The Newsroom 1.4: I'll Try to Fix You

[marymary]

Unaware of Leona's opposition to News Night 2.0, Will and Mac take on lying liars who lie. To spectacular effect, IMO. Meanwhile, Don waves shiny roommates in front of Jim, Will gets wet, and Neal tries to convince his co-workers that Bigfoot is real. When Gabrielle Giffords is shot, the team gets it right.

Comments

[edgeriffic]

Don: "It's a compliment. Jimmy Olson was a go-getter."
Jim: "Yeah, but strictly speaking, he was a photojournalist. In fact, when DC Comics first introduced the character..."
Don: (slaps him on the face)

Ha! I totally missed this, due to some weird digital hiccup on my recording. Now watching it again becomes mandatory, not optional, yay! Jim does have a Jimmy Olson quality about him, could definitely see him in a bow tie.... Also, Jim Halpert-ness, as Tom pointed out correctly last week. So all in all, Jim's a good choice of character name. Oh, and I didn't like his hair this week--seemed goofier than usual.

This is very reminiscent of a line from Broadcast News. There's also some bits where we see Don's dry cleaning and other things that make me think maybe Aaron's a fan (as am I).I know I read something about Broadcast News as an influence in an article or review of the show--I feel like it was something Aaron said but I could be mis-remembering. The intimacy of the Mac/Will talking through the headphones reminds me a lot of

[tomfoolery815]

Also, Jim Halpert-ness, as Tom pointed out correctly last week.
I was agreeing with Mary. She pointed out the Halpert-ness of Harper. :)

[edgeriffic]

So by the transitive property of television commentary and early onset senility, I was agreeing with Mary. Coolness. :-)

[tomfoolery815]

Speaking of Sorkin as we are: I was reading your reply to me, and my screen suddenly went black. I wondered what had happened to my computer. Then "Twenty-Five" resumed where I had left it on iTunes. :)

[edgeriffic]

Should I follow the three comment limit as well? And, should I leave some original thoughts, not just thoughts in response to Mary, lovely and brilliant as she is? Okey dokey!

Loved:

Will: "You're still on in 30". His delivery of that made me laugh out loud.

Title music: It sticks in my head for a few days and not in a bad way. I find it very lovely, and moving. (It reminds me a little of Broadcast News too, though if one takes that connection too far you end up at the classic scene with the two composers pitching the new evening news theme: "La dee da, la de da da da....Big Finish!".) I never loved the WW theme, I'm sad to say, so I'm glad to love this one.

Liked:

Drinks in the face---this held up pretty well, I thought, made me laugh each time. The one in the meeting was funny as was Mac's recap of the sharing of the blame, and the third one was especially funny since she started out the date bringing up the article about the first drink in the face. Plus Will's reaction.

Meh:Bigfoot bit. I love love love Dev Patel

[elinorigbe]

I feel the same way about the music. It's romantic and emotional and evocative of the eras that are flashing across the screen. In the same way that that BOAC ad from last season was. Soaring emotional music behind scenes from the early days of flight. Pilots in leather helmets and goggles, flying by the seat of their pants, and then later 4 engine stratocruisers with women in fur collars and cloche hats boarding for flights to far away places with strange sounding names.

[elinorigbe]

Frak, I just wrote for ever, and LJ ate my missive. Why don't I learn to save my words before hitting post

[edgeriffic]

Kathryn Hahn!!! she of Boeing Boeing--a three cornered connection.

Yes! I forgot to mention that. Lovely to see her again.

Also, the actress who plays Maggie's roommate Lisa played Pam's sister (friend? cousin?) on the wedding episode of The Office, she's the one who Dwight kicked in the face (funnier than it sounds...)

[elinorigbe]

For whatever reason, showing people doing politics well, and showing people doing the news well seems to work for him, but showing people doing comedy well did not.

I think it's because of the relative "seriousness" of politics and news compared with comedy. That sounds like a Duh thing, but I mean that he can use stronger images and words and situations about the former subjects, but when he tries to do that with comedy, it just looks and sounds ridiculous.

[edgeriffic]

I agree---and it's not a "duh" thing. Comedy is harder than drama, I think. It's a shame that great comedic performances so often get overlooked at Oscar time.