The Great West Wing Rewatch: 2.13 "Bartlet's Third State of the Union"

Joel: A lot of the big things in this episode are undercut by the buildup for the next episode. We learn about an issue with five captured DEA agents that will really blow up in the next episode, but for now that storyline is all buildup. What we do learn, is that at some point, probably before any campaigning really started, there was a deal made between the Bartlet’s that should Jeb Bartlet win the election, he would only be serving one term. That is a big turn from where the series seemed to be headed up until this point. Of course, watching the show today, you know that he had to run for a second term because there’s seven seasons and only four years in one presidential term, but even before the reveal in this episode, it seemed clear that Bartlett was planning to be an eight year president. The Bartlet administration spent a lot of time in the first season getting kicked around, because they were trying to play nice, knowing that they still had one more election to win. In “Let Bartlet Be Bartlet” last season, Leo says that all of his actions are those of someone trying to not be a one term president. In the same episode, Bartlet says that something is more important that re-election, implying that he had at that point a plan to at least run for a second term. I don’t think this is a case of Bartlet lying to his wife from the beginning, but rather one where an idea for a small storyline was thought up in the second season that didn’t quite fit in with some lines from the first season. If I had been watching one episode a week instead of three, it’s likely that enough time would have passed, that I wouldn’t have noticed that small discrepancy, but that’s what happens when you go through seven seasons of television in one year.

Chris: After starting the season off with a 2-parter, we get another pair right here towards the middle of the season as well to hammer home the importance of Bartlet’s State of The Union as well as note the importance that the idea of running for a 2nd term is a real consideration, even if he hasn’t run it by his wife yet. I suppose it’s easy to make a deal to only serve one term as president before you take office and realize just how short and how little can be accomplished in four years even when you hold one of the most powerful positions in the world. Even here in the real world, we’re seeing the 3rd straight two term president come to a close and it feels like less and less has been done or changed as each term passes. I’m not sitting here and calling for the removal of 2 term limits but the election cycle seems to be eating up more and more time that the president almost running for re-election the moment they take the oath. So with West Wing, when you have someone like Bartlet, a man of true conviction with the strong belief that he can do something to make the country better, it seems impossible that his secret MS would stop him from getting another chance to do some good.

A good president reassures young staffers wearing only bathrobes that they weren’t hired because they are sex kittens.