West Wing 2/19 SPOILERS

Cafe Society
#1

I liked the way Josh and his intern staff tried to spin a tax increase as a good thing and having a hard time…since when is it the gov’t’s job to provide a college education?

I liked the way Leo and the Prez refused to negotiate with the dictator of Kundu. (I didn’t catch his name.)

I liked the digs at the French…rather clever.

I think the Prez blew it with Sam’s campaign stumping, showing up late, tying up highways, being over heard screaming on the phone about the French.

I did not like how they hinted a “conservative” upset with a single-lady pregnant senator is also be a bigot. Especially since Toby’s ex admitted she got pregnant because she wanted to be sued. (Or is that because she’s refusing to name the father?)

I wished they’d shown the bar fight. I also think it’s a bigger deal when White House staff get arrested…they seemed to treat it as a joke.

Nice to see Lily Tomlin again. I’m waiting for Charlie to whip the French prince’s ass.

#2

Actually, my favorite part of the episode was the short segment, before the credits, where Bartlet is acting kind of goofy, then confidently assures the Kundunese(?) ambassador that he has just taken over their airport and is about to take over their country.

Ivylass, there are no conservative bigots? I have met plenty. The bad implication is that all conservatives are bigots, or even that most are. Or that somehow, by comparison, liberals cannot be. Plenty of liberal bigots as well, unfortunately.

#3

She didn’t get pregnant just to be sued. She didn’t reveal to her constituency during her election that she was pregnant so she’d be sued. (And people now know that Toby is the father.)

I don’t know why, but the final dialogue between Bartlett and the lieutenant was very touching.

#4

Will referring to the interns as “the Robert Palmer girls” was the funniest thing I’ve heard on TV in quite a while.

I missed several episodes earlier this season–what is the background on Toby’s ex and the pregnancy? Sue? Who?

#5

jsc, there was a small to-do about Toby’s ex (TX) being pregnant because she knew she was pregnant during her re-election campaign, but didn’t reveal that. Seems the Republicans were pretty upset about it, and threatened to sue (which I think they are doing). The fact that she isn’t married is just more fuel on the fire.

Well, we found out that she didn’t reveal the fact because she WANTED to get sued. Why, I have no idea. Anyone?

#6

That’s what I meant. Implying that if one is a conservative, one is also a bigot. I know there’s plenty of bigotry no matter what your political leanings are.

Maybe I’m a little thin-skinned on this because my politics are different from Sorkin’s. I thought the exchange was nasty enough without having to throw in that snide remark about Charlie dating Zoe. It seemed a little gratuitous to me.

AIUI, Toby’s ex wanted to have a baby. Either Toby and she did the deed or had it done in a lab. Toby wants to marry her again, she’s lukewarm on the issue.

She didn’t inform her constituency (thanks Munch) that she was pregnant because she wanted to be sued by some family values coalition and I guess make a test case. I’m still not clear on that one.

#7

IIRC, she got pregnant because she wanted to have a baby (and in fact, fertility issues were among the reasons that the marriage didn’t work.)

She did, however, know that she was going to be sued, and chose to fight via lawsuit rather than apologize during her campaign…so she handled the pre-election press accordingly.

#8

The tax deduction was a pivotal point in the reelection campaign.

The missteps of the Sam’s campaign stumping was the whole point of the episode. I take it you did catch how the last time they were in Orange County stumping CJ had her suit ruined by someone throwing avocados at her, and that the President said “why is it every time we come here, we look like the Clampets?”.

I think the point here was just to show how much the folks in Orange County dislike the Dems.

I was a joke. It was just one more thing that went wrong on the trip.

So am I. I really dislike this guy.

I thought this was one of the best episodes since the season premier when half the staff missed the flight out. I can’t wait until next week.

I love Fitz, by the way. I wish he was on more often.

#9

Can someone explain this joke for me? I’ve never heard of Robert Palmer, and googling up his biography didn’t help…

thanks

#10

Robert Palmer had a song or two back in what, early 80’s, in which he used beautiful women as “backup” in his videos.

So picture this guy, singing a song called “Simply Irresistable” while his “band” is behind him wearing black dresses and harsh makeup “playing” instruments.

I think he did a second video with them in it, too. I can’t remember the song, though.

#11

Sorry, make that LATE 80’s

http://www.jaheggarty.clara.net/discography4.html

#12

Addicted to Love! That’s the song!

http://users.cis.net/sammy/addicted.htm

Here are the lyrics. I tried to find a picture, but only have limited time to search.

Okay, enough of the Robert Palmer hijack, sorry!

#13

Does Zoe’s boyfriend remind anyone else of the French guy who tried to steal Kelly away from Woody on Cheers?

#14

Same… it makes it a little less interesting when your characters’ opponents are portrayed as totally evil.

#15

I cought only the last few minutes of the episode. Could someone clue me in: With whom did Charlie and Toby get into a bar fight? And what was the fight about?

#16

You know dudes- this used to be my favorite show. But they (and NBC in general) are starting to lose me. Note they are bringing in smoking more & more. What better way to promote smoking than to show a popular “President” and his aides are smokers? Especially such a supposedly liberal & intelligent President? Similar with Abby on ER.

Someday, some sharp reporter is going to track the payoff from RJR to NBC, and then heads will roll. I’m guessing there was some secret meeting, where more ads for some of RJR non-tobacco products were bought in exchange for showing such sympathetic characters smoking.

#17

It’s very apparent that you have distinct political views from those expressed on the show, and from me, so I want to make it clear that I’m not attacking. But, um, have you never heard of a state university?

I liked this episode because they did what West Wing does better than any other show I like - cram a bunch of stuff into one hour. I was telling my friend about it, trying to remember all the plots and subplots. :slight_smile:

#18

That’s state, not federal. And state universities do not pay for students’ tuition by proposing tax increases on rich people, as far as I know.

::tiptoes quietly away from this volatile issue::

(Just wanted to respond, Achernar. Let’s agree to disagree and go back to discussing the show. :))

#19

ivylass, I know you’re trying to creep out of the room, but the federal government already provides for tuition relief in many different ways through Stafford Loans and Pell Grants. And state legislatures help pay for students’ tuition by raising taxes to prevent tuition hikes.

:slight_smile:

#20

I didn’t even notice. Who was smoking?

And you surely aren’t suggesting that all smokers are conservative, stupid, or both, are you? (By definition, smokers are “stupid”, in that they have a blind spot concerning their habits vis a vis their health. But other than that…)