Mark Predicts ‘The West Wing’: Season 3

You know, I didn’t even go back to read these predictions after I made them, so I’m a bit reluctant to read through them. I remember predicting more than usual, but can’t recall a single one of them. WHOOPS. Oh, well. Let’s see how I did!

Here are the results of my season 2 predictions:

• This first one is in multiple parts, since each aspect of it will count as a separate prediction. I predict that one person died in the attack at the end of season one. Okay, I am not going to count this because no one died aside from the two gunmen, and that’s TWO people who died 0/1
• Separate from that, and I utterly hate to write this, I think Gina is going to be the one who died. I think she took a bullet for one of the Bartlets, and her quick thinking saved their lives. I’m glad I was wrong, but now I miss Gina. She was awesome! Why aren’t there any recurring Secret Service characters? 0/2
• A different member of the staff was shot, though, but they survive. My guess is Charlie. So close, yet wrong, and ALL OF THE SADNESS BECAUSE JOOOOSSSSSHHH. 0/3
• The two gunmen and the accomplice will all be caught. I DID IT! I DID A THING! 1/4
• The shooting will have an instant and long-lasting effect on how the Secret Service treats the President and Zoey, and we will see the arc over multiple episodes. In hindsight, this is not that bad of a prediction. I rather like it! It would have been a neat story. 1/5
• Joey Lucas will be in six episodes. Bah! Only four: “Bartlet’s Third State of the Union,” “The War At Home,” “The Fall’s Gonna Kill You,” and “18th and Potomac.” MORE JOEY PLEASE. 1/6
• Justice Mendoza will be in three episodes. I just wanted to see more of Edward James Olmos. 🙁 1/7
• We will have a scene inside the Supreme Court once this season. What? 1/8
• There will be an episode or a scene in an episode dealing with gun regulation, and it will be due to the assassination attempt on Bartlet. Also not a bad prediction, but still wrong! 1/9
• Mrs. Bartlet will be in eight episodes. HOLY SHIT, I WAS RIGHT. THIS IS MY GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT. And for posterity, those episodes are: The two-part premiere, “And It’s Surely To Their Credit,” “Bartlet’s Third State of the Union,” “The War At Home,” “The Fall’s Gonna Kill You,” “18th and Potomac,” and “Two Cathedrals.” 2/10
• We will deal with midterm elections for the bulk of season two! Based on the timeline of the show, we’re approaching the halfway mark in Bartlet’s presidency, so those have to happen. My prediction is that while the Democrats will make gains, the Republicans will still hold control in the House of Representatives. I’m counting this as wrong since it only happened in one episode, and the Dems earned losses. 2/11
• By the end of season two, Bartlet and his staff will begin the transition to thinking about Bartlet’s re-election campaign. Technically, I’m right! Yay! 3/12
• Some issues this season will address! Gay marriage. Nope. 3/13
• Affirmative action. Nope. 3/14
• Campaign finance reform. NOPE. 3/15
• The fact that all the assistants in the office are women. (I literally just realized this. My heart can dream.) Sigh. Nope. 3/16
• Josh missing his chair in “What Kind of Day Has It Been.” I need this to be brought up about 400 times in season two because it’s one of the funniest things in the universe. IF ONLY. 3/17
• Lying to the press. hahaha. HAHAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAH HELP ME. 4/18
• Some character stuff! C.J. will stop dating or entertaining the notion of dating Danny and will become interested in someone else. Without that “and” statement, this is right. Boo! 4/19
• Sam will go on another date with Mallory. Technically???? I’m counting this just because I’ve fared so poorly. 5/20
• Leo will face intense public scrutiny when he heads up the push for changing the way the government prosecutes drug users. A GREAT IDEA BUT NO. 5/21
• President Bartlet’s MS will become public knowledge. just end me now i swear 6/22
• Charlie will begin to have a greater effect on what the President says in his speeches. Wishful thinking! 6/23
• Zoey and Charlie will become a very serious couple. Hey! A nice thing I got right! 7/24
  
• Toby will spend every episode being full of rage. Yes, this is a no-brainer, but I need just one of these. You know, based solely on his behavior in “Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail,” I’m not counting this. There’s almost no anger there. 7/25
• Mandy will be ignored? I don’t know what to predict regarding her character because the writers have done such a poor job of including her. HAHAHAAHA HOW COULD I HAVE KNOWN. Headcanon: She was killed by one of the gunmen, which turned her into a slush puddle of alien blood because she wasn’t from our planet, and she seeped into the sewer, waiting to rise again one day in the future and take revenge on the writers of this show. 8/26
• I will cry at least once in season two. How about A THOUSAND BILLION TIMES. 9/27

That must be the worst performance ever. Aside from a few spot-on guesses, this was miserable. NOW, ALLOW ME TO REPEAT MYSELF WITH SEASON 3.

Mark’s Predictions for Season 3 of The West Wing

• The staff will spend most of the season gearing up for the re-election campaign, but the elections won’t happen until season four.
• The first third of the season will also address the media’s/public’s reaction to Bartlet’s disclosure about his MS, and will include the hearings/Grand Jury testimonies.
• Josh will find a way to get more funding for the DoJ’s suit against the tobacco industry.
• THIS IS REALLY DIFFICULT, FYI. Oh my god, it is not as easy to come up with these things as it was for me at the end of season one.
• Anyway, a real one! The following people will explore new romantic relationships: C.J., Donna, and Sam.
• There will be another Big Block of Cheese Day!
• There will be an episode devoted to the fourth State of the Union address.
• Hoynes will be pissed that he isn’t getting his chance to run for President.
• Joey Lucas will be in four episodes.
• Abigail Bartlet will be in fourteen episodes.
• The killer of Charlie’s mother will be found.
• Let’s do some issues that will be brought up in season three! Gay marriage.
• Affirmative action.
• Airport security.
• I don’t even know what I’m doing here. Um… there will be a plane crash mentioned in an episode?
• Oooh, we’ll meet the last Bartlet daughter we haven’t met yet!
• Someone will be hired to take over Mrs. Landingham’s job. 🙁
• I really have no clue where season three could go beyond this.

We start season three with the 3×00 “special” called “Isaac and Ishmael” on Monday. See y’all then! Or tomorrow for FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS FEELINGS.

WAIT, DON’T GO! A note or two from your friendly neighborhood mods.

“Isaac and Ishmael” begins with an out-of-character introduction by the cast, and this intro contains spoilers for the season. If your version of the episode has this introduction and you wish to skip the spoilers, when you get to about 1:06 (as per redheadedgirl) — basically, when Richard Schiff (Toby) starts talking — fast-forward to the return of Martin Sheen (Bartlet), who ends the introduction. If, however, your version doesn’t have the intro and you’d like to see it, we can offer you two options: here is echinodermata’s edited, spoiler-free intro, and here is the full introduction.

Also, the third season of The West Wing has, well, kind of a weird schedule. There’s the aforementioned special episode before the premiere, and there’s a documentary special that aired a few weeks before the finale. If you refer to the Master Schedule, where the wonderful echinodermata has added the episode titles into the descriptions, you should be able to avoid confusion, but basically, if you remember to start with “Isaac and Ishmael” and later to skip over the documentary special until after the finale, you’ll be fine. (But seriously, check the Master Schedule; it’s exceedingly useful for all Mark Does Stuff things.)

Okay, I think that’s it. Commence the nunning!

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