Browing Out

The ratings show that Chris (who is responsible for this illuminating image) and I are the only ones still watching The West Wing. Well, us and Ellen Gray of the Philadelphia Daily News, who writes,

For months now, I've been dying to talk to someone - anyone - about what's up with Janeane Garofalo's eyebrows on NBC's "The West Wing," where it appears she's using a black marker to channel Groucho Marx.

Barbecuing accident?

Obscure political statement?

Just trying to figure out if anyone out here is still watching?

I'm going for Door No. 3, since the already declining ratings for "The West Wing" pretty much dropped off a cliff after NBC moved it to 8 p.m. Sundays.

But the show is still worth watching, if only to occasionally see Kristin Chenoweth's Annabeth break into song. However, not worth watching: Josh and Donna hook up and have off-camera sex twice, but never touch each other again, even in private. Let's let them have some passion or lust, not just pent-up need. David Bianculli of the NY Daily News seems to disagree with me, giving credit to Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney for having "done a lot of the heavy lifting, and...consummate a flirtatious relationship that began when the show premiered in 1999."

Not much of a spoiler, since no one is watching, but last night Jimmy Smits' character, Matt Santos, won the show's presidental election. The NY Times reveals that this turn of events hadn't always been the plan.

At the time of Mr. Spencer's death, the plot for last night's episode had been set: the election was to be won by Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, a maverick Republican (modeled a bit on Senator John McCain), whom many Democrats (including the Democrats who write the show) could learn to love.

At least we've got Homecoming to look forward to, with Rob Lowe and Emily Proctor returning. And just maybe we'll now get to see Sam Seaborn and Ainsley Hayes as a Carville-and-Matalin-eque duo!