Written by Lawrence O’Donnell Jr.
Directed by Alex Graves
“Did they just burn an American flag in the White House?”
“Uhuh.”
Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
Five weeks of slow, careful build up has led to an episode of Shakespearean court intrigue & tragedy of enormous proportions. Where do you begin to appreciate such a magnificent collection of inter-connected stories, emotions, and revelations?
Let’s start with the machinations of the people running to replace Bartlet as President. We have another outing for Gary Cole’s Bingo Bob Russell, all oily charm and sweet talk, yet smart enough to realize that the only way he can become President is to have someone like Josh behind him…except that Josh realizes that Russell isn’t the one, and with the rise of a Republican rival, they might all be doomed.
That rival arrives in the form of Alan Alda, a veteran of MASH and one of the true icons of television’s second golden age in the 1970s. He’s older and greyer, and yet the authority, sarcasm, laser-sharp wit and vast intelligence that so characterised his days as Hawkeye Pierce remain, having matured into something magnificently grandiose. Leo certainly sees it — the expression on his face when he realizes that Alda’s Senator Vinick is running as Republican candidate for President (and that Ed O’Neil’s Pennsylvania Governor has possibly dropped out of the race in order to support him) is absolutely bone-chilling.
In the middle of all this is Josh, trying to cope with both the shift in power inside the White House, and the tsunami-sized waves washing over the borders of the wider political world. We’re certainly approaching the crisis point for Josh, and it’s been set up with a big, white, poetic arrow. Bradley Whitford’s deep silences throughout this episode make for extremely poignant TV watching.
Meanwhile, Jed Bartlet is running out of time. His MS has surged out of hiding, threatening to destroy any chance of leaving a lasting mark on his country. Martin Sheen has never been more outstanding than he is in this episode: he’s playing chicken with fate, and he’s determined to win, despite whatever infirmities may ravage his body. Watching him being carried out of his office on Air Force One was gut-wrenching…but it was nothing compared to his desperate cry to continue on to China, and damned the consequences. It was foreshadowed in the Oval Office, earlier in the episode, but that earlier outburst of passion pales in comparison to the heartache dripping from his terrible, painful, pleading order to continue the summit trip — drawing on every last ounce of Commander-in-Chief dignity that he has left. That Sheen has not yet won an Emmy for this role is nothing short of criminal; this episode proves it in no uncertain terms.
In the Room is a dramtic jewel in The West Wing crown — easily the best episode in some considerable time, and one of the best episodes of the entire series…and that?s without considering the funny-yet-pointed commentary of Penn & Teller’s did-they-or-didn’t-they burn an American flag magic act. It’s a tone-poem in the middle of a titanic episode, but it makes its point parallel to the rest of the story: some things will always be ephemeral, no matter how much coverage they might be given. Things of substance — strength of character and willpower — will always endure.
10
By the way, an asteroid is heading to Earth next week. Throwing in that teaser trailer at the end of this episode was enough to give me a coronary!
