Newsroom Recap: They Know About Generators, Right?

With Mackenzie gone, Brian goes the whole “Leona doesn’t want Will going after the Tea Party” story from a few weeks ago. He moves on to explain the tabloid storyline from the News Year’s episode. Finally, in case there are still people who haven’t figured it out, Brian lays out that this whole thing was concocted so Leona could fire Will. Then he puts the cherry on that exposition sundae by informing us this week’s ploy of losing half their audience is a valid reason to fire him and Will was just using Brian to write that story without Will getting his hands dirty.

The producers, and Neal, are in the meeting room conducting their pre mock debate by asking questions about Ron Paul’s racist newsletter from the 90s and what God’s voice sounds like, since Michele Bachmann claims God told her to run. THIS is the new format? THIS is what the RNC is supposedly going to approve? THIS is why they’re covering Casey Anthony? To paraphrase Rebecca Howe, they’re too stupid to live.

Oh, no. This was just another chance for Sorkin to go off on another rant, this time through Maggie claiming that as a Christian she is offended by the casual way Bachmann claims she is not a politician by choice but by providence. Whatever. Maggie exhausts me. But she does give us “insight’ into this revolutionary debate format: Ask tougher questions then ask follow ups. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

How does she not rupture an aneurysm on a daily basis?

Mackenzie and Will come into the meeting so Mackenzie can have a hissy because they’re covering the trial. Even though they still have 22 ½ minutes to fill, she crosses off every other story the producers have lined up, but nowhere on the board is the debt ceiling. So will she do finger puppets for the half of the show when they’re not talking about Casey Anthony or Weiner’s dick? No, they’re bringing in Don to explain live news production to the staff, since no one else can explain it. He tells them to forget everything they know about the news. Heh. Like they know anything about the news.

Urgent music escorts Charlie into a library where he sees a guy sitting at a table, reading a book and wearing a carnation. I’m sorry, Nucky’s on the other, better HBO show. Charlie starts talking to the guy and sounds like an asshole because he’s not last week’s mystery caller. Charlie just figured he was because of the carnation. Geez. Anyway, the real mystery caller, Solomon Hancock, wants Charlie to take the battery out of his cell phone because we’re all always under surveillance.

The crow flies at midnight…
Shut up.

Charlie balks and squawks but Hancock just wants him to take the battery out so they can talk. Hancock establishes his bona fides: Naval intelligence but went into the private sector doing data compression after the Berlin Wall fell. Went back to the public sector after 9/11. Charlie dickishly recaps it as being “an IT guy.” Why isn’t he drunk and funny? This Charlie’s worse than Will. Hancock agrees and says his title is Assistant Deputy Director of Technology and Systems Cryptology and Mathematics at the NSA. The “Asshole” at the end was just implied.