Irrelevant But Awesome

Joel:  The end of this episode is just a massive punch in the gut. This is an issue that is clearly close to CJ. And she’s in the right to feel the way she feels at the end. But just because she’s in the right, that doesn’t make the other side of the argument wrong. It’s the real world, and the real world is complicated. There is almost never a clearly marked line between right and wrong. Everyone on the show is smart enough to see both sides of the issue, and everyone knows that there is no perfect solution here. But that doesn’t make it any easier to watch CJ almost break down at the end of the show before clearing her face and doing her job like everything is completely fine with the news that she is having to deliver. The only acknowledge we get at the end in a brief moment where Toby locks eyes for a brief second with CJ across the room as she’s making the announcement. There are no words exchanged, and it’s not that Toby thinks CJ is right and everyone else is wrong. I...

Welcome to Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Miike Snow - "Genghis Khan" Bibi Bourelly - "Sally" Shakka - "Say Nada (feat. JME) [Remix]" Colours - "Monster" Dreezy - "Body (feat. Jeremih)" MUNA - "Winterbreak" Sampa the Great - "Blue Boss" The 1975 - "UGH!" Tinashe - "Ride of Your Life" Skepta - "Ladies Hit Squad (feat. D Double E & ASAP Nast)" Can't Swim - "Right Choice" RIVRS - "Friend Lover" Click for Apple Music link Click for Spotify link

Joel:  It took twenty years, but it seems like WWE has finally figured out how to make a good WrestleMania. Not that this is the first good Mania or even the best one so far. The three before this one all all probably better quality than XX was itself, but up until this point WrestleMania quality seemed to vary wildly from year to year. If we take WrestleMania X7 as an example (which at this point is still the best WrestleMania we’ve seen so far) watching that show, it feels like all the stars had to align just so and everything had to happen exactly when it did for the show to come out as good as it was. It’s finally starting to feel like WWE has figured out what makes a good and a bad WrestleMania as a whole and aren’t relying so much on hoping things work out. WrestleMania has been good for a few shows now and that streak of WrestleManias are more good than bad is going to run till about WrestleMania 27. The incredibly long runtime on this particular WrestleMania can m...

Joel:  We’ve finally made it you guys. We’ve finally gotten to the scene in The West Wing where the President calls the official Butterball hotline. It’s strange how this one little scene is so fondly remembered by fans of the show, but there’s no question that it’s one of the highlights of the season for many people. I think because in a way, this scene very much encompasas the charm of The West Wing. We have Bartlet at his most Bartlet here, filled to the brim with random facts about something obscure, and sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is correct. We have him caring about a silly idea way too much (the idea of a Thanksgiving themed hotline) only to have Charlie simply and politely inform him of something he never knew before (that such a hotline already exists). Then comes the phone call where Bartlet and company stumble through trying to pull off the idea of Bartlet being Joe Bethersonton from North Dakota. Bartlet’s confidence in himself shines through despi...

Joel:  One of the fun things about The West Wing, is how even though it’s a show about people who either work for the most powerful man on earth or who are the most powerful man on earth, their problems can still remind you of your own, even when it comes to issues at work. As I watch CJ trying to make sure there is some sort of response in store for the “Why do you want to be President?” question, I’m reminded of plenty of times where something in my life seem to be so much of a given, that nobody really worries about it until it comes up for real and everyone realized that nobody is prepared at all. While on one hand it’s alarming that things get missed by the people who are supposed to be in charge of keeping our government from crumbling to the ground, on the other hand it can be comforting to watch, knowing that it doesn’t happen to just you. I also love the time the episode takes to highlight the loopholes being used to finance campaign ads. Trust me, as we continue...

Joel:  This WrestleMania had several firsts for the show. This was the first WrestleMania after the company switched from WWF to WWE. (If you watch the show on the WWE Network, even though the WWF scratch logos have been unblurred, there are a few cases here where they remain blurred in footage of past WrestleManias.) But it’s also the first WrestleMania after the Brand Extension, which means that the show was presented as two separate rosters coming putting on one giant show. This leads to a somewhat clunky feeling as we bounce between the two rosters, but it’s not a huge issue. I think this may have also been the first time that Undertaker’s streak was mentioned by the show. It was little more than a throwaway line by the commentary saying that Undertaker was 10-0 but still, it’s going to be shaping up to be its own thing in the next couple of years. The match quality is impressive for the show as well. Chris Jericho has is best WrestleMania appearance to date and the same...

Joel:  I hate that there weren’t more “Big Block of Cheese Day” episodes on this show. It was such a fascinating look at some of the bizarre ideas that can crop up when it comes to the government. (Not necessarily bad ideas mind you, but clearly some that are coming out of left field.) Still, we do occasionally get subplots that would have been worthy of “Big Block of Cheese Day” episodes, and Sam trying to figure out a reason why we can’t eliminate the penny is a good one.It's been nothing but heavy episodes this season, and the same can be said for the last couple of episodes last season, so its nice to see Sam dealing with that can be considered a "light" issue, at least in the grand scheme of things. One that is just off the wall enough that you never would have considered it yourself, but comes with oddly compelling reasons from the person presenting it. It's no "Big Block of Cheese Day," but its something of a small consolation prize. ...

Joel:  Last episode we saw that the White House is getting hit in several different directions. They say it plenty of times, but currently, with everything that’s going on, the White House is weak, and people all over Washington are trying to take advantage of it. That the case at the start of this episode when we learn that an override attempt is taking place. Which is why I love the whole “throwing an elbow” concept they talk about in this episode. This is the episode where our guys stand and fight. And I don’t just mean on the veto. Sure it’s great that Sam and Toby figure out a way to not only get the votes they need, but do it in a way where they’re not being held hostage by a Congressman trying to take advantage of the situation. But “elbow throwing” is all throughout this episode. CJ’s storyline is a great example. You have a reporter trying to get one over, and CJ shuts the whole thing down completely and thoroughly. Any other reporter in the room will think twice ab...

Joel:   It’s hard to go into WrestleMania X8 right after having seen the previous one. X7 after all was the best WrestleMania to date and pretty much defines what a WrestleMania event could be. It’s going to be hard to be compared to that, no matter what kind of card you’ve put together. And if you judge it on its own merit, WrestleMania X8 is still a pretty good show. And they tried to put together a fantastic card. The title is now the undisputed title to add to the gravity of the main event match. And you have Hogan showing up for the first WrestleMania in almost ten years which genuinely felt like a big deal. It doesn’t quite live up to the feeling and the momentum of last years show, but then again, I’m not sure how it could. The biggest complaint I have (other than the number being X8 which is just as stupid as X7 was last year) was not letting Hogan and Rock go on last. That just feels like the epic showdown that’s worthy of being the main event. It’s Icon vs. Icon. A...

Joel:  We’ve spent a lot of time addressing the potential political backlash of the whole MS scandal, but this episode, for the first time, really gets to unpack the legal issues that are going to come along with it as well. The subpoenas are sent out and we get a scene of Donna having to go through boxes and boxes to try and find all the information that’s being requested. The show is going out of it’s way here to stress the severity of what this can mean legally. Scenes like this happen several times throughout the end of last season and the beginning of this one, just to show the insurmountable amount of information that is going to be scrutinized over. However this is, at it’s heart, a show about the politics of it all, and CJ has the idea that if they can get an “enemy” to do some investigating, it can cast the White House in a more positive light in the public eye, which is a purely political move. Elsewhere we learn that the Estate tax/Death tax might get repealed...

Joel:  Because of the way that this episode and the last one are structured (and because they are basically parts one and two of the same episode) we are introduced to a few new characters halfway through this episode long after we’ve seen them in action already. I’m talking about Bruno along with the two people he brought with him, Connie and Doug. These three have been brought on board to help run the campaign because this time around, in addition to running for President, our main guys also have a country to run. It’s interesting that we still get to see the introductory meetings between Bruno and Leo and the President. We already know that Bruno will be working with the campaign. We’ve seen it in the segments that take place four weeks later. We already know that there will be issues with the strategies that he and his people are presenting. But it’s important we get to see Bruno’s introduction. He’s about the be working with a lot of very smart people in a very fast pac...

Welcome to the premiere of Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: LION BABE - "Where Do We Go" SWMRS - "Drive North" Mike Posner - "I Took a Pill in Ibiza (SeeB Remix)" Tory Lanez - "LA Confidential" Nothing but Thieves - "Ban All the Music" RAT BOY - "MOVE" Christine and the Queens - "Tilted" Amir Obe - "Before the Vomit" Mya - "Welcome to My World" Vic Mensa and Skrillex - "No Chill" River Tiber - "West (feat. Daniel Caeser)" FKA Twigs - "Good to Love" Shura - "Touch" Click for Apple Music link Click for Spotify link

Welcome to the premiere of Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Craig David and Big Narstie - "When the Bassline Drops" Courts - "Glass Half Empty" The Range - "Florida" Ayo Jay - "Your Number (feat. Fetty Wap)" Rihanna - "Work (feat. Drake)" Jahkoy - "Odd Future" Majid Jordan - "Day and Night" AlunaGeorge - "I'm in Control (feat. Popcaan)" Panic! at the Disco - "Death of a Bachelor" Bishop - "River" ZAYN - "Pillowtalk" Click for Apple Music Link Click for Spotify Link

Joel:  This episode picks up immediately following the season two finale, even reusing some of the same footage from that previous episode. Right off the bat, all of our main characters are pumped. A press conference that they thought was going to end their time in the White House, instead resulted in the President boldly declaring that he would not only be seeking a second term but that he would be winning the election as well. The episode bounced back and forth between the immediate fallout of the press conference and four weeks later on the eve of President Bartlet officially launching his re-election campaign. This helps to show how in just a month of dealing with everything, how beaten down everyone has gotten. Everyone who was so pumped up following the press conference is now worn out and tired of going over the same things a hundred times. We are introduced to three new characters who we don’t know much about yet, but they seem to be trying to work on the re-election...

Joel:   Let me say up front that the title X-Seven for seventeen is dumb. It has that feel of doing it cause the kids will think it looks cool. It was strange back then, and it’s just as bad now a decade and a half later. Also, the intro video felt off. The past few video packages that started off WrestleMania have been about the history and the prestige of the event itself, and have made the show feel like a big deal. The “Celebration of Life” video package that goes with this WrestleMania feels strangely disconnected from the rest of the show. But other than those two, very small complaints, this WrestleMania is a pretty perfect example of what WrestleMania can be when it reaches its full potential.  This is a moment in wrestling history where the stars aligned just perfectly, and one of the greatest events of all time was pulled off. Rock and Stone Cold, two of the most successful men to ever wrestle were both at the top of their game. TLC had just been introduced ...