Alright. I can NOT be the only person on this board who loves The West Wing, can I? I heart The West Wing.

I will miss Rob Lowe, he's still smokin'.

No, it's not Law & Order, but it's on before Law & Order, and when I was working that night job, I taped The West Wing and watched it before I went to bed that very night, often missing Law & Order. I had to. Because TNT is drama.

Tonight's episode featured, and possibly welcomed, Matthew Perry to the cast. He's playing a Republican. If he joins the cast (he'll be on next week, too, so ... we'll see), he will be the token Republican staffer.

For anybody who has watched the show for some time, that description of Perry's possible fate with Aaron Sorkin's little pen will bring to your mind: Ainsley Hayes. Ainsley Hayes chewed apart Sam (Rob Lowe) on a Sunday morning politics show cheezily named Capitol Beat, which sent Josh (Bradley Whitford) running into the CJ's (Allison Janney) office to announce: "Sam's getting his ass kicked by a girl on TV."

Ainsley took a job a White House General Counsel, and lasted in that capacity for as long as she could find food to scavenge, or drink to ciphen: "What do you mean there's no Fresca?" and "Are you gonna eat that muffin?" were my two favorites. But aside from that, the character of a Republican working in Democratic White House seems tricky.

No one thought Sam would date Ainsley (which was the obvious direction of the scripts, and then BOOM - bye bye Ainsley). Boys don't like to date Ainsley's on TV. If Sam dated Ainsley, Sam would suffer the scuffs of Ainsley's three-inch boring ass expensive pumps. She'd kick his ass. You can't be senior staff in The White House and go around with a girl who has great hair, and kicks your ass.

And then there's Donna. Donna rocks, but only Republican boys figure that out. And come on, this is The West Wing: no Republican boy will deserve Donna.

Donna is Josh's secretary, and there's this latent love bond between the two, and we're teased every season with the possibility ... but, no. Damn! Donna has been treated with a couple of guest star boyfriends: Christian Slater, who did not vote for this president because he cut the budget at the Pentagon, and the example they used was remarkably sturdy ash tray. (Where do I get my hands on a bottomless lighter o' butane, that's what I want to know!) Donna loved him, and he got reassigned. She was mad as hell. The end. (Christian looks pretty gooood in uniform, if you like uniforms.)

There was another one, too, some Republican attorney assigned to the censure procedures against the president (he didn't divulge that he has MS). Donna dated the little twit and finds out much too late that she can't trust him. Duh! Dumb secretaries. World's full of them! :rolleyes

For contrast: Josh, who is the Deputy Chief of Staff, had a nice girlfriend played by Mary Louise Parker (who I also love). She plays some honcho feminist turned campaign organizer turned First Lady's ... she pushes the First Lady's agenda. That worked, until she realized that the president, while a laminated-card-carrying feminist in principle, would still okay a bill that gave welfare people $500 bonuses for tying their poor knots together. Something like that, point is, Josh screwed her over and pissed her off, and she bounced him out the door. But they can still get along, because they share (mostly) the same politics.

NOW we have Matthew Perry. No matter how attractive that contract looks to him at the end of this season, I hope he turns it down, and lets Sorkin keep trying and failing with these weird little schemes of Republicans and Democrats *just getting along.*

Not because I don't think they <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>can</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->get along, or don't get along, but because it makes for soap opera TV when you keep recycling social and economical politics with sexual politics. And quite frankly, this usually encouraging and smart and funny and triumphant idealist writer is about three episodes away from bringing *Reva Shane back to life AGAIN, and that'll just about piss. me. off.

But, aside from all of that, I love the show. Who else likey? Someone must.

*Reva Shane, for you non-CBS daytime TV viewers, has been believed dead at least five times over the past twenty years on The Guiding Light. Last I heard, she regained her sight, and promptly fell to the bottom of a well. Preposterous. Reminded me of that newsstand guy in Johnny Dangerously. <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->"You know, I spend a long time on my hair, 'n' you hit it. You always hittin' my hair." - Tony Manero</p>

Highwaters, my husband and I were watching this show, and loving it, (What? Smart people can be sexy? And interesting? Reaaaally?) but the reason we stopped watching it can be summed up in two words: Mark Harmon. Here is someone I have had a crush on since <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>always</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, and they callously killed him off! And then they played that "Hallelujah" song which gets me even when they play it in <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Shrek</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. . . and Allison Janney is crying . . and my husband hollers, "Auuugh!! TV Land! They never get to be happy!!!!" . . .and now <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>we're</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> both crying. . . and so when my daughter sees a preview for Birds Of Prey, which was on at the same time, we told her to go ahead.

So although I know it's a good show, unless they pull a Guiding Light and miraculously bring back Mark Harmon, I won't give them the chance to hurt me again. (Sniff. . . insert moist-eyed emoticon here: ) <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END--> "There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan." --Sullivan's Travels</p>

Mark Harmon, oh my lord he is hot.

Guilty Pleasure: Worth Winning.

Sorry to go OT, but he really does it for me. <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->"Sometimes I stop and think how strange this all is. Something that began as a little idea in Austin, that Wes and I just walked around talking about between ourselves, has turned into all this."</p>

Can I just say "Summer School"? <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->This was our cream-filled crumpet. I took a deep breath and prayed a little pray.</p>

See, and now Zoe is leaving for France for three months. Poor Charlie, shot at twice and he still can't hang on to Zoe.

Last night's episode ended with CJ balancing an egg on the table. She was so stoked, and she looked around and whispered loudly, "Guys! Look!" and no one was there. *sigh*

I can't imagine what they're going to do about CJ's lovelife, but that was cruel, and that's what they do to the ladies on the show. Abby gets her medical license revoked for treating her husband on the Q-T. Ridiculous.

Mark Harmon is ... who Kevin Costner must have been aspiring to be, and failed miserably. Love him. He was in the Hamm's commercials! <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->"You know, I spend a long time on my hair, 'n' you hit it. You always hittin' my hair." - Tony Manero</p>

Highwaters, did you know that Dule Hill is in that most excellent new KidFlick, "Holes"? I just thought of him as a Nice Guy on West Wing, but after Holes he's my new Big Screen Honey. <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END--> "There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan." --Sullivan's Travels</p>

DudleyFan, I so adore Mr. Dule Hill, because he was nice to Lanie in 'She's All That' before anyone else was. MmmHmm.

He is precious.

Also, he took apart CJ's desk when she stole the president's calendar.

CJ: "So, exactly how long am I your bitch?" Great ep.

I have NOT seen that movie yet, and I just heard about it, and was going to ask you if you had! Woo. <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->"You know, I spend a long time on my hair, 'n' you hit it. You always hittin' my hair." - Tony Manero</p>

He has a bitty, but crucial role in Holes. I just got back from taking the kids to see it for a second time. (I almost <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>took it outside!!!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> with a couple of eight-years-olds behind me who wouldn't SHUT UP!, but that's another story. :\ ) <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END--> "There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan." --Sullivan's Travels</p>

Ugh, I hate West Wing finales.

I watched the first season and the finale blew my head off - assassination attempt! Wow! So upsetting, but we spent the entire summer going, "Toby was IN the car, so he's not shot ... CJ got leveled by someone close by, so the person who shielded her might be hit ... Josh wasn't anywhere near the car, so fer shur he's good."

So, since you all don't watch (except my precious DudleyFan, who tried), I'll let you know how that played out: Josh. Got. Shot. Riccochet, my friends, ric co chet. Major bummer. Such a bummer, I was in tears for three episodes.

CJ had a necklace torn from her neck in the shooting, and weeks later, it found its way back to her. She didn't remember, she'd blocked it out, but Sam (Rob Lowe) shielded her. So much for his wus liberal ass, he saved the cool girl who cracks wise to the press. Go, Sam! She also didn't know that Mark Harmon was there that night on the security detail, and she later fell in love with him, and *sigh* DF already told you how that ended. Here's a hint: Regarding Henry.

So, the president is injured but alright; the rest of the staff is good; Charlie (Dule Hill, who dated the pres's daughter, Zoe) is devastated that he was the target of the assault, but he's okay.

So far, this season has been less than thrilling. The wars going on in real life have reigned in the regular flippancy with which Sorkin and Schlamme put together a show. That zip and fire, fast-paced dialogue and comraderie between the youthful staff members, staffers who know the system and teach us a little and then hit us over the head with a line, has always been the appeal. For me, anyway.

I'm a fan of <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>The American President</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, for the most part, too. I just like the way Sorkin writes fallible as normal, and plops it into the heart and mind of a ridiculously powerful human being (just as Carville and Stefanopolous tried to do for Clinton - see, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>The War Room</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, a pret ty interesting documentary about the 1992 campaign). One campaign, and , voila! a formula is born.

And if ya didn't already know it, I love <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>SportsNight</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, the short-lived situation comedy ABC was ever blessed to broadcast into my likewise blessed home. I now set my alarm on Sundays to watch it on Comedy Central, chillin in my jammies, coffee in hand, at 7 am. Big Sorkin fan over here. Yo! If you watched the show, Jeremy (Natalie's boyfriend? Joshua Malina - love him) succeeded Sam as deputy chief of communications (Rob Lowe, who left because The Man wouldn't pay).

Anyway -

But formulas grow tired after a couple of seasons and dozens of shows. They might be trying something new now, perhaps easing into new writers, as I heard recently that Sorkin will leave the writing post on The West Wing. Wow, it hurt my fingers to type that. Some kind of dispute with NBC, I have no idea, but the point is, there's a chance they knew this was going to happen and haven't been dominating the writing process for awhile. Sorkin's no idiot, as soon as these wars started, he knew his time was limited on NBC. It's all about playing ball on NBC. Make nice-nice with the country.

I taped last season and the first part of this season of The West Wing for L.A. Liz, and somehow I've been missing the show over the last few months. Major re-runs got me out of the habit. So, reminded by a radio advertisement, and somehow duped into thinking it the season finale, I tuned in last week. Well! Zoe has been kidnapped, y'all, and the FBI lost a few terrorists they were keeping an eye on - hmm.

I have to say, there's some weird shit going on in this show, now that I'm paying attention to it all. Weird, weird shit.

First of all, Zoe has been seeing a French aristocrat or prince or something. Now, we have two angles to work with this Jean Paul dude, because Charlie (Dule) is in the mix. Jean Paul began as virile competition for Charlie, early in the season. He was there, Charlie was hurt, Zoe was all about JP, and it looked as though things were over between them.

Later on in the season, Charlie is all about getting Zoe back. Jean Paul wanders into Charlie's office in the West Wing, looking for Zoe (never would happen in real life, Charlie's office touches the Oval Office - which makes me think Sorking ain't driving the bus no more). They're to meet at some shin-dig in the White House, and he can't remember where he was supposed to meet her. He's high. He's five feet from the most powerful office in the world, and he's fucked up. No kidding. Oh, and he's French, don't forget!

So in the last ep, Zoe graduates from college, and she and Charlie meet before she goes to a party she's promised to attend. She arrives late, and her SS detail are on her like fly on poopie. JP is there, and already wasted. He drugs her drink with Exstacy ("just a little bit") and she feels unwell, and goes to the ladies room to splash her face with water.

There are four secret service in Zoe's detail. One out front, the sore thumb with the big car and big ass gun, wearing a suit; and the blenders - dressed down and posted, two inside with Zoe, one outside the alley entrance.

Zoe never reappears from the ladies room, and head guy eventually finds the alley watcher in a pool of blood, dead by gunshot to the head. Zoe is gone.

Zoe is gone, kidnapped presumably by terrorists, and it's the French guy's fault. NOT the FBI's, who lost the three in question, but the French guy's, because he put Exstacy in her drink, and she had to go to the ladies room, and from there she was kidnapped.

Weak. Weak. Weak. A not a little too pandering.

I'm wondering, though, if they'll lay off this little thing, Jean Paul's Frenchness and wreckless disregard for an American citizen's health and safety, not to mention an American President's health and safety, one that cost one life, and threatens the happiness and security of all Americans.

Maybe this is like that State Dinner, in <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>The American President</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, where the French were again the focus, boring and seemingly rude. Turns out, they wanted to have a dance, and no one even tried to speak their language, so they were *almost* dismissed as pains in the ass, but then, someone took a close look at what they said and did, and gave their idea a chance. Dance. Talk French. Drink their bubbly wine.

It's all very interesting, to say the least, to my perhaps overreading brain.

Let's see what they do with Jean Paul tonight, and maybe we can spend the summer thinking about it.

two words, highwaters.

Wedding Vows.

actually, they were going to be <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>thank</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> and <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>you</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> since you caught me up to speed so nicely and I had missed a few eps. here and there.

you're a doll. you're a Jem. you're a Jem doll.
<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.80schildren.com/television/jem.htm">www.80schildren.com/television/jem.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END-->

<p>Listen, you daughter! I have your asshole!
-A Life Less Ordinary</p>

Jem and the holograms. That's a cool link ya got there, Shoe!

I haven't had time to write about the finale yet, but ... woo!

Let me know if you haven't seen it yet, for I will warn of spoils.

Made me wonder, though, when they wrote that show. MmmHmm.

:|

But here's a fun sneak: John Goodman. Playing Mr. Speaker. Hell yeah. <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->Ewwww his hair! It just bothers me so much!</p>

So much West Wing discussion ... gone.

Anywho, tonight's repeat (which I'm watching this moment) is an all-time favorite. It's when Bartlett tells Josh to take Charlie out for a drink, and then Zoey, Malorie, and Sam join, and funny Secret Service kicking frat boy ass insues. It seems to me that it ends with Bartlett telling Zoey about the "nightmare scenario" that some 4 years later happens to a T.

"The President's daughter, the chief-of-staff's daughter, Sam, a Georgetown bar ... what could possibly go wrong?" - J. Lyman

post messed up. so frustrating, this board has become ...

I think that should be the subject header in every thread on every EzBoard for a month. Default.

I love that episode. "You took her to a bar?!"

I saw the financial disclosure episode last week. With Josh and his smoking jacket and cigarette case gifts. Eheh. That was one of those episodes when I wanted to brain Mandy.

(Does anyone know the actual verb definition of 'brain'? Because I'm not sure if that's for real, or if my mother just used it to sound horrific when she made her empty threats.)

Trying to get my West Wing levels holding at normal last week was impossible. Every time I left the room for any little thing, my brother would put on TV Land. Or Becker. Remember the Becker thing? I hope so, 'cuz that post is friggen gone, too.

It's Monday. Thank goodness. Marathon Mondays on Bravo. Did you know that, Kingsley? I know I mentioned West Wing Week last month, but every Monday is Marathon Monday. You need to get you some Bravo, mister! Right before NBC premieres the next season, Bravo runs the entire preceding season. I love the Bravo. So very much.

I was really hoping for the social cartographers last week. My dad's *this close* to loving the show, and that one would've hooked him for good.

He loves CJ. (He used to love DeeDee, too. "Ohhh, I was so bummed when she left!" Eheh.)

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULDN'T SCREAM IF THERE WERE PEOPLE AROUND!!!???"

:) Never break up with CJ in a restaurant. Or with Reese Witherspoon. Apparently.

Or me, for that matter!

Who <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>DOES</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> that!?

I'm so OT.

In two weeks I will begin my lazy summer travels to my sister's home in the D.C. area for a couple of weeks, and then to my folks house back in Ill. for a couple weeks as well. This means that during July I will be able to:

1) watch the West Wing on Bravo to my heart's content (and at my parent's it will be on their ghastly obscene but absolutely fabulous big screen HDTV)

2) Run around Washington D.C. pointing out that "oh! this is where Taft used to swim naked! and Oh! This is where Sam met his hooker friend!, etc., etc." I love mixing TV into my real life.