The Last Full Measure of Devotion | The West Wing

[@JamieFrevele]

The way his voice shakes. That subtle chest heave when he says "fidelity." This is such genuinely great bodily storytelling.

[@RandalBauer11]

One of the finest episodes of TWW. Sam is the most romantic, idealistic character on the show, and it’s stunning to see that worldview shaken.

[@aph1976]

Besides Toby, i'm wondering if Sam was the one most hurt by the president keeping his MS a secret especially since it happened shortly after Sam learned about his father's affair.So Sam's faith in 2 men in his life(personally and professionally) was shaken

[@sandywaddell4303]

I often think this scene isn’t that long after the assassination attempt and Sam might still be affected by almost losing his friend Josh.

[@tal_the_great]

The janitor quietly jotting down notes of things he heard as people walk by him for a later incredible memoir...

[@googoo-gjoob]

The *GREATEST* show in the _History_ of television.

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

It's dsmn good. Damn damn damn good. But Band of Brothers takes that crown

[@wholeNwon]

At the top. Then there were The Wire, Breaking Bad, Dexter and The Twilight Zone.

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

@wholeNwon I haven't seen the Wire. Breaking Bad is phenomenal. Near perfect. Dexter, not for me. Starts well but loses it long before the end. And which Twiloght Zome?

[@wholeNwon]

@@Wherethehellarewegoing The Wire is worth the effort...definitely. I stayed with Dexter because I found myself rooting for a psychopath. How sick is that? So a little introspection there about how easily I was manipulated by the writer. Yes, the ending was extremely weak at best. All Twilight Zones. Can you think of a really bad one?

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

@wholeNwon I'll have to give the wire a go. Compassion for dexter is understandable. He's a great character. I've only just started on classic, original Twilight Zone. I'm halfway through season 2 snd it's bloody marvellous

[@reezee2010]

I loved the weaving of Don Henley's song throughout the episode, it was so unique and is to this day. What a great episode.

[@armandosanchez1862]

Sam’s a good guy! Sam does things with a conscience . We need guys like Sam to defend us . The world is changing so much!

[@HerePepPep]

No one with this amount of competency and morality is compatible with being a political staffer

[@ReaverLordTonus]

If Sorkin seriously considered bringing this show back, the first person he should consider to be the president is Sam.

[@Ghost-ql3hl]

People in politics don’t care about the people they govern They have only ever cared about 2 things and 2 things only Money and power All else is lies There is not nor has there even been a “good “ politician. And there never will be Doesn’t matter if you are American, English Chinese Or from fucking Antartica Nothing ever changes This is nothing but fiction Good fiction But fiction none the less I find Star Wars more believable than this

[@rabbit251]

@@ReaverLordTonus There are things you should maybe know about the backstory between Sorkin and Rob Lowe, but like this clip that is better saved for a different time.

[@garylocke4302]

More people need to watch this show for no other reason other than to get a basic understanding of how our government works. Because reading comments on other sites, most people don't have a freaking clue.

[@henniebogan1966]

Last full measure of devotion. People need to be reminded of that!

[@Rotarrin]

This has always been one of my favorite scenes from TWW, and for so many reasons. There's so much going on here, so many layers -- mostly involving Sam, obviously, but also Donna as well. We really see a lot of his character revealed here.

[@Mrblacker14]

Another excellent scene from the best show ever made*. And another that demonstrates that, apart from Pres. Bartlet, the best and most human character in the show is Donna Moss. *Band of Brothers and The Newsroom push it close.

[@rottingcorpse6002]

Rewind in time back to when Sam was arguing with his bosses about buying new tanker ships. Fast forward to him standing up for Ainsley for the "bitch" flowers. This is the kinda stuff i saw my father do. Sam, Josh and Toby....I get weepy thinking about them.

[@wholeNwon]

Rob Lowe at his best. Why can't we have TV like that again?

[@davidzasloff8797]

Every once in a while I watch Rob Lowe Om West Wing (or Parks & Rec) and remember his reputation back in the 1980s when the Brat Pack was active. We thought he was just another pretty face back then. Nope.

[@TheStuport]

For lack of a better response, I'll just offer up that this situation clearly explained the meaning of "Catch 22" to a younger version of myself back when I thought I knew everything. My Dad told me years later that to him Catch 22 was like being handcuffed without the jewelry. Amen.

[@WPPatriot]

For some context, Sam had just found out that his father had been having a very long-lasting affair (28 years, he supposedly had a whole other family on the other side of the country) so when he makes that slip up at the 3 minute mark, it's not really an accident.

[@deansam1]

They had a similar storyline on Sorkin's previous show Sports Night where Jeremy finds out that his dad has been having an affair with a woman for longer than Jeremy has been alive.

[@cherylsimon7785]

Absolutely the best speech written for the show!

[@heidivert830]

Exceptional loved it so much

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

So heartbreaking but his true self comes through when he doesn't tell Stephanie the truth..

[@frankteunissen6118]

Would you have?

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

@frankteunissen6118 no. My anger could forever harm a woman who had done nothing wrong. She's not responsible for her grandfather's actions

[@LMays-cu2hp]

So very nice!😊

[@jimandreen278]

Of Rob Lowe's long career, this might be his best work right there.

[@jstpshply79]

Breaks my heart that we can't imagine the workings of our White House functioning with this kind of knowledge, intellect, integrity, or love of country for at least the next 4 years 😢

[@suestroud]

If we each play Sam during the next 4 years we can make things better. Run for schoolboard or city council, help someone else run...

[@davecoz4227]

Janel Maloney was excellent in this scene and lifted Rob Lowes' performance

[@Celtic_Thylacine]

Did she hang on to that hug longer than she need to? Hmmmm...

[@pdlister]

If you respect the things President Bartlett said and did, then you have no excuse not to vote for Aaron Sorkin for president.

[@DanMorera]

When story writing was not lazy

[@VtRD]

Exactly--the writers' strike solved nothing. Television is still a vast wasteland with poor scripts.

[@michael_horsley]

Rob Lowe (Sam) had political ambitions IRL. Politics destroys people.

[@JasonMoir]

Sam should have told her.

[@oldfrend]

she asked the question. she shoulda been prepared for an answer she didn't like. but like most people, she's not after the truth, she just wants her biases confirmed.

[@killnotic]

Sam probably never did, but he still could. The truth isn't going anywhere.

[@aph1976]

I'm wondering if deep down she knew the truth but for her dying father's sake she had to try to clear her grandfather's name.

[@dee_dee_place]

I agree. I'm a moralistic realist, & I give my opinions in a straightforward & usually tactless way. If you don't want to know the truth or are prepared to hear the truth, don't ask the question. Her Grandfather's actions undermined our country, caused the deaths of many, & spit on the graves of those who had already fallen. It's called TREASON! Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were put to death for the same actions. Her Grandfather got off easy.

[@brontewcat]

I think there is a time and a place for the truth. I think she needed to know. However, we are also not our parents, our grandparents or any of our ancestors. I am certain my ancestors did some pretty terrible things, but that is not Mr nor am I to be defined by what my grandparents or any of my ancestors did.

[@TacComControl]

And now we have Russian sympathizers like Tim Pool an the rest of the Trumpers giving their last full measure of devotion to Vladimir Putin and spitting on the graves of every American who fought for this great nation in the process.

[@deansam1]

I like this episode, but it's a retread of a story from Sports Night. On SN, Jeremy finds out that his father has been cheating on his mother for longer than he's been alive. Sam finds out the same thing in this episode about his dad.

[@Bum_Hip]

So sad that a plurality of Americans did not give AF about ideals such at these last November.

[@TheZeroAssassin]

Weakling

[@user-ye4mp3lv9u]

Whoosh! Right over your head.

[@tgb389]

She was hands down the WORST part of this otherwise good show - her character just shat over EVERY scene she was in. I just feel sorry for the actress and I wish her well.

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

Stephanie or Donna? ... I'm guessing you mean Stephanie

[@tgb389]

@@WherethehellarewegoingI mean Donna. She was nothing but a waste of EVERY other character’s time on that show.

[@ianboyle1026]

@@tgb389 This is either a meaningless or rather interesting point of view. If it's just because you don't happen to like the character or the actress because of your personal taste in people, then it's meaningless. If it's because of some specific and identifiable flaw in her character as written, or the way she's portrayed by the actress, then it's interesting. Which is it?

[@tgb389]

@@ianboyle1026 - no criticism of the actress (except maybe her role choices). Donna has a weird relationship with Josh that goes nowhere; the character doesn’t develop over the show in any way whatsoever, and as usual this subservient female role has almost no autonomy in the show. Garbage.

[@ianboyle1026]

@@tgb389 Er, did you watch the whole series? Donna's character evolves significantly over the course of the seven seasons. Her relationship with Josh has ups and downs but isn't "weird" -- it's a dilemma for her because she's in love with her boss (as revealed in conversation with Amy Gardner), which is tricky but she's also growing into an an ultra-competent political operative who realizes after a while that she's undervalued (he's extremely attached to her and knows it, loves her but doesn't know it because he's a clutz plus he's too busy). She gets blown up (an event directly the result of her high-level competence), which visibly shifts her perspective on things over time. She eventually quits and goes to work for Bob Russell, proves her worth in that role then winds up back with the right team and she and Josh eventually get together. Oh, and she ends up the First Lady's CoS, if I remember rightly. Yes, it all takes a while, but compared to the many prominent characters Aaron Sorkin arbitrarily wrote out altogether, Donna had a highly varied, believable and ultimately fully realized narrative arc. In fact, in some ways her character developed more than Josh's. Josh had massive successes, but actually changed relatively little in the process. (Which is not a criticism, he didn't need to, in terms of the show's dramatic logic.)