As we start to come out of the early winter doldrums, some of the series start crawling back. Spoilers below…
WEST WING: The 100th episode, and the first one this season that–more often than not–seemed as if it could have been written by Sorkin. That’s likely because it was written by John Sacret Young, who did so much fine work on series like “China Beach.” Snappy discussion over shaded issues, including riots in the Middle East where the citizens are demanding democracy…except it might be to the US advantage to support those who are actually opposed to it. Real world resonance all over the place. And yet to me, the best aspect was Bartlet’s heading to the Lincoln Memorial. Here Bartlet is so proud of all the Lincoln trivia at his fingertips, and yet he slowly starts to come to the realization that not only has he been trivializing Lincoln as a result, but his own administration might simply be a trivial one rather than achieving true greatness. A lot of food for thought plus, hey, you could actually *see* what was going on. Somebody turned the lights on. Only downsides were the once-again absence of Abby, and the increasing marginalization of Joshua Molina (sp?) who wasn’t even in this one. I hope it isn’t because Molina is such a favorite of Sorkin’s and they’re now pushing him aside because of that.
TRU CALLING: I hate to say it, but I’m *really* getting caught up in this series. On the surface of it, the show’s set up would seem to almost beg for pure formula. On the other hand, you could say that about the basic set up of “Law and Order” and that’s been going for thirteen years. I thought this outing was particularly compelling and wasn’t afraid to be downbeat…although it would be nice to see one episode where a father was presented as something other than (a) clueless or (b) a total áššhølë. I love that they’re doing more with Tru’s boss. Although I did stumble over some inadvertent straight lines. “You haven’t told me your name,” says the young soldier whom she’s trying to save from an awful fate. “Tru,” she replies. I *so* wanted it to continue, “I know it’s true.” “If you know it’s Tru, why did you lie?” “I didn’t lie! I said you didn’t tell me your first name.” “I said it’s Tru!” “I know it’s true!” “So you lied again?” “I didn’t lie!” “You lied when you said you didn’t know my first name!” “I didn’t say I didn’t know it, I said you hadn’t told it to me!” “Tru!” “I know it’s true! Why would I lie about you not telling me your name!?!” “I don’t know!” “Third base!”
PAD
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The only thing that bothered me about Bartlet visiting the Lincoln Memorial was when the camera pulled back to reveal him at the monument. By himself. And my question was, ‘where was the Secret Service?’
The episode was a mixed bag, but I liked it more than I didn’t. I enjoyed the conversations between the former Presidents. Anyone know where the WW timeline splits from ours?
I got the impression that Cromwell was supposed to be Carter, with his talk about “In my day, we had to put up with this; you don’t,” and Lassiter the dead president was supposed to be Reagan. That could just be me.
The only part that bothered me is Toby’s increasing nastiness about Islam and the Middle East. Not that he holds those opinions – it’s interesting to watch a character evolve, even if it’s in a negative fashion. It bothers me that no one calls him on it.
Mark Patterson writes:
Anyone know where the WW timeline splits from ours?
Figuring out West Wing continuity makes the Legion of Super-Heroes look positively straightforward.
For what it’s worth, I think the most recent “real world” president mentioned on the West Wing has been LBJ.
But when you get to reconciling bits and pieces of West Wing history–when & for whom was Leo the Secretary of Labor? How long did that Supreme Court Justice say he was waiting for a Democratic president before retiring? etc.–it gets to be, well, a puzzle.
All that said (and setting aside for the moment the fact that at least the most recent presidential elections in the West Wing happen two years apart from the real world ones), I think it’s fair to equate Martin Sheen with Clinton, someone we haven’t seen yet with George H.W. Bush (since Barlett has been said to have followed a republican); James Cromwell with Jimmy Carter (a one-term democrat); and Lassiter with Ronald Reagan (perhaps with a touch of Nixonian characterization thrown in, though, going by Toby’s assessment…)
I was curious about this episode because it was going to be the first one I watched since getting the WW, Season 1 DVD set for Christmas. I knew this season wasn’t at first season level, but how far had it fallen?
This was one of the best episodes of the season, and the show appears to be getting its legs again after stumbling badly early. But it’s still not at Season 1 level. Every episode back then you were almost guarenteed to get one spine-chilling moment, like Mrs. Langingham explaining why she doesn’t like Christmas. The best ones had three or four.
I’m not sure how many spine-chillers there have been all of this season. It was a good episode and I enjoyed it, but there was no moment that took my breathe away, like nearly every episode in Season 1.
Cheers…
THE WEST WING–The 100th episode was pretty good. Call me crazy, though, but I could only imagine what Sorkin’s 100th episode could have been like. Frankly, I would have liked it if Wells had managed to wrangle Sorkin back to write at the least the milestone 100th episode, but my guess is, Sorkin wasn’t happy with Wells, with the show, or with NBC. Nevertheless, it was a good episode. I was really glad to see the Sorkin version of Leo McGarry return, instead of the grumpy angry recent version. Plus, we got to see Mallory again. (Of course, I would’ve loved it if one of her first lines to her father had been “Dad, where’s Sam? Did he vanish?”) Joshua Malina was noticably absent (which isn’t surprising given his character has began working for the VP). However, CJ and Toby had a couple of nice moments. I also agree that the final shot of Bartlet at the Lincoln Memorial was stunning, and was fantastic. Cromwell was great, and I like the potential of Goodman’s character, but I’m really not impressed that they’ve defined his character by his little dog. I think the scene with Bartlet, Newman, and Walken was very well done, mostly because that dámņ dog wasn’t in the shot. I like dogs, but it seems to paint Walken as a joke, and that just seems so beneath the show.
All in all, one of the finest episodes of the season, alongside that fantastic episode where Bartlet and Josh walk to the Capitol. That’s stirring television.
Of course, I find the previews for next week episode ominous. SPOILERS BELOW:
Charlie getting slapped is not something I’m prepared for, mostly because it’s not in Charlie’s character to say or do something worth getting slapped over. He’s a good character, fundamentally decent and loyal, intelligent and compassionate. I hope that doesn’t spell “bad writing.” On the plus side, what those previews didn’t tell us is that according to some listings I’ve read, Marlee Matlin is scheduled to return and reprise her role as Joey Lucas, so I can’t wait for that.
We’ll see how things continue to progress.
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this or if anyone even watches MissMatch, but the show seems to be a refuge for former Whedon-verse actors. Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) has been on a number of times now and in recent weeks Nathan Filion (Firefly & Buffy) has been on along with the asian evil attorney (aren’t all lawyers evil) who worked with Lila at Wolfram & Hart. I wonder who will be next.
I’m just glad to see that more people seem to be watching “West Wing” and liking it a little more.
Curious that no one has commented on “Tru Calling” yet… Is it possible that everyone has stopped watching– other than PAD? (I know I have.) I will admit that I am going to tune in see what Jason Preistley does with his “Tru Calling” guest stint coming up in a few episodes. Eliza has always needed strong actors to bounce off of to show her real talents… Jason should provide that platform for her and make it worth a look.
Since no one else is going to talk about Tru Calling, I guess I will. I think the show is great. When it first started I thought it was gonna be a happy ending every week, call me sadistic, but I enjoy the fact that sometimes there are people that are destined to die. The show would be dull and bland if that was not the case. Every time a body calls to her for help, she has to wonder if she is going to go back to save their life or instead help them finish off one last thing that they need to do before they die. And not to create any trouble with insideman, but Eliza is perfect in this role, I know that she has done mostly the same type of character in everything she has done(the strong willed, tuff type), but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Also I think that FOX will never cancel the show due to the fact that I believe they have a personal hatred towards Joss Whedon and if they cancel it, Joss will use her for a Faith show!!! (that last sentence is a joke for those that think I’m serious)
I agree that the episode had the feel of Sorkin except, for one major (in my opinion) element. They put such an emphasis on Toby’s writing of the eulogy, that I felt cheated that I didn’t get to hear it. Sorkin loved words too much to let an opportunity like that pass. Overall excellent episode, though, and Cromwell, as always, was terrific. I’ve been a fan of his since “Hot l Baltimore.”
I agree about the Joshua Malina content- I loved him in Sports Night and only recent figured out he’s on WW now (I don’t watch a lot of TV at college), and was disappointed that he was not in this ep.
That “the asian evil attorney (aren’t all lawyers evil) who worked with Lila at Wolfram & Hart” Nick mentioned is Daniel Dae Kim. His other work includes playing the first officer on the Excalibur, from Joe Strazcynski’s “Crusade”.
Atolaw
I really wanted to hate True Calling. I really did. I wanted it to fail because I wanted a Faith spin-off as a mid-season replacement.
Well, now I’m hooked. I absolutely love the show and want it to have a good, long run. I’m waiting for them to introduce her dad and have him find out about her abilities. I have a feeling he’ll know something about it because clues point to her mother having the same powers. Hmmmm…I wonder if they can clone Eliza so she can make 2 shows?
WW- The big problem I had was the scene where the Bartlet staff was blasting away at President Lassiter the day after he died, and Toby’s susequent hissy fit on the plane until the President straightened him out. The whole thing made the staff look petty. Yes, the man was a political enemy, but these characters are smart and tactful enough to know that doesn’t make him a bad person. And Toby’s far too much a professional to get in a big snit about writing the guy’s eulogy. I can accept him having a tough time getting the job done, but I can’t accept him being a big baby about it. It was, quite frankly, Coulter-ish behavior, and not at all becoming of the staff of the President.
That “the asian evil attorney (aren’t all lawyers evil) who worked with Lila at Wolfram & Hart” Nick mentioned is Daniel Dae Kim. His other work includes playing the first officer on the Excalibur, from Joe Strazcynski’s “Crusade”.
He’s been a lot of shows recently, including Enterprise, ER, and 24 during the 2nd season.
24 seems to be using a lot of Buffy, Angel, and Star Trek people including Penny Johnston, Michelle Forbes, Harris Yulin, and this season D.B. Woodside and Gina Torres.
David
Tru Calling. I never watched it when it started. It was up against Survivor. Rupert was the man. Anywho, As I was watching some college bowl games I came across the Tru calling mini marathon. My team was getting trashed so I watched. Next thing I know I watched 4 solid straight hours. I was hooked. Been playing catch up, but I’m up to speed for the most part. Now I watch it regularly. Having a Faith spin-off would be cool, but I’m just happy to have any regular dose of Eliza.
The writing on the show is great too. I was wondering how they were gonna fill so much time when she saved the soldier so early. Such a sad story, but done very well.
And the father thing…..that mirrors my father so well. Made me pick up the phone and extend the olvie branch.
I love Eliza, but Tru Calling makes baby Jesus cry.
If you read Shack’s recaps at televisionwithoutpity.com
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show.cgi?show=120
it really becomes clear how the writing is bad on so many different levels.
Peter you really should check out Joan of Arcadia it is the best written show on the air right now.
forgot to say you want a show with a great father figure? Joe Mantegna as Joan’s dad is absolutely brilliant
I agree with the comments about “Joan of Arcadia”. This has to be one of the best written and directed family dramas in recent years. Though I was a bit unprepared for tonight’s “happy” episode, but I guess these characters deserve some good breaks now and then.
If you’re not watching JOA , you’re missing a great solid hour of TV.
Tru Calling?
I’ll waitfor the trade.
Err.. DVD.
I seem to remember a statement from Sorkin, or someone else connected with the show, that Eisenhower was the last “real” President in the show’s continuity.
The follow-up statement to that was “if we refer to the Kennedy Center on the show, its named after George Kennedy.”
I agree, its a shame that Josh Molina’s character has been so marginalized. I like him on West Wing, and I liked him on Sports Night. (and he seems to be playing largely the same character on both.)
Well, with ANGEL in repeats, I tuned in for WW’s 100th, despite a strong urge to check out what sounds to be like this year’s guilty pleasure THE O.C. But life’s really too short for that….
I was pleasantly surprised by just how good WW was in this episode. It wasn’t good enough to get me back as a regular viewer, but it was considerably better than the episodes I’d seen earlier in the season. Until and unless they get writers and directors who can weave the layered thematic storytelling that Sorkin and Co. used to, this remains just an hour of decent television, worth watching, yes, but not worth making time to watch.
There’s a great deal about TRU CALLING that I still find charming, even beyond Ms. Dushku herself. But, dámņ: Tru’s still got to be one of the dumbest lead characters on TV these days, and most of her supporting cast (other than the brother and the boss) seems to be an increasing drag on the energy of the show. This show needs a shake-up, fast, and an agressive committment to showing Tru becoming more imaginative and more capable.
Couldn’t agree more about JOAN OF ARCADIA. Superb work almost every time out of the box. (And I’d rather have my fate in Joan’s hands any day over Tru’s….)
Seeing Martin Sheen, James Cromwell and John Goodman share a scene together was a dream come true to me. About the only way they could have tailored a scene any more toward my tastes in acting would have been an appearance by Andre Braugher.
The 100th West Wing was, I think PAD nailed it perfectly, the first one to feel like a Sorkin tale at least most of the time. I loved the bit with Toby sitting in C.J.’s office when she was about to change, and the subsequent “Is he drinking?” “I don’t think so” bit with Charlie.
Mrs. Lassiter’s chiding of Bartlet for not taking her husband’s last few phone calls made for an interesting scene. It showed the man as, once again, not the perfect icon we sometimes expect him to be. And the bit about the dirt from battlefields, and the fragments of Lassiter’s letter we saw, and the final shot at the Lincoln Monument (my favorite of the D.C. landmarks I’ve seen) were enough to give chills.
I’m not so sure Joshua Malina’s being marginalized because of his history with Sorkin. But I think it could be a case of no one but Sorkin really knowing how to write for him.
(I dream of a day when Sorkin pops up at HBO with a revamped Sports Night starring all the original cast. Peter Krause could do his scenes in the off-season from Six Feet Under, and Malina’s the only other member of that cast with a steady gig.)
I’ll third or fourth (or whatever) about Joan of Arcadia. Its a really great show. Best new show of the season, imo!!
And Friday’s episode was..wow. Just amazing. Definitly a great series. You really should check it out PAD! 🙂
As for Tru, it is good, not great, imo. There is plenty of room for improvement (of course its only the first season, so who knows). Elisa is good in it though. I do think last episode was good too.
Joan is my favorite new series though. Wow.
DF2506
” Also watched 24, CSI, and Without A Trace last week. All of them were pretty good! Can’t wait for Cold Case and especially Alias tonight!! ” 🙂
Jason K wrote:
\\If you read Shack’s recaps at televisionwithoutpity.com
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show.cgi?show=120
it really becomes clear how the writing is bad on so many different levels.\\
Ugh. Television Without Pity. *claws at eyes* Please.
The only person worth reading over there is Omar, who does the “Smallville” recaps. Sure, sometimes the writing isn’t great. Sure, sometimes the plots are contrived. Sure, there are characters you WISH had been hit by a metor or six, but at least Omar seems to enjoy the show he’s recapping. He’s funny, and he’s hard, but he’s never cruel.
Shack just whines and complains. He never has anything constructive to say. He hates the show, he’s always going to hate the show, so every recap he does is going to be about how he hates the show. Who would want to read a review like that? He’s not at all objective and just… argh.
TWoP is probably one of the reasons “Firefly” got off to such a poor start (that, and FOX being morons and not showing the REAL pilot). The person recapping that hated everything about it and made sure everybody who saw their recap would hate everything about it, too. The person who does Angel is just a complete jerk who never gives the characters half a chance to redeem themselves. Wesley, for example, who has undergone such incredible character growth, will never be seen as anything other than an annoyance by this particular recapper. I don’t think they even watch the show – they just watch parts of it and make fourteen pages of complaints.
The saddest thing is, they actually PAY the writers over there to publish this sort of drivel. There’s nothing intelligent about any of it, save for a great deal of Omar’s writing.
Watch the show for yourself. Form your own opinions. THEN, go see what TWoP has to say.
Rachel wrote: TWoP is probably one of the reasons “Firefly” got off to such a poor start (that, and FOX being morons and not showing the REAL pilot).
I seriously have trouble believing that enough of the general public read TWoP for them to have made much of a difference. (I have trouble believing that enough of the general public can read, period, actually.)
Also, while I’m quick to blame FOX for Firefly’s demise (In addition to being aired out of order, it was advertised very little, and what advertisement it did get misrepresented the show), I can’t really fault their reasoning. Reality shows, which are much cheaper to produce, tend get 2+ times as many viewers (mostly viewers who have an IQ to rival the minotaur standing my computer monitor, but viewers nonetheless).
Firefly was great television, but it wasn’t exactly what you’d call mainstream television by any stretch.