The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Another excellent season, another strong HBO Blu-ray release...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 9, 2014

The second season of Aaron Sorkin's firebrand HBO series mixes things up a bit -- less than critics claim but more than proponents might realize -- yet holds true to the mission The Newsroom set in stone on day one: taking the 24-hour American news cycle to task. Unfortunately, one too many viewers decided Sorkin and company were only interested in spouting sermons rather than exposing the dangers and consequences of a corporate-owned, ratings-driven, socially swayed media. Some accused the show of firing one too many shots across the ultra-conservative bow. Others complained about everything from its anti-right jabs to its parodies of left-weighted liberals. Still others groaned everytime Sorkin and his writers focused on relationships within the newsroom, romantic or otherwise. And then there was the camp who hated everything, whether it rubbed their tummy or kicked them in the pants. It's my show! Do what I want! Agree with me! Preach to my choir! Goodness. I'm beginning to think the internet has turned us into a bunch of simpering, over-entitled, hyper-sensitive isolationists who can't entertain an opposing or remotely challenging viewpoint for more than a minute without working ourselves into a sweat-drenched frenzy. Offended? Best steer clear of The Newsroom then. That's one message point that finds its way into just about every episode.

Sorkin has certainly made his point, and done so brilliantly, hilariously and, at times, with thought-provoking conviction and seriousness. But he's apparently made his point too well. Cancelled, with a truncated third and final season about to wrap next week, the series is sadly being put out to pasture. It's closing in on a proper, satisfying end, though, meaning there's absolutely no reason to avoid the second season. If, that is, you enjoyed the first and don't mind that a few changes have been made to the ACN offices...

The series follows a troupe of idealistic journalists earnestly trying to reclaim the legacy of Murrow and Cronkite in the face of a fickle audience, corporate mandates and tangled personal relationships. Season Two picks up a year after Season One, in the days leading up to Election Night 2012. The News Night staff is being prepared to give depositions in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a staff member alleged to have doctored a report about a suspicious U.S. Drone strike. As details about the suit's origin and aftermath emerge, the team continues its quixotic mission to "do the news well" in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles, and their own personal entanglements. While the series is set at a fictional network, news stories covered in the News Night cablecast are often actual past events, or are inspired by them. Each episode offers viewers an opportunity to return to and relive the news events that made headlines, as they watch it unfold for the show's characters, who race to put together the broadcast. Flashing back to earlier events from August 2011 to November 2012, the new season touches on the administration's anti-terrorism policy, Occupy Wall Street, Troy Davis, Trayvon Martin, Benghazi and, of course, the primaries and general election.

Obviously the more your personal politics align with Sorkin's, the more enjoyment you'll get out of The Newsroom. More laughs, outrage and tears too. That doesn't make the creative team disproportionately partisan or preachy. Just human. When dealing with such hot-button issues, how could any show not drift to one side of the aisle or another? Should Sorkin present a newsroom of journalists devoid of passion or opinion? That said, painstaking efforts have been made to ensure the series is an inclusive look at the trials and ails of 24-hour news, political theater and platforming of all stripes, regardless of how much that might conflict with the D or R stitched on its viewers' or potential viewers' party jackets. Facts are prioritized above conjecture and commentary, but more so are the glimpses into the organizational structure, capabilities, challenges, and limitations of a news network attempting to survive and thrive in America's current political climate. When the show throws its support behind an ideal or idea, it's always to the benefit of the character arcs or the mounting drama; not Sorkin's ego or agenda. And when it does slide to one side or the other, it does so in pursuit of the truth of a debate, not simply to deliver and win a straw man argument.

If this is sounding more and more like a defense of the series' perceived ills, well, it is. Yes, I care about politics and have strong opinions. I just don't lose my mind when watching a drama whose characters waver between agreeable and disagreeable, noble and misguided. I'm not being manipulated. I'm being shown people from all walks who are doing their best to balance their careers and lives with the madness happening in their industry and world. No, I don't mind the focus on the relationships in the series, even Jim and Maggie's, which for whatever reason send too many fans into silly little tantrums. Even this season, with Jim and Maggie's now-volatile friendship handled in a much more sophisticated manner and with each being relegated to separate corners -- one on the U.S. election trail, one dealing with trauma experienced while on a trip to war-torn Africa -- criticism would come the moment the two were in proximity to one another, as if people in the real world only attend to their job duties when at work. (Cause that happens, like, never.) And yes, I enjoy watching a nuanced, rapid-fire dissection of very difficult issues, learn a few things along the way, laugh at witty banter, and not worry too much about if I'm being sold a lie or manipulated. A few minutes of quick research on the magic box I submit these reviews to allows me to educate myself on a host of current events and political topics. It's apparent the series' writers have their own magic boxes and do a great deal of research to explore all sides of an issue. Every individual's take-away may be different, but the writers' groundwork is solid.

I also appreciate that Sorkin has allowed the series to evolve. Didn't like a character from Season One? Chances are you'll warm up to them this go round. (Thomas Sadoski's Don Keefer being a prime example.) Couldn't get enough of someone? Prepare to see them cast in a different light in Season Two. Liked the first season's formula? It's been modified, in some ways -- timeline, A plot progression, office politics -- significantly. There will be those that find Season Two to be inferior to One, those who find the second to be a vast improvement, and those who still despise its guts. But we bring too many expectations to film and television. Blame it on the avalanche of trailers and promos. Perhaps higher quality and higher standards. Or that, online, each person's opinion is suddenly readily accessible to everyone from their co-worker to their late brother's great uncle's plumber's nephew twice removed, allowing negative reactions to grow and spread like wild fire. (Shows are too often subjected to this torch-n-pitchfork mob treatment.) Watch The Newsroom. Dig it? Soak up each new episode. Don't like it? Learn a thing or two then find another series. I'm not sure when we, the TV-viewing public, became a roving band of ravenous animals, hunting and devouring shows by the DVR dozen. But we're neglecting the joy of savoring a new series, forming our own reactions, approaching politically themed dramas with civility, and discussing what's been presented without drawing lines in the sand or looking over our shoulders for the thought police. The Newsroom takes big, bold swings at big, bold subject matter. We need more shows like it. It's just a shame it, like ACN, has struggled to find an audience in these polarizing times.

The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The one thing we can all agree on is that The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season features a terrific 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation faithful to its showrunners' intentions. Colors and skintones are precisely saturated and quite lifelike, primaries are strong and vibrant, and black levels are deep and satisfying. Detail doesn't falter either. Edges are crisp and clean (with only the slightest hint of intermittent ringing) and fine textures are refined and well-resolved. Delineation is revealing and grain is intact too, without anything in the way of significant macroblocking, banding, errant noise or aliasing rearing its head. There are a handful of nighttime sequences that see a notable increase in noise and a small reduction in (perceived) clarity, but each instance is inherent to the source and not an issue at all. Ultimately, The Complete Second Season has a darker, less cheery appearance than its predecessor, but its encode is just as impressive.

The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the Blu-ray release of The Complete First Season, The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season offers a first-rate DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that delivers pinpoint prioritization, solid dynamics and an immersive soundfield. The rear speakers aren't as engaging as the center channel or forward soundscape, but only because this is a Sorkin series, and conversations, arguments and whiplash dialogue rule supreme. And yet the newsroom itself is bustling with activity, all realized with convincing directionality, smooth pans and a convincing realism. LFE output is restrained but reliable as well, lending just enough power, pulse and momentum to the series' score to help propel the drama along. Voices, meanwhile, are clean and clear, fully supported, and nicely grounded. Compared to, say, a True Blood lossless track, The Newsroom experience is uneventful. Judged on its own merit, though, the series' mix fares as well as any other, and manages everything in its reach with precision and class.

The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: The 3-disc Blu-ray release of The Complete Second Season features four audio commentaries: "'First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lawyers" with creator Aaron Sorkin, director/producer Alan Poul, and actors Sam Waterston and Jeff Daniels; "News Night with Will McAvoy" with Poul, Daniels and actress Emily Mortimer; "Red Team III" with Poul, director Anthony Hemingway, Mortimer, and actors Thomas Sadoski and Hamish Linklater; and "Election Night Part II," the season finale, with Sorkin, Poul, Daniels and actresses Oliva Munn and Constance Zimmer.
• Inside the Episodes (HD, 25 minutes): Nine episodes, nine 2-3 minute production featurettes, each of which takes a quick look at the making of the episode, the topics and news stories covered, and other pertinent info.
• Episode Recaps (HD): Nothing fancy, just a series of recaps.
• HBO Instant Preview (HD): Watch several pilot episodes from other HBO shows.
• Deleted scenes (HD, 4 minutes): Two deleted scenes round out the supplemental package.

The Newsroom: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Newsroom's second season is different than its first, but only insofar as it has evolved and matured as a series. Its recent cancellation has come as quite a disappointment, yes. Thankfully its third season is currently wrapping up nicely, and its second season still stands tall, tackling hard issues with an attention to detail, nuance, balance and integrity the 24-hour news networks could serve to learn a thing or two about. HBO's Blu-ray release is excellent too, with a striking video presentation and a no-frills, no-nonsense DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that delivers. Additional extras would have been appreciated, but what's here will suffice. The series comes highly recommended.