The acclaimed political drama (and maybe my favorite show in the history of ever) gets put out to pasture on Sunday nights at 9 starting Sept. 23.
The three big questions for this season are: “Who’s the next President going to be?,” “Does John Wells kill Bartlet?,” and “Will Sorkin and Schlamme return (as rumored) for the last days of the Bartlet Admin?”
While a Santos/Smits win would make sure that several of the characters (at this point, my bets are on Charlie, Zoey, Josh, Will, Donna, and Annabeth) return, the fact that Alda/Vinick got the Emmy nom makes me think that he’s the best bet at this point. And even though I love these characters, I do think it’d be interesting to see if they can create a Republican President who’s as sympathetic as Bartlet (although they were really trying to make Vinick into the bad guy those last couple episodes of the past season, or at the very least, setting up a relationship with his potential VP a la Bartlet/Hoynes).
Besides, how cool would it be to see an opening credit sequence featuring Ron Silver, the mom from “Home Improvement,” and Milton from ‘Office Space’?
And as for question two, well, it’s John Wells. Anything for an Emmy, right? While I maintain that you can’t kill Bartlet (at least until the series finale), if you’re going to do it, pay Sorkin through the nose and get him to do it for you.
But I’m pretty sure this season’s going to be it for this show. Let’s hope for a good one (with some decent guest stars along the way).
I really want Santos to win. Smits’ character went from someone I really hated to someone I respected. His scene in the last minute speech using his last few dollars was something special.
That was pretty special. Both the teaser and the closing with Spencer and Smits were stellar.
The only way I can best describe what this show has become is “Sorkin is dead–but so is John Wells.” We started to see this at the end of last season, but this premiere really felt like Sorkin’s boys (Graves, Misiano, Deborah Cahn) taking back the show and reminding us why we fell in love with it in the first place. It felt smarter, they really tried not to dumb it down for us again, yes there was the stuff with the leak (which I hated), but they’ve returned to the circular dialogue and moments of quiet, non-verbal acting that became lost when Sorkin left. That scene with Donna and Josh–man. That could have been so much more melodramatic than it was, but they let it be sad and simple.
I think maybe part of the reason these last two seasons were so chaotic were we weren’t used to identifying Bartlet with anybody BUT Sorkin. With Santos and Vinick, the guys that were under Sorkin finally have a chance to create a candidate and and adminstration to call their own. And it seems, at least to me, like the hope (McGarry’s “18 month” speech springs to mind) has returned.
What was up with that “Three years later” teaser? I thought for a second they were just gonna give up who was president for a second. CJ and Danny married with a kid? Toby presumably teaching at Columbia? It was bizarre. I enjoyed it, but it sure came out of left field. I wonder if that’ll be a regular thing throughout the season.
Showed how much friggin’ milage you can get out of Martin Sheen walking down a hallway looking powerful.
Gave the fans a little bit of wankery with the whole CJ/Danny getting together thing.
Told you who the leak was a la “Two Cathedrals.” It’s there if you look for it.
Doesn’t tell us who the president is, but also raises some disturbing questions for the future: Where’s Abbey? Why haven’t Jed and Charlie talked for a while (did he break Zoey’s heart?)? and, if Leo’s not the VP, is he dead?
That’s the thing. I hated the opening. Pretty much tells us who’s not going to make the White House staff possibly.
I did love the episode though. But if they don’t start giving us episodes with all Vinick I’m going to start believing Smits is the next President (which I hope is true).
“The Mommy Problem” Episode: #7.2 - 2 October 2005
Evan Arnold … Ned
John Bobek … Bill
Karis Campbell … Ronna
Kristin Chenoweth … Annabeth Schott
Ramon De Ocampo … Otto
Matthew Del Negro … Bram
Renée Estevez … Nancy
Janeane Garofalo … Louise Thornton
Marlee Matlin … Joey Lucas
Michael McCafferty … Consultant #2
Bill O’Brien … Kenny Thurman
Diana-Maria Riva … Edie Ortega
Sam Robards … Greg Brock
NiCole Robinson … Margaret
“Message of the Week” Episode: #7.3 - 9 October 2005
Julian Acosta … Leon Montero
Brett Cullen … Governor Ray Sullivan R-WV
Timothy Davis-Reed … Mark O’Donnell
Janeane Garofalo … Louise Thornton
Rosemary Garris … Minuteman
Sumalee Montano … Vinnick Reporter #1
Adam Pilver … Vinnick Reporter
Patricia Richardson … Sheila Brooks
Stephen Root … Bob Mayer
Ron Silver … Bruno Gianelli
“Mr. Frost” Episode: #7.4 - 16 October 2005
Evan Arnold … Ned
Kristin Chenoweth … Annabeth Schott
Janeane Garofalo … Louise Thornton
Abigail Kintanar … Matthew Santos Supporter (uncredited)
NiCole Robinson … Margaret
James Schendel … Father
“Here Today” Episode: #7.5 - 23 October 2005
Evan Arnold … Ned
Richard Alan Brown … Zeke
Renée Estevez … Nancy
Lee Garlington … Alana Waterman
Nina Siemaszko … Ellie Bartlet
“The Al Smith Dinner” Episode: #7.6 - 30 October 2005
Ramon De Ocampo … Otto
Mark DeLisle … Staffer (uncredited)
Caroline Duncan … Reporter #3
Patricia Richardson … Sheila Brooks
Ron Silver … Bruno Gianelli
“Undecideds” Episode: #7.8 - 13 November 2005
Janeane Garofalo … Louise Thornton
Originally Posted by Jason P. Thompson That’s the thing. I hated the opening. Pretty much tells us who’s not going to make the White House staff possibly.
The thing is, CJ, Will, Charlie, and Toby CAN’T be on the White House staff, no matter who wins. Vinnick sure isn’t going to pick any of them, and Santos wouldn’t want his administration to look like Bartlett 3.0 by hiring most of his old staff. Even Josh’s entrance and “The President’s here” doesn’t indictate his role – he could be there ahead of Santos as his Chief of Staff, or he could have been outside waiting for Vinnick to arrive.
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson The thing is, CJ, Will, Charlie, and Toby CAN’T be on the White House staff, no matter who wins. Vinnick sure isn’t going to pick any of them, and Santos wouldn’t want his administration to look like Bartlett 3.0 by hiring most of his old staff. Even Josh’s entrance and “The President’s here” doesn’t indictate his role – he could be there ahead of Santos as his Chief of Staff, or he could have been outside waiting for Vinnick to arrive.
No doubt, I just didn’t like it. Same with the CJ documentary episode. Seems like they are shooting themselves in the feet for any future references.
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson Well, I doubt the show is gonna last long enough to get to “Three years later,” so I don’t mind the references.
You never know. They’ve been steamrolling for quite some time now. This episode might not be as bad as the CJ doc, but I find it distracting with something like that thrown in there.
Schiff, Hill, and Janney are all leaving the show either this season or when their contracts expire. That’s been news for a while. As for Malina, they can have him around but I think Will’s going through a crisis of faith that’ll eventually put him back in touch with where he began–local politics for the people.
That takes care of the four we saw in the teaser. As of right now, Whitford’s the only regular from the old days who’s on for all season. As some have mentioned, Donna could either be part of the President’s motorcade, Leo could be VP, President, or Dead, and Josh was just part of the advance team out of nostalgia.
I didn’t catch what was exactly said in the beginning; did Will say that he was a Congressman or a Congressional aide?
I mentioned in the last thread during the season finale that Leo’s heart attack would, in the real world, be a major point of discussion amongst the press. I’m glad to see reporters were asking about that and Leo saying that he had a note from his doctor that he’s fine. But I’d forgotten that he’d also had some substance abuse issues. That one reporter asking Leo when the last time was that he attended an AA meeting was BRUTAL. I’d assume that she was supposed to be a Fox News reporter, but the woman wasn’t young, blonde, and pretty.
I liked the whole debate about Santos wanting to call the Colorado delegation, even though Leo personally knew a bunch of them, because they wanted Santos to look like he’d be in charge. It can relate to a certain Prez/VP combo where people always whisper that the VP is really the guy in charge.
My favorite line was Josh’s, “That’s something that really sounds wrong coming from your mouth.” to Marlee Matlin’s interpreter when she’s describing the manly image of Jimmy Smits.
I dug that subplot with the one Senator(or Congressman?) pitching an education plan to divide Santos and Bartlett. If Bartlett endorsed the plan, he was stealing one of Santos’s major issues. If he didn’t, he looks partisan and anti-education. Very believable petty tactics by one party for their guy.