I did like this episode better than last week's. It had a classic WW feel, bringing the humor along with the sadness... side by side... balanced. I really wish they could have done say an hour and a half episode and folded in some of the elements from last week. Josh needs to suck it up and I was proud of him this episode... but I would have liked a lingering moment of private Josh... I suppose they made an attempt at that when Josh hung around the Oval with Jed after the others had gone... but something felt a little flat for me in the "you have my number" exchange. Not sure why.
The CJ/Danny stuff was by far the best part of the episode
. This was pure classic WW. The story-telling of Margaret and Jed was also wonderful, classic and realistic. If there are any younger viewers left I wonder how they reacted to all the humor in this episode? "I like to tart it up for funerals."
Leo would have approved.
I liked seeing the Bartlet girls... Nancy... etc. I wish Toby didn't have to still be ostracized. Didn't like having 2 pall bearers I didn't know. Those 2 SHOULD have been Toby and Sam. Hopefully when Sam does finally show up, they'll drop a line regarding why we didn't see him at te funeral. And you know who would have been good replacement pall bearers for one or the other or both? Gerald MacRaney or Terry O'Quinn (I think)... GM was Leo's general friend who we never saw in the Sit Room and I think TOQ was the general who showed up periodically in the Sit Room, particularly after Fitz's death.
Anyway, I was glad Charlie went over to Toby and that did seem like a very realistic exchange between them.
As for the trailer, I hope the Dep. Chief of Staff line regarding Sam was to throw us off track of what he'll really be doing when he comes back. We all know from the chess episode that Sam's gonna run for President one day. Jed said so and I believe him. Has anyone ever run for President after being Dep. Chief of Staff? Sam needs to have a higher profile job in govt., needs to be more in the public eye. I still want them to make him VP. But if not, he needs to be a congressman or governor or something, not Dep. Chief of Staff... much as I'd like him and Josh to be working together again. Besides, I'm still not convinced Josh WILL be Chief of Staff. There's still the deal with Charlie offering to kick Josh's butt over not recommending Donna for a White House position. This was good, classic WW too. Of course Charlie may not realize Josh has a dilemma. If he's Chief of Staff he will probably be the boss of Donna in any position he'd recommend her for. Once again there would be the workplace affair taboo to contend with.
Soooo... In that tricky way TV promo people have, I'd like the Dep. Chief of Staff line to be directed towards Donna. I'd like
her to be CoS actually except I think she's too young and inexperienced for that job. But let's make Donna Dep. CoS... some unknown person Santos likes and trusts will be CoS, and Josh will begin paving the way to try to get Sam in the WH in 4-8 years. The bonus is that Josh will NOT be Donna's boss so he can persue that rmance.
But of couse, all this is just the way things work out in the WW universe in my head (ROTFLOL).
Aquillea