Newsroom Headlines: Taking Sides as the Battle for News Night Heats Up

On the second episode of HBO’s The Newsroom, the chemistry grows between junior producer Maggie Jordan (Tony nominee Alison Pill) and her new young boss, Jim Harper (Tony winner John Gallagher Jr.). Meanwhile, Maggie’s boyfriend, senior producer Don Keefer (Tony nominee Thomas Sadoski), is trying to lure her away from News Night while executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) woos gorgeous financial reporter Sloane Sabbith (Olivia Munn) and anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) ponders the future of his show. Below, our favorite Aaron Sorkin zingers from Episode 2.

Research chief Reese Lansing (off-Broadway vet Chris Messina) to news chief Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston), on Will’s obsession with ratings: “If I hid in a locked vault under the ACN building, Will would find me so I could break down the numbers for him. Will McAvoy is the biggest ratings whore in the business. I’m not the bad guy.”
Charlie: “Nobody is the bad guy. If you call Will a whore again, I’m going to take out your teeth one punch at a time.”

Don to MacKenzie, on why pop culture segments on News Night shouldn’t be cut: “There’s going to be nobody left at 10 if you lead off the night with the ‘Will McAvoy Make Sure You Eat your Vegetables Hour.’”

Reese to Will, on losing the audience if News Night becomes more serious: “Have you ever been at Sardi’s on opening night of a Broadway show five minutes after word gets out that the Times panned it? They leave and they never come back.”

MacKenzie to Sloan, on why the glamorous reporter should agree to do finance segments on News Night: “If I’m going to get people to listen to an economics lesson, I’ve got to find someone who doesn’t look like George Bernard Shaw. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think you were qualified.”
Sloan: “You want me to do pole dancing while explaining subprime mortgages?”
MacKenzie: “If you’re up to it, sure!”

MacKenzie to Will, just before he interviews a beauty pageant contestant about immigration law rather than the Governor of Arizona: “All right, we know this next segment is going to be a problem.”
Will: “Really? Why do you automatically assume that a hospitality management major won’t be able to speak with sophistication about constitutional law?”

A drunken Maggie to Don, on why she doesn’t want to leave News Night for his new 10PM show: “I want to be part of what Will and MacKenzie are trying to do.”
Don: “Will and MacKenzie are going to fail.”
Maggie: “Just because the scenery fell down doesn’t mean it’s not a good play.”

A (still) drunken Maggie to Jim, when he suggests she take a cab home after her mistake ruins the show: “A good day is when I have quarters for the dryer. A bad day is when I blow a newscast. That’s my spectrum.”