The Greater Fool

The Newsroom concluded its first season tonight with a decent episode, but not the pinnacle of its run. There were several smile-on-your-face, stand-up-and-cheer kind of moments, and yet they weren't as smoothly integrated into a narrative as some of the peak episodes a few weeks ago.

There was the triumphant confrontation against Leona, where Will stood up and (apparently once and for all) secured his job. It was a particularly great scene for seeing Charlie go all-in on a complete bluff, and winning the day. But then it seemed like a bridge too far to have Leona turn around and encourage Will to go after his target with full fervor.

Which he certainly did. Will's scathing commentary on the Tea Party made me giddy with excitement, speaking as someone who politically feels that mental patients have hijacked the asylum of the Republican party. And yet, it all felt like Aaron Sorkin's most soapboxy moment yet in a season filled with soapbox moments. It was hard to see exactly how it all fueled the narrative, and barely seemed integrated with the story. I felt the catharsis of seeing someone expressing my viewpoint, but not really the catharsis of a satisfying story resolution.

Office romances ruled the episode. Will and Mackenzie's relationship took a greater role than ever before, but the dance was both satisfying and frustrating. Mackenzie's batty insistence to know "what did the message say?" -- during a live broadcast -- continued the unfortunate trend of sacrificing her character's professionalism for laughs. And yet I did find myself caring for the two to work through their problems, more than ever before.

And then there was, as always, the Don-Maggie-Jim triangle. It served up some truly funny moments, like Maggie getting splashed by the Sex and the City bus and launching into a fiery tirade. It served up some wonderfully tender moments, like Don's cute "but this key's in a box" request to move in together. But it also tangled things up even more by bringing Sloane into the mix. It seems all of this will be drawn out into the second season, so my only hope is that Sorkin continues to find these few scenes like this that are entertaining (in the midst of a subplot that I think isn't).

All of this first season of The Newsroom was written and filmed before any of it aired. My hope for season two is that Sorkin can take a step back and look more objectively at what worked and what didn't about year one. There was plenty in both columns. Hopefully, next summer can bring back a much improved series that focuses more on those good things. There were hints this season of how great the show could be, and that's a show I want to see more of.