The Great West Wing Rewatch: 5.15 "Full Disclosure"
Joel: The character of Hoynes was never the strongest part of the show. In some ways he was supposed to be the contrast to Bartlet’s high ideals by being more of a realist, but Leo more often than not would be the one to voice those thoughts on the show. As a result, Hoynes seemed to switch personalities and motivations depending on what each specific episode needed from him. Sometimes his prime focus was his eventual presidential run, to the point where he would ignore the wishes of the president if something would make him look better in the long run. Other days, he would stick his neck out for Leo or Bartlet simply because it was the right thing to do. Maybe it’s better to say that Hoynes is a complicated character. And while his actions might not always line up perfectly with his character motivations, it’s not a terrible things. Complicated characters should be attempted and even if they don’t always work out perfectly, that should deter writers from trying to put them ...