When Simon Donovan Died On "The West Wing"
White House press secretary C.J. Cregg gave Secret Service Agent Simon Donovan such a hard time when he was assigned to protect her during a stalker scare that you just knew they were gonna fall in love. After C.J.’s stalker is found and arrested, the pair finally shared the kiss they’d been building up to over several episodes. The resolution of their sexual tension felt like a climax, which made it all the more shocking for viewers when, minutes later, a practically giddy Simon is gunned down by robbers while buying flowers for C.J. at a Korean grocery store. Scoring emotionally devastating scenes with Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” has become almost a cliche by now, but this 2002 TV episode was the first time many of us heard it, and the emotional gut-punch was simply too much to bear.