I. Herc pipes up on the third season.
Why are you writing about "West Wing"? Doesn't it suck now?
There may, in fact, have been something a little off, a little dated, about President Bartlet’s political enemies trying to exploit his health problems. The storyline, which took up most of the season’s first half, was plotted before Sept. 11, and manifested one of those very rare occasions when the series fell out of synch with the national zeitgeist.
But those who abandoned “West Wing” before midseason missed a fantastic rebound. Press secretary C.J. Cregg became a target of Islamic extremists, and developed an entertainingly complex relationship with her new secret service man. Equally complex was the troubled romance Josh Lyman shared with feminist activist Amy Gardner, played by new Emmy nominee Mary Louise Parker. The president and Leo struggled with secretly engineering the assassination of a “friendly” Arab ambassador understood to be doubling as a terrorist kingpin. More emphasis was placed on the campaign, and especially on the Republican presidential frontrunner, a boorish dimwit serving as Florida’s governor. As a bonus, John Amos left “The District,” and humanistic joint chiefs chair Admiral Fitzwallace returned. Even the tirelessly and hilariously impolitic Brit diplomat Lord John Maybury stuck his head in for an episode.
The upshot? “The West Wing” was way off its game in the third season’s first half, but still deserves any kudos it receives for its galvanizing second.
Was there anything in season three to match the power of season two’s “Two Cathedrals,” the tearjerking closer (re-aired last week) which saw the president mourn his secretary and wander in the rain and curse God and refer to the recovering Josh Lyman as “my son.” Not quite. But “The West Wing” remains a spiffy series worthy of your love and your respect. And, Rob Lowe’s windy career path notwithstanding, it’s about to get a whole lot better.
II. West Wing 4.0 FAQ
Will the fourth-season opener be any good?
It’s going to be so good. Someone was decent enough to forward large chunks of the script, and Herc’s here to tell you that the show’s character-driven comedy and pointed political drama continue undiminished.
How does the fourth season start?
The Bartlet campaign is rolling through Indiana, a state everyone assumes is already voting for Gov. Ritchie.
If Bob Ritchie has Indiana sewn up, why are they campaigning in Indiana at all?
“When somebody can give me the answer to that question,” moans Toby, “I’ll let you know.” Toby also has some funny stuff to say about why Indiana is voting for Ritchie.
Is the whole episode set in Indiana?
Toby, Josh and Donna spend the entire two-hour episode in Indiana. Their story has a “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” feel. They miss the chief exec’s motorcade because Josh is busy chatting up a pretty farmer’s daughter (with a masters degree in agribusiness) in a soy field. There’s misadventure with a vehicle powered by soy diesel. And they’re rescued by a local campaign volunteer with romantic difficulties. And menaced by the state’s tricky time zones.
Toby’s from New York! Does he go nuts?
Toby is nuts. His sanity declines when a group of passing locals greet the lost regulars with: “How many unborn babies did you guys kill today?”
Yikes! Who does make it out of Indiana?
Charlie and the president. To save time, Bartlet interviews potential replacements for Dolores Landingham aboard Air Force One as the president’s party flees Indiana. The interviews don’t go horribly, but one can kinda tell these candidates are not getting the job.
Does any part of “The West Wing” 4.1 actually take place anywhere near the West Wing?
Yes. We learn in a scene with Leo and Fitz that the Qumar government has reopened its investigation into Ambassador Shereef’s missing plane. Leo asks if they found anything, but no one knows. Will the U.S. government’s secret assassination of Shereef remain a secret?
Any signs of Sam Seaborn’s impending departure?
Not yet. Sam mostly seems to fill in for Toby after the president returns to the White House. Once home, Sam helps Bartlet deal with a suspiciously timed sexual scandal and a cabinet official who takes issue with the president’s recent comments on greenhouse emissions. Sam’s also discovered by C.J. as he lies on the floor of his office reading policy manuals.
Which is bigger news? The sex scandal or the greenhouse gas business?
Actually, the big news is that the stock market just took a mammoth hit. Which brings out Charlie’s superstitious side in a highly entertaining manner.
Wait a second. Sam is going somewhere?
For “Wing” nuts who have been trapped deep underground, the character of Sam Seaborn will be exiting the show in March, reportedly because Lowe’s agent believes the actor can make more than his $1 million-plus yearly "West Wing" salary doing something else. Silly agent! Herc predicts “West Wing” will suffer roughly as much as it did when Moira Kelly left. Herc further predicts that Lowe will star in a very bad CBS sitcom that will last five episodes, then find himself cast in a Broadway production of “True West” opposite either John Romijn-Stamos or Lowe’s brother Chad.
