#4. The West Wing (S7)
With a lot of delay (exams got in the middle and personal stuff as well), here's another series I've watched. This time it's the seventh season of The West Wing. I've always watched bits and pieces of TWW. I've watched the majority of S5 and S6, but I decided to watch the whole last season since I was pretty much curious to see how it was gonna end for all our fave characters.
The team at the White House: Needless to say, I love CJ. I've always had since she's so strong and determinate and she's basically the one to keep all the threads together. It was interesting seeing her going through the last year of the Bartlet administration, specially towards the end, when she had to come to terms with the idea she was gonna leave the WH. And of course, the whole Toby leaked the super-secret info was so great and dramatic. Toby was being his usual self, but what I really liked was how this whole mess impacted the lives of the people around him: from his quite ruined friendship with CJ to his family. Watching him with the twins and deciding about his future, but also about theirs was heartbreaking. Just as much as the President's reaction to his betrayal. And I loved the shouting match between Toby and Josh. The international crisis was engaging, but I specially liked seeing Kate grow so much and really being able to really command a room full of people. She was always so insightful on situations and I was really sorry for her when she didn't get the job she wanted in the new administration. Finally, Will gave us a good comic relief. I really adore Josh Malina, he was so funny in his portrayal of Will and his struggle in the Press Room while trying to overcome his fear of the journalists.
The Campaign: First things first. I really don't like Matt Santos (yes, and I was still rooting for Bingo Bob!). I really don't understand how such a bland character could become POTUS. Oh, wait, right, he had one hell of a team at his back! And that's what I really enjoyed of this part of the season. I loved each and every character involved in the campaign. Josh always running from one place to another, always trying to get new ideas and insights on the opposition, always shouting around, but also when he was confused and sought for advice, specially in his moments with Leo. Lou was great. I really like Garofalo from her 24 stint, even though watching TWW I understood how much she was wasted there. Lou is a really interesting character, a career woman, one who always knows what she wants. On the other hand, they turned Donna a bit annoying. Well, I just found unrealistic her sudden ability to do everything she was asked for. It was as if she turned from the witty secretary to Wonder Woman in one night. But I adored the rest of the team. Every actor did a great job in characterizing their character and making it recognizable and worth remembering, specially Diana Maria Riva as Edie, Matthew Del Negro as Bram nd Karis Campbell as Ronna.
The Republicans: Yes, I would have probably voted for a Republican in this one. Arnie Vinick was way more interesting than Saint Santos. And he was way more qualified to become President. He was able to make his own choices, he knew when he was wrong and he knew when to compromise. And maybe I liked him so much because of Alan Alda. Differently to Jimmy Smits, he gave weight and depth to his character. Specially during his most private moments like in the episode in which Vinick has to decide what to do with his future. Seeing him in his office full of boxes, trying to come up with something, and then squirming uncomfortably in Santos's headquarters while waiting gave me such a good insight on who this man was. It was just like the ice-cream moment with Bartlet in S6. And I liked Vinick's people too, specially Sheila because she was a real team captain, but she also cared a lot about Arnie on a personal level, she was quite nurturing.
The Romance: You can't even imagine how happy I was to see Danny back! I'd probably watched all CJ/Danny scenes on Youtube like 2000 times, but I was so so happy to have him back and sweep our girl off her feet. Janney and Busfield have always had such a great chemistry. They perfectly play off each other and they're really able to convey a lot just with a single look. And here we are. Finally getting together, even if we have to give Danny a lot of credit for being so patient and to coming back to take his girl. I loved his "let's fall off the cliff together" speech, but mostly I loved him in Institutional Memory, the way he looked so hurt when he understood that maybe CJ wasn't ready to commit yet and then his fantastic "Because I love the sound of your voice". I totally melted there. Will and Kate were another good couple. Lighter stuff, but I liked them together. I liked their little secret relationship and I liked the way Kate encouraged Will in the end. But I'm really curious to know if she reached him in Oregon or not. Among the couples I didn't like, Josh and Donna because they were better when the tension was around and it was still real. And the Santoses. Really, Smits and Polo have less than zero chemistry.
Highlights (in no particular order):
-Certainly, the finale. I loved the way each character concluded a chapter of their lives and started a new one. I loved Kate and Will and Charlie standing in the middle of the hall, deciding to go and watch a movie together. I loved CJ looking back at the White House, telling the man she doesn't work there. I loved President Bartlet's looks at that sheet of paper, troubled, trying to decide if saving Toby or not was a good idea. I loved Debbie showing Ronna her new desk and telling her what to do with the President (I really shed a tear there).
-Leo's death. Simply heartbreaking. The loss of such a person was so palpable, so terrible. And Cheno was amazing in this. Poor Annabeth!
-The Debate: a really interesting episode because of the direction. It really looked like a live debate.
-The flashforward in the first episode because it was great to see all our characters somewhere else in life (CJ and Danny had a baby!)
-The San Andreo crisis. Perfectly pivotal in the campaign, specially from Vinick's POV.