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The West Wing

Transition

Season 7, Episode 19, Aired Apr 23, 2006

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9.4

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Josh has thousands of White House positions to fill and the stress is starting to show. He takes a trip out to California and asks Sam to play Josh to his Leo. Sam says he'll think about it after making jokes about Josh's hairline. Donna and Josh need to work out their personal and professional relationships. Santos and Bartlet use the POTUS-transition status to try to scare the Russians and Chinese to back down in Kazakhstan.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Jerry Kernion

Limo Driver
GUEST STAR
Rob Lowe

Sam Seaborn
GUEST STAR
Greg Callahan

Man

Bradley Whitford

Josh Lyman
Janel Moloney

Donna Moss (Episodes 23-, recurring previously)
Kristin Chenoweth

Annabeth Schott (Episodes 133 -, recurring previously)
Alan Alda

Senator Arnold Vinick (Episodes 123-)
Allison Janney

Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg
Joshua Malina

Will Bailey (Episodes 78-, recurring previously)

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Fan Episode Reviews (10)

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Josh battles to maintain control during the transition period

10

"Perfect"

By DHPLover, Jul 24, 2006

Wow, this has quickly become one of my favourite episodes of the series let alone season. This is probably down to it being focused on Josh and was another "Josh goes a bit barmy" episode. He is by far my favourite character so I love episodes that focus on him. But again it was great to see behind the scenes of what goes on during the transition period and the stresses that come with it. By the time he finally lost the plot and screamed at Otto he'd taken that much stuff to keep him awake and alert, I'd be surprised if he ever slept again.

I think what I really liked about it is that it helped to change my opinion of Santos. I'd never been a big fan of his mainly because he was so independent and ignored his advisors as often as he did take on board what they'd said. I often found myself battling not to like Vinick throughout the election (for the first time in the shows history it seemed to portray a Republican as not the source of all evil) but I changed my mind during the course of this episode. Seeing him working with the President to resolve the situation in Kazakhstan was great to watch, how quickly he went from villain to hero.

Donna as COS for the First Lady is a brilliant choice that made me want to see another season to see how she would have got on. And the prodigal son returned, oh how I have missed Sam. It was great to see him back even though it was for a few minutes. I looked forward to seeing him in the final couple of episodes.

The end stunned me. Never in a million years did I expect to see Josh and Donna actually run off together well even if it was for just a week, but it's the old romantic in me. It was great to see Josh coming to the decision that he needed a life outside of work like the rest of the original cast. All in all I thought it was a superb episode and one I'm desperate to see again when it comes out on DVD.
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comming to the end of a fine series

9.4

"Superb"

By raimondo, May 21, 2006

this episode is a good expample how the end is going to be so good for not to be mist. also in this episode i think that the writers leave a window open for some type of follow up series by calling old actors that were out of the west wing. In this episode we can see how many details are involved in the changing of guard for the first job in th US.moreless
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Josh is falling apart, and although I hate to admit it, it's kinda fun to watch.

10

"Perfect"

By StwbrryCSI, Apr 25, 2006

Stressed dosn't even begin to describe Josh when he gets in a limo in california. The republican driver dosn't help him, but he gives us some laughs.
When Sam shows up at the white house things get all the more interesting, and with a job offer to donna for first lady chief of staff (I didn't even know the fist lady HAD a staff.) things are definatly going to get interesting in the last few epps.
When she shows up at Josh's door, well, just another plot bunny to play with.

This epp was awsome. Multiple plots, charater development, all of the above.moreless
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Loved it. Josh lighting up like a 100 watt bulb, The presidents playing good cop...bad cop, Sam coming back, WOW!

8.5

"Great"

By tiredoldguy, Apr 25, 2006

I go back to a prior comment I made, 'its to bad we will not see the next presidency in office'. Josh as COS, Sam as DCOS, Lou as CD, Donna as COS for the 1st lady. It would have been wonderful.

In the mean time in this episode, Josh coming unglued and yelling at Otto, and Sam bringing him back to earth was a marvelous piece of business.

Who would have thought that the writters could use Santos\'s own bullheadedness to suprise us. I for one did not see the Good Cop...Bad Cop routine coming. When it became appearant that Bartlett and Santos had a plan I had to smile, it was a nice suprise!

The best part of course is Josh on the plane at the end and Donna joinning him. It looks like for once, the writters are going to let romance win.moreless
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After floundering for so long as if there was no chance that anyone remembered what it was that made this show worth watching, "Transition" showed enough moments worth watching so as to make me not hate John Wells so much anymore. LOLmoreless

8.0

"Great"

By Glenn11523, Apr 25, 2006

What a roller coaster ride! I could not have been less impressed with "Requiem" and so I only watched "Transition" in much the same way that one watches an impending car wreck. Mostly out of some long instilled loyalty that said "the West Wing is on and it is a new episode, so I will watch."

I was pleasantly surprised. Now I have to wonder if it was because the episode was good, or because I had so lowered my expectations that provided no one actually used their own names, instead of the character they play, that I would have been satisfied.

Watching Josh hit burn out was exactly right. It needed to happen and I found myself caring more about the support staff (especially poor Otto) than I ever have before.

Seeing the return of Sam was great, but it is still a huge miss about him not attending Leo's funeral and an even bigger miss that not one person mentioned it. It really should have been explained.

Having said that, the interaction between them was rapid, eloquent and sardonic, just what we long-term viewers have come to know and love.

This episode suddenly had me caring about the Santos White House and feeling like it would be interesting to see them go forward. After my scathing (but very much deserved) review of last week, I am perhaps the most surprised to find myself wishing the show would go on.

Donna as COS for the First Lady? I would love to see that relationship develop!

CJ maybe staying on? Well they would need to resolve how she winds up in California by the time the Bartlett library is going to open, but yes, yes, yes, keep her on the show!

Sam as deputy COS, yes, as he proved only too well, he is exactly the type of person needed to stand up to Josh.

The "Good Cop, Bad Cop" bit between Santos and Bartlett was really well played and left me respecting both men more.

And so here we are, a well acted, fairly well written episode.

The directing needs to be ramped up a bit. There were some extremely obvious continuity errors (case in point, Josh hitting the sofa on his return home, exhausted, falling down with his arms stretched out over his head, cut to a behind shot of Josh getting up to answer the door where his arms have instantly and mysteriously found their way to be folded under his head like a pillow.)

Remember the good old days with those seamless scenes that ran for several minutes as characters walked and talked and interacted and never once did they use cut-aways?

Still, all things considered, even with lowered expectations, this episode showed that the show still could have legs.

Could, that is if they somehow had a network that cared enough to really support the show, and an executive producer with more than sporadic ability to pull from the extremely talented cast the brilliance that is begging to be supported.

Of course I would love to see the somehow rise from the ashes and go forward in brilliance, but failing that, I will settle for episodes like this one to take us through to the end.

8 out of 10 (as a John Wells episode) 5 out 10 (if Aaron had been at the helm)
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TRIVIA (1)
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- Second time Josh interrupts Sam at his work in a meeting to recruit him. First time was shown in In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 1, for the first Bartlet campaign.
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QUOTES (6)
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- Limo Driver: Seen you on TV. Josh: Yeah? Limo Driver: You look younger. Josh: Well...TV ages you, it's the lighting. Limo Driver: No, I meant on TV you look younger.
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- Lawyer: I'm sorry, can we help you? Sam: (to the lawyers) If you'll all excuse me for a moment. (to Josh) I thought you'd never call.
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- Josh: Tell me you don't miss it Sam: I don't miss it
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- Josh: You live in melanoma central, healthy glow turns out to be oximoronic.
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- Donna: Not everyone's like you, so Josh: Dedicated? Donna: Monomaniacal.
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- Donna: Excuse me, Ma'am. Mrs. Santos: Did you just "Ma'am" me? Donna: I...I seem to have. Mrs. Santos: Don't do that again. (Laughs)
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NOTES (2)
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- Although credited, Alan Alda, Kristin Chenoweth, Joshua Malina, Mary McCormack & John Spencer do not appear in this episode. Stockard Channing, Dulé Hill & Richard Schiffalso do not appear and are therefore uncredited.
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- Ratings: Dateline lead-in Fast National Affiliate Ratings Total Viewers: 5.2 million Ratings/Share: between 4.8/9 and 2.1/4 Adults 18-49: 1.3/4 Third in its time slot behind CBS then ABC. Overnights Ratings Total Viewers: 5.26 million (3rd place) Ratings/Share: 3.9/7 (3rd place) Adults 18-49: 1.3/4 (4th place) The West Wing Fast National Affiliate Ratings Total Viewers: 8.4 million Ratings/Share: 5.5/9 Adults 18-49: 2.3/6 Third Place behind CBS then ABC. Overnights Ratings Total Viewers: 8.42 million (3rd place) Ratings/Share: 6.5/10 (2nd place) Adults 18-49: 2.3/6 (4th place) Earned its second-highest 18-49 rating and highest overall viewership since November 6, 2006. NBC Fast National Affiliate Ratings Total Viewers: 8.97 million Ratings/Share: 6.8/11 Adults 18-49: 2.6/7 Close third behind ABC and CBS. Weekly Averages: NBC: Adults 18-49: 2.4/7, 3.1 million Each rating point equals 1.30 million viewers 4th place NBC: Adults 25-54: 2.8/7, 3.5 million Each rating point equals 1.22 million viewers 4th place NBC: Total Viewers: 2.5/7, 7.1 million Each rating point equals 2.81 million viewers 4th place
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