30 Days of The West Wing: Day 20
Here is the meme in case anyone else would like to join in:
Day 1: Favorite Season
Day 2: Favorite Episode
Day 3: Favorite Song Used In An Episode
Day 4: Favorite Female Character
Day 5: Favorite Male Character
Day 6: Favorite Friendship
Day 7: Favorite Romance
Day 8: Least Favorite Female Character
Day 9: Least Favorite Male Character
Day 10: Least Favorite Season
Day 11: Least Favorite Romance
Day 12: Least Favorite Episode
Day 13: Favorite Bartlet that isn't the President
Day 14: Favorite Secret Service Agent
Day 15: Episode You Like That Others Hate
Day 16: Character You Relate To The Most
Day 17: Character Who Didn’t Get Enough Screen Time
Day 18: Character You Like That Others Hate
Day 19: Best President Bartlet-centric Episode
Day 20: Best Leo McGarry-centric Episode
Day 21: Best Toby Ziegler-centric Episode
Day 22: Best C.J. Gregg-centric Episode
Day 23: Best Joshua Lyman-centric Episode
Day 24: Most Harrowing Scene
Day 25: Favorite The West Wing Quote
Day 26: Two Characters You Wanted To Get Together That Never Did
Day 27: Cutest/Most Adorable Moment
Day 28: Character You Love To Hate
Day 29: Episode You Hate That Others Love
Day 30: What You Think Made TWW So Great
Day 20: Best Leo McGarry-centric Episode
Okay, this one is painfully hard. I love John Spencer so much, and he did some amazing acting through the seasons. My top five Leo McGarry-centric episodes are "Bartlet for America" (S3), "An Khe" (S5), "The Birnam Wood" (S6), "Ninety Miles Away" (S6) and "Running Mates" (S7).
I love An Khe because it spotlights how deeply Leo believes in his duty to his country, as a veteran. Leo served in Vietnam, but he believes that he owes his country a debt forever because he was rescued when he could have died. Shouldn't it be the other way around? It blows me away that his sense of honor runs deeper than makes any sense to me.
Bartlet for America and Ninety Miles away involve Leo reliving the worst moments of his alcoholic past and how they were connected to his civil service work. Both are good episodes where he shines, and I love them additionally because the actor's work (as an actual alcoholic) is incredibly brave.
The Birnam Wood is a terrible episode to watch. Truly, I struggle to not fast forward every time. But the reason it is so awful is because John Spencer gives the best portrayal of a heart attack I have ever seen. This is the episode where I realized he was a giant (an expression I'm stealing from TWW)--one of those actors who are in their own league. When I'm watching it happen, I never feel less awful, no matter how many times I've seen the episode before. It is impossible to become desensitized because of how distressingly awesome he is at it. Also, the actor at that time had never had a heart attack...but he did a year later and then he was gone. The irony is also terrible.
In the end, though, I have to choose Running Mates as my favorite. This is an episode that is difficult to explain in terms of awesomeness if you haven't seen it. Leo is facing his first VP debate as a candidate, and he's just terrible at it. Genuinely bad, and no one wants to tell him. He, of course, isn't stupid, so he knows even though he pretends not to because they're all trying to protect him. I won't spoil the (happy) ending, but it is a heartwarming episode in the middle of a lot of drama, and it allows Leo to be a totally different character: he's no longer the guy in charge, who has to be cruel. Instead, he's bumbling and uncertain and completely adorable. This episode also has some of the best scenes between him and Annabeth, adding to the cuteness. The tragedy of this episode is that it is the one that aired immediately after the actor died, making this peak of his acting really bittersweet.
Additionally, "Requiem" (S7) gets an honorary mention as the best Leo-focused episode that doesn't actually include Leo. Seriously, it's that amazing.
And...an icon!
Thanks for reading. :)
See you tomorrow for Day 21!
Day 1: Favorite Season
Day 2: Favorite Episode
Day 3: Favorite Song Used In An Episode
Day 4: Favorite Female Character
Day 5: Favorite Male Character
Day 6: Favorite Friendship
Day 7: Favorite Romance
Day 8: Least Favorite Female Character
Day 9: Least Favorite Male Character
Day 10: Least Favorite Season
Day 11: Least Favorite Romance
Day 12: Least Favorite Episode
Day 13: Favorite Bartlet that isn't the President
Day 14: Favorite Secret Service Agent
Day 15: Episode You Like That Others Hate
Day 16: Character You Relate To The Most
Day 17: Character Who Didn’t Get Enough Screen Time
Day 18: Character You Like That Others Hate
Day 19: Best President Bartlet-centric Episode
Day 20: Best Leo McGarry-centric Episode
Day 21: Best Toby Ziegler-centric Episode
Day 22: Best C.J. Gregg-centric Episode
Day 23: Best Joshua Lyman-centric Episode
Day 24: Most Harrowing Scene
Day 25: Favorite The West Wing Quote
Day 26: Two Characters You Wanted To Get Together That Never Did
Day 27: Cutest/Most Adorable Moment
Day 28: Character You Love To Hate
Day 29: Episode You Hate That Others Love
Day 30: What You Think Made TWW So Great
Day 20: Best Leo McGarry-centric Episode
Okay, this one is painfully hard. I love John Spencer so much, and he did some amazing acting through the seasons. My top five Leo McGarry-centric episodes are "Bartlet for America" (S3), "An Khe" (S5), "The Birnam Wood" (S6), "Ninety Miles Away" (S6) and "Running Mates" (S7).
I love An Khe because it spotlights how deeply Leo believes in his duty to his country, as a veteran. Leo served in Vietnam, but he believes that he owes his country a debt forever because he was rescued when he could have died. Shouldn't it be the other way around? It blows me away that his sense of honor runs deeper than makes any sense to me.
Bartlet for America and Ninety Miles away involve Leo reliving the worst moments of his alcoholic past and how they were connected to his civil service work. Both are good episodes where he shines, and I love them additionally because the actor's work (as an actual alcoholic) is incredibly brave.
The Birnam Wood is a terrible episode to watch. Truly, I struggle to not fast forward every time. But the reason it is so awful is because John Spencer gives the best portrayal of a heart attack I have ever seen. This is the episode where I realized he was a giant (an expression I'm stealing from TWW)--one of those actors who are in their own league. When I'm watching it happen, I never feel less awful, no matter how many times I've seen the episode before. It is impossible to become desensitized because of how distressingly awesome he is at it. Also, the actor at that time had never had a heart attack...but he did a year later and then he was gone. The irony is also terrible.
In the end, though, I have to choose Running Mates as my favorite. This is an episode that is difficult to explain in terms of awesomeness if you haven't seen it. Leo is facing his first VP debate as a candidate, and he's just terrible at it. Genuinely bad, and no one wants to tell him. He, of course, isn't stupid, so he knows even though he pretends not to because they're all trying to protect him. I won't spoil the (happy) ending, but it is a heartwarming episode in the middle of a lot of drama, and it allows Leo to be a totally different character: he's no longer the guy in charge, who has to be cruel. Instead, he's bumbling and uncertain and completely adorable. This episode also has some of the best scenes between him and Annabeth, adding to the cuteness. The tragedy of this episode is that it is the one that aired immediately after the actor died, making this peak of his acting really bittersweet.
Additionally, "Requiem" (S7) gets an honorary mention as the best Leo-focused episode that doesn't actually include Leo. Seriously, it's that amazing.
And...an icon!
Thanks for reading. :)
See you tomorrow for Day 21!