While I have the chance, let me just share what I believe are the highs and lows of Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom so far.
Forgive my bias but I am a loyal Sorkin fan and any haters out there…could well just shut the fuck up. I do promise to try my very best to be objective (whether or not it is good enough is all up to you).
First of all, any true Aaron Sorkin fan would know that he recycles lines, issues, references, actors, jokes, speeches, formulas, anything.
And any true Sorkin fan would love the fact that he does this. It’s what makes us know it’s a Sorkin masterpiece. When we see Felicity Huffman or when we see someone storming into a room saying all kinds of things like whoremonger, blowhole, Machiavellian jerk, etc. or when someone jokes about a dangling modifier or when the main character has daddy issues…I could go on and on.
My point is…other than to brag about my knowledge of Sorkin tv shows…is that no matter how many times he reuses and reuses things, he makes it work.
So – let’s get on with my thoughts on the show so far.
I love the mix of the characters. Many are familiar and others are just unfolding. I love how every character fits into the story and how relevant they are but….those are characters. I have to admit, as much it pains me to do so, I don’t fully agree with the casting of all of them. Some play the ’emotional’ type a little too much, some play the ‘nerd’ type just a tad more awkward than I’d hope and one is just out of place.
All these things are pretty get-past-it-able but like I said, I am trying to be as unbiased possible by pointing out all things that I have noticed.
To be honest, if there’s anything wrong with this show is the lack of more classic “Sorkin” elements. Where is Schlamme? Snuffy? Huffman? If the finale isn’t called What Kind of Day It Has Been, that might be quite a problem. (I joke of course…just a bit anyway).
The only real thing I can see wrong with this show is Olivia Munn. I don’t see her place in it, but I guess we’ll see. The things I have mentioned are just not good enough (not nearly good enough) reason for me not to watch and enjoy it.
I mean come on, the end of each episode has given me chills like no other writer, creator, auteur can ever do. And The Newsroom is still way up there with any other show on TV right now.
Biased or not, there’s no doubting how much The Newsroom trumps more than 50% of what a lot of us watch today. It’s definitely up there. Probably not Sorkin’s best but it’s up there.
Oh and last thing, to those who debate whether the show is too leftist…or was it too rightist (?)….does it even matter!? This show is on HBO now. Aaron Sorkin won’t be writing to please every single person with eyes anymore. At least I hope not.
posiTVty 