The problem is that Josh is coming off as being needlessly antagonistic and incompetent, or more accurately, is being written that way now. How lame is it that he needed that kid to make him look good to that Senator? And that he needed the kid to bail him out last time he made a gross error in judgement when dealing with a sensitive member of Congress? That’s all bad enough, but then he’s snarky and insulting about it, overcompensating for his poor performance.
I miss the real Josh.
The reelection was last season. It’s only one year off.
It’s two years off.
First season finale: Rosslyn shooting
Second season finale: Bartlet’s seeking a second term
Third season finale: CJ’s Secret Service “friend” gets shot and killed
Fourth season finale: Zoe’s kidnapped
The Bartlet reelection happened third season. It’s established canon that Bartlet was first elected in 1998; he was reelected in 2002.
OK, roughly two years, but the seasons don’t start on the calendar year.
The third season finale happens before the election, since Gov. Ritchie also attends the fundraiser event they are attending in NY, so he was not elected in season three. Season four contains the episodes entitled Debate Camp, Election Night, Inauguration part I and Inauguration: Over There.
The midterms will happen sometime in season six.
I’m sorry, you’re absolutely right–the re-election happens in the beginning of season 4. I screwed that bit up.
However, West Wing elections are still exactly two years out of synch with our own. The execrable episode The Midterms happened in the fall of 2000; Bartlet’s re-election happened in the fall of 2002. The next set of midterms are fall of 2004.
So it’s not that the midterms will happen “sometime” in season six; if past practice is any guide, they’ll happen in September, October, or (possibly) November 2004. That is, West Wing’s midterms will be held at the same time, roughly, as our presidential election. Thus, two year difference.
I recently finished watching the first season all over again on dvd, and I couldn’t agree with you more. In fact, after watching that first season again, I’ve been even more disappointed with recent episodes. It’s just not there anymore.
I sort of agree. But then again, it makes sense to me that the characters are more mature. They’ve been there a while now, and a lot of the “chickens with their heads cut off” hectic chaos should be behind them. At least, I would hope so. Regarding Josh, though, he impresses me as a guy with one foot (and half his head) in the future at all times. He’s never been quite… I don’t know… centered.
And had I meant “season” I would have said “season,” but I didn’t. I meant year.
I do not know how things are in your corner of the world. But in mine, those people who are trying to keep their seats (or trying to get those seats) have already started. They’ve begun to campaign. They’re laying in the groundwork for their own campaigns, and they’ve started digging the dirt on their opponents. Though the election (which you’re quite right will happen during next season’s November sweeps (if the new writers remember it…)) is later, activity around the election is quite underway. A lawsuit like the one Andi was to have been facing would be in the news now, and as it is directly about the twins, it would be having an effect on Toby (if it weren’t for the fact that both Andi and the twins have effectively disappeared).
I think it had potential to be a good strong storyline that, as far as I can tell, the writers were given and effectively dropped. (Much better storyline and much better dramatic potential for Toby than the “I fixed social security” episode.)