Review: The Newsroom, “What Kind of Day Has it Been”

Sadly, The Newsroom is over, but the series finale couldn’t be more perfect.

It begins at Charlie Skinner’s funeral, with Mackenzie outside on the phone, finding out that she is pregnant. She whispers the news to Will inside, and the audience is transported to a flashback that shows just how much Will McAvoy’s character has changed over the course of the series.

Fittingly, the flashbacks feature Charlie, showing his influence over Will. Will has lost his biological father, but it’s clearly Charlie that has always been his true father figure. And even though Charlie is dead now, he is very much present—for all of the characters.

With a baby on the way, Will finds that he needs to make more changes, including taking care of his own health so that he can raise the child. There are some wonderfully comic, yet endearing moments when Will asks Mackenzie things like, “Should you be standing?” and “Is it alright for you be outdoors?” He obviously has no idea how these sorts of thing work, but he’s more than ready to learn. The joy on his face is also something we’ve rarely seen across the series, especially in the very beginning.

Growth and change for a main character are among the most important factors in how meaningful a television series is, and The Newsroom has certainly hit the mark.

Other main characters have shown dramatic change as well, especially Maggie. She’s become stronger, tougher, and more confident. I think one of my favorite moments in this episode is when Jim tells Maggie he can promote her at ACN, and suggests she not go to her interview in D.C. The old Maggie would have probably done exactly what Jim wanted, and would have sacrificed her own goals to stick around for him. But instead, she insists that what she wants, is to be a field reporter, and she’s going to take the opportunity despite her new relationship with Jim.

Their story has been one of the driving forces of this show, so thank goodness they have finally found their way to one another. What I love even more, though, is that there isn’t some big proposal or sacrifice for either of them. They just decide they’ll figure out a way to make it work.

Maggie: Have you had a lot of long distance relationships?

Jim: Yes.

Maggie: Have any of them worked?

Jim: No.

Maggie: Then why is this different?

Jim: I wasn’t in love with them.

Maggie: Wait. What?

What is so endearing about this scene is how casual and matter-of-fact Jim is when he tells Maggie he loves her. And he says it as he is walking away, looking over his should with a shy smile.

Speaking of the adorable Jim, another scene that makes this finale so perfect is the jam session with Charlie’s grandson, Will, and Jim. It’s beautiful, sweet, and completely endearing. Again, it is a scene that shows clear character development for Will, and it brings the cast together in a nice way.

The way Charlie’s death is dealt with is also significant, especially considering that many of the characters feel responsible for his death. Sloan and Don insist on telling Will everything that happened with the news story in the previous episode, and they naturally feel the need to blame themselves. Of course, it isn’t their fault he died, but it makes sense they would feel that way and need to deal with those feelings.

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My only complaint about this episode is that it isn’t long enough. This series simply ended too soon, and I think there is still more story to tell. In some ways, the finale—and the entire third season— is just too rushed. Part of that probably has to do with the fact that there are only 6 episodes.

Still, it’s an appropriate, perfect finale. The ending is not only positive, but it is also open ended—and a beginning for the characters rather than an end. It’s the beginning of a family for Will and Mackenzie, the beginning of a relationship for Jim and Maggie, and the beginning of a new career for, well, just about everyone.

What do you think of the series finale of The Newsroom? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Ashley Bissette Sumerel

Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.