The Newsroom Recap: Is That All There Is?

Mackenzie takes the news to Charlie and they both marvel at how great Will is that he could still “kill it” (unfortunate word choice) while baked. Way to miss the point. Mackenzie just now realizes that “this” is what Leona could use to fire Will (Ya think?) then they both get a sad and Mackenzie tells Charlie that Will said he wasn’t coming back. Charlie just blows her off because he has to go meet with Solomon.

Who can’t believe they’re not running with his NSA story because, per Charlie, he’s not a credible witness. Solomon figures out how incompetent everyone is at ACN then tells Charlie he was given false information because his security clearance was not downgraded. Despite it being plausible, Charlie keeps refusing Solomon who does himself no favors by admitting that, okay, he likes hookers and peeping through his ex-wife’s windows, but that doesn’t make him a bad guy.

I should have known you’d blow it when you kept trying to play All The President’s Men.

When he starts prattling about loving beef stew Charlie’s all “Enough, hand over the TMI stuff so I can save Will’s ass” and he promises that Will won’t rest until he’s reported the NSA story…provided it’s as solid as Solomon said. Um…why weren’t they investigating that simultaneously? Wasn’t that their agreement in the library? Vet Solomon AND his claims? That’s why they’re called leads, you buffoons.

Solomon keeps saying no and we jump cut to “five days earlier.” Smooth transition, Sorkin. Sloan’s reading her afternoon market report and Don comes into the studio. After she throws to another reporter, Don asks if she took another job offer. And give up the glory of making a fraction of what she could earn in the private sector while a 20-something halfwit demeans her online and the 70-something drunk calls her “girl.” Some women are never satisfied. Sloan doesn’t exactly deny, she says it was a lunch.

Simply irresistible.

With her afternoon segment done, she and Don do a walk & talk back to his office about the “lunch.” She eventually admits it’s because she’s been talking about the debt ceiling “since the midterms” (no she hasn’t) and opinion hasn’t changed. Don’s not seeing the logical progression but Sloan’s really just worried that Will’s not coming back and she wants a nice, cushy landing when she leaves ACN.

Don, the likely voice of reason, thinks Will’s just gun-shy and overreacting, but Sloan tells him her last day is Friday. Don semi-flirts that he has three days to change her mind but she’s still butthurt that she hasn’t swayed public opinion. With the reach and influence of a five minute segment in the second-most-watched cable news program. Imagine that.

Don just mocks her and says maybe she’s responsible for keeping it from going higher. They both laugh at how ridiculous that is and Sloan tries to leave gracefully, but Don sucks her back into his Maggie drama. He wants to ask her to move in with him. Why? Does he feel he’s not punished enough? Sloan agrees with me and tells Don that she doesn’t know who told him at some point in his life that he’s a bad guy, but that person was wrong. Don believed it and now he does what he thinks a good guy would do, like commit to a “sweet (!!?!??), smart (???!?), wholesome Midwestern girl.”

Okay, maybe not sweet and smart but definitely Midwestern. And don’t forget blonde!