Crossovers!
An interesting thing about West Wing/Lord of the Rings is that Sam is not the equivalent of Sam. Charlie is the equivalent of Sam.
Here is how I think it goes:
Frodo: Jed Bartlett
Sam: Charlie
Gandalf: Leo
Aragorn: Toby
Boromir: Mandy (remember her?)
Merry: Josh
Pippin: Sam
Legolas: C.J.
Gimli: ...Ainsley Hayes is the closest, but it would actually be "that person (probably female) who comes in on the opposite side of C.J., but with whom she bonds and they get close and they are both awesome." This would be Ainsley if Sorkin were better at writing Republicans, I deeply believe.
Other people:
Faramir: Donna
Mordor: All of America's enemies
Saruman and his people: the Republicans. I'm not sure where White Supremacist groups go.
Denethor: Vice-President Hoynes? The relationships don't work, but it's the right role.
Not sure about Theoden (Lord John Marbury?), Eowyn, and especially Gollum. You'd think that, what with him being my favorite character, I would be able to think of someone for Gollum. In terms of the role he plays in the story, honestly this may be Abby Bartlett. But she's so the-opposite-of-slimy! Hm.
--R
Here is how I think it goes:
Frodo: Jed Bartlett
Sam: Charlie
Gandalf: Leo
Aragorn: Toby
Boromir: Mandy (remember her?)
Merry: Josh
Pippin: Sam
Legolas: C.J.
Gimli: ...Ainsley Hayes is the closest, but it would actually be "that person (probably female) who comes in on the opposite side of C.J., but with whom she bonds and they get close and they are both awesome." This would be Ainsley if Sorkin were better at writing Republicans, I deeply believe.
Other people:
Faramir: Donna
Mordor: All of America's enemies
Saruman and his people: the Republicans. I'm not sure where White Supremacist groups go.
Denethor: Vice-President Hoynes? The relationships don't work, but it's the right role.
Not sure about Theoden (Lord John Marbury?), Eowyn, and especially Gollum. You'd think that, what with him being my favorite character, I would be able to think of someone for Gollum. In terms of the role he plays in the story, honestly this may be Abby Bartlett. But she's so the-opposite-of-slimy! Hm.
--R
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Theoden is the Democratic Party. Not necessarily the actual voters, but the Party. Gandalf (Leo) awakes them from their slumber and they wish they could be as inspired as Aragorn (Toby). Also:
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You are awesome. Theoden can totally be the Democratic Party, and I agree about Marbury/Bombadil.
Also, I realize that, only being in the middle of Season Two, there's a lot that characters will do that I haven't yet seen, so maybe the equivalencies will come clear? Joey as Eowyn, then? Or someone I haven't met yet?
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If Joey maps to anything it's ... Galadriel? I dunno.
I have a lame mapping for Gollum, but it only sort of works and I'd need to argue for it and you haven't even met that character yet. Also in order to really nail Gollum you have to get the full arc, so it wouldn't become obvious why until close to the end of the series.
BTW, the series gets dramatically less good after season 3, which is to say it falls to "better than most things on television."