SPOILER ALERT: All of my posts in this series will be replete with spoilers. As all of these, save for a few movies, are past the one year moratorium, I really shouldn't need to include this warning. However, I feel it is a courteous thing to do. You have been warned.
The season finales and premieres of The West Wing were always the most anticipated episodes of their respective seasons. This was especially true for seasons 1-2 and 2-3, which combined cliffhangers with two part episodes at the beginning of the next season.
However, season 3 did not end with a cliffhanger. "We Killed Yamamoto" and "Posse Comitatus", the two season 3 episodes included in this viewing, wrap up several storylines. Josh wins a vote at the expense of Amy's job, Simon Donovan is killed before his romance with C.J. can even begin, and the President makes a very tough choice that may (or may not) have consequences later on. It is a season ending less about a buzzworthy cliffhanger, and more about setting up the election year of season 4.
I enjoyed the first two episodes, although they certainly aren't at top of my favorites list. The choice that the President has to make is one of the toughest a man like Jed has to make, a decision where moral absolutes are in short supply. I do think he made the right call in assassinating the Qumari official. They had reliable, rock-solid information that he was the mastermind of a terrorist plot on U.S. soil, and certain factors prevented prosecuting him in court. This was not a decision made lightly, nor without great trepidation on the part of the President. If every President showed this much thought and restraint, our nation's casualties of war would be significantly less.
In addition to this situation, it is an election year. Bartlet is in for a tough fight against a Dubya caricature played by James Brolin. Although I think Gov. Ritchie was far too much of a straw man to put up against Bartlet (Alan Alda's Vinick would have been awesome here), I do love the scene at the play between the two candidates.
As for the other stories, one is closed, as another is started. With one big exception, the budding relationship between C.J. and Simon Donovan is abruptly closed when he is gunned down. The President opens up the search for a new assistant, and Charlie's favorite has a rough first interview with Jed. Why is she so hesitant to apply for the job at the White House? You'll just have see in part two of this post, starting....now.
The second part of this "movie" is one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. Set over a 20 hour period, it is jam-packed with a lot of wonderful stuff. The main story is based around the journey of Toby, Josh, and Donna from Indiana back to D.C. I love this storyline for so many reasons. The trials and tribulations they go through in getting to Indianapolis International Airport is hilarious. I especially love their reaction to the whole Indiana policy on Daylight Savings.* Watching that scene cracks me up every time, especially if I imagine it being part of an Indiana tourism video.
Like every great episode of The West Wing, "20 Hours in America" mixes the poignant with the humorous. I must admit the speech by Bartlet after the tragedy at the university in Iowa isn't for everyone, but I certainly loved it. I'm a sucker for those kind of speeches, however, so take that with a grain of salt.
There is just too much I love about this episode to go into detail. Whether it is Charlie showing how a man should act, or the continued eccentric meetings between the President and Debbie Fiderer, it all just works well for me.
However, my favorite scene of the episode, and quite possibly the series, is the last one. Finally within sight of the White House, our intrepid voyagers ask the airport shuttle to drop them so they can walk to work. In the shadows of the Lincoln Memorial, Toby explains why intelligence, gravitas, and inspiration matters when choosing our President. If you want to find a better argument towards why I support Barack Obama, be my guest.
Factoid of almost no importance to either me or my readers: Despite having watched the episode several times, I never noticed Amy feeding her dog at the beginning of "We Killed Yamamoto". I'm not sure how I missed it, but I did.
Next Tuesday: "Pilots"-The first episodes of The Simpsons, Futurama, The West Wing, Arrested Development, and 30 Rock
Then: "Bender: Great supporting character: Bad Star"-Four episodes of Futurama starring Bender that are merely "good", and four that disprove the thesis.
*-In defense of the Hoosiers, this policy has been changed. Although the state still is split between Central and Eastern time zones, depending on which county you are in.
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