The Newsroom Recap: Springtime for Cairo and Madison

Back with Jim and she mewls that Don booked them a room at the Four Seasons.  AGAIN Jim acts like he just landed here from Ork, wondering if she means him and Maggie. No, still Don and Maggie, dumbass, and she wants Lisa to have a good Valentine’s Day so she can have one, too. Of course, the easier route of telling Lisa that she’s spending the night in a hotel with Don would be the normal thing to do, but why do that?

Dumber than he looks.

Jim gets all dude-ish and says it’s a big commitment to take someone out on Valentine’s Day and, gross, Lisa’s just someone who comes over for sex, but Maggie will not be deterred. She’s planned the whole night and tells him what the gifts are including “slutty lingerie for whatever disgusting thing [they] do later.” She was so close to getting through that without slut-shaming Lisa. But at least she’s also slut-shaming Jim so PROGRESS! Then they replicate what Sorkin thinks is racy, 20-something conversation before Maggie once again oversteps her bounds as an Associate Producer and threatens her boss, Jim, not to screw her over on this. Stay classy, Mags.

Mackenzie comes by and calls them over to Neal’s desk so we can all be in awe of this brave, little, Egyptian toaster, Amen, who they plan to exploit to “get the story.” Or something like that. Mackenzie jumps in and gives him his assignment: broadcast live from Tahrir Square at 3:00am, get interviews with Egyptian military at the Presidential Palace. Oh yeah, and give up his anonymity so they can broadcast his name and face before posting it on the internet. He’s all “Hold up,” but Neal gives him a hokum speech about being a part of history and yadda, yadda the kid takes off his scarf and gives his full name. I’m sure this won’t come back to haunt them.

After everyone smiles at this poor, dumb kid and Neal walks him through some technical details, Charlie, Will and Mackenzie discuss some housekeeping stuff to establish that Will’s the noble, middle-aged white man who wants to keep covering the Koch brothers, Charlie’s his doting father figure who wants to put blinders on Will so he doesn’t have another wobble about the tabloid stories and Mackenzie’s his manic pixie dream girl who finally lands on a good idea and offers to resign.

Will briefly demeans Mackenzie for sending the email and pats her on the head that no one wants her to resign. Charlie shuts down their dysfunction by pointing out that stories about the Kochs are exactly what Leona doesn’t want so they decide to pursue it for all it’s worth. By reading the New York Timesand watching Think Progress videos to do research. I’m guessing. Or get Jim to do it, which is what Will actually does.

A better wardrobe and haircut and you could be as douchey as me, Jim.