Loveday Writing

Dale rings the bell and then asks Helen to open the door, which she refuses to do, however she is standing behind the door. Dale tells her this isn’t fair as she hasn’t been forthcoming with him about her own life. He tells her he’ll call later and leaves.

Two days later on Monday 28 April 1986, Helen is told by Jean that Lindsay wants her and Dale to make more public appearances as a couple as he believes Dale softens her and makes her more likeable. Later when Tim asks Helen if Dale’s sick, she angrily tells him yes. Later that evening, Tim goes to see Dale at his apartment and asks him if Helen knows about them, Dale says yes. Tim then asks Dale if he was the first man he kissed, Dale tells him he isn’t. When Tim asks what happened in his previous experience, Dale reveals that Adam’s father caught them together one time after school and called the police, accusing Dale of forcing himself on Adam, and had to change schools. Dale asks Tim if he’s always known who he was, he says yes and tells Dale that imagining life on the other side of a bad experience may be terrifying but it can surprise him, implying that his life may be better if he comes out.

The next day, the story of the Chernobyl Disaster breaks. Noelene wants to do a longer report on the Disaster for the bulletin, but Dennis doesn’t as they don’t have any footage or enough details. Helen tells him that she has a cousin, Astrid, in Kiev she could call. Dale eventually finds Astrid’s number as Helen has difficulty getting a hold of her, and Tim films her phone interview with Astrid, which goes awry due to the tension between the three of them.

After Geoff is axed and Rob walks out, Lindsay and Dennis tell Dale that he’ll be at the desk with Helen. Dale tells Helen this and they go to the editing suite to talk privately. Dale apologises for hiding things from her and Helen asks him outright if he’s gay. He tells her that his feelings towards men won’t go away but neither will his feelings for her. Helen then tells him that she was admitted to a mental institution for six months when she was a teenager. Helen tells Dale that she loves him the way that he is, they hug and Dale breaks down.

The episode and season ends with Helen and Dale doing their first bulletin together.

Geoff and Evelyn – I felt that the focus of the finale was actually more on Geoff and Evelyn then it was on Helen and Dale. When the Chernobyl Disaster story breaks, Evelyn tries to convince Geoff to go into work later to do the afternoon update, to no avail, but she does manage to tell Geoff she’s worried about him before he walks out the door.

Later, Evelyn goes to see Lindsay and asks him to speak to the CEO about giving Geoff an enticing enough offer to step away from the bulletin. She tells Lindsay to have the CEO give Geoff the opportunity to do specials, news, and interviewing work, as well as his current salary guaranteed for a minimum of five years (after first asking for three years), and she’ll calm Geoff down and get him to accept it graciously.

Back at the office, Lindsay calls Helen and Rob into his office and tells them that the evening bulletin will be Geoff’s last one, and the CEO will be breaking the news to Geoff at 3pm. Both Helen and Rob voice their concerns that the audience will hate Rob and perceive him as the person who knifed Geoff. Rob also says that Geoff deserves a bigger tribute for his 30 years at the network.

After the CEO asks Geoff to see him, he calls Evelyn at home to tell her about it and his suspicions that he’s getting the axe but Evelyn plays it cool. Afterwards, Geoff goes to see Lindsay and asks him directly if he’s getting the axe. Lindsay eventually admits to him that he is and that the evening bulletin will be his last. Geoff storms out of Lindsay’s office and goes to see Helen. He tries to get her to go with him to the CEO and refuse to be axed, threatening to expose her struggles publicly. Helen points out to him that he has never shown her any warmth, has never defended or protected her, and would welcome her failure.

Lindsay calls Evelyn and tells her that Geoff knows and that if he goes to the press, he can forget about any alternative offers from the network. He also tells her that the CEO knows it was Evelyn’s idea and if the press talk to them they’ll say she was behind it all. Evelyn, not missing a beat, tells Lindsay that as they won’t be talking anymore, that he is a spineless man and a pathetic leader.

When Geoff gets home and tells Evelyn that he’ll be calling Peter Monahan at The Sun to do an interview slamming the network. When Evelyn tries to convince him not to do the interview, Geoff figures out that she has been talking to Lindsay. Evelyn tells him that his career wouldn’t have lasted long as it has without her intervention, Geoff storms away from her into their bedroom, slamming the door in face. When Peter calls Geoff back, Evelyn storms into their bedroom and disconnects the phone from the wall, telling Geoff that no other network will give him a job if he gives the interview.

Towards the end of the episode, Geoff gives the interview to Peter at home, with Evelyn watching on in the background.

Rob and Noelene – Rob tells Noelene the news of Geoff getting axed and getting offered the desk job. Rob confides in Noelene that everyone will hate him and that he only wants to do the sports bulletin. Noelene encourages him to tell Lindsay this, but he fears that if he refuses to do the desk that he’ll lose his job entirely. Noelene tells him to walk away if Lindsay threatens to fire him, pointing out that he walked when she was fired and the network asked him to come back. Noelene also tells him to trust her on this as she has been watching the power structure in the network for years.

When Rob tells Lindsay that he appreciates the desk job offer but only wants to do the sports bulletin, Lindsay does threaten to fire him, personally insulting him in the process. Rob graciously thanks him again for the opportunity and quits, to Lindsay’s chagrin and anger.

Later Rob calls Jean claiming to be a viewer and asks for Noelene. Jean tells Noelene that Rob is on the phone for her, immediately seeing through his attempted façade. Rob tells her that she was right as the network has called him, asking him to come back and do the sports bulletin. He asks her out for a drink and she happily accepts.

After getting off the phone with Rob, Noelene tells Dennis that the Chernobyl Disaster story will only get bigger and asks him to make her a producer. He agrees and then asks her footy questions, a callback to his advice earlier in the season to become well versed in certain subjects, she answers with confidence, even giving him an answer that he agrees with. When Noelene walks away, jumping for joy at her new role, Dennis smiles.

Overall I felt that this was a solid finale as certain story arcs were wrapped up. Dale started the season determined to become a newsreader even though no-one at the network believed in him, and ended it with doing his first bulletin alongside Helen. Helen started the season being perceived as difficult to work with and ended it with a solid professional relationship with Dale, even with their personal struggles and her initial reluctance to work with him. Where Helen and Dale’s personal and professional relationships go from here remains to be seen.

Geoff and Evelyn’s story arc was riveting, however I felt it would have been better to have it played out in the previous episode so the fallout could be played out in this one. However it is possible that the fallout may be explored in the next season if the show is renewed.

I’ve also enjoyed the subtle progression of Rob and Noelene’s relationship. I specifically enjoyed the scene where Rob confided in Noelene about his feelings towards the desk job offer – Rob admitting to only wanting to do the sports bulletin and Noelene encouraging him to stand up for himself due to her knowledge of the network’s power structure subtly showed that they could possibly be the next Geoff and Evelyn-like power couple.

I felt that the major news stories, the story arcs and subplots revolving around the character’s personal lives were balanced out perfectly throughout the season. Although the final two episodes focused more on the character’s personal lives then the major news stories, hopefully the balance seen in episodes one through four will be restored in the next season (again if there is one).

I’ve enjoyed reviewing The Newsreader and I hope it’s renewed for another season.

Stray Observations:

-The series is set from 24 January 1986 to 29 April 1986.

-The series covered the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, Halley’s Comet, Lindy Chamberlain’s release from prison, the Russell Street Police Station bombing, the growing HIV/AIDS crisis, and the Chernobyl Disaster.