After watching last night's West Wing it's obvious that these two things will happen in the season premiere next fall:
1. Alan Alda will become the next actor to play the President of the United States. I couldn't be happier with this casting.
2.Toby will be seen wearing an orange jump suit for leaking knowledge of a top-uber-secret military space shuttle program to the press.
What remains a mystery is how the writers will shuffle the rest of the cast into retirement without changing the show's fast pace and turning into a small end-of-show soap opera.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
i was looking forward to the show all day yesterday, and then went home and completely forgot about it until just after it ended. doh! the whole election thing has been kind of anticlimactic, since jimmy smits already has a new show next season, but i'm really looking forward to alan alda, too.
Why Alda, necessarily? That's what they want you to think. Smits is in the credits, after all... I think that in true West Wing fashion, they've set Santos up for an impossible comeback... just like every other episode this season.
And isn't C.J. is the one they seem to be hinting to about the leak? Of course, the obvious choice is too easy. Maybe Charlie and First Daughter accidentally leaked it in their engagement party Evite.
That's right, I thought it was C.J., too.
When I saw the episode with Alda and the Reverend a couple weeks ago I was shocked (I don't catch the show that often) to think that they're actually setting up a situation to fire the whole cast and start over—which I'm now thinking is brilliant. It would give the writers a whole new piece of meaty content to chew on with a GOP administration in the White House. If they want the show to hang onto any shred of believability and really resonate on current issues a Republican adminstration might be just the vehicle they need. Interesting.
I'll boycott the show if Santos doesn't win. I'd rather spend my Wednesday nights watching BBQ with Bobby Flay than Vinick and his team. I see enough republicans on the news, at least let me have my imaginary dems on TV. Seriously though, this has been the best season so far imo. I love the whole primary thing.
And isn't C.J. is the one they seem to be hinting to about the leak?
Yes, the writers, directing, and acting made it look like CJ was the leak but if you watch the episode again you'll notice that Toby gets increasingly nervous when the FBI is called in and they start talking about how the leak has infringed upon national security. And at the end when the NSA chick comes into Toby’s office, closes the door and tells Toby that the FBI has a theory where the leak came from and how he won’t like it.
I’ve called the last three season premieres.
As for Santos… Jimmy Smits is too weak to replace Martin Sheen as the leading man. It’s been a great teaser subplot this season but there is no way Jimmy will become President.
I see enough Republicans on the news, at least let me have my imaginary Dems on TV…
What better way to smack the current administration upside the head than demonstrate what a Republican administration should be like. I’ve always seen the West Wing as portraying the President as the leader we would all like to have, irregardless of the party affiliation. I would imagine they would portray Alan Alda as more of a centrist than an ultra right winger as they have done with the President Bartlet character.
I hadn't thought of the leak as being Toby, I thought he was looking nervous because he knew it was CJ, and was worried for her.
I agree that making Alda the president would be a good move, we've had 8 years of the democrats, bringing in the republicans will keep the show realistic, that is presuming that season 7 isn't the rumoured last one.
If Vinick doesn't win, I hope Alan Alda will pull a Fred Thompson and run for the real Senate. I can see it now.
Sen. Alan Alda, D-Crabapple Cove.
They're not firing anyone. "Leo"s appointment as the VP candidate secures the current cast's position for another return in the fall.
The leak came from CJ. She was the one pushing it. Toby was worried that his friend - CJ is the only one he knew before joining the staff, after all, and recruited her, remember - will go down in a scandal.
*covering my eyes*
Must resist spoilers before watching on ReplayTV.
I never watch The West Wing, but if I had known Alan Alda was on it I just might have. I guess it's too late now...
i get my west wing fix on friday nights (i'm on the other side of the planet). i should have waited till tonight before reading this. i really should have.
the Leo for veeps comment was the one that really got me kicking myself.
*weep*
The Leo for VP thing makes no sense to me. A publicly professed former alcoholic who had a health crisis just months ago? One heart beat away from the Presidency? It's just another disaster waiting for the Santos campaign and if you can't see that one coming you're blind. If the writers have any balls it will be Alda who wins — this cast is tired anyway; it would be a brilliant marketing move to dump everyone and bring in a new cast of supporting stars and GOP personalities. Look for Alda's supporting cast to become more visible in the first few episodes. An elder Schwartznegger-esque pro-choice Republican from California? Great character to write for with a voice that reflects more closely what's really happening in America.
Are they timing the actual election for November?
I'm also really intrigued by the way the writers have set-up the election. All season has been building to a next-season showdown between Arnie Vinick (a Republican that thinks and acts in a way Democrats can tolerate if not admire) and one of two weak Democrat candidates.
Essentially it's going to put the audience of die-hard Democrats (myself included) in a position of rooting for the "bad-guys".
As a long-time fan of the WW I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season of ambiguity (not as catchy as their current "Season of Change" tagline - but whatever). If at the end of the season I'm rooting against my good friends Josh, Leo, Will and Donna and hoping the intelligent, articulate Republican can pull it off - then I'll walk away impressed.
A publicly professed former alcoholic who had a health crisis just months ago?
As I recall this description fits our current Vice President.
Oh yah, nevermind. But he's a Republican, where a heart attack or two is just a badge of cherished the life well-lived.
Great character to write for with a voice that reflects more closely what's really happening in America.
Bold thing to say, considering the majority of people voted for George W. Bush.
Have to say, while I love Smits and his character on the show, I also love Alan Alda and find myself liking his character, too.
Also agree that having Alda win would be brilliant, and provide a wonderful opportunity to comment on the Republicans, Religious Right, and all that sort of thing next season.
Frankly, if Smits did win I can only imagine the stories being more of the same (but different), with not a lot of new meat to chew on. Alda's win would definitely give that. And, as I recall, he hasn't picked a VP yet, right?
What if he pulled a Kerry and tried to woo a Democrat? (Not going to happen, of course, but nice thought.)
Love having Leo as the VP candidate for Santos and, frankly, even though we knew he was going to win the Presidential nomination, I found myself completely glued to the season finale and all the tension, wondering how it would all come about.
This season finale was WAAAAAAAAY better than last year's, that's for damn sure.
Jason, that's what I mean ... I didn't say Alda = Bush, but as a GOP candidate he will [potentially] resonate with that majority in a way that the Clintonesque Jeb Barlett likely doesn't. I think there is a debate brewing in the GOP between the more socially moderate (Schwartzenegger) and hard right factions. Most Americans would love to see a candidate that is fiscally conservative and socially moderate. The Ron Silver character gave a great speech to Alda a couple weeks ago about how he sincerely believed that Vinick was a candidate that could "bring America back together" — if I'm a writer I would consider that very interesting and very topical stuff.
I got a different reaction to the Kate (NSA chick) and Toby's talk. She tells Toby that the FBI has ruled out the NASA and now they think the leak came from the West Wing.
Then they cut to President Bartlett.
Now at the end of the previous episode I was certain that it was CJ, but that could have just been them fooling with my head.
But I just can't see it possible that the President would leak something that secret.
I also can't see the Chief od Staff doing something so stupid.
So maybe they will pull a 24 and just start next season with a new administration and skip the whole election.
I've never watched The West Wing up until about 4 episodes ago...
Needless to say, later on today I'll be going to buy some seasons on DVD. I've loved Aaron Sorkin's past work (Sports Night... my favorite series of all time), although I read somewhere he doesn't write for it anymore. Shame!
Can't wait for next season. Maybe then I'll actually have an NBC channel in HDTV. I got to see this last episode in HDTV and there's no other way I'd have it.
Given that Tobey lost his astronaut brother to suicide a few episodes ago, and that there was an episode when his brother was on the shuttle and there were problems, and his pointed remark to CJ about not asking him what he would do if it was his brother on the shuttle with an oxygen leak--I think it's pretty clear that Tobey is the one who leaked the military shuttle news.
Why are we alking about sitcom tv everyone?
Here's my fantasy: Somehow the show makes it through another 4 years, giving Rob Lowe a chance to lick his wounds from the two failed primetime dramas he's already starred in since leaving West Wing, and giving his character enough time to ostensibly serve as senator or a governor... Then, well ya know, Bartlett did say the guy was presidential material...
Jason, feel free to talk elsewhere — if you don't like the topic, wait until the next one. I don't watch much TV, and I've only caught this show a couple times in the last year, but arguably this discussion in about more than 'sitcom' TV (and technically not 'sitcom' at all, as sit-com refers to 'situation comedies' ala Seinfeld or Friends). At a time in America when presidential elections are high drama and polarizing issues separate citizens, this undeniably high-minded drama tries (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) to provoke thought about the stresses and challenges faced by those whose decisions can shape world events. It's fiction of course, with only a passing resemblance to reality, but the conflicts and choices and issues that the characters confront are sometimes all too real.
America swings back and forth between 'culture wars' and 24-hour newsgasms (see previous post). A popular entertainment show that actually attempts to touch on issues that polarize the country is arguably a pretty interesting phenom. That a show that's made heroes out of good-hearted Democrats might actually entertain the thought of installing a sympathetic GOP candidate as the next leading man makes it even more so.
In Chicago, they actually ran a spoiler that aired days before the Season Finale. "Will it be Jimmy Smits, or Alan Alda in the race for the presidency?" It's as though they fast forwarded a year too early. Plus, that was the whole Season Finale anyways--to decide if it was Gary Cole (Russell), Hoynes, or Santos.
Plus, I'm convinced that they actually film episodes after the fact, based on popular opinion of the episodes that air before it. Now, I'm sure that they don't do this all the way down to the end of the season, but I have a feeling that they film and air some episodes that contain Alda-centric plots, then they'll film and air some episodes that have Santos-centric plots, and I think they'll determine the winner from the public's reaction. Think of how much money NBC spends on a show like this, all the way down to the actors. How risky would it be if WW chose the wrong next president? The show would die. Immediately. Quickly. I don't think they're going to risk it. They'll have that marketing data up so fast, we won't even know who the next WW president will be. That is, unless they run a stupid, spoiler preview in Chicago again...
Alda will take a "leak", and the others will write a book of their life. Alda's wife will run next for Pres. after she first becomes a member of the House. All their girl friends will sell themselves to Playboy; you must read only the articles, the pictures are all blured. The show has only three more years to go; fix the medical drugs for the Boomers, the IRS, the socialist security, and iffr, the lmnop system, and the gov. in France. Then retire on the ranch in Canada. By then I'll be gone and still no grand kids pictures on the wall playing with tractors.
While Alan Alda was an inspired choice, do you really want to spend the next four years watching Patricia Richardson argue with Stephen Root's idiot persona?
Ok, clearly, I need to watch this show. I have always liked Alan Alda (I was a huge MASH fan) and the idea of him being the Commander and Chief is awesome.
Despite knowing nothing of the show (really), my vote would go for him.
Isn't it interesting that it takes an evening soap to get the kind of response that the "Wing" has gotten. It reminds me of North FORK and the E"wing" clan and their soap drama back in the good ole days. Maybe the president will get shot and wake up from a dream, and we'll all be under the leadership of the "EAST WING" - France. The real drama still goes on unnoticed with no response. Where the hell are the protesters of bygone days. I can remember when the country was shut down by the independent truckers for three daysbecause of high fuel prices, and no one did anything but watch the Ewings. Man I wish those days would return. We stood for something back then that mattered. Maybe Alda can lower the fuel costs on TV, but what the heck are we doing about it now. Use the remote and get off your butts and do something real for once.
"Use the remote and get off your butts and do something real for once."
You mean "real" like whining in blog comments?
"Real" meaning turning off the "bube tube" and the "play Station" and the "X Box". There is more to one's life than being entertained and addicted to it at that. There are people to see, relationships to be made, books to read, places to go. Life is too short to waste in front of a machine that doesn't do anything but flash trash at you. Time is money, time is relationships, time is fleeing faster and faster as the Good Book says. Redeem it. Use it to benefit yourself or someone else Don't let your generation be known as the "controller generation". It may just be controlled by someone or something else in your time. End of sermon. Offerings, please send to the BLOGGer.
Did you guys actually watch the last episode?
The leak was the PRESIDENT! It cannot be CJ; it is too obvious, and everyone would point to the ex-press secretary too fast. Toby was just nervous because he knows it was the President. The President kicked everybody out of the oval office because "I have some decisions to make." Now the next season will lead up to the next President pardoning Bartlett.
Alan Alda is actually listed as a cast member, while Jimmy Smits is only a guest star. This would lead me to believe that Santos will not win next season's election.
This leaves most of the cast ripe for turnover, and a place for the series to head in a few years if they outlast the next 4 "years". Some of the cast may even be able to return with Vinick's successor.
The beauty of this is that this show just became cheaper to make with a whole new cast. It is a gamble, but if it works, it is like getting a whole new show, some new viewers, and a lot more story lines to work with...