Of all the television shows in which incredibly successful women constantly undermine themselves by acting like irrational, flailing little hormone-demons, “The Newsroom” is definitely the most illustrious. Last night’s premiere episode actually toned-down the crazy-lady and even added some crazy-man (Jim and Reese both had notable meltdowns), but even so, the episode still contained more than its fair share of shrieky, irrational women. Here are the 5 best examples of Sorkin Women being Sorkin Women:
1. The formerly-prim Maggie has chopped off all her hair, dyed it pink, and also she wears combat boots now. Will alludes to some traumatic experience in Uganda as the cause for Maggie’s need to act out like a teenager who has had her clove cigarettes confiscated by Mom, but all we see for certain in the episode is that Maggie has been having some boy trouble. So, so much boy trouble.
2. The newly introduced and ultra-dignified lawyer, who costs $1500 an hour and whose main thing is getting Will to act even somewhat like a professional, yells, “Fuck!” right in the middle of a meeting. It’s kind of adorable but also rather unbelievable.
3. MacKenzie pushes Will because she’s mad at him. She physically assaults him in the hall because he has done something that displeases her, and it’s totally fine because she is a lady and cannot control herself. Grrrrr!
4. The greatest instance of irrational lady behavior actually comes via a clip from last season’s finale, which has, in the show, made its way to YouTube. This clip sees Maggie screaming in the rain about how her best friend is dating the boy she likes and it’s the worst thing in the world, from outside a “Sex and the City” tourist bus. Aren’t we glad it’s made another appearance?
5. In the episode’s final scene, MacKenzie tells Will that she can pay for her own drink dammit, because she is a grown-up, thank you very much, and an award-winning professional news producer at that. But wait, oh no, it turns out she can’t pay for her own drink because she has left her purse in her office, and also, maybe she could borrow some cab fare to get home, Mr. Responsible Man?