More Thoughts On "Take Out The Trash Day"

You know how sometimes, when you're in the shower, or mowing the yard, or shoveling snow off your driveway, you get these thoughts about something you've already finished and done and you realize, Hey, I missed some good ideas I could have put in that thing? Well, that happened to me the other day, right after I posted my comments on Take Out The Trash Day.

Luckily, I have an avenue to address revisions/additions/further considerations - another blog post! I blame myself, of course; I'm trying to keep to a twice-monthly posting schedule, and sometimes that means I'm rushed in writing, and things get dropped. I'm also back in rehearsals for a show again, which adds to the lack of time and care I can put to my West Wing watching. But I want to do this the best I possibly can, so here's some more morsels about the last episode.

• I missed a great, obvious, completely intentional nod to the title of the episode right at the end. Leo has just given Karen Larson a second chance, and let her keep her job in the personnel office. He then sits back at his desk as we hear CJ giving the press briefing. She is mentioning the fact that the Lydells will not be attending the signing ceremony for the hate crimes bill, with the excuse that they had family business to attend to back in St. Paul. This is the Friday evening press briefing, remember, the one where they throw out the "trash" - the Lydell story, one of the main plot points of the episode, literally ends up being thrown out with the "trash" of the sex ed study, Zoey's sociology professor, and who knows what else. In addition, this news gets brought to us, the audience via CJ, in the background, on a TV screen in Leo's office - the White House "trash" stories being given to the press in a twice-removed way for us, the viewing audience, relayed in the background as if these stories are unimportant filler. It's actually a brilliant illustration of the title of the episode.

• Then there's Leo's actual talk with Larson. It's a tremendous piece of writing and acting, with the whole "this is what it means to be an alcoholic" explanation. John Spencer, I mean ... he just nails it.

Leo: "I drank and took drugs cause I'm a drug addict and an alcoholic."

Larson: "How long did it take you to get cured?"

Leo: "I'm not cured. You don't get cured. I haven't had a drink or a pill in six and a half years. Which isn't to say I won't have one tomorrow."

Larson: "What would happen if you did?"

Leo: "I don't know. But probably a nightmare the likes of which both our fathers experienced, and me too."

Larson: "And - so after six and a half years you're still not allowed to have a drink?"

Leo: "The problem is, I don't want want the drink. I want ten drinks."

Larson: "Are things that bad?"

Leo (chuckling): "No."

Larson: "Then why?"

Leo: "Cause I'm an alcoholic." 

• I mentioned previously how Leo-like it is for him to give Larson a second chance, but what I didn't get deeply into is exactly why. Leo's alcoholism and substance abuse could have ended his political career back in 1993 (he was Secretary of Labor then, you remember), but Jed Bartlet was loyal enough and understanding enough to give him a second chance, to allow him to talk him into running for President, to put him in charge of running the campaign, and then to make him Chief of Staff. Leo knows how much he owes to Jed's loyalty and friendship, and it's only natural for him to "pay it forward," so to speak, especially with someone else who had to deal with an alcoholic, possibly abusive father. Leo and Karen Larson are kindred spirits, in some ways - they reacted differently to the influences of alcoholism in their early lives, but both were shaped by it. Leo sees this in her, and that's why he decides to give her another chance, just like Jed did for him.

• That said ... not only will Larson have a tough time around her co-workers back in the office, as I said previously, but how will Josh and Sam and Toby react? They are so fiercely loyal to Leo, as we've seen. Now that they found the leaker who caused so much trouble and heartache for Leo and then ran her out of the White House - now Leo lets her stay? Is this the face of a man who is going to take that decision very happily?

• A continuity issue, which can happen with fast-moving long-lasting TV series: Leo tells Larson he hasn't had a drink in six and a half years, since he went to rehab in 1993. SPOILER ALERT: We are going to find out in Bartlet For America in Season 3 that Leo had a relapse in October 1998, the night of Bartlet's third Presidential debate in St. Louis. Naturally, Sorkin hadn't conceived the story for Bartlet For America at the time he wrote Leo's dialogue with Larson for this episode, but in retrospect it does make Leo, well, a liar, since he didn't admit to Larson that he fell off the wagon during the campaign. It's a tough thing to hang Sorkin for, but them's the facts.

As always, dear reader, thanks for coming along on this journey of my West Wing rewatch! I'd be happy to hear from you - comments, corrections, concerns, or shoutouts, let 'em fly. The next episode title is a retread of this one; from Take Out The Trash Day to Take This Sabbath Day. What, were they conserving the word budget or something?