The Loudest Voice Review: 2016 (Season 1 Episode 7)
The truth comes out on The Loudest Voice Season 1 Episode 7, “2016.” It proves to be the louder voice, in the end.
It’s a strong end to the limited series, showing the long reach of the private damage someone has caused over their lifetime, away from the public view. Tying it to the ascension of Donald Trump through the Republican convention and his eventual win of the election is perhaps on the nose, but apt and needed.
The fact that Roger still tries to hold onto his power, long after it’s obvious it’s no longer there, makes for a harder fall. Both Roger and Beth view loyalty to Roger as more vital than loyalty to the company, as though they view both man and company as one and the same. It’s why Lachlan’s comment of “cutting off the limb to save the body” is an apt description; the only difference is Roger thinks he’s the head.
Roger’s read on the situation being a massive Clinton conspiracy is one of the most bizarre left turns his character makes on the show, growing stranger as he adds more and more names to the list of people involved. It’s a wonder if he truly believes this, or if this is a deflection of his guilt. The way Roger is during other scenes, though, it wouldn’t be a shock to think he believed it.
He’s even teaching his son that anyone can be a threat when enjoying a nice meal out with his family. Putting fear above all is corrupting into his own life now, after doing so at work for so long.
The “cut off the limb to save the body” routine is swift and just, making for a cathartic explosion where Roger is left with only his shouting voice, and it no longer produces the results it once did. But it does expose that the mistreatment of all of these people is less important than the protection of the company, a gut-wrenching notion.
It shows that doing the right thing is such a grey area when there’s so much at stake. It’s a jaded and cynical end, even if Roger is removed, but it’s those around him in the know effectively getting away with it, too, and the women’s justice not being fully served, that leaves it as not much of a catharsis.
For the show’s sake, however, it’s cathartic because of watching a hateful power dwindle down. Russell Crowe’s rage-fueled attack on the Murdochs, camera shaking violently as his anger boils over, is his last moment of fight in him, with Beth realizing, at the mention of tapes, that it’s all true.
Gretchen’s struggle with the media attention and her family being tortured by the press outside their home, unable to live their normal lives, shows the aftermath of a difficult but necessary decision. At such a large scale, the struggle to do what’s right becomes a loss of privacy, an unfair trade. Naomi Watts is able to portray the struggle by bringing both a grace to the role, and a vision of a strong underdog.
Another one of the more effective moments is Gretchen watching Donald Trump defend Ailes. It’s line after line of calling her a liar and about how grateful all of the women should be, and her response is to turn off the television. It’s like his power is taken away in an instant, the easiness of pressing a button to silence it all. That moment proves its own moment of catharsis.
The series has been wonderfully performed across the board. Russell Crowe has done impeccable work throughout, making for a complicated villain whose bark and bite is a powerful tool that Crowe is able to exude so powerfully, combined with his magnetic presence. Sienna Miller, as well, strikes a compelling figure as Beth, fiercely loyal and just as dogged in her dedication to the role as Crowe is to his own.
For an end, The Loudest Voice Season 1 Episode 7, “2016,” takes on the heavy whirlwind of a true story and makes it about the rise and fall of a man with too much power and too loud a voice for what he committed in private. If nothing else, the show is a strong cautionary tale of what can come from the abuse of power.
But the show is more than that. It provides a voice for those who have been silenced by documents and payouts, and shows the darkness. The series tells a powerful story and tells it wonderfully, full of exceptional performances and smart writing that shows some voices can truly be louder than others when combined.
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.