West Wing 7.21: "Institutional Memory"

Written by Debora Cahn
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter


If the previous episode was all about wrapping up the lingering plot threads for the newer characters, primarily Vinick and his future relationship with Santos, then this was an episode that highlighted the older characters. Continuing with the parallels to the end of “Babylon 5”, the characters are having their final moments and then stepping off the stage, rather than linger over the process.

I was expecting more about Josh, Donna, and Sam, and then I realized that they really have concluded their stories. Josh found what he needed to restore some sense of sanity in his world: Sam to give him a sounding board and Donna to give him a life. They didn’t need to be back after that, not when there are so many other characters to cover. No doubt some will be annoyed by that fact, but once accepted, it makes it easier to enjoy what is there.

Of the remaining characters, three fates remain undecided: CJ, Will, and Toby. CJ dominates the episode, but that feels right. Toby was around just as long, but his fate was covered previously; his story has reached its sad but consistent conclusion. But his presence in the final act is critical, and drives home the emotional closure that the writers hope to achieve. This really is the end of an era, and the characters are finally deciding how to move on.

Just as Josh and Donna had to be together in the end, CJ and Danny had to figure out their relationship. Of course, we all knew, thanks to the season premiere, that the two of them would get together; it’s more satisfying to see that CJ’s struggle with her post-Bartlet future factored into that relationship so elegantly. I’m not entirely sure about Toby’s psychoanalytical conclusions about CJ and her love life, but it was the kind of thing he would say.

I’ve never been particularly fond of Will, since he was ultimately a rather obvious replacement character for Sam Seaborn. It probably doesn’t help that his character was largely defined by the post-Sorkin fifth season, which was one of the shakiest transition periods for a series in recent memory. And while I found the Will/Kate thing to be amusing, it never caught on like the writers seemed to think it did. Regardless, this was another case of showing the audience how that “flash-forward” came to be. And I do think that’s the natural place for Will to go, given how he started on the series.

There are a couple of things still missing. For one thing, Charlie’s fate is still up in the air, but I can’t help but hope that it involves Zoey. They really were a great couple, and anything that gets Elisabeth Moss on the screen is a good thing. We should get a short explanation of where Josh and Donna will end up.

So what should the finale really cover? There’s the inauguration, for one, but that’s not the most significant moment remaining. One character has intentionally been left out of this long goodbye: Bartlet. The final episode will inevitably be a spotlight on him. For what it’s worth, I hope that Josh (and Sam, if possible) will also be there. The show may have been made by Bartlet, but it was Josh’s journey. The two of them should be there in the end (had John lived to this moment, I would have said that all three of them should have a moment together). And I would hope that the finale includes another flash-forward, because I loved the idea of bookending the final season in a way that looks to the future.

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

Final Rating: 8/10