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Wow! Was that kiss Zoe (the President’s daughter) laid on Charlie (the President’s Aide) in the hallowed halls of the West Wing a zinger or what!?! It may not have been as memorable as the kiss between Helen and Tom on The Jeffersons, but as a punctuation mark to the show’s ongoing exploration of interracial dating and hate crimes (Zoe is white and Charlie is black), it did add some excitement to what was otherwise a pretty weak show.

Other questions raised by this week’s episode included whether reparations should be paid to ancestors of slaves; whether the government should issue school vouchers, and whether the United States should ask China for a pair of new panda bears for the National Zoo. The reparations issue was hashed out in a series of scenes between Josh -- Deputy Chief of Staff, and the President’s nominee for head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The vouchers issue was explored in scenes between Sam -- the Deputy Communications Director, and Mallory, the daughter of the President’s Chief of Staff, who also happens to be a public school teacher. Both sets of scenes felt stilted and staged; consisting entirely of dialogs in which each character carefully advocated a particular point of view, all of which came off looking like they were merely members of opposing high school debate teams.

By way of contrast, the scenes involving the relationship between Zoe and Charlie were more nuanced and compelling. The West Wing uses their love affair to dramatize both the closed-minded and unsophisticated attitudes of some of our society toward interracial dating, as well as the specific consequences of those attitudes when one member of an interracial couple is the daughter of the President of the United States.

Over past episodes, the White House has received a number of death threats against both Zoe and Charlie since their relationship became public. As a result, the Secret Service agents assigned to protect Zoe have become especially vigilant. The threats -- apparently coming from various young male neo-Nazis -- were discussed in chilling detail during a Secret Service briefing in this week’s episode. In another scene, Zoe was harassed on her college campus by a reporter about her presence at a party where a friend of hers was arrested for drug use. Zoe’s primary Secret Service agent physically restrained the reporter when he confronted her - a particularly zealous reaction, presumably due at least in part to the heightened tension caused by the threats against her charge. Both scenes were realistic, and highlighted the many problems confronting Secret Service agents while protecting the people they serve.

The kiss came later in the show, when Zoe accused Charlie of avoiding public displays of affection while they were walking through the West Wing. It was cute, yes, but also very compelling in the way it casually depicted the physical side of interracial dating - something not frequently seen on television.

Later in the show, C..J. -- the White House Press Secretary -- confronted Zoe’s primary Secret Service agent to learn more about Zoe’s presence at the party in question. The agent refused to provide any details, explaining that to do so would undermine Zoe’s trust in her and therefore make her job more difficult. Secret Service agents are in fact forbidden from discussing any of the personal activities or interactions of the people the protect. (At least that is the official line. On the other hand, if you ever happen to meet a Secret Service agent in a bar or some other informal social gathering, it’s more likely than not that you will learn anything you ever wanted to know and more. Like the politicians they protect, many Secret Service agents can not resist bragging about their work.)

While the agent’s official refusal to provide details about Zoe’s private life - even when doing so would arguably be helpful to the President -- reflects real Secret Service policy, C.J.’s involvement in the matter was less realistic. It is unlikely that in the real White House the President’s Press Secretary would ever become involved in the activities of the President’s children, even when the activities relate to interactions with the media. Generally, the President’s staff has nothing to do with the children of the President. The First Lady’s Office usually handles the "First" children, if such handling happens at all.

But the most unrealistic - and disturbing - part of the entire episode was the opening scene, in which staffers were celebrating the confirmation of the President’s Supreme Court nominee by partying throughout the West Wing - as well as in the Diplomatic Reception Room (called the "Mural Room" in the show) of the White House. Staff members do celebrate their political and legislative successes, and many very fun and exciting social events do take place in the White House. But parties for staff never include beer bashes in which the staff treat the place as if it’s their own. The West Wing is a very small building within which there is always a very subdued atmosphere as a result of 24-hour security and uniformed Secret Service officers posted in every hall.

The shot of Josh’s secretary lounging on a sofa in the "Mural Room" with shoes off and drink in hand was particularly unbelievable. I can tell you from personal experience that White House staff are generally not even permitted to sit on the White House furnishings. In the first year of the Clinton Administration, I spent an entire day in the White House escorting press in preparation for an evening event. When I grew tired and sat down in a chair, I was quickly informed by a White House usher that staff should not sit on the furniture. The White House and the furniture in it belong to the people of this country, not to the President, and certainly not to the President’s staff. The White House ushers never hesitate to remind anybody -- including senior staff -- that the rooms and the furnishings are to be respected and reserved for official functions.

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