The West Wing: Season 3

Great show! Witty, smart, and fast paced.

Great story telling, I worked in DC fir 17 years covering the WH and Hill. Very true to life

Love it

Many things throughout the series are exact replicas of events over the past couple decades. Very thoughtful, VERY realistic.

We are enjoying The West Wing. I wish the dialogue wasn't so fast sometimes. The captions can't even keep up.

Excellent cd

The West Wing's third season began in sadness. The 9/11 attacks would change much about our country (and this show), and we got an episode after them (Isaac and Ishmael) that attempted to show sensitivity and comfort during a confusing time. At that time, it wasn't generally liked, but it seems to have aged well (it was voted the 10th best episode by Bravo viewers earlier this year). After this, though, the season began in earnest, picking up where the astonishingly good "Two Cathedrals" episode left off and begins a multi-episodic story arc that has the staff at odds with each other as well as the introduction of the fabulous Ron Silver as Bruno Gianelli (he would get an Oscar nod for his performance). Truth be told, this season didn't have the same uniformity of excellence that previous ones did--the middle of the season was lukewarm, with episodes like "The Two Bartlets" and "Night Five" which rank among the lowest in the series (let's keep it in perspective, though: the worst of this season is still better than the best of the current one). However, the show pulls off one of the best episodes of the show in the finale, "Posse Comitatus", which has President Bartlet grappling with faith, law and morality in the matter of having an Osama bin Ladin-like terrorist assassinated. The sheer shock of the final act still brings chills down my spine every time I see it. Also notable: perhaps the most emotional episode in the series, "Bartlet for America" won an Emmy and its final scene between the President and Leo rivals the denouement in Kubrick's Paths of Glory for full-force emotional impact. "Gone Quiet" is a gripping story about a lost submarine, and features a wonderful, curmedgeonly performance by Hal Holbrook as Assistant Secretary of State Albie Duncan. "100,000 Airplanes" is an example of the complex narrative structure of the series: there are no less than four major stories revolving around Bartlet's State of the Union address, each of which are engaging. One of my favorites is "The U.S. Poet Laureate," which covers the scandal following an off-air gaffe on the part of the president. Says C.J. Cregg, "It's a classic Washington scandal. We got in trouble for telling the truth." But all through this season are these character threads: the President and Abbey (leading to a surprisingly touching scene in "Dead Irish Writers"), Josh and Amy's budding relationship, Toby and his ex-wife, Andie, and, of course, the President and Leo. The final one was always one of the most satisfying relationships with the show, and the fact that the current WW writers have all but eliminated it is one of my major beefs with the show right now. Enough soapboxing. Season 3 of the West Wing contains powerful drama and excitement, examination of real political issues and real people. It's definitely worth the money for anyone.

All disks work as they should. Format and functions aside, Series 3 of THE WEST WING shows things getting tougher. There are more lessons to be learned and more risks to take. And, of course, there is the road block in doing what is best (and right) we call politics. Giving no spoilers, or trying not to, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) soon makes a decision that shows what even all-around good guys and gals are capable of. Joshua Lyman (Bradley Whitford) may or may not have met someone who makes him question his sense of immediate certainty. Charlie Young (Dule Hill) sinks a bit deeper into his role as the president's personal aide. Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) seeks to advance his ideals and education even further. Leo McGarry (John Spencer) puts his army veteran know-how to the test. And Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) is still Toby Ziegler--the unrelenting perfectionist who never takes even the smallest error (spoken, written, or done) lightly. [Though he may get a harsh reminder to get off his high-horse for once.] Overall, this season shows what a presidential administration does with its second chance: throw it away or get it right (or in some cases, follow it up). It's true that THE WEST WING does not show White House dealings, or DC dealings in all, as they actually are. But it does show them as they could be, if the who's who (and us on the outside looking in) would slow down and ask why not, and not just speedily ask why, anticipating a negative. Not to mention stop, think, act, and review. And that US leaders and associates are still human beings, no matter what the titles and positions.