Which made me think it'd be fun to sort the characters in some of my favorite TV shows into Hogwarts Houses.
*original* *creative* *intellectual*
Why thank you.
I think it's only right that the first show to get sorted be The West Wing. You know, since e'erybody is announcing their campaigns for the presidency.
And so:
1. President Josiah Bartlet
So obviously, he's not a Hufflepuff.
That leaves Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor.
I know, I know. Slytherin isn't just filled with the bad people (Slughorn! And others, I'm sure....), but I do think it's filled with an awful lot of ambitious people. A little bit of ambition is good, a lot of ambition is not. We've all met these kind of people (the ones who place advancement ahead of everything and everyone else in life) and frankly, they're not my favorite. I wouldn't put Bartlet into Slytherin. When we get flashbacks to him and Leo talking about his run for the presidency, we find out that he was mainly trying to talk about issues. He cared more about people and policy than power. In one of my favorite episodes, "Let Bartlet be Bartlet," he says, "This is more important than reelection." "This" refers to a good agenda. He values that above his position of power. So it's a big fat no for Slytherin.
So is it Ravenclaw or Gryffindor? That's a tough one for me.
I think he'd fit in fine with Ravenclaw, but it doesn't feel right (and that's my cue that I'm taking this too seriously). Ravenclaws are great, but they seem a little out there to me. I see them as creatives or as big thinkers. Jed Bartlet is a big thinker, for sure, but he's also a leader. He's a mix of thinking and acting.
I'd probably put him in Gryffindor. He's got a mix of that boyish fun thing I think a lot of Hufflepuffs have and the smarts of a Ravenclaw. Combine that with his nerve and strong-willed nature and we've got a Gryffindor.
2. Leo
Leo is another character that can fit into a few houses. He's brilliant, he's brave, he's a good guy.
If I were the Sorting Hat (what a weird thought... 'if I were a hat..'), I'd put Leo in Hufflepuff.
I get that he's incredibly courageous. He served in war, he was wounded in war. And I get that he's basically a genius. But throughout the series, I think his friendship outshines all his other great qualities.
When Josh deals with PTSD, Leo gets him help and I don't have to quote the entire thing because if you're a West Wing fan, you know what I'm talking about (there's a guy walking down the street when he falls into a hole...). He ends it with something like, "Long as I got a job, you got a job."
He's a fierce friend to Jed, obviously. He's hurt when he finds out Jed has MS because if he had known he could have been supportive. He's clearly in anguish when Zoey gets kidnapped and the temporary president gives an attack order that puts her in danger. He's loyal to Bartlet and has no interest in working for anyone else throughout the series.
There are more examples, but I think it's pretty clear that he was a friend above everything else, so Leo goes to Hufflepuff.
3. Josh Lyman
TRICKY. He clearly doesn't belong in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. This is a toss up between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. I'm tempted to put him in Gryffindor because he has reddish hair and the Weasleys have red hair and they're in Gryffindor, so...
Since I can't really decide which house to put him in, I'm going to say this is a Harry-Potter-esque situation, and Josh is going to get to decide which house he wants to be in. And I think he'd pick Hufflepuff, since Leo is in Hufflepuff and it's important to Josh to be Leo's guy. I think he'd have a lot of friends in Ravenclaw though, since he revealed he was more of a chess club guy when he was talking to his intern about Harvard.
4. Toby
Toby and CJ are my favorite characters, I think. Someone once told me that I was like a lovechild of Toby and CJ and I think that it may have been the single nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.
Move on, Charlotte.
I'd put Toby in Ravenclaw. His hilarity and occasional scruffiness and love for the Yankees are things I could see being characteristics of people in other houses, but his main thing is his intellect. It influences everything else he does. Another big influence for this choice is how poetic he is. You know, talking about angels and demons battling and stuff... in normal conversation. As I said earlier, I see Ravenclaw as the place where almost all the creative types would be, and he's no exception. But he'd need some friends in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor to keep him cheery.
5. CJ
Where do you put someone with nerve, bravery, loyalty, and wit?
I don't know.
Okay, she can't be in Slytherin because while she has goals, she's not overly ambitious. I can't see CJ betraying her friends to get ahead in life or anything like that.
So Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor. Oh my. Instinct tells me to put her in Gryffindor, because while she's intelligent and a good friend, she's really a woman in a man's career, and that takes underlying nerve and courage.
If I'm going to eliminate another house, it'd probably be Ravenclaw (she and Toby would still be best of friends, though!) because she's so super down to earth. She's very cool. So I think it comes down to Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.
I can sort of see similarities between CJ and Minerva McGonagall. They're both witty (and know how to wonderfully time their snips), smart, professional, and caring. So I guess I'll go ahead and put CJ in Gryffindor. Good effort, though, Hufflepuff.
6. Sam
Sam is probably the most difficult character to sort for me. I'm inclined to throw him in Ravenclaw with Toby and I'm sure he'd do well there. But he's so fun and boyish, like Josh, and loves his friends and does things like goes sailing on boats with his friends so he'd do fine in Hufflepuff as well.
He's the furthest thing from a Slytherin, so at least we can throw that out.
But what about Gryffindor? He's plenty brave. He's got nerve. In the fourth season he goes to California to run for office - a campaign he won't win - because he made a promise. This probably shows his loyalty more than anything. And I can't pull the same thing I did with Josh here because I don't think I know what house he would choose.
If I had to choose, I think I'd go with Ravenclaw. This pains me because he'd fit in so well at Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. But, he is also another one walking around making poetry in normal conversations. He's a thinker before anything else and... I'll go ahead and call him a little stuffy, since when he did go out with his friends, he said something about wearing sweaters and looking like a Tommy Hilfiger ad. You need to be at least a little highbrow to hang out with your friends and look like a Tommy Hilfiger ad.
So we've got two for Ravenclaw, two for Hufflepuff, and two for Gryffindor! I didn't do that on purpose, but it works.
Next time: Donna, Charlie, Abby, Debbie, Margaret, and Hoynes.
Til then.
*Update - Read Part 2 here!
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Charlotte
