The West Wing: ‘Isaac and Ishmael’.

[shallowness]

The morning after watching it, I still didn’t really know what I made of this. The West Wing Weekly’s take that it was a PSA in some ways rang true. I’d got that it was a first take from Sorkin, expressing one reaction, which was as much reaction to September 11th as a reaction to others’ reaction to the attacks, and, listening to the podcast, I was very aware that I hadn’t seen ‘I&I’ before, so I wasn’t comparing my reaction now with my reaction back then, just coming to it over 20 years after, having come across some of the reaction to it at the time and over the years. Also, I’m not American.

But for context, I watched it a week after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, with the news of the various attacks on Ukrainian cities ringing in my head. So, I was watching a response to a pivotal moment for the USA, at what felt/feels like a pivotal moment for the continent of Europe (and the world too in both cases.)

The intro from the actors, informing us that this was out of the main continuity and the details of where viewers were prompted to donate (which I associate with telethons, more than a TV drama) set the scene. Like Malina, though, I was particularly aware that while all the other actors were speaking for the show, Janelle Moloney was speaking as Donna to inanely share that Donna would be getting a boyfriend. It came off as more like patronising chauvinism than light relief, unfortunately.

Dramatically speaking, I thought the strand involving the interrogation worked way better than everyone coming to talk to the students. And a little part of me thought that if they’d brought Rakim Ali (sp?) back at some point in season 3, it might have worked better, even if part of the whole premise of this is that it’s set at this nebulous time, when the characters are used to these ‘crashes’, but edgy about them.

It sounded from the podcast as if it was a positive experience for the actor, who was great, but I winced when I learned they’d cast an Indian American as an Arab American, although the actor and Hrishi didn’t comment on it.

I’d go further than describing the main plotline as didactic, it felt like we were being preached to a bit (I suppose I didn’t consciously make and resent the link that we were the schoolchildren, but maybe I did unconsciously, as I watched), while I was simultaneously wondering how Whitford had learned so many lines in what must have been less time than usual? Everyone else got to weigh in, but he, Moloney and the kids (and the teacher who had nothing to do for most of the episode) were there all the time. I wonder if any of those kids went on to have a career. I didn’t recognise any of them, but that means nothing.

I honestly don’t know how to parse my reaction to September the eleventh (see, I don’t even call it 9/11 reflexively) now, which is layered over my reaction then, which was of course not quite the same as Americans’ various reactions. I only know that when they referenced Afghanistan and the Taliban, I was aware of watching this after the West went into Afghanistan and went out…

So, Islamic Extremist Terrorism vs the Pluralistic USA 101 as explained by The West Wing… I dunno.

I felt sorry for the kids being pulled into the Josh and Donna of Josh and Donna, I liked that we heard a little more about where Charlie came from. The kids looked more diverse than the West Wing regulars. I know the Jewishness of Toby and Josh, (and Sorkin) came into play, and having Abbey talk about the Biblical story that gave the ep its title was really interesting, because her religious beliefs have just been implied in the wake of being married to Catholic believer Jed.

Also, I enjoyed Janney’s performance, if for nothing else CJ calling Sam (?) ‘pokey’. Whether she’d be so you spies and gung-ho about privacy jumped out at me more than Leo’s behaviour.

Anyway, I was glad Josh took a moment with Billy/Fred after picking on him throughout. I was also glad that Leo went and apologised to the ‘kid’ (hmph), given what he’d put him through, and that we’d got to hear all the other times he’d been suspected because of being an Arab-American. Throughout the interrogation, my take was that Leo wasn’t sure whether he was guilty, but had decided to go hard in case. On the other hand, I am not convinced that the Chief of Staff would be conducting this interrogation.

You could tell that the ep was a rush job, if a well-meaning one, and Sorkin and the show would continue to work through their and the US’s reactions to September the 11th, which I’ve discussed before. But Josh foolishly thinking he was going to leave early was a reassuringly familiar moment.

[Edited for typos 25/12/24.]

Comments

[vialethe]

It's a bizarre little time capsule of an episode at this point - it kind of boggles the mind that it even got made. But no one knew what to do back then, I suppose.

It's undeniably preachy (more than the show is on a regular basis, even!) and cringey throughout, with some characters, like CJ as you noted, saying what they did because Sorkin needed someone to make those points rather than it being a believable thing for the character to think. But I do like Josh and Billy, and Charlie's moment. It's not all bad...just mostly.

[shallowness]

At times, I thought that if the episode were a little more marinated, things might be better, although the set-up of the staff coming to talk to the students was always problematic. Finding out that it cost NBC so much to put this on says a lot about Sorin's clout and the general feelings of the time and the uncertainty about how to respond culturally, especiall a show like The West Win, which was set in the heart of government. I'm glad I got to see it finally, just for copleteness.