Written by Alex Graves
Directed by Andrew Bernstein
“It wasn’t designed to make us comfortable…it was designed to make us free.”
That was the best line out of a series of good lines given to Jimmy Smits this week, as Congressman Santos has a really good campaign day, and articulates The West Wing’s liberal-secular-tolerant philosophy…and gives the middle finger to all those religious fanatics trying to push Intelligent Design as a way of getting Creationism into classroom science.
It was also the most linerar part of the program, as the rest of it resembles the state of CJ’s sleep-deprived mind…
*Watch CJ try to take a nap, only to have people constantly walk in on her
*Watch CJ try to avoid coffee…only to snap and order the grand-daddy of all lattes!
*Watch CJ be confronted by the eponymous CIA analyst Mr. Frost…with dire, X-Files-style warnings…only for him to be proven right…and then disappear! Hell, anyone who can make Kate Harper jump deserves a hearing…
*Watch Margaret the ice-woman handle the Congressional inquiry into the shuttle leak without breaking a sweat
*Watch the marvellous Kristin Chenoweth as Annabeth, trying to stop herself going all gooey around Leo while trying to micromanage him simultaneously…and watch Leo, amiably oblivous to her crush. “What tension?”
*Watch Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet stagger in circles after learning about the death of the PLO chairman — WATCH as this giant of an actor conveys so much emotion by simple pacing in a circle!
And then there’s the ending…which starts off as a gorgeous blending of two orchestras…and then comes crashing down to Earth as Toby realizes he must make the ultimate sacrifice for a campaign he’s been scoffing at…
Did you get all that?
The West Wing has the ability to juggle more plot lines than the average TV drama, but here it’s a little top heavy…threatening to come crashing down…but it doesn’t. That’s the beauty of Mr. Frost: an episode that plays with fire and collapse, and comes out smelling sweetly of roses.
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