Review of Lord John Marbury
Written by Toniann
review written in Feb. 2002
Isn't it kind of interesting that this episode is titled "Lord John Marbury", and yet he doesn't make an appearance until practically the last scene? Talk about build-up. But I really do adore Roger Rees, and I wish he'd pop up more often.
Bartlet certainly has come a long way since his Sit Room floundering in "A Proportional Response." He's much more sure of himself in a serious military situation here.
Otherwise, to begin on a completely random note, isn't it really cool that Mrs. Landingham has cookies on her desk? I think so. Then again, I have a canister filled with chocolate on mine, to the delight of co-workers.
I know it's all for the sake of drama and such, but yeah, I'm going to have to agree with the president (and everyone else in the room) on this one: the CIA missing the movement of 300,000 troops, yeah, that's dropping the ball.
Leaving CJ out of the India/Pakistan loop, purposely, wasn't the right decision. Everything else aside, it really does boil down to the fact that either she's a trusted member of the Communications staff or she's not. There's no in-between. And I think Toby realized that later, which is why he apologized. That, and I really don't think he like for CJ to be mad at him. For what it's worth, though, CJ handled herself very professionally in the moment, I thought, despite having to sit there in Leo's office and learn that she'd been lied to.
Let me just say that Charlie is one brave man to ask the president if it's okay if he dates his daughter -- though the fact that it was Zoey who came up with the idea, and the president knows how "outgoing" his daughter is, counted for a lot, I'm sure. Still, it was an interesting turn of events and, as we all know with hindsight, led to some dangerous circumstances. Still, Bartlet definitely made the right call on this one.
So when Sam tells Josh to take a lawyer with him to the depositions, Josh says, "I am a lawyer"; Sam scoffs and tells Josh to take a real lawyer. Okay, all that aside, Josh is a lawyer of any kind? Really?
I know, I know: I'm a broken record, and it does seem like in each review I'm pointing out what stupid and annoying thing Mandy did in this episode. But she keeps doing stupid and annoying things in each episode, what can I say? The working for Mike Brace, Republican, thing was just stupid. Of course that wasn't a good idea! You can't bat for both teams, as Sam told her in the end. And boy, didn't her pestering him about it seem wildly self-centered and petty while Sam is standing there considering the possible downfall of the Chief of Staff and a catastrophic war in India/Pakistan? It did to me.
It's surprising that Jed Bartlet can't remember the appropriate Revelations quote: "And I looked and I beheld a pale horse, and the name that sat with him was Death, and hell followed him." Isn't there something else in there about a pale rider?
"We can hide the women, but the man really does deserve a drink."
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