That's roughly how I felt when I realized the gap between blog posts. I'm going to do my best to catch up.
Yes, Ainsley meets the President, and brings great shame to her family's name, and gives us the incredible line, said by Bartlet:
"I never even knew we had a nightclub down here."
This is really part one of a two part episode, taking place just before and in the 24 hours after the President's Third State of the Union Address. We get Joey Lucas back in a room with Josh, and to make it more romantic, we even dim the lights (well, the power goes out, but close enough). More telling, though, is Josh's confusion over Donna encouraging him to ask Joey Lucas out. It's as though he is realizing and clueing the audience in on their mutual affection. Don't hold your breath, though. The "will they or won't they" will go on for some while.
One bombshell that is dropped is that it's clear that Mrs. Bartlet and the President had an agreement that he would not seek reelection, and the State of the Union was clearly altered to establish his candidacy. Why they had a deal isn't made clear because he has to focus on the crisis in Columbia, where several DEA agents have been taken hostage. It's a busy night, made more so by the fact that "Capital Beat"is broadcasting live from the White House, and there is a rash of freshly painted and poorly marked benches. For the record, the "Sculpture Garden" mentioned is actually the First Lady's Garden, known since 1965 as the Jackie Kennedy Garden. It is located symmetrically to the Rose Garden:
During the Clinton years (on which the show roughly bases it's concept of the White House, grounds and all), Hillary Clinton installed a sculpture exhibit of American sculptors- during which time it was sometimes referred to as the "Sculpture Garden." Different First Ladies have used it for different purposes- Michelle Obama doubled down on her initiative for Healthy Eating by creating a produce garden, and Laura Bush had roses that were named for her grown there. Finally, here's a picture of the offending bench. I cannot comment on the freshness of the paint in the picture provided, or on the clarity of sign postings that might have indicated said fresh paint:
Moving on from the Garden tour, I'm always interested when The West Wing employs tactics to change the format of the show. In this case, we have the trope (sorry, I listened to a lot of NPR, so now I'm using the word "trope" whenever possible) of a Show Within a Show. Hardly an original idea- on stage, Shakespeare had "The Most Lamentable Comedy, and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe" in the middle of "A Midsummer's Night Dream," Leoncavallo had "Pagliacci," and "Kiss me Kate" is home to "The Taming of the Shrew." Television has no shortage of Shows Within Shows- more recently, the successful "30 Rock," and let's not forget Sorkin's own "Sports Night."
It's an incredibly useful device, allowing the audience to see "behind the scenes" and giving the writers multiple layers of reality to create dialogue for, as well as natural transitions. We get to see CJ talking to the host on and off camera, Josh is watching the show from the phone banks, Ainsley is shown before, on and after her segment, Toby comments on his performance with the First Lady, and the episode ends not with a "to be continued" that makes viewers groan with displeasure at having to wait a week (remember those pre-Netflix Binge-watching days?), but with the host of Capital Beat talking to both the real and fictional audience as he introduces his next segment, which dissolves into commercial. It's an incredibly useful device; though I'm not sure if the Show within a Blog is as effective:
So, if you're just joining us, we're discussing the second season of "The West Wing," and we're just beginning to see some of the plotlines that will continue throughout the......
What's Next? S2e14- The War at Home
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