6.8/10. How many times on this show are we going to get the committed idealist who doesn't want to play politics and just wants to do right on the issues? I mean I get it. That's basically the ethos of the show and Season 6 is a little late in the day to complain. It's something in the series's DNA and you pretty much get on board or get out at this stage. Still, the whole conflict feels too trite to me. Santos feels too good to be true, the arguments feel too rote, and the resolution feels too easy.
An abstract level, I like what the episode is going for. There's meat in the idea that Santos is naive, has his own lofty ideas about what he wants to accomplish and what type of candidate he wants to be despite the fact that it doesn't really line up with running a successful campaign (with an admission that he realizes he's an issue candidate not a contender), and Josh wanting to play to win and try to do some of the on-the-ground, admittedly pandering retail politics and mudslinging that helps to get Presidential candidates actually elected.
And there's some give-and-take there. Santos sticks to his guns on the education plan and gets the other candidates to move toward him a bit. Josh seems to convince Santos that injecting a little of his life story into his pitches can help explain why he's fighting for the issues that are so important to him. What's more, there's some great parallels with Leo & Co. struggling to make the high-minded Bartlet sexy enough for a primary race audience.
But man, Santos is too much. Again, West Wing is a fantasy, and you just kind of have to accept that. But the whole true believer, don't want to play even a little dirty, won't play ball when it comes to politicking just makes him seem impossibly pure. I'm sure there'll be some dramatic revelation or scandal or something to muck him up a bit down the road, but it makes the idealism vs. pragmatism conflict at the core of this one really hard to swallow.
Still, there's fun to be had in the gamesmanship and strategy going on, which is always one of the more interesting parts of the show. The clashes between Josh and the Russell campaign, particularly with Will trying to get Josh off-balance by bringing Donna into the room, are kind of tense and thrilling in the tet-a-tet. Donna and Josh's awkardness is palpable, and Donna kind of pointedly noting what her new job is was a nice beat for the two of them.
It was also a nice opportunity to tie things back to Bartlet and prior adventures in New Hampshire. Bringing in Liz Bartlet and having her congressional candidate husband throw Santos under the bus after Josh tried to bring him into the fold as a bit of strategy was a nice obstacle. And having Liz give a big donation to Santos campaign, which not only gives their underfunded HQ a boost but lifts Santos by giving some public Barlet (or at least Barlet-adjacent) approval, is a solid way to give Josh's guy a win while keeping them firmly as underdogs. (Plus, while it was corny, the President feeding Josh something for Santos to attack the administration on with Josh burning the info because he can't turn on the President like that was a nice touch too.)
I like a good underdog story, and like Coach Taylor in East Dillon, I like a story about a guy who's used to being in the prime spot with all the resources imaginable at his disposal having to scrape and scrap his way from the bottom without the advantages he's grown accustomed to. I just get tired when The West Wing, as it is wont to do, stops being a semi-realistic if fanciful and optimistic look at the inner workings of government and starts feeling more like a fairytale with a dashing, unimpeachable prince come to save us all. We'll have to see if the show offers us any more frogs Josh will have to kiss along the way instead.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-09-29T01:56:45Z
6.8/10. How many times on this show are we going to get the committed idealist who doesn't want to play politics and just wants to do right on the issues? I mean I get it. That's basically the ethos of the show and Season 6 is a little late in the day to complain. It's something in the series's DNA and you pretty much get on board or get out at this stage. Still, the whole conflict feels too trite to me. Santos feels too good to be true, the arguments feel too rote, and the resolution feels too easy.
An abstract level, I like what the episode is going for. There's meat in the idea that Santos is naive, has his own lofty ideas about what he wants to accomplish and what type of candidate he wants to be despite the fact that it doesn't really line up with running a successful campaign (with an admission that he realizes he's an issue candidate not a contender), and Josh wanting to play to win and try to do some of the on-the-ground, admittedly pandering retail politics and mudslinging that helps to get Presidential candidates actually elected.
And there's some give-and-take there. Santos sticks to his guns on the education plan and gets the other candidates to move toward him a bit. Josh seems to convince Santos that injecting a little of his life story into his pitches can help explain why he's fighting for the issues that are so important to him. What's more, there's some great parallels with Leo & Co. struggling to make the high-minded Bartlet sexy enough for a primary race audience.
But man, Santos is too much. Again, West Wing is a fantasy, and you just kind of have to accept that. But the whole true believer, don't want to play even a little dirty, won't play ball when it comes to politicking just makes him seem impossibly pure. I'm sure there'll be some dramatic revelation or scandal or something to muck him up a bit down the road, but it makes the idealism vs. pragmatism conflict at the core of this one really hard to swallow.
Still, there's fun to be had in the gamesmanship and strategy going on, which is always one of the more interesting parts of the show. The clashes between Josh and the Russell campaign, particularly with Will trying to get Josh off-balance by bringing Donna into the room, are kind of tense and thrilling in the tet-a-tet. Donna and Josh's awkardness is palpable, and Donna kind of pointedly noting what her new job is was a nice beat for the two of them.
It was also a nice opportunity to tie things back to Bartlet and prior adventures in New Hampshire. Bringing in Liz Bartlet and having her congressional candidate husband throw Santos under the bus after Josh tried to bring him into the fold as a bit of strategy was a nice obstacle. And having Liz give a big donation to Santos campaign, which not only gives their underfunded HQ a boost but lifts Santos by giving some public Barlet (or at least Barlet-adjacent) approval, is a solid way to give Josh's guy a win while keeping them firmly as underdogs. (Plus, while it was corny, the President feeding Josh something for Santos to attack the administration on with Josh burning the info because he can't turn on the President like that was a nice touch too.)
I like a good underdog story, and like Coach Taylor in East Dillon, I like a story about a guy who's used to being in the prime spot with all the resources imaginable at his disposal having to scrape and scrap his way from the bottom without the advantages he's grown accustomed to. I just get tired when The West Wing, as it is wont to do, stops being a semi-realistic if fanciful and optimistic look at the inner workings of government and starts feeling more like a fairytale with a dashing, unimpeachable prince come to save us all. We'll have to see if the show offers us any more frogs Josh will have to kiss along the way instead.