remote to turn off the TV

Here is another example. "The mere sight" of a character pi$$es you off so much you want to change the channel? Really? If Maggie from the Newsroom tortures you so, the rest of TV must be unbearable. Do you use public transport? Do you work in an office? Do you interact with the public regularly?

Wishing rape on someone, even if they are fictional is a new low for you.

syklops

syklops wrote: »

You need to relax a little. Learn to critique a show with out resorting to the extreme You have keyboard warrior written all over your posts.

What utter nonsense. Throughout this thread I have repeatedly engaged in discussion and offered valid reasons why I think the show fails. Anyone whose read through any of my posts will see that I judge every film, show, book, etc on it's own merits.

syklops wrote: »

Here is another example. "The mere sight" of a character pi$$es you off so much you want to change the channel? Really? If Maggie from the Newsroom tortures you so, the rest of TV must be unbearable. Do you use public transport? Do you work in an office? Do you interact with the public regularly?

Wishing rape on someone, even if they are fictional is a new low for you.

Actually I find the rest of the TV I watch quite bearable as there's no other show on that I watch that has a character as poorly written as Maggie. If I worked in a professional environment with someone like Maggie then I would be making complaints to managements as her conduct is never anything other than unprofessional. You must watch very little TV if there is no character that you find the mere sight of irritating.

If I recall correctly you have repeatedly asked people to discuss the show rather than resort to simple hyperbole such as "omg worst show ever". The majority of my posts in this thread have discussed in detail the show and it's failings as I see them. I've offered numerous my reasons for disliking the show and more often than not people have agreed with me. I take it that you like Maggie as a character as everyone else here seems to find her irritating in the extreme.

Episode 4 continues to show a bit of improvement. The relationships are still underdeveloped and juvenile but for the first time we got a sense that these people are actual professionals capeable of running a major news studio. It's no accident that the show improved and relationships appear more realistic the second Maggie leaves and it shows just how unnecessary her character is. The biggest problem with this weeks story could have worked so much better at half the length, as I said there was quite a bit of interesting material but it was padded beyond belief. One thing I noticed was the blatant product placement. The shot of Remax on the monitor was rudicolous. They really couldn't have made it any more obvious if they tried.

It's kinds sad that in order to make Maggie likeable Sorkin had to pretty much tear her heart out, stomp it into the dirt and then pass it around. I hope that they actually do something with her character as for the first time there's something interesting about her. But it does beg the question of what exactly she expected from a trip to a dangerous area of Africa? Ive spoke to a few journalists who have covered dangerous areas and they all recognise that any time they step outside could be their last. They've all seen terrible things but it's part and parcel of the job and any journalist or news reporter needs to understand that or they'll never make it in their chosen profession.

AlmightyCushion

syklops wrote: »

Bit annoyed with constant references to Maggies drinking yet with very little evidence. She's drinking about a fifth of what your average Irish girl of a similar age drinks, and none of them have been in hairy situations in Uganda. She was having, at a guess vodka and cokes or G&T's at the bar(judging by the type of glass), she didnt have a line of shots lined up.

Let's be fair here, an average night in Coppers is far more traumatic than any situation Uganda could throw at you.

syklops

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Let's be fair here, an average night in Coppers is far more traumatic than any situation Uganda could throw at you.

True. But a lot more drinking gets done.

Episode 5 follows the tried and tested Newsroom formula of 1 step forward 3 steps back. The whole Maggie being a drunk was atrocious and felt like an after thought intended to make her sympathetic. It doesn't work and simply undid the actual character development she underwent in the previous episode.

The Charlie and the spook scenes were great and examined some of the moral implications of reporting distasteful events. It showed what the show can do when it simply concentrates on the story. The Sloane story was unnecessary and felt as if Sorkin wanted to humanise her but didn't know how to do so, so he merely resorted to humiliating her.

The Treyvon Martin storyline is not one I look forward to seeing continued. I can't imagine Sorkin doing anything other than point out the obvious and feel smug about how superior he and his show is when compared to the mainstream media. If he had anything interesting to say then it could at the very least make for good TV but alas the show has proved time after time that it had nothing to say beyond the obvious.

Episode 6 was yet another mixed bag. The Genoa storyline is really well done and far more interesting than anything else that the show has ever touched upon but the relationship stuff was bland beyond belief. I genuinely don't care about Jim's love life and let's be honest here, it's following a path so cliched that the average romcom would shy away from it. Maggie's drinking was ridiculous, a fed vodka and tonics and suddenly the show is trying to say that she has a problem. I'm wondering if perhaps she's been secretly drinking since day one, would certainly explain her behavior since the very first episode.

The Black Oil

2.06

Yes, Jim, talk smut on webcam to your girlfriend in the newsroom. This one served up Sorkin's fairly standard antics of lining up the loons/targets and smacking them down (Santorum stooge, and the useless Congress), but perhaps not as blatently as was done in season 1. Similarly, when Jim and co. were out for the date, and the rounded on yer wan, then pulled back a little once we learned she had been fired. Don't care too much for Nina going out with Will, his confidence crisis continuing, apparently. The Genoa stuff was good. I liked the red team team meeting and how they ran a needle through the 7 months of work that had been done. Jerry's obviously a bit of a fecker (the cute editing thing felt somewhat familiar from another show or something I can't place). If they stuck to the mechanics and problems of all the news building stuff it would be a stronger show.

A few grumbles about this one, and at times it felt a little sluggish, but I generally liked it. Maggie's drinking abound...

Outkast_IRE

Episode 6 . Good episode I enjoyed it.
However what I found really annoying was the editing that jerry did, when he plays the RAW file for everyone in the conference room you can see the basketball match in the background takes a big jump during the edited section. I find it a little odd that about 10 people sitting in a room and nobody notices, that the speech pattern changes or the tv in the background jumps.

Outkast_IRE

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Episode 6 . Good episode I enjoyed it.
However what I found really annoying was the editing that jerry did, when he plays the RAW file for everyone in the conference room you can see the basketball match in the background takes a big jump during the edited section. I find it a little odd that about 10 people sitting in a room and nobody notices, that the speech pattern changes or the tv in the background jumps.

It is quite jarring but when you consider what is being said and the months that those in the room put into researching the story it's not all that odd for them not to notice the lack of continuity in the footage. After all, how many major films are released where shots obviously don't match up. I wonder how many people would have noticed the way in which the footage doesn't match up if the game and TV hadn't be such a focal point of the earlier scenes.

leggo

I think the edit is just a string that'll help unravel the case. As was already stated, it's not inconceivable that the people in the room wouldn't notice, but someone surely will.

The Black Oil

Was it that he doctored the original file, then in anticipation that he would be asked for the raw thing, showed it, but it too had been doctored? It did seem like a stretch that he was left unsupervised for the edit, supposedly reliable guy from Washington or not.

syklops

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Episode 6 . Good episode I enjoyed it.
However what I found really annoying was the editing that jerry did, when he plays the RAW file for everyone in the conference room you can see the basketball match in the background takes a big jump during the edited section. I find it a little odd that about 10 people sitting in a room and nobody notices, that the speech pattern changes or the tv in the background jumps.

To be honest, I think thats intentional.

The best line of the season so far is the last line of this episode. It goes something like "We started showing the news story at ten o'clock. At 10.04 I knew we had a problem. I knew it wasnt true"

I say this as someone who spots grammatical and typographical error in printed media all the time, media that has been through 3 or 4 or more people before it went to print, and still there are errors. Its easy to say out of 10 people surely one of them would have spotted the changes in the basketball, but if everyone is told to watch this space, that team would all watch that space. That space being Storomir Stomonivic or whatever his name is. Im ok with no-one seeing the problem straight away. Im also happy with Jim or one of the others to watch the video on repeat, and suddenly see the basketball change.

I found the episode a bit sluggish and it didnt hold my attention.

Does anyone else think Neal will have a relationship with the now fired press officer from Romneys campaign, can't remember her name? She was way more attractive and interesting than the other chick he was set up with.

I dont really like Will dating Nina Howard. It was said to him when he was dating 19 year old cheer leaders and such that he would have no interest in being around them during daylight, as in, when he is not sleeping with them. What does Will and Nina Howard talk about?

And I like Will, and I like Aaron Sorkin, but I didnt like the "Im going to do 2 things and the second is dump you". The smugness Ive been hearing about raised its head there.

I might be the only one in the world. but I loved season 1 of the Newsroom. Maggie doesnt annoy me, nor does Mac, apart from when she is being needlessly mean to Neal. I also like Neal. I can identify with him. Season 2 seems, I don't know. Dumbed down a little. Genoa is shaping up to be good tv but, its not doing it for me as much as it was.

The Black Oil

I don't think they'll give Neal a romantic arc - the show hasn't really built his character that way.

syklops

The Black Oil wrote: »

I don't think they'll give Neal a romantic arc - the show hasn't really built his character that way.

I think they are trying to. He was with Kayleigh, and they didnt talk about them finishing but Jim alluded to him having a lot of short term relationships.

The Black Oil

I've pretty much no recollection of Kayleigh. :P

Agent Smith

The Black Oil wrote: »

I've pretty much no recollection of Kayleigh. :P

If memory Serves me right, she was Pretty kickass at Guitarhero....

syklops

Agent Smith wrote: »

If memory Serves me right, she was Pretty kickass at Guitarhero....

And was into wrestling, and was as passionate about social media as Neal was, and had a friend who sold hash cakes, and was pretty hot as well.

Prop Joe

This show is getting better by the week,Actually looking forward to Sloan and Don getting it on..I hope but we all know it will happen but Jim stays well clear of Maggie...Charlie is awesome...Will is awesome...And Mac is so hot.....Great Show

MightyMighty737

I think Kayleigh's main purpose in the show was the story of her fathers death. Giving that to one of the regulars out of the blue might've been a bit much!