By the time John Oliver really hit his stride as the temporary host of The Daily Show, it became easy to stop hoping for Jon Stewart's return-- something I'm not sure any fans of the show could have imagined when Stewart first announced he'd take the summer off to direct a movie. But now that Stewart really is back, and Oliver is returning to the correspondent's chair… man is it good to see that clean-shaven face again. Though it takes a minute, as you can see in the video above, to get Stewart back to fighting condition.
When Stewart finally did return to the desk, though, it took a little more adjustment, both coping with the recent news about a potential strike against Syria and, more personally, the embarrassing news about Stewart's old pal Anthony Weiner. Oh, excuse us, we mean Carlos Danger.
And by the time Stewart got around to talking about the new from Syria, it really was, as he calls it, "like I never left." Because when a President and the Secretary of State are trying to build the case for a military strike against another country, you start flashing back to the Bush years, and the sarcastic man in a suit who helped us get through it.
Even though Stewart is now back in action and behind the desk on The Daily Show, he's still got some attention on his film, called Rosewater. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, it tells the story of a British journalist who was held captive in Iran for 118 days-- partly as a result of an appearance on The Daily Show. The film is far from finished, but according to The Hollywood Reporter Stewart will be presenting some footage to buyers at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend, and it seems impossible that the film won't be picked up immediately. Stewart's credentials as a director may still be unproven, but if he can translate even an ounce of the energy he brings to the anchor desk, Rosewater ought to be a gripping watch.
