Chris: The show's come a long way since the "you can't walk away, you're too good at this" moment in reference to Santos' ability to master political chess and that's why nobody really sees the call to the Chinese government as a strategic move, at least not one that's in conjunction with the Bartlet administration. In actuality, it still isn't but it's more like covert play between Bartlet himself and Santos knowing that Bartlet doesn't have enough time to see the situation through. I had forgotten about this aspect of this episode but I do remember feeling odd about Bartlet not having an exit strategy because that seems so unlike the president but in truth, he and Santos is playing everybody. And we've seen Josh break down mentally going into the stretch of the campaign, the height being election night while also having to immediately deal with the death of his mentor in Leo. I know a week is all the Santos administration can afford but I still feel like Josh needs way more than that. Either way, Josh is running a bit off the rails without that close individual he can confide in now that Leo is gone. I don't know how Donna doesn't qualify as someone Josh will listen to and confide in, maybe that's something the two of them need to figure out but for now, Sam Seaborn is back to be that voice of reason Josh needs very badly.
A good president taps the phones of the next president.
Joel: I know that we were cheering for Santos to win the election this whole time, but part of me would love to see an alternate timeline version of these last few episodes where Vinick was the president elect. Having a republican incumbent replacing a sitting democratic president would have added an interesting layer to a lot of the moments we witness throughout the transition. As is, we still get to see some interesting moments where the new guy is ready to hit the ground running and start in on the work that he was elected to do, but we have to remember that he isn’t quite president yet, and we still have a current president with a job that isn’t quite done yet.
On the Josh storyline, I have to say, this show seems to never run out of ways to show us how hectic and nonstop it is to work at the highest levels of government. Much like the early episodes of the series, the episodes when CJ was promoted, and pretty much any episode where a new character was experiencing the bustle of the White House for the first time, we are presented with a character overwhelmed by the impossible amount of work they’re asked to do as the world whizzes by non-stop. What I really liked about this time, is that somebody actually acknowledged the potential negative impact that this kind of work environment can have on a person. The fast pace is one of the defining elements of the show, and for seven years we’ve seen this group of people look awesome by being incredibly competent at a variety of very difficult jobs, but I like that we have a reminder here, as Josh is about to ramp up for another four years of the exact same thing, that sometimes a vacation isn’t the worst thing in the world.
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