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Wow.

Wow.

I loved Danny, sitting down next to Josh, men that are finally with the women they love, and neither spending the night in bed with them.

I figured that Josh would be the hardest hit, but I felt most sad for Jed Bartlet. He doesn't get to grieve because he leads the way. The devastated man walked through a door and became exactly what others needed him to be, instead of what he needed to be. (And acknowledging the fact that Margaret would probably need it the most was nice).

The funeral was beautiful. It was, as Bob said, exactly as it should have been. The quick shots of everyone at the funeral were perfect. Of all of the shots, there were two that I didn't get who they were. First was the woman in this sequence: Nancy McNally, (Priest), WOMAN, and the First Family (as the Priest was saying Hallelujah. Then there was a shot of Ellie and Will, and then there were two kids... Are those the Santos kids?

I don't like the friction between Santos and Josh. Neither can do their jobs effectivly when they are at odds with each other.

Amy just has to make it that much harder on Josh and Donna doesn't she?

The one thing about being spoiled for the remainder of the season is that disperate plot threads I would normally complain about I can't really anymore.

I'm glad that they didn't just dump Emily Proctor in just to be there. The Office of White House Counsel shouldn't be a parisan post, anyways (Not that it will be the highest profile Republican memeber of the Santos administration)

I knew it was going to be Baker, but I really was hopeing for Berryhill or McNally (Can they bring Fitzwallace back from the dead?).

FINALLY the Sam is VP talk will stop (At least unless people just want to ignore the previews for next week).

CJ smiled. I haven't seen her smile since she took Chief of Staff (I don't think I've liked her much since then either).

The other thing that they got right that stood out for me was Toby. Yeah he'd be there (Sam would have been too, but he lives in California, and you can't always fly across country at the drop of a dime. Until Josh calls next week), and yeah, he couldn't be seen. The one thing I really want to know (I mean, I have my opinion, I just want to know for sure) is who gave Toby the information.

Damn, that was good.

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I'm one of those die-hards who never gave up on the West Wing after Sorkin left...never missed a single episode since day one. I love these characters so much they are like family to me. I just want to mention that John Wells just doesn't do finales very well in my opinion and in this instance, he left me wanting so much more. Just as he did with the Third Watch, which I had waited for all week in order to see the original cast members reunited, all we got were brief glimpses of characters we adored for years and they didn't even talk. The stories that were told should've had flash backs with Leo in them...the "Cheese Day", the "Man in the Hole" scene when Josh came out of his first session with the shrink. This is the kind of tribute I was hoping for.
I want to cry and keep crying that this show is leaving the air, because for me at least, it is the place...the sanctuary where I can always go and feel validated and loved as a citizen, and losing these characters shall leave a hole I can never fill again.
I will look forward to Aaron's new show and hope it will contain the writing, the characters and the soul that WW has had, but I can't see how a sitcom can ever grab me like this.
Perhaps the next 3 episodes and the finale will tie up all of the unfinished business with Charlie and Zoey, Josh and Donna, and bring Toby back into the fold.
I guess I'm going to have to go out and get a DVD player to watch all 7 seasons over and over again because even though it's not yet done, I already miss it and it just hurts so much.

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Beautifully put and you pretty much read my mind when I was talking to people about this ep. (I stumbled upon your blog when looking for reviews on tonight.) I felt the first scene was just art and I still tear up thinking about it. I stuck through season 5 (which I like more and more each time I watch it) and clung to my heart through Leo's own on-screen heart attack. Both John and Leo were honored well tonight. It's a fitting beginning of the end.

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I sniffed my way through this episode. It was so sad and beautiful. I agree it was more like the first few years and it made me realise how much I will miss these people. There are too few shows these days that challenge you intellectually. Some of the points made during the campaign by Vinnick were very thought provoking and made me do some research. Other than shows on PBS or one of the Discoverys I never do that.

I'm sorry we aren't going to see how Santos at least gets into the 1st year. I kind of hope (futilely, I know) there might be some specials showing aspects of the Santos presidency. The American people need to be reminded of how government could be run.

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"VP Russell goes into the White House gathering and makes a rather tasteless (I thought) comment to Will about Leo only being 58, only a few years older than he is, and that he's scheduled a colonosopy."

Yeah, I agree. I think it was an attempt at some sort of PSA for viewers. And, i don't think they could have pulled it off with any other character...

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Dorv... I think the woman was Leo's ex-wife. I'm not positive on the kids but Santos does have a boy and a girl.

Chrys... have you ever watched Sports Night? If not, rent the DVD's now. One of Sorkin's best shows and a sitcom. Fans knew Felicity Huffman and Peter Krauser deserved stardom years ago due to this show. Plus you will see how Sorkin likes to use the same actors over and over again. He finds good actors and keeps them on speed dial.

I liked this episode but it didn't make me cry like I thought it would. Last week's episode was more heartbreaking for me. Still I loved seeing all the old faces back and wish we could have had more time with them. The hour went by way to fast this week. Santos will learn to trust Josh more and Josh will learn to trust himself more. I think bringing in Sam comes from what the President said and a flashback to when Sam told Josh... let me know if he's the real thing (with Bartlet.) Sam will come along to be part of the new guard, I'm sure. Bringing back Emily Proctor just made me yearn for another season with some of the greats.

I always had a feeling that once CJ was done with this administration, Danny would come back into the picture. I still remember him giving her that goldfish. That better be how her storyline ends. I missed Charlie as well and it was great to see Zoey again (even though she was evil woman on Invasion lately.)

Last night's episode made you want to go back to season 1 and start all over again. MAybe if we had had 4 years of Bartlett and then 4 years of Santos, things would have been different. A change of administration might have kept the ratings up and the campaigning coverage was excellent. Also changing over of some of the actors would have kept cost down too.

I'm looking forward to Sorkin's new project and I love Matthew Perry so I have high hopes for it. He was great on West Wing so I'm sure he will do well in this. If not can someone talk Sorkin and Weadon into doing shows for HBO or something where they will have freedom to do what they want.

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Yeah, great show and we will miss it. Been mourning John Spencer for a while, once a week, unless we watch the repeats on Bravo.

The VPs remarks to Will were, I thought, perfectly in character, a harking back to "Bingo Bob". He's not an idiot, by any means (as the primary run showed), but he is a classic political type: the ambitious narcissist.

I actually thought last night's memorializing got a bit heavy-handed, if that's possible. Really enjoyed Sheen's performance, though, and it was nice to see Stockard Channing again.

The Josh/Donna byplay at the wake was vintage stuff. ("Are you really trying to convince me that I'm the one who makes this hard to navigate?" -- paraphrase) LOL.

And Ainsley asking for the WHC job was excellent. There's a character/actor that they should have held onto with both hands.

I enjoyed the Santos stuff. You can see the shift in him as he assumes the mantle. He realizes he's got to do what's best for the office and the country, not necessarily for his closest and most loyal supporters. And this whole arc for him, from his first appearance, has been about the developing relationship between the man of principle (Santos) and the man of political savvy (Josh). It's not that Josh isn't an idealist, but he's really grown into being a practical idealist. As much as he'd prefer to have Fields as Speaker, he knows the tide is going the other way and the President-elect is not in a position to reverse it

Oh, and I loved Santos's surprise jibe/job-offer to Amy. I bet she'll take it. It will be interesting to see how the new staff shakes out. I guess we'll get to see most of the new team in place before the end, so we can imagine our next four years under a sane, compassionate administration with some integrity.

I remember once reading some Republican operative saying that WW was "a liberal fantasy of the White House". Oh, how true. And ever more appealing in contrast to the Right Wing Reality.

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Great ep, of course. Some great last minute parting shots at the current adminstration as well...

1) The president shouldn't get involved with the house speaker's race to help out a fellow texan (take that Tom Dlay!)

2) The president shouldn't nominate an opposing party member to a cabinet position knowing he won't take it - just to look "bipartisan". (take that W, who tried to nominate Liberman for a cabinet post he could never accept!)

And finally - the preview from next week is slanted... I think Sam WILL BE ASKED TO BE VP. And that the deputy chief of staff will go to Donna or possibly someone like Dule Hill! It was a well edited trailer!

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Is it me, or has the West Wing un-jumped the shark? Bringing back the who's who of the West Wing brought back memories of some pretty great moments from the past seasons. And I, like so many others here sorta yearn to have West Wing come back in some capacity. Maybe make it "West Wing-The Santos Years." The cast would be made of of some old cast members and some new cast members, and if NBC doesn't want the show, maybe someone else would pick it up. I just think it would be fresh and would attract a good audience.

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Tammy: I'll have to look up the guest credits for this and the Bon Jovi episode to make sure that those were the Santos kids, but more and more I think it was. I'm pretty certian, however, that that woman was not Leo's Ex-Wife. Sara Botsford played Jenny McGarry in only one episode (Five Votes Down), and I'm pretty sure that wasn't her (I could be wrong though). Also, I'm pretty sure it wasn't his sister, Josephine, played by Deborah Hedwall.

Its driving me nuts. I don't have my Season 1 DVD's, so I can't check Five Votes Down for sure. Bartlet4America stopped doing its Episode Guide sometime last season, and they always had a solid guest cast list.

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i was definitely left wanting more from this episode. i agree that they should have told stories that we knew and had experienced about Leo. also, i thought it was annoying that Josh and Santos were talking politics immediately after leaving the service.

when i saw all the returning characters in the service, i was excited to see some interaction with them afterward, but they never reappeared. i don't know. i thought last week was a better episode. i don't know what show you all are remembering, but it did not feel like the first four seasons of The West Wing that i just watched on DVD.

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I was Somewhat Dissappointed with The Requiem Episode.Some Of The Great Moments In Past Episodes Have Been Dramatic Speeches Given By President Bartlett.I Was anticipating a Eulogy, at Least By The President That would Have Been Spellbinding and A Fitting Tribute To Leo and his Career. I Was Suprised That Did Not Happen.Also, I Thought The Absence Of Alan Alda To Be Dissappointing as Well.I was Anticipating A Movement for Alda ( Vinick) For Vice-President.The Romantic Foreplay Between CJ/Danny & Josh/Donna is Getting Silly And Annoying.Let's Hope This GREAT Show Ends On A Stirring Note.

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Chris, its a good thing you're not bitter about Daly and Liberman ;)

And please, after that trailer, and the spoilers available online, if you're interested in betting money on whether Sam will be VP, let me know. I'd like to make some easy money.

But hey, if you want to ignore all of the warnings you've had, feel free to visit the West Wing site at NBC, and watch the "Featured Video" of Sam's return. Be sure to use IE, as it apparently doesn't work in Firefox:

http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/

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The one point where I found myself choking up was at the wake, when President Bartlet had to force himself to be "on", and he sought out Margaret to tell her that Leo loved her... and then he launched into a great Leo story.

I also liked and understood the little showcase that Ainsley got, from within the story and from a real-world point of view (take advantage of her visibility from 'CSI: Miami'.)

But why nothing more than a few shots of Mallory O'Brien, Leo's daughter? Shouldn't the President have said something to her? Why didn't we get to see him and Abby go to the home of Leo's ex-wife to pay their respects?

I understand the needs of keeping the show's other storylines moving, but something could have been lost in order to have this closure for Leo in connection to his daughter.

Oh well. Maybe we'll get to see her again once Sam comes back.....?

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Oh my God !!! What a great episode!!!! I began crying as soon last night's episode started. I can hardly wait for the last episodes...better yet re-runs on any network........ !!!!!!

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Can anyone help me in identifying the sixth pall bearer for Leo? Was it a character we've seen in the past? I couldn't get a good look at him as they passed Toby sitting in the pews.

The other five could be easily identified - Bartlet, Santos, Josh, Charlie, Barry Goodwin. It's that last fellow opposite Santos that has me puzzled.

Thanks for any info.....

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Toby OB: I was asking the same questions last week during the previews, but if you pay close enough attention, its pretty easy to figure out (At least, come to the conclusion that I did, though, I have to watch it again to make sure I got the face right).

Mallory was sitting with a man. It had been mentioned off hand somewhere in the past that Mallory was pregnent, so I would assume the man was the father (and assumably her husband). I'm 99.99% sure that man got up and was the six pallbearer.

Again, I need to check the TiVo to make sure that I'm correct.

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Do you know the air date for the final episodes?

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Question.... if an actor doesn't speak in an episode, do they get paid differently? I'm wondering if the reason that all these great returning actors didn't have lines in the episode might be a budget one and they did it as a tribute to John Spencer. Everyone has mentioned why didn't so and so say something and it got me thinking about scale and stuff like that. So if anyone knows the answer, that would be great.

If Mallory was/is pregnant, then that had to be her husband and would explain why he was a pall bearer, Leo's son-in-law.

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