The Loudest Voice Review: 2012 (Season 1 Episode 5)
The cruelty of Roger Ailes starts to grow a spotlight on The Loudest Voice Season 1 Episode 5, “2012,” as Gabriel Sherman’s book (which the show is based on) begins to pick up steam.
Roger spends the hour like a cornered animal, lashing out at any and all in the near vicinity. From an armchair point of view, it comes across as a byproduct of insulation and isolation, a long-held belief of being in control starting to be tested.
It’s being tested through the re-election of President Obama, through Joe breaking away, through Gabriel Sherman’s book, employees questioning his motives, and the women he’s harmed starting to gain traction.
He’s now without morals or decency, a shell of hate, outbursts, and assault. It’s shocking the conviction Roger has in his crusade of anger, never once doubting how wrong or cruel he may be in the process. He’s dispensing anti-Obama rhetoric at the dinner table, and fearful of meeting with journalists because of potential suicide vests, the line between offhanded comment and his genuine belief long gone.
Laurie and Gretchen Carlson know of his loss of decency the most on the show. The systematic way Roger is able to worm his way into their lives, on this episode with Gretchen in particular, is immediately difficult to watch. His inappropriate behavior is like a test, seeing how far he can go and going further the next time.
Gretchen’s silent profanity in the elevator, as every slight and every assault is replayed in her mind, is such a hard scene, seeing what Roger is getting away with for the sake of moving ahead. It’s what makes the final moment, of her listening back to the recording of his assault, so cathartic. It’s the start of making things right.
The way Roger dismisses Joe wanting to visit his sister is eerily similar to his attempts to stop Laurie from visiting her own family. The control on display is absurd, treating personal lives like they are news stories to massage and bend to his will. It’s left ambiguous if the house break-in emergency is intentional as a means of keeping Joe, but it has the air of corrupt intent.
The second weak link in Roger’s armor is easily Seth MacFarlane’s Brian Lewis. He’s so intimately involved in every single machination of Fox News, that treating him as anything else is opening up a harsh reality. While the real version has some more hurdles before Brian’s turn, here it’s the slow realization of Roger no longer being part of reality.
Even someone wanting to write a fair and honest portrayal of Roger and Fox News is treated as a hostile attack. There’s a world of paranoia that Rogers exhibits here, where you’re either on his side, and one single move is a sign and direct proof that you’re not.
It is certainly a gauntlet Russell Crowe portrays on this episode. It’s hard to see beyond the anger his character is causing, but Crowe is a powerhouse performance here, able to show the descent from problematic to horror with such command. His character’s worst tendencies are able to bring out a lot of interesting choices for Crowe to play, and he hits every one perfectly.
Naomi Watts, as well, is fantastic on “2012.” She’s able to show absolute confidence and how that confidence is being tested constantly, not only at work and in private with Roger, but at home when there’s the question of furthering a career and the money. Watts takes the frustration we’re all feeling and lets it burst out on screen.
A descent to evil is not an easy feat to witness. That it actually occurred, especially so. The Loudest Voice Season 1 Episode 5, “2012,” depicts a level of control and anger, wall-to-wall, that is definitely difficult to watch, but is necessary. The use of power to wield cruelty and abuse is finally being tested and stopped, bit by bit, and to see it during its height is an important reminder of the damage it creates.
What did you think of this episode of The Loudest Voice? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Loudest Voice airs Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.