By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

This episode of “The Newsroom” was its biggest gamble so far. While the date, 5/1/2011, isn’t as imprinted into the world’s consciousness as 9/11/2001, the surprise announcement of a Presidential address late one Sunday night certainly is, at least for those residing in the US. Presenting Osama bin Laden’s death, a story virtually everyone in the audience knows is coming, imposes an extra burden to get the tone right. For the most part, they do. While the interweaving of the personal stories is, at times, clunky, it is helped immensely by a show of strength from an unexpected source.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

After physically injuring half the cast last time, “The Newsroom” subjects the rest to lashings of the mind. In addition to recycled dialogue, the reluctant, or inadvertent, therapy session has been a Sorkin staple, from Dan’s thera-dates on “Sports Night” to Adam Arkin’s sessions on “The West Wing”. Here, Will McAvoy winds up in the chair, while Sloan Sabbith finds out how badly things can get lost in translation. Unfortunately, it’s Will, not the sage Bill Murray, whispering advice in her ear.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

Leading up to the latest “Newsroom”, a couple of factors had conspired to lead me to the conclusion I should give the show a bit of a break. Aaron Sorkin went on NPR’s Fresh Air and openly admitted it was a fantasy, an “aspirational” show about how he wished the news was presented. Then, during our podcast discussion, I was reminded of something I’d commented on in the pilot. We’re watching this story from its raw beginnings, with a group of deeply flawed characters who will (presumably) grow into the surreal, hyper-intelligent competence we expect in a Sorkin cast. So, I was prepared to ease up on my kvetching about unreal office politics and give the characters some time and space to develop.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

“The Newsroom” pivots from the political to the personal, but, as the early feminists warned, the personal is political. That’s one of the lessons Will McAvoy learns as his attempts to widen his social sphere run into the buzzsaw of Leona Lansing’s machinations. His “mission to civilize” is foundering; her campaign to discredit is gaining traction. And, while they continue to make all the right moves on-air, behind the scenes, they’re the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

The gloves come off in “The Newsroom” as “The 112th Congress” convenes. Some of the show’s disparate strands come together and the main event comes sharply into focus. What also becomes clear is that, despite the real-world events swirling outside, life inside the Atlantis World Media tower is firmly embedded in the Sorkin-verse. Like ”The West Wing”, this is a show about idealism and wish fulfillment, only this time around with a license to reinterpret the history we already know.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

From Clinton Administration officials in “The West Wing” to SNL staffers in “Studio 60”, Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes dramas have long inspired parlor games about who his characters are based on. I’ve never found the game particularly relevant, given the alternate Sorkin-verse he creates around them. However, the show that cleaved closest to our reality, and the most relevant predecessor to “The Newsroom”, was “Sports Night,” with Casey McCall and Dan Rydell seen as stand-ins for SportsCenter’s Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann.