Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

Judging by the amount of sheer tension that marked last night's episode of The West Wing, I move that Aaron Sorkin be subjected to one of the following two fates: (a) chained to his desk and forced to keep writing TWW, or (b) chained to his desk and forced to write the third season of 24 (or at least join that show's more-than-competent corral of writers). I wonder if Sorkin's hasty exit from the show had anything to do with the NBC and Warner reaction when they got the bill for last night's episode, what with tons of special effects and location shooting.

That last shot, of Leo McGarry walking briskly through the corridors, and then breaking into a run as he races across the Oval Office and out onto the hallway to the residence, was absolutely chilling. (But, to resurrect my old complaint, how much better would it have been if NBC hadn't cut all those promos a few weeks back touting "The fall of the Vice President...and a kidnapping!!!". Dumb-ass NBC....)

Oh, and while I'm not as down on Mary Louise Parker as I used to be -- I've warmed to her and her character substantially -- I found it incredibly hard to believe that a woman working in the White House, as the First Lady's Chief of Staff, would dress like Erin Brockovich while on duty. That strained credibility to a pretty big extent.