Written by Eli Attie
Directed by Christopher Misiano
“I fight cold with cold.”
One of the few good things about missing last week’s episode was that I only missed a piece of the Bartlet strand of the season. With Freedonia, we rejoin the Democratic Presidential race, and it’s another solid outing — good, but unremarkable…until that last act…
Freedonia is concerned with playing by the rules, who sets the rules, and how much freedom the rules allow. It’s also about the slow realization that the rules exhaust the spirit, and turn politics into the generic, superficial mumbo-jumbo that Matt (Jimmy Smits) Santos fears it is becoming. The argument over being left out of the debate is simply a symptom of this, and even Josh recognizes it when he tells Santos that “we’re game players”, not rule makers.
For most of the episode, we get the standard run arounds, the Josh is right/Santos is wrong exchanges that have become an increasing part of these episodes. I start to ask myself why these guys are together, running this campaign?
It’s the final act that reveals all. The returning Amy (Mary-Louise Parker) keeps harping that Santos hasn’t found the Presidential voice…while Josh reminds him that you can’t HAVE a Presidential voice unless you become President. Santos decides to split the difference, and use a 60 second live commerical spot to set out once and for all what HIS Presidential voice actually is…
In that moment, Jimmy Smits stakes his claim to Sorkinland, and makes the first Bartlet-like statement of his campaign. The look on Josh’s face pretty much says it all…the awakening of a sleeping giant, with truckloads of compassion, grace, and humour that set everyone abuzz. A worthy successor to Bartlet? Perhaps…
Two other things especially likeable about this episode are:
1—Donna vs. man-in-chicken-suit…because even WRITING that sentence was funny!
2—Amy taping Josh to his chair — it’s the strangest, sweetest reconciliation ever.
So, dipping back into West Wing with a solid, steady episode that hits greatness at the end. Not perfect, but certainly full of the right kind of magic.
8
