West Wing 7.14: "Two Weeks Out"

Written by (Unavailable)
Directed by (Unavailable)

In which Vinick must deal with an aggressive new campaign consultant as Santos continues to position himself for a victory, as a potential silver bullet against Santos falls into his lap…


This had the feel of a transitional episode, especially since the previous installment started the turn towards the series finale. Usually, when there’s a season arc to be considered (and the election makes this a valid topic of discussion), the arc is broken into three basic acts: introduction, complication, resolution. The first shift is usually around episodes 6-8, which essentially places the debate episode in the right position. The “complication” phase usually peaks around the middle of the season, say episodes 10-12, which corresponds to the nuclear incident and its massive effect on the story arc.

So it’s expected that the next big turn will be coming in episodes 15-17, though it may be slightly delayed due to the fact that John Spencer’s death is being dealt with on-screen. All indications are that the election itself will hit at the right time, making this a transitional period where the complications continue to mount.

In this case, I was impressed by the fact that the possibility of scandal was addressed in a fairly even-handed fashion. It would have been easy, given the slant of the series in the early days, to paint the possibility of a Santos scandal in a way that admonished those seeking to tie personal issues to political ramifications. However, Vinick made the point that many Clinton detractors try to make through the noise: the problem is not the terms of the scandal, but the effect on the ability to govern.

I was expecting a relatively benign explanation for Santos’ problem, just as I was expecting Vinick to deal with the issue behind closed doors. What I found refreshing was the lack of resolution. Vinick and Santos make good adversaries because they are fundamentally good people with divergent philosophies on life. Vinick’s main issue with Santos is how he has decided to handle a threat to the integrity of the presidency, and he’s not wrong. He has good reason to be disappointed in his opponent, and it’s fascinating to watch these two in a room on a personal level.

Vinick could have come across as a villain, but he resisted the temptation to win based on scandal over substance. The episode provides two different paths for Vinick, with both on the table for the audience. Does he rest on the merits of his marathon press conference, where he restored much of his credibility with the public, or does he pull an October Surprise? Sure, it’s TV political drama trumping reality, but it leaves Vinick as a man with solid ethics. It ensures that the audience sees both men as viable if flawed presidents, which is something rare in recent American history.

It’s great to see Toby giving Josh advice in the home stretch, and it will be interesting to see if that proves to mend fences going into the finale. It was a little annoying for the whole war situation to be dealt with off-screen, but since it played into Vinick’s moral stance, this can be forgiven. I wouldn’t say that this was as good an episode as the previous installment, but it was still solid.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10