"Andrew Jackson had a big block of cheese. This block of cheese was huge - over two tons - and was open for any and all to enjoy it." On Friday perhaps my favorite television actor passed away. Like millions out there, John Spencer was a part of my life week in and week out (and sometimes for hours on end when I would find myself lost in a Bravo marathon) and provided a strange comfort and pleasure when I watched him so seemingly effortlessly portray the great, flawed Leo McGarry in the all too perfect pseudo reality that is the Jed Bartlet administration.

There is a reason that the television show The West Wing is and has been such an important part of my life over the past few years. The show began its run during my senior year of high school when my television viewing was restricted pretty much to The Simpsons and Law and Order, although this was well before I realized how serious my Law and Order addiction was (this would come sophomore year of college). I remeber watching it with both of my parents on Wednesday nights when I wouldn't be busy with school or work or having a social life. It wasn't serious to me yet, but it was something the three of us could do together. Still I became hooked on the show that I managed to catch as many episodes I could during my freshman year away from home (instead of...well whatever). The show was engaging and insightful and quite remarkable television, especially during the earlier seasons. Nevertheless it took me a while to realize that it was something that always managed to come up in conversations with my parents ("Did you see what happened on West Wing last night?" "Can you believe what Leo said?", etc.). Whenever there was a lull in a conversation with my parents, especially my Dad, we could manage to talk about this show and what we thought about the politics or the characters or just the direction of the plot line.
The summer after my sophomore year my parents divorced. It became an issue suddenly in July and was over by October. Just like a story arch in a TV show like The West Wing, the resolution might have been over but the aftershocks would not be going away anytime soon. The MS had been disclosed to the public, but the issue was far from affecting the main characters lives.
But just because our lives were a wreck didn't mean that we still couldn't find some reason to communicate. Thankfully, the fourth season of the show was in full swing. After all it had tied me to my parents before the divorce so naturally I had to continue--it was something we had in common that we could discuss without talking about what was really on our minds. Our hearts are broken...but the Bartlet is ahead in the polls! My grades are slipping...but did you hear Josh and Toby's plan to pay for every American kid to go to college? We were all facing demons we never imagined...but did you see Leo with Josh? Josh Lyman suffers from PTSD...Leo is an alcoholic ("You never stop being an alcoholic") and it just came out he spent time in rehab! Finally...problems that don't directly affect myself and my family...that I can talk about with them!

At that moment in time, and to this day, the show was one of the most important things we had to hold on to. This rings especially true with my Dad, from whom I received much of my television education from ("Rockford and Rondo soda"). Mom too, as we still talked about and watched the show, often together, every week. It was just a known factor that barring some catastrophic event or breaking news story, we would watch The West Wing together, in reality or in spirit, and get lost in the drama of faux-politics. I broke the news to both of them on Friday that Mr. Spencer had passed.

We all had our favorite characters, but the one that remained everyones constant was Mr. Spencer's portrayal of Leo McGarry. Leo set the tone for everything on the show as well as for every actor on the screen, be it Martin Sheen as the President or a random extra delivering a phone message. Leo was the Bartlet administration, and we loved him. As the show changed direction and the character was used less and less and taken for uncertain changes in direction (suffering a near-fatal heart attack a year ago parallelling his downfall in reality) we grew sad at his lack of screen time. Nevertheless with his return this year as a major player he provided comfort to us long time viewers. The great thing about the character was not that he was perfect, but that he was flawed. That not because he was always right (he was) but because he was always certain. Because others feared him out of awe and respect and, maybe some fear. Because he was dry, funny, smart, and enlightening. I can say that, with some bias, Mr. Spencer had the honor of playing the greatest character on a television show over the past few years. He was important to my television life, as was he also important to the relationship I share with my parents. You know lately I've been realizing slowly how wasteful and unimportant most television is, even some of my favorite shows like this one. I mean I enjoy it but could live without it. Perhaps what keeps me going back is that beyond the entertainment factor, beyond learning a little about politics and the world, it provides something I can share with both of my parents. That's why I love The West Wing, and that's why I will miss John Spencer.  ¶ 12/18/2005 12:14:00 PM