The Newsroom Review: Pulling Off the Happy Ending

It's "Election Night, Part II" and although we all know how the election turned out, The Newsroom season 2 finale left me giddy in a way I never expected. 

(And if you haven't watched the episode yet…MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!)

Okay. You've been warned.

There was so much angst going into this episode. Almost everyone on the staff was begging to be fired, literally. They'd all but given up on their future at ACN... but then Jane, an anchor in the DC office gunning for Will's job, took a jab at MacKenzie in this The Newsroom quote…

We'll try not to drop Sarin gas on anyone while we do it. | permalink

Thank you, Jane ,for being such a b*tch because that mean girl moment seemed to turn the tide from defeatism to determination. And it wasn't just about the job.

Will and Mac. Talk about a roller coaster ride. The conversation in the hair and makeup room was heartbreaking as Will told Mac that the engagement ring she found was a practical joke. That he didn't pick it out and he had it returned the next day. Mac's face absolutely crumbled as he spoke the words. Still she managed to give the perfect retort, though.

I brutally hurt you and that's a fact and facts don't change but in my lifetime I've never done it intentionally. | permalink

Later,  Charlie did a complete turn around as he decided to rescind his resignation. I think it was Jane's snarkiness that got his fight back. Then Will realized…

Except for the things we did wrong, we did everything right. | permalink

And it's as though Will went into a trance. As if the entire history of his relationship with MacKenzie was playing out in his mind and he realized that the same sentiment applied to them. Then he muttered, "The rest was me" and ran to find Mac.

The logical part of my brain was saying, Are you serious? as he proposed to the woman he's done nothing but quarrel with for two seasons. But the romantic in me knew that these two have been crazy in love since the start of the show. And if Will can finally forgive her then they have a chance at a future.  

Besides, how could she say no to a man holding a gorgeous $250,000 ring?!?

Will: No matter what you say, I am going to be in love with you for the rest of my life. There's no way out of that. It's just a physical law of the Universe. You own me. No matter what you say I will never stop. | permalink

There's no reason why they can't work out their issues while their engaged. And how can I possibly complain when the entire scene left me smiling from ear to ear?

Don and Sloan. Thankfully Will and Mac weren't the only ones making progress. After an entire season of dancing around one another, Don and Sloan finally got some lip action going.

Sloan's continued investigation was solved with old movies as she recognized that the names on her auction list were all names of fictional characters. When she finally noticed the posters on Don's wall, she took action.

In one of the most awesome scenes of the entire series, Sloan marched into the control room, signed the book, pushed into Don's chest and then gave him a kiss that left him watching her sashay away with his mouth agape. Go Sloan!

During The Newsroom Season 1 I would have never guessed that Don Keefer could turn out to be one of my favorite characters. His reaction to the kiss was only topped by his tirade to Rebecca about putting warnings on coffee and irons. I could have kissed him just for that.

Jim's Angels. Writing that made me a little ill because I simply don't think Jim's worth it. Where Don's stock rose with me this season, Jim's plummeted. 

It was great to see Lisa back once again but horrifying to hear her tell Jim that she's smart enough to know she's not smart enough for him. I hope I'm not the only one who wanted to shake some sense into her. 

Jim's saving grace was his relationship with Hallie, although I wonder how they'd do if they weren't long distance. And if anyone should get fired, it should probably be Jim for all of that Skyping with the competition during work hours. 

But it was his interactions with Maggie that had me shrugging my shoulders. Really, it never occurred to him that she cut her own hair? Okay, he's a guy. I suppose I can let that go.

Although it was great to hear Maggie tell him why she cut it, I think that hearing the same scene between her and Lisa would have been more compelling. 

Finally we had the hilarious scene between Charlie and Reese, who both had changes of heart. Charlie rescinded his resignation as Reese decided to take the high road and not accept it. Leona was right. They were both idiots. 

Then we had Will stumbling over the enormous amount of M's in MacKenzie's name once the McAvoy is added. When the entire room got over its shock and began hugging and applauding, I just about cried. These people have been so miserable all season long that it was wonderful to finally see their joy. 

And in the end, Maggie clicked on the Yellow alert, just like she'd witnessed Jim do when she first noticed him. Is this a new chapter for Maggie? A new story arc for The Newsroom? I really can't wait for next season to find out.

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