West Wing 7.11: "Internal Displacement"
Written by Bradley Whitford
Directed by Andrew Bernstein
In which CJ struggles with matter of the heart while juggling several matters of state, such as impending war in Asia, the President’s cheating son-in-law, the Sudan, and Josh…
It’s been quite a while since an episode was told from one particular point of view, especially covering so many different plot threads at once. I’m not quite sure that the episode hit its mark, especially with some of the Sudan-related scenes. They felt a little forced, even knowing that CJ has a tendency to go hardball on certain issues. For all that some felt that CJ’s promotion to Chief of Staff was ludicrous, she is very capable in this episode, with her past role firmly in mind.
At the same time, this episode does highlight the fact that the Bartlet administration has been rocked back on its heels most of (if not all of) its second term. The Middle East accord was the only item of serious note; the changes to the Supreme Court were also substantial but never seemed to have lasting impact. The point is that CJ has been Chief of Staff during Bartlet’s least effective time in office, and while that is hardly new in terms of the direction of the story, it is personalized in this episode.
Just what has CJ accomplished during her tenure as Chief of Staff? Several times, the administration has tried to jumpstart the political fervor going into the final days. There was that whole episode devoted to Leo highlighting how many days were left to advance their agenda and make a difference. Has anything happened since then? And how many fires have they struggled to put out, while all but ignoring the Democratic candidate?
That, at least, gets addressed in this episode, but Josh has to negotiate to get Bartlet to support Santos, which is hard to believe. Josh is quite right: CJ and the others should be trying to ensure four more years with a Democratic presidency than one minority seat in Congress. CJ is more concerned with getting Bartlet to the end of his term without a major war on his watch or unnecessary political scandals. Leo used to do the same thing, but thanks to the timing, CJ’s situation feels a lot more hopeless.
Amid the reminders that the administration is about to end, and several careers with it, is the return of Danny Concannon. I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between Danny and CJ, far more than the disastrous mess with Ben and the others in the fifth season, and this helps to bring context to CJ’s situation. She’s still an important part of the machine, still tied down with the responsibility, but very soon, there will be a massive gaping hole in her life. Danny is just the person to step into her life and help her through it, and that helps bring CJ’s journey over the course of the series into an interesting context.
Even so, there were some weaknesses. I think that too much was happening at once, and items didn’t always get the depth they deserved. The whole issue with Liz and her husband seemed to fizzle out at the end, and some scenes were too light-hearted. And then there’s that bizarre CJ/Kate relationship, which has never been that overtly girly in any other episode that I can remember. I have the feeling Bradley brought the funny, but it wasn’t always in the best context.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Directed by Andrew Bernstein
In which CJ struggles with matter of the heart while juggling several matters of state, such as impending war in Asia, the President’s cheating son-in-law, the Sudan, and Josh…
It’s been quite a while since an episode was told from one particular point of view, especially covering so many different plot threads at once. I’m not quite sure that the episode hit its mark, especially with some of the Sudan-related scenes. They felt a little forced, even knowing that CJ has a tendency to go hardball on certain issues. For all that some felt that CJ’s promotion to Chief of Staff was ludicrous, she is very capable in this episode, with her past role firmly in mind.
At the same time, this episode does highlight the fact that the Bartlet administration has been rocked back on its heels most of (if not all of) its second term. The Middle East accord was the only item of serious note; the changes to the Supreme Court were also substantial but never seemed to have lasting impact. The point is that CJ has been Chief of Staff during Bartlet’s least effective time in office, and while that is hardly new in terms of the direction of the story, it is personalized in this episode.
Just what has CJ accomplished during her tenure as Chief of Staff? Several times, the administration has tried to jumpstart the political fervor going into the final days. There was that whole episode devoted to Leo highlighting how many days were left to advance their agenda and make a difference. Has anything happened since then? And how many fires have they struggled to put out, while all but ignoring the Democratic candidate?
That, at least, gets addressed in this episode, but Josh has to negotiate to get Bartlet to support Santos, which is hard to believe. Josh is quite right: CJ and the others should be trying to ensure four more years with a Democratic presidency than one minority seat in Congress. CJ is more concerned with getting Bartlet to the end of his term without a major war on his watch or unnecessary political scandals. Leo used to do the same thing, but thanks to the timing, CJ’s situation feels a lot more hopeless.
Amid the reminders that the administration is about to end, and several careers with it, is the return of Danny Concannon. I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between Danny and CJ, far more than the disastrous mess with Ben and the others in the fifth season, and this helps to bring context to CJ’s situation. She’s still an important part of the machine, still tied down with the responsibility, but very soon, there will be a massive gaping hole in her life. Danny is just the person to step into her life and help her through it, and that helps bring CJ’s journey over the course of the series into an interesting context.
Even so, there were some weaknesses. I think that too much was happening at once, and items didn’t always get the depth they deserved. The whole issue with Liz and her husband seemed to fizzle out at the end, and some scenes were too light-hearted. And then there’s that bizarre CJ/Kate relationship, which has never been that overtly girly in any other episode that I can remember. I have the feeling Bradley brought the funny, but it wasn’t always in the best context.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
posted by John Keegan | 17:32
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