Irrelevant But Awesome

Joel:  This episode sticks out from the rest of the show. For the first time we get an episode without any scenes with The President at all. In fact only three of the main cast members appear in this episode. The bulk of the episode takes place far away from Washington, and except for the few phone calls between CJ and Toby, there’s no real discussion about world events, politics or any of the things you would expect in a show about The West Wing. It’s also an episode that wasn’t written by Sorkin, but instead by a guest writer. I’ll admit, that usually when I’m going through The West Wing again, this will be one of the episodes I skip. It’s not that relevant to the parts of the show that I love, and it’s not exactly an easy episode to sit through. But it’s still an important episode. While not as high numbers as the third season, the West Wing was still reaching easily over ten million views per episode, and it took advantage of being able to reach an audience of that siz...

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:  Most of Sorkin’s characters tend to have issues with their fathers. In each of his shows, at least one person seems to be estranged from their father, had issues as a child, or something that will cause a problem when their father shows up. In The West Wing we already have Bartlet’s father issues that we’ve explored in great detail, and Sam’s issue with his father which took up an episode in an earlier season. Charlie’s father abandoned his family. Now, Toby’s father is showing up, and what do you know? There is a strained relationship between the two and Toby wants nothing to do with his father. Not that Toby’s issues with his father aren’t valid, but you have to notice the recurring theme of sons disappointed in their fathers that seems to ring true through this whole show. In other news, Danny’s back! I’m honestly quite thrilled to have Danny back, but we only get fun Danny for maybe one scene before it’s all business, and Danny is going to uncover the secret eve...

Joel:  It can be tricky having a character on a show who has “good writer” as one of the main characteristics. Sure you can have other characters go around saying how good of a writer they are and what great things have happened because people have been moved by their writing, but when you actually present their writing, it has to be good. It’s similar to “funny” characters in shows or movies. Just because you cut to a laughing crowd when they tell a joke, if the audience watching the show at home doesn’t find the joke funny, then the character’s going to ring false. Fortunately for Sorkin, he happens to be a good writer himself, so usually when Toby or Sam need to present their writing, it’s usually something good. But there’s an interesting moment where Will and Toby tear apart each other’s writing style. I wonder if Sorkin is intentionally trying to have different writing styles for different characters, or if these are criticisms that other people have said about his writ...

Welcome to Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Still Parade - "Chamber" Kali Uchis - "Only Girl (feat. Steve Lacy & Vince Staples)" Jordan Fisher - "All About Us" Post Malone - "Go Flex" Jonah Kue - "Ready to Go" Hotel Garuda - "Smoke Signals" Tei Shi - "Bassically" Innanet James - "Summer" Fetty Wap - "Wake Up" Fruit Bats - "Humbug Mountain Song" HANA - "Underwater" Click for Apple Music link Click for Spotify link

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...