Maybe another cheat with this one, as there were a couple of stinkers in the post- Aaron Sorkin era - although overall those seasons weren't as bad as some would have you believe - but as far as the Sorkin years go, this is easily the worst episode. Like many of the episodes on this list - it's an interesting premise. Moving the action away from the White House, The Long Goodbye focuses on CJ (most reluctantly) returning to her hometown in Ohio for a school reunion and explores her home life as she cares for her father, who is gradually deteriorating with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a difficult topic for any show to tackle, and credit to the writers who deal with it thoughtfully in this episode - there's a great scene with CJ and her father on a boat when he forgets who she is that still gives me chills. Alison Janney is a fantastic actress and this episode only highlights that fact. As good as Janney is, she can't help that CJ's plot - away from the Alzheimer's theme - is really really boring. The whole hooking up with an old high school flame plot has been done in a million other shows, and there's no interesting spin on it here. I'm a big fan of the CJ character - but largely because of seeing her interactions with the show's other major players. When you take her away from the show's usual environment, bickering with Danny, Toby, Bartlett, etc. you take away what makes her great - and it would be the same for the West Wing's other characters. Unless you're particularly an Alison Janney fanatic (a Jannatic?) then this episode is a major step down in quality from those first four excellent seasons.
Northern Irish man living and working in London. Heroes include Ledley King, James Ellroy and whoever invented elasticated sweatshorts. Follow me on Twitter - @MJLowry23
