Landingham

In San Diego I have access to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). And with it, I've been recording re-runs of The West Wing.

I tend to work nights, so my deep-seated love for The West Wing was born out of daytime re-runs on Bravo, where they aren't played in order. Over time, I've managed to catch most of the first 4 seasons; but while there are some episodes I've seen countless times, there are some I still haven't seen at all. Some that I'm now trying to capture with the DVR. This week, I caught one I'd been looking for. The one that explains what happened to Mrs. Landingham.

Delores Landingham (Kathryn Joosten) was the President's secretary. She died and was replaced, a season later, by Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin) but I never knew how she died. In the episode 18th and Potomac, I found out: a car crash.

I don't watch TV the way that other people do. "My brain works differently." The death of a character is, to an actor, the death of a job, so I always wonder. Was the actor ready to leave the show? Were the producers trying to get rid of an actor? Or were the scriptwriters sold on a story arc, regardless? I don't read People. I don't know the gossip. But I do know that Ms. Joosten still needed food on the table long after Mrs. Landingham died. Fortunately, in this case, Joosten has been working steadily, even while appearing on The West Wing. Most recently, I've seen her as Karen McCluskey, Lynette's crotchety neighbor on Desperate Housewives.

And while we're making the leap from Wisteria Lane to The White House (which is scary in and of itself), I should also mention that as the Senate Majority Leader's chief of staff Ann Stark, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) sabotaged The Leadership Breakfast. And Bree's husband, Rex Van De Kamp (Steven Culp), made numerous West Wing appearances as Speaker of the House Jeff Haffley.

Now, on Housewives, it seems that Rex has died. Of course, that may just be season finale hoopla. Or is it? So I wonder. Is Culp ready to leave the show? Are they trying to get rid of him? Are the scriptwriters sold on a story arc, regardless? I don't know. But at least I'm sure that Culp will have no trouble keeping food on the table for a while.

Whew. That's a load off my mind.