{"id":3008,"date":"2013-11-12T13:00:42","date_gmt":"2013-11-12T21:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=3008"},"modified":"2013-11-12T09:36:55","modified_gmt":"2013-11-12T17:36:55","slug":"mark-watches-the-west-wing-s04e15-inauguration-over-there-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2013\/11\/mark-watches-the-west-wing-s04e15-inauguration-over-there-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The West Wing’: S04E15 – Inauguration: Over There (Part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of The West Wing<\/i>, THIS IS SO MAJESTIC AND GLORIOUS. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch The West Wing<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Seriously, unless the remaining episodes of season four are all universally terrible, this is going to be my favorite season of The West Wing<\/i>. This episode is an immense achievement in writing and characterization, and it feels so huge<\/i> in terms of the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sense of storytelling. In addition to this, I just felt so happy<\/i> at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inauguration: Over There (Part II).\u00e2\u20ac\u009d THIS IS FANTASTIC.<\/p>\n

Will<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh, feelings<\/i>. Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arc has been written beautifully, and I think Sorkin did an incredible job explaining why<\/i> Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s issues with the speech he was writing were so frustrating. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been hired to craft the Inauguration speech, and he learned the hard way that sometimes, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be asked to write something he fundamentally disagreed with. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disheartening to watch him go through this, and I genuinely thought that this experience would discourage him from ever working for the White House again. Who could blame him? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s especially hard for Will because he knows<\/i> that Toby has used his position to affect meaningful change before, and yet, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s satisfied with the most non-controversial language humanly possibly that satisfies everyone without actually saying anything of significance. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like Will hides his feelings at any point during this episode, either.<\/p>\n

I had to think of where Will came from when I was thinking about his journey this season. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d come off of a successful campaign where he was in control, where he helped a dead candidate win<\/i> in a district that a Democrat never<\/i> wins in, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d done so with a very palpable sense of freedom. Now, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s thrust into this controlled machine, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a harsh juxtaposition with where he came from.<\/p>\n

And yet, he perseveres. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget about what Bartlet says at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inauguration\u00e2\u20ac\u009d because it reflects Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story so well. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he tells Will, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so indicative of what Will truly believed. It was Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s biting remark about the worth of a life in Kundu that inspired Bartlet to rethink his position on foreign aid and humanitarianism, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s his work that produces one of the best speeches that most of these staffers have ever heard. (I do wish we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d gotten to hear some<\/i> of it.) Still, I was surprised (pleasantly so!) when Toby told Leo that he wanted Will as his Deputy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make sense. It totally does! But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also clear now that the show is at least replacing Sam for the time being. (What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on with his campaign, by the way? We haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen anything about it in a while.) UGH, I was just so happy seeing Will get offered the position. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fantastic character moment, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sign of a new era for the show. Hell, this whole season has imbued the show with a frantic kind of energy that I adore. Bravo, The West Wing<\/i>. Four seasons in, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re giving me some of my favorite stories.<\/p>\n

Danny\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Article<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s amazing to me how so many different stories \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Jack Reese, Donna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s loyalty to Jack, C.J.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s relationship with Danny, and Bartlet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desire to shift foreign policy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all come together by the end of this episode. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those quintessentially Sorkin-esque narratives. To me, one of his strongest techniques is creating these deeply layered and complex stories that are able to be tied together neatly and emotionally. As politically dense as this show can be, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always impressed when The West Wing<\/i> gives me a reason to care about these characters.<\/p>\n

The second half of this story surprisingly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have much to do with the Inauguration itself, though that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always looming over the heads of these characters. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got Danny, who is so dangerously close to the truth, both with Sharif and what happened between the White House and the Pentagon. The interactions Danny has with C.J. are, of course, rife with a whole lot of awkward tension. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help that C.J. knows that Danny is on to something with the Shareef story, but then Sorkin shocks us<\/i> when the big reveal here has virtually nothing to do with that.<\/p>\n

Still, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to ignore that Leo orchestrates a lot of this specifically to keep C.J. out of the loop, particularly the whole bit about the Executive Orders that were \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rescinded.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Leo is doing his best to protect Bartlet, but at what cost? How much longer can he keep C.J. in the dark?<\/p>\n

So when the entire group gets that frantic call to return to the White House, I worried about what was going to transpire. Did Danny connect the dots? How is the team going to react to Bartlet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sudden epiphany over Babes in Toyland<\/i>? (Oh god, could you imagine if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d found out where Bartlet got the idea from? If that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how Abbey reacted, just imagine Toby\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s<\/i> reaction. Or C.J.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S FUN TO IMAGINE THIS.) It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s through this that Sorkin creates this thrilling and exhilarating collision of storylines. As the staff converges on the Oval Office, the audience is left to wonder which bit of news will take precedence, or which of the two will be more devastating. Then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re teased by that unbelievable tense sequence where C.J. is shrieking at Danny over some \u00e2\u20ac\u0153unnamed White House source\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and everything is on fire and why is everyone yelling and WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It really is some masterful writing, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re delivered two huge blows \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the announcement of Bartlet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s change in foreign policy to create a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153doctrine of humanitarian relief,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d followed by the reveal that Donna<\/i> was the unnamed source, and that she said that the White House wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t loyal to folks in uniform. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a victory and a disaster all at once. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS?<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not really sure how the military<\/i> deals with this, as we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really hear of any fallout with the State Department or the Pentagon by the end of this episode. Instead, we learn that Donna \u00e2\u20ac\u201c righteous and glorious Donna \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was covering for<\/i> Jack. This gives us one of my absolute favorite scenes in all of season four: Danny, Charlie, Will, Toby, and Josh throwing snowballs at Donna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s window to get her to come down and go to the ball with them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sweet, of course, because these people all care about<\/i> Donna a great deal, and even in the case of Will, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only known her for a couple months, he goes to support her anyway. No surprise: This scene is brutally unfair<\/i> for Josh\/Donna shippers. HE SAYS SHE LOOKS BEAUTIFUL. DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T TEASE ME LIKE THAT.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to see Jack Reese again, which means that Christian Slater is handled more strangely than any other guest star on this show. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even get a goodbye episode! He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just gone. To Italy. Hmmm. And yet, life goes on for the White House staff. They briefly celebrate Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s promotion and a successful inauguration, but given the President\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s order of troops to Kundu, the team doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get a night off. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back to work, as it always is, because the world doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop for these people.<\/p>\n

What a fine episode, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. HOW IS THIS SEASON SO GOOD?<\/p>\n

The video commission for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inauguration: Over There (Part II)\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

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