The Newsroom: Time for the Red Team

The behind-the-scenes of how a show gets produced live is interesting, and probably too uncommonly used on The Newsroom, when considering the title of the drama. "One Step Too Many" utilized this educational tool nicely, though there was still a great deal going on outside of the control room. Of course, it seems no surprise that Jerry would do whatever he deemed necessary in order to force support for his story, but not realizing that the basketball game in the background will undoubtedly make his altering of the raw footage obvious was unforgivable. The wide range of dates in this episode is also barely passable for Sorkin, but, then again, everything going wrong for Jim in one night also seems unlikely. Many nitpick this drama all the time, but it might finally be getting too much to leave alone...

The Newsroom "One Step Too Many" (S02E06): Will does a focus group on himself because Charlie won't run them anymore, and he is concerned about his numbers. Nina thinks that Will should have guests that don't make him too combative, then suggests he is letting Charlie and Mac use him to do the show they want. [I had forgotten they were an item!] She even tells him to go on the morning show, which he does immediately. [what kind of power does this woman have over him??] The show taunts him into tossing footballs because he was a HS quarterback, and he purposely hits a lighting tree. [interesting segment between Will and Sloan discussing Disney getting screwed on John Carter for $200M, and their big brother-little sister relationship. also, I love the fact that her dating a Giants player makes Don insecure.]

It's time for the First Red Team Meeting, as there are now four sources. [notably, Will is not in the room.]

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Sloan, Jim, and Don listen to the information about how 30 people from Sweeney's list were researched, and 29 refused to talk. The other is presumed to be deceased. After that, five searches were run that pointed to one more possible source, whom Charlie and Mac visit. He seems a bit untrustworthy because he forgot they were coming, but they ask him about the storage of chemical weapons and get some answers. [haha at the basketball metaphors during March Madness.] If they black-out his face and alter his voice, he's willing to talk about Sarin on camera, so Jerry goes to conduct the interview. The military man refuses to allow anyone else in the room, so there are no witnesses to Jerry not actually getting the guy to admit to what "exceptional measures" were taken, and instead he speaks in hypotheticals. But, desperate not to have a dead end, Jerry cuts the footage. [hate him. don't worry, I'll still love Hamish Linklater.]

March 21, 2012: Hallie comes to New York, but her romantic weekend with Jim is foiled. Between a drunk Ron Paul reporter double-dating Neal, Taylor tagging along as she just got fired for trying to get Romney to stand on his business history more, and a surprise add-on stop in Colorado, the evening sucks for Jim. [etch-a-sketch!] So, Jim winds up talking to Maggie, concerned that her heavy drinking will lead her to disclose Genoa. [totally possible...] 

At the Second Red Team Meeting, Jerry shows the tape, but Mack and Charlie want to wait, still not 100% positive that Genoa happened. Time passes, and the gentleman thought to be dead calls ACN, and he talks about Genoa, which forces the green light. [I liked how all of the headlines, both across the screen and from Will's mouth, served to show the passage of time.] However, five minutes after the hour-long special, Charlie knew there was a problem. [I wonder what the tip-off was...]