30 Days of The West Wing: Day 23
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 23: Best Joshua Lyman-centric Episode
This is easier for me than it should be, because there aren't that many Joshua Lyman-centric episodes, actually.
One of the reasons Rob Lowe left the show was that he was never going to be the star. Then again, Aaron Sorkin didn't want to hire him at first because of his celebrity stature--he agreed in the end because they decided to make Sam "a guy who didn't know he looked like Rob Lowe." The part that's weird is that for whatever reason, Sam only has (by my count) 2 episodes that center around him...recurring characters like Ellie and Zoey have as many as Sam does, and he was main cast for 4 years! So I can understand why he left, though I think he would've gotten more screen time if he'd stuck around beyond the Sorkin reign.
That was all relevant, I promise, because compared to Sam, Josh kind of is the star of the show. It's hard to choose Josh-centric episodes because most of his storylines are balanced by others' storylines in the same episodes...but as the seasons go by, he gets a ton of screen time even if the episodes aren't specifically focused on him. If Rob Lowe's ego was the size of his fame, it's no wonder he didn't want to stick around while he was overshadowed by basically everyone else.
So, my top five this time could be considered only four: "Noël" (S2), "Constituency of One" (S5), "Election Day, Parts I and II" (S7) and "Transition" (S7).
Constituency of One is Josh's career low point, when he's being spotlighted in the press while failing at his job. Amy's making things worse while they continue their undefined do-over, and there's a darkly ironic birthday party at the end. It's a sad episode and it's near the beginning of Season 5, so it's dull in places, but it is Josh-centric and there are parts I appreciate about it.
Election Day focuses on Josh unspooling while results come in, taking the occasional break to sleep with Donna, and then facing Leo's death. There's other stuff going on too, but Josh is what holds this episode together, and it's got great moments for him where Bradley Whitford is at his best.
Transition is Josh's happy ending episode, despite the fact that Josh is not someone who could really settle into a happy ending. This episode is awesome because it brings Sam back and finally has him say what someone should: that Josh can't keep going at hyper speed while he tries to run the White House. Transition finally, actually confronts how unhealthy Josh's life is, now that he's gotten what he worked for and should be experiencing it.
And yet, Noel has to and always will be the best Josh-centric episode of all time. Bradley Whitford won an Emmy for it, and never was an Emmy so deserved. It has Yo Yo Ma, Christmas, and everyone who loves Josh the most (for those keeping score, that'd be Leo, Donna and Toby) concerned about his mental health. Josh carries the show through some parts of the later seasons, but honestly, his character peaked here in terms of full-episode focus.
And...an icon!
Thanks for reading. :)
See you tomorrow for Day 24!
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 23: Best Joshua Lyman-centric Episode
This is easier for me than it should be, because there aren't that many Joshua Lyman-centric episodes, actually.
One of the reasons Rob Lowe left the show was that he was never going to be the star. Then again, Aaron Sorkin didn't want to hire him at first because of his celebrity stature--he agreed in the end because they decided to make Sam "a guy who didn't know he looked like Rob Lowe." The part that's weird is that for whatever reason, Sam only has (by my count) 2 episodes that center around him...recurring characters like Ellie and Zoey have as many as Sam does, and he was main cast for 4 years! So I can understand why he left, though I think he would've gotten more screen time if he'd stuck around beyond the Sorkin reign.
That was all relevant, I promise, because compared to Sam, Josh kind of is the star of the show. It's hard to choose Josh-centric episodes because most of his storylines are balanced by others' storylines in the same episodes...but as the seasons go by, he gets a ton of screen time even if the episodes aren't specifically focused on him. If Rob Lowe's ego was the size of his fame, it's no wonder he didn't want to stick around while he was overshadowed by basically everyone else.
So, my top five this time could be considered only four: "Noël" (S2), "Constituency of One" (S5), "Election Day, Parts I and II" (S7) and "Transition" (S7).
Constituency of One is Josh's career low point, when he's being spotlighted in the press while failing at his job. Amy's making things worse while they continue their undefined do-over, and there's a darkly ironic birthday party at the end. It's a sad episode and it's near the beginning of Season 5, so it's dull in places, but it is Josh-centric and there are parts I appreciate about it.
Election Day focuses on Josh unspooling while results come in, taking the occasional break to sleep with Donna, and then facing Leo's death. There's other stuff going on too, but Josh is what holds this episode together, and it's got great moments for him where Bradley Whitford is at his best.
Transition is Josh's happy ending episode, despite the fact that Josh is not someone who could really settle into a happy ending. This episode is awesome because it brings Sam back and finally has him say what someone should: that Josh can't keep going at hyper speed while he tries to run the White House. Transition finally, actually confronts how unhealthy Josh's life is, now that he's gotten what he worked for and should be experiencing it.
And yet, Noel has to and always will be the best Josh-centric episode of all time. Bradley Whitford won an Emmy for it, and never was an Emmy so deserved. It has Yo Yo Ma, Christmas, and everyone who loves Josh the most (for those keeping score, that'd be Leo, Donna and Toby) concerned about his mental health. Josh carries the show through some parts of the later seasons, but honestly, his character peaked here in terms of full-episode focus.
And...an icon!
Thanks for reading. :)
See you tomorrow for Day 24!