Written by Eli Attie
Directed by Christopher Misiano
“You should have done this weeks ago.”
For its first few acts, I found Opposition Research hard going…and I wasn’t sure why, until Josh himself articulated it to Matt Santos in rant after rant. Rants that were returned in kind by tears of frustration and anger.
That’s when I clued in.
Opposition Research is all about the way the harsh reality of politics can turn dreams, ideas and ambitions into banal, going-through-the-motion routines that stunt even the most optimistic of men and women. Watching Matt Santos confront the hard truths about the relationship between honesty and politics was absolutely brutal. It’s only amplified by the stubbornness Santos displays in his campaign style — the man is determined to do things his way…but his way is proven wrong, time and again.
This episode makes for an astonishing counterpoint to previous episodes covering Bartlet’s own rise from obscurity to Presidency. The difference is that In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, as well as other episodes, are framed by the comfort and security of being in power, and demonstrated through flashbacks. Opposition Research isn’t a flashback: it’s real time, it’s harsh, and the outcome is frightening and uncertain.
It’s sold by the icy, beautiful cinematography, and the equally beautiful performances of Bradley Whitford and Jimmy Smits. These men are forming a relationship — fighting each other, pushing each other, opening up to each other, and they convey it with all the deep emotion of men who have given their lives to fight for an ideal. And somehow, in the midst of all their emotional conflict, things begin to move. Ideas begin to push ahead of image…and the seeds of a possible Presidential future are sowed.
It’s never going to be my favourite episode — at its core, it’s too depressing and nihilistic (as it should be, considering it’s the low point for both Josh and Santos). But that final scene, where two men make a quiet bargain to make common cause…and damn the consequences…it sums up the value of this episode with a minimum of words, and a maximum load of emotion.
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