Still fighting the "socialist" in the White House, Roger finds his legacy in Joe Lindsley, a 25 year old acolyte he's hired to be the editor of a newspaper he's bought in upstate New York. Turning this once-innocuous local paper into a conservative news source, Roger also achieves his revenge against the Obama White House by promulgating a news story which forces Congress into action against Obama's priorities. Roger is energized by the knowledge that Fox News doesn't have to just report news, they make news.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Showtime's The Loudest Voice.
"2009" was written by John Harrington Bland and directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Roger Ailes is looking ahead to the future. He is pondering what his legacy will be and who will carry the torch once he's gone. Of course, he's not planning his imminent departure or retirement. He just wants to ensure that the next generation of journalists will approach the medium in the same way that he has done. So, he plucks Joe Lindsley from relative obscurity and places him as the editor of the local newspaper he just bought in upstate New York. Sure, that purchase was originally conceived as a project Beth could put all of her energy into. And yet, Roger is the one still driving the conversation forward. He is very controlling and selfish in that way. He dictates how people should feel or act and lashes out when they don't heed his advice. He is trying to impress his perspective onto this young mind. Joe is absolutely impressionable. He is learning the ins and outs of the business. He doesn't see the big picture of this small town conflict. It's Roger Ailes versus the mayor over a zoning issue. Roger only cares because of how it could affect him and his property rights. He's not all that interested in a community cause. He just aspires to rile people up in order to prove a point to the people he hates. That's the same strategy he has followed throughout his career as a newsman. He positions himself as a genius. He understands that people just want to know how to feel instead of actually being informed. At Fox News, that mostly amounts to everyone being angry all of the time. They can't let that up for a single second even though their outrage isn't based on anything close to the truth. It's fiction trying to create a scandal in the hopes of disrupting the plans the Obama administration has for the country. Roger Ailes is a racist. He is a hateful man who sees any kind of agenda from a black man in a position of power as socialism and communism that will eventually destroy this country. He sees it as American citizens rejecting their roots and their understanding of what patriotism is. That's absolutely horrifying. But again, it continues to work out for Roger because the public continues to buy what he is selling. He views it all as a successful business. That too can be used as the more potent weapon in the war against the disinformation coming out of Fox News. It's not enough to slam them for not covering anything truthfully. It's more important to target the advertisers who want to be in business with them. As soon as the profits begin to sink, that's when meaningful change actually starts to occur. Right now though, Fox News is soaring. Roger sees it as because of his wondrous leadership. He can easily dismiss anyone who disagrees with him as not loving their country. That's twisted and shows the breakdown of a sense of community amongst people as well. People want to believe that they are informed. Roger is just selling them a bunch of information that provokes big emotions only to move on to the next scandal once it serves his purpose. The same agenda is apparent when it comes to the sexual abuse he carries out throughout the workplace. He pushes Laurie past her breaking point. She becomes paranoid that Roger is watching her every move and plans on retaliating whenever she steps out of line. That is so crippling to her mindset. Roger will only grant her freedom if she provides him with a new women to service him. He already has an eye on Gretchen Carlson. And yet, Laurie feels the pressure to continue being seen as vital to the overall operation. She needs that approval. She has been so emotionally stunted because of the harm Roger has done to her. She needs significant help and the company is more than fine just covering her up and hiding her away somewhere. That story will only get bigger and more tragic though. But again, it takes the right people being outraged about it for any of it to truly land.
