In either this episode or the one after it, Toby is all worried about the Secret Service getting flack because of something he told them to stop doing. But no one is talking about how the secret service and all the local officers missed a gunshot victim that was standing near the president.
this show is the gold standard for writing and acting. Janel in this scene deserves all the awards, from the wash of relief for hearing the good news to being devastated at Josh's news. Sheer excellence.
The acting was great, as always, but in this clip we see where The West Wing and its politics ultimately falls short: Just like in the real world, things did not actually get better by allowing evil people to survive and thrive. We didn't take out Trump, now he's back and this time he's going to have more power than ever. We didn't get the Supreme Court in line, now they're declaring the president to be a monarch who can do whatever they please. We didn't arrest the white supremacists and fascists, now they're planning a second January 6th and are unironically - and openly - planning to do a literal Handmaid's Tale. To quote the philosopher and great doctor Sir Karl Popper, "A tolerant society must not tolerate intolerance." When we allow these people time to plan, they come up with a plan that subverts our tolerance of their wickedness. When we allow these people freedom, they use that freedom to plan the subjugation and murders of marginalized people across the nation. When we allow these people an opportunity, they will seize it every time, waiting for us to give them the only opportunity they'll ever need again - one to take total control of the country, like what is happening in the real world, right now. The West Wing snobbery and elitism, thinking that there's a moral high ground to take on issues like these and refusing to take action, is the exact kind of snobbery and elitism that has been perpetuated by the Neoliberal elite for nearly 60 years. They half-assed a compromise with the Conservatives over African American civil rights, and they haven't done a single thing since then. Abortion overturned, soon gay rights will be overturned, bribery is legal if you are a corporation and the rich are cannibalizing the economy after turning it into a giant monopoly - all under the condescending gaze of the Neoliberal establishment. I love the West Wing's acting, I love the dialogue, and I love a lot of how the show depicts what a functional liberal republic is supposed to look like. But f--- damn there are so many moments in the show where it stops to smell its own farts and then proclaim it to be some kind of moral standing.
So not being American, not being familiar with American brands, I spent a solid 10 years thinking that he made that "Egg Cream" with Chololate Syrup, Cold Milk and *Salsa*.
I’m still in a combination of great writing and acting can stir our souls, reminding us that the fight is still worth finishing and winning. That despite the deluge of despair that forces bent on our destruction rain down upon us, we will continue to stand, to fight, to win. November is coming.
After all these years, I never noticed that CJ seems to signal to Toby to break the bad news to Donna about Josh. It seemed to me that no one wanted to tell her so CJ signaled to Toby to tell her.
1:46 - Secret Service agent holding the door just a bit longer to hear that the President is going to be fine is a nice detail, his subtle relaxed smile in the end is too
Such a masterclass in acting from every character. Toby's panic and stutter make it so real. Josh's delusion is very realistic for someone flirting with consciousness. Donna's face subtly changing as she learns about Josh. The half second shot of Mrs Landingham sitting in silence, holding Donna's hand is heartbreaking and the perfect representation of a mother being there for her children. Finally Jed's steely, determined eyes at the end as he watches his surrogate son clinging to life. This was such a unique and amazing show.
I know this is television, but the trauma doctors & nurses would've ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to let them anywhere near the surgical theatre. There would've been a fistfight, raised voices, the works. They would have you *physically removed* before they allowed all of those people to contaminate a sterile surgical field..🦵🦵✋✋
This show, was no is the best every role played so perfectly, every line delivered, it is just the best show, I tell people to watch it that haven't seen it before but they don't, it is always about the latest must-see box set, I wish my friends would listen to me about this.
Oh god that little head shake from Donna is awful. Immediate denial, complete disbelief. She didn’t even think Josh could ever be in danger. Her entire focus was on the President, as of course Josh, her Josh, couldn’t be hurt.
