Oh you sexist kitten yourself, Sam
The West Wing 2.13 Bartlet’s Third State of the Union Address
I loved this episode just showing Bartlet as President around this set piece. For a bit, I thought the opener, with all the build-up, would lead to a reversal (no, that would come later,) but it magnificently ended on watching Josiah Barlet get to the door, take a moment to pray and start walking to deliver his address (I didn’t mind the more electronic music conveying the pace of the last few moments.) The podcast reminded me that his bending down to tie his shoelaces was a part of that loo.
There was yet another reference to GB, lopping NI off again. The Capital Beat music is recognisable to UK viewers as the ITV’s News at Ten music. Also, Capital Beat seemed to have adverts every two minutes, and apart from everyone from the White House turning up, didn’t seem to gain much other than bragging rights for being live at the White House. But the podcast suggested that this was all a dramatic device instead of a thing that would be likely to happen.
Let us remember CJ’s line about the (few) women having towelling robes at their showers in the White House as we come to the line that made me wrathful. Sam! Sam getting the President to say ‘sex kitten!’ About a colleague!! Even more annoying when we remember (even if Bartlet understandably didn’t) that he’d been impressed by Ainsley’s smarts and willingness to put forward a different point of view. And her beating Sam. Has he subconsciously never let that go, or is he just more sexist than he thinks? And it’s even more egregious when, as I was reminded by the podcast, he’d rightly berated those two guys for their sexist language/behaviour towards Ainsley not so long ago.
And yes, Sam was right in what he said to her after the interview, if condescending, and then the rest of it was well set up, and I laughed, but Ainsley wasn’t dancing provocatively or sex kittenishly - she was being inappropriately informal, and the loose hair flying and desire to dance with Sam…no, ’sex kitten’ is still an unjustified sobriquet. Of course the farcical genius of the abrupt stop and the flying drink as she saw the President and his deadpan repeat of Sam’s lines was funny.
But ‘sex kitten’ wasn’t, and the podcast was right, Sam could have stopped the embarrassing meet from happening.
I did half-remember (or was smart enough to work out) why Abbey was so fixated on the last-minute change we’d seen put into the speech, and kudos on the reason she wrote the cheque that Charlie was despatched to ask about being tied into her anger about the content of the speech. She was being an excellent First Lady in public, and politically savvy enough to understand what lay behind the change of tone. So she was in the position of telling Toby no to treat her like other people, but she isn’t staff, (and as we know, he’s treating some staff as other people. Or has been.)
So, she then charged her husband with delivering a speech for re-election, and it was left hanging. How much does he know, how much is he willingly letting Leo and Toby and momentum lead him along?
And at the same time, he is President in the now and Abbey was right to park everything and support him on the immediate issue. About the agents being taken in Colombia, I have little to say except that was Papi from Ugly Betty as one of the experts. Oh, and the scene where Leo walked the President into the Oval Office and it was FULL OF PEOPLE, emphasising how grave the situation was, that was another of the ‘this show is about the President’ moments.
Loved how we were only left to guess what the thing at the elementary school that led to the cop being invited was (let me hazard a guess, was it something involving guns given the second amendment discussion?) From what the cop told CJ, it sounded like the case against him had no merit, (got to disagree with Josh Molina’s take that this was more ambiguous) but it was still going to be a story, despite his plaintive belief/hope that it would be okay. Once again, a last-minute addition meant they hadn’t done the checks, plus not only was CJ in this position again, there were similarities to Sam’s lawyer friend.
The business with the paint on the pants was so well crafted, although i. Ainsley has an assistant now !?, and ii. neither CJ or Ainsley have spare clothes at the office? Credibility for he sake of tcomedy (as written by a man.)
Finally, Josh was oh so irritating over the polling. I gleefully read a lot into Josh being discomfited by Donna pressuring him into asking Joey out. FWIW, my take was Donna was pushing Josh/Joey because she could see there’s something there and it was pretending she didn’t have feelings about that were driving Donna’s pushines.
I watched the next three episodes in one go, and it might take me a while to post about them.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/463793.html.
I loved this episode just showing Bartlet as President around this set piece. For a bit, I thought the opener, with all the build-up, would lead to a reversal (no, that would come later,) but it magnificently ended on watching Josiah Barlet get to the door, take a moment to pray and start walking to deliver his address (I didn’t mind the more electronic music conveying the pace of the last few moments.) The podcast reminded me that his bending down to tie his shoelaces was a part of that loo.
There was yet another reference to GB, lopping NI off again. The Capital Beat music is recognisable to UK viewers as the ITV’s News at Ten music. Also, Capital Beat seemed to have adverts every two minutes, and apart from everyone from the White House turning up, didn’t seem to gain much other than bragging rights for being live at the White House. But the podcast suggested that this was all a dramatic device instead of a thing that would be likely to happen.
Let us remember CJ’s line about the (few) women having towelling robes at their showers in the White House as we come to the line that made me wrathful. Sam! Sam getting the President to say ‘sex kitten!’ About a colleague!! Even more annoying when we remember (even if Bartlet understandably didn’t) that he’d been impressed by Ainsley’s smarts and willingness to put forward a different point of view. And her beating Sam. Has he subconsciously never let that go, or is he just more sexist than he thinks? And it’s even more egregious when, as I was reminded by the podcast, he’d rightly berated those two guys for their sexist language/behaviour towards Ainsley not so long ago.
And yes, Sam was right in what he said to her after the interview, if condescending, and then the rest of it was well set up, and I laughed, but Ainsley wasn’t dancing provocatively or sex kittenishly - she was being inappropriately informal, and the loose hair flying and desire to dance with Sam…no, ’sex kitten’ is still an unjustified sobriquet. Of course the farcical genius of the abrupt stop and the flying drink as she saw the President and his deadpan repeat of Sam’s lines was funny.
But ‘sex kitten’ wasn’t, and the podcast was right, Sam could have stopped the embarrassing meet from happening.
I did half-remember (or was smart enough to work out) why Abbey was so fixated on the last-minute change we’d seen put into the speech, and kudos on the reason she wrote the cheque that Charlie was despatched to ask about being tied into her anger about the content of the speech. She was being an excellent First Lady in public, and politically savvy enough to understand what lay behind the change of tone. So she was in the position of telling Toby no to treat her like other people, but she isn’t staff, (and as we know, he’s treating some staff as other people. Or has been.)
So, she then charged her husband with delivering a speech for re-election, and it was left hanging. How much does he know, how much is he willingly letting Leo and Toby and momentum lead him along?
And at the same time, he is President in the now and Abbey was right to park everything and support him on the immediate issue. About the agents being taken in Colombia, I have little to say except that was Papi from Ugly Betty as one of the experts. Oh, and the scene where Leo walked the President into the Oval Office and it was FULL OF PEOPLE, emphasising how grave the situation was, that was another of the ‘this show is about the President’ moments.
Loved how we were only left to guess what the thing at the elementary school that led to the cop being invited was (let me hazard a guess, was it something involving guns given the second amendment discussion?) From what the cop told CJ, it sounded like the case against him had no merit, (got to disagree with Josh Molina’s take that this was more ambiguous) but it was still going to be a story, despite his plaintive belief/hope that it would be okay. Once again, a last-minute addition meant they hadn’t done the checks, plus not only was CJ in this position again, there were similarities to Sam’s lawyer friend.
The business with the paint on the pants was so well crafted, although i. Ainsley has an assistant now !?, and ii. neither CJ or Ainsley have spare clothes at the office? Credibility for he sake of tcomedy (as written by a man.)
Finally, Josh was oh so irritating over the polling. I gleefully read a lot into Josh being discomfited by Donna pressuring him into asking Joey out. FWIW, my take was Donna was pushing Josh/Joey because she could see there’s something there and it was pretending she didn’t have feelings about that were driving Donna’s pushines.
I watched the next three episodes in one go, and it might take me a while to post about them.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/463793.html.