That may sound like a biased claim, but everything about this episode is amazing. Sorkin and Schlamme and team really knew what they were doing. The build up to this episode was amazing, but the episode itself blew all previous ones out of the water.
The whole MS thing was really amazing and I wonder whether Sorkin knew where it would lead when he revealed it in the middle of season 1. It led to such an internal struggle for Bartlet as to the kind of man he was and what the motivations behind his actions were. The scene in the church is untterly amazing, the Latin speech, the lighting of the cigarette (and later, the passing of the motorcade as the janitor is cleaning up) and how deeply Bartlet is affected by what is occurring to him.
The flashbacks of Mrs. Landingham are wonderful (i don't know where they found this woman, but I truly believed it was her at a younger age) and I loved how the scene in the church became ultimately about both Bartlet's faith in God as well as his troubled relationship with his own father. The line where he calls Josh his son chokes me up every time, and the idea that he calls God a "feckless thug" truly sums up how much he is relating God to his own father, as a bully who seems to get off on throwing him hardships. I also love how, even as a young man, Bartlet made enemies because of his intelligence, and how this all came to put him in the situation he was in, despite always trying to do what he thought was the right thing. Bartlet's struggle in this episode is amazing, and the way Mrs. Landingham was used as a moral compass was brilliant because she had to be weighing strongly on his mind.
While Bartlet's struggle is amazing, the other struggle is that of the staff and how they all come to deal with it. To see them all at the press conference waiting to see if Bartlet will let them down or do what they feel is great and noble thing (they all love and respect him so much). I think the hardest part for his staff was in fact the way they dealt with being "lied" to by a man they trusted so much and felt was truly a great person. Their struggle was how to deal with the idea that someone that great and someone who does always does the right thing could possibly detract from their helping him do what is right is truly moving.
The acting in this episode is great. Rob Lowe was exceptional and Richard Schiff was amazing. This episode also showed just how much Leo loved Bartlet and stood beside him, and I loved in the end, when he was watching Bartlet put his hands in his pockets, he knew exactly what he was going to do, and seemed to be the only one. Amazing television.
Bravo, Sorkin and Company...I still can't listen to that Dire Straits song without getting chills. Best episode ever.
The whole MS thing was really amazing and I wonder whether Sorkin knew where it would lead when he revealed it in the middle of season 1. It led to such an internal struggle for Bartlet as to the kind of man he was and what the motivations behind his actions were. The scene in the church is untterly amazing, the Latin speech, the lighting of the cigarette (and later, the passing of the motorcade as the janitor is cleaning up) and how deeply Bartlet is affected by what is occurring to him.
The flashbacks of Mrs. Landingham are wonderful (i don't know where they found this woman, but I truly believed it was her at a younger age) and I loved how the scene in the church became ultimately about both Bartlet's faith in God as well as his troubled relationship with his own father. The line where he calls Josh his son chokes me up every time, and the idea that he calls God a "feckless thug" truly sums up how much he is relating God to his own father, as a bully who seems to get off on throwing him hardships. I also love how, even as a young man, Bartlet made enemies because of his intelligence, and how this all came to put him in the situation he was in, despite always trying to do what he thought was the right thing. Bartlet's struggle in this episode is amazing, and the way Mrs. Landingham was used as a moral compass was brilliant because she had to be weighing strongly on his mind.
While Bartlet's struggle is amazing, the other struggle is that of the staff and how they all come to deal with it. To see them all at the press conference waiting to see if Bartlet will let them down or do what they feel is great and noble thing (they all love and respect him so much). I think the hardest part for his staff was in fact the way they dealt with being "lied" to by a man they trusted so much and felt was truly a great person. Their struggle was how to deal with the idea that someone that great and someone who does always does the right thing could possibly detract from their helping him do what is right is truly moving.
The acting in this episode is great. Rob Lowe was exceptional and Richard Schiff was amazing. This episode also showed just how much Leo loved Bartlet and stood beside him, and I loved in the end, when he was watching Bartlet put his hands in his pockets, he knew exactly what he was going to do, and seemed to be the only one. Amazing television.
Bravo, Sorkin and Company...I still can't listen to that Dire Straits song without getting chills. Best episode ever.