The Newsroom Recap: What’s a Maddow?

Maggie breaks up Jim’s moment by telling him to back off Don because she thinks he’s a “great guy” and he and Jim should be friends. So Jim, who knows nothing about relationships, tells her that because she and Don are constantly breaking up and getting back together…they obviously have a “connection” and they need to stop breaking up and learn how to have a fight. Who in the what why? Because she and Don are basically sophomores in high school they should stay together and work on communication? Even Maggie thinks this is laughable advice, but when Jim leaves, she moonily tells her roommate that “Yeah, that was him.” Oh. God.

Back up in the war room and things have gotten ridiculous. Numbers guy is making a Rocky 2 analogy, Reese thinks he’s an idiot, Charlie can’t do a Burgess Meredith impression to save his life and Jane Fonda makes this face:

Thank you for speaking on behalf of all right (as in correct) thinking Americans, Ms. Fonda. Then Will meets Date #3 on the newsroom floor and Mackenzie can’t even get her back up enough to make a sexist remark. Mackenzie has a sad.

Filler scene where Neal and Jim discuss Don and Maggie breaking up and how stupid Jim was to tell her to stay with Don and then it’s time for a montage of Will taking on various conservative bête noires taking them up to Election Night 2010, and the night before the meeting in the war room.

The floor is jumping with various staffers on phones calls while the tracking shot suggests they’re very, very busy. Don and Jim are running the floor while Mackenzie runs the control room…and why is Sloan, an economist, part of their political coverage? Don’s joined Mackenzie and Maggie drops off a note with Scott Walker’s statement after winning the governorship of Wisconsin. Even though he was barely a blip on anyone’s radar,  Mackenzie fires one off about him being a union buster, then shit talks Don to get Elliott to say something deeper than bromides and Don refrains from telling her to fuck herself, too.

I want it duly noted that I did NOT shove that water bottle down her throat.

Will takes a few moments to be a dick to the other men on the panel and they go to a remote. Don comes onto the set and tells Elliott to stop being a cliché because he’s dancing as fast as he can to make Elliott “a star” but Elliott’s messing it up. To make sure we understand that Don’s the asshole, Elliott gives him a dressing down, telling him to figure out how to stop being an insufferable prick or get fired, then makes a Gypsy reference (That Don doesn’t get, solidifying why he’s the only favorite I still have left.) claiming he never wanted to be “a star.” Then why…Oh, why bother.

They break their huddle just in time for Maggie to come in and be utterly inappropriate and unprofessional, asking Will to lighten up and meet his dates at the restaurant instead of parading them in front of Mackenzie. Maggie, Maggie, Maggie. You made so much progress earlier. Now I’m back to wanting to punch you and wondering why you never have to face the consequences for your completely inappropriate behavior. Rather than fire her on the spot Will actually gets into it with Maggie, explaining that he’s not doing it to hurt Mackenzie, he just doesn’t care.

What am I missing about moon-faced blonde women?

Whatever it is, Maggie’s gotten to Will so he slinks into the control room to apologize to Mackenzie about being a dickbag…but he’s cut off by a big pile of hair gel and grease. Oh, no. That’s Mackenzie’s new boyfriend, Wade. She can pick ‘em. Will gets his smug expression on his face as Wade tries to cheese his way into Will’s good graces and Mackenzie finally asks an AP to show him around the set to make it less awkward. With the moment gone, Will leaves, pretending he was there to tell the crew they’re doing a good job, and they believe him because they’re just extras.