Let It Run Its Course | The West Wing

[@endalynch]

Bruno was unique. Unlike other passing characters, he held his own against all the inner sanctum. Ron Silver loved Aaron Sorkin's words and delivered them with such energy, calmness and understanding as to make them his own. He went up against President Bartlet, Leo, Toby, CJ, Sam and most importantly Josh - and always, always was their equal or more, which no other character can have said about them. Those actors all won awards for their roles in the show - and he was their equal. Ron made Bruno the successful PR spiv you still wanted to see win.

[@odalissk]

Sorkin left the series at the end of the fourth season, this is S7

[@cormacdonnelly365]

​@@odalisskHe appears first in S3

[@Bariom_dome]

I loved Bruno in every scene. Especially when he held his own against Josh and his partisan bs when he accused him of being a traitor.

[@endalynch]

@@odalisskBruno was integral to the first portion of series 3 also.

[@StephenMintz]

Except for Bartlet making Bruno repeat his opening line about kelp, there hasn’t been a dud in Bruno’s scripting ever.

[@juliebeans5000]

This show. Great gulf-jumping JESUS, this show. Sorkin, these actors; the intellect, the humor, the calm certainty and blazing passion, the unmitigated HOPE. My heart forgets there's a ribcage preventing it from launching into the stratosphere. I make time to watch all 7 seasons once a year. At least, I did up until 2016. 💙🌱

[@dec9164]

Agreed. And I watch all 7 seasons twice a year

[@bradypostma5167]

2016 undermined and uprooted a lot of life. I hope, starting in December, you'll watch through it again. Hell, I will, too. We can exchange notes.

[@juliebeans5000]

@@bradypostma5167 Good plan. Let's do that! Hopefully it will be a party and not some newly-declared act of political subversion.

[@bradypostma5167]

@@juliebeans5000 Fun fact about Season 1 Episode 01: There's no consensus on the numbering of the Ten Commandments. Protestants mostly have one numbering system, Jews another, and about four different numbering systems mix among Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

[@BobStein]

@@juliebeans5000 so, it's a go for the subversion thing?

[@robk1990]

Wise words from Donna

[@iamb0r3dok]

this meltdown usually happens around 1 week before election day. You havnt really campaigned until you have a headspin and need to take 2 days off.

[@dec9164]

only 2days?

[@jjstraka1982]

It's a minor point, but the idea of Josh in the Situation Room in Leo's role is honestly a bit frightening lol.

[@fayesouthall6604]

By the time he gets there he’s got Donna at home to calm here.

[@mwburkett1980]

Yes, I've thought that as well. Josh is a hot head from start to finish in the show. If anything, he gets worse.

[@jacklinton4885]

Eh, Leo only had that much of a role because Bartlett didn't have military experience. Santos does, so presumably Josh's role in the situation room would be significantly smaller than Leo's.

[@taylorcostello7913]

It's an isolated moment, borne of a character who hasn't had a vacation in more than a year. Personally, if the show continued, I honestly think Josh finding his voice in the Situation Room would've been a fascinating story arc, similar how Bartlet and CJ learned how to wield their power and job against a room full of generals. Leo never had that story because he was a dedicated veteran.

[@StarboundUK]

Leo as a 2000s Sorkin narrative device got away with it having been a Vietnam War Vet pilot & previous Cabinet Secretary of Labor ... He's basically been a longstanding Dem figure for decades since late 60s/ early 70s. Sorkin also gave him a defence contractor backdrop - he's long been au fait with Military-industrial complex.. It helped counter the soft 90s/00s weak Dem narrative

[@mattharrelson7462]

Running for President is high pressure. And not just for the candidate.

[@silvernibbs]

Josh sums up what it feels like to be a Democrat in the last two weeks of a Presidential election.

[@StephenMintz]

I worked the Obama campaign for 18 months. You ain’t lyin. But amazingly Election day was pretty calm. The numbers were solid.

[@StephenMintz]

I’ve worked on campaigns, including one presidential campaign, and the smartest thing high-end campaign staff can ever do is get sedated at about 10 AM on election day and then woken just before 9 PM Pacific time

[@raynethackery1]

I'm not even campaign staff and that's my plan.

[@luceraparker9006]

I can relate to his freakout. It’s 2024, 2 weeks until Election Day, and the specter of another🍊👹 term is too real.

[@hazmat7949]

Unfortunately looking on the ground thinking its likely 🙈

[@godricheart4956]

@@hazmat7949 We are not beaten yet. If we want to win, we must summon the Jed Bartlet, Matt Santos, and Arnold Vinnick in all of us.

[@jesusthroughmary]

Democrats keep managing to nominate the only candidate that can possibly lose to him instead of any sane normal liberal

[@PhenomenoRonaldo9]

@@hazmat7949 Nah, don't be fooled by Republican favouring polls. Remember the 2022 red wave? Yeah, me neither.

[@robertvermaat2124]

One of Josh's most poignant scenes and why he is the main character of WW. His drive, so well-played, clearly showing why these men could so easily die in their 50s..

[@StephenMintz]

Yeah the Santos administration needed to bring Stanley back the day after the election 😅

[@runyon888]

And see how she calms Josh and centers him, showering him with the sane feminine healing energy that passeth understanding. She says, and somehow we all hear it: "Let it run its course." Work as hard as you can, and then let it happen naturally.

[@ThorsHammer1]

And God saw that Josh needed an angel. And so he sent Donna.

[@reuben.x.herrera1930]

She was no angel. She was the devil's advocate.

[@StephenMintz]

@@reuben.x.herrera1930in angel form. It’s the alabaster skin.

[@reuben.x.herrera1930]

@@StephenMintz Understand. THX

[@absolutjackal]

There is nothing left to do BUT KISS HER! To be fair I don’t remember if this is before or after they first do but I think it’s maybe the episode after this?

[@peace-or2cp]

I loved this show; 20+ years later, characters like Josh (playing the odious Rahm Emanuel), Bruno, and Toby are clearly seen as archaic and thankfully no longer heralded as they once were, at least publicly.

[@RealmTheMaster]

Bartlett for President in 2024 !!

[@lukevaxhacker7762]

The Donald is much closer to Jeb than Comela…

[@Irish18989]

In some ways Josh is an idiot savant,someone with great talent and skill in the political arena but once removed from that environment/ required to let things play out, seems incapable of functioning

[@StephenMintz]

Like Toby

[@wonder528]

A build up to the tragedy of the end of this episode. Any know how this was going to end if John Spencer didnt pass away? Did it come down to one state?

[@kundansingh914]

Vinick was supposed to win but they changed the ending when Leo died. The double blow would have been too much for the audience.

[@StephenMintz]

Santos was always scheduled to win, but the Vinick character under Alan Alda was so strong they had deep debates in the writers room.

[@madhack69]

Diggle 😂

[@patwill9]

A+ to Ron Silver

[@cz2165]

By this time they had already stopped reporting exit polls until 8:00 California time.

[@RomanCoronado]

*Josh* It's Texas, shouldn't it be warm. *Donna* Not in November The writers of season 7 have clearly never been to Texas. Even 18 years ago, it was moderately warm in November.

[@CaptainLightning1]

This series should've ended with Bartlett's last day in office.

[@christianthompson3926]

The series DID end with Bartlett's last day in office...

[@raggededge82]

turns out, there was one thing...

[@danielh1830]

Hollywood would NEVER let a Republican win anything! This was the dumbest period of West Wing. Bad writing and bad acting.

[@AaronGardner98]

Vinnick would have won this race in a heartbeat. Even with the nuclear fallout…

[@raynethackery1]

Scandal was a show with a Republican president.

[@brandonjones8059]

lol Harris’s campaign is melting down as we speak and only difference here is she’s gonna lose.

[@cz2165]

Wishful thinking. It’s your orange false idol who is imploding, spouting ever more outrageous lies and hate speech. You are also a traitor if you support him.

[@annnoe12]

i don’t believe that the majority of Americans will vote for a criminal. we are so much better than that.