Irrelevant But Awesome

Joel:  This was the first episode of the show to air after the unexpected death of John Spencer, and the episode itself opens up with a segment where Martin Sheen deticates the upcoming set of episodes to the late actor. It’s fitting in some ways that this is the very next episode to air after Spencer’s death. In many ways, the character never quite recovered after the heart attack storyline. For years Leo has been the man in charge in every situation, and then we had that story. By the time Leo recovered and returned to the White House, it was like everyone had already moved on. Leo never really fell back into the swing of things. Then when he was added to the ticket, most of the Leo conversations revolved around whether or not he was up for the challenge, his addiction and health problems being frequently cited. But in this episode, we finally get to be reminded that Leo is really good at what he does. It’s the first time we get to see him back in full form, and he performs...

Joel:  When we first came up with the idea of doing this recap of The West Wing , it was based around the idea of spending an election year with television’s idea version of what the presidency and politics could be like. We of course had no idea at the time that the 2016 campaign season would be what it had become. And now, five and a half seasons later of the show, we get to the point where they are electing a new president just as is happening in real life. Which leads me to talk about Senator Vinick. He comes out of this episode looking the best. He’s the only one of the three candidates in the show to stand by his previous statements on ethanol, and to stand by what he truly believes. He’s the one that comes out looking the strongest by the end of the episode. I really love that this is the type of opponent that they went with the second time around. The only other republican presidential candidate we get to meet is during Bartlet’s reelection, and in that case we get a b...

Joel:  This episode opens up with CJ’s apartment being overrun with people who are in charge of her security. There are members of the secret service, there are people with plans in case of an attack on the White House, and all of this makes you wonder, if there is supposed to be this much security for the Chief of Staff, then doesn’t that make Leo getting lost in the woods for so long even less believable? It’s nice to get a “in over their head” episode again. Back at the beginning of the show, there was so much emphasis placed on how busy everyone was all the time at the White House. It’s one of the recurring themes of the show, often shown through the walk and talk scenes. But as the show had progressed over the years, we’ve gotten used to the fast pace, and it doesn’t seem as out of control as it once did. But now we have CJ in a new position and is serves as a good reminder as to just how busy these people are, all the time. We also meet Matthew Santos for the first t...

This episode raises so many questions. Like Leo wandering around in the woods without anybody knowing where he is. Is it even possible for the White House chief of staff to be alone in the wilderness for such a long period of time. Doesn’t somebody need to be with him, or at the very least know where he’s supposed to be? How long was he out there? It felt like hours. And what’s with this swim test that Charlie is supposed to be taking? What kind of school is this? Does Georgetown really require a swim test for people to be able to graduate? (I actually checked and no, Georgetown hasn’t required a swim test in years.) I also want to take a moment to mention Bartlet’s reaction to finding out about Leo. We’ve had to go through several episodes now where Leo and Bartlet haven’t been seeing eye to eye. This has gone from a comment here and there, to an all out argument throughout this storyline. More than one argument in fact. Chris has talked about how unfun it is to watch Leo a...

Joel:  It’s pretty obvious that this storyline was very heavily influenced by the War on Terror that was going on in real life at the time. So many of Bartlet’s scenes in the final episode of season five and this episode are about how his response can have ramifications that will impact the country for the next decade or more. There is a point where someone suggests that while America is retaliating, they should bomb Iran as well, and they would find a connection to the Gaza attack later. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this aired only two months after America first entered Iraq in 2004.  What’s all the more interesting to watching this storyline unfold a decade after it first aired. Early on in the series, Sam had a monologue about the internet and where it was headed. That scene is often pointed to with people commenting on how right The West Wing ended up in its predictions, but the show got a lot right here as well. It’s almost uncomfortable to listen to Bartlet...

Joel:  It’s very hard to distinguish what happened in this episode and what happened in the next one. They very much blur together. So I’m going to save most of the commentary on the bombing storyline for the next episode’s recap, and right now focus on Donna’s new guy here. So we’ve been teasing the eventual Josh and Donna relationship for a very long time now, pretty much since the very first episode. While I won’t say that it was a planned the whole time, it’s been clear for a while that this would be addressed at some point in the show. And it feels like after several failed relationships for both, we’re finally approaching the point where it’s going to be addressed by the characters. And this character of Colin seems like he’s introduced to be that one last speed bump that we have to get over. A smart, funny guy that is perfect enough to be dedicating his life to an important, noble cause. The set up is all there. Josh crosses the sea to check on Donna only to see her k...

Joel:  The West Wing is very much an ensemble show and has never really had a main character. It would make sense that a show about the West Wing would have the president be the main character, but that clearly isn’t the case with this show. It seems like Sam was initially intended to be the lead character, after all Rob Lowe got top billing in the opening credits, but it’s hard to argue that there was ever a time that he was the main character of the show. If anybody was the main character, most people would argue Josh for the first part, after all, we spend so much time with him that he’s the only one who’s assistant gets credited in the theme song. However, as the show goes on, CJ has become more and more a stand in for the viewer, often the one who’s having to figure out how complex policy and politics can be broken down to layman terms. She also seems to be the one that often has a scene in every subplot of an episode because they all have to go through the press room. I...

Joel:  Ok, this feels like a good old classic episode of West Wing. One where there is a clear problem, an ideal answer that will never work, some clever and unique plan that works out and our heroes are able to make real progress in making the country a better place. What’s more this episode has a great deal of focus of the political aspect of the Supreme Court appointments, something that was already addressed in the first season. Frequently when political issues are brought up on the show, the extremes are often condemned as the reasons for the biggest problems in the country, especially when they refuse to compromise on principle. However, in this case, it is the moderate attitudes that are condemned as the biggest issue that’s making the country run ineffectively. The two people who are considered the solution to this problem are one extreme liberal and an extreme conservative. Instead of being portrayed as stubborn, they are both being hailed in the episode as intellig...

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 ...

Joel:  Most people can agree that the fifth season of The West Wing is one of, if not the weakest season of the series. And most of the credit/blame goes to the fact that it’s the first season without Sorkin outlining and writing most of the episodes every year. But nobody really takes the time to look into exactly where the replacement writers went wrong trying to emulate Sorkin. Now halfway through the first Sorkin free season I think that one of the biggest issues here is that the fifth season is relying far too much on military and foreign power stories to try and capture the dramatic feel. It seems that every other episode, this one included is about Bartlet having to address something that could easily turn into a full blown war if not handled very carefully. This episode dealt with a spy plane crashing into North Korea and trying to get the men out safely. An earlier episode dealt with a new country testing nuclear weapons. I’m not saying that these aren’t important i...

Joel:  Most of the time I really love the politics aspect of this show. I love the back and forth of “I’ll give you this favor if you're willing to move of that issue.” I love when they discuss how a certain story is going to play in the media, or how best to spin a  certain story to make themselves look good. I love the political pundit segments where each side tries to outshine the other to convince the American public that their views are the correct views. For the most part, this show makes the politics part of being/working for the President seem really cool. But every now and then I just want to punch politics in the face. This whole episode is about a deal that almost falls apart in the final scene because the two sides can’t agree on who the White House should have approached first. That is to say, both sides agree on the content of the deal but they are both so intent on looking the best in the media, that they’re both willing to let the whole thing die. I can o...

Joel:  Now that all of the election story has passed, it feels like we’re finally getting back to the process of making deals and compromises in an effort to get one or two votes in the senate to go one way instead of the other. We even get the part where Josh is about to push for something crazy, and The President has to talk him down by saying they’re not going to win this one, but that’s ok. It’s like season one all over again. Really though, what strikes me the most in this episode is Donna talking to Ellen, the Chief of Staff for Senator Hardin about working for Josh. It’s one of the most effective “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” speeches I’ve ever seen, but it also shows a little bit into the lives of the people who work under the famous faces. Yes, I know that’s more or less what the entire show is about, but it’s a reminder that for everyone working in the White House, this isn’t just a job where you do what your boss tells you to do simply because they’re your...

Joel:  The Hoynes storyline in this episode is upsetting. Not for the character himself, but because it shows a reality of Washington. The Presidential election cycle just ended. It’s going to be four years before another election is held. We are literally as far away from a Presidential election as we can get, and yet for Hoynes (and I’m sure several other people in Washington) it’s time to start campaigning all over again. Sure it’s not the “Vote for me,” on the road type of campaigning we see during the actual year of an election, but make no mistake, it’s still campaigning. I remember being a kid and thinking that four years was forever (mind you, I was six at the time so it was two thirds of my lifetime) and surely we needed to hold elections at least every year. But now, it seems like half of the first four years is focused on getting the second four years. And even then, some of the second four years is focused on the making sure the next guy is from the same party. A...

Joel:  There’s a lot that’s going on in the show right now, what with the election happening, Sam getting ready to leave the show, a new character being introduced, and the thing that really sticks out for me in this episode is the $400 dollar ashtray. A stat like that sounds like something that would come up during an election. A creative way to look at an opponent’s budget so that their ideas will look silly to the voters. You the kind of ad that says something like “Candidate X’s proposed budget is so ludicrous, that it allows $400 to be spent on every ashtray in the pentagon.” even though we all not that some fancy math was done to make the numbers come out that way. Then to see that a supporter of said candidate not only doesn’t refute the idea of a $400 dollar ashtray but in fact defends the idea, seems straight out of left field. With a hundred guesses I never would have come up with a reason why an army ashtray should cost so much, yet the second it’s presented I, l...

This week, the IBA Studios YouTube account has been busy with the continuation of Chris painstakingly trudging through Pokemon while Joel and Neil continue to be pricks about the whole thing. Also, the crew began a new series with Canadian heartthrob, Blair, joins us in our attempt to create the perfect presidential candidate to bring down the evil Donald Trump. While you're enjoying those videos, be sure to subscribe to IBA Studios on YouTube to be sure to not miss next week's action.

Joel: I t’s interesting that by this point in the story, there’s not really a question as to who is going to win the election. We know going into the episode that it is all but certain that Bartlet will have a second term. There is even some talk about not bothering to write a concession speech, he is that far ahead in the polls. It’s not that an election with that wide of a margin for victory isn’t possible, or even very likely, I know that it’s happened plenty of times in the past, but this is a TV show after all. This episode was written well after the 2000 election as well, so the idea of an entire presidential election coming down to a handful of votes in a single state, is a very real possibility. But instead, a TV show, where we would expect a dramatic, down to the wire election, instead portrays it as little more than a routine thing that just has to be gotten out of the way. Fortunately, we have the other election to bring drama to the episode. I’ll have more to say a...

Joel:   I remember that I was in the sixth grade when I watched my first presidential debate. I was so excited for it. Here we go, the two candidates for the president standing in the same room together. They would be able to go back and forth, compare their plans and policies to their opponents, there would be retorts and rebuttals, I couldn’t wait. I thought that for sure, the presidential debate would be the biggest moment in the campaign, after all both candidates would have to hold up to intense scrutiny, not only from their opponent, but from a thought moderator as well. Imagine my disappointment when I actually started watching the debate. This was no debate. This was just two guys politely taking turns while they made the same campaign speeches I had already heard. And everybody was nodding along like we had all agreed to pretend that this was an actual debate. From the moment Bartlet began, I knew that this is what I wanted out of a debate. People here to debate, ...

Welcome to a special edition of Kue's List! From time to time, I'll be posting curated playlists that are theme-based specials outside of the weekly ones. This time, our list involves the incomparable Michael Jackson at his most melodically revolutionary. Although MJ is known as the rhythmic king of pop, he's definitely voiced his political and social opinions over the decades (many heavily directed against the status quo and the system that maintains it). So, without further adieu, here's "Mike Jack Gets You Woke AF", with playlist links for Apple Music and Spotify. Jam Scream (Duet with Janet Jackson) Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' They Don't Care About Us Another Part of Me Black or White Superfly Sister Man in the Mirror Keep the Faith Click for Apple Music link Click for Spotify link