A thing I've learned about "The West Wing" is that it never goes in the direction that you'd think. I had a completely different vision of this season in my head after the first finale, thinking that it'd tackle vastly different issues that it actually took up. This last half of the season has mostly been about President Bartlet and his disease, with the secret he hoped to keep beginning to spin out of control and landing in the minds of a lot of unintended parties. In the previous episode, it began to really come to a climax as the staff decided to leak the news and hold a press conference where the President himself would disclose the illness. Then, the episode ended with the tragic death of Mrs. Landingham, who had been killed in a vehicular collision while driving to the White House. A lot of things happen to bring Bartlet to a place of complete ruin. There's not a lot that's keeping his presidency together, and with this last episode, a lot of things could have been done to finish up the storyline. And in many ways, it does, but it also spends a lot of time preparing you for what's to come. This episode is definitely one of the best episodes of the show, and one of the best examples of great writing that I've seen in a TV show for a long time. It's hard not to find yourself on the edge of the seat throughout the whole thing, anticipating everything.
There are a lot of storylines to handle in this episode, and if anyone less talented than Aaron Sorkin had been doing this, I'm not sure that they'd have been able to navigate the audience through the episode with such clarity. There are certain things that are being pushed to the sideline to make room for the emotional pull, and without even realizing it, you'll quickly forget everything that isn't related to what the episode conveys to you. The show is built in such a smart way that any storyline can be picked up again, and this episode uses that.
They've never held away from the dramatic elements in this show, and despite its humor, it's so steeped in reality that it can't help but become emotional. The entire service for Mrs. Landingham was beautifully executed and will surely have fans of the show in tears. If that's not going to do the job, then a following scene where Bartlet goes off on God inside the cathedral will get them. They'll at least cheer when Bartlet pulls a boss move at the end and gives a metaphorical middle finger to the man in the sky, leaving me satisfied and pumped.
Sorkin is also good at leaving you frustrated, because he sets a lot of stuff up that he decides not to give to the audience. The ending scene of this episode left me really ecstatic and annoyed, despite the fact that I know what's going to proceed it. He's so good at leaving the audience in a state of wanting more and not feeding them everything. And while that is a bit of a drag sometimes (just go back to the first season's finale), he makes it work very well, especially in this episode, with a little smile and nod.
As always, the acting in this show transcends a lot of other shows of the time. Martin Sheen, especially, has been consistently great as Bartlet, and this episode does serve as his magnum opus as the character. The church scene alone brings a lot of emotions out in him that we've only seen the surface of in other episodes, while a scene towards the end with an old friend shows his ability to restrain himself. I'm not sure how he does it, but Sheen is truly one of those actors who can be everywhere on the spectrum all at once.
"Two Cathedrals" was an emotional rollercoaster and an episode that shows the power of writing, especially when its someone like Aaron Sorkin doing the writing. It takes President Bartlet on the ride of his lifetime and puts him in front of the tough answers, ending the season on a satisfying and really anticipated final note.
