HBO's The Newsroom is always full of surprises, even though it's a show that takes place in the recent past and that looks back at past news events with fresh eyes. But really, we never know what to expect from anchor Will McAvoy (Emmy winner Jeff Daniels) and his crew at ACN. The third and final season of The Newsroom premieres Sunday night and will focus on occurrences in 2013. Even though we already know how those events happened, Season 3 still has a lot of loose ends to tie up with some of our favorite characters before ACN goes off the air for good.
Season 2 left off in the good ol' days of 2011 - 2012. Back when the American people re-elected U.S. President Barrack Obama to a second term as commander-in-chief, defeating Republican opponent Mitt Romney. The Occupy Wall Street movement inspired never-ending protests all over the country. CIA Director David Petraeus' extramarital affair was a hot topic. And yet, all that had nothing on the drama that was going on inside the ACN newsroom, where our journalistic heroes were dealing with the fictional Operation Genoa dilemma, Maggie's traumatic trip to Africa, and — of course — all those romantic entanglements. How will all those things conclude?
What is the fall out from Operation Genoa?
ACN Executive Producer MacKenzie Hale landed in hot water when she and D.C. bureau producer Jerry Dantana pursued a story about a secret mission in which two Marines were rescued by special ops' use of sarin gas — and it turned out to be one big ruse. Whoops.
This hurts ACN's credibility big time — even worse than Will's tirade that kicked off the series in the first place. How will the news team recover?
Will Maggie recover from Africa?
Maggie Jordan ended Season 1 declaring her love for Jim Harper in front of a Sex and the City bus tour and Season 2 begins with a video of that moment going viral, causing her to lose her boyfriend Don and best friend Lisa. So what's a girl to do in that kind of mess? Maggie decides to high-tail it to Uganda to do a story about the work of U.S. troops at a orphanage there. There, she befriends a young boy named Daniel, who later gets shot to death in Maggie's arms. Upon her return to the States, she cuts her hair super short, drinks some hard stuff at work, and is a very different Maggie.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) usually appears about three months after a harrowing incident and it could last for six months up to years later. Will Maggie still be affected in Season 3? And will her hair grow back?
What about all that love in — and on — the air?
New media reporter Hallie put a wrench in Jim and Maggie's eternal dance of romance, but you never know — those two kids could find their way back to each other. After all, Mac and Will finally admitted their feelings for each other and Mac accepted Will's marriage proposal, meaning that this time they're totally committed to each other. But will Mac and Will make it down the aisle or will more misunderstandings derail them?
Unexpectedly last season, Don and Sloan were also drawn together by a missing autograph in her book, but will their new love last until the series finale? Will Neal get more screentime and finally find Bigfoot? Will ACN change journalism forever? Those questions — and more — will hopefully be answered before The Newsroom's final broadcast.
