I am – Hercules!!

I like the revolving-door cast on “The West Wing,” but it sure is confusing!

I think Janel Moloney appeared in only one episode this season, so Josh Lyman could refuse to hire his old assistant, Donatella Moss, when she came begging for a job on the Santos campaign.

I noticed Maloney wasn’t in the opening titles last week, so I figured Donna was gone for good.

But no so much! Apparently, the Janeane Garofalo character tonight goes over Josh’s head and hires Donna anyway.

Next week brings the live-debate episode. That is to say, it depicts a live debate between Sen. Vinick and Rep. Santos, and NBC is broadcasting it live.

Last week brought us something I’d thought we’d never see again: a strong episode of “West Wing” set primariy within the Bartlet White House. (It helped enormously of course that the tirelessly watchable Oliver Platt, as Tobey’s newly-appointed adversary, had so much to do.)

Still, I say again: The opening minutes of the season opener, set three years hence and depicting Tobey as a free man on friendly terms with Jed Bartlet, continues to suck a lot of the dramatic tension out of Mr. Ziegler’s plight.

On a completely unrelated note, I just want to point out that a new episode of “Rome” is finally colorcast tonight, the first since Titus Pullo knocked up Caesar’s girlfriend!

“The West Wing”: 8 p.m. Sunday. NBC.
“Rome”: 9 p.m. Sunday. HBO.

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