Written by Eli Attie
Directed by Christopher Misiano
“Who gives the order?”
“We took over the plant, sir. You do.”
In the aftermath of a real election, we switch focus to the waning days of the most interesting fictional election on television. Duck and Cover is much like last week’s Internal Displacement: a throwback to an earlier style of West Wing…except it’s more an exercise in plot mechanics and tactics, as opposed to character building.
We have a crisis, and it’s the last time that we get to see President Bartlet deal with it in a manner that demonstrates his unique compassion and empathy for those who are suffering. Unlike certain real-world Presidents, who shall remain nameless (HAH!), Martin Sheen has always managed to convey a depth of emotion towards Presidential responsibility that few real life political leaders have ever managed to display. He makes his choices, he agonizes over them, he remains firm to his convictions…it can be breathtaking to watch.
The more interesting aspect of the episode is the way the campaign plays into the crisis at the nuclear plant. It’s a game of chess, with shades of chicken. Which side will react first? Who will make the first move…and will it spell their undoing? It also helps that we get a lot of quiet, frustrated deliberation on the Democract side, and as a total contrast, we have energized frenzy with the defensive Republicans.
The scene aboard Air Force One, as Bartlet hands Senator Vinick a smackdown for politicizing the crisis, is sheer brilliance: two of the finest actors of their generation, slugging it out with top notch dialogue and top flight direction. It could well be one of the last major blasts of partisanship we see on the series…and if it is, it goes out with a bang.
Duck and Cover is an episode of gamesmanship, and it works very well. It’s a bit too mechanical to be remembered as a classic, but it’s a necessary piece to the puzzle of the Presidential succession. A stylish, snappy piece, to be sure.
8
As you may have heard (and as I’ve suspected for a while), NBC has announced the end of The West Wing, with a finale set for May 14th. Executive Producer John Wells is also writing the two-part episode, set around the election, covering the death of John (Leo) Spencer. It would appear that there is no constitutional procedure or precedent for the death of a VP candidate during an election, so it should be interesting to see what the writing staff decides to do…
