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The West Wing - General Discussion


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1 minute ago, Kohola3 said:

My vote is for Margaret!  I can see here justifying it to save the astronauts.

 

Margaret : Can - can I just say something, you know, for the future?

Leo McGarry : Yeah.

Margaret : *I* can sign the President's name. I have his signature down pretty good.

Leo McGarry : You can sign the President's name?

Margaret : Yeah.

Leo McGarry : On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else?

Margaret : Yeah. Or, do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea?

Leo McGarry : I think the White House Counsel would say that's a coup d'etat.

Margaret : I'd probably end up doing some time for that.

Leo McGarry : I would think. And what the hell are you doing practicing the President's signature?

Margaret : It's just for fun.

Leo McGarry : We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the hill.

NiCole Robinson was great in the role. I loved her and Leo arguing over the Christmas cards. I also loved how they just had her walking around pregnant with absolutely no explanation. 

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Random side note: a potential client contacted my contract boss today, and the last name was Coatsworth. Which immediately made me snicker and suddenly think of Ms. Coatsworth-Hay and "Francis Scott Key" keys. Heeeee. 

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3 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I also thought it was weird that Josh was calling Toby. I mean, the guy was toxic, right? So in the middle of a campaign, it didn’t make sense. 

That's why Toby was using a fake name, right?  Or at least when he called Josh.

And yes, Kate Harper should have been the leaker.  Or, you know, just never existed on the show.

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6 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Bartlett doing it himself so he could save the astronauts.

I can't imagine President Bartlet ever letting Toby take the fall if that were the case.

I've always suspected it was Toby's late brother's wife. The brother had said something to her about it, and after he died, she wanted to help save the crew on the shuttle. Toby figured out it was her (or she told him) and wasn't going to let her go to prison for it, so he took the blame.

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1 hour ago, Moose135 said:

I've always suspected it was Toby's late brother's wife. The brother had said something to her about it, and after he died, she wanted to help save the crew on the shuttle. Toby figured out it was her (or she told him) and wasn't going to let her go to prison for it, so he took the blame.

That's a very plausible one!  Hadn't thought of that.

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14 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I can't imagine President Bartlet ever letting Toby take the fall if that were the case.

I've always suspected it was Toby's late brother's wife. The brother had said something to her about it, and after he died, she wanted to help save the crew on the shuttle. Toby figured out it was her (or she told him) and wasn't going to let her go to prison for it, so he took the blame.

Oh, I wasn't being serious about Bartlett as the leaker, just throwing out some fun ideas.

I do like the idea of David's wife being the leaker. It just wasn't a great storyline overall. I do love the two episodes where Toby confesses, but I love anything with Oliver Babish.

 

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23 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Bartlett doing it himself so he could save the astronauts.

If Bartlett had done it, I doubt he would have tried to hide it, particularly once it became clear that other staff members were being targeted as the culprit.

 

17 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I've always suspected it was Toby's late brother's wife. The brother had said something to her about it, and after he died, she wanted to help save the crew on the shuttle. Toby figured out it was her (or she told him) and wasn't going to let her go to prison for it, so he took the blame.

It seems unlikely a reputable newspaper would treat her as a credible source when it came to discussing a classified military shuttle, particularly if it became clear she was relying on information that came from a now deceased third party. 

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1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

It seems unlikely a reputable newspaper would treat her as a credible source when it came to discussing a classified military shuttle, particularly if it became clear she was relying on information that came from a now deceased third party.

Not as a sole source, but for a starting place, quite possibly. Talk to a few other trusted sources, rattle a few cages, and see what pops up.

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1 hour ago, LizDC said:

 

This is indeed inspiring.  Thankfully HBO is offering a trial run.  Hartsfield Landing does contain a few choice lines. I regularly use "Let's see how the  pizza turns out" when talking about the future.  

I've avoided the Toby discussion thus far, but I am moved to post the following Tobyism from HL:   

Toby - You're a good father, you don't have to act like it. You're the President, you don't have to act like it. You're a good man, you don't have to act like it. You're not just folks, you're not plain-spoken.  Do not, do not, do not act like it.  Make this election about smart, and not.  Make it about engaged, and not.  Qualified, and not. Make it about a heavyweight. You're a heavyweight.

And, of course, Bartlet did just that in the debate. 

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7 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

This is indeed inspiring.  Thankfully HBO is offering a trial run.  Hartsfield Landing does contain a few choice lines. I regularly use "Let's see how the  pizza turns out" when talking about the future.  

I've avoided the Toby discussion thus far, but I am moved to post the following Tobyism from HL:   

Toby - You're a good father, you don't have to act like it. You're the President, you don't have to act like it. You're a good man, you don't have to act like it. You're not just folks, you're not plain-spoken.  Do not, do not, do not act like it.  Make this election about smart, and not.  Make it about engaged, and not.  Qualified, and not. Make it about a heavyweight. You're a heavyweight.

And, of course, Bartlet did just that in the debate. 

Regarding the bolded: The reunion special is on HBO Max, not the mothership HBO. If you’re gonna go the “use the free trial long enough to watch the special, then drop the channel” route, make sure you sign up for the right channel.

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Sorry for the late notice for at least some of you... Thanks to my Facebook feed...

I just found out that TNT will be airing what appears to be selected episodes of TWW on Friday mornings (ONLY); for 3 hours, from 9AM Eastern through 12 Noon Eastern/8AM Central through 11 AM Central, through the election.

The run starts off this morning with “Hartsfield’s Landing” at 9AM Eastern/8AM Central & the 2-part episode “20 Hours in America Part I & Part II” at 10AM Eastern/9AM Central & 11AM Eastern/10AM Central.

Edited by BW Manilowe
To correct a time zone.
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12 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Sorry for the late notice for at least some of you... Thanks to my Facebook feed...

 

THANKS!   I would never have known, will set my DVR.  Just in the nick of time, too.

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For those (mostly, at this point) on the west coast: Allison, Martin, Richard, Bradley & Sorkin are the group virtual guests on tonight’s A Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. It’s on as I post in the Eastern & Central Time Zones (sorry east coasters; I was watching the basketball game, which ran late, & I didn’t know until I came upon it afterwards... there’s always on demand, or there should be). If you’re in the Mountain & Pacific Time Zone,  or further west (Alaska, Hawaii, etc.), it should be on right after your local CBS affiliate’s late news.

Edited by BW Manilowe
To change The to A in the title, as it aired last night.
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So naturally I discovered that though I pay plenty for cable and internet, I don't have TNT. Bummer.

And of course I did not see the Colbert alert in time, but I will be searching for it post-haste! So thanks BW Manilowe!

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There are other Colbert clips on YouTube besides those embedded here.

Also, you can watch the FULL episode NOW, FOR FREE, on cbs.com,  or (if you don’t already have it) through CBS All Access on the CBS app—but on the app it’s a Free 1-Week Trial of CBS All Access, then you have to subscribe. I just watched the whole ep through cbs.com (though I have the app) & I think I found out I only missed, like, 20-25 minutes (about half) of it.

Does anyone have any thoughts about Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown as Leo in the benefit performance (Sorkin said on the show he doesn’t want it to be called a “reunion”)? Just curious.

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I love the fabric on Allison Janney's sofa.

I don't want to mess with signing up for a trial of yet another streaming service just to watch the benefit special, but the trailer sure makes it tempting.

3 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Does anyone have any thoughts about Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown as Leo in the benefit performance

I like him as an actor, and this show could use some extra melanin.  It'll be weird to see/hear someone else as Leo, and the chemistry between Leo and Bartlet, especially, will obviously be different with another actor, but I think Brown will fit in well and have the right presence.

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Well, I just added HBO to my cable account.  Not sure if I will keep it after one month.  But I figure I will have to turn in my West Wing pin if I don't pay $10 to watch an episode that I already have on discs and Netflix.      

One thing I gleaned from the Colbert interview is that some people who were not in the episode, like Marlee Matlin, will be doing GOTV spots between acts.   

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4 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

Well, I just added HBO to my cable account.  Not sure if I will keep it after one month.  But I figure I will have to turn in my West Wing pin if I don't pay $10 to watch an episode that I already have on discs and Netflix.      

One thing I gleaned from the Colbert interview is that some people who were not in the episode, like Marlee Matlin, will be doing GOTV spots between acts.   

You signed up for HBOMax, right? That’s where it’s airing, & it’s a totally different channel than HBO & I’d hate to have anybody miss the special (trying to avoid using the “R word” Sorkin doesn’t want the production described as) because they signed up for the wrong channel.

I already signed up for HBOMax quite awhile ago. I hope somebody releases the production on DVD though, because I’m sure it’ll be worth it for us “Wingnuts” to add to our collections & so anybody who somehow misses the HBOMax airing can at least see it that way.

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2 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

You signed up for HBOMax, right? That’s where it’s airing, & it’s a totally different channel than HBO & I’d hate to have anybody miss the special (trying to avoid using the “R word” Sorkin doesn’t want the production described as) because they signed up for the wrong channel.

I already signed up for HBOMax quite awhile ago. I hope somebody releases the production on DVD though, because I’m sure it’ll be worth it for us “Wingnuts” to add to our collections & so anybody who somehow misses the HBOMax airing can at least see it that way.

If you have HBO via traditional cable that  most likely includes access to HBOMax.

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I think I am good to go, but I won't know for sure until October 15 rolls around.  I don't have a TV in my room and I watch everything through the internet.  I've been streaming HBOMax for the last day, and I am impressed by shows they offer that Netflix doesn't.  I have been going through the phenomenal miniseries about John Adams.  Jefferson lives.  

ETA:  I did a search for "West Wing", and while the show didn't come up, the upcoming special did.  So all the signs look good.  On the other hand, this means I have to stick with Netflix and it's oppressive rollover autoplay.  

Edited by PeterPirate
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19 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

I think I am good to go, but I won't know for sure until October 15 rolls around.  I don't have a TV in my room and I watch everything through the internet.  I've been streaming HBOMax for the last day, and I am impressed by shows they offer that Netflix doesn't.  I have been going through the phenomenal miniseries about John Adams.  Jefferson lives.  

ETA:  I did a search for "West Wing", and while the show didn't come up, the upcoming special did.  So all the signs look good.  On the other hand, this means I have to stick with Netflix and it's oppressive rollover autoplay.

Regarding the bolded: It was announced in October, 2019 (last year) that TWW would be moving from Netflix to stream exclusively on HBO Max. It reads, in the linked article, like it was supposed to be on HBO Max when it premiered in the Spring of this year, but it wasn’t (the only TWW-related programming on the channel, as you know, is the theatrical staging of the “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode). The last I heard, TWW was supposed to be on HBO Max  by the end of this year (I think... at this point, it might not be until the beginning of next year [2021]).

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On 10/10/2020 at 3:34 PM, BW Manilowe said:

Does anyone have any thoughts about Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown as Leo in the benefit performance (Sorkin said on the show he doesn’t want it to be called a “reunion”)? Just curious.

I love the idea. He is very talented and I look forward to seeing what he does with the role, even though he is a bit younger than the role calls for, perhaps. The actual age difference is only about 11 years (John Spencer was 55 when the episode aired and Sterling is now 44). 

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In my rewatch of the show, it was just shocking how many guest stars they had.

Amy Adams looking so damn young.

Felicity Huffman, whose hair was looking amazing. Yeah, I know, Varsity Blues, but she took her punishment.

Eric Balfour, he has such an unusual look that I once I saw him again, I remembered him as the guy harassing Zoe at the bar.

Ian McShane, doing his terrible Russian accent.

Jane Lynch, a random reporter. 

Zeljko Ivanek, working for President Walken. I would have loved for him to become recurring.

Evan Rachel Wood, as a baby playing CJ's niece. 

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so unpopular opinion, I like Kate "bangs" Harper.

I always thought Toby was the leaker, I figured after the shuttle issue in season 1 he started talking to his brother again and that's where he found out and with his brother dead by the time of the leak he did it. No it doesn't really make sense but it was how I explained it to myself.

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1 hour ago, BW Manilowe said:

Sorkin has never let reality get in the way of telling a good story - I think he's even said as much himself. Mr Willis of Ohio isn't real either - House seats are not filled by appointment if the member leaves before his/her term expires, there is a special election. I was watching Angel Maintenance the other night - as they are getting ready to begin their decent from cruising altitude, the pilot reports that there is a problem with the landing gear, because they can't get confirmation that it is down and locked. As a former Air Force pilot, I can tell you there is no way they would be screwing around with the gear at that point, they wouldn't lower the gear until a couple thousand feet and a couple miles from the runway.

There are plenty more I'm sure I could point out, but the thing is, Sorkin has never let reality get in the way of telling a good story.

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2 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Sleep is overrated...

😉

This is true.

So out of curiosity, I called Netflix to confirm that this show will be pulled on Thursday.

After two disconnects, the third person I spoke to told me that there is no such notification that The West Wing is going to be pulled from its rotation. 

When I told her Netflix had announced it last year, she told me to go the their media section online. Well that was pointless because I couldn’t find anything.

So. When is the special airing on HBOMax again? This Thursday?

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2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

This is true.

So out of curiosity, I called Netflix to confirm that this show will be pulled on Thursday.

After two disconnects, the third person I spoke to told me that there is no such notification that The West Wing is going to be pulled from its rotation. 

When I told her Netflix had announced it last year, she told me to go the their media section online. Well that was pointless because I couldn’t find anything.

So. When is the special airing on HBOMax again? This Thursday?

I linked an article, (1 of multiple) in this post , from October 2019 (the article, not necessarily the post) saying TWW was moving to HBO Max. Then, sometime later, there was a graphic ad which looked like it should be DVD box artwork & featured at least some cast members—which, of course, I can’t find anywhere now, though I swear I posted the link to it here—saying TWW would air exclusively on HBO Max by the end of the year. Maybe it’s delayed, like most everything else in the world is now, thanks to the virus.

Yes, the special airs on HBO Max THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH. I haven’t been able to find the time though. (I’m assuming 8 or 9PM Eastern, but that’s just a GUESS).

Hope this is at least a little helpful.

 

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3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

So out of curiosity, I called Netflix to confirm that this show will be pulled on Thursday.

After two disconnects, the third person I spoke to told me that there is no such notification that The West Wing is going to be pulled from its rotation. 

When I told her Netflix had announced it last year, she told me to go the their media section online. Well that was pointless because I couldn’t find anything.

This is just my speculation, but I think the current lockdown situation has boosted Netflix' revenues and they can afford to keep the show on its menu.  I've made a similar speculation as to why The Crown got its sixth season back.  I am glad to hear the show is going to stick around Netflix.  At least Netflix skips that annoying Warner Brothers trumpet blast at the end of the credits.

 

10 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Maybe "Benjamin" will show up to splain why the episode makes sense.  

Edited by PeterPirate
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12 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

I linked an article, (1 of multiple) in this post , from October 2019 (the article, not necessarily the post) saying TWW was moving to HBO Max.

I know. Which is what I told them when I called. But again, according to the person I spoke with, they see nothing on their end that this show is being pulled as of tomorrow.

Back to the show.

I never realized how many times, so many, if not all of the characters respond with "yeah" as their answer/acknowledgment/understanding of whatever is being said in the conversation!

Like I mentioned in the Unpopular Opinion thread here, I absolutely LOATHE Donna and find her annoying as heck.

It's interesting how the show handled Bartlett's MS. I have the same type of MS--that is under extreme stress, I would experience the numbness and tingling--but near my lung area, and sometimes my hand. I was diagnosed in 1990, and the numbness was what led to tests that led to the diagnosis. The worst symptom was seeing "triple" back in...2000, I think it was. Back then, there was no medication to "control" it and I had to "ride it through" until the late 90s, when I saw a new neurologist, who was relatively young, and put me on a weekly injection (which ended up not working and I suffered needlessly with the fever/chills that lasted two days after each injection), to another one, which did help with the prevention of symptoms. It wasn't Betaseron, though. 

But I never experienced any pain; of course, it's television and there are different strains. But I haven't had any relapses in over 16 years, and when I moved away, didn't see a new doctor, and haven't used/continued that last injection. There still isn't a cure, but sometimes I wonder if my Breast Cancer kicked its (MS) ass to make room for its unholy self, while I underwent my mastectomies and chemo? Because stress, undue stress, and overwork always were the cause of the remitting numbness. And I've been under a LOT of that in the past 15 years. But not a peep from MS.

The point of that whole convoluted story is that, watching it as someone who has the same type of MS, I'm not as angry as Toby and CJ were; nor do I think he perpetrated a fraud, because MS isn't fatal--unless you have the more aggressive strains. I mean, the level of rage is just...I don't know the way to describe it, just seemed...a bit too much?

At first I thought Sam was the only one who was the most understanding of it (like Donna was (and I can't believe I just typed that)), and not as angry, but I was wrong. Sam also was angry and felt betrayed and we saw that in season 3. I still don't know how Josh felt.

I swear, Leo's was the most relatable and believable reaction to me.

That's my take on it anyway.

I ADORE Kathryn Joosten and I LOVE Mrs. Landingham. I'll never understand why they killed her off. Then again, if they hadn't, we wouldn't have gotten "Two Cathedrals" which was so very, very good. And stoopid Netflix doesn't provide the translation of what Bartlett is saying in Latin when he's cursing God. I know the DVDs' do, and even when that clip was shown on Colbert's show, the closed captioning provided in ENGLISH, what he was saying in Latin, along with the Latin! But then Netflix, along with other cable networks, always use "speaking in foreign language" when it' not Spanish, German, Italian, or French being spoken. Yeah, that's a huge peeve for me.

I can't pin down my one and only favorite character because there's more than one, flaws and all: Leo, CJ, Bartlett, Charlie, and Sam.

I'm dragging today, because thanks to @Moose135's snark that "sleep is overrated", I was awake to nearly 2:00 am watching! My eyes hate you right now!

I don't normally post because I'm not as eloquent as many of you are. I mostly lurk and "like" the comments.

Edited by GHScorpiosRule
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45 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I'm dragging today, because thanks to @Moose135's snark that "sleep is overrated", I was awake to nearly 2:00 am watching! My eyes hate you right now!

Sorry about that!  I never had HBO, so I only saw a few random episodes of Sorkin's The Newsroom when it first aired. I got the first season DVDs when they came out, and stayed up until 4am one night finishing the last few episodes. I paid for it at work the next day, but it was so worth it!

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3 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Sorry about that!  I never had HBO, so I only saw a few random episodes of Sorkin's The Newsroom when it first aired. I got the first season DVDs when they came out, and stayed up until 4am one night finishing the last few episodes. I paid for it at work the next day, but it was so worth it!

I've done my share of marathon watching that lasted as long as 23 hours! And for shows that aren't as good as this one is.

I need a mental day.

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47 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

The point of that whole convoluted story is that, watching it as someone who has the same type of MS, I'm not as angry as Toby and CJ were; nor do I think he perpetrated a fraud, because MS isn't fatal--unless you have the more aggressive strains. I mean, the level of rage is just...I don't know the way to describe it, just seemed...a bit too much?

I agree that their reaction seemed to be an overreaction.  I justified it by thinking they were mad because their jobs could be in jeopardy.  

48 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I swear, Leo's was the most relatable and believable reaction to me.

Didn't Leo already know? It's been awhile since I have seen this particular season.

49 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I can't pin down my one and only favorite character because there's more than one, flaws and all: CJ, Bartlett, Charlie, and Sam.

I don't know if I ever had a favorite character.  Out of the main characters I liked all of them except Toby.  I could never warm up to him.  At various times I loved all of them for one reason or another.    Although I had a major soft spot for Leo because I had a major soft spot for John Spencer.

6 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Sorry about that!  I never had HBO, so I only saw a few random episodes of Sorkin's The Newsroom when it first aired. I got the first season DVDs when they came out, and stayed up until 4am one night finishing the last few episodes. I paid for it at work the next day, but it was so worth it!

I loved the Newsroom. I have enjoyed all of Sorkin's shows.

 

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1 minute ago, blondiec0332 said:

Didn't Leo already know? It's been awhile since I have seen this particular season.

Leo didn't always know. Bartlett told him in Season 1, shortly after his recent relapse. Leo was hurt...and asked why he didn't tell him? But there was no rage, no flailing of the arms or any "how could you NOT! Tell MEEE!" drama.

Meep! Forgot to add Leo to my favorites list! Which I just did!

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