West Wing

After the game, last night, I was too excited to sleep. And I discovered that there were three episodes of West Wing saved on my TiVo. So I sat down to watch. I think one was the repeat of last season’s finale with the first two instalments of this year’s season. I lost interest in West Wing early into last season so I never saw the finale. But it was one fine teaser. If what I saw last night is anything to go by, the writing has made a come-back.

And then I came to the end of the second episode for this new season. It darned near broke my heart. (If you TiVoed it and haven’t watched it yet, stop right here.)

Leo has always been my favorite. He’s been the voice of calm and reason to help guide the ship of state. The cold way that he and Jed parted ways was painful—no loyalty, anger erasing their entire history. Why did Leo not ask for help at the end? Was that a suicide? Dying alone in the woods after being rejected so coldly was a terrible thing to watch. But everyone leaving Camp David with Leo turning stone cold in the woods was the punctuation. The exclamation point. Despite Jed’s success, I despised his character. Which, I imagine, is the point. It certainly sets up the new season. I am so hooked again.

What was it that Leo dropped in the puddle before he took off into the woods? I couldn’t tell. At first I thought it was his cell phone, but apparently it wasn’t. What was it?