The Great West Wing Rewatch: 5.22 "Memorial Day"

Joel: The bombing in the last episode is really what drives the plot for the end of the fifth season and the beginning of the sixth one. I’ve already written about the issue with the fifth season relying too heavily on foreign conflict storylines in an effort to raise the stakes, but I understand that’s what you end the season on. After all the show ended its very first season by shooting the President, so there’s a precedent set here that you go big at the end of the year. But what really saves this episode is seemingly random storyline about Bartlet having to throw the first pitch at a baseball game. There’s a scene in this episode where Bartlet is standing in a hallway practicing throwing the first pitch with Charlie and Toby. The scene is a bit of comic relief, but the show doesn't treat it that way. This isn’t another butterball turkey scene where it’s funny to watch the President spend way too much time focusing on something bizarre. No the focus here is still firmly planted on Gaza and the bombing. It’s a conversation that could have easily taken place in The Oval Office or even The Situation Room. But by putting it in some hallway where the President has to practice pitching with the bulletproof vest on it has a unique way of humanizing the whole thing. These people aren’t handing down righteous justice from above. No, they are still less than perfect people, just trying to do the best thing for the country and the world. And when The West Wing hits this tone just right, it’s when the show works the best.

Chris: This was one of those situations where the show and reality were mirroring each other as this episode was arguably a nod to President George Bush throwing out the first pitch in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series in New York about a month after 9/11. It was a grand political maneuver both stateside and internationally. Just like in reality, we're on the heels of a tragedy at the hands of terrorists and a lot of questions are floating around unanswered and the country needed to see a confident president. And it was simply a gesture that had little impact on actual policy or battle strategy but it was big to appease an unsettled American public. I am glad the big shocking thing happened in the previous episode because the big cliffhanger worked for season 1 with the shooting but you don't want to dip into that well too many times but instead, the season five finale did more to set up season six. You get hints of a divide between Bartlett and Leo, the Palestinian Prime Minister inviting himself to a peace summit that doesn't exist but soon will. Ultimately, I'm glad we're done with season five as it was about the show finding it's new non-Sorkin identity and the next 2 seasons still have their bumps but it goes way smoother.

A good president throws from the mound.