Raw Data: Unintended Consequences

Thoughts and observations for Newsroom episode 2-04, "Unintended Consequences" written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Carl Franklin who was an actor on The A-Team in the 1980s and recently directed "Chapter 10" and "Chapter 11" of House of Cards.

• Following a morning visit to the Newseum I hoped this week's episode would deal with a high minded look at ethics in journalism or something similar.  Instead, we got a lot of Maggie.
• I find it difficult to read any other analysis of Newroom, but for a different reason than before.  Some now include faint praise of the episode but in a backhanded manner.  Writers will praise an aspect of the show, explain why it was lacking, that it was identified in the media and pat themselves on the back for recognizing it and raising it to the attention of Sorkin.  They will also compliment Sorkin for taking their sage advice.
• Noticing the word 'abudiate' I wondered how Maggie (who reclines her seat all the way on airplanes) could have a word in her vocabularly that I did not.  Quickly fixed by acknowledging this is not a word.  See "refudiate" for Real World example.
• Whatever happened to Gary Cooper?
• He was gay?
•  Maggie and Gary are going to do some piece on KONY 2012.  Is that the same reason as before?
• This OWS girl is dressed much more nicely than one would expect for a OWS-er.
• All of Will's points are valid, considering that she cannot articulate a best case scenario.  Or even identify who would meet with Congressional leaders if they walked down there one day and said they were willing to listen to their (scatterbrained, disorganized) demands.
• Will is still battling with that internal conflict to be liked and though of as a moderate, admitting to being harder on OWS than he had to be because they are a convenient target for someone in his position with his credentials
• Though I didn't think she took any lumps that weren't warranted or justified.
• Mentioning Entebbe brings to mind this movie
• Here I am thinking this fixer is as useless at his job as Maggie, who is terrible, is at her's.  But when the cattle bandits come, he's pulling out his gun, checking things out and getting everyone onto the bus.  Bam!
• This scene brought out a tension and suspense not often seen in Sorkin's work.
•  Good plan to stay off the doctor prescribed Paxil.  Very smart.
• The Mayo Clinic states the generic form of Paxil, Paroxetine, is used to "treat mental depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Paroxetine belongs to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines are thought to work by increasing the activity of the chemical called serotonin in the brain."
  They mention SSRIs earlier in the episode, but I can't recall the context
• Instead, Maggie (who is a poor tipper) medicates herself via haircut which lies somewhere between here and here and here 
• Speaking of tropes, Mac is on her way to becoming the Only Sane Employee
• Did they bring the funny?
• "I always...I hate that name...I did it..." - Jim, of all people
• "Couldn't find a map with a fucking map" - Will
• Don's rambling on how he's the only one who can save the situation with OWS and the source, followed by his immediate bungling of the situation

What everyone will hate
Sorkin used kids, African kids no less, to manipulate the viewer, introducing a character for the sole purpose of drumming up empathy and magnifying the tragic outcome.

However, I'm sure everyone will pat themselves on the back for calling out Sorkin on smugness and making him draw attention to it as Will, Sloan and Don march in a self aware smugness and condescension parade toward the OWS rep.

Oh, but they are going to lose their minds about Halle's editor yelling at her over the phone.  "No one could ever say that!"

Uganda
Part of the problem with the Uganda story is it will ultimately not be worth it because of the simple fact it is happening to the worst character on the show.  Trauma is a tricky thing to convey because it relies much on the established endearing nature of the character.  Besides the quality of the Maggie character lacking, the quantity of time we've gotten to know her is lacking we well.  Newsroom has only broadcast 14 episodes so far, eight less than the number than ran before "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen."

It's also unclear to me how the Uganda story connects with the subject of the wrongful termination suit, besides Maggie's (the insane, unbalanced one) ability to testify as a credible sane person.  Which I'm not sure she could do anyways.  Also, why she has to tell them every excruciating detail.  It's a matter of suspending disbelief which I will give someone like Jeremy Goodwin when he writes his deaf sister Louise, but not to a terrible character like Maggie (who we hate).

And ultimately, the terrible thing that happened to Maggie (blah) didn't actually happen to Maggie (blerg).  It happened to someone else, and she bore witness.  Which is terrible.  But not as terrible as Maggie (narf).


Next week!
Trayvon.  Fuck.

That's great, but who are the chefs?

Great googly moogly!

Top Chef is returning, in Masters form.  Being the only show I watch on Bravo, there's nothing I'm watching that tells me Top Chef is coming back so it's usually by word of mouth I find out it's back a few episodes into the season.  Seems like a marketing flaw, considering how much television I watch that I could somehow not know one of my favorite shows is on.  But then again, Top Chef is on Bravo, which is owned by NBC Universal, which is owned by Comcast.  So, with those guys on the job, I'm not particularly surprised.

This season is worth watching, to me, for the sole reason that Bryan Voltaggio returns.  Voltaggio was the runner up to his brother in the (probably strongest) Season Six in Vegas.  While he did not win a Quickfire, he did win four main challenges * and was selected in the top group four additional times.  He never was in the bottom group to be possibly eliminated, which even Kevin and Michael cannot claim.**

* Though it seemed like he was unlucky, never winning one of the challenges that had a cash prize as a reward.

** Looking to see if anyone else in the show's run can make that claim.  Thank you Wikipedia.

I think I was a fan because I could see the older brother in him come out often.  Bryan and Michael exemplified an older/younger brother relationship.  One segment, which I think was online and not on the show, was when a snake got into the the house.  Brian dealt with the snake while Michael drunkenly sat there ready with a knife in case the snake pounced.

Despite the often flawed competition structures they have which can result in the worst dish not being eliminated * Top Chef is still one of three reality shows I watch **.  If Kristen, unjustly elminated early due at least partially to a dishonorable competitor, hadn't ultimately won*** I may feel differently.

* Often due to a team or bracket style match up.

** The other two being The Amazing Race and Survivor.  Both competition based, rather than candid.

*** In some weird Iron Chef finale cookoff.  Hopefully TC doesn't continue to try to be something it's not.

Raw Data: Willie Pete

Initial thoughts and observations for Newroom episode 2-03 "Willie Pete" written by Aaron Sorkin, and staff writers Michael Gunn and Elizabeth Peterson.  Interesting how many of the writing credits are going to writers who have few credits to their name.  It is possibly due to Sorkin's tendency to use the writing staff primarily as researchers and writing most of the script himself.  Lesli Linka Glatter has of course directed a ton of stuff over the years, but is also named on the upcoming first two episodes of Homeland Season Three.

• Why not "Whiskey Papa"?  "Use the NATO phoenetic alphabet!"
• Nothing like deadpanning a candidate's exact words to show how silly they sound
• The DADT debate question is a moment exactly ripe for this show, where the GOP primary showcased the despicable character that led Will to where he is today
• And how about condemning them to hell "not soon enough"?
• The whole thing is very Olberman-esque, particularly "witless bullies and hapless punks"
• For all Will's indignance, Sorkin balances it with Liam's * "So what?" reaction, where he reminds Will the contempt Will has for the Tea Party mirrors the contempt Liam has for Will.  Also Liam is Will's boss.  Or his boss's boss, but in practice, his boss.
•  They are doing a good job here conveying the lack of reporting that goes on during the campaign.  Partially due to laziness, partially due to a go-along-to-get along attitude (and a desire to be friends with these guys? **) most of the young reporters are content to regurgitate the packets provided by the Romney spokeswoman.  Showing the absence of something, while still conveying the message, is a difficult thing to do in television.
• All the same, Jim's coup didn't unrealistically work and the Mod Squad is left on the side of the road to be eaten by zombies.
• Sierra de la Ventana is really wanting this story to be true, and is really focused on winning his reporting prize, commandeering (Mac's) associate producers to help with his project
• Sierra is also really terrible at hitting the recycling container with his crumpled up pages.  If he worked near me I'd be all like DUDE PICK UP YOUR GARBAGE OR MOVE CLOSER TO THE GARBAGE CAN YOU ARE THE WORST SHOT EVER.

• Maggie (the terrible one) feels some placebo like side effects but no one bothers to tell her it's probably because her default setting is unbalanced.
• All she needs is something to make her more unbalanced.  Maybe it'll work out though like all the diseases in Mr. Burns's body being in perfect balance so as none of them can take effect (Three Stooges Syndrome), and the weird side effects will make her normal
• Probably not
•  Did they bring the funny?
• "I'm delightful." - Olivia Munn nails the delivery
• "Book agents beat their wives." - true facts from Don Keefer
• Don and Sloane remain one of the best pairings together and best characters, individually

* Very much struggling to remember names this season but I feel like Chris Messina's character has one of those somewhat recently popular names like Rory or something.  Regardless, he's Ellen's friend from Damages *** ** WHY?! *** This presents a problem in the Newsroom-Damages crossover where Will hires Patty Hewes, though I'm not sure why Ellen's boyfriend would have to be involved so maybe it's okay. What people (media) will be angry about:
Will's mission to civilize the Internet pops up again.  No doubt this will cause scorn among everyone in the tubes who believes Aaron Sorkin is communicating directly to them, about them (but not you specifically.  You're too small time).  Paraphrasing some old quotes about profanity, Will states "Snark is the idiot's version of wit."  This storyline is particularly a target of scorn because it focuses on the Internet and the media.  Internet media should sit in the quiet room for a little bit before reacting so they don't hurt themselves further.

Plot Not to Be Foiled - Part 2

This is Part 2 of posting about how shows, specifically Justified and their new approach, plot their seasons.  Part 1 included some background.

Why Justified is the Best


Season Four is a whole new approach to plotting a season. it carries an underlying story throughout the season, a mystery, while allowing for detours throughout.  Some plots last an episode, some plots take a few or four episodes for their own arc.  One starts in the premiere, only to be revisited in episodes seven and eight in near complete detour that somehow still manages to be a character study of Raylan.  Some of them tie back into the main mystery and some do not.  The kicker is that the mystery is resolved not in episode 12 or 13 but in episode 9!  How does one tell a thirteen chapter story by resolving the underlying question in episode 9, you ask?

Fallout and reactions.  The world constructed by Graham Yost & Co. is such a well developed, organic creature that revealing the mystery demands fallout and reactions from the characters.  The characters created by Yost & Co. are so well fleshed out, even if they are new to the scene in Season Four, that the audience is better served and more interested in seeing the reactions to the unfolding events than by simply playing up the mystery at hand and making the climax the reveal.  Instead, the climax of the season is when all parties, deftly tied together, react and converge in a not only believable but expertly plotted way.

The approach could have been inspired partially by the format of Raylan, the most recent book by Elmore Leonard which contains three stories.  Each story is about 100 pages long, too long to be a short story but too short to be novels unto themselves.  While the entire book tells a story of Raylan's marshal adventures in his hometown, each story has a beginning, middle and end similar to the detours taken in Season Four*.

* Started this post only talking about Justified ("Why Justified is the Best"), but realized I could not properly explain it without the context of other plotting examples. 

We discuss and analyze and recap shows on an episode by episode basis out of the natural convenience of shows broadcasting one episode on a weekly basis.  However, the cumulative effect a show cannot be felt by discussing a single episode, especially early in a season, without considering "all the pieces" as David Simon would.  If someone (who had not yet seen the show) were to re-cap The Wire now, it would not make sense to write four articles for the first four episodes.  Even the most ardent Wire fan would not claim the show grabs you from the start.  Instead, it takes a few episodes before you are "in it" *.  Rather, if I were writing about The Wire, I would probably take it four or so episodes at a time, at least to start.  There is a reason the show gained traction and attention in the media when HBO decided to send critics the entire season prior to it airing.

* Like Natalie Portman's character in Garden State would say.

As plotting becomes more and more complex, not just in the sense of following a season long storyline, but integrating vingettes and side adventurs like Justified did, the question will be if analysis and discussion can find a new paradigm as well to best suit the new format.  Otherwise it will become like recapping a book chapter by chapter and comparing the chapters to each other (if it isn't already). 

And we already see the format changing again.  With Netflix recently releasing all thirteen episodes of House of Cards and all fifteen episodes of Arrested Development, viewers are more able to get the whole picture in a manner more appropriate to the format.  When House of Cards was released, a bunch of articles popped up about this new phenomenon called "binge watching" that has been around for quite a while.  In fact, binge watching, which was just called "watching DVDs" played a big part in revival of dead shows like Family Guy and Futurama.

The reason this now has a name is because of the demographic shift in who is doing it.  Rather than college kids (with no money) watching a DVD collection they got for Christmas, these are adults watching a high minded show via a subscription service.  A Venn diagram of the audiences may actually show that many of these adults are simply the aged 2013 version of the Family guy watching college kids from 2004.

You could build a house, or at least a nice shed, out of the brick jokes flung about in the new season of Arrested Development.  The serialized and simultaneously released nature of the House of Cards episodes lend to show predicated on the long, long con at the highest stakes.  So not only has the way we watched television allowed us to enjoy the shows in ways not previously available, it is actually influencing the way shows are produced.

Middle America

Conan had a particularly hilarious time last week with Andy returning from a brief, mid-week hiatus, Conan's former roommate and longtime friend, Jeff Garlin, and Olivia Munn.

Olivia Munn is talking about how her Asian mother would beat her and wonders if perhaps white people don't beat their kids as much? 

Munn: You don't hit your children, do you?
Conan: no, I do not hit my children
Munn: No, white people don't normally hit their children.  But Asians...
Garlin: Haev you been to the South?
Andy: Have you been to Wal-Mart?

Which I found hilarious, as did the audience.  But I can't help but think a Wal-Mart joke would insult a lot of people if it were on The Tonight Show* especially the manner in which it's delivered.  A good portion of the book, The War for Late Night, and a large part of the underlying thesis is that Conan was a bad fit for most of the country , meaning the middle parts, (thought a good fit for the Coasts) where most people live and watch the show (because it comes on at 10:35 p.m. Central Time).

* I've never watched Tonight with any regularity, with Jay Leno hosting most of my life, so maybe I'm wrong. 

Anyways, it was a fun show especially if you're familiar with Conan's and Garlin's roots, but also was a little reminder who the average viewer is.   Conan and Colbert do the best interviews and this was particulary fun to have the primary guest out there b.s.-ing with the secondary guest. 

Emmy nom nom noms

Something is seriously wrong with the Emmy nominations, but when isn't there?

How Justified could be completely shut out is beyond me.  Frankly, you are splitting hairs these days when you talk about which top tier drama is the best, but Justified certainly deserves to be in the conversation with Mad Men and Breaking Bad. 

Either male lead, Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins, could replace any one of three nominees between Kevin Spacy, Jeff Daniels or Huge Bonneville*.  And those are three actors who I enjoyed this past year.  But movie stars get a pass when they do television in the eyes of the voters. 

* There's a trend of anti-heros on television (obviously) where actors play characters who should be unlikeable but make them likeable.  I don't know if Hugh Bonneville decided to go for the exact opposite this year or that's just how it was written but Lord Grantham seemed both incompetent and unlikeable all season. 

Goggins could hypothetically submit as supporting and easily take out Bobby Canavale from Boardwalk Empire or Jim Carter from Downtown Abbey.  They did a good enough job in their respective roles, but none of the shake the Earth like Boyd Crowder, whether he's daring a preacher to use risk a snakebite or smart mouthing the Detroit hitmen who want to kill him.

Linda Cardellini gets a nomination for playing Don Draper's least interesting mistress.


Rupert Friend from Homeland gets a nod.  If he survives this series, I see no reason he can't get a spin off.  If he's killed on Homeland, I see no reason he can't get a prequel show giving us the origins of Peter Quinn, Season Two MVP.

The Emmy's need a catergory for best single episode.  Until then, the closest they have are the writing and directing categories.

For writing, going for a "smaller" episode, like a play*, is a good way to get in here.    Because voters aren't required to watch the entire series of shows they are voting on, season premieres and season finales are often nominated because they can be better understood by the voters out of context.

* Think "The Suitcase" from Mad Men Season Four where Don and Peggy have an adventure following their spat.

Homeland's "Q&A" (which also got a directing nod) contained one of the Peter Quinn MVP-esque moments when he fucking stabbed Brody in the hand.  Largely a play between the interviewer and the interviewee, it took us through the whole game that Brody and Carrie were playing.  Their conversation put it on both the big scale of the United States versus the terrorists and the small scale of Carrie versus Brody, and sometimes even examines the personal relationship between Carrie and Brody and all the messed up-edness they've slogged through.  And the viewer is unsure how much of it is Carrie being honest and how much of it is Carrie trying to get Brody's guard down.  How calculated could this mental case possible be?

Then there's "The Rains of Castamere" which.... just....

Breaking Bad has two nominations in this category for "Say My Name" and "Dead Freight" which provided the gut punch of 2012.  While "Dead Freight" has the single plot running throughout the episode making it a likely candidate for nomination, I need my memory jogged a bit on "Say My Name"

In the directing category, while it's hard to believe Game of Thrones didn't get anything for their annual ninth episode extravaganza, I want to pull for Breaking Bad's "Gliding Over it All" just for the use of "Crystal Blue Persuasion" which must have been hard to not use in each of the previous year's, waiting for the right moment.

"Episode 4" of Downton Abbey also received writing and directing nominations.  The episode included a plethora of significant moments in the season but knowing that characters bite it often because of the actors' other interests seems to cheapen it a bit.  Considering the episodes of television that did not receive one writing nomination or one directing nomination (like Justified * and **) it seems ridiculous to honor Downton Abbey with that distinction.

* Breaking Bad and Mad Men have some candidates that could be inserted here as well.  Just as Major League Baseball expanded it's playoffs due to the expansion in teams, the Emmy's need to expand the nomination slots due to the number of networks now in the game, programming year round instead of September-May.

** Any episode 9-11 of Justified could be inserted here to either category: "The Hatchet Tour" "Get Drew" and "Decoy".  "Decoy" should certainly be in the directing category regardless.

For best series, it's difficult to argue with most of the nominees, but again, Justified is head and shoulders above at least two of the nominees.  House of Cards, while good, is at least partially benefiting from Kevin Spacey's name and the novelty of Netflix.

Raw Data: The Genoa Tip

Initial thoughts and observations for episode 2-02 of Newsroom, "The Genoa Tip" written by Aaron Sorking, Dana Ledoux Miller and Adam R. Perlman.  Miller and Perlman have been working on the Newsroom staff. The episode is directed by Jeremy Podeswa who directed this episode of Homeland.

• Thinking more about these new credits...they show more mundane locations and activities associated with New York and the newscast, almost generic, where as the old one evoked old timey broadcasters like Murrow.  The theme was also more sweeping.  This kind of lies there.
• The episode begins August 25, 2011 and will span several weeks.  
• Did they bring the funny?
• "Ask A-Rod." is great for a throwaway
•  Maybe I am a sucker but it seems particularly shortsighted to not help a fellow reporter frame their shot when you clearly have the time.  It's small thing that is going to get done anyways and may help you in the long run.  Or maybe it's just expected people know how to take care of themselves and it's obnoxious to ask someone to do that for you when everyone else is managing on their own.
• This girl looks like one of the girls that got eaten by zombies in the Season One of The Walking Dead.  Being out at these rallies in East Chabumble, New Hampshire, I can't help but picture "walkers" stumbling out of these trees and attacking the Romney campaign.  Aaaaaaaahhh! 
• Interesting that Will has only been doing the anchor desk for 10 years.  It means he had a rocket ascension with a near immediate disenchantment.  Considering the show starts in 2010 and he's already the Jay Leno of newscasters at that point, he became complacent pretty quickly
• The footage of Charlie and Will is a new approach to an old tool, the flashback
• Charlie's wearing a necktie and not a bowtie and appears to be in a more hands on role at the time.  Or it could be he's doing what he can in a crisis.
•  Stuck some good music * in the bar scenes
• "Take it on the Run" - REO Speedwagon
• "Always on my Mind" - Willie Nelson version
• "Hold the Line" - Toto
• Brian Fantana is doing some good old fashioned process of elimination journalism in tracking down a member of this black ops team
• Their whiteboard running down possible stories includes "Bachmann HPV nonsense"
• Would have liked the two rings to Jim's phone go unexplained, but no, Maggie, who is awful, had to ruin that too.  It's unlike a Sorkin piece to drop that obvious bit on us via dialogue
• Is she going to get kidnapped and make everyone feel sorry for her?  I hope not.
• Her roommate, whose name may or may not be Lisa, was a bit dramatic with her hug of death.  Still, it was nice to see her call Maggie (who is awful) on all her b.s.

 * I'm always really proud of myself either for recognizing the song (thanks WDVE) or deciphering enough lyrics to Google them.  

What People Will be Angry About
Accusing Sorkin of manipulation regarding the Troy Davis case.  I thought this was well done and gave depth to Don and Will.  Will refuses to re-try the case on the air partially due to his background as a prosecutor.  He could have gone one way or the other in terms of his views on the case, but he separately believes one thing about the case and feels it's his duty as a journalist to act in the exact opposite manner.  With Don, it gave him a passion piece that he's followed consistently for a decade, presumably before his own show went soft.   

Ultimately, Sorkin can't re-write what happened and the newsroom is toothless to provide any help.


Evoking Past Works

I can't help but think of Danny Concannon running down the flight schools looking for the pilot of Abu Nazir's plane which mysteriously disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

All the scenes of Jim on the campaign trail, especially drinking and working, bring to mind "Manchester Parts I & II".

Will and the news team being hit in the face repeatedly but impotent to do anything, he takes the most solvable problem of bailing Neil out of jail, not unlike Jed Bartlet beating the Teamsters negotiations into submission in "The State Dinner" while he looks helplessly at the other things flung at him that day.

The Troy Davis case...there is an episode of SportsNight "Dear Louise" where a friend of Issac's (whose name he did not initially recognize), a former Negro League baseball player, is carjacked and beaten.  Casey and Dan report on the man's hospitalization.  Later in the show, a note is passed around and the control room becomes solemn as they ready a graphic to report that he passed away.  It is incredibly well done and packed an emotional punch SportsNight mangaged to dish out nearly once an episode.  The mood and Don's frustration echo this.