Stupid work. I'll have to watch it tonight (Monday).

I felt kind of sorry for Vinick. It's hard to root against Hawkeye.

This was a good episode. Too bad things don't work this way in real life.

So we're going to get VP Al Bundy!

Helen sure got a bit of a shock there, with the "just a few people to clean the kids rooms"!

And I loved Ron's reaction to the news that Helen and the kids were staying in Houston....

You could just see the "Oh [CENSORED]!!!" look on his face.

Did no one give Helen Santos ANY idea of what it would mean to her life and her children's lives if they won?

Ed Watson: Did no one give Helen Santos ANY idea of what it would mean to her life and her children's lives if they won?
I agree! She should've gotten the message during the campaign, seeing how disrupted their lives were. Interestingly, Tom Clancy has a similar theme in his book Executive Orders, in which the protagonist, Jack Ryan, is propelled into the White House after accepting the vice presidency in a "caretaker" role (just until the election, 9 months away). His wife is completely taken aback by the standard of living that the President and his family enjoy.

I was pleased to see Vinnick accept the position of SecState. Though it would have been interesting to see him make another presidential run, with the series coming to an end that's something we'd never get to see anyway. At least he gets to bow out with grace while the show is still on.

I admit that, in the months during the campaign, I lost interest in Bartlet, CJ, and the rest of the White House gang. I feel it was a combination of factors, really, from most of the best characters being out on the road to the stories "back home" not being very interesting anymore. However, my wife and I now agree that we wish the show would go on another season, so we could see the new team in office. Santos, Josh, Sam, Vinnick--it could be a fresh new twist. Too bad that "Survivor" gets to stay on after years of pointlessness yet any real, thought-provoking, intelligent TV has to meet some impossible standard before it's permitted to remain on.

ScottN: And I loved Ron's reaction to the news that Helen and the kids were staying in Houston....
Yeah, that was something they weren't expecting. Quick point, though: when discussing the original (e.g., just the 21' fence and guard shack) arrangements, Special Agent Butterfield mentions that it violates city zoning ordinances, but that they "should be able to get a waiver" (or variance, I can't remember which). OK, in other words, the Secret Service acknowledges that they'll have to work within the framework of local laws when securing the President's house. Later, after conferring with the Director, Butterfield states that they'll secure the street. Wait a minute, how is that a viable option? Setting aside the opposition from the City, does the Director really think that there won't be a "Residents of Blah Blah St., et al v. United States" filed before the first brick of the guard shacks can be built?

Jesse, I agree with you. I don't remember the details, but I think the strength of Survivor and American Idol contributed to West Wing's demise. And that is very sad - it also says something about the American Public and what they care about. I am proud to say that I have never watched AI, Survivor, or any of the other stupid "reality" shows that are out there. I think this trend is slowing down, as I don't see many more reality shows coming out.

The thing is that even a bad WW is better than 95% of the garbage out there. While I do understand that it makes some sense to send the show out with the Bartlet Administration, I think the show could have survived a cast change. ER, Law and Order, and other shows have done it. It would have been very interesting to see the first Latino President and how he would have run things. Plus the cast was great, and the writers had gotten their groove back. I think there were and are many more great stories to tell.

My wife and I have a theory that the current regime pressured NBC to move and kill the show in an attempt to prevent people from seeing how a competant President works. What do you all think?

I shall miss this show very much. As a political junkie, I have learned a great deal from it.

Harvey Kitzman:My wife and I have a theory that the current regime pressured NBC to move and kill the show in an attempt to prevent people from seeing how a competent President works. What do you all think?

I wonder if the Administration decided to stop cooperating with the show, in terms of allowing it access to federally-owned properties (e.g., when characters are shown exiting the Constitution Ave guard shack at the WH).