THE NEWSREADER S2 FINALE EP 5-6 FULL LENGTH REACTION ( WTF IS GOING ON!!!)
Added 2026-01-24 09:21:00 +0000 UTC
Comments
I'm late to the party on this but I just have to say I never believed that Gerry was the one spreading rumours about Dale. Especially when you see how upset he was when they told him it was Dale's decision to keep him off the air. I felt so sorry for his character. He was going through the worst time of his life and his friend betrayed him and abandoned him to save himself. Dale will do anything to hide who he really is and that includes hurting others and expecting them to lie for him. I love that Tim just said, I won't answer her calls anymore but I'm not lying. He's finally accepted himself fully and let go of any shame so he's not willing to go back to any of that for Dale's sake. I've seen some people saying Dale is bi but I think he's just gay and trying to hide it. That doesn't mean he can't love Helen but I don't think he loves her in that way. The more he tries to hide his true self, the more he suffers. It's so sad to watch.
Kim D
2026-02-12 23:22:05 +0000 UTCI think Helen’s erratic behavior is caused by a lot of factors. During the whole season her ideas are constantly undermined and dismissed, and she can’t even rely on Dale to support her most of the time. + From Season 1 she feels insecure about having marriage because she doesn’t think she can be a good wife. + She’s still insecure about Dale and his sexuality, she thinks she can loose him at any moment if a cute guy shows up. + While she doesn’t really feel supported by Dale, Charlie actively tries to help her figure out her future career. So she feels that if she stays she’ll accepts the proposal she’ll get trapped in this golden couple and will continue be treated like a dummy with bad ideas while simultaneously failing as a wife. At the same time Charlie is showing her a way out. A person in emotional distress will act on impulse and she did.
m5713m
2026-02-08 03:21:23 +0000 UTCOk I’ll be a bit of a Helen defender here. 😆 I always felt like Helen panicked after Dale proposed. I think her erratic behavior after the fact was more related to her masochism and her tendency towards self-harm and self-sabotaging behaviors than anything else. I don’t think her interest in Charlie was calculated, it felt more like a passing fancy than anything. And I’m not sure why exactly the prospect of marrying Dale was so overwhelming to her. Maybe, deep down, she had doubts or insecurities about their relationship that she didn’t know how to express in a healthy way. But to get back to this episode, I think the origin point of her spiraling was when her boss rescinded on his promise to take her lead. That led her to doubt her professional judgment and abilities once again. Not only that, but people bringing up her mental health history seems to be a huge trigger. I’m pretty sure every time it’s been brought up so far in the show, it ends in her spiraling. *Cue Helen’s theme music* That was the headspace she was in when she went to see Lindsay (which I also see as an extension of her masochism bc why would anyone do that lol). And, of course, Lindsay made it even worse. I wonder if that visit was more about punishing herself than confronting Lindsay about his behavior. And *that* was the state she was in when Noelene came over. I don’t think she meant to be rude or distant. I don’t think she was even fully present for that conversation, she read as extremely dissociated to me. And Noelene turning down the offer was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Her self-confidence was totally shot, leading her to attempt to skip out on her US trip bc she doubted her ability to do the job well. And her proposing to Dale seemed more like a final, desperate grab for stability rather than an expression of suppressed romantic feelings. At the end when she was watching Dale in the airport (to play off of your metaphor from Geoff’s phone call), I felt like she was truly seeing how much Dale had grown. That felt like another “passing of the torch” moment, the student had become the teacher in a way. That was how I interpreted things anyway! Just thought I’d offer my thoughts! 🙏🏿
J L
2026-01-29 21:26:22 +0000 UTC"A great newsreader is forever" is such a scary threat coming from Sam Reid, specifically. I also swear he puts an accidental French touch to "if you don't..." in that same monologue in the end. Lestat shone straight through that man
Nova
2026-01-26 02:08:19 +0000 UTCI was upset with her for coming back to Dale. If you sleep around cool just dont come back
Raymond Walker
2026-01-25 04:07:58 +0000 UTCI don’t think Helen did anything wrong by sleeping with Charles. We can’t be mad at her for sleeping with Charles but not be mad at Dale for sleeping with some random dude after the party. They were both well within their right to sleep with other people, they were no longer together.
Kayla
2026-01-25 03:56:55 +0000 UTCI've tried!!, maybe you all will have better luck.
Raymond Walker
2026-01-25 02:44:52 +0000 UTCThe musical cues are super interesting. I’m surprised to see so many people interpret them as villain arcs, because they seem more operatic tragedy to me. Like they play when the characters are giving into their worst instincts and heading for ruin if they don’t change their path.
Jessica
2026-01-25 00:20:34 +0000 UTCI can't wait for your reaction to an episode later in the series (I can't say the name because it's a bit of a spoiler. I THINK it is in 6 but not sure.) "Fun fact": MUCH later in the show, there's an episode where Spike has to do something to Buffy (DV) that the actor, James Marsters, had to go into therapy for because he was so traumatized over Joss making him do the scene.
Yvonne Decelis
2026-01-24 20:57:32 +0000 UTCCan you get Frank onto this series?????!!!
Melissa
2026-01-24 20:43:39 +0000 UTCI want Dale’s villain arc so bad, I think I just miss Lestat 😅
Valaree
2026-01-24 19:27:11 +0000 UTCI think Helen values her independence too much to marry. They certainly never talked about marriage. Dale proposed for the wrong reasons but they also never discussed whether she wanted to marry before he proposed again. The thing with Charlie seems like an extreme reaction to her feeling tied down too quickly. Charlie offers candor, power, drugs, cars, casual sex (I think she calls them “whatever the fuck this is” when Evelyn caught them). She’s also got some mental health stuff going on, so it could also be exacerbated by mania or pseudo mania. I think she only only proposed to protect him from the scandal (to offer Donna another story like Dale wanted to do for her), and when Dale says “we can’t do this” he means “I can’t do that to YOU.” When Dale says “you do your job”, he means “don’t worry about me or this. Focus on what you’ve worked so hard for.” I think her tears at the airport are pride? That Dale is the solo newsreader on the desk they put him on, and he’s looking strong when she knows his life is falling apart. If they’re sad, I think it’s empathy because of how much she’s privately suffered while on air.
Jessica
2026-01-24 15:42:54 +0000 UTCThe microaggressions with Noelene are tough to watch. The sister-in-law seems to mean well but is totally oblivious to her racial biases. If she wanted to compliment Noelene and fold her into the family dynamic, she missed the mark and made race a barrier. Like you said, the unspoken insult is there. Noelene takes it like a champ but she also has family to consider. What is this woman going to say about her parents who need English translated for them? How would she inadvertently insult any future kids? Does this speak to a broader blind spot in the family? (Which it does because Rob had a similar issue with feeling progressive because he’s dating a Korean woman. He was still insensitive to indigenous people, and held up his friendliness with black teammates as a defense that he couldn’t be racist.) I’ve definitely fucked this up as a white person. I’ve also been on the receiving end with LGBTQ microaggressions. Sometimes people bump a bruise they’re unaware of and keep it from healing.
Jessica
2026-01-24 14:20:34 +0000 UTCTHANK YOU, CHRIS, FOR SEASON 3 ACCESS!!! 🤸♀️💜🙏🏼😀🙌
Melissa
2026-01-24 14:19:07 +0000 UTCPush my friend PUSH!!I was actually going to ask for your interpretation but I got busy uploading other content *edit ( you added to your comment so Ill come bsck and resd it when I wake up properly my mom called me and woke me up from a dead sleep 🙏🏿♥️)
Raymond Walker
2026-01-24 13:56:55 +0000 UTCRaymond, I'm going to push back on you regarding Helen and Dale in these episodes. Obviously, I do so respectfully. You're being TOO HARD on Helen, and I think only some of it is warranted. First of all, Dale slept with someone else as well. Secondly, they had ended their relationship even if they hadn't announced it officially. So, for her to sleep with Charlie is HER imperative. It was not a "cheating" situation. I can understand that emotionally it could feel that way to Dale (or the viewer), but that doesn't seem to be his issue really. The two of them love each other, but it is an unhealthy need -- Helen has a lot of vulnerability and difficulty due to her childhood and more. Dale helped to balance that with his steadiness and softness. Dale, on the other hand, was able to use Helen to hide his sexuality (he's bisexual so I get that he isn't being untrue to that side of himself, but he is hiding his attraction/desire for men through this relationship). Again, I DO BELIEVE they love each other, but the underlying benefits they get from being together cannot be ignored. Additionally, Dale benefits from Helen's firm footing at the station (in the beginning) and she benefits from him later when he is in her corner. She mentors him & helps him hone his craft by building his confidence, giving feedback, support, etc. It's a mutually beneficial relationship that is rooted in love but it's also on unsteady ground. I also want to talk about Helen. I really really relate to her. She comes across as super confident and strong -- and she IS those things, but underneath that Helen is kind of broken. Much of this is from her childhood and time in a mental hospital, but it's also part of the difficulty of being a woman in this era. I was a teenager in the 80s, so younger than Helen of course, but I remember what that time was like. For her to become as successful as she was, she had to FIGHT. And when dickhead (can't think of his name right now) tears her down (as you said, he clearly knows how to make her feel small) and references basically that she slept with men to get there (I feel like the suggestion is that she slept with HIM), we don't know the whole story. Yes, we see her with Charlie, so it may be logical to think she's repeating a pattern. AND MAYBE SHE IS. But maybe she isn't? Or maybe it's a little of this and a little of that. Maybe she was with Lindsay to gain a leg up - maybe she liked Lindsay (I know it's hard to imagine but we don't know!). Maybe he manipulated her. Maybe maybe maybe. WE DON'T KNOW. With Charlie, I think, sure, she is in part attracted to the fact that he is a powerful man who can help her in the world, but she's also in a dark time having lost Dale along with her other issues that are always present. Charlie is attractive. He is someone I could see her being drawn to. I am NOT saying that being with him doesn't benefit her career -- it does. I'm only saying it may not be ONLY that. Helen, in the late 80s, cannot only be one thing like a man can. She has to be many things and twist herself a bit if she wants the success she craves and deserves. For all that, I think Helen is strong AF and such an inspirational female character. I ache for her emotional pain. I know what it's like to have a family (in my case, my dad) completely abandon you or let you down. It destroys something in one's core. Even with therapy and time, I've never been the same. So . . . all that to say, maybe I'm too apologetic for Helen because she feels so close to me. So now that I've kind of gone in on Helen a little, it's time for me to go in on Dale. Let me preface this by saying I HAVE NOT SEEN SEASON 3, so anything I posit here is pure speculation and prediction. The end of this season feels like the beginning of a villain-ish arc for me. I pray that's not where they are going, but I very much dislike what is happening with Dale. First, he sacrifices Gerry to protect himself. [deleted comment that had incorrect information] Let me be clear: I get it. I understand people doing awful things out of fear to hide from societal exclusion, judgment, etc. But he initially supports Gerry then assumes Gerry had betrayed him to this journalist (we don't know who if anyone did that) and immediately turns on him to protect himself. I hate how Dale is with Tim on the phone. I hate the way he turns away from Gerry when he comes into the studio. However, as I do with Helen, I can empathize with his fear and desire to protect himself and his career -- but we must ask: at what cost? Now, Dale is the top man at the station. Geoff, thankfully, does the right thing by standing by Dale (but we don't even know that Geoff really knows about Dale's sexuality, right?? Correct me if I'm wrong.) So, Geoff defending Dale may just be a man supporting a man whereas Geoff wasn't always supportive of women (see: Helen). Regardless, Dale benefits from this. Geoff's words empower him & he is able to use that to "make a deal" so to speak with the reporter at the end. He's arrogant, threatening, and kind of unbearable in that scene IMO, even though I also understand his motivation and feelings. Yet, I love Dale. His earnestness, his purity (in the beginning), and his kindness. His struggle to figure out where he fits in the world with a lover/sexual partner is truly truly heartwrenching. All due respect to you and anyone else with different views. Bring them on. I love a discussion. But, man, I've never talked out loud to you as I watched you on my TV like I did this morning. 😂😂 And, I know you would want me to speak my mind just as I always value your commentary.
Melissa
2026-01-24 13:40:33 +0000 UTCThat back to back of Dale on the rise at the office and buying a beautiful new home vs. Helen/Charles living widely in hot cars, snorting coke, drinking, having sex. Ouch. I think the Gerry story is likely him being caught/seen engaged in oral sex in a bathroom. Just my thought. Update: "Buggery" means anal sex. They mention a public restroom, and history shows many gay men would meet in public parks or similar places to meet other men.
Melissa
2026-01-24 12:49:22 +0000 UTCRob is trying, but it's clear that he wants a "traditional" marriage and wife. Noelene is intelligent, driven, and young with only success ahead of her career-wise. I cannot imagine her being fulfilled without the career she's worked so hard to build.
Melissa
2026-01-24 12:23:08 +0000 UTC"HIT THAT PERFECT BEAT BOY" is such a rad 80s song & it's perfect for the scene. Man, I've been where Dale is -- total fuck-it self-destruction. Not a good place to be.
Melissa
2026-01-24 11:58:04 +0000 UTCHelen was breaking my hesrt these episodes 😭😭
Raymond Walker
2026-01-24 09:32:29 +0000 UTCProtect Dale and Helen at all cost
Kayla
2026-01-24 09:21:46 +0000 UTC
