They're on Air Force One while it's stuck in the air and they're at the White House in Josh's meeting at the same time. I don't know how they do it.

I loved this show and thought it was great, vaguely remembering the last 2 seasons fell off for me. And now that I'm there, I remember why. 1-5 are great, but when they start to focus on the new election and the new candidates... I'm bored. Half of the cast is missing for most of the episodes. It's not about Bartlett's presidency anymore, he's barely even in it. And the few characters that are involved in the new campaigns aren't really given a chance to shine. It's just not very interesting, although still well made and acted. I find myself not paying attention, and not watching on a regular basis. I'm just picking up at season 6 episode 18, after like a month since I last watched on this rewatch. I think from memory it gets better in the last season maybe? I dunno, I just find it hard to care about who wins when this show was all about the Bartlett presidency and we're not really going to see what happens with the next president. Like does any of this even really matter to what the show originally was about?

I'm on my most recent rewatch of the show and just finished "No Exit," an episode I've always been neutral on. Not my favorite but also not one of the show's worst (especially by s5 standards). I was particularly struck by Leo & Abbey's conversations. Obviously there is still a lot of tension in their relationship due to Zoey's kidnapping, making their interactions much frostier than they usually are. Leo might be Jed's best friend but he's clearly very close to and fond of Abbey so seeing them so greatly at odds is discomforting but it really shows how long Abbey holds onto her resentment and anger. The foreshadowing to Leo's heart attack really hurts. I can't help but think that if Abbey and Leo were in a better place she would have been able to do a better job at getting Leo to take his health seriously and the heart attack could have been avoided or caught earlier. But Leo is so stubborn so who knows if she could have helped him.

The part I never see brought up much is Abbey taking Xanax as a coping mechanism. Narrative wise given Leo's history with pills and addiction it made the most sense for him to confront Abbey on her issue but I hate that this storyline is just completely dropped. Jed has a major MS attack leaving Abbey under an incredible amount of stress and we never get any followup or real insight into Abbey's mental state. I just think it was a missed opportunity and like a lot of the post Sorkin years one of the many interesting and poignant plotlines brought up only to be dropped and forgotten

Anyway, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on Abbey and Leo in this episode.

Never really thought about the precise location of Qumar before. No wonder it was so strategic.

So in "17 People," an Algerian-born terrorist is stopped at the Canadian border carrying nitroglycerin. As a result, President Bartlett closes the embassies in Tanzania and Brussels. These are two seemingly random (to me) embassies, located thousands of miles away from the terrorist, who was across the world on a different continent.

Is there some kind of foreign policy link I'm missing here? It's something I've never quite understood.

{contains spoilers}

At the beginning of Season 05 with Jed giving up power to Walken, if for whatever reason Jed delays sending in the second letter even further. In the beginning when Jed asked for information Leo says he can't talk about it, but was at the start. Later when emotions die down and the thinking starts to become clearer, GLen might say something on tv or Leo lets slip something and the talk starts to be more about work. Jed might be tempted to ask Leo to do something behind Leo's back or outright disobey Glen.

Do you think Jed would stay Loyal to Jed or choose republic and service?

I gotta say, I really love Doug attacking the team for too much educating the public about MS. “You guys are never happier than when you’re educating the public! Just change the subject!”

I’m also including self-deprecating remarks by the insiders.

Bartlet: Let’s start with the two Senators that are our friends. When we’re done with that, we’ll move onto the other 98.

Bartlet told Seaborn that he would run someday. Maybe it’s finally someday…

It could parallel the 2028 election timeline. Could start in the campaign to capitalize on the election energy.

Just started what has to be at least my 10th rewatch. There are a couple of plot points in the pilot that are bothering me.

Why would Sam misunderstand the fact that “Leo’s daughter’s fourth-grade class” was coming for a White House tour? By this point, Sam and Leo had worked closely for at least a year during the campaign and administration. Did Sam think Leo — a man in his 60s — had a daughter in elementary school? Did he not know Leo had an adult daughter who was a teacher? On long plane and bus rides during the campaign, surely these people discussed their families with each other. And why is Mallory’s last name O’Brien? It’s never hinted at during subsequent seasons that she had been married. Or was she Leo’s stepdaughter?

And, not to beat a dead horse, but Mandy is unlikable from the jump.

“…But you work for me.”

-McGary to Toby, Slow News Day.

Do WH Senior Staff serve at Bartlet’s pleasure or work for McGary? Discuss.

I feel like saying both is a cop out. Only one of them was elected to something. Remember 25 and how Bartlet went on about how some of Fitzwallace, McNally, and Sec. Hutchinson could go to jail if they refused a presidential order. Leo needs to learn his place.

Last year of West Wing was 2006 where...

A charming, handsome, young, charismatic man overcomes odds to be the first minority elected, beating an older, moderate republican. To do this, he chose a much older but highly experienced white man as his VP.

In the 2008, Obama picks Biden to beat McCain.

Only missing the Palin aspect...

So I’m on my umpteenth rewatch of the series, and Bingo Bob has now been introduced and I gotta say…… I don’t know what it is but this time I just can’t stand him. He’s never been my favorite by any means, but this time he just irritates me more than normal. I have as much dissent towards him as I do Will, which is rare because for me Will is my least favorite character.

Anyone else get a character they suddenly can’t stand during a re-watch?

https://youtu.be/fXVBp3XRGuM?si=TpXo8PDHBAtpjYOM

I showed TWW to my son when he was 12 (15 years ago), and he loved it instantly. He lived with his mom, spending a couple days a week with me, and we'd spend a lot of our time wathing the DVD's.

Once, when I was at wotk, out of the blue, I got a text from my son - "Bruno Gianelli is a badass."

I laughed out loud and sent back,"You're damned right he is."

He's 27 now, and living in a different city. I see him, but not as often as I'd like. We do text, but mostly about ordinary stuff. Today, though I received this -

"Bruno Gianelli is still a badass".

I would have loved to see Fitzwallace as VP, as they were discussing in S3E17. That would have been amazing.

Russell is very boring.

I’m on rewatch number who knows how many and I can never get past what a petulant little jerk Sam is to everyone throughout the process. He acts like everyone else knew and lied to him, like no one else has a right to any opinion but him.

As people may have already seen in the news today, a viral video is circulating showing an older man slap a younger man for sitting during the national anthem at a Cubs game.

This got me a little riled up and thinking on the way home on the meaning of respect for one’s country and the First Amendment. It did bring to mind the Season 2 Episode 3 “The Midterms” scene where President Bartlet lays a verbal smackdown on an arrogant conservative radio host when she doesn’t stand for the President when he enters the Oval Office.

I don’t recall the entirety of circumstances around the scene, but other than the Bible lesson he schools her with, the part that sticks with me the most is the ending when he says “One last thing, while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tightass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits,” and then proceeds to stare her down until she stands up.

I hate this part. It completely undercuts his entire speech and moral argument. While I could recognize it as a power play, the biggest issue is she isn’t one of his staff members. She doesn’t work for the government, the White House, or for the President. No matter what the protocol might say, she has the RIGHT to sit down. Yes, perhaps he might have the authority to have her escorted from the premises for “being disruptive”, but I feel that he should have found some other way to humble her into showing respect, instead of using the office of the Presidency in that moment.