The Newsroom [HBO - Spoilers]

Rucking_Fetard · 04-10-2014 12:49am

gavmcg92 wrote: »

Looking forward to the leaks story though. Interesting to see where they go with it.

Traitor probably...

Gingervitis · 10-11-2014 11:45pm

Speaking as someone fairly critical of the Newsroom, the 3rd season started off quite well. I enjoy when they keep the dreadful relationship stuff well to the side and focus on plausible behind the scenes work of major news events. In the past, they've been more Captain Hindsight, but this was more nuanced.

I have a strong feeling that Edward Snowden will be a major theme of this season. Pity it's only a 6 episode run.

Kirby · 11-11-2014 12:56am

That was pretty good.

I'm sure the people of reddit absolutely loved their portrayal. :P

FlyingIrishMan · 11-11-2014 3:23am

I still really enjoy the Newsroom despite it's flaws, the opening theme is probably one of my favourite theme melodies ever.

Third season started off pretty well, I'm hopeful for it, Sorkin acknowledged a lot of his mistakes after season 2.

steve_r · 11-11-2014 10:07am

Was a bit mixed on the new episode. I like that the legacy of Genoa is still there and isn't being brushed over.

The scene with Maggie reporting the news was a bit contrived and a bit ott. They could have made that a bit more grounded.
The takeover thing looks dubious. The son is obsessed by the financial performance and hasn't seen that the share price is high even though they are down in the ratings?
I do like the leaks story. Saw a comment on avclub that said that Neal might as well be on his own show.

Teyla Emmagan · 11-11-2014 10:08am

Didn't realise this was back! Yahoo!

gavmcg92 · 11-11-2014 4:54pm

Have mixed feelings over episode one if I'm honest. I lost interest in some parts of the show abd felt like it was dragging on a little. Very solid finish though. Looking forward to how Sorkin brings it all to a close.

fisgon · 12-11-2014 12:39am

For all its flaws, the Newsroom is always worth watching. It is smart, (though maybe not as smart as it thinks it is), funny, (again, not as funny as...), and articulate. In fact, like all of Sorkin's work, it doesn't patronize its audience, it assumes that if you are watching you are clued in and educated. That is a good thing.

And it has Olivia Munn. God damn, that is one good-looking woman. And Sloane is getting more air time now, she is a great character. Almost makes up for Emily Mortimer's constant, irritating impersonation of Bambi.

squonk · 12-11-2014 11:12am

I think they've fixed a lot of what was wrong with this show by now. Unfortunately it's too late. It's still a bit smug though. I'd still prefer it if they concentrated on fictitious news stories. It struck me that I felt sorry for the families of some of the victims while watching. It's a year and a half on and I'm sure if anyone connected to a victim watched this episode it would have brought everything back. I really think concentrating on real stories was the biggest mistake Sorkin made. That being said, I'm enjoying Maggie now. I still want to slap the group collectively during production meetings but it's vastly improved. Neil's stupidity finally got him into trouble but at least he's not gormless and annoying anymore. Maggie is being given something useful to do now. I like how her story has started. Sloane as always is just fantastic. Her arc was the highlight of the episode. Mac is still annoying. Delighted not to be seeming much more of her. At this point the best thing I could say is that I wish she just got them out on screen. Her rack is the best part of the character and It's being criminally ignored! I think if Sorkin had started like this day 1 the show would be facing into a full third season. The real problem is that the opening is wonderfully grave and important and it's only now that the peopel on screen are starting to match the premise set by the intro!

IvaBigWun · 12-11-2014 9:53pm

Great to have this back.

IvaBigWun · 12-11-2014 9:59pm

Great to have her back

:pac:

FlyingIrishMan · 17-11-2014 2:01pm

That was a brilliant episode, absolutely no faults with it. I'm gonna miss this show.

gavmcg92 · 17-11-2014 3:07pm

Much better episode this week. I starting to think that this is going to feel like a very unfinished end to Newsroom. Series can be based and run for 5 series on what we just saw in E02. Very interested to see how this continues.

fisgon · 17-11-2014 6:30pm

Random Law professor on the train: "You're giving a monologue".
Maggie: "Everyone does where I work."

This struck me as a little in-joke by Sorkin, at his own expense, he is obviously not ignoring his characters' tendencies to speechify.

Ep was very enjoyable, varied, deep, curious, intelligent. More please.

fitz · 18-11-2014 12:43am

The Don/Sloan scenes are gold.

squonk · 18-11-2014 10:03am

That was a genuinely great episode. I've been very critical of this show in the past because it failed to live up to what I knew it could produce. The episode this week was the type of quality and show I was expecting from early on. I knew they woulnd't get there immediately but after half the first season had passed I was exepcting thing sto settle down to last night's level of quality.

Don/Sloane were great this week. I loved how their whole situation was handeled. The train thing was OK but wasn't annoying in the way it could have been. I thought Neil was a bit of an idiot running the story, or wanting the story to be run. It certainly creates drama as does the buyout plot.

I have to admit I'll be sad to see the show end now if it continues in it's current form. It's a pity Sorkin didn't get it right sooner. It's now a show that deserves to stick around and that we deserve to see more of.

steve_r · 18-11-2014 10:29am

I did think it was a good episode but I think a strong ending had a lot to do with that. The stakes are high with the investigation team in so it was a strong finish.

That said, I thought the train scene was ridiculous. I just don't think that would ever happen in real life. At least Maggie was more grounded than usual but it was still the Sorkin idealism that makes the show a little hard to swallow at times.

I did like the tweet subplot, wasn't overdone. I'd rather see Don & Sloane do some real newswork but that's just me. The takeover still strikes me as overly simplistic, and a but of a handy way to cram in some speeches about the importance of news.

I really like the leaks storyline and I think it builds well on the legacy of Genoa. The fact that these characters have been burnt by something like this before makes them more hesitant and aware of consequences, and I think that does wonders to make them more believable and relateable.

errlloyd · 18-11-2014 5:53pm

My only question, if Leona owns 45 percent, and the twins own 45 percent, then only 10 percent is publicly traded. For one company to easily buy 60 percent of the publicly trades shares seems a bit ludicrous.

evilivor · 18-11-2014 8:10pm

errlloyd wrote: »

My only question, if Leona owns 45 percent, and the twins own 45 percent, then only 10 percent is publicly traded. For one company to easily buy 60 percent of the publicly trades shares seems a bit ludicrous.

They bought a 6% stake - enough to give them a controlling interest.

IvaBigWun · 18-11-2014 8:16pm

Im very surprised that only about 10 of us seem to be watching this. It deserves a much bigger audience.

Im rewatching the earlier seasons at the moment and it has reminded me how much Sorkin recycles lines and storylines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jeuV3xXxUc

The Sports Night stuff getting reused I can understand as very few people saw that show. But recycling West Wing lines into the Newsroom smacks of laziness and even arrogance.

That aside, if you're not already watching this show you should immediately.

And lads, there's this too

PhiloCypher · 18-11-2014 9:16pm

errlloyd wrote: »

My only question, if Leona owns 45 percent, and the twins own 45 percent, then only 10 percent is publicly traded. For one company to easily buy 60 percent of the publicly trades shares seems a bit ludicrous.

The twins don't own 45%(collectively) until they turn 25 which isn't for another few days in show time. So there was in fact 55% in play when Savanna started buying up its 6%.

h2005 · 18-11-2014 9:20pm

PhiloCypher wrote: »

The twins don't own 45%(collectively) until they turn 25 which isn't for another few days in show time. So there was in fact 55% in play when Savanna started buying up its 6%.

No there wasn't/isn't their 45% would be held in trust until they turn 25 so couldnt be bought or sold.

The Black Oil · 18-11-2014 10:48pm

Just caught up with 3.01. Seemed a bit more restrained than what the show has done before. A pity we haven't had that since that pilot. Less focus on the personal craporama that plagued previous episodes. I don't understand Sloan's computer, either. The old flash drive in the sock routine for Neal...

errlloyd · 18-11-2014 11:19pm

PhiloCypher wrote: »

The twins don't own 45%(collectively) until they turn 25 which isn't for another few days in show time. So there was in fact 55% in play when Savanna started buying up its 6%.

Yeah as another poster said, it can't work that way. 45% is in a trust, Leona has 45% and presumably 10% is in play. I'm nit picking, but I think it is lazy writing. Plus, if I was Leona and there were 10% public traded shares, I'd have been trying to get them for years.

Heraldoffreeent · 19-11-2014 12:03am

errlloyd wrote: »

Yeah as another poster said, it can't work that way. 45% is in a trust, Leona has 45% and presumably 10% is in play. I'm nit picking, but I think it is lazy writing. Plus, if I was Leona and there were 10% public traded shares, I'd have been trying to get them for years.

For a publicly traded company its unusual for one party to be in possession of 45% and not have to make a bid, even stranger for two separate entities to have 90% between them.

Also, Leona said the company was worth £60 billion, her 45% would be worth $27 billion, with that amount of stock as collateral, I don't see the big deal in raising 4 bills from the market.

errlloyd · 19-11-2014 12:18am

Heraldoffreeent wrote: »

Also, Leona said the company was worth £60 billion, her 45% would be worth $27 billion, with that amount of stock as collateral, I don't see the big deal in raising 4 bills from the market.

See this confused the hell out of me. She seemed to imply she was buying all of their shares. Indeed why would they go for anything else? Whatever firm is buying their portion is obviously buying all of them to get controlling stake.

So if their share is worth 3 Billion presumably so is hers, so where she got her valuation I am unsure.

thesultan · 19-11-2014 9:05pm

I thought the third season opener was very good

tommy2bad · 20-11-2014 10:41am

Isn't the idea that if someone gets the 10% then a controlling interest is impossible for either of the 45% owners, thus giving the casting vote to the 10%.
Effectively it gives control to the minority share holder.

den87 · 20-11-2014 12:25pm

I have season one on DVD at home, is it worth a watch? Another message board I read does nothing but slate every episode

The Black Oil · 20-11-2014 12:26pm

Good second episode. Structure and execution. Basically, everyone getting on with the key competencies of their posts whilst still sometimes stumbling.

The Newsroom [HBO - Spoilers]

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