'Newsroom' Star Braces For Fan Finale Reactions

Sunday brings part one of The Newsroom's two-part season finale, and with it, their take on the 2012 Presidential Election. But there's a lot more on the line than just Obama or Romney's win (spoiler alert.....) given News Night's very public flogging and Mac's tenuous tenure at the helm.

And according to star Thomas Sadoski, the public might have similarly strong reactions to choices The Newsroom makes in the finale's final moments. ETonline recently caught up with the actor to get his take on season two, find out how it feels to be out of the show's central love triangle and see if a Don/Sloan hook-up is in the cards!

ETonline: What have you thought about season two?
Thomas Sadoski: I've been really excited by it. I think what Aaron [Sorkin] has done is interesting by setting up these people in the first season and focusing on the idealism and the romanticism of what they do, but then, in season two, basically having them fail on a really huge scale. I liken it to the moment when Don Quixote hits the windmill and falls off the horse. It's really, really clever. I also love how he's worked in time with the flashbacks.

ETonline: Did you anticipate the show would move so quickly through time this season?
Sadoski: We'd been forewarned there would be big time leaps this year, but it was a byproduct that was having a storyline that was more centered on the characters than it was the news events. We needed to cover the election, but wanted to stop then because immediately afterward you had Sandy Hook. We wanted to be very careful because it was so new while we were shooting, so we were very careful and cognizant of the people affected. We didn't want to rush into anything.

ETonline: Were you glad this season also took Don out of the Jim/Maggie love triangle?
Sadoski: That was really exciting. I enjoyed being part of that last year, but it was cool to see the character open up a little bit away from that. Neither Aaron nor I ever felt Don was dismissible in the way people were dismissing him in season one as this token bad guy. As the first season progressed, but more so this season, the [audience consensus] has taken a turn and I've really enjoyed seeing that change.

ETonline: But romance has still been part of his storyline. What do you think about Don and Sloan?
Sadoski: First of all, it gives me an opportunity to work more with Olivia [Munn], which I enjoy. We work well together and it's a lot of fun, but I think it's a really mature, gentle relationship that you don't often see on television. This is a great friendship that exists between two adults who are very respectfully biding their time and figuring out how it's all going to fit together. They're both so committed to their jobs that I think it speaks to the integrity of both the characters. Whichever direction Aaron decides to take us in, we'll happily follow.

ETonline: The two-part season finale covers the 2012 Presidential Election. What are you excited for fans to see in those episodes?
Sadoski: I'm excited for the fans to experience what the last two episodes are. I know what's coming and I think it's going to take a lot of fans by surprise ... in a good way. When we got done with our table read, we just laughed because we settle all family business. It's going to be exciting to see that play out and see the fans reactions. I'm really curious about that.

ETonline: How will the finale impact the direction of season three?
Sadoski: I think one of the geniuses of Aaron's writing, especially when it comes to this season, is he left room for the show to grow forward and not have to drag a lot of stuff from seasons one and two with him. He set up a platform from which he can leap forward [in season three].

The Newsroom airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO.