Hi guys! Welcome to TV Tuesday. Today I’m going to be gabbing all about the fourth season of The West Wing.

First off it is so weird to watch the fake election happen, while a real scary one is happening in real life. Bartlet for President in real life anyone?

The season starts up with Josh, Toby & Donna getting left behind by the team in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The president was campaigning when the three of them missed the car.

It takes them almost two days to get back to the White House, but it really makes for some funny scenes. It also got me thinking how does it take that long to connect to a train and a plane? They really have to be nowhere.

This season also reminds me that American elections truly drag out. The president has now made it to the debates, and he pretty much rocks the first one. The subplot with the tie is truly hilarious. I love how Abbey just cuts his tie minutes before he’s to be on TV.

I’ve also noticed now that I’m four seasons in, they like flashbacks… a lot. This season we go back to when Jed was going through inauguration. What I hate about the flashbacks is the fact that I can never tell what is the past and what is the present. They all look the same, although CJ’s hair is different. They do give some sort of notice, but if you miss it, well you have to guess. I see the purpose to going back to see how far they’ve come, and it also really helped with Toby’s plot! Toby is going to be a father!!! To twins!

So in the past he and his wife are trying so hard to have a baby, and nothing is working so Toby suggests a stop date, which is a big no-no. I think that’s one of the big reasons they get a divorce. Back to the present we know that the two have been friendly with each other, but we don’t know they are pretty much seeing each other. Now Toby is trying to get her to marry him again. I kinda hope he succeeds. I am very happy for him! I think Toby is my favourite this season.

So Jed is finally getting himself a new secretary after the late Mrs. Landingham. Charlie tries his hardest to get this one women, Debby, the job, and she doesn’t even want it… at first. As she gets more and more chances (that Charlie keeps insisting upon) she wants the job, and gets it. We find out that she was fired from the White House, and Charlie believes it’s his fault because she was the one who hired him, so he feels he needs to make it up to her. Oh Charlie.

She comes with her strict rules and regulations that not all like, namely Josh, who is late for a meeting and isn’t allowed in to it.

Now Josh and Amy I’m assuming aren’t a thing anymore. She lost her job due to Josh, but we still see them together. Why doesn’t this show just end things? They just leave things so open ended.

Speaking of romances, Leo has himself a new gal, Jordan. But like I just mentioned, that plot didn’t go anywhere; it just ended. It lasted for all of five minutes.

The president wins the election, and who didn’t see that coming? I ended up watching this episode the same night as the US election, and it was a little eerie.

Sam makes the mistake of talking to a widow of a presidential campaign. Although it doesn’t turn out to be too much of a mistake, as the rest of the presidential staff think he should proceed with it. Not thinking that this party would win and fight as hard as they have, they need a head man to be the face to the campaign, and they choose Sam. Seaborn for Congress! As much as Sam and everyone else knows they will lose, they think it’ll look good for Bartlet if they have Sam do this. I have to say it’s all pretty entertaining.

Since Sam has now left to go deal with his new job, that leaves Toby all by himself to write speeches. Toby is just not happy about this, so Sam sends Will to help him, and the two hit it off really well.

It isn’t long until Bartlet makes Will a deputy and that makes everyone who isn’t already a deputy quite mad. He’s there all of five minutes and he gets this big promotion. He is forced to do a lot of the writing as Toby has gone to California to help Sam with his campaign, and the whole writing staff has quit. So what is Will left with, a bunch of interns who are afraid of him. Ha, I’m glad he gets it all to work out though, I do like Will, he’s quirky.

Donna, oh Donna. She votes for Ritchie instead of Bartlet so what does she do, stand outside to ask a Ritchie supporter to vote for Bartlet to counteract her vote, which is a good idea in theory, but is actually really dumb. This is where she meets Jack Reese who is willing to do just that (although I think he’s a Bartlet supporter, just pretending because he likes her).

We then find out he is starting to work at the White House in the Situation Room. She sends Josh to talk her up because she really wants to date Jack. What does Josh do, tell a bunch of embarrassing stories about her. You can totally tell Josh has feelings for her, and Jack can see that. But the two of them go out anyways.

But then Jack gets transferred and Donna thinks it’s her fault, in the end it turns out it wasn’t. But that’s the end of that.

It’s a Christmas miracle! So CJ is wishing all the media a Merry Christmas when Santa comes in and gives her a gold broach of a fish… Santa turns out to be Danny and he’s back! WOO! I am very happy about this!

We get a flashback of Toby’s father, as Josh brings Toby’s father to the White House, and Toby is having none of it. He hates his father, but Josh tries to tell him he’d rather have a bad guy as a father than none at all (since Josh’s father is dead). Sweet moments I’m telling you.

I said it last season, stop making CJ sad. Gosh they have a whole episode dedicated to her going back to her old high school to give a speech for her reunion. Her father has Alzheimer’s, and when he says he can’t remember who is in a photograph (CJ) that is just so heartbreaking. Stop with the sadness!

SAM! Gosh, we went through how many episodes without him, I swear it felt like 100, but I am so glad he is back. He is really taking the campaign seriously, and while the presidential staff go out to help him, Toby and Charlie end up getting arrested, go figure. Some drunk guys start to judge Andy (Toby’s baby-momma) and he tries to diffuse the situation, but instead makes it worse.

Zoey is back this season! She has a new European boyfriend, who I don’t like, her father doesn’t like, and of course Charlie doesn’t like. Oh some of the jealously is kinda funny to watch. I also love that he professes his love to her, ugh Charlie is sweet.

We get an episode where the big story is Mrs. Bartlet is related to pirates, ha. Apparently they were privateers, and so they have to spin that story. Josh also tells her that she should get herself a deputy, someone really good to represent her… who dies she choose, Amy. This pisses Josh off, but it makes for some good times.

Joe Quincey joins the team, taking over Ansley’s job because as this show is notorious for just dumping characters. He is played by Matthew Perry and it has given me a whole new reason to watch the show, him and Bradley Whitford, I love them together!

Anyways, on his first day he gets ambushed due to two stories that sound similar that came from not so different places. Apparently the President is hiding that there are documents that there is life on Mars. Joe spends all of the episode trying to figure out where this is coming from, turns out the Vice President had an affair with a socialite, and accidentally said it. So now, he wants to resign to protect his family, but Leo said he should just get a divorce and take it, but I think they may be kicking the VP out.

As the season closes out, Toby tries to get Andy to marry him again (he even proposes) and buys her a house, her favourite house, but she still says no because Toby is too sad. 😦

Zoey is about to set out on a 3-month trip to Paris with her boyfriend, she is also about to graduate. That’s where she heads out to the garden where she and Charlie buried a bottle of champagne. They both show up and they kiss! But she still goes to meet her boyfriend at the club, who drugs her! Ugh I knew this guy was trouble.

He’s abducted her, and killed an agent, Molly, uh so heartbreaking. I swear that episode felt like it could have been the season finale.

So we find out that her boyfriend didn’t abduct her, but has to do with his dealer. The season ends with a lot of worrying because they still haven’t found her! Toby becomes a father! Oh it’s the beauty amidst all the sadness. A boy named Huck, after Andy’s grandfather, and a girl named Molly, after the fallen agent.

The last thing we see is The White House getting someone new in office. We see this new guy named Glen Walken being sworn in, but we’re not really sure what for because everything is moving so quickly. We’ll find out (hopefully) next season.

Season five is going to start very up strung, but I’m curious to see where the show goes.