Episode Report Card Sara M: C- | 14 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT Mayday
By Sara M | Season 1 | Episode 7 | Aired on 08.05.2012
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.MacKenzie decides to celebrate the new NewsNight's first anniversary (plus one week, because if they had celebrated the occasion on the actual first anniversary then it wouldn't have happened at the same time as the Big News) at a party in Will's apartment on a Sunday night. Even Charlie shows up, because partying with 70-year-olds is so fun. Also because he gets a phone call from a mystery source who tells him big news is coming from the White House in 90 minutes. MacKenzie also gets a call from ACN's national security analyst, but thinks it's some guy hitting on her and ignores it. Oops!
Will doesn't get any calls, so he feels free to take Vicodin and eat two very strong pot cookies, courtesy of Neal's sort-of girlfriend. When everyone gets word that Obama is going to give a Very Important Speech, the NewsNight team springs into action! Except for Will, who is stoned off his ass. Oops!
Unfortunately, they're going to have to let him anchor the night, because Terry Smith doesn't exist, ACN's D.C. correspondent is having a power struggle with MacKenzie, and Elliot is stuck on a plane with Sloan and Don, who gets in a fight with the rule-loving flight attendant and has harsh words for Lester, his seat neighbor. Also, Sloan set Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on fire. Oops!
Before Obama's speech, both the plane people and the newsroom people figure out that Osama bin Laden has been killed. Don freaks out because he can't get off the plane to deliver the news, but ends up delivering it to the plane's flight crew instead and feels honored to do so. It's pretty cheesy. In the newsroom, Charlie refuses to let MacKenzie go on the air with the news until they're absolutely sure of it. Will gets confirmation from Biden (really? Come ON), but doesn't bother to check his email until 20 minutes after it comes in, so ACN ends up telling the world that bin Laden is dead about three seconds before Obama does and probably an hour after everyone else. Oops!
And finally, the Jim/Maggie/Don/Lisa "plot" kept happening. Oops.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Charlie gets a phone call. He doesn't know who is calling or why, but the mystery man promises that this will be the first of "several" calls. Good, more phone calls! That's exactly what this show needs. Charlie is either drunk or Sam Waterston can't enunciate anymore, as he informs both his caller and us who Deep Throat is and how it's a "sacred pseudonym." Mystery Man refuses to tell Charlie his real name, saying "call me 'Late for Dinner'" and says that he is trying (if he can ever get a word in with Charlie interrupting him all the time) to establish his credibility with Charlie. He says Charlie will get an email in about 90 minutes from the White House press secretary calling him into work. And when that happens, Charlie will know that Late for Dinner is legit. Instead of thanking the guy for the possible heads-up, Charlie lectures him on withholding information when someone could be in danger. No, Charlie. That kind of stuff only happens on good shows that are exciting and fun to watch. With that, Late for Dinner hangs up on Charlie, who either has the stubbiest fingers I've ever seen on a non-dwarf adult or my TV screen settings have been changed to stretchy mode.
Charlie heads back inside, where we find out he's at big party at Will's place! Unfortunately, someone invited MacKenzie, who nags Will to make a little speech. Will would rather not. He doesn't have a choice. Somehow, against his will, he's been made to throw a party in his apartment for his horrible employees on a Sunday night and now he has to talk to them. Will says this is "just like in [his] nightmares." Like, don't think you're so special there, Will. I too have nightmares concerning people on this show. Like all this week I had these recurring dreams where I really, really wanted to watch the Olympics but I can't because I have to recap this show instead. Terrifying!
While Rodney Dangerfield Guy (wearing his best casual duds) looks on, Will says this party is in honor of the new NewsNight's one year and one week anniversary. They couldn't even get an anniversary party right. I'll bet Maggie planned this. Or MacKenzie. Whoever it was, you can bet she was female. A bunch of idiots clap and raise their glasses to "NewsNight 2.0," which has yet to be not lame and Will says they're probably on NewsNight 174.0 by now. "I'm confident we're gonna get it right one of these days," he adds. I'm not so confident.
Neal, Kendra, Gary Cooper, Martin, Tess and Julie Cooper play Celebrity. Julie Cooper thinks Christian Bale is an Australian woman who starred in the Spiderman franchise. Tess thinks she's really cool when she informs Julie Cooper that Christian Bale is "English." He's not. He's Welsh. I mean, he was born in Wales, but his parents were English and he was raised in England. So maybe he is English? Best to go with "British." All-encompassing. I only know all of this because my roommate is an avid Christian Bale fan.