Review of Stirred
Written by Toniann
I just want to interject here that the part of me that is a Buffy fan is completely jealous of all these new West Wing episodes. Then again, I guess that's about to change. Drat.
The opening "card game" AA meeting discussion about Leo leaving the group because he'd been outed... that seemed flimsy to me, considering how secret the meeting is and all. But on second thought, I think that scene was really there so we could see Hoynes being loyal to Leo. Which didn't surprise me.
Small moment: when Josh asked Donna if she knew where his binder with top secret security codes is, and she said, "It'll turn up."
Charlie makes $35K a year, huh? I suddenly feel better about my salary, and worse about my lack of equal charity donations. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bartlet/Charlie scenes in this episode -- I love seeing them banter like that, plus the special kind of relationship they have, it's all good. As Charlie said, that was an incredibly nice gesture. And on a final note, I'm with Chuckles about the whole rebate vs. advance thing.
You learn something new every day: I never thought about the whole shaken vs. stirred thing as far as martinis are concerned. I mean, calling James Bond snooty isn't out of the realm of believable, of course. But I never thought of him as the kind of guy who ordered weak drinks. Suddenly I want to have a martini -- oddly enough, I never have. Anyone out there a connoisseur?
Okay, Aaron, this is absolutely criminal. Not only do you mention Fitzwallace, you throw him out there as a candidate for Vice President, and you even have a spiffy-looking dossier photo of him in one shot. Bring the guy back, for the love of all that is holy. We want Fitz!!! Where have you gone, John Amos? Come back, and bring Timothy Busfield with you!!!!!
Calming down. Really.
To be honest, I thought the storyline about Donna's teacher was going to end up with some staffer realizing that issuing a proclamation for her would be an excellent PR stunt for a campaign that says education is its number one priority. I like the way it actually went better. Which is just one of the many reasons I'm not a Hollywood screenwriter, I guess. :) Still, call it schmaltzy if you will, but even my cynical little heart was touched when Mrs. Morello told Donna how proud she was of her. That was a nice moment.
Now I have another great reason to like Hoynes: we agree about hockey (I especially liked the bit about trading a player for a case of Labatt's). Also, someone who would anonymously champion funds for Internet access for the poor, that's my kind of guy. I'm glad the president agrees.
Another small moment: Margaret saying, "I go home when you go home" to Leo. What a terrific woman that Margaret is.
Oh, and poor Ginger. I thought she was going to take Toby for a short walk down a long pier (am I mixing metaphors?) sooner or later. She has the patience of a saint. I, at least, would have been muttering under my breath.
Is it just me, or am I liking the whole darn cast just a little bit more after this episode? Heck, I'm even feeling a bit fond of Ulysses S. Grant, and frankly I've never given him much thought before.
I am not entirely surprised that Hoynes thought Bartlet knew about his alcoholism. There was something in their behavior, something in the way Hoynes acted around him. A scene I recall when Bartlet offered him a beer and Hoynes seemed shocked, then defensive. At the same time, it also didn't surprise me that Bartlet reacted to the news the way he did. One thing about this president, he tries not to cast the first stone.
I was seriously beginning to worry that they weren't going to tell us what those four words were, and I was therefore seriously thinking about throwing things at the TV. Whew. Way to psych me out, there. :)
"Do a Google search, then talk to me."
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