It's not supposed to, but I like the dialogue. Which is good since that's all that there is.

Just started watching "Access". Someone please tell me that it gets better than boring PBS documentary.

No. No it does not. So just after the season starts getting good too. "The Supremes" was the episode directly before it, which was fantastic. Who the HELL thought it would be a good idea to go from walk-and-talks to boring-ass-documentary? Did The Office just get popular or something? My two least favourite episodes so far ( "The Long Goodbye" and "Access") both involve CJ.

It's not even CJ that's the problem. I like her character, I like all the characters on the show. Both terrible CJ centric episodes are terrible because they take away our insider view of the White House. In "The Long Goodbye" we aren't even in the White House and are forced to try and care about the healt of someone who we have no emotional investment in. In "Access" we focus entirely on CJ, and only get input from other characters in talking head segments or in press conferences. For God's sake, we watch the cabin situation through TV monitors. Such an awful, awful episode.

If you saw The Long Goodbye as about her father, you missed the focus of the character study.

I watched most of it the same way I watched Access...browsing the internet while occasionally paying attention to the screen.

It is a rather dry episode, there was setup about her father in previous shows. Mostly about the neurosis of CJ in her career drive vs personal life. The payoff is in the 7th season.

The internal WH stuff was sort of done after 2 seasons. Not much else to delve into. The great thing about computer or dvd viewing though, very easy to ff.

One of my biggest pet peeves about TWW is the idea that a press secretary could ever become chief of staff.

FYP. Quick glance at Wikipedia shows no press secretary making it past five years.

In CJ's defense, she did try to resign at one point.

Yeah, that always felt like a twist/surprise for the sake of having a twist/surprise. There's no way CJ gets picked to be chief of staff in that situation... ever.

Yea, there was some stuff in the later seasons that was pretty lol, but honestly it was still an awesome moment, and the way they set it up wasn't too absurd.

I liked her first episode as COS. The fake resignations and when she breaks down. Still don't buy the premise, but I liked what they did with it. Kinda glad it was her since I don't think I'd have wanted anyone else to be campaign manager of Santos other then Josh. Though Josh and Toby could've made for some good stuff.

The fake stuff was a staple in the series. Toby going ballistic when Bartlet turned to Uncle Fluffy before the last debate. Getting Joe Quincy to call himself a shyster.

Man, I remember watching the santos thing and hoping that toby would join on with josh, would have made it more enjoyable for me.

He dd join with Josh in the end. He was helping with strategy throughout. I always thought the Toby storyline in the later seasons was among the best. As Bartlett said, it was kind of inevitable.

Yea he did join later, but for me (and since I watched the season unfold while it was airing), it seemed like a long time. He did take his sweet time too!

One of my favorite moments of the series was when Sam and Bartlett were playing chess and Bartlett says "You're going to be president one day"

Still gives me goosebumps watching it.

http://www.flasharc.com/bqv around 39 min

I wasn't a big fan of the last significant Toby arc. Mostly because of the meeting in Bartlet's office. I would've liked it to not have been so mean, but with the same result. Just never felt like it would've gone down that way. I dug the investigation and how Toby ends up telling CJ though. Also, Will's line "I didn't do it. Toby did it" was really well delivered after the fact.

They had a contentious relationship throughout the series with Tobey always thinking he was better than Bartlett. Tobey had lied about being the leak for months. He had breached national security. He was a democrat who breached national security which would be a political nuclear bomb. He did so during an election.

It was the worst possible betrayal.

If anything it was too kind. I thought it struck the perfect cord.

You're right. Let me rephrase, I didn't like the severity of Toby's betrayal. I would've liked it to have been similar to "Slow News Day". I know they butted heads constantly, but I don't think that Toby would've done it the way that he did.

Ugh they totally ruined that kidnapping storyline imo. The actually kidnapping and immediate aftermath was great (Leo running to Bartlett gives me chills), but the rest was terrible.

Pretty much once season 5 got ahold of it. Absolutely sick penultimate ep and the finale was pretty crushing too.

Ah that was season 4 finale? Makes sense since that's when Sorkin left.