The Great West Wing Rewatch: 4.5 "Debate Camp"

Joel: For the most part season one of The West Wing shows everybody getting kicked around, and the Bartlet Administration in general not able to make any progress in their goals. However, the first season of the show covers the second year of Bartlet’s presidency, so when anybody mentions their rough first year they aren’t even talking about anything that we’ve seen yet. The flashbacks here are about the very beginning of the presidency, and we learn that things were going bad right from the very beginning. Leo mentions that in the first week, their approval rating went from a 61% to 49%. What we really get to see here is how much of a difference the four years has made in these characters. The contrast between the new, fresh faces, in the flashbacks and the more experienced characters in the debate camp is undeniable. These are people who have learned how to do their jobs and do them well. Yet, in a way it doesn’t matter. The thing that is tying the present to the past is a mistake made in their very first week and it’s still an issue that gets brought up almost four years later. It doesn’t matter that they are brand new to the White House. We expect them to perform flawlessly. Its an almost impossible expectation yet one that is clearly there. And something that they have to overcome when it comes to the debate.

Alexa: In general, flashback episodes are pretty hit or miss for me because in some cases they steer too far away from the central story arc, but The West Wing always utilizes them well. They serve as a supplement to the present-day storyline, providing further context for our core characters’ decisions. In this episode, it’s clear from the debate prep and strategy sessions that the president’s re-election campaign still has hurdles to cross. But in flashbacks to his first week in office, we see just how much he and the staff have grown in the past four years. They all have their “Bambi-esque” moments in those first few days. They fail to vet their attorney general candidate thoroughly enough, and the botched nomination haunts them even in the present. C.J. is still learning how to handle the pressroom, and poor sweet Donna falls for a prank pulled by her predecessor (thankfully, Josh and Donna’s banter hasn’t changed since the administration’s early days). Plus West Wing flashbacks mean the return of Mrs. Landingham, which is always a good thing. We also see how much Toby has evolved on a personal level. In the flashbacks, we can infer that his inability to juggle starting a family with his responsibilities at the White House marks the beginning of the end of his marriage to Andy, while in the present the two are expecting twins and he wants to remarry her. It’s easy to focus on Toby’s cynicism and sullenness, but Richard Schiff’s nuanced performance over the past three seasons proves that Toby is a man of many layers, someone who believes passionately in his convictions and ultimately wants to do what’s right, even if he makes a few missteps along the way. So #TeamTobyFTW.

Chris: We had heard towards the beginning of the show that the year prior didn’t exactly run smoothly for the first few weeks of the Bartlet campaign which was why in the first couple episodes, there was talk about politicians within the party expressing a desire to challenge a sitting president. All in all, the administration recovered and Bartlet regained the nomination fairly easily but in this episode, we see flashbacks on exactly how rough those first couple weeks were for them while we also see the beginnings of the cracks in Toby’s marriage and now, he’s trying to repair the relationship and remarry since Andy and Toby are now expecting twins. Being married to Toby couldn’t have been easy, especially once he began working at the White House and so I understand the hesitation on her behalf but seeing as how we see Toby in every episode and he has his charming moments, count me on Team Toby.

A good president uses the chief of staff’s office as a closet.