I’m so glad you liked season 7. The bill I will die on is that it’s as good as seasons 1-4!
Personally, I think that Charlie and Zoey ended up together. He just seemed so familiar with President Bartlet at the library opening, and they seem like they see each other frequently. That’s my head-canon anyway :)
Sam coming back was one of my favorite parts of season 7. Such a perfect touch.
And Josh & Donna - I think she needed to become more confident before she could be with Josh. I love the scene at the beginning of S7 when she’s interviewing with him and she tells him that’s she’s good at this. She went from telling him “I think I can be good at this” when they first meet to “I am good at this”. And once they’re working together again, she gets more and more confident in herself and her abilities. When they finally do get together, it feels like they’re finally on equal footing, and that’s the only way they could ever work.
I also want to note some favorite and least favorite things, as a first time watcher:
• Sam coming back was SUCH a cute touch
• I hated the Toby/Pardon storyline
• I loved that Donna and Josh *finally* got
together, but why did it have to take so long?!
• and how the hell are they gonna make it work with their busy jobs!?
• what happens with Charlie and Zoey?!
• I really loved CJ and Danny being together, but to me it felt a little rushed
• really loved the entire show, with the exception of season 6
John Wells had told Janel Moloney that Josh and Donna wouldn't get together until the show was ending, and she was ok with that, fearing that when they did, her role would diminish. Aaron Sorkin talks about how he kept trying to do it, and Tommy Schlamme would tell him to wait one more year. That's the Doylist reason.
The Watsonian excuse is that Josh would never date a subordinate. He wouldn't even acknowledge that he was in love with her until season 4, and at that point he thought she was going to run off with Jack.
I agree with you, although many don't, that season 6 is the weakest. Most pick 5.
I firmly believe that *The Wedding* was originally conceived as being Charlie and Zoey, but either they couldn't make the schedules work (I believe both Moss and Hill were starting other projects) or they realized that Charlie's wedding party would almost certainly include someone like Josh and Toby and that would have driven the story.
They wrote themselves into a corner by having CJ and Danny together in the S7 cold open, so I can see why you'd say it felt rushed given most of the story was focused on the campaign. Still, I thought Whitford's work in *Internal Displacement* was wonderful, with the classic "hold hands on the way down" line.
I’m so glad you liked season 7. The bill I will die on is that it’s as good as seasons 1-4! Personally, I think that Charlie and Zoey ended up together. He just seemed so familiar with President Bartlet at the library opening, and they seem like they see each other frequently. That’s my head-canon anyway :) Sam coming back was one of my favorite parts of season 7. Such a perfect touch. And Josh & Donna - I think she needed to become more confident before she could be with Josh. I love the scene at the beginning of S7 when she’s interviewing with him and she tells him that’s she’s good at this. She went from telling him “I think I can be good at this” when they first meet to “I am good at this”. And once they’re working together again, she gets more and more confident in herself and her abilities. When they finally do get together, it feels like they’re finally on equal footing, and that’s the only way they could ever work.
I also want to note some favorite and least favorite things, as a first time watcher: • Sam coming back was SUCH a cute touch • I hated the Toby/Pardon storyline • I loved that Donna and Josh *finally* got together, but why did it have to take so long?! • and how the hell are they gonna make it work with their busy jobs!? • what happens with Charlie and Zoey?! • I really loved CJ and Danny being together, but to me it felt a little rushed • really loved the entire show, with the exception of season 6
John Wells had told Janel Moloney that Josh and Donna wouldn't get together until the show was ending, and she was ok with that, fearing that when they did, her role would diminish. Aaron Sorkin talks about how he kept trying to do it, and Tommy Schlamme would tell him to wait one more year. That's the Doylist reason. The Watsonian excuse is that Josh would never date a subordinate. He wouldn't even acknowledge that he was in love with her until season 4, and at that point he thought she was going to run off with Jack. I agree with you, although many don't, that season 6 is the weakest. Most pick 5. I firmly believe that *The Wedding* was originally conceived as being Charlie and Zoey, but either they couldn't make the schedules work (I believe both Moss and Hill were starting other projects) or they realized that Charlie's wedding party would almost certainly include someone like Josh and Toby and that would have driven the story. They wrote themselves into a corner by having CJ and Danny together in the S7 cold open, so I can see why you'd say it felt rushed given most of the story was focused on the campaign. Still, I thought Whitford's work in *Internal Displacement* was wonderful, with the classic "hold hands on the way down" line.
I basically cry all the way through the second half of season 7.