The Newsroom S01E04 "I'll Try to Fix You" 7/15/2012

[Beryl]

I was yawning through most of this episode but the last 15 minutes were chilling. In the words of Arnold, "I'll be back."

[scooterboy]

Dear TV industry,

In the name of all that is good, PLEASE find a new song to play while sad things are happening.

Fix You is way past worn out.

[inaka]

Originally Posted by scooterboy

Dear TV industry,

In the name of all that is good, PLEASE find a new song to play while sad things are happening.

Fix You is way past worn out.

It was done to perfection by Chris Martin & Ricky Gervais in Extras:

Extras - Fix You

[dthmj]

Originally Posted by scooterboy

Dear TV industry,

In the name of all that is good, PLEASE find a new song to play while sad things are happening.

Fix You is way past worn out.

I had never heard that song before.


My family is enjoying the series. And last night's episode we thought was pretty good.

[Shaunnick]

I enjoyed this episode. At first I thought the whole thing with Will was just bad luck with pissing off the TMI woman. I thought the show would drag out Jane Fonda's attempt to destroy his character over a few more episodes. So I did not realize that that was exactly what was going on. I liked Will's determination to wait for a second source. We all know that would not happen in real life.

On the real side of things, I had not realized that the cable news networks had reported Gabby Giffords dead. That and the failure to properly report the Supreme Court ruling a couple of weeks ago shows just how far real journalism has fallen.

[Ereth]

It's all about being "first". That's the point that the son was making when he gave that speech about people changing channels if you aren't current. Accuracy be damned, be first.

In my mind, it shouldn't be allowed to be called journalism any more.

[inaka]

Originally Posted by Ereth

In my mind, it shouldn't be allowed to be called journalism any more.

"Infotainment"

[Lori]

I liked this episode a lot. I think that they are finding their voices. Better balance of humor this ep, too.

[madscientist]

Do people really think it's true that if your news show is a few minutes later (but gets the story right and tells it in a coherent way), people will switch to another channel? Has anyone offered any proof of that?

I don't believe it. People have shows and channels they prefer to watch, and that's what they'll watch. No one is going to switch from CNN to Fox News (or vice versa) for a few minutes here or there.

When I saw the utter fiasco that was the Martha Stewart trial verdict I was hopeful that there would be so much embarrassment they would give up on the ridiculousness. Obviously that was back when I was naive.

[Azlen]

Originally Posted by madscientist

Do people really think it's true that if your news show is a few minutes later (but gets the story right and tells it in a coherent way), people will switch to another channel? Has anyone offered any proof of that?

I don't believe it. People have shows and channels they prefer to watch, and that's what they'll watch. No one is going to switch from CNN to Fox News (or vice versa) for a few minutes here or there.

When there is a live news event, I will switch around quite a bit depending on a number of factors. I don't think that reporting on a rumor like that would be one of those factors though. It's usually based on video, who they are interviewing and things like that.

[dthmj]

In the case of Gifford being shot... I do remember switching the channel a lot... I don't know what we actually did, but if I was on a station that had said she died, I would have stuck with that one for a while before going to one that had her still alive - as presumably her death is the most recent. Of course we later found it was wrong.. but I think I would have wanted to watch the station that I felt had more recent news.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by madscientist

I don't believe it. People have shows and channels they prefer to watch, and that's what they'll watch. No one is going to switch from CNN to Fox News (or vice versa) for a few minutes here or there.

Except me (and I suspect thousands -- if not millions of others).

I switched from CNN to Fox News when Bin Laden was killed. I read on the Fox scroll bar that Bin Laden was actually killed days before and then called a friend to report that "news". She questioned the information and I noticed where my TV was tuned and turned back to CNN.

[busyba]

Originally Posted by Beryl

I switched from CNN to Fox News when Bin Laden was killed. I read on the Fox scroll bar that Bin Laden was actually killed days before and then called a friend to report that "news". She questioned the information and I noticed where my TV was tuned and turned back to CNN.

Why did you switch in the first place? Just for comedic effect?

[netringer]

I was shocked and RW afer I read in the credits that it was Hope Davis from American Spendor playing the TMI b.

No, Bigfoot is not real. There would have to be at least two of them in order for Bigfoot to have mama and for more bigfeet to be born.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by busyba

Why did you switch in the first place? Just for comedic effect?

It was a stupid moment, grant you.

[kaszeta]

Originally Posted by Azlen

When there is a live news event, I will switch around quite a bit depending on a number of factors.

I did this a lot on 9/11, ending up on NBC since their coverage had the least amount of conjecture.

[ADG]

Originally Posted by Beryl

I switched......to Fox News

Ahhh yes, Fox News. Any oxymoron if ever there was one

[netringer]

Once again, Olivia Munn mangles any approximation of acting or delivering lines professionally.

What it is about faces like Allyson and Mary Louise Parker with the black Betty Rubble(?) eyes?

So the drama is if "the 44th floor" fired Will for cause, he'd be out of work for 3 years with the non-compete clause in his contract. Dunn-dunn-dunn.

[dswallow]

Quite an enjoyable episode. The best so far, I think.

[TAsunder]

If there was any doubt that the news broadcast they are doing has a liberal leaning, this episode basically dispelled that notion. I see now why the one reviewer said what he did about the lead being a wolf in sheep's clothing. Much of what we saw this episode that was political was not what I would call "good journalism" compared to prior episodes. I did appreciate, however, the symmetry between the $200m/day figure blowing up all over the news and the Giffords false report.

[Robin]

wow. The last fifteen minutes had me tearing up. I kept thinking: this is so stupid I know she lives!

And yes, I switch around a lot during major news events.

[Shakhari]

During the scene where they were trying to decide whether to follow everyone else and report her dead, I kept thinking, "you know, it's easy to get the news right a year later with 20/20 hindsight."

[TAsunder]

Originally Posted by Shakhari

During the scene where they were trying to decide whether to follow everyone else and report her dead, I kept thinking, "you know, it's easy to get the news right a year later with 20/20 hindsight."

Maybe, but it's easier to get it right when you don't have pressure to prematurely report on things. This and the supreme court's ruling on ACA pretty well demonstrate this issue.

[Turtleboy]

Originally Posted by Shakhari

During the scene where they were trying to decide whether to follow everyone else and report her dead, I kept thinking, "you know, it's easy to get the news right a year later with 20/20 hindsight."

That's been every news story so far, starting with the oil spill.

[SoBelle0]

Originally Posted by scooterboy

Dear TV industry,

In the name of all that is good, PLEASE find a new song to play while sad things are happening.

Fix You is way past worn out.

Ha! I heard that and nearly started tearing up.
Like Robin said - I know she lives why was I getting sad? They've Pavlov'd me with that song.

[Robin]

funny thing is I loathe coldplay.

[scooterboy]

Originally Posted by Robin

funny thing is I loathe coldplay.

And I don't - I'm just tired of that song being to go-to song for "sad".

Before that one, it was always Only Time by Enya.

[Steveknj]

I didn't know the song, so for me, I didn't even think about it.

I thought this episode was a bit too soap opera-y. But I guess that's not surprising as they've been leading up to that. Is it me, or does anyone else think there's no spark between Will and Mac. I don't see them EVER being together. It all seems very forced. I love the inner workings of how the broadcasts shape up and the politics behind the scenes. I could do without the love affairs.

On the Sorkinisms. I know have my son predicting things that will come up again. We were keeping track over the number of times bigfoot was mentioned, and we were saying the bigfoot lines before the actor ever said them. This same type of thing happened so many times on Sports Night and Studio 60, every time they do this shtick it feels like a rerun.

Still like the show though, but I thought this was the weakest episode so far.

[Robin]

I really enjoyed Jim pointing out to Maggie who was behind his new relationship, and torturing her with it.

[Jesda]

Man do I hate Coldplay.

The reenactments of media events are compelling but so far the bulk of the characters are hard to tolerate. Great dialogue with the gossip columnist.