I believe it's fair to say that the best days for "The West Wing" are behind it. There's nothing in this fifth season that matches the best times of the Sorkin-era and even though John Wells clearly had a difficult time with a lot of Sorkin's unfinished storylines, everything was too messy in the end. Now we're at the end of this season, and the entire world is crumbling down with a war breaking out between Israel and Palestine and the president in the middle. For what it was, the episode was fine, but as a conclusion of the season, it felt sour and empty.
It's difficult to look reality in the eyes and just acknowledge that this show is not what it used to be. And I'm sure that Wells didn't have the easiest of times in his transition from a simple executive producer to full showrunner. However, all the messy storylines and half-hearted arcs have come to a big conclusion in this finale, that in many ways continue the trend of a scattershot focus. It's throwing things against the wall and seeing what sticks. The conflict in Gaza seems like it would be perfect for this show, and the ideas are definitely there, but the tension feels so devoid of any actual stakes after the ballsy decision of having characters that we care about in the heart of the conflict last episode. Here, we constantly hear about a conflict rising, but we never actually get any relation to it. With that said, it still feels like Wells' heart is in the game and that he's focused on coming up with something that will be more natural to his new direction of the show as he enters the sixth season with a complete slate of his own. There were also moments of levity throughout the episode that didn't necessarily fit, but gave some glimpses of the fun tone of the previous seasons. Not that I miss that, but this season has mostly been very dour (with the exception of a golden meeting between C. J. and Big Bird). This season hasn't been the best, but I'm optimistic about the future.
"Memorial Day" brings a messy fifth season to a finish and sets the stage for what could be a redemption story in the show's sixth. The episode carries a lot of ideas that could be explored later on, but is too bogged down by the messy structure and doesn't give a lot to the audience.
