Hartsfield's Landing

[Admin]

"Bartlet engages in a dangerous game of brinkmanship with the Chinese, who are test firing US Patriot defence missiles as part of their war games in the Taiwan Strait. Meanwhile, Josh becomes nervous over the preliminary results in a remote New Hampshire town's election."

T'is a good episode, so it is. We've got multiple Chess games, polling results from a small town and Bartlet and Toby still at each others necks in a restrained Conservative way

Next week's Episode, Dead Irish Writers is another good one, but that's next week....

[Admin]

.... And that's why it's one of the better eps of the season. I like the childish antics between Charlie and CJ. Some people, referring here to the Americans on the TWoP forum, thought it silly whilst in their hating Sorkin mood (for dissing their forum and it's rules).

Hartsfield's Landing presumably being a fictional town (as Qumar is a country) I like the idea that a small group of ordinary people are still seen with great importance by those who serve them.

[Flamingo]

Yeah, I agree. I loved the part where the desk collapsed- what was it being held together with?

[Admin]

Probably just carefully balanced on top of the legs, or with blu tak. Don't know, to be honest.


What makes Hartsfield's Landing one of the best of S3 is that it's a rather laid back episode, takes place at night and, well, they're playing Chess and making it look more involving and interesting than you could have imagined. The war games part is interesting, and the occasional regulars play good parts in the story.

[Lemon Lyman]

I love the whole Mackie and Roberta Flender thing with Josh and Donna. The way Josh has Donna barginning with the Flenders just because she had a connection with them from the campaign(they took her in and fed her), and he kept in touch with their daughter is just fantastic. Showing the connection between the administration and the real people is great most of the time we only see them dealing with senators etc. I suppose this is like the big block of cheese day episodes from seasons 1 and 2. I think I'm right in thinking that there is no cheese day episode in series 3.

Is there an episode like this in series 4?

Not forgetting the CJ and Charlie moments - filing something under A for anal is brilliant - use the phrase at work all the time for everything I get from all the government jobworths that I deal with.

This is a classic WW episode

[DarkHoarse]

I always thought this was a relatively weak episode after the sustained excellence of 'Bartlet For America' to 'Night Five'. However, I am beginning to think this was because I watched it after getting home from a big pop quiz during which we consumed much


I am now looking forward to re-evaluating it, once I get round to watching a tape (sadly without TV and video at the moment having moved house).

[bajermajic]

I really really enjoyed it. One of the reasons i enjoy the west wing so much is the humour aspect, something i felt has been lacking in recent episodes.

Thats not to say the episodes haven't been good, they have been fabulous drama and excellent television and i've enjoyed every minute, but it was nice to get a more light-hearted episode in amongst the darker storylines. The CJ/Charlie pranks part was brilliant, and i just loved the entire, almost ludicrous, concept of hartsfield's landing, with its 42 registered voters! Does that happen in real life?

d

[spike]

Mr said:

Hartsfield's Landing presumably being a fictional town (as Qumar is a country) I like the idea that a small group of ordinary people are still seen with great importance by those who serve them.

According to TWoP:

In the non-WW world, Hartsfield's Landing is known as Hartsfield's Location, and is joined by Dixville Notch in the midnight voting.

The rest of why Hartsfield's Landing/Location is important is explained on the ep. Or so I'm told.

[Lemon Lyman]

I think that it is cool that such a place exists. The fact that 47 people voting in a small town can gained such media and white house attention is amazing.

[spike]

And I'm just wondering which bright spark thought that Dixville Notch was a town name that wasn't going to get laughed at.

[Laura Lyman]

Thought Hartsfield Landing was an excellent episode. Charlie and CJ are really good together. Can't wit for Dead Irish Writers tho. it's another funny episode and Lord John marbury is back - possibly the best guest star ever.

[bajermajic]

I agree.

Lord JM rules.
Long live the lord!!!

d

[Lemon Lyman]

I liked this post from the channel 4 forum and thought it deserved a airing here as it explains a lot about the chess thing and being an basic chess player myself open new doors to the episode - ie Toby offering his resignation.

In Hartsfield's Landing, Aaron Sorking uses the chess matches as a dramatic device to point up what's really going on in reality.

When a chess player places their king on its side like that, that is known as a resignation, and the other player wins. By 'resigning' in the Chess game, which Toby did very deliberately, he was telling the President that he had been slapping him around for too long and that he would resign. But the President tells Toby that he hasn't finished 'playing with him yet'.

Surely, intelligent West Wing fans can read the subtext. Toby doesn't ACTUALLY resign, but it was clear that he was hinting to POTUS that he was being pushed too far.

The President understood this, and by his jokey "I haven't finished playing with you yet", was telling Toby that, although they had had their disagreements, and that Toby had stepped over the line and way past the point where most presidents would have slung him out on the sidewalk, he wasn't prepared to accept his resignation and still wanted him on the team. I can't be the only one that understood this hidden meaning, can I?

[Flamingo]

Wow, thats pretty interesting. I cant wait for Dead Irish Writers either, it sounds like fun.

[madcap]

I agree that this is a really good episode with a lot of little hidden sub texts to get you thinking. Wouldn't want to piss Charlie off too much.

Dixville Notch, trust a fellow Scot to see the humour in that one (cheers Spike).

Does anyone know if the chess tactics Potus was quoting are for real or was it just a bit of psychology against Sam and Toby ?