"I've got a guy on my staff who got hit in the head with a glass door Thursday. His forehead wouldn't stop bleeding, but he wouldn't go to a doctor 'cause I got another guy who got beat up covering Cairo. And the first guy wouldn't see a doctor until the second guy saw a doctor. I've got a producer who ran into a locked door 'cause he felt responsible for the second guy. I've got an 18-year-old kid risking his life halfway around the world and the AP who sent him there hasn't slept in three days. I've got 20-somethings who care about teachers in Wisconsin. I've got a grown woman who has to subtract with her fingers staying up all night trying to learn economics from a PhD who could be making 20 times the money three miles downtown. They're journalists."
This fabulous monologue from Daniels just encapsulates the episode so well regarding what Will McAvoy's news crew endures as a possible Egyptian revolution might be on the rise, with plans to overthrow their leader after suffering his 30-year reign, with one of their journalists, Elliot (David Arbour) badly beaten by a rock from a mob of protesters. Elliot returns home with broken bones and bruises, and MacKenzie, thanks to Neal's urging, initiates the "hire" of an Egyptian, Khalil, who can function as a freelancer for them, even though most of the internet in the area has been cut off. What happens, though, is that Khalil is kidnapped, leaving Neal to feel responsible (angered at some rather disgusting comments by Rush Limbaugh about foreign freelancers infuriatingly causes Neal to punch the computer monitor, breaking his knuckles!), as McAvoy orchestrates Khalil's release through a wire transfer of funds. It is learned that MacKenzie's current boyfriend, Wade (Jon Tenney), is planning to run for political office and has used his relationship with her (and her association with Will) to gain exposure to this goes their romance. Hope Davis returns as the gossip columnist, targeting MacKenzie (it seems she is planning to run dirt on Mac's responsibility in getting people killed while in the Middle East), and earning the ire of McAvoy. McAvoy sternly forewarns her (and Jane Fonda's Leona) to lay off or he will bury her (and Leona) with his news broadcast. This is the line in the sand, so to speak.
It is Valentine's Day, so there's the whole deal with Jim's new gal and how Maggie insists he give her a nice night out (even providing flowers, a present, and a written note directed to her!) so she can have a happy time with Don absent the usual misery that results when Lisa (Kelen Coleman) is punished by bad dates every year. Jim walks into a door, there's wonderful use of the crowd-pleasing Notre Dame football movie, Rudy, and inspired coverage of a teacher's strike in Wisconsin (the news crew really consider this a story they care about). Just typical greatness from The Newsroom. There's even a breakdown of Glass-Steagal (the dissolution of the separation of commercial banking and security firms has been considered by some to be a major factor in the financial crisis) as MacKenzie needs economic pointers from the brilliant beauty, Sloan Sabbith. The loyalty of the news team to Khalil is admirable, as is Khalil's bravery to get them information which put him in danger.
This fabulous monologue from Daniels just encapsulates the episode so well regarding what Will McAvoy's news crew endures as a possible Egyptian revolution might be on the rise, with plans to overthrow their leader after suffering his 30-year reign, with one of their journalists, Elliot (David Arbour) badly beaten by a rock from a mob of protesters. Elliot returns home with broken bones and bruises, and MacKenzie, thanks to Neal's urging, initiates the "hire" of an Egyptian, Khalil, who can function as a freelancer for them, even though most of the internet in the area has been cut off. What happens, though, is that Khalil is kidnapped, leaving Neal to feel responsible (angered at some rather disgusting comments by Rush Limbaugh about foreign freelancers infuriatingly causes Neal to punch the computer monitor, breaking his knuckles!), as McAvoy orchestrates Khalil's release through a wire transfer of funds. It is learned that MacKenzie's current boyfriend, Wade (Jon Tenney), is planning to run for political office and has used his relationship with her (and her association with Will) to gain exposure to this goes their romance. Hope Davis returns as the gossip columnist, targeting MacKenzie (it seems she is planning to run dirt on Mac's responsibility in getting people killed while in the Middle East), and earning the ire of McAvoy. McAvoy sternly forewarns her (and Jane Fonda's Leona) to lay off or he will bury her (and Leona) with his news broadcast. This is the line in the sand, so to speak.
It is Valentine's Day, so there's the whole deal with Jim's new gal and how Maggie insists he give her a nice night out (even providing flowers, a present, and a written note directed to her!) so she can have a happy time with Don absent the usual misery that results when Lisa (Kelen Coleman) is punished by bad dates every year. Jim walks into a door, there's wonderful use of the crowd-pleasing Notre Dame football movie, Rudy, and inspired coverage of a teacher's strike in Wisconsin (the news crew really consider this a story they care about). Just typical greatness from The Newsroom. There's even a breakdown of Glass-Steagal (the dissolution of the separation of commercial banking and security firms has been considered by some to be a major factor in the financial crisis) as MacKenzie needs economic pointers from the brilliant beauty, Sloan Sabbith. The loyalty of the news team to Khalil is admirable, as is Khalil's bravery to get them information which put him in danger.
