In the twentieth episode of the fifth season of The West Wing, a mysterious contaminant (or a false alarm for one) shuts down the White House, forcing the characters to confront one another while stuck together. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch the West Wing.
Out of all the shows I’ve seen reference the Jean-Paul Sartre play No Exit, I think The West Wing has presented the most literal interpretation of the play’s most infamous line: “L’enfer, c’est les autres.” These characters are trapped in rooms with the person most perfectly equipped to torment them, and then we get to watch EVERYTHING AWFUL AND AWKWARD UNFOLD BEFORE OUR EYES. GOD.
Toby / Will
Unfortunately, it’s not a surprise when the writers pair Toby and Will off because I must suffer through all of this. If I were trapped in the White House, I’d be stuck in Toby’s office and forced to listen to these two characters – who I enjoy a lot! – argue with one another. Because I DON’T LIKE ANY OF THIS. At the same time, I’m able to recognize how well-written their scenes are and how brilliant these two actors are when verbally sparring with one another. It’s an uncomfortable spectacle, but it’s a spectacle nonetheless. I can’t deny that it seems like these two are finally getting to the root of their hatred for one another. Yeah, it’s not very productive at first because they’re both concerned more with insulting each other than anything else. But it was clear to me that Will was sick of this, too, and that he desperately wanted to know why Toby resented him with such rancor. Honestly, I thought this was just Toby enacting a petty grudge on Will because he left the West Wing, but it’s obvious now that there was much more at work here.
Namely? Toby hates Bob Russell with the passion of a thousand dying stars, and he hates that Will is helping the man do anything at all. Oh, I’m sure there’s still some dislike on Toby’s part that Will chose to go work for someone else, but that’s not the main reason there’s so much animosity between these two. This is exacerbated by Toby’s revelation that the speech the Vice President gave that night at the Correspondent’s Dinner was great – not just great, but should have been the one the President gave. It’s a stunning reveal because it appears to validates some of what Will said about Toby, that a lot of this is based in jealousy and envy. And when you factor in the fact that Will could have been writing for the President if he’d stayed, it’s easier to understand why Toby is so angry.
But then there’s no resolution given to us. We don’t know if Toby and Will are going to be able to understand one another or back down. At least there’s some sign of hope for the other characters, but there’s nothing for these two. PLEASE LET THIS PLOTLINE END SOON, I SWEAR.
C.J. / Donna
WOW, WHAT STARTED OFF AS A REALLY ADORABLE CHANCE FOR DONNA AND C.J. TO HANG OUT TURNED INTO EMOTIONAL WARFARE. I never once thought about the parallel between these two – that both have been encumbered by their unresolved feelings for another man. The details are obviously different, as C.J. has definitely acted on her feelings towards Ben. However, those emotions are more complex than she previously thought, and she hints that all is not well with Ben. Still, it’s not quite the same as what Donna’s going through, and C.J. unearths a whole lot of angst and fear in Donna. FIVE SEASONS’ WORTH OF IT. It’s like Amy’s revelation at the end of season four, when she vocalized the fact that Donna was clearly in love with Josh. Here, though, C.J. is concerned. She’s worried that both Donna and Josh have essentially enabled one another, that Josh won’t let Donna go because he knows that she’s the best, and this stifles her. And Donna, in turn, can’t let Josh go either. C.J. hits so close to home that Donna is immediately upset by the conversation, and like Will and Toby’s story, there’s no resolution given to us. As far as we know, Donna’s still going to go to Gaza with Fitzwallace. But is she going to pursue something more from her relationship with Josh or is she going to pursue something more from her career?
Abbey / Leo
Seriously, with one exception, these characters are eerily paired off with the other character who will torment them best, and in Abbey’s case, Leo is her worst nightmare. She wants to escape the media parade (which reminded me of Ellie) that’s surrounded her for most of her life, but Leo desperately wants to drag her back into it by warning her to be cautious of her work at the clinic. It’s important to note that this is about personal happiness for Abbey, that after all she’s gone through in the five seasons of this show, she’s finally found something that not only makes her feel fulfilled, but is all hers. It’s devoid of the circus. It lacks the intentional, deliberate planning of her life as the First Lady. For Leo, Abbey is a terrifying idea, and he feels it’s only a matter of time before someone snaps an ill-timed or out-of-context photo and brings the whole thing down. I feel partial to Abbey here, but I can’t deny that Leo’s concerns have some basis in reality. But can he really deny her the chance to do something that makes her happy?
But then Leo sees Abbey take some pills (he later says they’re Xanax? Or maybe not? Valium? I DON’T KNOW) and GOOD GOD, IT’S ALL TOO INTENSE. Leo’s talking about his days as an addict and his worry that Abbey might be on a similar path. And then Abbey is admits that her body might finally be presenting the signs of the exhaustion she’s faced because of her political life, and WHY IS THIS SCENE SO SCARY TO ME? Actually, it’s probably the frank references to mortality made by both of these characters. It’s the way that they both reveal something raw and personal to one another. It’s the the fact that Abbey has probably suffered a lot in the last few years, and we’re only just beginning to understand that.
Jesus.
Kate / Josh
Seriously, Kate is already one of my favorites, and her steely demeanor here AMUSES ME FOREVER. I adore it. And clearly, these two are destined to annoy one another: Josh with his endless curiosity and need to know everything and Kate with her love of silence and deliberate lack of any obvious sense of humor. (Oh, I think she was internally cracking up while trolling Josh. I BELIEVE IT WITH MY HEART AND SOUL.)
Bartlet / Charlie / Debbie
And after all of this, I can’t really see how these three fit into the pattern established for the other characters. While Debbie might be tormented by her allergies, and Charlie is tormented by his own guilt, no one is the victim of another person here. Sort of. I mean, this is an unbearably tense episode that keeps getting stranger and stranger, but at no point do Bartlet, Charlie, or Debbie so much as annoy one another. No, they’re actually kind of adorable the whole time??? IT’S THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR A WACKY SITCOM, I swear.
However, it’s the reveal at the end – that the tularemia was always real, and that the story about it being a drill is a lie to keep anyone from finding out what really happened – might actually be the real torment happening here. My god, WHY??? Who did this, and why go through Charlie? Oh lord, this is so disturbing, and we don’t learn anything else about this, and WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME????
The video commission for “No Exit” can be downloaded right here for just $0.99.
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