yes you can
Dec. 18th, 2023 08:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe West Wing - 6.4 Liftoff
On the one hand, I’m such a CJ stan that I was rooting for her throughout, on the other, I almost resented the trajectory of the episode. But as we got to see what a Chief of Staff was expected to do, what Leo had been doing, I did feel it was much better that it was a much younger and healthier person doing it now, what with the early start, the workload and the pressure. And, of course, CJ hadn’t really been groomed for this, didn’t have Leo’s military background or any foreign policy expertise – amusing though Charlie having to push her to use the connecting door to the Oval Office was and Margaret lifting her hand to the sensor to let her in, her entry into the Situation Room highlighted all this.
I snarked about the whole disagreement about a Secret Service detail and whether an agent could sleep in her house – haven’t we seen it all already? (Also, none of them were women.) Margaret being all Margaret and also ‘Leo usually…’ was fun, with a moment spared for Carol being stranded. I enjoyed CJ reaching a point where she could use Margaret’s knowhow and respect her strengths, and the whole odd but tall job offer.
The prank about the mass resignation was okay – a little close to the bone, until Will went on about all the manboy’s Wonder Woman fantasies. Shut up, Will. Having said that, I did read Nancy as an ally, possibly because of her gender, although as it turned out, it wasn’t the defence secretary’s ego that was getting in the way. And the ridiculous-seeming meeting with the Georgian that was about something remarkably serious, the pile of work, CJ knowing she needed to exert authority, feeling that she was failing the President, far too many steps behind, and needing to see Leo was powerful. But she got there, thanks to some of the qualities Leo must have seen, and because of the narrative of the episode. So, I was both ‘yay CJ!’ – especially because of her interaction with Bartlet - and feeling herded.
I did think it was interesting that for all Toby and Josh’s loyalty – refusing the job offers, there was an underlying truth that they had been passed over, most especially Josh. Toby was shunted into doing a public-facing job he was terrible at and then to sorting out his mess. (Amusing though his and Donna’s face were at the terrible candidates, surely CJ’s ‘in case I’m hit by a bus’ file would have been better!? I felt vindicated by the podcast raising this and putting it and a few other niggles down to the show trying to be funny rather than plausible.)
I suppose I wasn’t expecting the credits to already include Smits and Chenoweth, although I should have expected her to turn up. Matt Santos got a great introduction, getting to be all charismatic, intelligent and authoritative, inspiring Josh (and accurately gauging Josh’s love of the deal-making fight.) I don’t quite remember how Josh will get Mr ‘I want to spend time with my family’ to commit to campaigning, but I suppose he’s going to work on the desire to get things done.
Annabeth’s introduction was a little more lightweight, but it was as part of the comedy subplot – I mean, even if they’re flailing over the peacekeeping plan and getting CJ up to speed, bringing someone who was applying for one job to audition for a more senior role like that speaks to incompetence. Obviously, she got to tell Toby some home truths and prove she knew what she was talking about. FWIW, I liked that she had had a role in making Taylor Reed a star (and my goodwill towards Chenoweth started with this role, which she then strengthened by getting cast in Stranger than Fiction and Pushing Daisies as well as being a musical theatre star.) No Kate or Abbey, for all that they were in the credits. The podcast reminded me that the actor playing the Secretary of Defence was the one-armed character on ‘Arrested Development’ and it was interesting to hear that Alison Janney felt some of her character’s trepidation at switching to play a new role in the show after five seasons.
On the one hand, I’m such a CJ stan that I was rooting for her throughout, on the other, I almost resented the trajectory of the episode. But as we got to see what a Chief of Staff was expected to do, what Leo had been doing, I did feel it was much better that it was a much younger and healthier person doing it now, what with the early start, the workload and the pressure. And, of course, CJ hadn’t really been groomed for this, didn’t have Leo’s military background or any foreign policy expertise – amusing though Charlie having to push her to use the connecting door to the Oval Office was and Margaret lifting her hand to the sensor to let her in, her entry into the Situation Room highlighted all this.
I snarked about the whole disagreement about a Secret Service detail and whether an agent could sleep in her house – haven’t we seen it all already? (Also, none of them were women.) Margaret being all Margaret and also ‘Leo usually…’ was fun, with a moment spared for Carol being stranded. I enjoyed CJ reaching a point where she could use Margaret’s knowhow and respect her strengths, and the whole odd but tall job offer.
The prank about the mass resignation was okay – a little close to the bone, until Will went on about all the manboy’s Wonder Woman fantasies. Shut up, Will. Having said that, I did read Nancy as an ally, possibly because of her gender, although as it turned out, it wasn’t the defence secretary’s ego that was getting in the way. And the ridiculous-seeming meeting with the Georgian that was about something remarkably serious, the pile of work, CJ knowing she needed to exert authority, feeling that she was failing the President, far too many steps behind, and needing to see Leo was powerful. But she got there, thanks to some of the qualities Leo must have seen, and because of the narrative of the episode. So, I was both ‘yay CJ!’ – especially because of her interaction with Bartlet - and feeling herded.
I did think it was interesting that for all Toby and Josh’s loyalty – refusing the job offers, there was an underlying truth that they had been passed over, most especially Josh. Toby was shunted into doing a public-facing job he was terrible at and then to sorting out his mess. (Amusing though his and Donna’s face were at the terrible candidates, surely CJ’s ‘in case I’m hit by a bus’ file would have been better!? I felt vindicated by the podcast raising this and putting it and a few other niggles down to the show trying to be funny rather than plausible.)
I suppose I wasn’t expecting the credits to already include Smits and Chenoweth, although I should have expected her to turn up. Matt Santos got a great introduction, getting to be all charismatic, intelligent and authoritative, inspiring Josh (and accurately gauging Josh’s love of the deal-making fight.) I don’t quite remember how Josh will get Mr ‘I want to spend time with my family’ to commit to campaigning, but I suppose he’s going to work on the desire to get things done.
Annabeth’s introduction was a little more lightweight, but it was as part of the comedy subplot – I mean, even if they’re flailing over the peacekeeping plan and getting CJ up to speed, bringing someone who was applying for one job to audition for a more senior role like that speaks to incompetence. Obviously, she got to tell Toby some home truths and prove she knew what she was talking about. FWIW, I liked that she had had a role in making Taylor Reed a star (and my goodwill towards Chenoweth started with this role, which she then strengthened by getting cast in Stranger than Fiction and Pushing Daisies as well as being a musical theatre star.) No Kate or Abbey, for all that they were in the credits. The podcast reminded me that the actor playing the Secretary of Defence was the one-armed character on ‘Arrested Development’ and it was interesting to hear that Alison Janney felt some of her character’s trepidation at switching to play a new role in the show after five seasons.
