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shamixlour · 2 months ago

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The Newsreader - Here we go, at the end.

Okay. I’ve always wanted to make a little analysis of the songs used at the end of each season as I believe there is a very obvious parallel that highlights imho, the state of Dale’s mind regarding his life so here it is. This again might be long so please bare with me~

_Season 1.

The events in the last episode of S1 are quite dramatic and it all flows so fast that as a watcher, you are left a bit out of breath. Just for some context, we learn that Helen knows about Dale and Tim and we can see Dale being absolutely devastated about it for the entire episode, trying to connect with Helen in so many ways but failing. We also learn that Tim has quit his job and I made a small analysis regarding that scene that you can read here if you are interested. Then, toward the end of the season, there is this moment between Helen and Dale in the “control/edit room” where they finally are truthful with each other. I’ll expand more on that later but first I want to get into the main review!

So, there is a scene, THE scene that I found quite stunning the first time I watched it and felt even more so upon my rewatch. It is the one in the makeup room with Helen and Dale right after their discussion and ofc the one where “Here we go” by Jon Brion plays.

Now let’s check out the lyrics and try to put them in echo with the scene.

You’ve gotta hope there is someone for you As strange as you are Who can cope with the things you do Without trying too hard Because you can bend the truth until it is suiting you These things you are wrapping all around you You never know what they will amount to And your life is just going without you It’s the end of the things you know, here we go.

Striking, isn’t it? This song is very good and even as I write this silly review, I still cannot believe this is what they did. This is genius and the foreshadowing is simply so great yet tragic. Okay, less chat and more analysing.

The scene starts with Dale and Helen sitting on the chair across the mirror and the lyrics you’ve gotta hope there is someone for you can be heard as the camera focuses on Helen but i like how the moment you is sang, the focus jumps to Dale and the lyrics as strange as you are matches with a side close shot of Dale staring down at himself through the mirror.

Who can cope with the things you do rings and it cuts to a stunning close up of Dale’s face.

His eyes on the verge of crying, makeup being applied on his cheeks, down his jaw and I simply adore how the instant we can hear the you do, the camera slides back to Helen’s lips, Helen’s hair, Helen’s eyes and her eyelashes… She is getting her makeup done as the lyrics without trying to hard resonate.

Then it is a big light, blinding and the scene moves to the set of News at Six, back to Dale’s tie, to Helen’s heels as they get ready for the desk, all with these lines in the background cause you can bend the truth until it is suiting you. We can see Helen walking confidently toward the desk, the song is still playing, the lyrics these things that you are wrapping all around you, you never know what they will amount to, echoing in the space. If your life is just going on without you and it focuses on the fingers of an audio crew member, then immediately back to Dale heading in a confident demeanour toward the desk, grabbing his jacket and putting it on as the lyrics says it’s the end of these things, you know. The camera focuses on his back, and we hear here we go, Dale sits down.

They fix each other, share a look, a faint smile, the news starts and we glide back to the main office and it opens with a shot of Tim’s back, then quickly slides back on his face and there’s an expression there, a mix of proudness and sorrow that appears in the crook of a small smile and then it is over.

It is the end of Season 1.

Now, it’s time to explain a little how I interpreted all of this and first, I want to start by going back to the control/edit room scene and the conversation Dale and Helen had there as for me, it totally echoes with the end of S1 and the song.

In that specific scene, we have Dale obviously distressed by Helen’s cold shoulder and everything that had happened with Tim. He admits that he did hide things from Helen and says sorry but also declares that the things he hid are things he doesn’t want to exist and she wonders if he’s gay. Dale doesn’t really reply (he kind of comes out as BI there imho) but rather goes on how whenever something happened, he had tried to convince himself that it was the last time, that he had got these things out of his system but then he is real and raw and acknowledges how he has these feelings that simply won’t go away just like the ones he has for Helen herself (my bisexual patootie, you will be FINE). Dale continues and tells her how it feels like being torn apart and that is when Helen is honest with him regarding her 6 months at the mental institute when she was 16 and says, so here we are. Dale is still scared and doesn’t believe he can go out there like this but Helen reassures him, telling he will be fine, that she will be next to him, that she loves him just the way he is and they cry and hug it out.

Many points are interesting in this exchange as there definitely is some sort of parallel between that scene and the makeup room one. Not only the lyrics and their dialogues are oddly similar but it is almost like they’re meant to embody the same idea, which basically is this link, this special unique relationship Dale and Helen have going on and how they both are "not normal" in their own ways.

Now, we know Dale has always hoped there was someone for him, as strange as he is, he always craved to fit in and find someone who could cope with all these things he does without trying too hard and that is Helen.

Right here, right then, it is Helen. For Dale.

She is the woman who just told him that she went through some rough times in her teenage years and yet, here she is. Here we are, Helen says to Dale. She is the woman who comforts Dale, tells him he will be fine, that she will be right there by his side, wrapping herself around him. Helen is the one that tells him she loves him, as strange as he is, regardless of all of those things he does, she can take it without trying too hard, she’s been coping with much worse in her life. This is fine. This is nothing. I love you. It will be fine.

It’s quite beautiful in a way, the love they have for each other. It’s a bit foolish though, imho because back to the makeup scene, to the desk and the end of this season and the foreshadowing of it all.

There is a striking metaphor with certain shots of that scene such as the close ups as he gets ready, as he puts on a layer of makeup, of new clothes, basically wrapping himself with these new things: such as his relationship with Helen, the desk, the newsreader persona. Dale hides a part of his truth under another one. Helen does the same but for some slightly different reasons. She is the one who needs to “cope” with these things, the one who needs to do so without trying too hard or at least showing off that it is not that hard for her at all.

Either way, what I took from that moment with the music but also by putting that scene in opposition with the rest of the story (that is when the foreshadowing comes up btw) is that Dale (and Helen) can bend the truth all he wants, until it suits him. He can build this image, which don’t get me wrong, is a part of who he is, like I know he loves Helen, I do not doubt that a second and I know being on the desk has always been a dream, but Dale aslo lies about himself. He does not accept a certain part of who he is, he rejects it entirely, refuses to address it properly and so he bends the truth until it suits him BUT he does so unaware of what it actually means, of what it comes up with and so he builds this life with half of himself and he falls into this relationship without the entirety of himself and that is why later, in season 2, it all eventually crumbles down.

Dale’s life literally quite goes without him because as much as he loves Helen AND as much as Helen loves him and seems to accept that part of who he is, really, I think neither of them actually accept it at all or rather engulf what it encompasses.

Now, here me out. Dale obviously refuses to fully acknowledge his attraction to the same sex and he knows he has those feelings, he knows but he does not really accept their existence either and rather puts them aside so how can Helen accept them if Dale does not do so himself? They both love each other so much and they both know about Dale's things and somewhat admit what they mean but yet they never actually address them. Therefore, as Dale sits there on the desk, next to Helen, ready to deliver the news, he knows it is the end of these things and he just goes for it.

Here we go.

And what is GENIUS and till this day I cannot move on by how excellent the line of shots is, is that directly after Dale seems to have made that choice of letting go of all those things or rather surround himself with someone who could take them without trying too hard (Helen), the camera focuses on Tim.

Tim who creates these feelings in Dale, who quite literally belongs to this category of things Dale desperately wants to hide and wishes were not here at all.

We see Tim looking at Dale and Helen on the screen and his face at that moment was so interesting to me.

He is not super emotional but rather has this odd smile stuck on his lips. He smiles and it is small but extremely honest and I think he is genuinely happy for Dale. I think Tim is glad to see Dale where he always wanted to be, on the desk, working, being the newsreader. I read something else there though as his faint grin almost looks like he is slightly puckering his lips and I think it’s because he knows.

I think Tim is aware of what comes with the desk and in the midst of his true happiness for Dale to see him accomplish his dream, there is a bit of fear/bitterness because being the newreader is hard and eats you alive and Tim is left watching Dale, the man he has a crush on, someone he likes, someone he enjoys spending time with, the man he has a hard complicated relationship with, realise his dream without even being aware of what it all carries with it.

Yeah, I always felt like Tim’s expression was a bit sad and I believe that he knows right then that he lost Dale or rather that Dale lost a part of himself and that is why you can see this lightly morose expression on his traits.

Because you can bend the truth until it is suiting you These things you are wrapping all around you You never know what they will amount to And your life is just going without you It’s the end of the things you know, here we go

These lyrics are such a foreshadowing regarding what happens in S2, with the over the top golden couple persona, with the recurrent fights and the incessant questioning of himself, with this life going on without the entirety of who he is and so I really wanted to highlight the incredible work of the Newsreader's team. They are such special people and I appreciate the use of music, of specific shots for storytelling and therefore wanted to put my grain of salt in it so I hope you enjoyed reading this.

Anyways, this is getting way too long so I will stop there, although I could go for a long time with that scene and what it means. If you read this, thank you so much <3

Also, if you want to check the song analysis for season 2 it is here. AND did yoy know that post prod is over so we're getting season 3 early 2025 and I am BEYOND excited!

#the newsreader #the newsreader meta #dale jennings #helen norville #tim ahern #helen x dale #dale x tim #sam reid #anna torv #chai hansen #shâm's the newsreader talk

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emilylawsons · 7 months ago

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if you’re feeling like it: hand-holding 30 or 34 for Helen and Dale? :3

Oh, I had fun with this one! I think my heart wants to believe that year between seasons 1 and 2 was a good time for them. Went with 34–holding hands while driving.

Thanks for the prompt!

Touches Ask Game

…

Windows down, music blasting.

That is the way Helen likes their drive to Bendigo for Christmas. Val has a turkey in the oven and has promised clean sheets on the bed in Dale’s old room. As they cruise down the freeway, Helen tips her sunglasses back over her eyes, fighting the hot rays of early summer in Victoria.

Dale is in the driver’s seat, bopping his head along to Helen’s choice of heavy rock. He’s the most relaxed she’s seen him in months. Since he took over the desk last autumn, he’s on edge, constantly trying to prove he belongs where he’s at and isn’t simply a filler for Geoff—a substitute until someone “better” comes along. His change in energy for this holiday is refreshing, and Helen is grateful for a stress-free trip.

This isn’t the first time she’s been to his mother’s, and their little trip back in the winter had been…well, it had been less than desirable. Dale had spent the entire time on the phone, listening to the radio—anything for updates on what he initially believed would become a huge story. He had been convinced they would have to pack up any minute and return straight to Melbourne, and not only had it left Helen unnecessarily antsy, but she’d watched him deflect and miss every single one of his mother’s attempts to enjoy their company.

Helen and Val had reached an understanding and appreciation for one another that weekend.

For this visit, however, they’ve had a talk. Dale is not to think about work. He is not to turn on the telly outside of the usual Christmas specials. And he sure as hell is not allowed control of any radio. Hence, Helen packing a shoebox of cassettes for the ride.

The current tape ends, and she sifts through her box for a new one. It needs rewinding, but the second Pat Benatar blares through the speakers, Dale is on cloud nine.

Helen can only giggle at his antics—at his exaggerated pitch and his enthusiasm as he drums on the steering wheel. He’s lucky they’re on a long stretch of road with few cars, or his swerve might have dire consequences.

“Watch the road, or I’m telling your mother to bust your arse when we get there,” she threatens with a chuckle.

But he keeps going. “We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder!”

He grasps her hand and holds it up victoriously, and she nearly chokes with laughter. “Dale!”

“We belong to the sound of the words we’ve both fallen under!”

He keeps up his dramatic performance, hand still holding hers. “Okay, Dale, really—”

“Weeeeee belong! We belong, we belong together!”

He stops and turns the volume down, both of them in fits of hilarity. And as she sees the smile on his face—a genuine smile for the first time in weeks—she thinks…this can work.

“Ladies and gentleman, that was the musical stylings of Dale Jennings,” Helen narrates, putting on her camera voice. “Tune in next time…if he doesn’t crash the car.”

“I’ll be here all week,” he gives a little bow, planting the hand holding hers back on the steering wheel.

“You know, we should see if Lindsay will let you turn this into a bit. Really put a bug up Geoff’s arsehole.”

“Oh, I’m sure the ratings will soar.”

“It’s what the people want—to be dazzled and entertained, right?”

Dale only laughs and shakes his head. “I bloody love you, you know that?”

Helen reaches for his hand again, offering him a sweet smile. “Yeah, I know.”

#ask kayli #the newsreader #helen x dale #helen norville #dale jennings #the newsreader fanfiction #my fic

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