In the tenth episode of the third season of The West Wing, Leo refuses an offer to end the congressional hearings against President Bartlet. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The West Wing.
You know, I think it was brilliant to follow up “Bartlet for America” with an episode exactly like this. The previous story felt huge, one of the clear defining moments of season three. Instead of giving us yet another suspenseful story, though, Sorkin and his writers chose to take the threat of censure and hang it over everything. For the first time in a while, every single subplot falls under the major theme and tone of the episode.
Truthfully, these people cannot escape what lurks around the corner. If you think about it, Sam and Josh are both distracted by what’s coming next for Leo and the President, and informs their actions. It’s why Sam focuses on the tell-all book. It’s why Josh frets over Amy’s reactions to him. Obviously, they’re plots in and of themselves, too, but “H.Con – 172” feels far more unified than I expected. And it’s a real treat, y’all.
Bartlet
A lot of what this administration is going through is absurd once you think about it, and it’s something this show hasn’t ever explicitly addressed like it’s doing in season three. While what the President and Abbey did is serious and deserves much of the attention it’s getting, there’s also an aspect to these hearings that’s just downright ridiculous. The fact that someone thinks it’s at all appropriate to bring up Leo’s relapse/sobriety within the scope of the hearings is ludicrous, but there’s a lot to the re-election campaign that’s already proving itself to be pretty much the same.
And then, Jed gets a map. A map that he is told he cannot display in the White House because it will offend people, even though this is about the most absurd thing in the world that he has ever heard. How can you be upset that a map doesn’t recognize Israel when Israel didn’t exist when the map was created? At the end of this episode, Bartlet concedes – angrily so – but it’s important that he does concede. Ultimately, that’s what he does when it comes to the censure, too.
Sam
This is not the first time a character has developed a misguided obsession, but Sam’s in particular was about control. As he ran about the White House, trying to verify or debunk the thousands of myths, half-truths, and outright lies in the manuscript he’d received, he faced nothing but disinterest. No one seemed anywhere near as interested in what he had to say. No one wanted to debunk the facts. No one wanted to freak out!
Sam is a man of control. He wants to believe that he can fix anything, that there’s a solution he can come up with and save the day. That’s made even worse in the context of the congressional hearings because… well, he can’t control it. Multiple characters wonder if they’re in the “inside” here, and it’s because that might be the only way they can be a part of this. I think this is less about feeling left out and more about wishing they could help. When can’t help, when he’s not on the “inside,” he focuses his attention and fury on the manuscript. Little does he know that his comment about not being casual with the truth would inspire the President to take him seriously.
Josh/Donna/Amy
So, first of all, I am so into the fact that Amy can so deliberately shred apart Josh’s every attempt at being smooth, at being in control, and at acting on the pretense that he knows better. Not only is it entertaining, but it’s a neat way for the script itself to say that what he’s doing is bullshit, because seriously, it is. I’m not into manipulation as a form of flirting! It’s boring, and it tells me everything I need to know about the person. If that’s what you do to get my attention, I’m gonna believe you’ll continue doing that during the relationship.
At the same time, he expresses a genuine fear that he’s played into everything Amy’s perceived about him when he’s called away from their… meeting. I almost said “date,” but it was clearly not a date. He seriously looks exactly like the kind of guy she thinks he is, but it’s not like he can refuse to deal with Cliff, you know?
AND THAT WHOLE PLOT IS JUST… UGH. Can I just say that while I respect what Cliff’s done, I think it was MONUMENTALLY UNFAIR that he contacted Donna in the way he did? Her instinct told her it was a bad idea, and by gods, I don’t think I breathed a single time during their meeting. WHAT IF THEY GOT CAUGHT? IT WOULD BE SO AWFUL.
But I don’t want to think about that. Thankfully, it didn’t happen. THANKFULLY. I still feel like there’s this unspoken acknowledgment that Donna has feelings for Josh, and I swear it’s not my shipper heart doing this. I swear it’s there, but the fact that it’s not spoken or confirmed is making my own heart hurt. Still, I like the idea of a relationship between Amy and Josh. It’s neat, and I’m hoping Amy can break Josh out of some of his more irritating habits. Given that Mary-Louise Parker was fairly well known at the time, I’m hoping that she’ll be given more screentime, too, as I’d like to see an exploration of her character in the process, not just character development for Josh.
Leo
Leo. Leo. Leo’s loyalty is a thing of beauty, y’all, something that will forever touch my heart. He outright refuses the opportunity for censure, and he sticks with his decision until the very end. Leo’s principled approach to this is admirable, too, because he doesn’t want this to be the last word for the President. He doesn’t want the nation to call Jed a liar in a vote! Despite that the censure would be an end to all of this, he won’t take it. Y’all, he was willing to reveal his addiction to THE ENTIRE WORLD IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIS BEST FRIEND. I am so done with Leo.
I admit that I was totally surprised that Bartlet chose to accept the censure regardless, but in hindsight, all the signs were there. Plus, it kind of needed to happen the way it did here in “H. Con – 172.” Bartlet admits he messed up. I think that this provided far more closure to the issue than I could have asked for. At the beginning of this season, Bartlet swore he’d find a new way to win an election without catering to the lowest common denominator, and I think his humble admission of guilt is a start. He’s doing something no one expected, not just for political reasons, but for personal ones. He’ll become the first President to be censured (at least without fighting it) on record, and he accepts it.
Oh god, we’re still going to have to deal with Abbey’s medical license, aren’t we? Everything is still awful.
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