Election Day

“‘The West Wing’?”

That was the response I got from my mother when I told her I loved that show.

And who could blame her after all the years I made fun of it when she was a big fan (Too much talking, I always said.).

But this season I’ve been riveted by the show’s look inside a Presidential campaign, as we see the race between Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). There have been many great moments along the way that have really captured the nature of politics: The Santos campaign celebrating Vinick’s cold. Vinick fracturing his hand doing so much handshaking. The power struggle in the Vinick campaign. And last week when Santos’s son threw up in front of the press because he had done so much trick-or-treating for photo opportunities (and because Jon Bon Jovi let him eat ice cream).

In tonight’s episode, we’ll get part one of Election Day. We won’t find out the winner until next week—although I think we all know it’s going to be Santos—but it should be fun watching all the last-minute posturing.

Tonight we’ll also get the start of how the show will deal with the death of John Spencer (Leo). I think it’s a good thing this is the show’s last season, because there’s no way the show could go on without him. These last few episodes without him will be hard enough.

It’s a shame that NBC has not given much love to the show in its final year, because I think a lot of people are really missing out on a good thing.

You can catch “The West Wing” Sundays at 8 p.m. on NBC.