By LTG
And here it is. The very end of the Bartlet administration, and the very beginning of the Santos administration. Everyone is, of course, very emotional in the hours leading up to the inauguration and the period immediately following. In the only actual plot development, Jed pardons Toby. And Mallory drops off Leo's "Bartlet for America" napkin as a gift for Jed. As for all of the other characters: Ronna is Santos's secretary; Donna is Helen's Chief-of-Staff; Annabeth is Helen's Press Secretary; C.J. is off to Los Angeles; Will is definitely running for Congress from Oregon; Bram has some mysterious job that will have him working in Will's old office; and Otto is nowhere to be seen. The episode finishes with Santos getting to work, and Jed and Abbey flying back to New Hampshire. And that's about it, really.
Previously...uh, the show began. And then a whole lot of things happened. And now it's ending.
We open with a roof-level shot of downtown D.C. Dawn is creeping its rosy fingers over the horizon. I've never seen a shot from this perspective -- it makes the city feel almost European. Like Rome, maybe, but without all the cute guys on scooters. We get a couple of other shots of monumental D.C., and then move to Santos, sitting on the wide ledge of a windowsill in Blair House. He's in his pajamas, sipping his General Mills International Coffee, looking out over the city. Maybe after this he'll take a Calgon bath. (I do love how he's giving a peep show to any passersby -- the windows of Blair House are about five feet away from the sidewalk).
We cut to Josh, lying in his bed and staring at the ceiling. It looks like his vacation helped him to relax by about 1\%. He turns over to look at the clock (it's 6:02, for those who care), and then a female hand comes out of nowhere and slides its way across his back and shoulder. He rolls over towards that hand and finds Donna in the bed to him. I mean, we find that Donna's in the bed to him. Josh doesn't seem to be surprised by that fact. She's no less awake than he is, but seems to be a bit less tense.
In her kitchen (or maybe Danny's kitchen, but there's no sign of him), C.J. pours herself some coffee and looks pensive as she listens to a newscaster talk about the impending inaugural events.
Will walks through the deserted West Wing, turning on a light as he enters the communications area. He enters his office. His desk is completely empty of all business and all personal effects, except for the rubber ball. He picks up the ball and sits down at his desk. A note has been taped to his computer screen, reading "The contents of this computer have been archived." Will bounces the ball against the wall a couple of times.
In the Residence, Jed (in bathrobe and pajamas) stands in front of the big semi-circular window, looking out into the city. Abbey approaches, and notes that it will be pretty cold for the inauguration. She asks, "Who in his right mind decided that January would be the best time of year to hold an outdoor ceremony north of the equator?" Jed answers, "Jefferson, Adams, Franklin." Either Jed is having a really bad day, or the writers are stupid. Because just about every poster in the forums knew immediately that the Constitution originally provided for a new president to take office in March, and it wasn't until the 20th Amendment was ratified in 1933 that it was changed to January. Abbey thinks that the Founders should have been lined up and shot for setting the inauguration in the dead of winter, and Jed tells her, "That's what King George had in mind." They continue with a bit of banter about the inauguration date, but it doesn't take Abbey long to notice that Jed's heart really isn't in it. Her eyes nearly overflowing with tears, she tells him, "You did a lot of good, Jed. A lot of good." And then they take each other by the hand. Credits.
In the Residence-Elect (a.k.a., Blair House), Helen and Santos get dressed for the day. She asks for his opinion of which necklace to wear (he prefers the gold cross), and then decides to wear the exact opposite (the pearls). Helen asks him what he's putting on, and Santos tells her that he's wearing long underwear. She's concerned that it will make him look "bulky," (by which she means "fat"), but he tells her, "Lou doesn't want me to wear an overcoat when I take the oath of office." And that's the only mention we get of Lou this episode. Since she's helping to select the inaugural wardrobe, I can only assume that she accepted Josh's offer to stay on as Director of Communications. (We also don't get any mention of Otto in this ep. I could imagine that he went looking for another job after Josh's temper tantrum, but I prefer to think that he and Lou are holed up in a little love nest somewhere). Helen claims it will be "ten below" outside -- I have to think she's exaggerating, based on all of the other evidence we see. She is a Houstonian, so I imagine any weather in D.C. in January would feel like ten below to her. Santos is still putting on his pants when Bram knocks on the door and enters. He's there to bram Santos away to a meeting, but is unsuccessful due to the fact that Santos is only half-dressed. Partial nudity -- the best defense against bramming. Bram leaves, and Helen expresses concern that he just knocked and walked in. Santos offers to bring it up with Bram, and Helen suggests that they devise a signal for when they want privacy, "like a necktie on the doorknob." She ties his tie, and they joke a bit about the fact that Santos is about to receive the nuclear launch codes. Helen smiles, and says, "'Come on, it'll be an adventure.' That's what said when you wanted to run for City Council and I didn't want you to. 'Come on. It'll be an adventure.'" She finishes fussing with his tie and collar, and runs her hands over his torso, smoothing out his shirt. She looks him in the eye and whispers, "Perfect."
C.J. enters the building and is immediately confronted by Charlie, who tells her that there's an ice storm warning for "all of southern New England." C.J. wonders whether there's anything they can do. Charlie tells her, "Send them some salt." He also tells her that the Pardon Attorney is waiting on the signed pardons. Jed has approved a total of fifty-three requests for relief, and the only name that's arguably controversial is some grandmother who was arrested for selling medicinal marijuana. They walk into Margaret's office, and C.J. calls her "Sunshine." She tells them that Will is in her office and that the Chief Usher is waiting to meet with her.
In C.J.'s office, Will repeats the news about the ice storm. C.J. totally steals Charlie's line about sending salt. Margaret has followed them in and tells C.J. that Mallory wants to stop by sometime that morning. Margaret leaves to get the Head Usher, and C.J. asks Will whether he's written his note for "the flak jacket." (Which is a traditional gift given to incoming White House press secretaries.) Will's not so sure he has anything to say, and C.J. tells him just to write something funny. Will then asks about the pardon list, mostly because it's the only thing he could possibly have to tell reporters about. He's pleased to hear that "Granny Pot" is on the list, noting that it gives him the chance for "a final act of self-immolation before the hungry hordes." Charlie asks him whether he really enjoys "being a human piñata on CSPAN," and Will responds, "You never really know what you've got until it's gone." And then the Chief Usher enters, bearing some large binders. He's there to tell them about the process by which all of the First Family's possessions will be packed and removed from the White House during the two hours or so of the inauguration ceremony. They'll also be packing up everything in the Oval Office and loading it all onto sixteen moving trucks. I have to believe that most of those trucks will be full of papers going to the National Archives. Because there's no way Jed and Abbey have that many clothes.
We cut to Bram, who is going over Santos's schedule with him. Helen, Josh, Donna, Ronna, and Annabeth are all in the room. The actual schedule isn't important, but the nice way Santos and Helen play with each other is. When Bram says that Santos and Jed will travel together in a single limousine, Helen asks, "Are Mrs. Bartlet and I gonna hitch?" Santos tells her, "Hike up that skirt and you'll do fine." She gives him a little kick in the shin, and he jumps in his chair. We see Ronna -- and I can only say that this show is making a tremendous effort to bring back shiny knee-high boots for women. Is it working? When Ronna gets to the part of the schedule where Santos takes the oath of office, he looks just a bit shook up. The oath is followed by a twenty-one-gun salute and the Marine Band playing "Hail To The Chief." Helen tells Santos, "Just in case you weren't feeling important enough after they gave you the nuclear launch codes." Santos asks when they will actually start governing, and Josh tells him that as soon as he takes the oath of office, staff will start moving into the West Wing. Helen wonders whether they really have to go all nine inaugural balls, and Donna tells her they have to make a brief appearance at each one. Annabeth suggests having the band play Santos's favorite song at each ball so they can do one dance, and Helen tells her husband, "Oh, no, I am not dancing to 'You Can Leave Your Hat On.'" And then Bram brams them all away to the church service that is kicking off the day.
Margaret tells C.J. that they are supposed to leave their credentials with security when they leave the building, and that they need to be out of their parking spaces by 2:00 PM. C.J. tells Margaret, "Not a problem. I walked." That must have been a pretty long walk, since way back when C.J. became Chief of Staff we learned that she lived somewhere within a one mile walk of a pasture. Which is not exactly describing any place within walking distance of the White House, unless by "pasture" you mean "construction site" or "abandoned house." In response to Margaret's surprise, C.J. claims that she often walks, and then amends that to, "Sometimes I walk." But she plans to do a lot more walking when she gets to California. Margaret gets in some of the snark that I know and love, pointing out, "Los Angeles being a pedestrian nirvana." Will enters, disappointed that the press didn't tear him to pieces over the pardons. ("Granny Pot" is now known as "Pot-Pushing Peggy." If I'm ever a criminal, I hope I get a cool nickname.) He also tells them that a train derailed in New England due to the ice storm. And then Charlie enters. Charlie asks whether C.J. has a minute, and she resignedly tells him, "Apparently, I'm good until 2:00 and then I have to move my car." Charlie is bringing the pardon warrants for the President to sign. It seems that Jed called that morning and asked the pardon attorney to add a name to the list. With just the tiniest hint of a smile, C.J. flips through the warrants. When she gets to the last one, she tells Will, "You may get your wish for a final pasting on national television."
Jed, using his cane and dressed like an old man (I mean, he's wearing a sweatshirt, for crying out loud) enters the Office of O. Debbie enters and asks Jed how he's feeling. Jed: "Unemployed." Debbie goes over a couple of schedule items, and tells Jed that C.J. wants to see him at the exact second that C.J. enters the room. She is followed by Will and Kate. C.J. asks Jed whether he's heard about the ice storm, and then tells him that it's caused a derailment. Kate explains that the train derailed between the Exeter and Haverhill stops, meaning it's not entirely clear whether the accident happened in Massachusetts or New Hampshire. (Kate mispronounces "Haverhill," sounding out every letter even though it is more normally pronounced "Haverill." Jed does not correct her, but since he already screwed up his constitutional history this morning, I think it's clear the man is not totally up to snuff.) Because the location of the train is uncertain, each state's governor is resisting using the state's resources to rescue the stranded (and wounded) passengers. Jed asks Debbie to get the Governor on the phone. When she asks which one, Jed tells her "Whichever one you can get on the line first." While everyone waits for Debbie to place the calls, Will and Kate bicker about what the appropriate response should be. Is there trouble in nerd paradise? Within seconds, Debbie announces that both governors are on the line. Jed looks at his phone and asks Will and Kate to pick a number, two or four. They simultaneously select different numbers. It's their first nerd spat. We never learn which number Jed takes, as he picks up his phone and tells one of the governors to get the National Guard to the crash site to rescue people. The governor clearly objects, and Jed tells him, "Be that as it may, sir, you are about to become a star player in my soon to be written autobiography." That threat is apparently enough, because Jed congratulates the man for making the right decision. Jed hangs up the phone, and Kate and Will leave. Do you think they'll have nerd make-up sex? C.J. sticks around, but doesn't say anything. After a few seconds, Jed observes, "You're hovering, Claudia Jean." He asks her what's up, and she nervously tells him that she has the pardon warrants for his signature. He knows exactly what's going on, and tells her, "I haven't decided to do it." He takes the folder and asks her whether she has an opinion. She tells him, "I'm sure you'll do whatever you think is best. Toby's is the last one in the folder." Jed dismisses C.J., and Debbie calls out to tell him that the other governor is still holding for him. Heh. Jed tells her to have him hang out a while longer as he looks at Toby's pardon. Commercials.
We return to an exterior shot of the White House. In the real world, all of Pennsylvania Avenue would be thronged with people looking to see the parade, and the area in front of the White House would be dominated by the reviewing stand. But if they'd rather spend the money that it would have cost for all of that to give us Stockard Channing and thirty seconds of Rob Lowe, I don't mind. Inside the White House, Mallory is chatting with C.J. There's a little talk about Mallory's baby, which she describes as "all boy." Was she concerned that he might be an infant drag queen? C.J. tells Mallory that Sam is returning to work in the West Wing, and they gossip about him for a second. Mallory asks C.J. to pass her greetings on to Sam, but demurs when C.J. suggests that she do it herself. There are clearly still feelings of some kind floating around there. And then Mallory tells C.J. that she found something among Leo's possessions that should be given to Jed. Mallory has gift-wrapped it: a rectangular object about eight inches wide and long and about an inch deep. I wonder what it might be? C.J. wonders whether Mallory would like to give the package directly to Jed, but Mallory tells her, "It's a little sentimental." And that coldhearted Mallory just can't stand expressions of human emotion. And then Mallory prepares to leave. On the way out, she tells C.J., "Dad loved every moment he spent here."
In the Office of O, Debbie is nagging Jed about the schedule. He has less than fifty-five minutes to get dressed for his meeting with Santos and the inaugural ceremony. Jed is busily signing pardon warrants, but Toby's pardon has been set to the side of the pile he's working on. Debbie also reminds him that he still needs to write his note to the President-Elect. Jed hands the pile of warrants to her and tells her he's all done with them, and she asks about the one that's still sitting on his desk. Jed gets up from his desk and tells her, "I'm still on the fence." She reminds him that he only has until noon to take any official action, and he tells that her he wants to go for a final stroll around the West Wing. As Jed walks out the door, Debbie tells him, "Fifty-three minutes."
Will walks into C.J.'s office and asks whether the President has signed Toby's pardon. Jed hasn't (as we just saw), and C.J. has no idea if he's going to sign it. When Will asks her opinion about whether Toby should be pardoned, she declines to answer, pointing out that only the President can make that decision. They chat about the train derailment, and Will points out, "You know, we probably witnessed the final act of governance of the Bartlet administration. The President serving as national schoolmarm on a snow day." Josh walks in the door and congratulates Will on the skill with which he announced the pardon of "Granny Ganja." I have got to meet this woman. Josh also asks about the flak jacket note, and when Will says that he's having a little writer's block, Josh tells him, "Okay, just make it funny." Since that just hadn't occurred to Will until that very moment, he rushes off to write the note. On the way out, he asks C.J. to let him know if Jed signs "it," by which he means Toby's pardon. Josh asks what's being signed, and C.J. deflects him, asking why he's there so early. Josh is there because he didn't go to church with Santos and Helen, leaving him with some free time to visit C.J. and try to convince her to stick around for a couple more years. She tells him that she's flying to L.A. the morning, but appreciates his interest. Josh asks, "Danny?" She does not ask in return, "Donna?" Instead, she tells him that Danny is waiting for her in L.A. "with a tub of sunscreen." They chat about the nomination of Governor Baker for Veep, and then Josh asks her, "You ever stop thinking of this as Leo's office?" She does not. She then tells him that she has something for him, and hands him a wrinkled Post-It note with the letters "WWLD" written on it. Josh, who is as far out of the pop culture loop as my dead grandmother, doesn't get it. C.J. tells him it stands for "What would Leo do?" Josh is left speechless, and she gently tells him, "You're gonna do great, Josh. You don't need me."
Jed and his cane and his old man sweatshirt take a final tour of the West Wing. He greets various people and thanks them for their service, including Carol, Ed, Larry, and some folks we've never met before. When Jed comes to his alternate secretary, Nancy, he asks about her mother, and then tells Nancy, "Tell her I'm looking forward to seeing her again sometime soon, would you please?" Which is funny because Nancy is played by Martin Sheen's daughter, so that was a "secret" shout-out to his own wife. Jed walks into Will's office and asks him if it's true that he's running for Congress from Oregon. Will confirms it, and Jed offers to campaign with him. And then Jed looks through Will's window and sees Charlie at his desk. Jed walks into Charlie's office, and after greetings, asks Charlie, "Have you made a decision about your future?" Charlie has: he's going to attend Georgetown Law School. Which, really, Charlie could do better. I mean, with a recommendation from the President (which he used to apply to Georgetown), he could have gotten in just about anywhere he wanted. But maybe he's got personal reasons to want to stick around D.C. And then Jed, handing a book to Charlie, tells him, "I don't need this anymore. I thought maybe you could get some use out of it." It's the copy of the Constitution that Jed's father gave to him when he was in high school. Jed rambles on about the tie he considered getting Charlie as an alternative present, all while Charlie looks to be near tears. His voice breaking, Charlie thanks Jed, and is thanked in return. Everybody's eyes are a little moist right now. Yes, even yours -- don't deny it.
Santos stares pensively out of the window of his limousine on the ride back from Mass. He and Helen chat about the homily (a.k.a. "sermon" for you non-Catholics), which was slightly political in tone. And then they chat about the nine inaugural balls -- like, did they have no idea what a big to-do this all was?
Back in the Oval, Debbie is nagging Jed about his schedule, telling him that he has nineteen minutes until Santos and Helen show up. He's still wearing the sweatshirt, and writing his note to Santos. He signs the note (which is about six lines long) and very slowly folds it up and seals it in an envelope. Which is great, because it's about thirty seconds that I don't have to recap. Jed tells Debbie that he's finished, and she asks him what he's doing with the final pardon warrant. Jed claims that there's still time, and she calmly tells him, "Not much." And that's so much less about the clock than it is about her sense of how much Jed is wrestling with himself over Toby's pardon. But he claims to have two hours and nineteen minutes, and she tells him he really has two hours and eighteen minutes. C.J. enters, and is surprised to see that Jed has not already left for the Residence to get dressed. She's holding Mallory's present and she hands it to Jed, who expresses disappointment that Mallory didn't stop to see him. Debbie's getting frustrated, and tells Jed that he only has sixteen minutes to get ready. Jed: "I'm a fast dresser." Debbie: "Not that fast." She snatches the gift away from him and tells him that she'll see that it's waiting for him on the plane. C.J. notes that Jed's note to Santos is on the desk, and you can tell that she sees Toby's warrant there, as well. But she restrains herself from saying anything about it, and I think that's a lot less to do with her sense that the President should make that decision than it is about the fact that she's wrestling with herself over Toby's pardon. After a bit, Jed tells her, "It's been a pleasure, Claudia Jean." C.J.: "The pleasure's been all mine, sir." Lord, she's beautiful. She walks out. Jed, looking like a scared old man, sits down, looks to the heavens, sighs, and signs Toby's pardon. And then he stands up and raps his hand sharply on the desk, almost like a judge marking the end of a hearing. He picks up the pardon and walks towards Debbie's office.
Commercials, one of which is for Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip Couldn't Bradley Whitford have at least done something different with his hair?
Santos and Helen leave Blair House for the last time, thanking each member of the staff on the way out. With Ron Butterfield leading them, they start to walk across the street to the White House. Helen asks Santos whether he's okay, and tells him, "We could make a run for it, you know." I suspect Agent Butterfield would have something to say about that. Helen suggests that they run off to Panama, and Santos responds, "I hear Uruguay's nice." They list all the pros: it's warmer, cheaper, and Santos speaks Spanish. He asks her what they would do about the kids (who are conspicuous in their absence in this episode), and she suggests that they could send them a postcard. And then they link arms and walk across the street. They seem to be protected by just a few agents, and there are what appear to be tourists watching them from not too far off. In reality, when there's a foreign head of state at Blair House, they put up barricades and close the street off to all pedestrian traffic (other than White House and OEOB staff). I'm pretty certain that they would have done the same for the President-Elect. If I lived in The West Wing universe, I would have been pissed that Santos spent a month (or whatever) living in Blair House, as it would have totally ruined my walk to work.
Jed and Abbey descend from the Residence. They've found time for one last First Couple bicker. He claims to have left enough time to get ready, and she tells him that he didn't -- he's only ready on time because Santos and Helen are running late. They note that this is the first time since Jed's first inauguration that anyone has been late to meet them. Abbey: "Get used to it, it's going to happen a lot more." And then she breaks the news that their loving daughters are going to be waiting for them at the farm in New Hampshire that evening; it's supposed to be a surprise, so she wants Jed to act surprised. Which he might have been able to do if she hadn't blown the surprise. But it turns out that she's not so much worried that he won't look surprised, rather that he will look peeved. Which is a reasonable concern, because Jed immediately starts whining that he wanted a little time to himself. Abbey tells him that they were worried that he would have "re-entry issues in returning to live among us mere mortals." Jed: "Have I been so out of touch?" They're in the completely empty East Room, and she asks him when was the last time he did normal human things like dial a telephone, go to a bank, or drive a car. Some never-before-seen woman arrives to bram them away to the Blue Room, where Helen and Santos are waiting for them. Abbey starts to walk out, but Jed calls her back. They stand together, holding hands and looking around at the big empty room. And I agree with some of the forum posters -- this was just an opportunity to show off the gorgeous White House sets. And I can't complain, because the crew who have done such an outstanding job on the sets for this show deserve all the recognition they can get.
In the back of a limo on the way to the Capitol, Santos and Jed talk about the stupid inaugural balls. And then Jed apologizes for having done something that may eat into Santos's news cycle. He's talking about the pardons, and Santos tells him that he already heard about Granny Pot. Jed just tells him that there were "a few others" that may raise issues. And then they talk about Santos's speech, and the biblical passage he selected for the oath. (I guess he gets to decide what page the book is open to when he puts his hand on it?) And then Jed tells Santos that the thing he'll miss the most about the job is the Marine Corps Band. I think I would much rather have heard the conversation that was taking place in Abbey and Helen's limo.
Jed and Santos exit from the limo at the Capitol, and they are greeted by some members of Congress. One of them is going to escort Jed while Santos goes somewhere else. Santos asks whether Jed is sure he's ready to retire. Jed doesn't answer the question, and tells Santos that he'll see him on the podium.
In an office in the West Wing, Will, Kate, and Charlie are watching the news coverage of the ceremony. There's a brief image of Vinick in the crowd of dignitaries.
Santos and Helen are reunited somewhere in the Capitol as they prepare to make their entrance. She chides him again about not wearing an overcoat, claiming it will be pretty cold. They joke about the length of his speech, and Helen asks Santos not to turn into another William Henry Harrison by giving a speech so long that he'll get sick from the cold and die. Santos claims to be much more vigorous than the decrepit sixty-eight-year old WHH, and notes that he's wearing long underwear, as well. They walk through the rotunda of the Capitol with a Marine honor guard on either side of them.
C.J. packs up some papers in her office while the news coverage continues. We see Jed and Abbey take their seats on the podium. Margaret enters and hands C.J. a folder, telling her that it just came from Jed's office and needs to go to the pardon attorney right away. I guess it makes sense that they would need the pardons to be in the appropriate hands by noon, so there's no doubt that they were signed when the signer still had the power to grant clemency. C.J. opens the folder and sees that it's Toby's pardon. At first, she is completely inscrutable. Then she looks at the images of Jed on the news and the tiniest smile creeps onto her face.
Helen and Santos are just about to make their entrance. She tells him that she hopes a particular high-school rival named Janet is watching the ceremony on television. Jed tells her, "Guess what? You win." Because as we all know, a woman's value is determined solely by her husband's success. Helen notes that in addition to beating her out in the tryouts for the swim team, Janet also stole Helen's prom date. Santos suggests calling it a tie. Helen: "Nah. I'm pretty sure she had to put out so Don would take her." They laugh, and then look into each other's eyes. And then Helen is announced. She tells him, "No turning back now," kisses him, and walks onto the podium. And then Santos is announced and follows her.
We see and hear little snippets of the ceremony, sometimes watching directly and sometimes watching on the televisions that other characters are watching. There's a prayer from a Cardinal, and then Keb Mo sings "America The Beautiful." We see Josh and Donna sitting together on the podium. There's Annabeth. And then we get an inexplicable close-up of this puffy, pasty-faced guy. My God, I think he's an assassin there to kill Santos! Or, he's Aaron Sorkin. One or the other.
As the song continues, we see dozens of movers descend on the Oval Office. They not only pack up Jed's personal possessions but the lamps, tables, and chairs. The song finishes. Debbie looks to be near tears in her office, which is also being packed up. As she watches the ceremony, she looks up at the clocks. It's three minutes to noon. Interestingly, there are three clocks -- one's labeled "D.C.," one's labeled "Zulu" (and shows Greenwich Mean Time), and one is labeled "POTUS."
We hear the Speaker of the House introduce Chief Justice Evelyn Baker Lang to administer the oath. A portrait of Jed is taken down from a wall and one of Santos is put up in its place. We see the swearing in itself only from a distance -- presumably to prevent us from noticing that the Chief Justice is not being played by Glenn Close. Which I don't mind so much, because I'm sure she's expensive (although I don't know whether she's busy), but the woman they got to play Lang (whom we only see from the back) has the kind of shapeless bob haircut that I only ever see on certain uppercrust Yankees who spend all their time as academics or crusading for local libraries, except for the time they're working on the gardens of the two-hundred year old homes that their ancestors built. Which isn't quite the glamorous Evelyn Baker Lang I remember.
C.J. watches on television as "Hail To The Chief" begins playing, and then she picks up the remote and turns it off. Commercials.
Josh, Donna, and Sam stride into the West Wing. Close behind them are Bram, Ronna, and Annabeth. Still in a hotel room somewhere are Lou and Otto. They walk like the news kings and queens of the earth. They pause in a photogenic clump, and Sam says, "Home, sweet home." And then they all break and head off in different directions. But not before Donna gives Josh's arm a little squeeze.
Debbie is orienting Ronna to her new position as they walk through the West Wing. Which I still don't get. I thought Ronna was some kind of policy person, maybe a legislative aide on Santos's congressional staff. And it's not like there's anything wrong with being a secretary, but most people who are secretaries to high-powered people are folks who have made a career out of being a secretary. So in one sense, she's overqualified -- but in a much more important sense, I think she's underqualified. Debbie notes that the most important part of Ronna's new job will be deciding who can go in and out of the Oval Office. Debbie continues, "The first thing you'll need to do is establish who'll have walk-in privileges. Usually it's just the First Lady and the Chief of Staff. At some point, the President is going to ask you to take away his wife's walk-in privileges. Don't do it, no matter how much he begs." By this time, they've arrived at Debbie's office. While Debbie gives Ronna tips for preventing folks from walking all over her (what with her "baby face" and all), Ronna wanders over to the door of the Office of O. Ronna looks awed, and near tears. Debbie tells her, "Your most frequent response to any question will be 'no.' Say it with empathy, and you'll be fine." Ronna beams through her tears. That was a glorious moment from Karis Campbell.
Santos and Helen walk Jed out of the Capitol, where a limo awaits the President. (That is, the former President). Jed asks Ron Butterfield where Abbey is -- she's already in the car, robbing us of a chance to see her and Helen together for a single instant. Jed and Santos chat about Santos's speech and the note that Jed has left for Santos. And then Jed tells him, "Make me proud, Mr. President." Santos: "I'll do my best, Mr. President." They shake hands, and Jed enters the limo.
In the back of the limo, Jed stares out the window, while Abbey wonders what kind of macho bullshit statement Santos was trying to make by not wearing a coat for the ceremony. Jed thinks it made him look young and vigorous, like a leader. Abbey: "He looked like a lunatic." Jed: "A young, vigorous lunatic." They pause, and then Abbey tells him, "Jed? You made it. You're still here." It's at this point I wish he had told her that he was not, in fact, still there, but was, oh, let's say a ghost. Or a dream. But he acknowledges that he is still there, and then she takes his hand.
In his office, Charlie watches the parade on television. Suddenly, we hear Bram's voice asking whether this is room 137B. Charlie confirms that it is, and Bram carries in a small file box. They introduce themselves (Bram's last name is Howard, by the way). Bram starts putting his personal effects on the desk, without asking about Charlie's job or what it's like to work in the White House or what kind of tips he might have about staying sane (and hot). Charlie puts on his coat, and gives Bram some tips about the thermostat. Bram doesn't even look up at him. I don't care how cute he is, nobody disrespects Charlie like that. Bram is dead to me.
Charlie walks out of his office and sees lots of fresh-faced eager young beavers milling around the place. He comes across Will and Kate, looking a bit stunned themselves. Charlie asks, "You want to go see a movie?" Will: "It's two o'clock in the afternoon." Someone should explain the concept of a matinee show to Will. Charlie asks whether either of them really have anything better to do, and they admit that they don't. Will asks, "Is there even a movie theater around here?" Charlie: "I have no idea." There are actually about three within a nine-block walk.
C.J., dressed to hit the road, walks down a corridor. She sees a partially open door, and steps through. It's the briefing room, completely empty. She takes it in, and then steps up to the podium. She stands there as if she's about to make a statement. And then we hear Steve, one of the reporters who's been around for the run of the show, tell her, "You look good up there." Steve, she looks good just about anywhere. She thanks him. Steve tells her that the reporters missed her, and C.J. responds, "Can't say the feeling's mutual." He asks her whether she has any comment on Toby's pardon. C.J.: "Nope." He asks her whether she's got an opinion about the pardon. She tells him, "Sure I do." And then she walks out the door.
Some stuffed shirt escorts Donna and Annabeth down a corridor in the East Wing. He explains that the suite of offices Abbey was using as First Lady is being renovated, so they've had to find alternative space for Helen and her staff. He shows them a large open room with a couple of desks in it. Annabeth is pleased. He directs Annabeth to the office she'll be using as the First Lady's Press Secretary. And then he asks Donna to follow him to check out another office. He leads Donna into an enormous space with a great fireplace and asks whether it meets with her approval. She tells him that she thinks Helen will love it, and he tells her that she's mistaken: this is going to be her office. She pauses for just a second and tells him, "Yes. This will be fine." And if that's her office, what the hell does Helen's office look like? I mean, does she get a solid gold desk or something? He leaves her, and Donna looks around her office with an expression of joy on her face.
Ronna leads Santos into the Oval Office. The furniture in the room is almost, but not quite, exactly like the furniture the movers took out earlier. Santos walks over to his desk and picks up the envelope that Jed left. He opens it and reads the note, which has mysteriously changed from six lines to about three. There must be spies in the White House. Santos reads the note (to himself) and smiles. He takes a breath and puts the note away, and Ronna asks, "Shall we get started with the Joint Chiefs, sir?"
C.J. walks out of the White House gate onto Pennsylvania Avenue. As she's walking down the street, someone says, "Excuse me." She takes a couple more steps before she turns back to see what he wants. It's a man with a young girl. He asks C.J. if she works in the White House. After a second, she tells him, "No. No, I'm sorry, I don't." But it's clear to me that she's not sorry at all. She agrees with him that it must be something to work in the White House, and walks away.
In the Oval Office, Santos thanks the Joint Chiefs for their input and tells him he'll speak with them tomorrow. The military types all leave, and Josh, Sam, and Bram enter. Santos tells them that the military wants ten thousand more troops in Kazakhstan. Sam and Santos talk about whether or not it is good idea. Josh slowly smiles at Santos. Santos asks what he's smiling about, and Josh tells him, "You look good back there." As though Santos hasn't heard Josh say that a million times before. And then Ronna steps in to bram Santos away to the Residence so that he can start getting ready for all of the balls. He's clearly feeling his power, because he tells Ronna to tell Helen that he'll be up in fifteen more minutes. Sam and Bram leave. Santos looks at Josh and asks, "What's ?" They both sit, and Josh starts briefing him on some other issue.
A flight attendant walks through the former Air Force One and knocks on a door. Jed tells her to enter. It was so nice of the government to let him keep the plane. She's there to tell him that they'll be landing in a while. Jed stands up, and we see that Abbey is in the room. Jed puts something in his briefcase and finds the package that Mallory left for him. He unwraps it and opens the box. It's the napkin on which Leo scrawled "Bartlet for America" on that day so many years ago. He takes the framed napkin, hands it to Abbey, and sits beside her. She asks him, "What are you thinking about?" He looks out the window and tells her, "Tomorrow." We cut to an exterior shot of the plane. Credits.
Well, that's it. Thanks to everyone who ever emailed me with thoughts on the recaps, and to the forum posters. And mostly, thanks to Wing Chun and Sars for giving me this chance. It's been a blast.