In the twelfth episode of the fifth season of The West Wing, Toby asks Bartlet for permission to secretly move forward on a Social Security plan, and EVERYTHING BECOMES A DISASTER. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The West Wing.
GOOD GOD, THIS EPISODE REALLY, TRULY HURT.
- “Slow News Day” works on a couple of levels. It’s an ironic play on the title, since it ends up being one of the biggest news days for the entire country because of what’s set in motion. For me, though, this ended up being a frustrating and grim look at the way the bipartisan nature of politics in America has virtually guaranteed that nothing will ever get done. Well, something does get done, but it’s a rough, rough journey up to that point.
- Seriously, let’s just appreciate how this starts: Toby is struck by inspiration at three in the morning, and then proceeds to wake up Josh and Charlie, then TAKES OVER THE MORNING WAKE-UP CALL, which is one of my favorite things ever. Oh my god, I know we’ve seen Charlie call Bartlet before, but I’m still astounded that that’s something he has to do. HOW SCARY. And entertaining. It’s so entertaining! And this episode itself, until it spirals into disaster, is honest so entertaining to watch. It’s not often that we get this kind of Toby, you know? He’s inspired. He’s determined. He is excited. His plan – to give Bartlet a legacy, to stick to a big message, to save Social Security – is absolutely ridiculous and ambitious, but he doesn’t care. He wants to pull it off, and when he realizes that there’s an opportunity, he pounces.
- And so this Toby-centric episode is off to a fascinating start, as he tries to talk to an outgoing Republican who was the sole Senator to applaud Bartlet’s desire to raise the minimum wage. I love that Toby was able to guess that Senator Gaines was on his way out BECAUSE OF ONE VIDEO. Incredible!
- Meanwhile, he’s got the perfect cover: It’s a slow news day! Except then I discovered THIS WAS THE WORST POSSIBLE COVER EVER. I figured that because there wasn’t any big news that day that Toby would escape detection. I now laugh at how naïve I was. Of course, that was also because I didn’t know all the details, such as the fact that Senator Gaines is very aware of the fact that people like Josh Lyman are eager to destroy Republicans like him. While this is later expanded upon, I think it’s important to the overall theme of this episode that the writers are willing to paint both sides as endlessly frustrating and difficult.
- Hey! Will had more than five lines this episode. Unfortunately, his plot – about changing how Vice President Russell is received as a speaker and a politician – is largely abandoned by the end of this episode. It started off well! And then nothing. I’m gonna start a Twitter hashtag to protest Will’s usage in this season. #BringWillBack. Yes, this is nearly a decade late. I DON’T CARE.
- AND THEN JOSH GOES AHEAD AND STARTS TO RUIN EVERYTHING. Even the White House can’t be on the same page, though I do admit that Josh was left out of the loop on purpose. However, he viewed it as Leo benching him for what happened earlier this season, which wasn’t the case at all, but hey. This is season five of The West Wing, where absolutely nothing goes well and everyone fights and it all hurts.
- “Slow News Day,” however, starts to use Rena in a way THAT ISN’T A HUGE MYSTERY. I loved her inclusion here, especially when she is confronted by Donna. First of all, she’s a necessary voice for the audience. I admit that I don’t know all that much about Social Security, so her questions to Toby helped me understand some of the basics better. But she’s not just there to provide expository information for us; no, this is about how Toby finally finds a use for her that’s meaningful and entertaining to watch. FINALLY. She’s so loyal to Toby, so eager to do a good job, and I’m glad that was finally rewarded.
- And then it all starts falling apart. It’s really, really difficult to watch, and I get that Toby was a bit out of line in pursuing this without contacting other leading Democrats. I get that Josh and Leo are furious with Toby and Bartlet for not including them. But the willingness of Josh to totally trash Gaines and ruin any possibility of a fix to Social Security is so fucking frustrating to watch! You’re on the same goddamn side, WHAT ARE YOU DOING JOSH?
- This inspires Gaines to confirm to the Wall Street Journal that Toby came to him with a plan to “cut Social Security” and now THIS IS WHAT TOBY HAS CREATED. Sort of. He initiated this, but powers out of his control swirled it into a maelstrom of a problem. Oh god, he almost had Senator Brainerd on his side, too!
- Shout out to Carlos Carrio and C.J. turning into a babbling mess because of him. Also, I couldn’t help but think of Cabbage Man from Avatar: The Last Airbender. WHOOPS.
- Shout out to C.J. for ripping apart the reporter who wrote the “right to adopt” story. Don’t cross C.J. Cregg! After five seasons, you’d think that people would know this!
- Anyway, I wonder if one of the reasons that Toby is so desperate to make this work is because of what he and Josh did to Jim Carney. He’s clearly feeling guilty for what he did, especially when Rena points out how perfect he would have been for the job.
- Bartlet is yelling. 🙁
- Make it stop. 🙁
- Oh god, how is Toby going to solve this?
- wha
- what the
- did he just sign that paper
- NO
- CAN THAT NOT BE
- WHAT THE FUCK, TOBY JUST RESIGNED
- NO, THIS WAS SUCH A HOPEFUL EPISODE AT THE BEGINNING
- PLEASE MAKE THIS STOP, TOBY CAN’T QUIT
- IS HE LEAVING THE SHOW?
- HOW THE FUCK DID WE END UP HERE.Â
- Seriously, I was just aghast at how this had come to TOBY’S RESIGNATION in like thirty-two minutes. “Watch The West Wing,” they said. “It’s a fun show,” they said. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME.
- After all of this, though, there’s a solution, and it’s a sobering one. Even after Josh and Toby get Senators Gaines and Turner in the room to broker a deal – one that they actually agree on! – the whole thing goes sour when they argue over WHO ACTUALLY GETS CREDIT FOR THE DEAL. Oh my god, so close. And yet, so fucking frustrating! We’re talking about the future of American retirement, and y’all are bickering about credit. So I love that Bartlet is willing to let himself be cut from the picture. The White House won’t take credit at all so that the two sides can share the credit themselves. It diffuses the Wall Street Journal story, Toby has his job, and there’s a future that Toby and the White House can feel good about.
- Lord, what an exhausting episode.
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