The Newsroom Review: None of It Was True

On The Newsroom this week, Jerry Dantana took "One Step Too Many" in the quest to prove Operation Genoa actually occurred - and his actions could take down everyone at ACN.

Yes, it was finally time for Mac and Jerry to bring in the Red Team and let them hear what they had on Operation Genoa. The reactions of Don, Jim and Sloan were priceless.

The threesome waffled between incredulous to dumbfounded. So much so that they segued into debating how many reindeer Santa had because that made about as much sense to them as the U.S. Military using banned Sarin gas on civilians. They simply couldn't wrap their minds around what they were being told. 

Mac: I don't believe it either and I also don't believe in Santa Claus but if I saw eight reindeer take flight...
Jim: But you haven't seen eight reindeer. You've talked to someone who's said he's seen eight reindeer. | permalink

I appreciated that not everyone was so willing to jump on board this story. Granted, there was supposed eye witnesses to the event but what evidence was their to back up their story? And are Twitter feeds now considered evidence?

Turned out General Stomtonovich did say "it happened," despite Maggie's rebuttal, but did he mean Operation Genoa happened or that the operation included using Sarin?

I was relieved that Mac voiced concerns about the General's memory issues. Not taking that into account would have been irresponsible. 

Speaking of which, what are the responsibilities of a journalist to run a story? Is having corroboration enough of a reason to go to air or is Don right? Should they not only be concerned with the truth but also with what the consequences of make it public will have on the world? Are there times when broadcasting the truth can do more harm than good?

Obviously Jerry was determined to bring this story to light, whether the evidence supported it or not. He'd convinced himself in the truth of Operation Genoa to the point that he was willing to doctor an interview to prove his point.  How could he not realize that would come back to bite them all?

It was odd to get so little of Will in an episode. At first it was nice to see him so comfortable with Nina. He was still a bit brooding but at least he wasn't doing it alone. 

Yet little by little, it became clear that something was off between them. For as much research as Nina had done on Will, it still didn't mean she understood him. 

Will couldn't have looked more uncomfortable on the morning show. When they handed him the football I got nervous. When they forced him to wear the helmet I knew this was going to be a complete disaster. When he admitted he aimed for the light tree I couldn't help but laugh.

Leave it to Sloan to get another view of those focus group numbers and point out the difference between being liked and being respected. I'm really enjoying the odd brother/sister bond that has grown between these two this season. 

Poor Don was left to wallow over his dismal love life but at least he had Mac to console him as she cut to the chase.

Mac: Why don't you just ask her out?
Don: After she's gone out with a professional athlete who's ten years younger than I am with 3% body fat and ripped muscles that have been conditioned over, you know a life time of two a day sweating in the hot sun. | permalink

Yeah, I could see how that could be intimidating but at some point Don's going to have to man up and ask the girl out if he actually wants his shot. 

Jim and Hallie were cuter than I expected. As a matter of fact I didn't think we'd see her once Jim got off the bus and back to ACN but her visit was an unexpected surprise.

What was annoying was Jim questioning Maggie once again about her drinking interfering with her job. At this point that really hasn't happened and I wish Jim would just say he's worried about Maggie as a friend instead of saying it as her boss. 

As usual there were plenty of stand out The Newsroom quotes this week…

• Gen. Stomtonovich: It doesn't make much difference to the collateral damage whether it's damaged by gas or a hell fire missile. | permalink

• Mac: I think the way you know you've broken one of God's rules is when you can't put it back together again. | permalink

• Will: Why does a politician take polls?
  Sloan: To find out what people want him to say the next day. | permalink

At the end, Charlie said that "none of it was true."  If he's talking about Operation Genoa then how far does the conspiracy go? From the tip from Ret. Capt. Cyrus West, to Sweeney's eye witness account, to the twitter feed and even Charlie's confidential informant…was this all a giant conspiracy to take down ACN? 

It sounds far fetched but I am intrigued and looking forward to find out how they explain it all. 

And what's your opinion? Did ACN have enough evidence to run the story? Even if they did, should they have aired it given the possible worldwide turmoil it could cause? Weigh in with your thoughts on Operation Genoa.

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.