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This week's episode of West Wing confirmed what our endless fascination with political scandal has long proven: politics isn't all that entertaining, but the personal lives of some of its players can be pretty interesting.

The main plot concerned 5 congressional votes needed to pass the President's gun bill. It was dull and predictable, pitting a weak portrayal of the Members of the House of Representatives, against the over-inflated ego of a White House staffer gone haywire. Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman's threats to the two Congressmen toying with voting against the Administration were laughable and completely juvenile. I almost turned the channel after hearing his parting words of warning to a sputtering Congressman: "the President has a good heart and would never threaten you. That's what he pays me for." All this, while dramatically thrusting his shades onto his face with all the flair of a Jim Carey character. Fortunately, real-life political arm twisting is much more sophisticated and subtle than this -- unless of course you're playing by the Tom Delay rule-book.

The subplots kept me watching, though. There was a personal disclosure story line that I found both creative and right on target. Having to publicly reveal and document so much of your personal life --- every investment, each tax return, every mortgage, any gift over $250 -- is a necessary evil in the life of a top staffer in the West Wing. It was nice to see its realistic portrayal on television. The show handled the tension of financial disclosure season with humor -- jokes about an expensive smoking jacket given to Josh -- but also explored the serious implications of a full disclosure policy. Toby, the Director of Communications, was forced to reveal that his $5,000 stock investment in an Internet company shot up to $125,000 right after a friend of his testified in Congress about the economic viability of the Internet. It will be interesting to see what happens to him in the coming weeks. The season is young, and Toby will probably survive his seeming impropriety -- but not without paying some price, likely a financial one. This is why avoiding getting oneself into predicaments like Toby's weighs heavily on the minds of every senior staffer in the real White House.

The final story line involved Leo, the Chief of Staff, and it was very well done. Yes, his missing his wedding anniversary because of long hours at the office, then attempting to make up for it with champagne, jewellery and a violinist was a little cliché. But it highlighted the all- consuming nature of high-level politics and the personal challenges faced by political hacks who allow their work to dominate their lives. Leo's wife's act of leaving him wasn't melodramatic or overdone. It was just sad. More touching still was the conversation that followed between Leo and his rival -- the Vice President -- who was a consoling friend as opposed to the annoyingly indignant Dan Quayle-type V.P. we had seen previously.

In an interesting twist, Leo admitted to the V.P. that he hadn't been to an A.A. meeting in years for fear of public exposure. The V.P. revealed that he and several other high-level officials, have solved that problem by regularly attending confidential A.A. meetings -- called the "weekly card game" at 11 p.m. every Thursday in a basement room of the White House. The episode ended with Leo opening the secret service-guarded door to join the meeting, of which nothing could be seen but the ubiquitous silver coffee urn and a stack of styrofoam cups. It was a realistic glimpse into a work environment where so much support is required while nothing remains private.

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