The Newsroom....whaddya think?- Page 5

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 1:21pm

I like Maggie as a character. I think she and Jim are cute (Jim's my favorite character).

However, she is just not as great a representation of an intelligent woman in the news world as Sloan.

She, to me, is better than Mack because Maggie is an intern who very quickly jumped up to Associate Producer. Mack has much more experience and should be the one who's better. Updated On: 7/30/12 at 01:21 PM

[wonkit]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 1:33pm

I, too, like Sloan, since she is the strongest woman on this series so far. Stupid question - is Munn fluent in Japanese or is it the best fake I've ever heard?

The title of this episode was "Bullies." The entire point was that Will realized that he was engaging in the very bullying tactics that he felt were wrong when used by others. It is not the role of a newsman to harangue people but to find the truth. Otherwise there would not have been any difference between Joe McCarthy and Edward R. Murrow.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 1:34pm

Did anyone else think that the Japanese reactor subplot was maybe not necessary?

It was of course necessary because every week not only do we have to see how the world of the Newsroom would have handled the news better than the real world news (except for MSNBC and Comedy Central) and because the Newsroom always magically has some kind of "in" with whatever the news story du jour is. The story was needed because the Newsroom has to be righter than everyone else and they were, because Sloane knew that the reactor was going to go to 7 when no one else did.

I thought the out and proud gay African-American republican pro life Rick Santorum champion was a magical creation.

Updated On: 7/30/12 at 01:34 PM

[ChanceEncounter]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 1:52pm

I just don't understand all the hate for this show. I mean, if it was trying to hide it's self-righteousness and self-importance that would be one thing. But it isn't It's proud that it thinks it's smarter than you. Unlike Girls which tried to mask it's self-importance.

Seriously Kringas, if you just let yourself get past your problems with the revisionist history it can be very enjoyable. Well, I mean, if you enjoy Sorkin. I mean everyone's favorite Sorkin Characters are all that. He just took everyone from the west wing and gave them a new name and job. Maggie is Donna, Jim is Josh, Mack is CJ, Sam Waterson is Leo, Sloan is Mary Louise Parker.

I have a blast every episode.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 1:55pm

It really has not had a bad episode.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 2:14pm

Chance--I scrolled back through this thread to find a comment from Kringas and can't find one. Since my comment alludes to revisionist history, I'm wondering if you were responding to my post?

If so, I'll just say I don't hate the show at all. I thought the perspective might be interesting to people who were watching/thinking about 'The Newsroom' so I tossed it into the thread, but I'm a Sorkin lover from way back. Rather--I'm a lover of Sorkin's WORK from way back.

If you weren't addressing me, well, then--nevermind....

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 2:22pm

But it's not smarter than me.

I never watched the West Wing. I watched Studio 60, which I liked in spite of myself. And Sports Night, but that was a hundred years ago and Sorkin has just gotten more Sorkiny.

I just don't understand the point of devoting so much time in the episodes to news events that happened a year ago, except to tell us why the Newsroom could have done them better. Except, as I've pointed out, MSNBC and Comedy Central already did it better.


Updated On: 7/30/12 at 02:22 PM

[ChanceEncounter]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 4:12pm

No, addison that comment wasn't directed at you


I didn't say it was smarter than you hun, I said it thinks it is.

also, re; MSNBC, Will is clearly built in some part on Keith Olbermann and his Countdown show.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 4:20pm

What if the concept about presenting old news is that they don't have waste time having to tell us everything that is going on with the news?

Presenting and keeping up with new news stories with new public and political figures on top of the drama behind the scenes would be a lot for fifty-five minutes.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 4:42pm

What if the concept about presenting old news is that they don't have waste time having to tell us everything that is going on with the news?

But the amount of time they take to devote to said old news kind of proves that wrong, doesn't it? They devote a good quarter of the episode to the news at the time. They'd be better served to just have news they script for the show. It's not like they are taking one story and making the season revolve around it. They've jumped how many months (six? a year?) since the show started with no shred of character development. The further the show moves in time the more horrible and ridiculous Mackenzie and Will seem, with regard to their history, since not only had so much time passed when the show started, but even more time has passed SINCE the show started. Don and Maggie keep breaking up over stupid things. These aren't even characters. They are mouthpieces, and they are kind of terrible mouthpieces at that.

also, re; MSNBC, Will is clearly built in some part on Keith Olbermann and his Countdown show

I was just thinking that earlier, that Will is Keith Olbermann claiming to be a Republican.



Updated On: 7/30/12 at 04:42 PM

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 10:27pm

wonkit - From stuff I read today, Olivia did some modeling in Japan and then minored in Japanese.

[wonkit]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 10:32pm

Thanks! Everything about the way she spoke Japanese seemed genuine.

[romantico]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 10:32pm

Sorkin denied the Olberman/MSNBC connection. Frankly, I don't see any similarities.

http://www.hollywood.com/news/Aaron_Sorkin_I_Didnt_Base_The_Newsroom_on_Keith_Olbermann/31905226

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/30/12 at 11:05pm

LOL


(Lots of Love!)

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/31/12 at 10:51am

Wynbish, I absolutely agree with you re: representations of women. Mackenzie is so incredibly frustrating a figure to watch. The idea that a basic understanding of the economy was sacrificed in this professional NEWS PRODUCER so that Sorkin could jabber about the economy was pretty annoying.

I do really like Maggie as a character, and she has a lot more excuse for her professional flightiness, because it reads so much more as a product of her youth and energy. Sorkin just makes Mackenzie really dumb about a lot of things.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/31/12 at 3:09pm

No, Maggie is dumb, too. See LOL

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/31/12 at 4:28pm

*sigh* Yeah, that was kind of excruciating. Women sucking at technology is an old, obnoxious, sexist trope, and Sorkin's made Mackenzie and Maggie the two comedically terrible failures at modern computers and internet. (Of course, the person who is the internet expert is the...male Indian. GOOD JOB, SORKIN.)

It's just easier for me to take Maggie's dumb moments versus Mackenzie's because she's younger and less experienced.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/31/12 at 4:32pm

And they're all aging at a rapid clip on this show and she is STILL an idiot!

[Taryn]

Posted: 8/2/12 at 12:33pm

http://tvline.com/2012/08/01/aaron-sorkin-the-newsroom-criticism/

He talks about the criticism of his female characters (yeah, I'm gonna disagree with your disagreement, Sorkin) and the rumors of him firing his writing staff, which he claims isn't true.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 8/5/12 at 10:16pm

Finally, a John & Jeff duet!

Disclaimer for people who are nutty like me: It was annoying how, very early, Christian Bale was called English and not Welsh, where he was born. So, I paused and researched. Christian has called himself English, since he grew up in England.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/5/12 at 10:58pm

Damn you Aaron Sorkin for making me cry again!

[Wynbish]

Posted: 8/5/12 at 11:01pm

Crap! I've been replaying stuff, so I am twenty minutes behind. It's a tear-jerker again?

ETA: Yep, there it is. The pilot.

ETA again: And the fact that they played the audio of Obama's speech during the credits. I mean, come on. Sorkin's a heartstrings-tugging genius.
Updated On: 8/5/12 at 11:01 PM

[E.Davis]

Posted: 8/6/12 at 12:11pm

The Pilot interaction made me well up also. At least once an episode something gets me.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 8/6/12 at 12:18pm

Especially since they had not said that they were on a United flight until the pilot was shown.

I also liked the slight dig at Fox News and how Tess (I think that's her name) gave Will the "Obama good, Osama bad" signs.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/6/12 at 1:17pm

I really like this episode, too. I also like how they told the body guard and cops.

I know there is likely not an ounce of reality going on: but I love it. I care about the characters, I like the stories. I will be sad when the season is over.