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 ...