Everyone had a co-worker like Donna: when she is between tasks and with free time, she wants to interact with other people so bad she sometimes does not see that you are really busy. We all love and hate that person at the same time.
These are people to treasure, despite all. Harold was an elderly man who worked at the small town grocery store where I got my first job. He was too old and moved too slowly to do much physical labor but had a superpower: he was lovable and loved everyone, so was always talking with us just as you said. He also had a quirk, well really a lifestyle: he did not waste. While my teenage self took new foam cups in the break room as needed each shift, Harold took one, wrote his name on it, and used it for months. When he passed, I snagged that foam cup with "Harold" written on it in Harold's own handwriting because it meant something to me and reminded me of good talks, whatever their impact on my productivity. A silly story I guess, and probably not unique at all as that was a special generation. All I'm saying is, treasure it. :)
@@TigDegner no its not silly. a manager mentor figure to me died suddenly one day. his eldest daughter gave me his money clip as a momento I guess. thirty years later I still use it with pride.
When the character of Ainsley debuted, there was chatter in and around pop culture (newspaper columns in a pre-internet world) that argued Emily Proctor looked exactly like Janel Moloney and that Aaron Sorkin was obsessed with women who looked like that. This scene was written to allow Ainsley/Proctor to smack that thesis down. Both were great characters, both played by excellent actresses. And yes, Sorkin does like women who look like that. (He followed Ainsley with the great Kristen Chenoweth as Annabeth Schott and Mary McCormack as Commander Kate Harper.) I have no argument with any of those women being cast; all are excellent actresses. Just offering context from a world where the internet wasn't yet as all-encompassing as it is now.
@@bobarcher5837Doesn’t meant she’s using the internet. Computers were used without internet access for a good while for things such as presentations, spreadsheets, document drafting, or digital record keeping. In Ainsley’s case she’s drafting up documents.
@@TheMeditorEditor Thanks for the detailed analysis of my obviously flippant remark. What she was doing on the computer isn't really relevant. Her character started on the show in 2000 which is very clearly not pre-internet
Yeah, Jewish guys often like blonde shiksas (who knew?), but please note, he hired the wonderful lovely dark-haired Moira Kelly for the first season, playing the smart fiery troublemaker, Mandy. She was roundly loathed, and disappeared from the show without any onscreen explanation never to be seen again. They used "Going to Mandyville" as a phrase to denote a character that didn't work out, and got written off. It's less what he wants than what we want. Even women often sympathize more with female characters who are in some way subordinate, even if the story is telling us they shouldn't be. There's a reason Trump beat Hillary with white women. Because women are so often in an unequal position, it's harder for them to identify with a woman who isn't, unless she embodies some fantasy self (like, for example, the ultra-blonde Daenarys Targareyn, who can burn arrogant males to ash with her dragons). Ainsley herself went maybe halfway to Mandyville, probably because she was seen as somehow equivalent to Donna (only with a much more important job), and Donna was arguably the most beloved character on the show. Because she was smart, but also insecure, and therefore easier to identify with. Also, the show's audience was obviously on the liberal side, and even though she was decent and fair, there was no way to justify her rising any further than she already had in the Bartlet administration. It made sense she'd eventually move on, as real White House staff often do. My favorite woman on the show was CJ, who managed to be both large & in charge, yet still awkward and off-balance at times. Not that the male characters didn't have their vulnerabilities put on display as well. (They were all giant nerds.)
She got asked out by someone who thought she was Ainsley. That isn't revealed til later. She seems just bored but that was the reason why she went down there.
Donna's character us insecure... Maybe jealous that Ainsley is working on something for Josh... I know it's a TV show but it's a plot line that wasn't necassary.
Donna's crushing insecurities and anxiety are nearly crippling in weight. She's a capable character and is played well, I wonder why they made her so weak and gormless.
Because she is the opposing viewpoint to Josh's overbearing arrogance even when he's wrong. I think Sorkin was trying to show that public service is not only about social elites from Ivy League schools. Donna was a real asset to the team because she was able to see outside the bubble. Plus, they needed a character that had to have certain things spelled out so the rest of us would understand the issue. I enjoyed her character growth. From the start, she said, "I think I can be good at this," and with a little on-the-job training, she certainly was.
There was never enough Ainsley
Hard disagree.
Aaron has said he regretted not using her more
True.
Everyone had a co-worker like Donna: when she is between tasks and with free time, she wants to interact with other people so bad she sometimes does not see that you are really busy. We all love and hate that person at the same time.
yep for sure, and she kept calling me the last 30 years. finally put a stop to it, i began to hate her more than love her for her quirkiness
These are people to treasure, despite all. Harold was an elderly man who worked at the small town grocery store where I got my first job. He was too old and moved too slowly to do much physical labor but had a superpower: he was lovable and loved everyone, so was always talking with us just as you said.
He also had a quirk, well really a lifestyle: he did not waste. While my teenage self took new foam cups in the break room as needed each shift, Harold took one, wrote his name on it, and used it for months.
When he passed, I snagged that foam cup with "Harold" written on it in Harold's own handwriting because it meant something to me and reminded me of good talks, whatever their impact on my productivity.
A silly story I guess, and probably not unique at all as that was a special generation. All I'm saying is, treasure it. :)
@@TigDegner that's great, and isn't it amazing when we grow up and realize that older coworker had something to teach us.
@@TigDegner no its not silly. a manager mentor figure to me died suddenly one day. his eldest daughter gave me his money clip as a momento I guess. thirty years later I still use it with pride.
If it is so hot why was the door closed? She has a stairwell immediately outside her office, a place where the warm air could rise.
she doesn't want to be bothered?
To cute.
When the character of Ainsley debuted, there was chatter in and around pop culture (newspaper columns in a pre-internet world) that argued Emily Proctor looked exactly like Janel Moloney and that Aaron Sorkin was obsessed with women who looked like that. This scene was written to allow Ainsley/Proctor to smack that thesis down. Both were great characters, both played by excellent actresses. And yes, Sorkin does like women who look like that. (He followed Ainsley with the great Kristen Chenoweth as Annabeth Schott and Mary McCormack as Commander Kate Harper.) I have no argument with any of those women being cast; all are excellent actresses. Just offering context from a world where the internet wasn't yet as all-encompassing as it is now.
To be fair..Sorkin had no say in decisions after season 4. Annabelle and Kate came in the later seasons.
A pre-internet world? She's using a laptop in this scene...
@@bobarcher5837Doesn’t meant she’s using the internet. Computers were used without internet access for a good while for things such as presentations, spreadsheets, document drafting, or digital record keeping. In Ainsley’s case she’s drafting up documents.
@@TheMeditorEditor Thanks for the detailed analysis of my obviously flippant remark. What she was doing on the computer isn't really relevant. Her character started on the show in 2000 which is very clearly not pre-internet
Yeah, Jewish guys often like blonde shiksas (who knew?), but please note, he hired the wonderful lovely dark-haired Moira Kelly for the first season, playing the smart fiery troublemaker, Mandy. She was roundly loathed, and disappeared from the show without any onscreen explanation never to be seen again. They used "Going to Mandyville" as a phrase to denote a character that didn't work out, and got written off.
It's less what he wants than what we want.
Even women often sympathize more with female characters who are in some way subordinate, even if the story is telling us they shouldn't be. There's a reason Trump beat Hillary with white women. Because women are so often in an unequal position, it's harder for them to identify with a woman who isn't, unless she embodies some fantasy self (like, for example, the ultra-blonde Daenarys Targareyn, who can burn arrogant males to ash with her dragons).
Ainsley herself went maybe halfway to Mandyville, probably because she was seen as somehow equivalent to Donna (only with a much more important job), and Donna was arguably the most beloved character on the show. Because she was smart, but also insecure, and therefore easier to identify with. Also, the show's audience was obviously on the liberal side, and even though she was decent and fair, there was no way to justify her rising any further than she already had in the Bartlet administration. It made sense she'd eventually move on, as real White House staff often do.
My favorite woman on the show was CJ, who managed to be both large & in charge, yet still awkward and off-balance at times. Not that the male characters didn't have their vulnerabilities put on display as well. (They were all giant nerds.)
Yeah, they look alike.
Ainsley: no it maybe hot down here but at least it's Quiet! *Pipes begin to Rattled* Me: LMAO not anymore is it Ainsley? Ainsley: Shut up!
This scene never made any sense to me. If Donna did not have anything to do why did she not just go home.
she saw competition for Josh
Have you ever been to D.C.? Quitting time might be 8pm, but traffic's still a nightmare.
This was based on letters the show got, saying the two women looked too much alike.
She got asked out by someone who thought she was Ainsley. That isn't revealed til later. She seems just bored but that was the reason why she went down there.
These people have no lives outside of work. The nature of the job makes it impossible to do so.
Donna's character us insecure... Maybe jealous that Ainsley is working on something for Josh... I know it's a TV show but it's a plot line that wasn't necassary.
I think The West Wing overall is a great show, but there's a LOT of plotlines that go absolutely nowhere
But it's a plot line that was in character, and that wins the day.
But is representative of what happens in most offices on most days so thereby is relatable to the audience.
Donna's crushing insecurities and anxiety are nearly crippling in weight. She's a capable character and is played well, I wonder why they made her so weak and gormless.
She wasn't weak, she saw Ainsley as a rival and went down there to kill her
Because she is the opposing viewpoint to Josh's overbearing arrogance even when he's wrong. I think Sorkin was trying to show that public service is not only about social elites from Ivy League schools. Donna was a real asset to the team because she was able to see outside the bubble. Plus, they needed a character that had to have certain things spelled out so the rest of us would understand the issue. I enjoyed her character growth.
From the start, she said, "I think I can be good at this," and with a little on-the-job training, she certainly was.
@@ered203 thanks that explains a lot.
@@blackbird5634 You're welcome.
Ainsley is prettier
Yup, and Donna knows it
@@jemert96 Would you say no to either one of them? They are both gorgeous!
Ainsley was much prettier than Donna.
Think she got screed in her office have better office some where just saying hate see how hot it is in summer
Did you just have a stroke? ;-)
@@DKT1970 English isn't their first language. Google Translate can only do so much.