Written by Deborah Cahn
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter
“You and me…we’re the back room.”
Wow. After all the intensity, emotion, and distress of last week, this week we get…well, more of the same.
In terms of the Bartlet Presidency, we’re slipping into Roosevelt territory, as one man battles against his disease, desperate not to fade away into history. There are a dozen moments in this episode that stand out, from the prison-break on the jet with Curtis, to the final signing — where Bartlet invokes the (especially to the Chinese) chilling idea of two old men, talking alone in a room. But the most powerful of all is the bathroom scene, where we once again get to watch Martin Sheen turn in his umpteenth Emmy-worthy performace. As Bartlet sits there, thumping his useless legs, railing at fate, trying to hold back the tears, its hard not to have a lump in the throat and a prickly sensation behind the eyes. It was a terrible, beautiful moment.
All of that would have been enough for one show on its own, but The West Wing isn’t you’re average television program. The delight of Impact Winter isn’t the ridiculous (but very amusing) threat of an asteroid strike…it’s about the crater left behind by the scores of smaller, emotional impacts that litter this sublime episode. Leo, still recovering from his own physical and emotional trauma, now realizes that he may be the only one left able to drag the Bartlet Administration to the finish line. Josh, in counterpoint, losing Donna (in the biggest oh-my-god-I’m-a-jackass moment in history), and reaching out for the only thing he has left: the possibility that Matt Santos is willing to run for President, and pick up where Bartlet will leave off. The final scene, where no words are uttered, speaks volumes of the deepest emotional impact of them all.
Impact Winter is a gorgeous jewel, ending an unprecedented 9 week run of West Wing episodes…perhaps the greatest sustained level of quality since the first season…and it’s still only Act One! Act Two of this incredible season is yet to come…
10
