User Reviews

From the humour at the beginning at the President cheating at basketball to the delightful cynicism towards Big Block of Cheese Day this episode is just wonderful to watch.

But it's the story line of Josh receiving the NSC card and finding out that none of his friends did that makes this episode so touching. The moment when Josh told CJ that he couldn't be her friend without telling her the truth just made me fall head over heels in love with the character. The woman in me just wanted to hug and protect Josh and fix all his emotional wounds. Bradley Whitford played the character's guilt at the perceived betrayal of his friends to perfection, a perfection that he would carry through out the series which would only continue to endear the viewer to the brilliant but emotionally confused Josh.

And then the conversation between the president, Leo and Josh regarding the women they work with was touching.

THE WEST WING: SEASON 1, EPISODE 5: The Crackpots and These Women Directed by: Anthony Drazan Written by: Aaron Sorkin

The episode also features a story line for Josh that reveals more of his back story and provides a great showcase for Bradley Whitford. How he chooses to play the increasing guilt is impressive and his interactions with each of his fellow cast members is impressive. This particular plot line and performance by Whitford helps to endear the audience to Josh even through still realising he is still an emotionally confused character.

The fact the show can so easily juggle the comedy of the opening scene and the drama of the Josh subplot is an impressive feat for the show and what I treasure most about this show. I must say the Josh's monologue about a worldwide pandemic come to rock the world rather than a war is so shattering cause 20 years later we all know what happening with the pandemic. Just another fictitious show highlighting real life consequences.

This is yet another great episode and I love that it's another episode expanding upon the personal lives of the characters we all know and love.

Josh gets an NSC nuclear attack instruction-card, and is torn by the fact that most of his co-workers don't have one. In a scene with a therapist (effectively played by Guy Boyd, who would effectively be fired to make way for Adam Arkin), we learn about his sister who died when they were children. Perhaps the only significant "revisionist misstep" scene in show history, when Bartlet plays basketball (a scenario perhaps at odds with his later-revealed multiple sclerosis). Also, the only glaringly false moment in the writing of Toby's character, when the writers have him saying "could care less" instead of "couldn't" - it's doubtful that someone of Toby's brilliant snobbery would ever employ such false grammar. And the debut of...Zoe Bartlet!!! Played by Elizabeth Moss (MAD MEN), has there ever been a biped more adorable?