The West Wing Eps 1:12 - 1:16

[dabhug]

To continue our discussion of The West Wing from here and here, I'm cutting and please, no spoilers past 1:16.

 

Over the weekend, I watched:

1-12 "He Shall, From Time to Time"

The President collapses on the eve of his State of the Union Address.  It's the flu.  It's not the flu.

Favorite Quotes:

Bartlet: "I am an economics professor with a big old stick up my butt, but I'll do my best for you, there, Mandy."

Bartlet: "You know, I never actually saw you study while you were at med school."
Abbey: "Deep breaths."
Bartlet: "Do you even know what you're listening to right now?"
Abbey: "Do you know how many other people I could have married?"

Bartlet: "I could jump you right now."

One of my favorites.  ABBEY IS A DOCTOR.  Stockard Channing is AWESOME.  I also loved the exchange between Bartlet and the Secretary of Agriculture before the State of the Union.  I may have shed a few tears during this episode.  Who am I kidding, there hasn't been ONE EPISODE where I haven't shed tears, gotten misty, whatever.  There's something in my eye.

1-13 "Take Out the Trash Day"

Michael Steadman directed this one!  Saturday is the least read paper of the week, so the White House disposes of all the stories it doesn't want heavy coverage on and the staff deals with various and sundry things.

Favorite Quotes:

CJ: "The President will sign the bill with fifteen pens, and I guess someone on my staff wanted you to know that."
Danny: "CJ?"
CJ: "Tell me you don't have a question about the pens."
Danny: "CJ, I have a question about the pens."

Love them.

Toby: "In the meantime, a time when the public is rightly concerned about the impact of sex and violence on TV, this administration is gonna protect the MUPPETS! We're gonna protect Wall Street Week, we're gonna protect Live from Lincoln Center, and by God, we are going to protect Julia Child!"

Oh, Toby.  Marry me and have my babies.

Sam: "Also, if I was arrested for coveting my neighbor's wife, I'd probably bear false witness"

Good strong episode with lots of character development and behind the scenes things.  This show is so educational!

1-14 "Take This Sabbath Day"

The appeal was rejected.  Josh gets drunk and hungover and meets Marlee Matlin.  A touching conversation between Bartlet and his parish priest.

Favorite Quotes:

THE WHOLE THING.

This episode was moving and touching and funny and thoughtful and humble and really just stellar.  I had to watch it twice in a row it was so good.  One of my favorites.

1-15 "Celestial Navigation"

The President's nominee to the Supreme Court is arrested for drunk driving in Connecticut.  Sam and Toby go off to spring him out.  CJ has a dentist appointment, Josh is so very Josh.

Favorite Quotes:

Josh: "The hardest job in the White House is President. The second hardest job is not Chief of Staff, it's not National Security Advisor, and it's not Press Secretary, although I'm gaining a certain amount of respect for Press Secretaries. The second hardest job in the White House belongs to a 21-year-old kid named Charlie Young. He's what's called the President's body man, his personal aide. He's with the President morning to night. He has a range of responsibilities, all of them difficult. But the one he hates most in this from time to time it is his job to wake the President up in the morning. And on this particular morning, the President had gone to sleep only three hours earlier."

Charlie: "Sir, I need you to dig in now. It wasn't a nightmare, you really are the president."

Josh: "Let me tell you something, mi compadre. You guys have been coddled. I'm not your girlfriend, I'm not your camp counselor, and I'm not your sixth grade teacher you had a crush on. I'm a graduate of Harvard and Yale and I believe that my powers of debate can rise to meet the Socratic wonder that is the White House Press Corps."

Josh: "A lot of this is our fault. And the President probably isn't going to take this very well and we just want you to know that we will be there with you in spirit tomorrow morning."
Leo: "You're gonna be there with me in every way imaginable, Josh."
Josh: "You bet."

I think that if I were to introduce someone to The West Wing with only a few episodes, this one would be the first one I showed them.  It's just so darn cohesive.

1-16 "20 Hours in L.A."

The President spends twenty hours in L.A.  The Vice-President may need to break a 50-50 tie in the Senate.  Sara Sidle is the secret service agent over Zoe. 

Favorite Quotes:

Josh: "How's he doing in there?"
Sam: "He's got that look in his eyes like he's thinking of ways to kill himself."

I also really liked the exchange between Bartlet and Ted Marcus.

I still hold that the Vice President is a petulant child. 

Still enjoying this so much.  I waver between wanting to devour the whole series and wanting to savor it.  I'm trying to savor.  It's just such smart tv and the episodes linger.