Review of Galileo
Written by Toniann
I thought this was a phenomenal episode, and I'm sure someone else will
agree and say why with much more eloquence. If I had to name one reason
myself, though, I'd say it was the rhythm and the flow, the banter, the
pace. Great writing. Wonderful execution.
You gotta love continuity: one of the expert advisors from NASA
scheduled to be speaking on air with Bartlet was Peter Jobson. Jobson
was last not seen in "What Kind of Day Has it Been".
"NASA's good at naming things"; I just loved that line. They're good
at a lot of stuff.
An ongoing compliment: I love the interaction between the president
and CJ; he truly delights in giving her a hard time (*He* said it
right"), but it's done with such obvious affection. I remember when Josh
once told her, "He thinks of you like a daughter", and I believe that's
true. I truly enjoyed that the final scene featured the two of them
standing outside, looking up into the night, talking about the future of
human exploration; it was a really nice and intimate moment.
Speaking of CJ, this was a great episode for Allison Janney. I was
cheering her on in every scene. You have to love a woman who can stand
in a PR briefing in the Oval Office and say she's good in bed and not
bat an eye. (Note: this Random Thought contains no intern jokes)
I found it endearing the way Bartlet and Toby were so unabashedly...
geeky... in the sheer amount of scientific data they spewed forth in
this episode. Last year, on "The X-Files", Mulder said to Scully,
"Nobody likes a math geek". Mulder might say no one likes a science geek
either, but I wouldn't agree with him in this case.
Continuing with an X-Files sort of tangent, to borrow from that
fandom, I swear, I'm *not* a Josh and Donna shipper, really I'm not.
They haven't sold me on the wisdom of that idea yet; maybe I'm willing
to say I'm currently sitting on the fence. But I confess that Josh's "We
should put you on a stamp" was a little heart-fluttering for this
viewer. And, you know, what other show can inject sexual tension into
philately?
It's probably a good thing that Margaret is aware of her ability to
freak people out.
Is it just me, or was that an awful lot of security for the
president's arrival at Kennedy Center? Possibly I'm reading too much
into this, but I thought it might be a commentary on the much laxer
security that led to the shooting.
Hockey fans, help me out (and forgive my spelling while you're at it
) . Is there actually a player named Richard
Andruchek? I have this vague memory of someone by that last name once
playing for the Buffalo Sabres, but I thought his first name was Dave.
Is this the first time we've seen Bartlet smoke? I was surprised at
first, then remembered the press briefing where a reporter challenged
the statement that he'd quit some time ago by revealing that he'd
recently bummed a cigarette from her on Air Force One.
Let me say that I, for one, liked Charlie's scene with CJ, and I found
myself pleasantly surprised that he was so sure of himself there.
Watching it, though, I immediately thought of the newsgroup, and how I'm
*sure* there are some out there who'll think he was out of line. But I
don't think so. And CJ was certainly convinced. In a sense, the whole
thing hearkens back to the great change proposed in "Let Bartlet Be
Bartlet", and how some things are more important than getting
re-elected. Maybe it is more important to trust the intelligence and the
ability of the American public than it is to worry about 10,001 green
bean farmers and their votes. Then again, I suppose I'd feel differently
if I were a green bean farmer.
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