Review of Debate Camp
Written by Toniann
As a former debate team member, I have to confess: there's always a time
when what you really want to say to your opponent is "Bite me". It's
understandable. Not generally effective unless the people judging the debate
are about fifteen years old, but you never know.
Leo walks into debate prep and it's like Doom walking in -- it reminds of
of that time someone said that every time that Leo takes the president into
the Sit Room they want to start buying canned goods. Speaking of the Sit
Room, I wasn't sure which I liked better, the on-the-go caravan walking
through the wooded grounds, or the temporary setup in a barn. Whatever
works, as long as we don't upset the Joint Chiefs by arguing in front of
them.
All of that, though, pales before the nuclear missile underneath the
Eisenhower putting green. I'm going to admit it: Donna and her
co-conspirator Michael didn't just have Josh going, they had me going as
well. She has something of a habit of doing this -- that woman has a much
better poker face than I do. It was awful nice, though, to hear Josh say
he'd trust her with his life. That's sweet. Even if he did kick a little too
much joy out of that "Bambiesque" line.
I hate to say it, but CJ had really bad hair four years ago. Then again,
didn't we all? I'm speaking for myself, at least.
Team Toby (which I am so a member of) has an early lead: wow. Andy's
pregnant. That's just... amazing. Nice. Great development, character-wise.
Though I'm puzzled about a couple of things with that story. Toby was still
married to Andy during the first election? It didn't seem that way, in "In
The Shadow of Two Gunmen", with all the flashbacks. They didn't say
anything, but he seemed divorced. That scene in the bar. But okay, it
doesn't contradict anything, really. Why is Andy there at Debate Camp,
though? I mean, aside from having Toby's kids, it seems. Why is she a member
of the Bartlet campaign? Is it customary for a Congresswoman to be so?
Only Toby would specify that the nurse at the Fertility Clinic (the place
with the room with the Not-Out-Loud Named Room) was Welsh. Funky. I also
liked the bit about trying to convey that it's not you, with body language,
which is impossible to do.
That computer screen thingee they had for Electoral Math, that was pretty
neat. I mean, that was a big old screen with good resolution and
touch-screen capabilities. I want one of those. Though I'm also partial to
Tim Russert's chalkboard, used on Election Night 2000. Which I heard, at one
point, was going into the Smithsonian. It certainly got a lot of use, all
that erasing and recalculating.
Hey, nifty Mrs. Landingham appearance. Those offices certainly needed some
decoration -- I got the "we just moved in" message they were hitting us over
the head with, no problem. Being able to pick your wall decor from the
collections of the National Gallery and the Smithsonian is a pretty neat
perk, if you ask me. And I would've asked for Apollo 11 too. Fruitlessly, I
know. Still. No harming in stating a preference, albeit an unwieldy one.
The Campaign to Make Me Like Amy Gardner (well, and to make all of you
like her too, I suppose) is still hard at work, I see -- giving Team Toby a
run for its money. In my case, at least, I reluctantly, again, admit it's
working. She still has a nasal voice thing going on, but I thought her
little monologue on the bike was pretty funny. As was Josh's comment about
Sonny calling Cher. And, anyone on that bad a date is always going to get my
sympathy.
Ah, the genesis of walking and talking in the corridors: we should've
guessed all along that it's just that Josh & Sam can't find anything. Plus,
I think Josh sort of likes finding an impromptu pickup meeting.
All these mentions of Danny, albeit in the flashback scenes only, make me
sort of nostalgic. Honestly, where'd the guy go? For awhile we kept hearing
that Timothy Busfield was busy directing, or working on other projects. That
still the case? I'm not giving up hope, though. We got Fitz back, after all.
We can do this too.
"The autumnal equinox is usually good to me."
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