west wing: finale review and my goodbye

[dianora2]

I thought the finale had some great moments, but I'm not sure it completely hung together for me overall.

There were many moments that I adored: the napkin, Ginger, Ronna, EdandLarry, Will's pink rubber ball, CJ's last scene. The most emotionally affecting for me was the Jed/Charlie scene -- what I love about Charlie is that he's always surprised when someone does something nice for him. Charlie, you are awesome. Accept it. It was a wonderful moment between those two characters, and I am thankful for it.

And I'm okay with the fact that more time was spent on the White House staffers who were leaving -- CJ, Will, Kate, Charlie -- than the ones who were "returning." That made sense to me. And obviously, Jed stuff was super important to have. And yet: not one line of dialogue between Josh and Donna in the series finale? Really?

Because, you know what, there was WAY too much Matt/Helen stuff. Seriously. Who cares what necklace Helen Santos wears to the inauguration? The more I think about how much time was spent on Matt/Helen in this episode the more head threatens to explode. And it's all because Wells was obsessed with his "transfer of power" concept, and that translated into his head to giving equal screen time to Bartlet and Santos. Which -- no.

Perhaps it's fitting that the finale sums up how John Wells never truly got this show -- he really seemed to think it was a show about politics, rather than the people who cared about politics. And so he becomes so fixated on his "transfer of power" that the character work we would have preferred to see gets lost. He really thinks most people would rather see Matt and Helen's chatting before the inaugural instead of Josh and Donna's, because they're the president and first lady. Right. Uh huh.

Anyway. Even though Josh and Donna didn't have any dialogue I did love what we got. The bed scene -- well, honestly, can I really ask for more than for the series finale to open with a shot of Josh and Donna in bed together? Not really. What I love about that scene is how Josh is completely wired, until Donna touches him, and then he instantly relaxes and looks peaceful. And their body language and their expressions are completely loving and comfortable, showing us that they're now truly a couple. And has Janel ever looked more beautiful than she does in that shot? I don't think so.

For those of you who hadn't heard, in the inaugural scene, when they show Josh and Donna standing so close together? According to people who were there for the filming, J&D were actually holding hands. We just didn't get to see it. Alas.

I loved, loved, LOVED, Donna's last scene. Of course Donna assumes such a nice office can't possibly be for her. And the expression on her face when she discovers that it is -- oh, Donna, you've come such a long way. I'm so proud of you. Janel nailed that scene, too. Just beautiful.

Josh, Sam and Bram in the Oval Office: may the giggling commence. This really is going to be the prettiest White House EVER. Hee. And I'm sorry, but I loved the Bram/Charlie scene, because that was SO Bram. He is such an idiot. *loves*

I don't mind that Santos said "What's next," but think it would have been a million times better as Bartlet's last line instead of "Tomorrow," which I thought was pretty weak.

Aaron Sorkin at the inaugural: stupid and awesome at once.

CJ's last scene was perfect for me as well. They did good by Allison IMO. And I wish Richard Schiff had been in it, but I'm not surprised that he wasn't.

And the napkin: here's where I give Wells credit, because that was truly inspired. Just a lovely, lovely touch, and a nice end note. I actually get misty just thinking about it.

So, as you can see, there was a lot I liked. I really did. I just didn't think it hung together as well as it could have, and I really really really resent all the Santos time. But, since that's been my feeling for two seasons now, I suppose it fits. Not the worst series finale, but certainly not the best, either. I don't even want to imagine what kind of finale Sorkin would have written, because it hurts too much. And I'm so very sad that this is my last West Wing review! Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read these and comment on them. You've made it a joy.

I've been on such an emotional roller coaster these past few days: the excitement of spending time with good friends, the insanity of being a hostess, the nervousness of the Jeopardy audition, and threaded through everything, sadness about West Wing coming to an end. It's hit me hard the past couple of days, and it's not an enjoyable feeling. I know I'll get over it eventually, but for now, I'm just really going to miss those people coming into my living room every week. I'm going to miss them a lot. And I started writing up my "thank you" notes for the Bartlet 4 America board, and, wow, it got really long. But I thought I would share it.



Thank you for writing that never talked down to me, and lifted me up from ignorance and cynicism. Thank you for giving me an interest in politics I didn’t know I had. Thank you for teaching me more about how government works than I ever learned in school and making me love every minute of it.

Thank you for "In Excelsis Deo" and "Noel" and "Holy Night."

Thank you for "Inauguration Part II," "The Cold," "Election Day," and "Transition." You can probably guess the theme there.

Thank you for "17 People" and "Evidence of Things Not Seen."

Thank you for poker nights and basketball games and late-night Chinese food. Thank you for walking and talking. Thank you for presidential pardons for turkeys and getting left by the motorcade and almost setting the White House on fire. Thank you for Batman & Robin and Flamingo.

Thank you for Bartlet For America on a napkin and running into walls at top speed. Thank you for the feeling that never goes away and "I serve at the pleasure of the president" and "Watch this."

Thank you for Margaret, Carol, Ginger, Bonnie, Ed and Larry, Bram, Otto, Debbie, and Mrs. Landingham.

Thank you for Admiral Sissymary and Doctor Strangelove. Thank you for Will Bailey, who made it rain.

Thank you for Charlie. Thank you for Zoey. Thank you for taking off your coat to show your love for Zoey. Thank you for a carving knife made by Paul Revere and taking a high school athlete to vote.

Thank you for President Bartlet, who will always be the president of my heart. Thank you for Jed and Abbey and Jed and Leo. Thank you for national parks trivia and punctuation marks and fruit with seeds on the outside. Thank you for what’s next. Thank you for musical snobbery and rare books shopping and kicking ass in debates. Thank you for courage and honor and faith and intelligence. Thank you for letting us believe in something greater than ourselves. Thanks for letting Bartlet be Bartlet.

Thank you for CJ, who I never regarded as a role model, just as an endlessly entertaining character played by an amazing actress. Thank you for goldfish and the curse of Bast and singing The Jackal. Thank you for so far up your ass and offering to do Sam on the couch right now. Thank you for Danny and Simon. Thank you for being good in bed and wearing Armani and being delightful and delicious.

Thank you for Toby, whose personality is probably closest to my own. Thank you for hating everybody in the world right now and when don’t I. Thank you for telling Donna about the MS and buying Andy a house. For flirting with the US Poet Laureate and listening to kids who want to vote. Thank you for pink rubber balls and Amnesty International posters and fine cigars. Thank you for the world turning, or not, by changing a few words.

Thank you for Sam, idealism personified. Thank you for celestial navigation and verbal waltzing with Ainsley Hayes. Thank you for pilgrims who solve crimes and acting like a hooleleia. Thank you for being The Housekeeper. Thank you for honoring a widow’s request and trusting Josh’s smile. Thank you for crisp white shirts and wire-rimmed glasses.

Thank you for Leo McGarry. Thank you for tissue-paper thin cold cuts and dancing with Jordan. Thank you for hitting Josh in the back of the head and jumping down into a hole. Thank you for grace under pressure and wisdom beyond telling. Thank you for the Times crossword and arboreal stops. Thank you for Leo and Margaret. Thank you for tension with Annabeth and big block of cheese speeches. Thank you for letting John Spencer shine before he was taken from us too soon.

Thank you for Donna. Thank you for being the voice of the audience and the conscience of the staff. Thank you for cats on the Supreme Court and the mother’s milk of making your point and being right. Thank you for dropping underwear in front of Karen Cahill and asking someone to switch votes. Thank you for writing letters to dead students’ families and caring about pardons from death row. Thank you for alabaster skin and a farm-girl ass. Thank you for a sense of humor that’s a bit of a high-wire act. Thank you for not settling for gomers. Thank you for being invaluable and impervious.

Thank you for not stopping for red lights. Thank you for offers of shoe shopping and drinks at the Hawk and Dove. Thank you for a hundred Donnas and misdirection. Thank you for snowballs thrown at windows and flowers sent on the wrong anniversary. Thank you for flying to Germany and keeping vigil outside operating rooms. Thank you for “You have to get Josh” and “Those stories would make me like you.” Thank you for red dresses and black ties that need tying. Thank you for the Art and Artistry of Alpine Skiing and a peace treaty pen. Thank you for “Monday Monday” and an Iowa hotel. Thank you for hot kisses and awkward sex and quiet support. Thank you for witty banter and sexual tension. Thank you for Josh and Donna.

But for me, most of all, thank you for Josh Lyman and for giving Bradley Whitford the part he was always meant to play. Thank you for a White House staffer who carries a backpack and has a sensitive system. Thank you for a secret plan to fight inflation and the Wells Fargo wagon. For not wanting to be the guy but the guy the guy counts on. For slaps on the back of the head and slipping on the floor in new shoes. Thank you for Josh and Leo. Thank you for Josh and Sam. Thank you for Josh and Toby. Thank you for Josh and CJ. Thank you for the Ave Maria and hiring Charlie. Thank you for yellow waders and what in god’s name is happening right now. Thank you for Bartlet’s Bulldog and Lemon Lyman. Thank you for band gazebos and taking your legislative agenda and shoving it up your ass. Thank you for a Joey Lucas suit and jogging in tanktops. Thank you for cocky but broken, smug but scared, arrogant but sensitive. Thank you for being willing to throw yourself in front of a bus for your friends. Thanks for still calling Toby after he got fired. Thank you for not leaving people and walking too fast. Thank you for finding your own guy and thank you for winning. Thank you for being one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Just thank you.

On a more personal note, I want to say thank you for chats and IMs and phone calls during commercials and post-show analyses and insightful comments and fanfiction and icons and picspam and meta and silliness and fun. I'm so grateful to have "met" everyone on LJ that I've met due to this show. There aren't enough thank yous in the universe. Now help me get over these blues, would you? :)