The Great West Wing Rewatch: 7.22 "Tomorrow"

Chris: What a year its been, am I right? It's been amazing to relive the Bartlet administration and witness the excitement of the Santos campaign once again. The last episode I talked about how resolution is more important than surprise to the ending of a show like West Wing but they still managed to hold onto one surprise and that being the pardon for Toby. However, it doesn't feel like a total surprise especially when Bartlet never seemed to be one to hold a grudge especially when Toby did what he did in the service and well-being of others. Add all of that and the personal relationship President Bartlet has with all of his top staff members and you get this notion where we all knew he was going to sign the pardon. Bartlet has a lot of great one-on-one moments with different members of the show but none felt more gratifying to watch than the one he has in the car with the First Lady as they leave when she says "you made it, you're still here." Typically the idea of simply surviving doesn't seem like much but given his underlying health concerns weaved throughout the entire show, it really does feel like a monumental achievement. And lastly, the biggest thing I always feel watching the finale is curiosity of how the Santos administration fared seeing as how in the West Wing universe, his presidency would've ended 2 years ago. This is another argument for a revisit to the West Wing world, even if it be for a movie or mini-series (something everybody involved in the show would like to do if Aaron Sorkin is involved, which he doesn't want to be). And speaking of, we finally get the Aaron Sorkin cameo during the inauguration and I'm curious if anyone managed to come up with a character for this cameo and why he would be on the podium for the inauguration. So much has been said about the masterpiece Aaron Sorkin created and ran for four years but John Wells doesn't get enough credit for the remaining three years after Sorkin left. Sure, season five wasn't great but season six and the campaign that weaved through that season and season seven was some of the most compelling television I've ever seen.

A good president thinks about tomorrow.

Joel: It’s no small feat to pull of a successful ending to a television show like The West Wing. I know we’ve been flying through the whole series in one year, but you have to remember, The West Wing had been a major television show for seven years now. Every single season was nominated for best drama of the year. It’s won a total of twenty-six Emmys, a record for most Emmys for a drama series that it shared all they way up until this year when Game of Thrones broke the record. There’s no doubt about it, seven years of The West Wing casts a long shadow on the rest of television, and now it’s time to figure out how to bring it to an end.

What the show decided to do is a small, graceful goodbye to the characters and the audience. There’s no “one last walk and talk,” no “one final Bartlet speech full of righteous anger.” I think I’ve used just about every possible variation of the phrase “fast paced” at some point in this recap, but this final episode slows things down, as if to let us savor these final moments that we will get with these characters.

There are dozens of small moments that I want to make mention of. The moment that Donna realized the room they were standing in was her office, it’s calm and sweet, but you know she is thinking back to the cubicle she was in at the start of the series. She’s worked hard, non stop for eight years and had finally gotten some of the recognition that she deserves.

There’s also the moment that Sam says “home sweet home” when the Santos people arrive. It’s a reminder that everyone in that shot has worked at The White House before, but a special reminder that this is where Sam was always meant to be. Circumstances outside the show pulled the character of Sam away from the White House, but now, he’s back where he belongs. We also get to watch the evolution of CJ’s story that began in the previous episode. While some people are gearing up to plunge head first into the thick of it, it’s time for some people’s story to move onward. CJ takes a moment in the press room which is incredibly touching, and then moves toward the next phase of her life.

I love the moment when Ronna is learning about her duties, but has to stop because she’s so overwhelmed by standing outside of The Oval Office. This is a character who you may not even remember her name. She’s been in several episodes, but always in the background with just a line or two while the big players like Josh and Santos argued. But I love that there’s a moment to acknowledge her and people like her, who worked as hard as they did, and sacrificed as much as they did to get to this point. That moment is a little overwhelming as she realizes where she is standing and what it means for her now.

We all knew that Matt Santos was going to say “What’s next?” in his final scene. There was no way they could get away with it if they didn’t have that line in there, but it fits the scene so naturally, and is asked so simply, it’s easy to miss it entirely if you aren’t paying attention. There’s no buildup of music or shift in his posture to signify the line is coming, just a simple “What’s next?” Santos isn’t trying to be the successor to Bartlet, he’s just naturally the best option, and he slides right into the role at once.

But in the final moments, we get the Bartlets heading home on a plane. I appreciate that the final scene is one of Jed Bartlet. Santos saying “What’s next?” could have been a great ending for the entire series, but as much as these past two seasons have been about the election, this was still aways a show about the Bartlet administration and it’s fitting that the final moment is Bartlet himself looking forward, toward tomorrow.