I don't want to go off on a rant here but...
What happened to The West Wing? We were definitely spolied by watching Season 1 on DVD instead of reruns over the summer. Regardless, the premier was absolutely horrendous. First off, what happened to "Roman Empire" Jed from the "disproportional response" episode? They completely changed the President's character. He is not a liberal dove; I think they confused him with Andrew Shepherd.
And where did the subtlety in this show go? Paraphrase: "I'm not using this terrorist act as an excuse to bomb a county we don't like." Wow, not sure what that's referring to in real life.
Woman-with-bangs pissed me off too: shouldn't she (1) bring a pen to the meeting and (2) discuss strategy with the President before the call? And enough close-ups of the phone already: we know they're on speakerphone! Mr President, just a hint: if Nancy was always wrong, why would her replacement be any better? Of course, maybe the Pres needs Bangs-Woman's advice, he was the one that suggested Israel poison-pill the peace conference to gain the US's backing on the wall.
The redundant dialogue is where the current show most obviously deviates from seasons 1-4. The Josh/photographer and Jed/Abbey/Celtics discussions added nothing to the plot and gave us no new information. We know Israel and Palestine don't get along very well; if we didn't we'd be watching The Amazing Race instead.
Which brings us to Josh and Donna: they are not in love. As Chicklet aptly put it, "they are traumatically bonded." There's a difference and trying to force a relationship between them is painful to watch. As a contrast, Luke and Lorelei actually know each other's motives and inner personalities; Josh and Donna just flirt.
And what happened to Charlie? Dule Hill is a fabulous actor and not giving him more than four words to speak in the entire episode is just criminal. The same goes for Fiderer. If you don't have a plot line for either of them, it's okay to leave them out for an epi (though maybe not the premier); but giving them 10 seconds of air time that doesn't contribute to the show is a poor excuse for editing.
I should probably say at least one thing positive about the premier: Josh kept the same cell phone from last season so at least they have prop continuity... .
I'm so jealous you had time to watch. I'm glad you didn't have any spoilers in your posting. I had my mom tape the premiere for me, and she's going to tape the next two as well. I'll be back in Texas in time for the fourth!
Yeah, I make a point of it every week to get out of work each Wednesday and watch with some friends.
Sick of NH already? From your blog it sounds like you appreciate the services provided by the Wendy's late night drive-thru...just don't continue the tradition of going there on Election Day.
Going back to TX should be good, if only for the reason that I'm sure your dog misses you.