Last year, in the wake of The Newsroom getting some pretty shaky reactions from the critics, Kevin Porter put together a clip montage of all the times from Sorkin's previous series (and a few of his films) that the writer reused the same expressions, metaphors, and plot devices. My response at the time was a firm and decisive "who cares?" Every single writer does this. If they've written more then two things, there are going to be shared elements. A good writer basks in the language, and if they've picked up a phrase that balances just right, then of course they're going to reuse it. And as for plot devices, a good plot is hard thing to ignore. Especially if it can be better used someplace new. Read the last issue of Joss Whedon's Frey, then watch the final twenty minutes of the Avengers. Notice the similarities? And which one did it better?
So I don't mind Sorkin using the same stuff over and over again. In fact, I champion. An isolated vernacular can become an author's signature, and that the video exists is proof enough that it has become this to Sorkin. It isn't something to criticise, it is something to celebrate, and then becomes fun to keep an eye out for.
With season 2 of the series starting on Sunday on HBO, Porter has created a sequel to his original video, complete this time with clips from the first season of Newsroom. And it's a pretty fun couple of minutes. And a reminder, as if we needed one, that West Wing still is one of the best pieces of television, ever.
Via Uproxx.