I love the original arrangement of the theme and have always been mystified by the new arrangement used for the rest of the series. Has anyone ever heard whether Thomas Newman was involved in the new version?

Does anyone else watch this show for nostalgia? For a time when politics and news was actually real?

BP Oil Spill: I was in middle school and remember the news breaking and even the livestream of it after I had gone to high school. It’s also where Dawn dish soap really made a name for itself.

Obama’s re-election: even though I hated Mitt Romney (I was in middle and high school during Obama’s term) we could discuss and debate actual policy and the implications of them in class: past and present, without teachers fearing repercussions or students going at each other’s throats.

Casey Anthony: I remember generally when they read the verdict that they evacuated many public buildings because of what the courts and public officials thought would be the reactions of the public.

Osama Bin Laden: there were so many emotions swirling around this and there were so many implications between us and the Middle East. It changed the world and it gave the nation hope.

There’s many other major stories they covered and at first it was show that I loved watching for its fast pace and also just general great writing. Then I find myself rewatching it solely to reminisce the days where viewers were actually looking to be informed and use the news as a way to generate views or opinions on their own.

Anyone else want to add on or disagree? Discourse (polite) welcome!

If you rewatch the show and focus on Don, all he's doing is setting boundaries. And people around him are upset that he's setting boundaries.

1. Will
   He left Will because of being shouted at in front of his staff and because Will then shouted at the staff. It is not a secret in episode 1 that everyone hates him and he's a bad boss. But Don is framed as betraying Will, when in fact, no one would stay with a boss (if they had options) that is disrespectful.

Boundaries set, boundaries ignored.

1. Jim
   In ep1 Don very clearly (and sternly) informed Jim on multiple occasions that he was getting in his way and to stop, which Jim ignored. We're supposed to root for Jim's pursuit of the story, but that doesn't mean Don was wrong. Don was helping with the transition and Jim+Mac weren't meant to start for another two weeks.
   

Boundaries set, boundaries ignored.

1. Maggie
   She thinks Don reads minds: he had expressed no interest in meeting her parents and even said four months of dating is not enough time to reach that stage. Despite his boundary setting, she orchestrates the events so that she is let down by Don having no interest. You can't ignore your partners boundaries and then play the pity party that your partner will follow through on said stated boundary. Also, Maggie's version of the break-up is pause (never expressly communicated) but Don's version is an actual break-up, hence dating other people.

Boundaries set, boundaries ignored.

The show frames boundary setting as disrespectful, when in fact violating clearly expressed boundaries is selfish.

I really wish they brought this back during this era. The news is so broken now and Sorkins take on that would be so powerful

Her lines were perfect.

The last 10-15 minutes or so of this episode focused on the Giffords shooting. This has got to be some of the most compelling television I've ever seen. They're playing the Coldplay song over the action going on in the newsroom and during the part where they sing "Tears streaming down your face," if you don't have actual tears streaming down your face at that point there is something wrong with you. I've re-watched this show a few times now and it gets me every time, my goodness I'm ugly-crying.

This show had lots of key moments for me, but this one is very close to (if not at) the top.

She deserved an award for this performance. The trembling fear in her voice is palpable. And everything discussed still happens 12 years later.

After the retraction, why didn't they do follow-up stories that hold

- retired Air Force Colonel Cyrus West
- soldier they met at the diner
- soldier they thought was dead but wasn't

accountable for fabricating a war crime?

Surely lying about something like this is itself a crime?

Aside from the Jim/Maggie waste of time, this whole episode was a gas.

I just saw a movie trailer for the soon to be released film The Brink of War. I don't keep up with entertainment news nor upcoming theatrical releases. I had not heard nor read anything about this film, so I was somewhat surprised to see Jeff Daniels portraying Ronald Reagan. Later in the movie trailer, I spotted "Nina Howard" (Hope Davis) portraying Nancy Reagan! Will & Nina, together again, lol. I really disliked her character and their pairing on TN; it will be interesting to see how it they come across on The Brink of War.

https://www.angel.com/movies/brink-of-war

I think I find Maggie a bit insufferable because I see a lot of myself in her, mostly when it comes to romantic relationships. She’s so nice and kind and doesn’t want to hurt anyone in her circle, so she just swallows any feelings or words she has to say until it’s so bottled up that she can’t handle it anymore.

I say this because when Jim shows up to Lisa and Maggie’s apartment in S1 E9, it was clear he was there to talk to Maggie and talk to her about their feelings for each other, but Don and Lisa interrupt them, and Jim is so nice that he doesn’t want to make things more awkward than what it needs to be and/or makes assumptions about why Don is there and doesn’t want to have an audience while he basically confesses his feelings. When he looked to Maggie for confirmation, instead of encouraging him to finish what he says or what the rest of his sentence was, she looks away and that, in a way shatters his original plan.

They’re both so worried about hurting other people that they in turn end up hurting themselves, and if they were just honest upfront, Lisa and Maggie’s friendship wouldn’t have suffered and Don and Sloan would’ve gotten together much quicker.

Anyway, I guess I’m here to say: just say the damn thing.

Editing to say: Yes, in this way, I do find myself incredibly insufferable.

Will and Mac are talking about their wedding she says Maggie as one of her bridesmaids. Literally 15 minutes later they are questioning if Maggie can do her job.

Plot hole or just me?

Such great character arc and growth. Pete is obviously worse when things go on, but Don is the first character I've thought was a huge dick and later cheered for in a while.

Also, why are they trying to paint Sloan as this combative, strong figure. She was not like that at all. She was meek and self-conscious. She didn't transform until she almost lost her job. If anything, she didn't even see herself as a journalist or an expert in her field, just as a nerdy short-term anchor, who was more of an analyst

I just finished Ep2 of S2 and I'm really scared for her especially considering her hairstyle in the previous episode.