Ranking Characters: 11+ Episode Recurring

Alright, I recently posted my Ranking Characters: 5-10 Episode Recurring, and my Ranking Characters: The One-Offs and Ranking Characters: 2-4 Episode Recurring before that. Without further ado, here is my ranking of the 11+ Episode Recurring characters, creme-de-la-creme of WW recurring characters.

(Please keep in mind that this will not include what I call "non-Regular regular" characters like Margaret, Ed & Larry, other assistants, press corp reporters, etc. There will be a separate list for them. I just felt they aren't the same thing as what I'm ranking here.)

20. Bram Howard, portrayed by Matthew Del Negro // 16 Episodes, Seasons 6-7

Despite appearing in a fair number of episodes in the final two seasons, Bram, a Santos staffer, didn't seem to have much of an impact, and not a whole lot of personality either. He was just kind of 'there'. Maybe I'm forgetting things, but in my recollection, he's the least memorable of all the characters on this list, by a wide margin. Sorry, Bram.

19. Secretary Of Defense Miles Hutchinson, portrayed by Steve Ryan // 16 Episodes, Seasons 4-7

Steve Ryan, who has sadly passed in the years since the show ended, really gave Hutchinson a highly memorable presence. Hutchinson was a bit of an asshole, and often tended to get into arguments with the White House over 'turf'. You rarely ever saw anyone get in Leo's face the way Hutchinson did in "Inauguration: Over There". It's probably a realistic depiction of how cabinet secretaries can behave sometimes, though, and Ryan sold it well, going right up to the edge without going over the top.

18. Helen Santos, portrayed by Teri Polo // 18 Episodes, Seasons 6-7

Helen is a character that I recall being pretty unpopular amongst fans. I can understand why. She often complained, and came off as someone who really wished her husband wasn't running for president and was being dragged into the whole thing under duress. As a result, she often seemed cold and unsupportive.

On the other hand, as a mother, it's the natural thing to want put your kids above anything and everything, and as a wife, it's understandable to be a bit bent out of shape if your husband is doing this big thing in spite of the fact that you didn't want it.

Nevertheless, there are moments of genuine support and love mixed in, and by the time Santos is sworn in, she seemed to be warming up to everything a little.

She may not have been super likable, but she was probably more realistic than we'd like to think.

17. Vice President Robert "(Bingo) Bob" Russell, portrayed by Gary Cole // 22 Episodes, Seasons 5-7

Ok, Russell being this low is not meant as a big insult. It's just that on this list, practically every character after this is a classic character, and I couldn't talk myself into putting any of them below Bingo Bob.

The character was introduced early in season 5, one of the first big things the Wells regime did after wrapping up the kidnapping storyline, and you can tell the sole purpose of the character from the minute he was introduced was to be the Democratic frontrunner that the eventual "chosen one"(ended up being Santos) would defeat as the underdog. In this respect, the character was such a plot point that he was rarely able to just breathe as a character(and in fact, was barely seen after losing the primary).

That said, I give a lot of credit to Gary Cole, because I think he took what could've been a Robert-Ritchie-esque character on paper and did a lot more with it than some other actors could've. He did a good job portraying an ambitious man, even if it was empty ambition, who was smarter than people gave him credit for, who knew what people thought of him, and who was determined to prove people wrong. He took what could've been a bad character and made him a pretty decent one.

He's only this low because the rest of the characters on the list are more than decent, imo.

16. Ronna, portrayed by Karis Campbell // 22 Episodes, Seasons 6-7

I love Ronna. Ronna was longtime congressional staffer for Santos who joined the campaign with him, and was there until the end, at which point she was given a job in the White House, presumably as the new Mrs. Landingham, aka Executive Secretary outside the Oval Office.

She always just seemed like such a nice, warm person, who was in the business for all the right reasons, not a careerist, but someone who really wanted to affect change and help people.

There is a scene in the very last episode, when she sees the Oval Office in person for the first-time, and she gets all wide-eyed and happy, like a kid seeing all the presents under the tree on Christmas morning, yet simultaneously like an adult that is humbled and honored to be a part of something bigger than herself. She is moved by that moment. I've always felt like in that moment, she embodied all the highest ideals that were present in all of the main characters in the Bartlet administration, and that the show had set out to embody from the beginning.

If the show had gone on with the Santos administration, Ronna definitely should've made the main cast.

15. Louise Thornton, portrayed by Janeane Garofalo // 15 Episodes, Season 7

It always felt like Louise was written with Garofalo in mind, though that's probably not the case. You just can't imagine anyone else playing her.

Thornton was this highly intelligent, aggressive, fearless, successful, sardonic, prickly communications advisor on the Santos general election campaign. She knew her shit, she knew how the game was played, and she wasn't afraid to tell Josh if/when she thought he was wrong about something(that's probably why Josh initially didn't even want her at that first meeting).

But she was also a mercenary type, not too eager to swear loyalty to one person or one administration. You get the feeling she didn't want to drink anyone's kool-aid and then end up disappointed.

Nonetheless, Josh convinced her to become the Communications Director for the Santos administration, which absolutely seemed like the right and natural role for her.

Over the years, when people talk about what the ideal cast would've been for an eight(ninth, etc) season, Garofalo/Thornton is always near the top of the list, the new Toby, etc. I can't help but agree with that.

She was a great character that would be a valuable voice and asset in any number of political situations going forward, and I've always liked Garofalo, a unique and under-appreciated talent.

14. Mallory O'Brien, portrayed by Allison Smith // 11 Episodes, Seasons 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

The only daughter of Leo McGarry, she was a fixture in the Sorkin years, particularly the first season, and was seen sporadically throughout the show's run(maybe the only character outside the main cast who was in both the pilot and "Tomorrow"?) mainly as a potential romantic partner for Sam.

I always liked Mallory, she was passionate, smart, would tell you exactly what she thought of you, and could throw elbows with the WH senior staff.

Of all of Sam's potential love interests - Lauri, Mallory, Ainsley, etc - I think Mallory was the best match(though he and Ainsley had the most physical chemistry). They were both intellects, both fiercely liberal(Mallory maybe even more than Sam), both felt duty to things bigger than themselves(Sam to government, Mallory to education), and so on. When they were on screen together, they would often argue, but in the way that people who like to argue with each other argue, and at the end of the day, there always seemed to be genuine affection between them.

It's a shame she was kind of dropped after taking Sam home in 20 Hours In America.

13. Deborah Fiderer, portrayed by Lily Tomlin // 35 Episodes, Seasons 3-7

Tomlin is a national treasure, a totally unique persona, and there is obviously so much of her in Deborah, that it's another instance where no one else could have played her.

Mrs. Landingham was a beloved character, and it probably would've been a bad decision to try to make her replacement anything like her, so it's a good thing they made Deborah the absolute polar opposite.

The hippie-dippy personality, the quirkiness, the eccentricity, and more animated sense of humor all set her apart of Mrs. Landingham's more direct approach and deadpan sense of humor.

That very same humor and eccentricity could've made her seem not up to the job - in fact it did for Bartlett at first - but everybody soon found that underneath all of that was a very smart, classy, uber-competent woman who would kick ass at the job, and whom Bartlett and his staff would grow very fond of.

It's not easy to step into the shoes left by a character beloved by those both inside and outside the show, but Tomlin/Fiderer were quite up to the task, and the result was highly memorable character in her own right.

12. Congresswoman Andrea 'Andy' Wyatt, portrayed by Kathleen "Bird" York // 15 Episodes, Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

Andy was important in that her presence added depth to an already deep and much-loved main character in Toby.

The interactions between the two of them served to show that Toby, while a good man, was a difficult man to deal with between his temperament and his dedication to his work, and that he may just not have been ideal husband(or even boyfriend) material.

The scene in the house when Toby proposes and Andy says no, because he's too sad, and he'll always be sad, is one of the more heartbreaking scenes in the whole series because it's true, and all of Toby's history shows it, but it took seeing it from Andy's point of view to really crystalize that aspect of Toby's personality.

In her own right, Andy was always shown as a highly intelligent, powerful woman - she was a congresswoman after all - with her own political views that didn't always line up with the White House, a woman could stand up to to any man, but also a sensitive women who felt things deeply beneath her hardened surface. She also had a great sense of humor.

It was a really good depiction of a career woman who was also a borderline single mom to twins, who was somehow balancing it all. A woman to be reckoned with.

11. Agent Ron Butterfield, portrayed by Michael O'Neil // 16 Episodes, Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

It never seemed like Michael O'Neil was acting. He just was Ron. O'Neil is very adept at this sort of serious-government-official type role, as he's done it in multiple other shows(most recently on Scandal), but he was never better than here. You can't imagine anyone taking that particular job more seriously or being more dedicated to it than Ron was. His job was to protect the President, and that's what he did, to 1000% of his abilities.

Any time there was any of security-related crisis, Ron was there, always to kindly tell everyone there's nothing to worry about, or to make darn clear shit is going down.

His shining moment has to be "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen", first screaming at the driver "GW! GW!", and then his conversation with Toby, culminating in perhaps his most memorable piece of dialogue:

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Gina's fault, it wasn't Charlie's fault, it wasn't anybody's fault, Toby. It was an act of madmen. You think a tent was going to stop them? We got the President in the car. We got Zoey in the car. And at 150 yards, five stories up, the shooters were down 9.2 seconds after the first shot was fired. I would never let you not let me protect the President. You tell us you don't like something, we figure out something else. It was an act of madmen. Anyway, the Secret Service doesn't comment on procedure."

Ron's entire character is embodied in that paragraph of dialogue. He was a great character. One of the hallmarks of an actor nailing a character is that you have trouble seeing that actor in any other role. I've seen O'Neil in 24, Scandal, even as a mass shooter in Grey's Anatomy, but every time, I see him and all I can think is, 'that's Ron Butterfield'. That probably won't change.

10. White House Associate Counsel Ainsley Hayes, portrayed by Emily Proctor // 12 Episodes, Seasons 2, 3, 7

One of the criticisms during the first season of the show was that it was too liberal, that it wasn't presenting conservative viewpoints fairly. I guess when WW started, Aaron Sorkin wasn't as well-known as he is now. Now, nobody would expecting anything other than unabashed, unapologetic liberalism from him, but back then, he was just the showrunner, and the show was seen as too liberal, and that was that.

So early in season 2, the character of Ainsley Hayes was introduced, a conservative lawyer hired, ultimately by Bartlet himself, to be an Associate Counsel, because Bartlet likes smart people who disagree with him.

Here's the thing about this character: As well-written as she is, given the nature of the character and her political views, her likability factor, and chemistry with the rest of the cast, was going to be very dependent on the actress and the portrayal. Fortunately, Emily Proctor absolutely nailed it.

She brought the character to life as this warm, sensitive, sweet, hyper-intelligent young woman, every bit as idealistic and duty-bound and humbled by the job and the building as Bartlett's staff, only a Republican. She delivered pro-gun, anti-EPA, and other conservative arguments in a sympathetic manner(not saying I was convinced by any of them, I'm no Republican after all). And she was gorgeous. Three cheers for Emily Proctor.

The way she was introduced was ingenious as well. The first time we see her is with her obnoxious friends, who exhibit unfiltered hatred towards Democrats. When she sees them again after her first White House visit, one of them asks, 'did you meet anyone there who wasn't worthless?'. Showing the contrast between them and Ainsley was great. It was as if Sorkin was saying "That's how you think we talk about Republicans, but it's not. Instead, here's our fair take on a Republican."

And that's ultimately the triumph of Ainsley Hayes, that she's depiction of a good person you'd have no problem calling a friend, who happens to have different political opinions. Sorkin would take a different tact when he created the Robert Ritchie character, a caricature of a Republican, but here, he created a genuinely lovable conservative who felt like a real, genuine person, and Emily Proctor gave her life flawlessly. The proof is that you always hear people bemoaning that CSI: Miami happened, and wishing she would've stuck around longer. It's entirely possible these 12 episodes were the best work of her career.

Oh yeah, and she had off-the-charts physical chemistry with Sam. When you take two people who would have chemistry with a chair, and put them together, that tends to happen.

9. Mrs. Delores Landingham, portrayed by Kathryn Joosten // 30 Episodes, Seasons 1-4(flashbacks in 3 and 4)

Kathryn Joosten didn't start acting until she was in her 40s, and her most well-known roles - this and Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives - didn't come until she was in her 60s. It was an unusual career arc, but perhaps having led a normal life for 40 years before she started acting is part of why Mrs. Landingham felt like such an authentic, lived-in character.

There was a humbleness to Mrs. Landingham, she had no ego on her. She was there to her job, to serve her country, and her friend of decades, Jed. She took no shortcuts, as illustrated when she refused to take any discount on new car in 18th and Potomac. This humbleness and sense of duty is all the more remarkable once you hear her tell Josh that both of her sons died in Vietnam. Joosten's performance in that scene is something else. It's subtle, but she does such a good job of conveying, just in her face, that grief that never goes away.

Because of her long relationship with Bartlet, she seemed to be the only person other than Abby and Leo to have 'I can say whatever I want' privileges with him. She took much advantage of this, never missing an opportunity to tell the leader of the free world how things were, or mock him, or challenge him. It was a unique relationship they had, and you could tell they both treasured it.

It is her combination of humility, spunk, wit, and heart that makes her such a beloved character. And she meant a lot to Bartlet and his staff. The staff takes is hard, but Bartlet is so distraught he is moved to curse at God in Latin.

She mattered, and her death mattered too. To quote Leo, "She was a real dame. A real broad."

8. Zoey Bartlet, portrayed by Elisabeth Moss // 25 Episodes, Seasons 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

I said on the last list that Ellie was my favorite Bartlet sister, but it's not too difficult to see why they decided to give Zoey the most airtime. If you had these three options in front of you:

Eldest sister, more or less a soccer mom by choice in a less-than-ideal marriage.

Middle sister, shy post-grad bookworm who doesn't like attention

or

Youngest sister, single free-spirit college girl looking to enjoy the experience and have fun

You might see where Zoey was the best option for the stories they were looking to tell, because they were looking to build significant plots around her.

Most of Zoey's screen time is in her storyline with Charlie(and Gina) leading up to the assassination attempt, and then in the lead-up to the kidnapping and its aftermath. She pops up a few times outside of that(and gets back together with Charlie by the end), but most of her time was in major plots, and she was the sister that worked best in that role.

And the character works well, largely in part because of Elisabeth Moss's portrayal. Moss has gone on to become one of the Prestige TV era's most successful actresses - from The West Wing to Mad Men to Top Of The Lake to Handmaiden's Tale, she seems to have a Midas touch - and her success is well-deserved. She gives Zoey a warmth, a vivaciousness, a free-spiritedness, a zest for life that makes her appealing. This is especially apparent in the first season, and I feel like we can gradually see her losing her innocence as the seasons go on. I think that's both good writing and good acting. Moss is really probably the reason Zoey is ranked this high.

Zoey and Charlie are a very popular couple, I think rightly so. I dig them. I like the notion that they can overcome both the racial barrier and the socioeconomic barrier(she's a president's daughter, he comes from nothing) to find love together. It's always been slightly mystifying that she'd go from Charlie to Jean-Paul, but then again, she explains that in her and Charlie's conversation in Evidence Of Things Not Seen, and I think it's my favorite dialogue she ever had:

ZOEY It's been four years in the White House, another being the daughter of a candidate. Eight years as Governor. My grades get printed in the paper. My boyfriends are in the paper. I live and die by my parents' successes and failures. And so do you. Sometimes even more than me. And Jean-Paul doesn't. He's happy. He's... just... happy.

CHARLIE That's cause he's got five hundred million dollars and no conscience.

ZOEY No it isn't. He cares about things. And one of them is me. And none of them are this, and that's appealing to me right now.

Clearly, she misjudged Jean Paul, but I think this dialogue gives the clearest window into her character and her psyche that we ever got. And it's understandable, the desire to just escape from that world for a while.

Zoey is an interesting, appealing(most of the time) character who was a focal point of some of the show's most famous plots, and she put Elisabeth Moss on the map, so she'll always be one of the show's most remembered recurring characters.

7. Joey Lucas, portrayed by Marlee Matlin / 17 Episodes, Seasons 1-7

I'm a huge admirer of Marlee Matlin. I imagine she must be such an inspiration to deaf people who want to act or be in the performing arts. But it's not just that she's made it as an actress in a hearing world, it's that she's a great actress.

Because she can't rely too much on speech, she has to do a lot of acting with her face and her body, and she has mastered that art. She is capable of showing so much on her face, from amusement to frustration to worry to confusion to happiness, on and on. She conveys a whole world of emotions just with her facial expressions, and it's great to watch.

The character of Joey has one of the great introductory scenes, waking up and yelling, via her interpreter, at hungover, unshaven, and disoriented Josh in his office. It's a really effective illustration, right off that bat, of a woman who doesn't see her deafness as any kind of a handicap, and has no problem yelling at people and doing what needs to be done to do her job well.

Joey is always impeccably good at her job, always giving Bartlet and his staff exactly the numbers they need, using utmost discretion when necessary(as when she did the poll prior to the MS announcement), as well as sometimes giving them numbers they don't even know they need(as in 20 Hours In LA when she reminds Toby and Sam that Al Kiefer forgot to ask how much people CARE about the flag burning issue, leading Josh to remark 'You have any idea how big you scored with Toby and Sam right now?', to which Joey confidently responds 'Yes'). She also, oftentimes, offers sage political advice to go along with the numbers. She's a big mind, and she becomes indispensable to the administration.

More than that, she's just a good person. I thought it spoke volumes when she asked Josh, "how's the president?" in the airport after he finished telling her about the MS and explaining what he needed from her. He's just laid this huge bombshell on her, and tasked her with a difficult task, and the first thing she does is ask how the president is. That's the kind of person she was, to have the poise to be able to ask that question at that moment, and the heart to want to. She has a beautiful soul.

I love Joey. (For the record, I wouldn't have minded her with Josh, but I feel like he wouldn't have had the patience to be in a relationship with a deaf woman, and she wouldn't have had the patience to put him his intense personality.)

Shout out to the guy who played her interpreter, Kenny. He probably doesn't get enough love, but he should. He's a big part of the character.

6. Danny Concanon, portrayed by Timothy Busfield // 28 Episodes, Seasons 1, 2, 4, 5, 7

Busfield has been one of the most likable actors in television for decades, ever since he portrayed Elliot in Thirtysomething, and he brings that quality, that effortless likability and intangible decency, to Danny Concanon in full force. He really fit into Sorkin's universe perfectly.

I suppose it was decided early on that they needed a reporter character, and thus Danny was created. It would've been easy for such a character to end up being cold, or stand-offish, or careerist, but Danny was affable, approachable, and he turned down a promotion because he loved being a reporter. That he managed to be all of this while also being as relentless as any other reporter who wants a story and better at the job than most of the others is just icing on the cake.

It's fun watching him screw with the staff for fun - obviously with Josh in "Celestial Navigation", goading him into saying they had a secret inflation plan, and again in "The Portland Trip", when he has fun with CJ by not giving back the draft Sam choked on, as retribution for her having made of Notre Dame.

It's also fun watching him go after a story like a dog with a bone, as with the Shareef story in season 4. He just keeps digging and digging until he gets there, and even though he's a total pain in CJ's ass, she, and everyone else, respects his game and his chops.

He is also shown to be a man with a moral code. Like any reporter, he steadfastly refuses to ever divulge a source. When Leo tells him lives are at stake, he delays a story. And when CJ is almost about to leak him a story that she was told to keep a lid, he doesn't let her, saying that in twenty minutes she wouldn't like him anymore(yes, he admits he took free leads from previous secretaries, but this shows that when there's a personal relationship at stake, he'll protect the person). Also, in "Inauguration: Over There", when his editor screws him, he rushes to tell CJ that it wasn't him, that he wouldn't do that.

If there's any weakness to the character, it's that he disappeared for long stretches. He was in the first season and the first third of the second season, and then he disappeared completely for a while. I've always thought it was a real shame that he wasn't around during the MS storyline, I thought he could've had a big role there. He returned midway through season 4, and was around for the remainder of the season for the Shareef storyline, and then after the season 5 premiere, he disappeared again for two years. Finally, he returned again for a third stint in season 7 to give CJ her happy ending.

Regarding his and CJ's relationship, I think they're a great match intellectually, morally, in terms of worldview. It also helps that he appeared to comfortable enough in his own skin to be Mr. CJ Gregg. A woman of her stature sometimes struggles to find a man who can play that role. It certainly took a while for CJ to finally let her guard down and let Danny in, but hopefully it was the beginning of a long and successful relationship.

Danny bordered on being a plot device at times, particularly in his second two stints, but ultimately he's a strong enough character played by a strong enough actor that it didn't matter.

5. Amelia 'Amy' Gardner, portrayed by Mary Louise Parker // 23 Episodes, Seasons 3-7

So we come to perhaps the series' most polarizing character. Some love her, some can't stand her, but almost everyone has a strong opinion about Amy Gardner.

If you love her, you might say it's because she is exceptionally head-strong, singularly passionate for her cause, super competent, relentless and talented at her job, willing to call the guys out on their crap, and funny. Oh, and because she had great physical chemistry with Josh.

If you can't stand her, you might say it's because she, at times, perpetuates the image of feminists as being crazy or unreasonable(I saw somebody write a whole article on that), or because she comes off as unstable sometimes(ok, one time in particular), or because she's too much of a smart-ass, or because she has a high opinion of herself and does't seem to work well in a group setting, or because of a general immaturity where she seems to be more comfortable when fighting with someone than when not.

There's that famous scene in "We Killed Yamamoto" where she throws Josh's cell phone into the boiling pot of stew and then literally cuts the cord on the landline with scissors. That was simultaneously a low point for the character and one of her most memorable moments. Every time I watch it, I feel like yelling 'Run Josh, run, she's crazy man, get out of there!'.

It is a testament to the overall strength and memorability of the character that she ranks this high despite coming of as cuckoo sometimes. Regardless of where you stand with her, she is clearly one of the most memorable recurring characters the show ever had.

As far as her and Josh go...I know there are people to this day who think they should've been endgame instead of Josh and Donna, but I'm a Jonna guy, so I disagree. For me, it's as simple as this: Josh and Amy are too much alike. They're both political soldiers, they are both super intense when it comes to their work, and they both will never give up a fight. I think they would've eventually driven each other crazy(in fact that's kind of what happened, isn't it?). Josh didn't need someone who would just match, and exacerbate, his most troublesome traits(as far as his long-term mental and emotional health are concerned), but rather someone who would calm him down, pull him away from the fight, and show him that there's more to life than said fight. That's Donna. That's my position and Josh/Amy shippers can yell at me for it if they wish.

No matter how you slice it, any character that generates such passions, negative or positive, among fans, should probably be high on a list like this. For what it's worth, my favorite Amy episodes are in seasons 4-5 when she's Abby's chief of staff.

4. Bruno Gianelli, portrayed by Ron Silver // 19 Episodes, Seasons 3, 4, 6, 7

Bruno was a complex character, one who carried himself like shark, willing to do whatever it takes to win and get paid, and yet one who also has strong beliefs of his own.

He is clearly shown as being no qualms about bending the rules to beat the enemy because 'I don't know how else to fight fire with fire'(I'm thinking specifically of changing a few words to turn a candidate ad into an issue ad). He and his people often got into heated debates with Bartlet's staff on that because Bartlet's staff always wanted to stand on principle and do the right thing, where Bruno would always yell at them that you have to win first. He was a pragmatist in that way.

Some would point to his famous dialogue from "Gone Quiet":

"Because I am tired of working for candidates who make me think I should be embarrassed to believe what I believe, Sam. I'm tired of getting them elected. We all need some therapy, because someone came along and said that liberal means "soft on crime." Soft on drugs. Soft on communism. Soft on defense. And we're gonna tax you back to the stone age because people shouldn't have to go to work if they don't want to. And instead of saying, 'Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave-it-to-Beaver-trip-back-to-the-fifties!' we cowered in the corner and said, 'Please. Don't. Hurt. Me.' No more. I really don't care who's right, who's wrong. We're both right, we're both wrong".

And say that it illustrates a liberal ideology. But you could probably argue that his real point with those words was to say that the right wing was painting that extreme picture of the left, that he was against politics becoming such a battle of extremes, but that if forced to, he'd play that game to win.

This would make his decision to work for Vinnick later on make more sense(though it was probably really because Ron Silver switched sides for real), in that Vinnick was a moderate, and Bruno would work for anyone that would move politics as a whole to the center(and pay well).

Because Bruno was ultimately a centrist and a pragmatist who didn't have much use for extreme ideology.

It's a type of character not seen much in the WW universe.

Beyond this, Bruno was also great because he was multi-faceted. He could be blunt and brutal and insulting, often in a funny way, when trying to get people to just focus on winning. As in "Manchester" when everyone is in the shed, arguing, and Bruno finally says:

"Yeah. Uh, listen up. I've been thinking it might not be such a bad idea to lock you all in here and set the place on fire. We have 48 hours before we kick off this campaign. We will work hard. We will work well. We will work together. Or so help me, mother of God, I will stick a pitchfork so far up your asses, you will, quite simply, be dead."

But then on the other hand, there are moments when you see some sensitivity, and when you see him actually be moved by something, like after Bartlet gives the speech in "College Kids", and Bruno's talking to Josh, and he says:

"The speech to the teachers this morning? 24 years in professional politics, I have never seen anything like it. You would have been proud. We're going to win this election, you know?"

or even in "20 Hours In America" when Bartlet gives the "streets are too crowded with angels" speech, Bruno and Sam have this exchange afterwards:

BRUNO When did you write that last part?

SAM In the car.

BRUNO Freak.

In both instances, Bruno shows real admiration for Bartlet and Sam.

There's also his courtship of Margaret, including the necklace he gifted her, with her correct name on it, which further shows his humanity.

Like I said, he's just a complex character that added necessary layers to both Bartlet's re-election campaign and Vinnick's campaign, who could be both funny and thought-provoking. Silver did a great job with him, may he R.I.P.

3. NSA Dr. Nancy McNally, portrayed by Anna Deveare Smith // 20 Episodes, Seasons 2-7

So, here we reach the highest-ranking female character on this list, and I think she's deserving. I think it is important to see women, and particularly minority women, in roles like this.

National Security Advisor is a big-time job with big-time responsibility, and time and again you see Nancy in a room with the president, the chief of staff, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and many other important people, and never is she the slightest bit intimidated, and never once is she treated with anything other than utmost respect from her peers. She is also an authority figure to those below her, and even Bartlet's staff treats her accordingly. I have to imagine it matters for younger African-American women to see roles like this.

Nancy is present in many of the show's most intense storylines, from the assassination attempt to Zoey's kidnapping and more, and she always appears in total command. Even in some smaller storylines, she projects authority - for example, in Someone's Going To Emergency, Someone's Going To Jail, the scene with her and Sam in the Situation Room, where she has to show him that that woman's grandfather was a spy. She's in complete control in that scene, and it's great to watch.

She's not just toughness and authority though, she can also let her hair down and show her emotions when appropriate. A classic example is the scene with her, Leo, and Fitz where she's just venting to them, saying she's had it, and let's attack, etc, and she calls Fitz "Admiral Sissymary". It just shows her frustrated and having to let it out.

Another example is her leading a round of applause for Bartlet the first time they're in the situation room after he announces his MS and his intention to run again.

She's just a terrific character, a three-dimensional person. Much credit to Anna Deveare Smith, a fantastic actress(and playwright) who was perfectly cast.

You have to think one of the reasons Kate Harper was an unpopular character was because Nancy all but disappeared after Kate was introduced, appearing in only four episodes after. So much screen time that should've, and would've been Nancy's, but was instead replaced by someone who wasn't half the character Nancy was.

2. Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace, Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, portrayed by John Amos // 22 Episodes, Seasons 1, 3, 4, 5

John Amos was such an incredible presence on screen, any scene he was in, he pretty much owned(and that's saying something, as he shared much of his screen time with Martin Sheen). Between his physical size, commanding voice, and charismatic nature, you couldn't not pay attention to him. This is echoed in the way other characters respond to him. Bartlet's staff show him a level of respect and deference that they usually only reserve for Bartlet himself and Leo. That says it all.

Fitz was more or less based on Colin Powell, and the character did him proud. On television, fictitious generals and admirals in a political context are often depicted as conservative caricatures, just wanting to bomb everything in site, and Fitz was a much deeper character than that.

Take the scene where he walks in on the debate about gays serving in the military, and more or less rips all the conservatives in the room a new one, ending with "put that in your pipe and smoke it".

Doesn't mean he's a liberal - it's pointed out when he's briefly considered as a VP candidate that no one even knows if he's a Democrat or Republican - but it does mean he's not exactly an ideologue, and that being both a military man and a man of color makes him see the world in a certain way.

There are so many classic Fitz scenes to look at.

His super-intense conversation with Leo, just the two of them, in the Situation Room, where he talks Leo into taking out Shareef. The way he starts by trying to break the ice with talk about shampoo, and then subtlely shifts the conversation to what he really wants to talk about...

Fitz: "Can you tell when it's peacetime and wartime anymore?"

Leo: "No." 

Fitz: "I don't know who the world's leading expert on warfare is but any list of the top has got to include me and I can't tell when it's peacetime and wartime anymore." 

Leo: "Look, international law has always recognized certain protected persons who you couldn't attack. It's been this way since the Romans." 

Fitz: "In peacetime. . . ." 

Leo: ". . . I don't like where this conversation's going. . . ." 

Fitz: "We killed Yamamoto. We shot down his plane." 

Leo: "We declared war. . . . I'm going to get back to the office." 

Fitz: "We measure the success of a mission by two things: was it successful and how few civilians did we hurt. They measure success by how many. . . . You're talking to me about international laws. The laws of nature don't even apply here! I've been a soldier for 38 years and I've found an enemy I can kill. He can't cancel Shareef's trip, Leo. You've got to tell him, he can't cancel it."

Amos nails it here, the urgency and conviction seem SO genuine. The scene stays seared in your mind.

Another classic is the scene I mentioned while talking about Nancy, when it's her, Leo, and Fitz in the Situation Room. After she gets through venting, this happens:

NANCY Just fly in at night, and while you're at it, could you order the USS Louisians to fire off a D-5 Trident just to see if it works? What's the worst that could happen?

FITZWALLACE [bewildered, to Leo] Is she talking to me?

NANCY Yes!

FITZWALLACE Well, 98% of all living organisms within a seven mile radius would die instantly in a torrent of fire.

Amos's delivery here is so perfect and so deadpan, it just cracks me up every time.

I mean I could go on and on, but I guess I'll finish by talking about his death.

I'm not sure why they decided to kill Fitz off in the Gaza attack, and I know it's not a popular decision for a lot of people, but I'll say this: You know a character was great when his death really makes you feel something, and in that moment when Leo tells Bartlet that Fitz was among the fatalities, you feel that. You feel it. And Bartlet goes to visit Fitz's widow(even though they changed her name), you feel that too. It makes an impact.

You don't get that impact if you're not a great, great character.

At this point, there's one character left, but I'm about to hit the 40000 character limit, so I'm going to have to that last character in a reply...

Submitted July 29, 2018 at 01:53AM by namkcuR https://ift.tt/2mR6jrK