'West Wing' Goes Out with the Respect it Deserves! Plus, 'Housewives,' a 'Heaven'-ly Reprieve and More From the Upfronts

As a rule, I dislike series finales because I spend the entire episode teetering on the brink of balling as the realization that it's really over sets in. The West Wing lost me as a regular viewer around the same time it lost creator Aaron Sorkin, but I did manage to catch episodes from time to time. I found the campaign story line that occupied the last couple of seasons to be thrilling and engaging and it really brought a creative resurgence to a show that was in serious need of one. Then NBC moved the show up against Cold Case this season, and admittedly, I only caught a handful of this season's episodes. But there was no way I was missing the final episode of a series that I used to watch faithfully and always considered to be one of television's finest (of course it didn't hurt that Cold Case wasn't on last night). Even though I haven't been a loyal viewer these last few seasons, I still found myself in that awkward stage of being on the verge of crying. This episode wasn't just the end of the series, but the end of the Bartlet era. It was emotional to see all the staffers that we have known through the years separate to begin new lives elsewhere, but I managed to keep it together the entire episode. I figured I would finally lose it during the last scene, but that scene was filled with so much hope and happiness that I walked away from the hour feeling satisfied.


It's really a shame that NBC didn't give this show a 2-hour send off. I felt like it was moving along perfectly until it sort of ended all of a sudden without giving us a chance to say goodbye to Toby. I was also surprised that we didn't see some of Santos' acceptance speech, especially since he and Bartlet discussed it in the limo before and after he gave it. I was curious to hear some of what he had to say. Bartlet's pardon was expected, and I loved the little smile CJ gave when she found out. I also LOVED her last scene in the street when the man and his son asked her if she worked in the White House. The best scene of the episode, though was on the plane with Jed and Abbey on their way to New Hampshire and back to a normal life (btw - LOVED Abbey's assertion that Jed hadn't driven, used a telephone, wrote a check, etc in eight years). Jed opened his gift from Mallory to find the napkin with the words, "Bartlet for America" framed. Leo had given Jed that very napkin when he asked him to run. It was a nice tribute to Leo (John Spencer) and a fitting tribute to a show that brought us so many incredible episodes, powerful moments, amazing performances and unforgettable characters. So today, I tip my hat to The West Wing for going out with the same respect that it brought to the table 7 years ago. Thanks for the memories!


With the stuff beginning to hit the fan last night on Desperate Housewives, it's no surprise that the big finale airs next week. Last night's episode had plenty of funny moments (Edie spilling to Susan, Edie and the bee stings, Lynette and the car alarm and Gaby having to go low maintenance) and it also threw in an interesting twist with Paul. Here's a character by character breakdown of thoughts on each of their story lines:

Edie/Susan - HILARIOUS! I loved the way Edie flat out told Susan that she burned down her house. It was even funnier when Susan wore the wire and Edie kept eating popcorn while she said what she did. And then there was the bee sting hospital scene, which was an instant DH classic! In fact, this story line gets my vote for best of the night. I'm glad to see Susan trying to do things for herself, hopefully, she'll stick to it. Funny that she'll have Edie to thank for it too.

Lynette/Tom - I've read the theories that Tom is living a double life with Lynette in California (is this where this show takes place?) and another wife in Atlantic City, but I didn't think the solution to his sneaking around was this easy or cliched, so I dismissed it. After last night's antics, I think I may have moved over to Team Two Wives. I'm not completely buying it yet, though. I REALLY hope I'm wrong. Oh and shouldn't Tom have known better? He knows Lynette has major jealousy issues, so it was a no-brainer that she would follow him just to ease her mind.

Gaby/Carlos - Just when I think Gaby can't get any more selfish, she manages to pull it off. I was appalled at the way she was treating the woman who is gracious enough to carry her baby for her! But, things with Gaby are never that simple (which is why in my opinion, Gaby's story line has been the best all season bar none). She may have only admitted that she's starting to feel a little jealous about the baby and Carlos, but I have a feeling that she's also feeling it a bit because of the way Carlos treats Xiao-Mei and puts her ahead of Gaby. It seems like only a matter of time before Carlos gets a little too close to Xiao-Mei.

Bree - Checking herself into the mental hospital was the SANEST thing that Bree has done all season. I knew that throwing Andrew out of the car in the middle of nowhere was too cold, even for Bree and even with everything that has happened between them. She's an absolute mess and the actual breakdown was seriously only a few scenes away. Hopefully, she'll get the help that she needs.

The Applewhites - No comment. No, really, this story line gets more ridiculous by the second. Luckily, there wasn't much going on with them last night, but the "Locked in the Basement" thing is ridiculous enough.

Paul - Felicia set him up good. I'm not a fan of Paul's , but Felicia isn't getting my sympathy either. I get that she wants him to pay for what he did to her sister, but she's taking away the only father Zach has ever known. Won't somebody think of the children??

So, what did you think about last night's Desperate Housewives? How about the final episode of The West Wing? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Also, if you missed last night's episode of Desperate Housewives, you can watch it free at abc.com.

RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE DAY - What the crap happened on Friday's episode of Las Vegas??? I'm not a regular viewer, but I catch an episode from time to time and happened to see Friday's shocker. Ed cannot die!!! I was only half watching the episode, so that gun shot scene shocked me like Ana Lucia and Libby's shootings on Lost. I had chills up and down my spine and everywhere in between. Crazy stuff!

About Last Night...CBS won the first hour of the night with the first hour of the Survivor finale, followed by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and NBC's The West Wing series finale. At 9, ABC took over with Desperate Housewives, followed by the second hour of CBS' Survivor finale and the first hour of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent finale. The final hour of the night went to ABC's Grey's Anatomy, followed by the last hour of NBC's L&O: CI and CBS' Survivor reunion show. To see more of last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~ (NOTE: President Bush will address the nation at 8 p.m., so expect about a 20-25 minute delay in some program start times)
@8 p.m. - NBC airs a special 90-minute episode of Deal or No Deal featuring Regis Philbin.

@9 p.m. - Reid asks Amy out on a date after getting released from the hospital on the WB's Everwood. ABC wraps up the final two hours of the Grey's Anatomy finale. Over on Fox, Agent Bauer goes to unrelenting patriotic lengths in pursuit of the incriminating evidence against President Logan on 24.

@10 p.m. - The lives of Horatio's loved ones are put in danger when the brutal Mal Noche gang orders a hit on him on CBS' CSI: Miami.

FEATURED FINALES TONIGHT!!!
Prison Break (8 p.m. Fox) - With the escape in motion, Michael, Lincoln and the inmates take flight outside the prison walls, risking life and limb to evade capture on the 1st season finale.

Grey's Anatomy (9 p.m. ABC) - Izzie and George attend to Denny as the pressure increases to find him a new heart, Cristina suddenly finds herself in charge of an ER, and Derek grapples with the realization that the life of a friend is in his hands. In the second hour, Richard goes into interrogation mode about a patients condition, Callie confronts George about his feelings for her, and Meredith and Derek meet about Doc on the 2-hour 2nd season finale.

OTHER FINALES TONIGHT!!!
One on One (8 p.m. UPN) - 5th season finale
All of Us (8:30 p.m. UPN) - 3rd season finale
How I Met Your Mother (8:30 p.m. CBS) - 1st season finale
Half & Half (9 p.m. UPN) - 1-hour 4th season finale

To see what else you can catch on television tonight with customized listings for your area (via Zap2it), visit the TV Listings area of PassTheRemote.net.



QUICK CUTS

*UPFRONTS UPDATES: It may be NBC's day for schedule announcements, but that doesn't mean that other networks weren't stealing some thunder. First up, ABC is not renewing Invasion. There had been rumors that the new CW network might be interested in picking up the sci-fi drama if ABC canceled it, but now even those rumors seem to be dead in the water. The network is also saying goodbye to Freddie and Hope & Faith. ABC is, however, giving its new drama What About Brian a second chance. The network renewed the show for a second season. Also getting a reprieve, the long-running 7th Heaven after wrapping up its series finale last week. The CW is officially picking up the show for a 13-episode 11th season. Fox will bring back teen soap The O.C., with or without Mischa Barton, and comedies The Loop and The War at Home. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for the latest on the network upfronts this week.

*For the third time since its inception, CBS' Without a Trace is credited for helping find another missing person. The series features a different real-life missing person each week and The CBS Early Show does a more in depth piece the following morning. The May 4th broadcast of Trace and the May 5th broadcast of The Early Show featured 26-year old Kristy Ormsby who had been missing for two years. After the broadcasts, a tip came in on her whereabouts and authorities found her safe in North Carolina and apprehended her former boyfriend. The program is also credited with helping find missing siblings in July of 2005 and a missing toddler last month. Without a Trace airs Thursday nights on CBS.

*Fox's 24 is coming to a MySpace.com account near you. The online community, owned by Fox's parent company News Corp, will begin selling episodes from the first and fifth seasons of the hit series for the standard $1.99 an episode. News Corp. hopes the deal will turn the popular site into a business that rivals iTunes and Yahoo!'s episode downloads.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the first season of That Girl to hit shelves tomorrow along with The Big Valley (season 1), Grounded for Life (season 2), Hill Street Blues (season 2) and Supernanny (season 1). To see a list of all of tomorrow's listings, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.


That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on Everwood. Plus, breaking scheduling news from ABC (Will Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy stay on Sunday nights? Tune in tomorrow for breaking news on all of ABC's schedule changes) and the latest television news!

To get more television coverage, including a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote and a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.



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