CheshireCat

Air date: Oct 15, 2023

Air date: Oct 10, 2023

Air date: Oct 8, 2023

Air date: Oct 3, 2023

Air date: Oct 1, 2023

I never felt like she was making bumbling idiots out of Josh and Toby but provided a much needed damper on their very, very huge egos. I guess, you need an ego like that when you work the jobs they worked, still, they were so full of themselves at times. With that said, making CJ CoS never made sense to me and I think you make a good point. I've always felt that they made her CoS and then didn't use her or gave her a purpose, so your take sounds pretty good. It's like they were thinking they were doing so much better than Sorkin with regards to female characters because they made CJ CoS when that's really all they did and then didn't do anything with it. I think Toby was too righteous for the job. Yes, a CoS should be willing to challenge the president and play Devil's Advocate but, I think, their main objective needs to be to protect the President. Yes, Toby was loyal but I think he was too willing to challenge the president to be CoS. I also don't think he would have been good at handling the WH staff, Cabinet or Congress for that matter. As you say, CJ was not a political operative but I don't think Toby was either and between the two of them, CJ was the better "diplomat" and also the better "people's person". Josh would have been the obvious choice and, based on the character of the characters and what I believe a CoS should be, I think Will would actually have made the most sense after Josh. Or someone from the outside. Although, things might have been different if they had actually given CJ something to do. Then again, at that point of the show, most of the WH characters didn't have much to do anymore other than wait for time to pass. I still haven't figured out her purpose. I mean, I know what her WH job was but why was she introduced as a cast member? I mostly like her because she, too, talks back and puts a damper on Josh's ego at times. The "we're the kings of the world" attitude Josh, Toby and Sam display at times is one of the things I find the most annoying of the show. (It also provides some humor but I do think characters like CJ and Donna are desperately needed to not let the egos get out of hand too much. Of course, Donna didn't need to have the background that she had for that and could actually have had a college degree and proper resume).

Pretty sure that's the reason, too. However, you have to wonder how someone goes from "they don't know each other" to "hey, why don't we let Fornell and Gibbs share an ex-wife". Other than that, I like the pilot. It's one of the episodes I always enjoy re-watching.

I hope they'll address it and don't just do an "in memorian" at the end of an episode. But they did address the death of the actor who played Gibbs' father (name escapes me right now), so I expect they'll do something on the show. It would also be quite disrespectful to the characters of McGee, Palmer and Vance if they didn't.

Air date: Sep 26, 2023

David McCallum has passed away 😞 https://tvline.com/news/david-mccallum-dead-ncis-ducky-actor-cause-of-death-obituary-1235049241/

I always thought his son's actual name was Richard and he was simply called Dickie.

Me, too. What I don't like is that they didn't seem to know what to do with the WH anymore. I don't recall if they said when the campaign started and if they did, when it started but while Bartlet may have been a lame-duck president at that point, I doubt that he would have just sat around waiting for time to pass. Someone in the writers' room or showrunners' room or both would have needed to sit down and ask what would it be that Bartlet would still want to accomplish that he hasn't been able to accomplish so far and how could he do that, either by getting Congress to cooperate or by going around Congress. (ETA: Basically, they should have seen through what they had Leo start. It's a pity that the list he made never amounted to anything, at least, I don't recall that it did). One thing I really disliked was that they solved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I'm all for television shows being idealistic but that conflict is so complex that I felt it was disrespectful and arrogant to have it be resolved, especially in a two or three-part episode. If anything, it should have been a season-long arc but definitely not this quick. (I also don't think that it fit the show given that many episodes ended rather ambiguously and the show was always more realistic than idealistic). Even Madam Secretary didn't resolve that conflict but only took a step towards peace and that show was idealistic.

Air date: Sep 3, 2023

Air date: Aug 27, 2023

Right?! It always irritates me to no end, too. Everyone has traits that a partner might find irritating or frustrating and you may be able to change small things. But if you expect the partner to change jobs simply because you have an issue with what you do then maybe they're not the right partner for you. It never makes sense if they write it like that especially since more often than not, the writing seems to suggest the partner who doesn't give up their job is at fault or something.

As a couple of posts have been removed, this is a reminder to remember the Politics Policy as the show dives into presidential politics. Speculation that references real life events is just that: speculation. It does not constitute anything that has happened in an episode.

It looks like Showtime plans to release all episodes for streaming two days before the episodes air on TV. If you catch a legitimate Friday stream, there is no need to use spoiler tags to discuss the episode in the respective episode topic. (All other spoiler rules apply). Anyone who wishes to remain unspoiled, please be aware that spoilers may be discussed in the episode topics before the episode airs on TV.

Air date: Aug 20, 2023

According to my information, it streamed on August 11 and airs on August 13 🤷‍♀️

Air date: Aug 13, 2023

I'm in love with the colors. Tropical island summer vibes 🥰

I think it's a good thing they did. I really like his quick-witted and dry/sarcastic humor. Yes, Toby, Josh and Sam had some great lines as well but Bartlet took the show to the next level.

I'd argue it was missing those penalty kicks 😉 I'm not sure it's comparable. Some European basketball teams like Spain, Greece and France have always had good national teams and, I believe, have beaten the US team at international competitions in the past. I think the difference is that for US players winning the NBA is still more prestigious than winning internationally. (As far as I know, the rules are slightly different and the NBA is still on a different level). Therefore, the motivation to send the best players is not the same and the motivation for the players is not the same, both when it comes to playing for the national team and winning.

Because what would have been the schedule under normal circumstances was discussed here, a tweet from Warren Leight from yesterday: ETA: There's a follow-up tweet where he explains that normally the writer's room opens up 5 weeks before shooting begins and it could be shorter for a shorter season.

I think one of the expert panel (I believe it was Carli Lloyd) said it best after the Portugal game: the US played not to lose and not to win. Although, there were plenty of other teams who did as well. (Many of the veteran teams, actually. The others went out there and seemed to think we have nothing to lose and that's how they played). I'd say the US team needs a new coach or at least a tactical coach. There is so much talent on that field and the technical ability that they displayed during the game against Sweden was impressive. But there is no coherent strategy and the finish (if that's the right term) is lacking. They need someone who can make a team out of them and this coach does not seem to be the right person for the job. (Then again, Macedonia isn't exactly known for its soccer players and MLS isn't the soccer league to beat either. I find it rather puzzling why a renowned team like the US would hire such an internationally inexperienced head coach). Australia impressed me against Canada. Sure, they're not the best team technically but the way they played in that game brought back 2006 Germany memories. I like the fast "one-touch" soccer as I think it makes the game really exciting to watch. I'm really hoping they can repeat that against Denmark (sorry Denmark).