The Last Hurrah (The West Wing)

"The Last Hurrah" is episode 152 of The West Wing, the antepenultimate episode of the series.

Plot

The transition is speeding ahead, and Matt and Helen Santos are overwhelmed by almost everything about their new lives -- including Secret Service protection, choosing a DC school for their kids, and dealing with the White House household staff. Initially they plan to run two households so that the children can continue school in Texas, but this soon becomes a nightmare scenario, and Helen decides they must all move to the White House in January. After looking at two private schools, Matt tells Helen he wants to consider a public school for the kids, much to her consternation. However, on visiting a very well-run and diverse public school in DC, both feel they have found the right place for their son and daughter.

Meanwhile, Vinick has too much time on his hands. His office is empty and in the process of packing up, and his workers seem surprised to see him--former campaign manager Sheila has accepted an offer to become the top aide to the Senate Majority Leader. Eventually his staffers come to realize he's plotting another run for the presidency, based on his plans to make speeches in key battleground states over the next year. Santos is trying to figure out how to get his vice-presidential choice confirmed. He meets with Vinick to discuss the situation, and Vinick promptly dissects Santos' options including using the electoral college to vote for the VP, while making it clear he won't help the new President in getting Eric Baker named the VP. However, Santos is very impressed with Vinick's political acumen and tells his former opponent in the Presidential race that he's not asking him to be VP or help with the VP process: he wants Vinick to be the new administration's Secretary of State. Vinick is shocked and immediately dismisses the offer, but talks to his staff and reveals he's intrigued by it (he also thinks the person Santos named as another possible Secretary of State, First Name Unknown Reynolds, would be a global disaster). Santos' staff, particularly Lou and Barry Goodwin, also think the idea is nuts but Santos makes it clear that he respects Vinick and it's his call to make.

Vinick talks more to his staff, and Sheila gently lets him know that he's simply too old to make another run for the Presidency in four years, but he can be remembered as "the last honorable Senator and a great Secretary of State". Vinick meets with President-Elect Santos and they each lay out terms and conditions: Vinick won't do any political fundraising or other Democratic work for the President and wants to choose his top deputy, while Santos says that Vinick can pick any Democrat he wants for Deputy SecState, and he will hear Vinick's views on any situation the two disagree on, but that he expects that Vinick will sell whatever the President decides on. Then Santos produces a classified briefing on the situation in Kazakhstan, and Vinick begins coming up with ideas to solve that crisis as the episode ends.

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide