And two other of my favorite series air their penultimate episodes for the season.
And hey, of no relevance to TV at all, but tonight was the last night of my bowling league and my team came in first, so I’m really jazzed about that. My game tonight was unspectacular but consistent (165, 163, 167) and enough to beat the guy I was shooting against and it helped my team, so that was good.
Anyway, onward. Spoilers abound as always:
CHARMED: The Charmed Ones find themselves the unwitting stars of a demonic reality series (are there any other kind?) called
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I can’t disagree. Though The West Wing has always, in my book, been superior viewing, the latter half of the season has defintiely been better than the first.
It’s often hugely topical. Part of me applauds its timing and ability to be both idealistic and pragmatic. The other half shivers.
I think The West Wing is a show that NEEDS to be on air. You don’t always have to agree with its politics (and dramatically it sometimes stumbles) but its ability to create talking points and political interest amongst the average group of viewers is invaluable at a time when the viewers may be turned off and desperate about the ‘real’ thing..
John
THE WEST WING: You know, to show you how completely predictable the episode was for me, I missed the first 20 minutes and didn’t feel like I’d missed anything, other than an explosion, some commercials, and some buildup.
I’m very disappointed that the writers killed off Admiral Fitzwallace. The character was always well written, and I always liked John Amos. That said, at least the writers didn’t kill off Toby’s ex-wife. I have to say I’m not thrilled about the cliffhanger they’re setting up, that Donna takes a turn for the worst, leaving us with three months to figure out if she lives.
I don’t think they’ll kill her off. PAD is right: Sorkin went out of his way in the first season to introduce Josh as a character who sees everyone he loves die and finds some way to blame himself. His sister died in a fire as he fled the house, his father died as he helped Bartlet win his first crucial primary, and now if Donna dies because he sent her to Gaza, he’ll probably self-destruct.
At the same time, I’m still scratching my head about the significance of Donna’s interactions with that photographer. Were the writers setting up a reveal next episode that the photographer works for/is responsible for the explosion, or did I really miss something important from the first 20 minutes? I probably just missed something in the first 20 minutes.
I do think the issue of the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts was handled very well. I’m still curious about where this is all going.
Regarding the photographer, that was my thought exactly. I wasn’t going to share it (because I think it’s a spoiler) but you can ‘clearly’ see him reaching for something in his bag after taking the picture of Donna driving away in the Suburban.
Of course, it could also have been a telegraphed ‘teaser’ and he had nothing to do with it… But the fact that they kept coming back to that scene (at least twice, I think three times) and showing a little more each time, seems meaningful to me…
We’ll see…
At the same time, I’m still scratching my head about the significance of Donna’s interactions with that photographer. Were the writers setting up a reveal next episode that the photographer works for/is responsible for the explosion, or did I really miss something important from the first 20 minutes? I probably just missed something in the first 20 minutes.
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Well he is Lucius Malfoy after all, and Capt. Hook for that matter 🙂
I don’t know, I think he was just the way to get Donna to interact with the “regular people.”
David
THAT’S why the guy looked and sounded so dámņëd familiar to me. Malfoy and Hook. Thanks for the heads up.
I could be completely wrong, but I don’t think the photog was involved in the destruction. I think he was just reaching into his bag for a lens or something. I mean, if he was involved, then kudos to you guys for seeing through it. Me, I think it would be kind of cheesy, because there’s been so many times that the Palestinian Authority has wept croc tears over destruction and claiming they had nothing to do with it when we all know that’s crap. So I think it would be a real cheat if this were some isolated instance where it Just So Happens that they were telling the truth and it was because the photographer was trying to–I dunno–create a dynamic news photo of destruction that he could then take pictures of and get famous.
PAD
My wife just heard about the Berg video before we watched WW. We found ourselves identifying with Josh a lot last night: Kill the ones who did it, kill the ones who planned it and kill the ones who were happy about it!
It’s not humane, but I’m fast losing the desire to be humane when radical Islamists are beheading civilians for propaganda.
I thought at first that the photographer would be involved too, when I first saw him taking pictures of Donna. But I don’t think so now.
A really strong episode, though. One part I like, part of a trend that PAD’s commented on recently, is the incidental humor returning. Cases in point:
Fitz and Andi teasing Donna about her liason with the photographer.
CJ: “Say you’re from Minnesota.”
Toby (Fargo voice): “I’m from Minnesota.”
(…)
Toby (later): “Right after I see how the Vikings and the Twins did.”
Andi waving when she finds out she’s on TV. It just felt right.
The walk-and-talk where Josh tells Will, then Will tells Toby, then Toby tells CJ, about Donna’s injuries, every time the story changes slightly, until Josh stops to straighten the record.
Another part I liked was that Josh very clearly has a recurrence of his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and people can tell. Josh talking about needing to kill the ones who did it, the ones who planned it, and the ones who were happy about it was delivered in the same voice as “I can’t help you unless you listen to me.” I wonder if he was hearing that brass quintet again.
I thought at first that the photographer would be involved too, when I first saw him taking pictures of Donna. But I don’t think so now.
A really strong episode, though. One part I like, part of a trend that PAD’s commented on recently, is the incidental humor returning. Cases in point:
Fitz and Andi teasing Donna about her liason with the photographer.
CJ: “Say you’re from Minnesota.”
Toby (Fargo voice): “I’m from Minnesota.”
(…)
Toby (later): “Right after I see how the Vikings and the Twins did.”
Andi waving when she finds out she’s on TV. It just felt right.
The walk-and-talk where Josh tells Will, then Will tells Toby, then Toby tells CJ, about Donna’s injuries, every time the story changes slightly, until Josh stops to straighten the record.
Another part I liked was that Josh very clearly has a recurrence of his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and people can tell. Josh talking about needing to kill the ones who did it, the ones who planned it, and the ones who were happy about it was delivered in the same voice as “I can’t help you unless you listen to me.” I wonder if he was hearing that brass quintet again.
I’m just hoping/dreading they don’t do some kind of big surprise reveal that the bombing was actualy done by some Israelie’s to frame the Palestinians….with the “no one is taking credit” “the US cars have always been off limits” lines, it feels like their setting up some kind of reveal like that.
Jason Isaacs has also had relatively high profiles in the movies Black Hawk Down and The Patriot.
http://imdb.com/name/nm0005042/
THE WEST WING: Yeah, the small things were well done. I still think the big cliffhanger buildup is about as subtle as a jackhammer, but aside from that, it’s getting better.
I do wish the show would find some other way to end a season. Season 1 ends with an assassination attempt, Season 3 also ended with the death of CJ’s secret service agent Simon Donovan after a big stalker storyline (the irony of which was that the stalker didn’t kill Donovan, but a robber did), Season 4 ended with a kidnapping of Zoey. The only really non-tragic ending we’ve seen was the Season 2 “Will you be seeking a second term?” ending.
Will: Nice catch on the post-traumatic stress call-back. That was the exact same tone of voice, and it was clear that Josh was experiencing great distress. I just hate to see great characters sacrificed for nothing more than a shocking sweeps stunt…I always have. Fitz was a great character, and I would’ve liked to have seen more.
I did like the fact that Bartlet took charge last night. The thumping of his knuckles on the table in the situation room was especially true to form.
Oh, and as to the photographer…like I said, I missed the first 20 minutes, so I chalked up my confusion to the fact that I didn’t see the photographer introduced. The only thing that made me suspicious was in the flashback, as Donna entered the vehicle, the photographer lingered a few moments, snapped a photo, and the camera lingered for a bit. Maybe it was meant to signify something else, a different perspective on the conflict, or Donna’s encounter with the issues surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
I don’t know. Maybe we’ll find out next week. What am I thinking? It’s May. It’s sweeps. That means we’ll find out in September. 😉
Scavenger: Yeah, that’s what I’m dreading. I’m afraid they’re building up to some reveal that a group of Israelis masterminded it to frame the Palestinians, knowing that they could provoke the U.S. to come down hard on the Palestinians and possibly effect some policy change. I got the same vibe from those seemingly throwaway lines that you did.
Maybe we’re wrong.
BTW, when I say that, I’m not commenting on the Israel/Palestine conflict itself, which is so very troubling and difficult for me to even begin to wrap my head around. I’m merely commenting on the writing for the show. 🙂
I stopped watching West Wing some time ago. The show was spectacular for the longest time. Then they forced Sorkin off the show and it became just another show. Too predictable. Having not seen the episode in discussion, I would think that the photographer was doing nothing in particular, but one of his photos will have vital evidence.
If I don’t watch the show, why do I still keep up on it? Because it was so good at one time. It was one of the best shows of all time, but it lost its way. I always read the reports here and at http://www.sequentialtart.com.
Unsurprisingly, Fitzwallace goes bye bye.–PAD
They killed John Amos???
…dámņ, Ðámņ, ÐÃMN!!!
(Sorry, but you all knew that sooner or later, it was going to get said.)
I am a latecomer to WW and never watched an episode until I happened on the reruns when the network was in the middle of Season 4. I’ve now seen almost all the episodes of seasons 1-4 and have missed several of Season 5 but I have read the synopsis of each past episode. What’s amazing about the first few seasons is that you can watch any episode, without regard to where it falls in continuity and be spellbound. Besides the times where the episodes have paralelled history, there have been times it preceded it (Mad Cow disease in America) and I’ve found myself comparing the real life reaction from to the government to how it was portrayed on West Wing.
I have found that the characters in Season 5 are sometimes unrecognizable prom their earlier versions. Josh and Leo in particular are like dopplegangers of themselves although in the last couple episodes they have come back. I will miss Fitz because he was a great character and also feel that Josh would be lost if she died too which would cripple the character for the bulk of a season. If the actress portraying Donna is indeed leaving, she may “die” only to have an explanation for her leaving.
I don’t feel the Palestinians will be found to blame for this incident and do think it will be found to be either the Israeli settlers or perhaps the guard that Donna interviewed who had lost his sense of purpose as to why he was there.
I don’t think the show would go out on a limb and blame either the official representatives of Palestine or Israel and create that tempest even in a fictional setting.
It’s hard to imagine that there will be a lot of humour in upcoming episodes but I can still hope. One of the best traits of the characters was their ability to see the humour in almost any situation. Anyways, we will see how things develop.
William
They killed John Amos???
…dámņ, Ðámņ, ÐÃMN!!!
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Heh. SNL had fun with that bit during the Janet Jackson episode.
David
Tru Calling has reportedly been renewed, the following from USATODAY.COM
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-05-16-network-sched-notes_x.htm
Fox will unveil what’s essentially a year-round schedule, beginning with five shows already announced for early this summer. In addition, fans of the struggling Arrested Development and Tru Calling can relax: Fox is hiring additional writers for both series, a strong sign they’ll return.