Review of Six Meetings Before Lunch


Written by Toniann

  • This, in my mind, will always be "The Jackal Episode". And that's, you know, a good thing. Really, I wish the cast and crew would get inspired like that more often.

  • The second-best thing about this episode was Toby and his Day of Jubilee. Let me say first off that I support his unwillingness to celebrate until the fat lady has sung. I share the same superstitious belief. Le me say also, though, that it was just fun and wacky to see him briefly chipper.

  • Okay, so I'm admittedly not a Mandy fan. But the whole panda bear storyline was, come on, pretty dumb. It seemed like someone dreamed it up as a reason for her to be in the episode. And then the whole business of her asking Toby to help her get back at Josh-- well, we never see that, do we?

  • Here's something I really like about the West Wing: Sam's counter arguments to Mallory, regarding school vouchers. He made some great points. Here's something I don't like about the West Wing: in the end, it turns out Sam's against vouchers, like the good liberal he is, and the whole thing was an exercise in debate. With a few clever phrases about making schools into palaces, he dismissed every great argument he'd spent the episode making? Sorry, buddy, no can do.

  • For me, the most interesting thing that happened in Josh's meeting with Breckenridge was how he brought up his father, to make a connection with Breckenridge, and then clammed up, regretting the invitation to intimacy, regretting opening the wound. You never get over losing a parent like that, obviously. But Josh is still so uncomfortable and upset about it, memories don't seem to bring him much joy. Awkwardness, instead.

  • You know what I really got a kick out of? Seeing the Secret Service staff meeting. That was cool. At the place I work at? Our staff meetings are a joke. A former employee used to call them "staff infections", pun intended. No one's paying attention and nothing useful ever gets said. (Note to all: I'm *obviously* not running these meetings, so no, there's nothing I can do about it.) But these Secret Service people, whoo hoo, they were organized and on the ball and whatnot. Which, I guess, the Secret Service really kinda should be.


    Back to episode info