This week's episode of HBO's new series The Newsroom, takes a peek into what makes News Night anchor Will MacAvoy (Jeff Daniels) tick. The fast pace and subject matter of the series make most episodes intense, but this week's "Bullies" pack a powerful emotional punch when Will finds that he cannot sleep, and it begins to affect his work.
When we first meet Will at the beginning of the series, he is bottled up, more concerned with image than integrity, with ratings than real news. He is distant, and feared by his colleagues and staff.
Re-discovering his inner crusader (and a bit of his heart) when News Director Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) brings back former lover Mac (Emily Mortimer) as executive producer, the genie, as it were, escapes Will's bottle. He becomes driven by a need to expose the lies and lay bare the truth, whatever the cost, especially hard-wired to punch back at the bullies of the world.
I hadn't thought of it until this week's episode, but has Will does seem compelled to be the bullies' bully. But how far can you take the argument "I'm protecting people from the bullies" before you become one yourself?
Journalists, especially in these days of social media wield incredible power. Misdirected or miused, that power can destroy the lives and livelihoods of innocent bystanders, who become victims to hubris, intended or not.
In a news interview, when does agressive questioning become bullying? When Will interviews an advisor to the just-announced presidential candidate Rick Santorum, he crosses that line.
Will mines the irony of an African-American gay educator being Santorum's advisor, hitting the advisor with tough, unyielding questions, believing the attack is against the narrow-minded, former U.S. Senator. But Will's line of questioning ventures into bullying, cross-examining the poor guy like a prosecutor forcing a confession from a recalcitrant witness on the stand.
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Article comments
1 - Kenn
I agree with everything except your disdain for "Dumb and Dumber"...how dare you!?!?!
2 - barbara barnett
Sorry, Kenn! Not so much a fan of slapstick, though I love both Woody Harrelson and Jeff Daniels. My favorite Harrelson role: Zombieland. Favorite Daniels roles: Purple Rose and Good Night and Good Luck.
3 - Tom Spano
I was under the impression that the title of the episode was "Bullies". Apparently, I was wrong!
4 - barbara barnett
Tom--no. You were right. I was wrong.
5 - Tom Spano
So glad - thought I was having an Alzheimer's moment there for a minute!
6 - barbara barnett
Nope. That was me :)
7 - 60 plus
Couldn't help fondly remembering Bartlett's insomnia and calling in psychiatrist in West Wing. Josh, also. I'm loving Newsroom. Too happy to be back in Aaron Sorkin land to be analytical. Maybe after the honeymoon stage is over. :)
8 - El Bicho
Best episode of the series so far, though it still induced a cringe when Sloan poked the security guy's pecs.
9 - doc
This is at least the 3rd time Sorkin has used the "main character sees Psychiatrist" theme. Remember when Danny went to the shrink in "Sportsnite"? Then Bartlett couldn't sleep. Now Will.
10 - barbara barnett
Clearly this is a common thread for Sorkin. It works here nicely, I think. El Bicho--I have to agree with you. I've liked them all, but I really enjoyed the character story taking center stage this week.
11 - Flo
Sorry to be a little late to the party.
Barbara, I loved the episode and I actually have nothing to add to you wonderful review.
It was nice to go deeper into Will's character and I often see that psychiatrist scenes (when they are brilliantly written) are a good way to provide this. Sorkin's is a good writer of such scenes. It's not its first. He wrote great ones in "The West Wing". He actually wrote two entire episodes that could be considered as the fathers of this one: first revealing a traumatic experience of Josh and the second about President Bartlett, seeing the same psychiatrist, for insomnia.
This episode of "The Newsroom" was extremely similar to the ones on "The West Wing", particularly the Bartlett one. Both characters, volunteered to see a psychiatrist because of insomnia and both ended up having a good and emotional session. Interestingly, they also both revealed abuse by their father.
The episode is a bit more like the Josh one though, narratively speaking. They are constructed the same way with backs and forth between the session and flash backs which, step by step, reveal the real reason for the session.
It's not the first occurrence of "The West Wing" made in "The Newsroom". Sorkin sometimes takes scenes or entire pieces of dialogue of his old show and insert them into his new one. There is a lot of The West Wing in "The Newsroom" in general, both depicting a fictional, ideal world where debates, opinions and ideas are at the center, all for a greater, smarter and more moral good.
I must add that it's one of the things that makes "The Newsroom" so fascinating to watch for me. Because no matter how Sorkin re-utilizes some plots, dialogues and situations, they are all put in another context and characters. It's interesting to see familiar stuff being used differently.
In "The West Wing", the Psy episode with Josh comes in mid season 2 and thus makes us view Josh in the total different light. He shows a vulnerability that we are not used to see at this point of the show (or on very rare occasions). On the other hand, it is an episode that revisit an old arc so we weren't lost. Josh was still Josh.
The Episode with Bartlett takes place in season 3 so we already know the character well. It made us learn something new about him but not see him in a new light either.
Here, the episode comes at the beginning of the show. The effect is unquestionably different for the viewers who have yet to really know and be familiar with the character. I really didn't anticipate such an episode at this point, where a lot of the Will's past would be unveiled. Especially that we know very little to nothing at all of the other characters, by comparison.
How this will effect the balance of the show? What character will be next to be more fully discovered? It really makes me wonder what's next for the season and I for one can't wait to see what will happen next.
PS: @El Bicho, I was also had a WTF moment when Sloan poked the security guy's chest.
12 - danmand
They had to show that Sloan is not a lesbian.
She has been so tough and strong, and nonresponsive to men - that we (male viewers) would have had a hard time regarding her as the sexy one, and that would have made the season end come-on hard to swallow.