OTH: The West Wing- "Take Out the Trash Day" / "Take This Sabbath Day"
Maybe I should have posted this on Saturday.
Season 1, Episode 13
Aired January 26, 2000
Directed by Ken Olin
Written by Aaron Sorkin
Synopsis: You don’t get many early days when you work at the White House, a burden that C.J. has to realize when she’s asked to stay and read a new legislature on sexual education which reinforces abstinence. This couldn’t come at a worse time, as the White House is also preparing their hate crime legislature and inviting the family of the boy who was brutally hazed and murdered for being gay, which is proving another problem of his own. According to Mandy, who’s talked to and met the family, the father is very quiet, seemingly embarrassed by his late son’s sexuality. On top of that, Leo is about to go through hearings regarding his history with substance abuse, which continues to confuse members of the White House who are trying to figure out who the source responsible for the leak is. While Josh and Sam intend to meet with a couple of important people in hopes of avoiding a hearing, Leo stages a meeting with Congressman Simon Blye, an important figure for the left who suggests that Leo should resign. Leo suggests that he turned in his resignation to President Bartlet, who denied the Chief of Staff’s request. What’s more, Leo correctly deduces that Blye has written an op-ed suggesting as much, which does not sit right with him. Leo calls Blye out for his callous attitude toward his party and his ties to Atlantic Oil and asks the senator to leave. Back to Josh and Sam, they’re able to make a deal with a couple of Republican figures to suppress the sex ed law the White House has been working on in counter to the “super abstinence” one C.J. was sent in exchange for dropping the hearings, a questionable but still essential win for Leo and his crew. This is a rare rope thrown from the right to the left-leaning presidency, and they want Josh and Sam to remember this. Shortly after, we see C.J. and Mandy meet with the Lydells, the parents of the boy behind the upcoming hate crime legislature. Noticing the father’s stone-faced demeanor, C.J. decides to bluntly asked if he’s embarrassed by his son’s sexuality, when he gives an unexpected answer- the only thing he’s embarrassed by is the President’s weak response for Gay Rights. He loved his son and wishes that he had more opportunities than his country currently allows. Mandy asks to meet C.J. outside, where she insists that they send the Lydells home, worrying that they will make the White House look bad, but C.J. only thinks this is a plus, as they have a reason for thinking the way they do. A distraught C.J. finds Danny outside, and almost gives him information about her meeting with the Lydells, which he turns down, not wanting to take advantage of her at this state. Besides, he doesn’t want to lose the kisses they’ve been sharing.
The person responsible for leaking Leo’s addiction issues is found- Karen Larsen, an assistant to the Vice President who was granted FBI clearings. When Sam finds out, he fires her immediately, but before she leaves the White House for good, Leo insists on meeting her. They have a heart-to-heart, where they both reveal to have fathers who struggled with alcoholism who was worried to see another person with addiction holding such a high power. Leo decides to give Karen another chance and asks her to unpack her things, admitting that what she did was brave.
One thing I want to point out about the series thus far is that I appreciate the role Donna plays, where she’s almost an audience surrogate, asking about certain legislature or beliefs the White House has in case the casual viewer doesn’t understand. This is a popular plot device to acquaint audiences with an already-established ecosystem, one that certain series can pull off if the character isn’t just an echo chamber. Think of Diane in the beginning of Cheers, the fish out of water adapting into the exciting world of this hot bar in Boston, or Gus in Recess, the new kid who isn’t used to the playground’s environment. This is Donna’s first job for the US Government, and she’s learning as she goes along, as are all of we.
Anyway, “Take Out the Trash Day” is what the White House refers to when they dump out news stories that they’re not wild about on Fridays, hoping that they’ll only fill out columns for Saturday, usually the lowest-read day for newspapers. This appears to be a thing in the real world, at least partially thanks to the series coining the phrase.
Competently directed by Ken Olin, otherwise known as Michael Steadman in Thirtysomething on top of a prolific career offscreen, we have another episode delving into some of the controversies that could tear apart the White House, although President Bartlet’s MS diagnosis is still largely a secret. Leo’s struggles with addiction is the name of the game, and we finally found the whistleblower.
The scenes with Karen Larsen are among my favorite of the episode, since they show the different way Sam and the staff take care of business versus their boss, with Leo having a cooler head and some form of common sense, recognizing that what Karen did was brave. Meanwhile, Sam and Josh were out for blood, and got it. And I think that’s why they like working for Leo as much as they do, as he’s dedicated to his crew, even the ones who screw him over.
And to be fair, Leo’s staff like him enough that they’re willing to give up reasonable sexual education doctrine to save his ass, which is not a small pull. Their willingness to sacrifice for Leo makes Josh, Sam et al just as much of a dream team as Leo appears to be an ideal boss. If the people knew what they would do for each other, all to help what’s supposed to be the strongest nation in the free world, no one would object to Leo’s rank, even despite his history.
So hey, “Take Out the Trash Day” is a good one, although I’m ready to get to an episode that puts away some of the heavier plots. Let’s hope this next one can do so.
Season 1, Episode 14
Aired February 9, 2000
Directed by Thomas Schlamme
Teleplay by Aaron Sorkin, Story by Lawrence O’Donnell, Jr. & Paul Redford and Aaron Sorkin
Synopsis: It’s Friday night, and Simon Cruz is sentenced to lethal injection at 12:01 on Monday (one minute after Sunday turns into Monday) by the Supreme Court, as it’s unconstitutional to execute the death penalty on the Sabbath. Cruz’s lawyers are trying to come up with some sort of Hail Mary pass, when one of them, Billy Zane, has a solution- he used to bully Sam Seaborn back in high school, and thinks that he can schedule a quick meeting with the Deputy Communications Director in hopes of getting the President to commute. The thing is, this couldn’t come at a worse time, as the White House staff is looking forward to a Saturday off. Sam has a sailboat race planned, Josh has a bachelor party that evening and wants to sleep in on Saturday, and Donna just wanted to go shopping. However, Josh has to come in to meet with Joey Lucas, who represents O’Dwyer for the California 46, which means that not only does he have to come in, but Donna does, too. Sam, however, should be free, until he receives a call and meets with Billy. He’s willing to help out his old high school “friend” and promises to speak with Toby, hoping he’ll stop by after temple in the morning. Billy asks which temple he goes to and storms out.
On Saturday morning, Josh awakes hungover and in the same suit he wore yesterday. Apparently he forgot where he lived and made his way back into his office instead following the party. Donna comes by and notes how awful and smelly the suit is and encourages him to put on a fisherman’s overalls while she takes the suit to the cleaners before Joey Lucas arrives. Unfortunately, Donna comes back late and a blisteringly angry Joey comes over early with her interpreter. Yes, Joey is a deaf woman (played by Marlee Matlin no less), which is not what Josh was expecting, nor was he expecting her to be so furious over her candidate’s funding being stalled. Josh is not in the right mood to handle any of this, and luckily he can interrupt their meeting, albeit with unfortunate news- Cruz’s appeal has been denied. Toby learns of this at temple, where Billy was able to convince his rabbi to make a sermon on vengeance, which, damn. If you’re wondering what does President Bartlet think about the situation, well, he’s flying back from a trip to Stockholm that morning, which Leo uses as an opportunity to bring him up to date. The President is uncomfortable with having the power to control the death penalty, but recalling his religious roots, asks Charlie to call his childhood priest, Father Thomas Cavanaugh, in hopes to receive his views. As he decides to check in on the offices on his way to the Oval Office, Bartlet runs into Josh and Joey (and her interpreter, Kenny) still going at it about O’Dwyer and offers to show Joey and Kenny around the White House. After talking with her for a couple of minutes and checking off her credentials, Joey asks about her candidate, who the President dismisses as an empty shirt, but insists that if she “finds a live one”, he’ll give her his support. Toby returns to his temple and meets with his rabbi, who he finds is in support of commuting Cruz’s case, eventually convincing Toby to make up his mind. C.J., as well, has her own epiphany about the ordeal, as she switches from indifferent towards the death penalty to feeling remorseful for Cruz and his life.
On Sunday morning, Toby meets with the President to convince him to consider commuting, and leaves just as Leo arrives. With his Chief of Staff, Bartlet contemplates that he doesn’t think it will be a good look for himself or the next President if this Commander in Chief decides whether or not to stall an execution based on the will of the man in power, which Leo says that he should let this be the next man’s problem. At a bar, Josh meets with Joey and Kenny just before their flight and offers to apologize on the behalf of the President for coming off as rude, but states that he meant what he said about O’Dwyer, thinking that he’s a grifter for the left. Joey agrees, and admits that she only took the job because it’s hard to find work as a political adviser, but Josh suggests that she changes her career goals and runs herself. That evening, the President meets with Father Cavanaugh (Karl Malden), and asks for his advice. Cavanaugh mentions that the bible implies that only God is able to kill others, which is what he wanted to hear. What Jed doesn’t want to learn, however, comes from a note C.J. delivers, which states that Cruz’s execution went through. Cavanaugh offers a distraught Bartlet to listen to his confession.
Man, two Oscar winners in one episode (three, if you count Allison Janney, and four if you want to include Sorkin, although both won after the show ended), that’s quite the pedigree. And both Marlee Matlin and Karl Malden do impressive work with what they’re offered.
Matlin has consistently proven herself to be as brilliantly adept with timing and chemistry as her hearing-capable co-stars, and delivers a good balance between fun and ferociousness as Joey Lucas. It’s always a treat to see Matlin, even in a film as banal as CODA. Luckily, this week’s set of writers wisely shied away from any potential deaf jokes and instead allow humor arise from her own character. Lucas is smart and feisty, more than capable of holding her own with the show’s sharp-witted cast, so it’s no surprise that we’ll see more of her eventually.
I don’t think we’ll see more of Malden as Father Cavanaugh, however, but the legendary actor offers more than enough gravitas in his one scene to make him stand out. Malden’s impressive stature, sharp, commanding voice and brutally concise diction makes him a perfect choice to play a man of God, as he has more than once during his career, and it allows for him to be a perfect match for the President, who takes his faith seriously. Malden’s appearance and read-through of his lines makes the ending scene a particular highlight in a strong episode.
Unsurprisingly, especially given the episode title, “Take This Sabbath Day” is an episode heavily focused on religion, as it takes two characters with opposing but still spiritual beliefs, President Bartlet and Toby, and shows how their faiths can overlap. Even though Christianity and Judaism may get there separately, they both still believe in only allowing a higher power to decide on fate. I think this allows the episode to feel a little more substantive than it would have if it relied on one of the more secular characters instead, and that comes from a particularly secular person.
This may be the heaviest episode of the series to date, primarily saving its comic relief for Josh’s bender and its aftermath- Matlin’s “what the HELL are you wearing” is perfectly delivered when he stands up and reveals his outfit- and otherwise allowing one of the still-hottest topics in the North American political landscape allow itself some nuanced discussion. If I didn’t know what was coming up in the years to come, I could easily call this Sorkin’s finest hour, but he delivers some of his best material here, alongside a slew of regulars.
“Take This Sabbath Day” is also well-directed by executive producer/primary director Schlamme, who allows the claustrophobic feeling that has persisted during this finite window. The show hasn’t felt as sweaty and lived in as it does here, making the audience feel as exhausted with the White House as the crew is to be working this weekend (and many more to come, let’s be real). At the same time, Schlamme allows the Oval Office to look as regal and spectacular as it has to date when President Bartlet allows Joey Lucas and her translator inside, almost adding a touch of beauty and wonder needed for an otherwise intense episode.
Do you support the death penalty? Would you have let a man with the arrest record displayed here go through with his sentence? The entire episode questions how ethical it is for the government, any part of it, to decide who gets to live or die. Should God be the only one who decides, or should the punishment doled out by the court fit the crime? My answer is… it’s complicated, but I probably would have commuted Cruz.
Presidential Records:
Why Toby is adamant about defending PBS- he “grew up” on Sesame Street, Julia Child, and Brideshead Revisited.
Additionally, Toby is right, it’s Fozzie Bear, not Fuzzy Bear… but was he ever on Sesame Street? I thought that the only overlap between the Muppet Show crew and Sesame Street crew, cameos aside, was Kermit.
I knew that Karen looked familiar, she was played by Liza Weil, aka Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls.
“Take This Sabbath Day” is the first episode since the pilot to not have a “previously on” segment, which makes sense, since it’s fairly self-contained.
Fun fact that I learned during the commentary- Sam and Billy Zane’s scene is shot at the Museum of National History. If you pause at the beginning of their time together, you can see a dinosaur!
It’s pretty refreshing, and honestly kind of cool, to see some of the staff in jeans. But hey, Saturday isn’t traditionally a work day, so why should everyone wear their finest suits?
The most 1999/2000 thing about this set of episodes? Being able to meet someone at a bar on the other side of town an hour before your flight. Because in less than 2 years, that will be a thing of the past…
Another really cool fact that I need to share- the bible that Father Cavanaugh pulls out? That’s the same one Karl Malden carried in On the Waterfront.
Next Week: Remember newly-elected Supreme Court Justice Mendoza? He’s back, in jail form. After that’s (presumably) taken care of, the White House staff make their way to LA.