Sonatine97 Reviews

Sneakerhead (2022)

PhoneShop It Ain't

[5/10 · 7 September 2023]

This short-lived sitcom/taster reminds me of Channel 4's "PhoneShop" from 2009, In fact when you look at the summary for that show on here you'll see."The antics of the dysfunctional staff of Sutton branch of a mobile phone retailer." Well you can swap out Sutton for Peterborough and mobile phone for sports outfitters and you have the same scenario but with far less interesting characters.

The only problem is that Phoneshop developed over 3 seasons, where this seems to have been canned before it had chance to improve the scripts and flesh out the rather vanilla characters.

Laughs are few and far between, and the show is standing around desperately looking for a spark of imagination and fresh humour.

Had it been given a few more episodes things could have really surprised and entertained us. As it is Sneakerhead is stuck in the traps constantly tripping over itself.

The Thick of It: Episode #4.1 (2012) Season 4, Episode 1

New DoSAC Faces: Same Old Problems

[8/10 · 8 August 2022]

There's a new broom at the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship. Gone is former Minister, Nicola Murray, her party and her aggressive bullying spin-doctor, Martin Tucker. To be replaced by the world-weary, middle-aged, cynic, Peter Mannion and his coalition Junior Minister, a young and enthusiastic, Fergus Williams.

Despite being in government both Mannion and Williams are somewhat side-tracked by the news of a homeless former nurse with mental health issues is living in a tent after being evicted from his NHS key-worker home - a home that was sold off by Mannion's government, along with hundreds of others in order to pay off PFI debts.

Stuart Pearson is back as their spin-doctor trying to push a new policy to the media called "App-ortnuity for the Network Nation", which is basically an IT initiative to attract young people to write computer apps with government support.

Fergus is very keen to be at the forefront of the media campaign primarily because he is fairly familiar with how it works. Whereas Mannion is out of his depth and has little idea what it is he is being asked to announce. Inevitably, Pearson asks Mannion to lead the campaign rather than Williams.

A new season, a new government and new faces at DoSAC. In this episode we don't get to see Tucker, or former DoSAC minister Nicola Murray for that matter. Instead we welcome Fergus, Emma Messenger, Adam Kenyon and Pearson - all of whom have appeared in previous episodes of the show.

To be honest it made a nice change not having Tucker bully, abuse and coerce his staff. His opposite number, Pearson, rarely swears but talks in business-speak and can be very passive/aggressive if he doesn't get his way.

Mannion, is a delight as the cynical old politician who detests nearly everyone and every new initiative in his department, but in particular he out-of-touch Pearson and and the youthful Williams.

There are not many laugh-out loud moments as the humour is rather dry, subtle and ironic. But despite this the episode is quite fun, not least for seeing some new faces who are just as bitter and twisted as Tucker and his former Departmental colleagues.

The Thick of It: Episode #3.5 (2009) Season 3, Episode 5

Fat Cats and Poverty.

[8/10 · 4 August 2022]

Nicola Murray, the much maligned Minister of Social Affairs and Citizenship, along with her shadow Minister, Peter Mannion, are invited to appear on a BBC Radio 5 talk show hosted by Richard Bacon. Murray wants to push her "Fourth Sector Path Finder" initiative that will inspire people out of poverty, but Bacon criticises the many weak points behind it.

Mannion is also blind-sided by Bacon who wants to focus on big bonuses for fat-cat City bankers. The problem is that many of Mannion's friends work in banking and he is going to find it difficult to criticise them publicly.

The respective spin doctors - Martin Tucker for Murray and Stuart Pearson, Mannion - listen in at their offices and soon realise that their Ministers are going way off-message to the point where both of them have to go to the studio and get them back on focus.

On a slightly more domestic front both Emma and Ollie (both of whom work for their respective Ministers) are eating at home together while listening to the radio broadcast. Emma is seriously focused on what is being said by Mannion, while Ollie is trying for a more romantic evening in order to strengthen their relationship and failing miserably.

An intriguing if somewhat claustrophobic episode. It was good to see both Mannion and Murray being interrogated by an independent source (Bacon) rather than being back at the office and protected by their staff and the likes of Pearson and Tucker.

This match-up is even more intriguing since Murray wants to help people out of poverty but hasn't got a clue how to do it; and Mannion who wants to defend his extremely rich friends with City bonuses - one extreme to the other.

But because something like 80% of the episode takes place in the confining, oppressive BBC studio it does make for a rather intense but revealing 30 minutes.

It was also good to see both Tucker and Pearson go head to head over policy, even resorting to name calling and blackmailing. Which only underlines how untrustworthy and duplicitous they both are when pressed.

Richard Bacon, who plays himself, is also quite excellent as the passive/aggressive interviewer and gives equal measure of cynicism to both ministers.

A good episode, but the claustrophobic feel throughout is a bit much at times.

The Thick of It: Episode #3.6 (2009) Season 3, Episode 6

A Question of Semantics

[9/10 · 24 July 2022]

Murray inadvertently puts her foot in it, chiefly over semantics during a TV news interview involving a party launch of her "Fourth Sector Policy initiative."

The interviewer goes on to suggests that the PM is a lame duck and a liability to the party. Nicola stumbles over the question suggesting that the PM is the "best man for the job" before changing it to the "best person", although she also confesses to wanting to see a female leader "at some point".

Meanwhile the PM is on a world tour, which suggests to some of Nicola's staffers that he might be stepping down. This doesn't bode well for the DoSAC department as it is feared Nicola will lose her job in a re-shuffle and the likes of Olly Reader and Glen Cullen (her senior advisors) could also be seeing the door marked "exit"

Cullen, in fact, is already making plans to stand for government as an MP if he can get sufficient support from party members and Murray herself.

Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker arrives at the DoSAC department frustrated and angered at the circus going on in the PM's absence at No. 10, suggesting that the PM may well step down very soon.

Just to compound both Nicola's incompetence and Tucker's frustration, the BBC interview is broadcast suggesting that a new leadership bid could happen and that Nicola has put her name forward.

Nicola tries to put the record straight but instead of saying the "PM is the right man OF the moment" she bleats "right man FOR the moment", which drives the media into a frenzy and Tucker into a fireball of anger.

A well focused episode demonstrating the subtleties of how to deal with the media. A word out of context or a sentence provoking a double meaning can have dire repercussions for the minister, the Department and the Government as a whole. This is particularly apposite for Glen Cullen, who has seen his chances of winning party support to stand as a MP shatter because he is closely associated with the clueless Murray.

It also demonstrates once again how inept Murray (played by Rebecca Front) is at her job. But then again her predecessor, Hugh Abbott, was equally out of his depth leading the Department.

You also have to feel just a smidge sympathetic for the volatile Tucker (played brilliantly by Peter Capaldi) as he tries to keep all the spinning plates from crashing into a million pieces. But his venting and bullying appear to be having the opposite affect on his staff as more and more mistakes begin to emerge.

Perhaps Tucker himself might find himself out in the wilderness as being part of the problem than a solution!

The Thick of It: Episode #3.4 (2009) Season 3, Episode 4

Education, Education, Education

[8/10 · 24 July 2022]

In this episode we see the beleaguered Minister for Social Affairs and Citizenship, Nicola Murray, facing problems both at home and at work while still trying to push through her badly thought out "Fourth Sector Social Mobility" initiative to her disinterested team.

On top of that she is called into the school principle's office to be told one of her daughters has been bullying other pupils to the point where she is going to have to be excluded. It would seem moving her from a private school to a state school for reasons of government policy, reluctantly supported by Murray, has turned her daughter into a wild-child.

Nicola desperately wants to keep this matter private but inevitably most of her staff have got wind of it probably because they have little or no respect for her due to being so weak and indecisive.

The biggest problem of all for Nicola is her Opposition Minister, a world-weary Peter Manion, who has found out about her daughter's expulsion and her Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker, is not best pleased and is on the warpath, fearing that Manion will make political capital out of it.

An episode with both political parties sharing the limelight with a Minister always out of her depth and a Shadow Minister so cynical about all aspects of modern politics that he would rather just give it all up.

But we also get to see the respective support teams and how incompetent/gossipy they can be, while their bosses have their own communication style of getting the message across: Tucker resorting to old-school shouting and bullying, while Peterson goes with a more progressive passive-aggressive approach.

Good performances all round as well as raising some questions about private and state education in the UK. It is also apparent that no one can be trusted to keep a secret and that government Departments seem to be run by incompetents and/or backstabbers who will stop at nothing to win favour.

The Thick of It: Episode #3.2 (2009) Season 3, Episode 2

On The Record, Off The Record

[9/10 · 19 April 2022]

Nicola Murray, the newly appointed Minister for the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, is already becoming a target of ridicule by an uncaring media, despite only being in her role for less than a week.

Even her two senior advisors (Glenn Cullen and Ollie Reeder) believe she is not making a good enough impression either with the media, the public and more importantly the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker.

To make matters worse, Glenn informs Nicola that there has been a massive data security breach, in which the Immigration Database has been accidentally wiped and there appears to be no backup.

This of course starts another blame game race in the department with Glenn, Ollie, Terri Coverley and even Nicola herself trying to distance themselves from the hugely embarrassing error, while quickly pointing the blame at others.

And just to compound Nicola's problems further is an off-the-record statement to some Guardian journalists about the data loss, along with her Department's apparent ineptitude in handling sensitive data. Unfortunately a freelance journalist overhears her statement and is prepared to publish it to the first newspaper that takes an interest!

Yet another intriguing episode, not least because of how it deals with internal departmental mistakes and glaring errors of judgement. As soon as there's a problem everyone is out for themselves, protecting their own self-interests even if it means pointing the blame, or even firing innocent people caught in the crossfire.

At the start of season 1 I thought Malcolm Tucker, was a pretty horrible, bullying and self-centred individual. But now it is apparent that Ministers, advisors, senior civil servants and the media will resort to any underhand tactic in order to either take all the glory when the going is good, or deflect all the blame when things are looking bad.

The Thick of It: Episode #3.1 (2009) Season 3, Episode 1

Reshuffles and Backstabbings

[8/10 · 19 April 2022]

The PM has resigned and now there's a government reshuffle with Hugh Abbot finding himself booted out as Secretary of State for the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship.

However, there doesn't seem to be many MPs willing to take over the mantle, and out of sheer desperation, Malcolm Tucker - the PM's Director of Communications and internal Enforcer - digs deep and finds a "total nobody" in his words, Nicola Murray.

Murray is of course not only surprised to be plucked out of nowhere for a top government post, but also has a number of skeletons in her cupboard that are only now coming to light given that she wasn't fully vetted by either No. 10 or Tucker himself.

Nicola has great plans for the department, one of which she calls Social Mobility. However, her two advisors, Ollie Reeder and Glen Cullen (both of whom used to work for Abbot, and are now sucking up to Murray in order to keep their jobs), inform her that such a policy is expensive and will cause a lot of resentment from the Treasury Department across the way.

It is also quite clear that Murray's ego and lack of self-awareness within the department reaches astronomical heights and seems to think she is on the promotion high road to No. 10 and doesn't care who tries to hold her back.

But this self-delusion & naivety comes crashing down when she has her first face2face meeting with Tucker, who proceeds to take her to task about all those skeletons!

Season 3 was filmed some 4 years after seasons 1 and 2, and it feels much better for it, not least in production values, but also in the writing. Moreover, despite the lengthy gap most of the lead characters return looking a little more world-weary and sceptical.

With the first two seasons we had Hugh Abbot as the minister - a man into his late 50s, tired, lacklustre, dispirited and just drab and depressing. In season 3 we have a Nicola Murray, a mother in her early 40s full of hope and optimism, which feeds into the episodes.

And yet as with those earlier seasons, there is an undercurrent of mistrust, backstabbing, blame-gaming, shouting, bullying, one-upmanship and grandstanding as all the main characters try to climb their respective greasy poles of promotion and influence regardless of who gets in their way.

A very confident first episode to the season. Not outrageously funny, but very subtle with its dark humour and irony.

The Thick of It: Episode #3.7 (2009) Season 3, Episode 7

How The Mighty Fall

[9/10 · 7 April 2022]

Tucker takes an unofficial holiday and his old adversary Steve Flemming temporarily take charge as No. 10s Director of Communications and internal enforcer.

Flemming is yet another passive/aggressive bully that still has a grudge to bear after Tucker fired him from the party a few years previously.

Flemming asks Nicola Murray, the Minister for the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, if she can publish several years' worth of crime stats as part of a new government initiative.

Tucker, on the other hand, is hosting a peacekeeping dinner party for certain members of the press at his home for no other reason than to kill any rumours that his job is at stake now that Flemming is in temporary charge.

But the biggest bombshell for Nicola Murray is that some of the crime stats should not have been published without being verified first, and that the Department may look as if it "massaged" some of the figures in order to make it look as if the government is tough on crime.

And what makes it worse for Tucker is that he is the blame for the error even though he insists he was on holiday at the time. And that the PM is far from pleased about it and calls for an official internal enquiry.

This is a brilliant episode, not least because this is the pivotal moment for Tucker's gradual demise from his governmental ivory tower.

Peter Capaldi's performance as Tucker, is truly remarkable as we see his character become paranoid about his now vulnerable position within the higher echelons of government, especially given that his rival Steve Flemming has seemingly got his revenge at long last.

David Haig gives an equally compelling performance as the weaselly Flemming, and it is a great pity we don't see more of him in future episodes.

The Thick of It: Episode #2.2 (2005) Season 2, Episode 2

Paranoia Reigns Supreme

[9/10 · 3 April 2022]

There is a government reshuffle pending, and Minister for Social Affairs, Hugh Abbot, is worried he may find himself out of a job due to his underwhelming performance for the Department.

His paranoia becomes evident when he asks one of his civil service assistants, Robyn Murdoch, to glean as much information about the reshuffle from the daily 8:30am government Departments meeting with Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker.

This will be Murdoch's first meeting with Tucker, and as a consequence is already nervous being in the same room as the passive/aggressive Tucker. But when Abbot leans on her to find out what will happen in the reshuffle she becomes even more worried, not least for her own job.

The reshuffle also brings about a new character into the fold, Julius Nicholson, who is brought in to oversee the pending policies of all the major Departments.

Nicholson works directly for the PM and in a brief meeting with Tucker threatens him with not only dissolving the Department of Social Affairs, but also removing some of the duties and influence from Tucker.

This news irritates Tucker, not least because he sees it as an intrusion of his own domain by an outsider. Therefore to protect his position he resorts to discrediting Nicholson by any means possible - ethical or otherwise.

So now we see Abbot and Tucker panic about their own job roles, which also includes Abbot's two advisors, Glenn Cullen and Ollie Reeder, who could also lose their jobs.

A great episode, not least to see the beginnings of Tucker's reign of power and influence gradually fall apart with the arrival of Nicholson.

The paranoia and desperation within Abbot's Department and Tucker's office is palpable, and makes for a tense and intense episode.

The Thick of It: Episode #2.1 (2005) Season 2, Episode 1

Great Character Development

[8/10 · 3 April 2022]

Minister for Social Affairs, Hugh Abbott, is still just about hanging onto his job role, despite being hassled by Director of Commutations and Prime Minister's unofficial Enforcer, Malcolm Tucker.

Abbott is also blindsided by the fact that one of his senior advisors, Ollie Reeder is dating his opposite number for the Opposition, Emma Messinger.

Tucker soon plays this news to his advantage and temporarily promotes Ollie to work for him at No 10. Ollie thinks his promotion is down to his work overall, but Tucker tells him in no uncertain terms that he is there only to glean as much information from the Opposition via his girlfriend.

Abbott digs himself into another big hole during a local factory visit where an irate woman berates him over treatment for her mother with the NHS and needs Tucker's help to get him out of it.

This second series follows on very quickly from the first, and feels far more confident and focused, especially the character development of some of the leads.

Chris Langham is perfect for the clueless Minister, Hugh Abbot; Peter Capaldi develops his Malcolm Tucker role further, not only with his passive/aggressive attitude towards nearly everyone he works with, but also his own role as what he sees as the pivotal lynchpin within No 10.

But we also get to know more about the supporting characters, especially the naive but duplations Ollie Reeder, who is the perfect brown-noser if it means working within the kingdom of power, No 10.

Lots of bad language and bullying all round. Whether such aggression and general mayhem actually happens in ministerial offices is unknown, but one of the script advisors is Martin Sixsmith, who has worked for the BBC News and more pertinently worked for the Labour Government under Tony Blair, as Director of Communications for the DSS among many other government posts.

Not the best episode so far, but well worth watching if you can stand all the shouting and swearing.

The Thick of It: Episode #1.3 (2005) Season 1, Episode 3

Two Homes Two Faces

[8/10 · 12 February 2022]

Abbot is about to release a new Housing Bill, which is offset by the arrival of junior Minister Dan Miller who is receiving a lot of the media limelight and could be a young pretender to bigger things, including Abbot's position as Minister of State for Social Affairs.

Abbot's paranoia goes up another level when Miller gets unanimous support from Communications Director, Malcolm Tucker.

To deflect this unwanted attention Abbot pushes his Housing Bill with interviews with the press, failing to realise that he himself owns two homes, one of which is in Notting Hill, London and unused. This could pose a problem for Abbot bordering on hypocrisy when there is a massive housing shortage, especially affordable homes in the capital.

Abbot is about to have an interview with a Daily Mail journalist about the Bill, but the journalist focuses on Abbot's two homes. Tucker gets wind of it and urges Abbot to end the interview and somehow force the journalist from publishing the scandalous story which could not only embarrass Abbot but also the PM. As a consequence Abbot's job is on the line again!

This plot is very similar to some real-life scandals over the last 20 years with UK governments and ministers having second homes without declaring them, although of course we never get to find out the actual behind the scenes details of how some of those ministers somehow got off the hook.

Needless to say what happens in this episode is probably not too far from the truth in those particular scandals. And again the performances from Langham (Abbot), Capaldi (Tucker), Addison (Reeder) and James Smith (Glen Cullen) are all unbelievably realistic.

The shakicam irritation is a bit more noticeable in this episode and only acts as a distraction. There is really no need for it even if we're supposed to be kidded into thinking this meant to be some kind of invisible fly-on-the-wall reality documentary.

The Thick of It: Episode #1.2 (2005) Season 1, Episode 2

Never Trust Focus Groups!

[8/10 · 12 February 2022]

As the weeks go by it is clear Abbot, the Minister for Social Affairs, is unsuited for the job. And this is endorsed by a scurrilous news article by Simon Hewett suggesting that Abbot is more or less out of touch with popular culture and the needs of ordinary people.

Abbot confesses to Tucker that he is overwhelmed with his workload and is tired of trying to play catchup with demands of being a Secretary of State.

Malcolm Tucker, the government's Director of Communications, wades in trying to defend Abbot and belittle Hewitt. He insists that Abbot should get fully versed in pop culture via watching a Zeitgeist tape and also listen to some Middle England focus groups for their advice and opinion.

Senior special advisor, Glen Cullen, is not keen on the idea of using focus groups, but is overruled by Tucker and a sycophantic Ollie Reeder. However, as it turns out the focus group idea blows up in both Abbot's and Tucker's faces as Hewitt intends to write another damning piece on Abbot's desperate need to get approval from those very same focus groups.

Just to add to Abbot's woes he notices while watching the tape that the leader of one of the focus groups he had a one-to-one with, is in fact an actress and just pretended to be a representative of a Middle England housewife for the focus group, which again the press could have a field day with if it ever came to light via a leak.

So yet again Tucker, Reeder and Cullen have to do damage control and get Abbot out of yet another political/public disaster!

A slightly more confident episode from the pilot with marginally less irritating "shakicam" and more focus on the characters and their particular flaws, dominated of course by the fiery and unforgiving Tucker.

The performances from all the lead character are quite excellent and totally believable, especially that of the tired and confused Abbot played by Chris Langham. Even his facial expressions and the way he walks suggests of a man with the world on his shoulders as he blunders from one mess to another.

Again the humour is subtle rather than simple wisecrack gags, and may go of over the heads of some viewers. But of course it does beg the question if this political satire of a fictitious government department bares any resemblance to how a genuine department is managed. And my guess it probably is!

The Thick of It: Episode #1.1 (2005) Season 1, Episode 1

A Solid Start

[8/10 · 10 February 2022]

Newly appointed Minister for the Department of Social Affairs, Hugh Abbot, is totally out of his depth with the relatively new department.

He tries to push a new government policy called Snooper Force, which is tasked to find benefit fraudsters. However, due to a misunderstanding of symantics between him and the Prime Minister, Abbot realises that the PM never gave him the okay to announce the policy to the press.

As a consequence he has to back-peddle with the help of his advisors, Glenn and Ollie, or face the sharp tongue of Director of Communications and internal political enforcer, Malcolm Tucker!

It is well know that this show is a 21st century update of the classic BBC sitcom of the 70s, "Yes, Minister". However, this is probably far more realistic, especially in its use of hardcore swear words and verbal bullying, mostly noticeably from Tucker.

It is filmed in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style with no music and no canned or live-audience laughter. In fact even though this is labelled as a comedy, it is not laugh-out-loud humour like "Yes, Minister". Instead the comedy is very subtle and incredibly dry, and may well fly over the heads of most people.

One noticeable complaint about the first season, and this episode in particular, is its use of "shakeycam", which is often used in real-life documentaries, but doesn't work here. Fortunately, this is watered down by season 2.

Even though this episode only has a relatively small cast, it will perhaps take one or two repeat viewings to get the hang of who they are, what they do and how they interact with each other.

The Judge (2014)

Professional Critics are not always right!

[9/10 · 9 July 2020]

I was quite astounded/disappointed to find that the general consensus among professional media critics for this film, to be rather less than average (48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes)

Yes, this family drama does have its fair share of cliched scenes that have been done to death elsewhere. Which is all very well if you've seen those films. But if you haven't, or simply don't care for such snobbery, then this film is still far more worthy and compelling, not least for the outstanding acting performances from Duvall and Downey Jr.

I guess it would have been nice to have learned more about the breakdown between Hank (Downey Jr) and his wife leading to a divorce. All we get is about 3 or 4 minutes with them arguing at the beginning of the film, and then we never see his wife again!

Similarly Hank's brief flirtation with Carla (the daughter of Hank's ex girlfriend). We see her in a couple of tangible scenes, but then she too is dropped, never to be seen of again.

But those are very minor points. What was hugely enjoyable was Hank's difficulty with adjusting to his family's way of life in small-town America. And in particular his fractured relationship with his dad (Duvall) and two brothers.

The courtroom drama with Hank defending his own father (a well-respected former judge in the town), against charges of murder and manslaughter after an RTA, were well done, but very much secondary to the story as a whole.

The final scenes were predictable, but nicely done for all that. And the moments in the empty courtroom with Hank spinning the chair belonging to his father is compelling, not least for the excellent song from Bon Iver, called Holocene. The lyrics of which infer that the world does not revolve around you and your ego!

Which is a good metaphor for Hank, who considers himself a big-shot lawyer, with an ego to match where he lives in Chicago. But being such a big place you're still fairly anonymous. Whereas returning to his home town, along with building a few bridges, could well mean he make a big and positive difference not just for himself but for those around him.

The West Wing: Institutional Memory (2006) Season 7, Episode 21

Highways!

[9/10 · 19 June 2020]

Another wonderfully written episode by the much under-rated Deborah Cahn.

Very much centred on CJ and her career options now that the Bartlet administration is coming to a close. Everyone wants her, from bland private corporations and their 6 figure salaries and private jets; to president-elect Santos, wanting her to stay in the White House as some special advisor. None of which genuinely has much appeal to a woman who has probably had enough of government and the public sector.

But just to complicate matters for her, Danny is very much back in her private life, and he very much wants that to be a long-term thing rather than the on-off flings they had during the early years of the West Wing. And yet even after all this time she tells him she is not ready for a relationship.

Fortunately, Cahn doesn't fall into the usual soap-opera trap of turning this troubled affair into a whole episode of cheap drama. All Danny wants is for them to talk about things in order that they can still stay together and do whatever they want; and Cahn's writing is beautifully choreographed for them both.

But for me, the most touching scene was her conversation with Frank Hollis - a billionaire with a conscience. I would guess this character was written with former Microsoft's founder & CEO Bill Gates in mind, as they both have lots of money and both want to be a bit more philanthropic with it.

He wants to fix the world, but doesn't know where to start. But CJ tells him to look at highways in Africa - fix that and you fix the problem of food distribution to more remote parts of the country. She tells him its not sexy, and probably won't make the frontpage headlines, but there it is - highways.

Holis looks at her with a hint of disbelief, but then says "If you think that needs fixing, I'll give you $10bn to fix it!"

The look on CJ's face is a delight.

The West Wing: The Last Hurrah (2006) Season 7, Episode 20

The Kingmaker but not the King

[9/10 · 13 June 2020]

This episode ranks in my top 5 of all TWW episodes. I suppose it could be classed as a little cheesy, or a sop to moderate Republican viewers who had hoped Vinick would have won the presidency (and if rumours were true, this is what the writers wanted prior to the death of John "Leo" Spencer.)

It was quite sad to see the opening scenes of Vinick picking up the daily newspaper from the top of his stoop while still dressed in his dressing gown. And yet 24 hours earlier he was just a few thousand votes away from being the new president-in-waiting. But now, no one wants to be anywhere near him apart from his closest friends/advisors in Sheila and Bob.

He still goes to work completely in denial: convinced he can win the next nomination in 4 years time if it hadn't been for the nuclear accident in California that he feels lost him the election.

Santos recognises Vinick's talents on foreign policy, and offers him the bipartisan olive branch with the job of Secretary of State. Vinick turns the offer down, suspicious that this could be seen as another trick to set up a Democrat for the post. But eventually, he is won over, not least by the advice of Sheila who tells him he could be a great secretary of state rather than the guy who just didn't know when to quit!

Without question one of Alan Alda's finest roles since his Hawkeye years on MASH.

The West Wing: Election Day: Part 2 (2006) Season 7, Episode 17

Thanks, Boss!

[9/10 · 4 June 2020]

There were rumours to suggest that the writers of the show intended to have Vinick win the election and thus become the next POTUS. And this was decided way before the death of John Spencer!

True or not, it would have been quite fascinating to see Vinick take over the reigns from Bartlet, and pursue his more moderate conservatism on the nation. But as it is Santos wins, albeit by the closest of calls, and Democrat continuity remains within the halls of the West Wing.

The handling of Leo's death was also remarkable well done, especially when it placed his closest friends under the spotlight, such as CJ, Bartlet, Annabeth and of course Josh. (Although surprisingly there was no mention of Jenny, his ex wife, or Jordan, his ladyfriend from seasons 3/4)

It probably hit Josh hardest because he was the one that suggested putting Leo's name forward as candidate for VP, despite having a massive heart attack only months previously. And now Josh is going through an emotional guilt trip, thinking that he pushed Leo too hard and probably caused his death because of it.

I especially liked the very final scene where Josh is on his own in the campaign office looking at a montage of photos of campaign staffers. He then see a picture of Santos and Leo with their hands held high as they're about to embark on the campaign trail.

All Josh can do is whisper "Thanks, Boss!"

A poignant moment, and very much a reality-check for a hotheaded young Turk like Josh.

The West Wing: Election Day: Part 1 (2006) Season 7, Episode 16

Let The Voting Begin

[9/10 · 4 June 2020]

So after months on the campaign trail the big day arrives, and the voters are left to decide the fate of both candidates - Santos and Vinick. And it is because there is little else for the respective campaign managers to do other than to constantly check exit polls and news reports, that control-freak Josh begins to gradually unspool before our very eyes.

But as usual, Donna is there to try to calm his fragile nerves/ego, telling him there is nothing else he can do other than wait (something that he hates doing at the best of times). Its a nice moment because for once they're not raising their voices and arguing over petty things (compare that to Josh's previous relationships where Mandy and Amy were always at loggerheads at Josh, even in more private moments.)

With the election in full swing, there is also an air of winding-down at the White House; that everyone there is living on borrowed time as they too await their fate. And for the likes of CJ, Will, Charlie and Kate, they have big decisions to make in terms of their future careers either staying in public office or trying their luck in the tough but far more financially rewarding private sector.

But of course, the big moment is left at the end of the episode where Annabeth discovers an unconscious Leo in his hotel room. It was perhaps the most logical way to announce his absence given that John Spencer has passed away weeks previously.

A decent episode, but you get the feeling that the book will soon be closing for good on this wonderful show.

The West Wing: Welcome to Wherever You Are (2006) Season 7, Episode 15

A Question of Who Blinks First

[8/10 · 3 June 2020]

With only a few days to go before Election Day, the campaigns ramp up a gear or two to reflect that there is still much work to be done, but not a lot of time in which to do it!

There is a sense of organised chaos going on with the Santos campaign, with lots of talking heads all trying to out-shout each other on the Santos bus & plane, travelling between cities and towns across Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, California and Florida over a 3 or 4 day period.

To match the chaos, the camerawork is no longer smooth or controlled; instead our view of their world is just as unsteady and chaotic as theirs, along with some fast editing and the need to focus on who is saying what to whom!

Inevitably this causes a lot of tension between Santos, Helen, Lou, Donna and Josh amongst others; and for Santos in particular, who is being deprived of a good night's sleep, and the goings on in Kazakhstan where over 150,000 US troops will be stationed that he will have to contend with thanks to Bartlet.

Tensions get so high that Santos' calm demeanour finally fails him as he questions the need to appear on a chat show dressed as Robin Hood, when far more important things need to be addressed first.

And for once, we see Josh become a Leo-in-the-making: he actually gets in Santos' face and tells him a few realties about priorities when campaigning.

It's nice to see Josh "man up" for once, without going into his usual temper-tantrum or recoils into a yes man.

The other key storyline here is another confrontation of sorts: this time Toby standing up to further indictment threats from ambitious US Attorney, Peter Blake, who wants to subpoena the likes of CJ and Leo over the shuttle leak, and thus completely trash the Santos campaign if Toby doesn't reveal his sources.

But again, like Josh, Toby steps up to the plate and calls Blake's bluff perfectly.

The West Wing: Two Weeks Out (2006) Season 7, Episode 14

A Good Episode Ruined by a Cheap Stunt

[7/10 · 3 June 2020]

This could have been a good episode, especially if you're a fan of Vinick and want to seem some balance in the writing during the campaign (which would seem to be leaning in favour of Santos)

It was quite a joy to see Vinick brush aside all the conflicting advice from the licks of Bruno, Braun & Bob Mayer over the handling of the nuclear leak in is home state of California.

Rather than listening to them he decides to take his own advice, fly out to the nuclear reactor site, and have a detailed Q&A with the media. He knows what he is doing because he will talk and talk and talk until they're out of questions, thus putting the incident and his involvement with pushing through the red tape behind the construction of the site 25 years ago well and truly behind him.

But rather than leave on a high note, a subplot is thrown in involving Santos' brief case, which just happens to be in the same room as Vinick's senior staff, and discovered by Bruno of all people. And despite Vinick's moral stance against wanting to know its contents, you just know what will happen.

Therefore, the ending left a sour taste in the mouth, because I really didn't think the writing would have to resort to a form of intimidation and blackmail - that's the stuff of lame soap operas, and not quality political dramas!

The West Wing: The Cold (2006) Season 7, Episode 13

The Josh & Donna Thing

[8/10 · 3 June 2020]

Well after six seasons and 12 episodes into the season finale, Josh & Donna kiss!

It kind of reminds me of a similar scenario in Friends with Ross & Rachel and their will they/won't they relationship. But in this episode, the Donna Josh kiss came out of nowhere, but certainly not due to anything romantic, but more like spontainaity through some favourable polling results.

Of course their relationship now develops as one for the remainder of the season, and as we know Josh's record at keeping women is not a great one; so it should be fascinating how he "keeps" Donna.

The Vinick camp is going through a bit of a crisis, with Bruno's much vaunted "you can win all 50 states" strategy blown completely out of the window thanks to the nuclear incident in Vinicks home state of California.

There was a similar crisis of confidence when Josh's campaign skills came under the microscope 3 or 4 episodes previously ("The Wedding"). The party elders and Santos were concerned that Josh had run out of new ideas to keep the momentum steaming ahead, and that it was felt Leo may take over.

Of course Leo never did, and Josh won the backing of Santos. But in this episode, Sheila (rather than Bruno) decided to fall on her sword and make way for the Republican darling and moderate conservative, Jane Braun, to take the reigns.

I have to say I really liked Sheila - far more sympathetic and endearing compared to the robotic "nothing else matters" Braun.

So its all good news for the Santos campaign, and poor old Vinick looks out in the cold, fresh out of ideas, and looking a little lost. But this episode only really stands out because J&D finally get it on!

The West Wing: Running Mates (2006) Season 7, Episode 10

What Would Leo Do?

[9/10 · 1 June 2020]

In "The Ticket" (S7E1), Santos asks Leo if he wants to step down as his running mate candidate, to which Leo flatly refuses. But then Santos says something like "Well if you don't want to quit then you're just going to have drum up another heart attack or something!"

Nine episodes later and we arrive with "Running Mates", and Leo's (and John Spencer's) penultimate appearance on our West Wing screens. ("The Cold" being his last)

It has to be said that John doesn't look particular well during his screen-time in this episode, but whatever pain and discomfort he may have endured filming it, he exploited to the full by playing a slightly different Leo to what we have become accustomed too.

His test podium Q&As with Otto at the beginning of the episode was a good example of a disconcerted, detached and slow-witted Leo; even his usual commanding voice seemed weak and unsure. And even though the episode finished on a high note for both Leo and the Santos campaign as a whole, to realise that we would never seen John/Leo again for the remainder of the season was a bitter bitter blow!

Principle actors may come and go: Sam's departure was unfortunate, but for me didn't have the same resonance as Leo because I never really believed in the Sam character anyway.

And then of course you had the Mandyville characters, who disappeared with barely a word of explanation; but again they were no great loss, apart from maybe Jordan and Ainsley.

But John's ultimate departure left a massive void that could never be filled. And for me this was Spencer's most accomplished role in his long and industrious career. Leo's commanding and reassuring presence through the hallowed halls of the West Wing always brought a certain fatherly presence to those people around him who were unsure of something.

And even now when I find myself with a problem I think to myself "WWLD?"

The West Wing: Undecideds (2005) Season 7, Episode 8

Look Me in the Eye and Tell Me That You Know!

[7/10 · 31 May 2020]

Another uneven episode despite the rather admirable writing qualities of Deborah Cahn.

The goings-on back at the White House are becoming just an irritating episode-filler, especially the whole Wedding fiasco. Quite honestly the preparations leading up to it (this episode with Will in charge), and the wedding itself (next episode), were a complete and unnecessary distraction, not least because there is hardly sufficient backstory for us to really care about the Ellie & her "fruit fly" boyfriend.

And then typically we have the shooting of a black person as its major headline. It goes without saying that most TV dramas, and even some sitcoms, will have similar storylines that will bait an audience to take sides. But in this instance it was just too predictable that the cop would have to be a Latino, thus placing Santos in an uneviable situation.

But this is all nicely packaged with a rather unsatisfactory but predictable speech at the pulpit, which I didn't buy for one moment. It was too much like "Hey, I'm a Latino too, and therefore share your anger/sadness etc." This may have suited lesser TV dramas, but here it just felt awkward.

The only highlight was Josh's two visits to Toby's apartment - a perfect clash of personalities that you just knew would explode in an instant. In fact ever since their fight in the "Drought Conditions" episodes they have never really found any common ground.

And so to here with Santos: Josh convinced him to run for president way back in season 6, and if though Santos said "I'm in", there was never any true conviction in his sentiment; something that Toby picked up on straight away.

And yet Toby forgets how he took cheap pot shots at Russell when he became VP, and was never convinced he was VP material never mind presidential. He also dismissed Hoynes. And with few other noted contenders what was Toby expecting as a challenger to the revered & feared Vinick?

So it came as no surprise that Josh would unravel on Toby, saying how much Santos had matured through the campaign trail. And yet just when you think Josh has won the argument, Toby fires back and asks Josh something like "Look me in the eye and tell me he is up for this?" And Josh simply cannot do so because deep down he knows that Santos never really wanted to be president in the first place, and perhaps still doesn't have the wit or the know how to become one!

The West Wing: Here Today (2005) Season 7, Episode 5

We Don't Need Another Hero!

[9/10 · 29 May 2020]

If rumours are true, Richard Schiff (Toby), was not a big fan of the military shuttle leak story, saying that it would be out of character for Toby to leak anything to the press, and that the entire premise was just short of absurd.

Rumour or not, Schiff still returns a majestic performance in this episode, as he fully confesses to White House Council, Babish, in his usual dry and sardonic fashion. And to be honest I would disagree with Schiff's allegation that Toby wouldn't betray Bartlet.

The Toby character is very much your Jekyll and Hyde: outspoken, belligerent bordering on monomaniacal on some issues he takes very personally. So for me his leak to the press in order to save the lives of three astronauts, and damn the consequences, was pure Toby (of course his late brother may have pushed the envelope with more haste, given that he too was an astronaut before taking his own life.)

But returning to the episode, Toby's confession certainly comes as a well-timed relief for the Santos campaign, as it means a subpoenaed Leo will not have to face a grilling from a Senate Committee hearing.

Toby's shock departure also leaves a vacuum in the communications department, and a reluctant Will, fresh from his failed Russell campaign for Democratic front-runner, is rapidly promoted by a tearful CJ.

And the episode ends with one final nail in the coffin for Toby. Bartlet refuses to accept his letter of resignation as that would be an easy way out given the seriousness of the crime. Instead, Bartlet fires him, and sums up his bitterness by telling Toby that he may think he is some kind of hero among some people, but he (Bartlet) won't be one of them.

Stunning!

The West Wing: Mr. Frost (2005) Season 7, Episode 4

I Leaked It!

[8/10 · 28 May 2020]

With the military space shuttle leak out of the hands of White House Council, nearly everyone in the West Wing bar the president himself have been subpoenaed to give testimony in front of a hostile Senate Committee, including Leo, who is trying to establish himself as a strong running mate to Santos.

CJ and Toby are also subpoenaed, and with the Indians circling the wagons, the Santos campaign could be seriously derailed if Leo comes under intense scrutiny.

And then we have the massive bombshell!

While making light of the committee hearings, Toby quickly realises that if Leo is called and Santos subsequently loses at the election, then Vinick will be the next president of the United States. So he meets with CJ in her office and confesses he was the leaker!

I know sometimes Toby can drive me up the wall with his attitude problems, but here he is the personification of calm, collected and controlled throughout the episode. The fact that he concealed the leak from everyone through his calm demeanour is testimony to Richard Schiff's portrayal of the Toby Character.

The other story of note is back with the campaigns, with by Santos and Vinick challenged on their views on Creationism, Evolution and intelligent Design. A nicely handled issue agenda, but I am now keen for the election to start in earnest.

A good episode, ramped up by the Toby Bomb!