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Josh is giving an interview we see on the monitor of the TV camera, talking happily about winning Illinois -- "Leo McGarry country." Ronna walks in as the shot pulls back and Josh has got to be in the most uncomfortable crossed-leg position in the world -- Josh, honey, if you needed to go you should have done so BEFORE they brought you on TV. He's listing the states Santos has won...
...and then Bruno's dulcet tones overlap, citing his own list and his own spin.
Josh mentions that they are very optimistic about California...
...and we cut back to Bruno, who is very optimistic about Texas. All of this glass-half-full talk! How warm and fuzzy.
As soon as Josh says "thank you" to end the interview, he rips out earpiece to freak out with Ronna that he thought they were leading Texas. Ronna decides that using Josh's own words is the best defense -- "Like the wise man said, Santos isn't running for president of Texas..." -- but even that, when he's wild-eyed, seems not to work really well.
Bruno thanks his own interviewer and does his own version of "tense ripping out of earphone" to ask about Ohio as well as some other states.
Back to Josh: he's also freaking out as he walks into the party, where Donna intercepts him to tell him he looks horrible. See, you've got the Bruno/Josh parallel thing going there, but then Josh has the cute girl. Sorry, Bruno. Donna tells Josh that they have Minnesota, and also that someone from the transition team is looking for him, but Josh rightly replies, "Tell them we're going to wait and see if there's a transition first." Foos play in the background. Josh heads into another, quieter room, where two bodyguard guys are menacingly looking for Josh. Oh, wait: these are the transition guys. For a second I thought we were about to have a Meaningful Lesson about Gambling Debts, or something. Josh quietly orders Donna to interrupt and save him in two minutes.
Back at the Vinick office, Bruno heads into the room, hair a-flying, as Jane announces that Minnesota went to Santos. Bruno wants to know about something I couldn't make out on three viewings, but it doesn't really matter, because whatever it is is still too close to call. Even Jane sounds sick of that saying now. Bruno continues to be tense about Ohio.
Bruce and Gene announce that they have huge problems with the victory speech, and Josh just sounds tired as he asks what they are. Gene and Bruce finish each other's sentences and offer a laundry list of problems that Josh clearly can't believe or handle since the election isn't even over yet. He asks for their changes, and they give him an actual packet.
In a limo presumably headed for the hotel, Bram lets both Santoses know that they're going in the tunnel through the back to avoid the crowd. Josh calls Bram and tells him about Minnesota, so Bram hands the phone to Santos, telling him it's good news. Santos picks up, and Josh announces, "Bad news." Santos quips, "If you guys are trying to play good cop/bad cop, your routine needs some work." Josh tells him that they have to rewrite the speech to add "sacrifice and burden sharing instead of sunshine and light." Josh is apologizing and blaming himself for the lack of doom and gloom in the speech as Santos keeps trying to interrupt to tell him to not worry: "You want something to worry about, worry about the two hours." Oh, that's right -- this thing isn't over yet.
As Josh rounds a corner, Donna comes out of one of the rooms with a strange look on her face. Josh, faux-annoyed, asks, "Hey, what happened to you? Two minutes! 120 seconds I was stuck in there with Dull and Duller counting beads on my imaginary abacus. " Donna looks shell-shocked, and eventually Josh trails off as he realizes that the look on her face isn't good news. She says nothing, and he guesses, "Ohio?" She looks so absolutely, deeply sorry, and as if she's girding herself to say what she has to say. Josh: "Texas? We won? We lost? We need a good lawyer? What?" Donna licks her lips, and has her hands on her hips, seeming to physically to brace herself: "Leo was unconscious. In his room. Annabeth found him. He wasn't...he wasn't breathing." She's trying to keep it together, but at this, her voice cracks. "They're taking him to the hospital in an ambulance now." Josh just looks disbelieving as we roll credits.
Nighttime somewhere; a phone is placed back in its cradle. C.J. just stares out, dumbfounded. Grief and fear are mingling horribly on her face. Margaret has to call her name twice to get her attention, and C.J. turns and asks numbly if the president is in his office. Margaret sounds panicked and worried herself as she tells C.J. he is, and asks if she should get Will. I think Margaret already knows, just by the scared and serious tone in her voice. C.J. nods and pushes herself out of her chair as Margaret runs out. She makes her way to the Oval and pauses a second at the door.
Jed looks casual in a windbreaker and glasses, looking for some files in his desk. C.J. just stands in the doorway a second and makes her way in; he asks if they have results for Ohio and Texas, but she merely responds in a monotone, quiet "No sir." He goes on, while puttering around his desk, "I had to get out of Manchester. Sitting around my daughter's house watching my son-in-law take his much-deserved electoral beating without being able utter a self-satisfied whoop is a bit more than I could bear." He calls something back to Nancy about some missing files, and C.J. is just standing quietly. As he turns around, she closes her eyes a second, seeming to gather herself. Jed prattles on, but finally stops as C.J. leans in and takes a breath as if to say something. He takes off his glasses and in a completely different -- now very serious -- voice asks, "C.J., what is it?"
“ Though she looks tired, Lou's hair has that perfect messy wave that I strive for, but always just end up at messy. At least you're looking good, Lou. Hair distracts from eyebrows, I've heard. ”
Speaking of Jed, he's now on the phone with Ellie, assuring her that he'll be okay. As Jed hangs up, C.J. walks in tentatively, papers in her hand: it's a list of the condolence calls that have come in. Jed looks it over, and they glance at the newscast. "It's odd, really, watching yourself be replaced on national television. Planned obsolescence. Presidents and mid-sized sedans." Bartlet: The Oldsmobile President. He seems to be trying to get a smile out of C.J., who manages a wan one and replies, "Yes, sir." She then asks him if he would run again if he could, but he only answers, "I think Mrs. Bartlet might have had something to say about that." "Well, the electorate can be very persuasive when they want something badly enough," C.J. says. "In the service of two mistresses these past eight years. That's been my fate. Thank God for the 22nd Amendment. I'm spared that particular conversation with Abbey." He chuckles, but then stops and stares at the TV, at nothing, and recalls the first time he met Leo, and that they argued. "Who won?" C.J. asks. "I did. I'm sure if you could ask him, he'd say he did." Poor C.J. looks so physically pained trying to smile that it makes my heart break. Jed gets serious and tells her that they "almost lost him" fifteen years ago. He pauses and quietly admits, "I was prepared then. Not today." C.J. looks despondent, and the tears begin to well again in Jed's eyes.
11:45 PM CST. Josh is leaning over something and looking troubled as Donna announces to the room, "CBS may call Maine for Vinick." "Tell them they can't!" orders Lou. Really? That's how it works? Neato. Donna seems as suspicious of that order as I am: "Great, I'll pretend I'm their political director." Lou's frantic: "We're less than a tenth of a percentage point apart. Anything below one percent is an automatic retabulation. I've got fifty election lawyers waiting by the judicial courthouse in Augusta. Now get on the phone and tell them they can't." ["'Election lawyer' is an actual specialty? In odd-numbered years, do they just wait tables?" -- Wing Chun] Donna goes off to make her call, armed with some more factual ammunition, and Edie points out that they have zero lawyers in Oregon, which has twice the votes as Maine. Gee, I wonder if this is possibly going to come back as a plot point. Edie tells her they thought Oregon was "safe," and Ronna freaks: "Well it's not safe! It's dangerously unsafe! It's unsafe at any speed!" They freak out back and forth until Lou shoots in the actual solution to send two lawyers from Nevada up to Oregon. Lou asks about the ballroom where, apparently, "the [sic] Foo Fighters ran out their playlist, Dave Matthews is on his third encore, and the bar's out of Corona." Running down her to-do list, Lou then asks, "How are we coming on the too-close-to-call, time-to-go-home-and-get-some-sleep statement?" Bram tells her that Santos is going over it. Josh seems to snap out of his dream-state to jump in and say no way. Bram says that Santos wanted to see it, but Josh raises his voice to assert that Santos will not deliver that statement personally; if need be, Goodwin will: "Don't turn the President of the United States into a junior high school principal." At this, Donna, sounding a little bit tired and panicky, asks if it will go all night. Conveniently, Bram's able to say, "Maybe not; turn up the volume." It's just like the elevators. Vermont and Iowa go to Vinick, which sends Lou's head into her hands. But though she looks tired, her hair has that perfect messy wave that I strive for, but always just end up at messy. At least you're looking good, Lou. Hair distracts from eyebrows, I've heard. Ronna then notices another anchor on another screen giving Maine to Vinick, too.
4:45 AM CST, Josh looks out the window in the hallway. Santos approaches, hands in his pockets, and offers a "Hey." Josh turns, startled, and asks if he needs anything; Santos quickly assures him that he doesn't need a thing: "I had to get out of that room. Same old talking heads, babbling the same drivel to fill up airtime. They could just run it in a continuous loop; no one would even notice tonight." And, welcome to the world of news, Santos. He jokingly asks if they even campaigned in Nevada, and Josh confirms that they did, for an exceptional twenty minutes, when they really should have had him move there: "Maybe even headline a show at the MGM Grand." Santos seems to have the best attitude of everyone there, shrugging, "Who knew?" He warns Josh that Goodwin and the lawyers are planning a huge contest if he doesn't win, and asks what Josh thinks. Josh cagily tells him that he's got a great legal team, but Santos wants a real, honest answer. Josh raises his eyebrows and seems pleased to be asked: "I think you're young, smart, the party's presumptive nominee four years from now, win or lose. You take it to court, you're the guy who screams at the ump because you don't like the call at the plate. Nobody votes for that guy again." Santos is silent, and Josh's face almost looks like maaaaybe he shouldn't have said that, but I think Santos was just looking for a shot of honesty. Santos moseys and turns off the light, and Josh doesn't turn. (On paper, that sounds a lot more sexy and a lot less solemn than it played out on television.) Santos looks at Josh and finally says, "Been a hell of a ride though, hasn't it?" Josh agrees, and right then Ronna comes in to say that they are about to call it.
A phone rings in a dark room, where Bartlet has been sleeping; he says into the phone, "Send her in." He clicks on the light and looks at C.J., bleary-eyed. "Sorry to disturb you, Mr. President," she says, "but you wanted me to wake you when there was a result?" She looks fifty times better than earlier -- good news has helped lessen the sting and take a few pounds off of her shoulders, at least. "Do we have a winner?" he asks groggily. "Yes, sir, we do," she grins.
The Santos room is screaming, cheering, and popping champagne. Josh watches the TV, and after a long moment, he dramatically thrusts both hands into the air. What? I don't know. It's a strange moment that doesn't seem to play like they thought it would on camera, but if that's my biggest gripe with this episode, I'll take it. He turns and grabs Donna in a huge, tight embrace; over her shoulder, he sees Santos hugging his own blonde. Over the din, Santos happily mouths, "Thank you," and Josh mouths back, "You're welcome." He continues to clutch Donna, but happily.
“ Josh walks up to a bulletin board with photos from the campaign tacked up, including one featuring Leo with arms upraised and that great smile. ”
The mood is somber in Vinick's room, where he's asked if he really doesn't want to call on the waiting lawyers. Vinick: "You really think it's a counting error? Anyone know how many Hispanics live in Nevada now?" Bob classily replies by asking if he knows how many of those are illegal. Everyone is staring at Vinick, and he finally just sits back. He's resigned, and tells them, "Get the President-Elect on the phone. I want to congratulate him." Everyone stares at him as if he's not really sure what he's saying, but he seems resigned and sure.
The ballroom is chaotic. Lou calls for attention to introduce the new President-Elect. In the crowd, Bram tells Santos that his speech is on the podium. Santos thanks him, "for everything." Bram looks proud and tells him, "This is the best thing I've ever done in my life." Santos happily replies, "I think we may find a way to top it." As Lou introduces the President and First Lady, Helen hides her head a second but is grinning as she turns back around and they ascend the stage. It's nice to see her really genuinely happy for her husband -- that's something that's been missing for a while. U2's "Beautiful Day" plays, and the best part of this scene is that my captions are showing the lyrics for "Beautiful Day," but for a completely different verse than what is actually playing.
Vinick is in his hotel room, alone and washing his face as he hears Santos thank him on television and ask the crowd to give him a hand: "Arnie Vinick made this a better campaign, and he's made this a better country, for all of us." Vinick takes a deep breath, a man saddened by the end of the road. As Santos continues to speak, Josh is in the war room, which looks...well, like a war hit it. He colors Nevada blue and tallies the total on the whiteboard to show Santos as the winner. Donna is walking by and stops in the doorway when she sees Josh and just quietly observes. He stands and contemplates, and walks forward, not to Donna (who I'm not sure he's seen) but to a bulletin board with photos from the campaign tacked up, including one featuring Leo with arms upraised and that great smile. Santos says, "God bless America." Josh whispers, "Thanks, Boss." And I get a little bit misty. Again.