MiniCap: The Newsroom

 Welcome back. It’s another new episode which means more incomprehensible personal drama and plagiarizing the hard work actual reporters so let’s just pull that band aid off cleanly, shall we?

This would explain why he asks so many dumb questions.

It’s the Arab Spring or the Wisconsin protests. They’re not sure which one they’re covering because this was Maggie’s week to get in the Delorean and pick a story that won’t have teeth for a few more days. Regardless, Elliott, who has not been established as any kind of field reporter, was shipped off to Cairo for no obvious reason other than to get beat up to force Don’s “Coming to Jesus” moment where he realizes he’s kind of a dick. This, oddly, makes Don less likeable to me. I prefer him being the smartest guy in the room who mocks the others. When he gets along and plays their little games he just enables them.

With Elliott incapacitated they decide the absolute best way to cover Cairo is to recruit an 18-year-old local kid that Neal recommends and who has Richard Engel’s seal of approval. Who managed to do his own stellar reporting from Cairo without endangering any teenagers. (Spoiler.) But Engel’s hotel room did have a fantastic view of Tahrir Square and Elliott was at the Radisson so they had to use this kid. How could they possibly know something might happen to him. I mean, sure, Anderson Cooper got punched in the head and men on camels rode into the middle of the demonstrations, but how could they know without the benefit of hindsight? Neal gets a sad and acts very unprofessionally because when you’re led by Will and Mackenzie anything short of literally flinging your poo goes.

Charlie is sadly sidelined, reduced to being avuncular, while Sloan gets to give the audience a brief economics lesson because brilliant and intrepid Mackenzie has no clue what Glass Steagall is or what’s the difference between commercial and investment banks although you’d think they names gave it away. Sloan refrains from openly laughing at Mackenzie or just walking out on her several times which makes Sloan a better person than I.

In other Mackenzie storylines, she finds out her grease slick of a boyfriend is discussing a run for Congress with the DCCC and is using their relationship to get exposure. This was when there were rumors Anthony Weiner might run for mayor of New York. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Anyway, even though Wade had everything but a handlebar mustache and a giggling dog to let us know he was dastardly, Mackenzie still gets all butthurt, even though she admits she knew he was considering it when they booked him on the show, and handles it in the most mature way possible. By not answering his calls. She’s horrible.

Only slightly more obvious than Wade.

And speaking of horrible, Will’s not to be completely odious this week. He even manages to mostly keep his xenophobia in check. Baby steps. Yes, he still is so far up his own ass he can’t see daylight, fires off some mild sexism, and squeezes in a pompous sermon, but for the most part he just acts like a frat boy discussing Rudy (I’d have taken him for a Brian’s Song kind of crier), bestowing his pardons on Mackenzie, and showing us how stoically a manly men like he handles adversity. It’s all very inspirational.