By Sara M
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.