Written by Lawrence O’Donnell Jr.
Directed by Alex Graves
Here are four reasons why The Debate is a West Wing artistic triumph:
1—I don’t know how much of this was scripted, and how much was improvised on the part of the main characters, but there was a frission to this episode that was positively electric. The pauses were uncomfortable. The flubs of words and sentences were completely human. The irritation seemed real and palpable. And the audience…were they plants, or were the outburts genuine? We’ll never know…but it all combined to create something that was positively magical.
2—Perhaps the entire series has been building up to this…but when Matt (Jimmy Smits) Santos once and for all confronted Arnie (Alan Alda) Vinnick on the use of the word “liberal”, I wanted to scream with glee! It’s about time someone had the guts to tell the truth, and point out how the American right has perverted the word into something akin to a curse. Smits was vibrating with repressed energy as he defended the legacy of liberals throughout history…and it made me want to cheer!
3—Sticking with Smits, this was — far and away — his boldest, most beguiling & passionate performance ever! There was so much humanity, so much dignity, so much represssed-yet-righteous fury on display…it was like watching a hurricane of centre-left thought blow through the auditorium. He was breathtaking.
4—Alan Alada get his share of the praise as well…for being a moderate Republican who still holds right-wing beliefs, and defends them to the letter. A man who confidently believes in the power of the free market…a man who is certain of the role of government (or lack thereof)…a man who’s belief system I totally disagree with…and yet, he made a convincing, determined, eye-popping case for each of his ideas. Ideas that are shared by many in the US and Canada. He, too, was mesmerizing.
Rules? What rules? The ghosts of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were being channelled in that auditorium…and the end result was perhaps THE definitive mission statement of The West Wing. An episode touched with true magnificence, and an episode that should make the viewer a born-again believer in the ideals of the democratic system. This is one to cherish, and not because it was live…but because it wore its heart on its sleeve, as only The West Wing is able to do.
10
