Who knew that a show as dry and patriotic as The Newsroom could end with a character smashing his cell phone and running from the feds? I half-expected there to be a chase scene! Plenty happened in the second episode. Don and Sloan had a delightful relationship-related squabble. Maggie had one of the least interesting plot lines I have ever made myself sit through, in which she did something shady to get a scoop and then immediately backed down after being told what she already new — it was unethical. Hallie found a way to say something offensive about the Boston Marathon bombing, just as I feared a week ago. So, the continuing tale of Neal and his leaked documents was still the most exciting thing to happen on the HBO show. It seems that Neal Sampat's sense of justice is overpowering him. After conspiring to commit espionage with a still anonymous whistle-blower (think Edward Snowden but not as good with computers), Neal entered conversations with ACN's legal council. He was very insistent that the information he received be made public. By the end of the episode, he had Will McAvoy on his side. When the FBI came a'calling, Will distracted them and instructed Neal to "run," as per the title of the episode. What is Neal going to do next on The Newsroom ? We surely won't be missing him for too long. Such a pivotal character in a plot line has to be present for it. Right? Now that Will knows who the source is, he can take some of the attention away from Neal, but not all of it. We may have learned that no journalist has been charged with espionage, but Mary McCormack's character seemed to think he may be the first.
He'll wait it out
Heavens to Betsy, let us pray that Neal does the responsible thing and follows Will's instructions. The team at ACN may have other problems to deal with, but they got News Night through the Genoa crisis. Surely they can figure a way out of this even with the feds pounding down their door. Don't be hasty, Neal.
He'll leak the story himself
Neal left with the flash drive that contained the documents. His sense of journalistic integrity is clouding his personal judgement. I would not be surprised if he went completely rogue and leaked the Kundu riot story as a lone agent. He already called BCD (the public relations firm in Virginia that caused the riots) without anyone's permission.
He'll leave the country
The worst possible scenario, that would definitely end him in jail, Neal could flea the country. Maybe he'll decide that serving jail time for pursuing the truth isn't a "badge of honor" after all.
Image: Melissa Moseley/HBO; Giphy
