The West Wing - General Discussion

[schnauzergirl]

I've tried to imagine The West Wing without Martin Sheen's President Bartlet front and center and it's never worked for me.  

Edited August 10, 2023 by schnauzergirl

[ProudMary]

From Enemies; Season 1, Episode 8

President Bartlet (to Josh Lyman): What you got?
Josh: The Antiquities Act. You're going to establish Big Sky National Park.
(The President chuckles.)
Josh (Smiling): Yeah.
Bartlet: I can do this?
Josh: Yeah.
Bartlet: You understand it's a bunch of rocks, right?
Josh: I'm sure someone with your encyclopedic knowledge of the ridiculous and dork-like, will be able to find a tree or a ferret that the public has a right to visit.
Bartlet: More than a right, Josh.
Josh: Sir?
Bartlet: It's a treat.
Josh: Yes, sir.
Bartlet: You would enjoy nature.
Josh: I've tried nature, sir.
Bartlet: The Antiquities Act.
Josh: Yes, sir.
Bartlet: This is simplicity itself.
Josh: Yes, sir.
Bartlet: Good job.
Josh: Thank you, sir.
Bartlet: Thank you.

[slasherboy]

On 8/9/2023 at 9:15 PM, CheshireCat said:

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.

And CJ

[Crs97]

My favorite comment about national parks:  according to Josh, Shenandoah National Park is as good a place as any to dump President Bartlett’s body.

 

[Orcinus orca]

12 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

My favorite comment about national parks:  according to Josh, Shenandoah National Park is as good a place as any to dump President Bartlett’s body.

"Did I say that out loud"?

[ProudMary]

Each day's news seems to bring new opportunities for West Wing throwbacks!

 

[Artsda]

 

[storyskip]

On something like my 20th re-watch.

Disclaimer - I have watched the whole series, and there are specific episodes in Seasons 5/6/7 that I will re-watch if I am in the mood.

But on the whole? Am I the only one who, on re-watch, imagines the series "ends" at 4x21?

[Orcinus orca]

48 minutes ago, storyskip said:

But on the whole? Am I the only one who, on re-watch, imagines the series "ends" at 4x21?

Table for two.  I slogged through season 5 on the first run but gave up after that.  I only rewatch the first four seasons anymore.  Those were magic.

[SoMuchTV]

Anyone familiar with the podcast This Day in Esoteric Political History?  (I’m guessing there’s at least some overlap with West Wing fans!) They basically pick a day (like the title says) and talk about it. The most recent episode talks about September 21, 1999, the day TWW premiered. With guest Hrishikesh Hirway, of TWW podcast fame. I found it very interesting. 

[Crs97]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

2 hours ago, storyskip said:

But on the whole? Am I the only one who, on re-watch, imagines the series "ends" at 4x21?

Table for two.  I slogged through season 5 on the first run but gave up after that. 

Raises hand.  What I thought was interesting is one summer my kids discovered TWW and binge watched it (around 16 and 15 at the time).  Lots of animated discussions for weeks.  Suddenly they stopped talking about it and I asked whether they had finished it or were just taking a break.  Sure enough, they said somewhere early in season 5 the show changed and was no longer interesting.  I couldn’t get them to try any later episode after that.

[Orcinus orca]

2 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Raises hand.  What I thought was interesting is one summer my kids discovered TWW and binge watched it (around 16 and 15 at the time).  Lots of animated discussions for weeks.  Suddenly they stopped talking about it and I asked whether they had finished it or were just taking a break.  Sure enough, they said somewhere early in season 5 the show changed and was no longer interesting.  I couldn’t get them to try any later episode after that.

Bottom line....Sorkin left.

 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, storyskip said:

But on the whole? Am I the only one who, on re-watch, imagines the series "ends" at 4x21?

No, I actually like a good portion of Seasons 6 and 7. There are parts I dislike as well (basically all of Season 5) and plotlines I hate, but I like much of the Santos/Vinnick stuff.

[jah1986]

55 minutes ago, deaja said:

No, I actually like a good portion of Seasons 6 and 7. There are parts I dislike as well (basically all of Season 5) and plotlines I hate, but I like much of the Santos/Vinnick stuff.

I agree. I jump back in towards the end of season 6, (love those last two episodes) and enjoy most of season 7. There were only a few duds during season 7 in my opinion.

[CheshireCat]

5 hours ago, deaja said:

No, I actually like a good portion of Seasons 6 and 7. There are parts I dislike as well (basically all of Season 5) and plotlines I hate, but I like much of the Santos/Vinnick stuff.

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.

[storyskip]

Okay. Re-watch # 100+ in the books, time for some unpopular opinions.

1. I found the storyline of CJ becoming COS to be patronizing, forced and just bad. I am a female viewer and I feel about that storyline the way Ainsley did about the ERA. I did not need John Wells and the other MALE writers and producers of the show to come along and patronize me, as a viewer, with the message of "Oh look at us being all progressive and making this female character the second most powerful person in the WW universe!!"

Do not get me wrong. Allison Janney is a FANTASTIC actress and up until she was made COS I loved the character of CJ Cregg. But 3/4 of an episode devoted to making bumbling idiots out of Josh and Toby, does NOT set up an organic reason to have CJ jump so many more qualified people into the COS office.

Josh was probably the in universe obvious successor, but in my opinion there was more set up from season 1 for Toby to go into the role. Toby, who had been with the President since the first campaign. Toby, who was shown to have political savvy. Toby, who could have been an interesting foil for the President, because while Leo knew how to 'handle' the President, Toby had been shown he wasn't afraid to stand his ground and openly argue with the President. 

We (the audience) had seen that when Toby had the right read on a situation, he usually had the politics to be 5 moves ahead on the board. COS wasn't just a role about how many balls you can keep in the air; that was just part of the job. It was also about being able to read the political landscape and have position 5 steps ahead. CG Cregg was a PR genius, but not a political operative.

2. I hate, loath, despise the Kate Harper character. That's it. Just, I FF anytime she is on the screen.

3. The decision to introduce conflict in the Jed/Leo friendship was stupid. I hate discussing Leo's health issues given the tragic loss of John Spencer, but if Wells absolutely had to move the pieces around on the board, he could have moved that SL up into Season 5 and bumped Leo out of the COS role earlier. Instead of assassinating his character and one of the core relationships in the show.

Honestly, that whole choice stinks of "omg this bromance is icky and interferes with our ability to write 'will they/won't they' soap opera with our female characters. We need to get the male friendship out of our show." Stargate SG-1 went the same route with Jack and Daniel.

4. Santos was too much Jed Bartlett 2.0 and I loathed his wife. Sorkin teased Hoynes return back in Season 4 and honestly? Given what initially drew me to the West Wing in the earlier seasons, I would have been more engaged watching the behind the scenes kingmaking Leo, Josh and Co would have had to engage in to rebuild Hoynes into a viable candidate. Especially against Vinnick. 

[Crs97]

Storyskip, I co-sign your entire post, especially #1!!

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, storyskip said:

Santos was too much Jed Bartlett 2.0

I did not mind the Santos campaign storyline, but I always thought it would have been more interesting, story-wise, to have Vinnick win. That might not meet the WW wish-fulfillment brief, but it seeing how all the stalwarts adjusted to that transition might have been more compelling. 

[juno]

28 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

I did not mind the Santos campaign storyline, but I always thought it would have been more interesting, story-wise, to have Vinnick win. That might not meet the WW wish-fulfillment brief, but it seeing how all the stalwarts adjusted to that transition might have been more compelling. 

Funny you should bring this up. I have some thoughts;

I really wanted West Wing to go at least another season because I wanted to see what all the personnel changes would look like. I wanted to also see Sam back and new Secretary of State Vinick.

I could not stomach anything related to the Whitehouse; CJ as COS and the awful Will and Kate. I used to fast forward to the campaign where at least interesting things were happening.

I could not stand Helen Santos, entitled, arrogant and rude to staff.

Josh and Donna getting together was the most un-exciting moment on tv ever.

 

 

[HyeChaps]

IIRC, if John Spencer hadn't died, the plan was to have Vinick win.

[storyskip]

4 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

IIRC, if John Spencer hadn't died, the plan was to have Vinick win.

Yeah, that's a pretty well known bit of commentary from various sources. The change being that the double blow of losing John Spencer (Leo) and the West Wing was more sadness then the producers wanted to heap onto everybody; cast/audience/etc.

[Guest]

On 9/23/2023 at 5:56 PM, storyskip said:

Okay. Re-watch # 100+ in the books, time for some unpopular opinions.

1. I found the storyline of CJ becoming COS to be patronizing, forced and just bad. I am a female viewer and I feel about that storyline the way Ainsley did about the ERA. I did not need John Wells and the other MALE writers and producers of the show to come along and patronize me, as a viewer, with the message of "Oh look at us being all progressive and making this female character the second most powerful person in the WW universe!!"

Do not get me wrong. Allison Janney is a FANTASTIC actress and up until she was made COS I loved the character of CJ Cregg. But 3/4 of an episode devoted to making bumbling idiots out of Josh and Toby, does NOT set up an organic reason to have CJ jump so many more qualified people into the COS office.

Josh was probably the in universe obvious successor, but in my opinion there was more set up from season 1 for Toby to go into the role. Toby, who had been with the President since the first campaign. Toby, who was shown to have political savvy. Toby, who could have been an interesting foil for the President, because while Leo knew how to 'handle' the President, Toby had been shown he wasn't afraid to stand his ground and openly argue with the President. 

We (the audience) had seen that when Toby had the right read on a situation, he usually had the politics to be 5 moves ahead on the board. COS wasn't just a role about how many balls you can keep in the air; that was just part of the job. It was also about being able to read the political landscape and have position 5 steps ahead. CG Cregg was a PR genius, but not a political operative.

2. I hate, loath, despise the Kate Harper character. That's it. Just, I FF anytime she is on the screen.

3. The decision to introduce conflict in the Jed/Leo friendship was stupid. I hate discussing Leo's health issues given the tragic loss of John Spencer, but if Wells absolutely had to move the pieces around on the board, he could have moved that SL up into Season 5 and bumped Leo out of the COS role earlier. Instead of assassinating his character and one of the core relationships in the show.

Honestly, that whole choice stinks of "omg this bromance is icky and interferes with our ability to write 'will they/won't they' soap opera with our female characters. We need to get the male friendship out of our show." Stargate SG-1 went the same route with Jack and Daniel.

4. Santos was too much Jed Bartlett 2.0 and I loathed his wife. Sorkin teased Hoynes return back in Season 4 and honestly? Given what initially drew me to the West Wing in the earlier seasons, I would have been more engaged watching the behind the scenes kingmaking Leo, Josh and Co would have had to engage in to rebuild Hoynes into a viable candidate. Especially against Vinnick. 

I almost completely agree. Especially on the first two points. I think Kate is my least favorite character on the show (barring characters we are obviously supposed to dislike). CJ was, for most of the show, my favorite but once she was CoS, she lost so much of what made her my favorite. I still maintain Josh would have been a more natural choice, but an argument could also be made for Toby. Or Josh considers the job, but ultimately decides to hit the trail instead. 
 

I think the lore of the writers changing the ending is inconsistent- different sources have said different things. 
 

Helen Santos I like at times but other times I want to tell her to relax. Same with her husband interestingly enough. Except I like him better overall. 
 

My most unpopular opinion is that I don’t like Donna. For all she claims Josh held her back, we routinely see him include her in higher level stuff. Assistant to the deputy chief of staff is NOT an unskilled entry level position like she portrays it when she decides she wants more, and her career “glow up” is completely unrealistic. And I find so much of their relationship cringeworthy and that doesn’t when they get together. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, deaja said:

My most unpopular opinion is that I don’t like Donna.

Donna was never as cute or clever as the writers thought she was.  Part of it may be a Janel Maloney thing for me, as I think she's so overly-earnest on her Sports Night episode she cheapens what is supposed to be a quietly powerful dressing down.  She lacks subtlety, and it really shows among a cast like this.  But it's also the writing, as they shoe-horned her into so many scenes with senior staff when no other assistant was present that I found myself resenting her.  Which was a bummer, because she's a character I could have really liked (and I do like many moments of hers).

I had quit watching by the time she moved up in her career, but given how I felt about her in the first four seasons, I probably would have found it unearned.

And I am completely turned off by even the thought of Donna and Josh in a romantic relationship, so very glad I did not stick around to see that.  I never saw any such chemistry between them, and found narrative hints at there being buried feelings quite forced.  As I've said before, they are this odd situation where each one is simultaneously not good enough/too good for the other. 

[ProudMary]

I don't know if anyone else caught this Monday night on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell  on MSNBC. Lawrence was having a conversation with Jen Psaki, where she mentioned that she had worked for six White House Chiefs of Staff, all of whom were men as there's never been a woman in the position. Lawrence took a little detour and basically claimed credit for the one fictional WHCOS, C.J. Cregg. He said that he pushed very hard for C.J. to be promoted to the COS position because of the greatness of Allison Janney, but also because he felt the character was the best fit. I've been searching for a video clip, but I can't find one. It was a somewhat strange sidebar.

I think Allison Janney is a great actor and Press Secretary C.J. Cregg was exceptional, but I hated C.J. as COS. 

[schnauzergirl]

Am I the only one who had the sense C.J. knew she wasn't up for the job?  It's been a long time since I watched those episodes and my own belief that this was a really bad idea might be coloring my recollection.  

[CheshireCat]

On 9/23/2023 at 5:56 PM, storyskip said:

Okay. Re-watch # 100+ in the books, time for some unpopular opinions.

1. I found the storyline of CJ becoming COS to be patronizing, forced and just bad. I am a female viewer and I feel about that storyline the way Ainsley did about the ERA. I did not need John Wells and the other MALE writers and producers of the show to come along and patronize me, as a viewer, with the message of "Oh look at us being all progressive and making this female character the second most powerful person in the WW universe!!"

Do not get me wrong. Allison Janney is a FANTASTIC actress and up until she was made COS I loved the character of CJ Cregg. But 3/4 of an episode devoted to making bumbling idiots out of Josh and Toby, does NOT set up an organic reason to have CJ jump so many more qualified people into the COS office.

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. 

 

Quote

Josh was probably the in universe obvious successor, but in my opinion there was more set up from season 1 for Toby to go into the role. Toby, who had been with the President since the first campaign. Toby, who was shown to have political savvy. Toby, who could have been an interesting foil for the President, because while Leo knew how to 'handle' the President, Toby had been shown he wasn't afraid to stand his ground and openly argue with the President.

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.

6 hours ago, deaja said:

 I think Kate is my least favorite character on the show (barring characters we are obviously supposed to dislike).

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?

Quote

My most unpopular opinion is that I don’t like Donna. For all she claims Josh held her back, we routinely see him include her in higher level stuff.

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).

[Guest]

1 hour ago, CheshireCat said:

 

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.

It’s also always sort of bugged me that when Jed and Leo are fighting, Leo says he will give Jed a list of names but then after his heart attack he says there is only one option. 

[storyskip]

14 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

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.

 

Just to clarify. I did not mean to imply that the character of CJ made bumbling idiots out of anyone.  It was the WRITERS/PRODUCER who deliberately made bumbling idiots out of Josh, Toby and Will in the episode, so they could write/highlight the need for a new CoS and then put the spotlight on CJ as being so deft at identifying how they needed to organize, that she is the obvious/only choice.

[Guest]

I also felt they took away all of CJ's lightness and humor once she became CoS. Like they wanted her to have gravitas, but that included making her ruder. Season 7 when she was rude to the waitress while having dinner with Danny was an example - had it been building to a resolution of her realizing she was off her bearings and it was impacting her, that would have been one thing, but it wasn't.

[bluegirl147]

I liked the idea of Donna more than the reality that was Donna. I agree with @Bastet I saw very little chemistry between Josh and Donna.  On the other hand I didn't care for Amy but thought she had oodles of chemistry with Josh.

Did not like CJ as COS. I mostly liked the character of CJ overall especially when they focused on her being Press Secretary.  When they would deviate to her personal life I found her less interesting.  Except with Danny. Probably because he was related to her job.

 

[jah1986]

Currently doing another re-watch, this one with mom, who never watched the show when it was airing. We're in season 7, Two Weeks Out was the episode we just finished. Took mom a while to warm up to the Santos/Vinick story, she just wanted to stay with the White House staff. We agreed that CJ was one of the dumbest choices for COS. CJ became COS and her communication style became, "do it because I said so, I'm the COS and you have to do whatever I say because I'm the COS".  Neither of us ever warmed to Kate Harper mainly because she came along and the totally awesome Nancy McNally, who was her boss, disappeared. Now mom is just watching each remaining episode asking is this the one where Leo dies? But she really did come around on the campaign trail, so it wasn't all bad at the end.

[justmehere]

My thoughts about CJ as COS and Donna as over-rated have already been noted by others. I didn't hate the Kate character though I didn't really warm to her. However, I like Mary McCormack a lot, so that tempered my view of Kate a bit. The whole tone of the show changed so much, which made it harder to care. There was a lot of dry policy talk all around without the personal feeling it had before - less balance in the writing, less or little heart. I also couldn't warm up to Annabeth - much as I like Kristin Chenoweth - though she had a more personal vibe. 

My unpopular opinion is that I often had trouble taking Josh seriously in such a high-level position. To me, he too often came across as a clown, not to mention ineffectual - thinking he would easily get something done and then falling on his face. He was loyal to Leo; we saw that clearly, and I loved that about him. On the other hand, we were told how much he did and how capable he was, but I often couldn't see it. The time Jed detailed all that Leo had done in a day, I believed it. When there was mention of the number of staff Josh was responsible for and all he did, I thought, "really?" I certainly liked Bradley Whitford, but it felt like there was a disconnect between how the character was written and portrayed and what the position must entail. Toby I believed. Sam felt somewhat balanced. CJ was great as press secretary. I liked Josh as a person but had trouble believing his position. I'm not saying he should have been serious all the time or been 100% successful in everything. None of the others were either. I don't know. It's just how I felt.

[ProudMary]

Sadly, we don't have to do Six Degrees in memory of Matthew Perry. 😔 His dramatic chops were quite a revelation in the too-few epidodes in which he appeared. His character, Joe Quincy had a huge impact on two major TWW story arcs.

It's a sad day. 

 

[ProudMary]

Hi everyone!

The Primetimer Awards have opened for nominations today and there's once again a category where The West Wing is eligible! There are several holiday categories including Favorite Christmas TV Episode, which transcend the stated eligibiliy window. IMO, The West Wing has three Christmas episodes that are of a quality level above almost anything else, but I've chosen to nominate only one, "Noel." I think "Noel" is the Christmas episode that we can all get behind. (Side note: "In Excelsis Deo" is my favorite of the West Wing Christmas episodes, but I didn't nominate it because I think it's important that we all support one episode, instead of splitting votes.) Here's the link to the  category, so you can follow what else is being nominated. The first round of official voting won't start until December 11th. 

Let's vote "Noel" to a victory!

https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/142066-snuggle-season-favorite-christmas-tv-episode/#comment-8229923

 

[Orcinus orca]

3 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Side note: "In Excelsis Deo" is my favorite of the West Wing Christmas episodes

My favorite of all time but also one that results in floods of tears no matter how often I see it.

[ProudMary]

Voting is now open for first round voting in the Winter Primetimer Awards and we have an opportunity to vote for The West Wing in the category, "Favorite Christmas TV Episode." First round voting is multiple choice. I'm choosing to vote only for "Noel."

Here is the direct link to the category. Voting for this round is open from today, December 11th through Thursday, December 14th.

Please vote!

Snuggle Season: Favorite Christmas TV Episode

[Bastet]

I was glad to see someone nominate Excelsis (I used my three on other things, as I had about a dozen contenders, and that was one of the ones I figured someone else would nominate), but I guess it turned out it was after there were already 25 nominations, so it's not one of the nominees.  Boo; I like it far better than Noel.  But Noel will still get one of my votes in this first round.

[ProudMary]

I'm hoping that like "Favorite Christmas Movie," this category will also become a perennial Hall of Fame-type category during the Winter Primetimers (last year's movie winner, It's a Wonderful Life, is now retired) and that next year we can band together and get what will hopefully be a second WW victory for "In Excelsis Deo," which is also my favorite of the West Wing Christmas episodes. "Noel," by a very slight margin, is the highest rated of the WW Christmas episodes, which is why I nominated it. 

JMHO, but I actually think that "Holy Night," which is only the third best WW  Christmas episode, is still miles ahead of much of the schlock nominated! I hope we ultimately get a chance to retire all three. 🙂

I think our main competition will come from The Big Bang Theory--that is a delightful episode!--and from Friends. I also think Doctor Who is a strong challenger, but with three episodes of the series nominated, the Doctor Who votes will be split. 

[SoMuchTV]

Well thanks a lot y’all, I had to watch Excelcis and now Noel is up next, then Holy Night, so I can refresh my memory! 

[ProudMary]

2023 Winter Primetimer Awards Round Two voting is now open and "Noel" made it to the finals! 👏

Let's vote it to victory. Here's the direct link to the category:

Snuggle Season: Favorite Christmas TV Episode

 

[ProudMary]

Wow, we seem to have lost A LOT of posts in our thread here since the recent updates. 😢

Anyway, Mary McCormack and Josh Malina have made a couple of interesting posts on Twitter/X over the past few days. We'll have to see what they're up to on Wednesday. 

 

[ProudMary]

Book details at its Penguin Random House website page.

https://sites.prh.com/whats-next-book

[ProudMary]

From Season 1, Episode 9, "The Short List."

Josh Lyman: [after a press conference that claimed 1 out of 3 White House staffers takes drugs] Five White House staffers in the room... I would like to say to the 1.6 of you who are stoned right now that it's time to share.

[Driad]

Since it's State of the Union day, here's a bit from "He Shall from Time to Time":
President Josiah Bartlet: We meant "stronger" here, right?
Sam Seaborn: What does it say?
President Josiah Bartlet: I'm proud to report our country is stranger than it was a year ago?
Sam Seaborn: That's a typo.
President Josiah Bartlet: Could go either way.

[CheshireCat]

I loved that rehearsal scene, from the dialogue between Josh and CJ to the comments Bartlet made about the typos and how the staff tried to urge him along. I always laugh at it; thanks for the reminder.

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

from the dialogue between Josh and CJ

Oh dear, Allison Janney's delivery when Josh asks C.J. if Bartlet's glands are swollen is perfect.  Written, it's simple -- Damn.  You know what I forgot to do today?  I forgot to check the president's glands. -- but she makes it art.  And Bradley Whitford is great as clueless Josh fails to pick up on her sarcasm until the final line, and just keeps asking her "What?" in all seriousness. 

 

 

[labresq]

With the tragedy of the bridge collapse in Baltimore, is anybody else having flashbacks to the "Francis Scott Key Key" episode?  Poor C.J. not being able to keep it together:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80mHu_nRLms

 

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, labresq said:

With the tragedy of the bridge collapse in Baltimore, is anybody else having flashbacks to the "Francis Scott Key Key" episode?  Poor C.J. not being able to keep it together:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80mHu_nRLms

I thought of that immediately as soon as I heard the name of that bridge!