West Wing 7.20: "The Last Hurrah"

Written by Lawrence O’Donnell
Directed by Tim Matheson


Focusing on Vinick in this episode was a very wise move. These last episodes cannot escape the general feeling of loss for the audience, and the writers keep finding ways to communicate those emotions without being particularly repetitive. It’s one thing to say that the party is all done and it’s time to move on; it’s quite another to show the decompression on a personal level. If the previous episode was all about Josh and his inability to deal with the emotional changes, then this touches on the inevitable loss for the loser of the election.

Vinick’s world is now all about regaining his dignity. He did the right thing by conceding the election instead of pushing for a legal challenge, but now he’s not sure what to do with himself. And he really has no interest in being used as a bargaining tool. So when Santos comes calling, he’s not particularly ready for rapprochement. It doesn’t help that Santos plays around with the inevitable offer.

I loved the fact that the promo teased at Vinick as a VP candidate, especially since it got people a little worked up. When that offer for Secretary of State came along, I was more than a little pleased. It’s the perfect ending to his character arc, since it makes a great deal of sense and represents a level of bipartisan communication that is missing from the real world.

This final “transition” arc is fun to watch, and not just because of the election post-mortem. There’s a lot that comes into play that was never covered in earlier seasons, like the struggles for the First Lady and the First Family. I’m not nearly as annoyed with Helen as some; for that matter, I happen to like Amy (she’s hot!) and like the thought of her working in the Santos administration.

I’m surprised I haven’t thought of this before, but the tone of the final episodes reminds me a lot of the final episodes of “Babylon 5”. In that case, established characters were leaving to bigger and better things, and the next command and diplomatic staff for the Babylon station was arriving. In essence, the series ended with the passing of the baton. Like these final episodes of “West Wing”, the new status quo was put into place but never followed by the series proper; it was more about the transition and the end of an era. The same feelings are coming with the end of “West Wing” this season, and I can’t think of a better way to show my regard for how well this ending is being managed.

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

Final Rating: 8/10