Privateers

[sunclouds33]

I had always been fond of but rather ambivalent about this episode. However, recapping it gave me a new appreciation for the episode. There's a lot of meat and good stuff in this deceptively silly episode. I will now rate it much more highly.

Comments

[jean_c_pepper]

OK-
Let's start with the stupid first. On the Donna subplot-which I loathe so much that I fast forward through it-wouldn't the guy know he had a felony and therefore might have an escort in the White House? Couldn't she just say "Hey-you know what you did in College. Deal with a tail in the WW".
The entire gag with Marion Coatsworth-haye is hilarious-esp. The Francis Scott Key key-I crack up every time.
I don't see Amy/Josh in that dynamic-to me they never really moved past the 'friends'stage, even though they were twice lovers. Also- the J/d fans have gone off ad nauseum about Amy attempting to set Josh up in Requiem. I honestly think it was a gaffe on her part. She had no idea(and neither did anyone else except Ronna and Edie who flat out caught them ) that Josh and Donna got their heads out of their collective butts and finally started to date. I don't think the J/d authors-in ALL of the post administration stories that I have read-none of them address the friendship of Amy and Josh-which isn't going to go away because Donna

[sunclouds33]

Let's start with the stupid first. On the Donna subplot-which I loathe so much that I fast forward through it-wouldn't the guy know he had a felony and therefore might have an escort in the White House? Couldn't she just say "Hey-you know what you did in College. Deal with a tail in the WW".

I know, right?!

Also- the J/d fans have gone off ad nauseum about Amy attempting to set Josh up in Requiem. I honestly think it was a gaffe on her part. She had no idea(and neither did anyone else except Ronna and Edie who flat out caught them ) that Josh and Donna got their heads out of their collective butts and finally started to date. I don't think the J/d authors-in ALL of the post administration stories that I have read-none of them address the friendship of Amy and Josh-which isn't going to go away because Donna and Josh are dating.I don't get how people could ascribe evil motives to Amy trying to set Josh up. How did people expect her to know that Josh and Donna were...not even dating back then, they were more just sleeping together

[jean_c_pepper]

Yes- but they are J/D fans who figure Amy was trying to set Josh up so he couldn't be with Donna. I agree-maybe not Bff because he would be with Donna and I don't see her going for that-but still friends. Virtual Season 8 handles the Josh/Amy dynamic much better than Fantasy Season 8- but Fantasy Season 8 is also J/D centric .

[sillyg]

"Fascinating bit of canon that I, strangely, don't have an opinion on."

HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE AN OPINION ON THIS!?! This is by far my favorite random bit of canon in the ENTIRE SHOW. I quote it regularly. I haven't read through one of these commentaries in a while. Don't get me wrong, you give me the giggles (or Sorkin does...or some stellar combination of the two of you) every time you do these things but they are long and I was supposed to be job hunting today and now I've spent 45 minutes reading and seriously considering breaking out my TWW dvds.

Anyways, I read this one just to see what your opinion on the ants on a log commentary would be and you have no opinion. This makes me unquestionably sad. I just, I can't express my love for the convolutedness of the characters in this show, and this is one of the best examples of it for me. I just love it so much.

...and now I've babbled for two paragraphs on something you don't have an opinion on...ok Imma go now...

[sunclouds33]

LOL. Thanks for commenting. I felt a little weird that I didn't have enough of an opinion to meta on the subject because it does put things in a wildly new perspective that Abbey babysat for Amy. However, I racked my brain and couldn't come up a cogent piece of analysis so I said what the hell.

Glad my recaps give you the giggles- hope you find the time to read the ones that you missed.

[bullet2]

Interesting that you remind us of the remote prayer study. I would have done that in a heartbeat if that was the price to pay for the foreign aid bill. But the gag rule, that's something other altogether. Difficult decisions.
BTW IRL weren't some results published a few months ago from a study similar to this remote prayer study?

Toby is supposed to have studied Law School? It was said in And It's Surely To Their Credit? I must rewatch that episode. Somehow I completely missed that. I saw him always as Political Science guy.
So we have: Josh, Sam, Leo +100 guest stars: Law
C.J., Toby? : Political Science
Jed: Economics

Hee!One of the things that I love about Josh: he doesn't remember every single thing he studied in Law School. And Josh is sensitive about people mocking him about it too. See his " I write the laws. I am the law!" comment.

Now I really want to see a fic that explores the idea of Burt and Toby when they were roommates together. Should be interesting.

[sunclouds33]

Interesting that you remind us of the remote prayer study. I would have done that in a heartbeat if that was the price to pay for the foreign aid bill. But the gag rule, that's something other altogether. Difficult decisions.

Yup, exactly my line of thinking.

I also never saw law in Leo's background. CJ said that she got a masters in Communications. Jed's background is econ although CJ said he also got a major in American Studies in The US Poet Laureate. I'm at a loss on Toby's real background and one hadn't been delineated.

Now I really want to see a fic that explores the idea of Burt and Toby when they were roommates together. Should be interesting.

I know, right?! I was thinking Burt/Toby crack-ship through recapping this.

[bullet2]

I thought Leo was a lawyer. Wasn't it said somewhere that Leo and Noah Lyman first met when Leo was working at the firm Noah was also working or something like that? Therefore I always thought he was a lawyer. Of course, it could be that fanfic and canon are becoming one in my mind.

I like this fandom, and while I have nothing against Josh/Donna, I find the sheer amount of fanfics about them a bit baffling. Personally I find that there should be more Toby slash, but I seem like the only one. :)

[sunclouds33]

And It's Surely To Their Credit said that Leo and Toby were lawyers but I'm credulous about both. Leo was friends with Noah but the show never said that they worked together. I always saw Leo's background as business so it's possible that Noah's firm represented Leo's business or because Noah seemed interested in politics, perhaps they met a fundraiser or Democratic event. The show is not clear.

Have you ever read raedbard? She's like the queen of Toby slash. Really, really well-written poetic fic that is almost all Toby-centered pairing him with Sam and Andi chiefly but also Jed, CJ, Josh, etc. It's mostly listed in her tww fic index at the top of the page. It's very well-written but intensely sensual. Watch the warnings if you have delicate sensibilities.