“The Newsroom: Season Two” finale featured an engagement, several reconciliations and a kiss seen in the Control Room. (Photo courtesy of HBO)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Last year, News Night with Will McAvoy hit a new high as they thwarted the Lansings’ schemes in cancelling their program. All of the newscast’s senior staff thought that they were untouchable.
Well fast forward to now…the once thriving newscast has fallen under hard times. Under the lead of an ambitious and unethical producer named Jerry Dantana, the staff was convinced that a shadowy government operation codenamed Operation Genoa actually existed.
While the eventual broadcast received 6,000,000 viewers, the story crumbled all around them and Jerry Dantana was fired and countered with a wrongful termination lawsuit. Despite Will, Mac and Charlie’s eagerness to resign from their positions, Leona Lansing refused to take their resignations.
Now with tensions in the News Night newsroom at an all-time high and the public wanting heads, the staff continued their coverage of the 2012 Presidential Election…unaware that Will fired Mac! How did Will’s decision affected the morale? Read on to find out…
“Election Night: Part Two” opened up with Maggie, Don, Charlie, Mac and Jim in Mac’s office and decided between the Todd Aiken controversy or covering the General Petraeus scandal. After a brief discussion, they went with the former, which was the safer option.
Back on the set, Will explained to Taylor about the groups that are calling for ACN to force Charlie and Will resign from their roles. Will also added that the Genoa controversy could also mark the end of Charlie Skinner. After adding in her two cents, the former Romney spokesperson asked the News Night anchor to release Jim from his contract so she can approach him about working in her new consulting firm. Will said “No” but Taylor spilled that all of the News Night senior staff will resign if the News Night trinity (Will, Mac & Charlie) are all fired.
As Will called for a staff meeting, Maggie broke up Jim and Hallie’s latest Skype bickering session and told him to head to the studio. Once Jim arrived in the studio, Will stated that he will not take all of their resignations but Don and Jim rebutted that everyone will go down for the Genoa controversy. As the Senior Staff left, Sloan added to Will that he insulted them.
Hoping to get Leona to change her mind about the resignation, Charlie headed to the Election Night party and pleaded to the Atlantis World Media head honcho to listen to the protesters and do the right thing. Meanwhile, Leona gave two important things: “The DC Bureau wants the New York offices jobs” and “Reese would be making the decision.”
Surprised with Leona’s decision, Charlie headed out of the party but not before running into Maggie’s roommate, Lisa, who was working as a caterer. She begged him not to tell Jim that she was there. While Charlie kept his word, an unknown party guest tweeted the accident. Once Neal got wind of it, he showed it to Jim and Maggie advised her former flame to patch things up with her roommate.
As Jim went upstairs to the party, Lisa initially rebuffed him and begged him to leave. However, Jim gives his former girlfriend confidence that she needed and also told her to try to repair her relationship with Maggie. While she stated that it could not be done, Lisa added that Maggie did not tell her about what happened in Africa but did confirm that Maggie cut her own hair.
While Jim prepared to confront Maggie with the information he received, Will and Mac got into a heated argument over their past relationship and a cruel joke that lead to a reconciliation at the end of the episode where Will finally proposed to Mac, who happily said: “Yes!”
Around the News Night newsroom, Sloan learned that Don was her anonymous buyer at the ACN’s Hurricane Sandy Relief Fundraiser and kissed him in the Control Room. Jim finally got Maggie to open up about her tragic experience in Africa and she started to rebuild her relationship with Lisa. Plus, Reese made his final decision…NO ONE WAS GOING TO RESIGN!
Despite the obstacles that the “News Night” family faced, they became a stronger family unit over the second season.
Hopefully, the “News Night” family will still be intact when “The Newsroom” returns next summer.
