Riding the Bench

There were several good developments on tonight's so-so episode. To wit:
--Sam--Sam!--called to tell Josh to "roll with the punches." Could it be? Are the writers actually acknowledging the existence of characters AFTER they leave the show?
--Will is doing a good job in his new post and Leo took the time to notice--in between rants.
--Donna totally gets Josh. She ran interference for him throughout the episode, protecting his ego and his image. Who else would have found a way to make Ryan useful by sending him as a backup dinner mate? And at the end, there was a reason why they played that stirring music--Donna had found the way to help Josh recover. She stood by him and showed him the way that he can still be useful and do something meaningful, even as he's being benched. That rainy day file of hers will save his life. But no, she's not on the right level for him to love her, right? Amy would have slept with him--at best. And while I don't dispute the therapeutic benefits that might have had, Donna's contribution was far more important and long-term.
--Charlie finally got more lines! Oh, wait--that was in the disaster relief PSA after the show. And even there he got the least lines among the three of them. "Three," by the way, was one of the inspired sentences Dule Hill got to deliver tonight. To his credit, he did it well.
--CJ told the President he needs to get back to leading. If only she would have added, "Because I'm sick of listening to cranky old Leo scream and shout and bench Josh when he authorized the strategy with Carrick and maybe he needs a vacation and maybe we need a vacation from him so please, please, Mr. President, lead again and stop letting him run the White House and the country. I'm scared--of him."
--Amy did what she should do on the show--she called on the phone and didn't appear.
--Bingo Bob made a nice save at the meeting with the Congressional folks. He knew the right tone and language to use. Maybe he can be helpful after all?

And the bad? Abby is still gone. Danny is still gone. Fitz is gone for good. They haven't hung the French guy in the Rose Garden yet for letting Zoey's drink get spiked. No one knows how Zoey was found. And the writing still stutters at times. But I care about the plot. So it's going OK. Keep it up, Johnny.